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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
I. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a washing device for credit cards and the like and more particularly, to a portable device for washing credit cards of the type used for the purchase of petroleum products.
II. Description of the Prior Art
Numerous devices, apparatuses and machines for cleaning and drying various materials are generally known in the art. Examples of the variety of cleaning apparatuses that are known are disclosed in the U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,938,213; 3,970,471; 3,740,784; 3,333,291; 2,952,741; 3,008,161; 3,117,333; and 3,237,231.
The use of credit cards for the purchase of petroleum products, such as gasoline, oil and the like, is a common occurrence. It is well known that the use of such credit cards at service stations generally results in the return of a soiled card to the user, as the attendants generally have grease on their hands which is easily and simply transferred to the credit card to the general annoyance and possible inconvenience of the credit card user whose hands or clothes may also become soiled from handling the credit card. It would therefore be desirable to provide a simple and inexpensive device for removing the soiled matter from plastic credit cards, the same being accomplished with a device which is portable, of light weight and simple to use.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention, which will be described subsequently in greater detail, comprises a portable device for the simple and inexpensive cleaning of plastic credit cards. The device comprises an enclosed housing having a liquid-holding portion within which is submerged a pair of brushes which are engaged in a reciprocating-like fashion with the credit card to effect cleaning thereof.
It is therefore a primary object of the present invention to provide a new and improved credit card washing device which is simple in its design, convenient to use and economical to manufacture and maintain.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a credit card washing device of the type disclosed herein which may be used in a quick and easy manner for cleaning soiled, plastic credit cards.
Other objects, advantages and applications of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art of washing devices when the following description of one example of the best mode contemplated for practicing the invention is read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The description herein makes reference to the accompanying drawings wherein like reference numerals refer to like parts throughout the several views, and wherein:
FIG. 1 is a partially exploded, perspective view of a credit card washing device constructed in accordance with the principles of the present invention;
FIG. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of the credit card washing device taken along Line 2--2 of FIG. 3.
FIG. 3 is a cross sectional view of the credit card washing device taken along Line 3--3 of FIG. 2;
FIG. 4 is a plan view of the scrubbing brushes utilized in the credit card washing device illustrated in FIGS. 1 through 3 of the drawings; and
FIG. 5 is a fragmentary exploded, perspective view of the inlet aperture and sealing element utilized in the credit card washing device illustrated in FIGS. 1 through 3 of the drawings.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
Referring now to the drawings and, in particular, to FIG. 1 wherein there is illustrated one example of the present invention in the form of a credit card washing device 10. The credit card washing device 10 comprises a housing 12 enclosed by a cover 14. The cover 14 has an outer flange 16 (FIG. 3) provided with an internal groove 18. The upper peripheral edge of the housing 12 has a bead or lip 20 that is adapted to snap lockingly engage the flange groove 18 to secure the cover 14 to the housing 12 and to enclose the interior of the housing 12. One end face 22 of the housing 12 is provided with an aperture 24 through which a credit card 26 may be inserted for the purpose of cleaning the credit card 26 in a manner which will be described in greater detail hereinafter.
As can best be seen in FIGS. 2 and 5, the end face 22 has an upper portion which is recessed at 28 and wherein an I-shaped slot 30 is formed. The I-shaped slot 30 extends completely through the face 22 and is sized at its midsection 32 so as to receive the card 26 and to permit its passage therethrough. The opposite ends 34 of the slot 30 have semi-circular shapes which are complementary to the peripheral shape of the legs 36 and 38 of a credit card holder 40, all of which will be described in detail hereinafter. The recess 28 supports a slotted molding 42 which has an I-shaped slot 44 that is shaped and sized to be complementary to the face aperture or slot 30. A resilient seal, such as a rubber squeegee, 46 is sandwiched between the end face 22 and the inside surface of the molding 42, while fasteners, such as screws 48, extend through the molding 42 and engage threaded bores 50 formed in the end face 22 so as to securely attach the molding 42 to the end face 22 while securing the seal 46 thereinbetween. The seal 46 functions as a means for preventing cleaning fluid 52 from inadvertently being released from the housing 12, as the seal lips 53 are normally closed to prevent the passage of fluid therefrom. The lips 53, however, are resilient in nature and permit the card 26 to be inserted therethrough in a manner to be described hereinafter. The seal 46 may be made of any suitable resilient product, such as rubber, and functions to wipe the card 26 clean when it is removed from the housing.
Referring now to FIGS. 1, 2 and 3, it can be seen that the opposite side walls 56 and 58 are respectively provided with semi-circularly shaped and longitudinally inclined guideways 60 and 62, which are adapted to receive the legs 36 and 38 of the card holder 40 to guide the card holder 40 for reciprocal movement within the interior of the housing 12 in a manner which will be described hereinafter.
Referring to FIG. 4, there is illustrated an example of a scrubbing brush 64 in the form of a molded item having a plurality of bristles 66 and wherein the left-hand portion 65 of the molded brush 64 is slightly larger than the right-hand portion 67. The brush 64 has flexible sections 68 which permit two portions of the brush 64 to be folded toward one another to define the U-shaped element, as illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 3 of the drawings. The U-shaped brush 64 is positioned within the housing 12 and disposed along an incline that parallels the axes of the guideways 60 and 62. As can be seen in FIG. 3, the inside surfaces of the side walls 56 and 58 are, respectively, provided with steps 69 and 70 which are sized to receive and support the smaller right hand portion 67 of the brush 64. The larger portion 65 is similarly supported by a ledge. The inside surfaces of the side walls 56 and 58 are further provided with a plurality of locking projections 72 which left hand snap lockingly engage the upper surface of the larger portion 65 to securely mount the molded scrub brush 64 within the housing 12 in a position which parallels the axes of the card holder guideways 60 and 62.
Referring now to FIG. 1, the credit card holder 40 is illustrated as comprising a handle portion 80 which is connected to a body 82 so as to define between the legs 84 and 86 an opening 88 in which the hand of the user may be inserted when grasping the handle 80. The legs 36 and 38 of the holder 40 extend outwardly from the body 82 in a cantilever fashion such that the legs 36 and 38 are slightly flexible for movement toward and away from each other. The inside or opposing surfaces of the legs 36 and 38 are provided with recesses 90 sized to receive the outer edges of the credit card 26 so as to securely attach the credit card 26 between the legs 36 and 38 of the holder 40. The outside surfaces of the holder legs 36 and 38 have a circular configuration complementary to the circular configuration of the slot ends 34 and the guideways 60 and 62. It can thus be seen that when the credit card 26 is within the recesses 90 of the holder 40, that is, between the legs 36 and 38 of the holder 40, and the leg end of the holder 40 is inserted through the housing aperture or slot 30, the card 26 will be inserted into the housing 12 and along a direction paralleling the guideways 60 and 62 whereby the credit card 26 is inserted between the scrubbing bristles 66. As can be seen in FIG. 2, since the scrubbing brushes are substantially under the cleaning fluid 52, the reciprocal movement of the holder 40 by the user will reciprocate the credit card 26 back and forth between the bristles 66 thereby effecting a cleaning action to remove any dirt that may be on the credit card 26.
It should be noted upon inspection of FIG. 3 of the drawings that the guideways 60 and 62 are tapered toward one another as they approach the bottom of the housing 12. This tapering of the guideways 60 and 62 exerts an inward force on the legs 36 and 38 of the holder 40 to ensure a tighter grip of the credit card 26 as the same is reciprocated within the housing between the bristles 66.
The housing 12, the cover 14 and the holder 40 may all be fabricated from a plastic and be molded by any one of several known molding techniques, such as vacuum molding or injection molding, as desired. Similarly, the brush 64 is molded from a plastic material. Due to the simple snap lockingly relationship between the cover 14 and the housing 12, the cleaning fluid 50 may be simply changed when the same becomes dirty from use.
As can be seen in FIG. 1 of the drawings, the top portion of the cover 14 includes a clip 100 for securing the credit card receipt thereto and for functioning as a writing surface to facilitate the signing of the credit card receipt by the user.
It can thus be seen that the present invention has provided a new and unique device for washing credit cards, which device is simple in its construction and design and thus inexpensive to manufacture and maintain, as well as one which may be easily used.
While only one example of the present invention has been disclosed, it should be understood by those skilled in the art of washing devices that other forms of applicant's invention may be had, all coming within the spirit of the invention and scope of the appended claims.
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A device for washing credit cards comprising an enclosed housing having an inlet aperture through which a credit card holder is insertable for positioning the credit card into a cleaning fluid contained within the housing. Scrubbing brushes submerged in the cleaning fluid within the housing receive the credit card for cleaning the same. The credit card holder is reciprocated with respect to the scrubbing brushes to effect cleaning of the credit card. The housing also functions as a clipboard to hold the charge receipts while the same is being signed by the credit card user.
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FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The invention relates to a method and apparatus for aligning a semiconductor substrate, in particular, for aligning the substrate when undergoing a semiconductor assembly process, such as during placement of solder balls onto the substrate's contact pads.
[0002] Background and Prior Art
[0003] Ball Grid Array (“BGA”) techniques are commonly used for producing high-density integrated circuit (“IC”) components. A regular array of solder balls is deposited onto the IC component at contact pads where the electrical contacts of the IC component are to be formed. Such balls forming the electrical contacts of the IC component may then be mated with corresponding connections on a printed circuit board in use.
[0004] During production using BGA techniques, droplets of flux and solder balls must be transferred to a substrate where they are deposited in a predetermined array. A common technique is to use a flux transfer head or pin head to transfer flux to the substrate and a ball pick head to carry solder balls in the same array configuration as is required on the substrate, and then subsequently to deposit balls onto the substrate containing flux. It is usually essential that all the electrical contact points of the IC component are covered by solder balls to ensure that the component is not defective. Conventionally, the ball pick head is formed with a plurality of locations for receiving solder balls, these locations being disposed in the same array configuration as the desired configuration of solder balls on the circuit board. The corresponding pin head must also deposit flux droplets in the same array configuration on the substrate.
[0005] A number of challenges are presented to the design of fast and efficient apparatus for the placement of flux droplets and solder balls. The apparatus must be designed so that the pin head and the ball pick head are brought in turn to a precise position over the substrate and since the dimensions of the array and in particular the spacing between solder ball locations on the array are small, accurate alignment techniques must be employed. Generally, a vision or pattern recognition system such as a camera is used to locate and capture images of at least two fiducial markers on the substrate to determine whether any degree of movement is required to achieve alignment with the substrate.
[0006] The need in a production process to accurately align pin heads and ball pick heads over the substrate in a high-speed and efficient manner has given rise to the use of two cameras to reduce the movement that might be required by a single camera having to travel between the fiducial markers. An example is U.S. Pat. No. 6,070,783 in respect of a “Conductive Ball Attaching Apparatus and Method”. An apparatus is described wherein two alignment cameras are diagonally positioned from each other and integrated to a main transfer means. The problem is that the main transfer means is involved in many process work elements, such as ball pick-up, flux transfer, alignment and ball placement on the substrate. Moreover, the apparatus has a large transfer means design, such that the individual transfer means need to travel a relatively long distance to complete one cycle, resulting in a longer alignment and ball placement process. Another feature of the apparatus is that the cameras are rigidly integrated with the transfer means, such that movement of the cameras is dependent on movement of the transfer means. This makes the system more cumbersome and complex.
[0007] Another example of an apparatus using two cameras to align a substrate is U.S. Pat. No. 6,355,298 for a “Placement System Apparatus and Method”. One alignment camera is mounted on a pin head and another camera is mounted on a ball pick head. The ball pick head is involved in a time-critical process and has a higher number of process work elements as compared with the pin head. The result is an unequal distribution of work-loading since the ball pick head takes a significantly longer time to complete its processes as compared to the pin head. The ball pick head is not able to perform simultaneously a ball pick-up process (which includes ball preparation into a predetermined array for pick-up) and substrate alignment. This is because the ball pick head needs to wait for the processed substrate to exit the ball mounting station and a new substrate to enter for alignment, before it can perform ball preparation for another substrate. The waiting time contributes to increased process cycle time.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0008] It is an objective of the invention to avoid some of the disadvantages of the prior art in order to develop a relative more efficient method and apparatus for substrate alignment.
[0009] According to a first aspect of the invention, there is provided an apparatus for aligning a substrate comprising: a ball pick head for picking up a plurality of solder balls in a ball pick-up process and depositing them onto the substrate; a vision system adapted to view and obtain positional information of the substrate; a carrier to which the vision system is mountable, such that operation of the vision system is decoupled from movement of the ball pick head; and drivers responsive to said positional information viewed by the vision system to align at least the substrate and the ball pick head for depositing solder balls onto the substrate.
[0010] According to a second aspect of the invention, there is provided a method for aligning a substrate comprising the steps of: providing a ball pick head for picking up a plurality of solder balls in a ball pick-up process and depositing them onto the substrate; viewing and obtaining positional information of the substrate with a vision system mounted to a carrier, thereby decoupling operation of the vision system from movement of the ball pick head; and aligning at least the substrate and the ball pick head in response to said positional information to deposit solder balls onto the substrate.
[0011] It will be convenient to hereinafter describe the invention in greater detail by reference to the accompanying drawings which illustrate one embodiment of the invention. The particularity of the drawings and the related description is not to be understood as superseding the generality of the broad identification of the invention as defined by the claims.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0012] Embodiments of a method and apparatus in accordance with the invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:
[0013] [0013]FIG. 1 is a plan view of a typical BGA substrate with rectangular arrays of conductive solder pads;
[0014] [0014]FIG. 2 is a plan view of the BGA substrate with its fiducial marks more clearly illustrated;
[0015] [0015]FIG. 3 is a plan view of a substrate alignment and ball placement device according to the preferred embodiment of the invention;
[0016] [0016]FIG. 4 is an elevational view of dual alignment cameras mounted on a pin head of the ball placing device according to one preferred embodiment looking from direction A of FIG. 3;
[0017] [0017]FIG. 5 is an elevational view of dual alignment cameras mounted on a non-process head according to another preferred embodiment; and
[0018] [0018]FIGS. 6A to 6 F illustrates an operation sequence illustrating a distribution of process work elements between the pin head and ball pick head according to the preferred embodiment of the invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0019] [0019]FIG. 1 is a plan view of a typical BGA substrate 3 with rectangular arrays of conductive solder pads 2 . Flux and solder balls must be accurately placed at the locations of the solder pads 2 .
[0020] [0020]FIG. 2 is a plan view of the BGA substrate with its fiducial marks more clearly illustrated. Illustrations of the solder pads 2 have been removed for clarity. The substrate 3 has a number of lines defining grids 4 corresponding to outlines of the arrays of conductive solder pads 2 . These grids 4 include a number of fiducial marks 5 . An enlarged view of a fiducial mark 5 of a predetermined design is shown. In FIG. 2, the design of the fiducial mark 5 comprises regular L-shaped blocks, but it would be appreciated that other designs are also possible.
[0021] [0021]FIG. 3 is a plan view of a substrate alignment and ball placement device 22 according to the preferred embodiment of the invention. The ball placement device 22 comprises generally of a support frame 1 supporting a flux transfer head or pin head 18 , and a ball pick head 21 . The ball placement device 22 includes a number of drivers or motors. A pin head y-motor 23 attached to the support frame 1 drives the pin head 18 along a y-axis, whereas a ball pick head y-motor 24 attached to the support frame 1 drives the ball pick head 21 along the y-axis. Further, a pin head z-motor 27 and a ball pick head z-motor 28 drive the pin head 18 and ball pick head 21 respectively in the z-axis (i.e. perpendicular to the x- and y-axes). The pin head motors 23 , 27 and ball pick head motors 24 , 28 are mounted onto the support frame 1 . There is also a separate module that has a horizontal rail with a ball/flux mounting platform 34 and is used for flux and ball placement, and substrate transport in the x-axis.
[0022] With respect to the pin head 18 , it includes a pin head theta motor 25 that drives angular rotation of the pin head 18 . The pin head 18 also includes a vision system, which may be in the form of a dual camera alignment module 29 . Thus, the pin head 18 acts as a carrier to which the vision system is mounted. The vision system or dual camera alignment module 29 is adapted to view and obtain positional information of the substrate 3 . In the preferred embodiment, the vision system comprises a first camera 32 and a second camera 33 . Camera motors 30 , 31 drive the first and second cameras 32 , 33 respectively along linear guides 42 (see FIG. 4) in the x-axis in the dual camera alignment module 29 .
[0023] With respect to the ball pick head 21 , it further comprises a ball pick head theta motor 26 to drive angular rotation of the ball pick head 21 . The ball pick head 21 picks up a plurality of solder balls in a ball pick-up process and deposits them onto a substrate 3 located on the ball/flux mounting platform 34 of the horizontal rail. The substrate 3 typically contains positional indicia, such as fiducial marks 11 , 12 , 35 and 36 . Typically, fiducial marks are read horizontally or diagonally as pairs to determine alignment of a substrate, such that fiducial mark 11 may be read simultaneously with fiducial mark 12 and fiducial mark 35 may be read simultaneously with fiducial mark 36 . Other than fiducial marks 12 , the device 22 can be programmed to recognize other positional indicia, such as conductive pads, solder pads or any other unique recognition marks on the surface of the substrate 3 .
[0024] At each end of the shaft, there is a flux reservoir 37 and a ball template holder 38 respectively. It should be appreciated that although one camera is sufficient for implementing the invention, two cameras are generally preferred as they may stay in relatively fixed positions in the x-axis for viewing successive substrates, provided that they do not physically obstruct each other during pattern recognition. By doing so, alignment time can be shortened. It should also be appreciated that the various motors 23 - 28 , 30 - 31 act as drivers to control relative positions of the various components of the ball placement device 22 to align at least the substrate 3 and the ball pick head 21 , as well as the substrate 3 and pin head 18 in the described embodiments, for depositing solder balls 48 onto the substrate 3 .
[0025] [0025]FIG. 4 is an elevational view of the dual camera alignment module 29 mounted on the pin head 18 of the ball placement device 22 according to one preferred embodiment looking from direction A of FIG. 3. The camera module 29 is a modular assembly on which the first and second cameras 32 , 33 are mounted. The pin head 18 is selected for mounting the camera module 29 as it is a relatively non time-critical process head, i.e. it executes fewer process work elements, as compared to the ball pick head 21 .
[0026] The first camera 32 and second camera 33 are capable of independent movement in the x-axis. There is an LED module 44 , 45 for each camera 32 , 33 . A linear guide 42 serves as a conduit to allow horizontal movement of the cameras 32 , 33 and to position them with respect to the pin head 18 to view fiducial marks 11 , 12 , 35 , 36 on the surface of the substrate 3 . There may be a linear guide 42 for each camera 32 , 33 or a single linear guide 42 may be shared. The cameras 32 , 33 are preferably placed adjacent to each other, although it is also possible to position them on different sides of the carrier or pin head 18 . A first feed screw 40 driven by the first camera motor 30 controls the motion of the first camera 32 whereas a second feed screw 41 driven by the second camera motor 31 controls the motion of the second camera 33 .
[0027] Also illustrated are flux transfer pins 43 on the underside of the pin head 18 that are adapted to collect flux, then contact a substrate 3 to apply flux to it.
[0028] [0028]FIG. 5 is an elevational view of the dual camera alignment module 29 mounted on a non-process head 47 according to another preferred embodiment. The non-process head 47 acts as a carrier for the vision system in this embodiment. The configuration is the same as that of FIG. 4, except that the non-process head 47 is not involved in any time-critical process or any function other than supporting and positioning the cameras 32 , 33 . The essence of the first and second embodiments is that the vision system or dual camera alignment module 29 is adapted to obtain positional information of the substrate 3 substantially simultaneously with the ball pick head 21 undergoing the ball pick-up process (the ball pick-up process includes ball preparation into a predetermined array for pick-up). This can be done by decoupling operation of the vision system from movement of the ball pick head 21 . In this case, the non-process head 47 may be positioned such that fiducial marks 11 , 12 , 35 , 36 of the substrate 3 can be viewed without extensive movement by the non-process head 47 . The ability of the non-process head 47 to move in the y-axis would be desirable.
[0029] [0029]FIGS. 6A to 6 F illustrates an operation sequence illustrating a distribution of process work elements between the pin head 18 and ball pick head 21 according to the preferred embodiment of the invention. The configuration is shown generally looking from direction B of FIG. 3.
[0030] [0030]FIG. 6A shows the ball placement device 22 in a standby position. The substrate 3 is placed and accommodated on the ball/flux mounting platform 34 of the horizontal rail. The pin head 18 , that has flux transfer pins 43 and cameras 32 , 33 attached to it, is positioned over the flux reservoir 37 . The ball pick head 21 , that has a pick head template 46 , is positioned between the ball template holder 38 and the substrate 3 .
[0031] In FIG. 6B, the pin head 18 with fluxed pins is lowered so that the transfer pins 43 are dipped to a predetermined depth into the flux reservoir 37 to collect flux.
[0032] In FIG. 6C, the pin head 18 is raised and is moved towards the substrate 3 with a layer of flux 49 collected on the flux transfer pins 43 . Concurrently, solder balls 48 are introduced onto the ball template holder 38 during a ball preparation stage of the ball pick-up process. The ball template holder 38 has recesses that are arranged in the same configuration as solder pads on the substrate 3 . Therefore, the solder balls 48 that are arranged on the recesses are ready to be picked up and placed onto corresponding positions on the substrate 3 . The ball pick head 21 is now positioned over the ball template holder 38 to pick up the solder balls.
[0033] As the pin head 18 is moved towards the substrate 3 with the cameras 32 , 33 mounted on it, the cameras 32 , 33 will search for and then be positioned over fiducial marks 11 , 12 , 35 , 36 of the substrate 3 . As mentioned above, the fiducial marks are read in pairs. Thus, taking diagonally-located fiducial marks 11 and 12 as an example (see FIG. 3), the second camera 33 is positioned over fiducial mark 12 to obtain an image of the fiducial mark 12 and the first camera 32 is positioned over fiducial mark 11 to obtain an image of the fiducial mark 11 . A combination of the relative positions of the two fiducial marks 11 , 12 allows the ball placement device 22 to determine the extent to which the flux transfer pins 43 of the pin head 18 and the pick head template 46 of the ball pick head 21 are out of alignment with the orientation of the substrate 3 . The pin head motors 23 , 25 and ball pick head motors 24 , 26 of the pin head 18 and ball pick head 21 respectively are then capable of adjusting the orientations of the components accordingly in the y and theta axes to correspond with the orientation of the substrate 3 when being positioned over the substrate 3 . Compensation in the x-axis may be provided by movement of the ball/flux mounting platform 34 on the horizontal rail, or in another embodiment (not shown), movement in the x-axis of the pin head 18 and ball pick head 21 , if the pin head 18 and ball pick head 21 are so designed to travel along the x-axis.
[0034] If the fiducial marks 11 , 12 , 35 , 36 are wide enough such that the two cameras do not physically obstruct each other during pattern recognition, a relatively shorter alignment time is necessary. The cameras 32 , 33 may even stay in relatively fixed positions in the x-axis for viewing successive substrates. However, if the distance between reference fiducial marks 11 , 12 , 35 , 36 is small, it may be necessary for the cameras 32 , 33 to give way to each other during pattern recognition.
[0035] In FIG. 6D, the flux transfer pins 43 have been aligned with the solder pads of the substrate 3 and are lowered to transfer flux onto the substrate 3 . At the same time, the pick head template 46 is lowered to pick up solder balls 48 in the next stage of the ball pick-up process, usually by vacuum suction means.
[0036] In FIG. 6E, the pin head 18 has deposited a layer of flux 49 onto the substrate 3 and is moved back to its standby position. The ball pick head 21 has been raised, and its y and theta motors 24 , 26 bring it into alignment with the orientation of the substrate 3 .
[0037] In FIG. 6F, the solder balls 48 are placed onto the substrate 3 on which has been deposited a layer of flux 49 . The flux 49 helps the solder balls 48 to adhere onto the substrate 3 . At this time, the pin head 18 is lowered into the flux reservoir 37 again to collect another layer of flux 49 . Thereafter, the ball pick head 21 is raised after releasing the solder balls 48 and the substrate 3 is removed from the ball placement device 22 . Another placement cycle is started.
[0038] By shortening alignment time, system cycle time for solder ball placement may be shortened. As the cameras do not need to travel frequently or need to travel relatively shorter distances, potential wear problems on mechanical parts can be minimized with the reduced movement. There is further a possibility of the dual alignment cameras remaining in relatively fixed positions in the x-axis if the distance between fiducial marks is sufficiently large. With the layout according to the described embodiments, a time critical process head such as a ball pick head can focus on its task and share alignment information collected by a camera mounted to a less critical process head such as a pin head or a non-process head. As a result, the more balanced load distribution of the respective heads lead to reduced alignment time.
[0039] The invention described herein is susceptible to variations, modifications and/or additions other than those specifically described and it is to be understood that the invention includes all such variations, modifications and/or additions which fall within the spirit and scope of the above description.
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The invention provides a method and apparatus for aligning a substrate. The apparatus comprises a ball pick head for picking up a plurality of solder balls in a ball pick-up process and depositing them onto the substrate, and a vision system adapted to view and obtain positional information of the substrate. Furthermore, a carrier is provided to which the vision system is mountable, such that operation of the vision system is decoupled from movement of the ball pick head. Drivers responsive to said positional information viewed by the vision system are operative to align at least the substrate and the ball pick head for depositing solder balls onto the substrate.
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BACKGROUND
1. Field
One or more embodiments described herein relate to processing substrates including semiconductor substrates.
2. Background
Semiconductor devices and flat panel displays are made by performing photographing, etching, diffusion, deposition, and other processes on a substrate. These processes are performed in an apparatus having moving parts that can damage or otherwise adversely affect the performance of the finished substrate.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIGS. 1 a to 1 c are diagrams showing one type of substrate supporting apparatus.
FIGS. 2 to 4 are diagrams showing an embodiment of another type of substrate supporting apparatus.
FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an embodiment of another type of substrate supporting apparatus.
FIGS. 6 a to 6 c are diagrams showing operation of one or more of the foregoing embodiments of the substrate supporting apparatus.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
FIG. 1 a shows one type of substrate processing apparatus that includes upper and lower electrodes 110 and 120 in a chamber 100 . In operation, a substrate is transferred (e.g., by a robot) into the chamber through a gate valve G and placed on the lower electrode. A supporting apparatus 130 is used to place the substrate on the lower electrode, and/or to withdraw the substrate from the chamber once processing is finished.
The substrate supporting apparatus includes a plurality of lift pins 131 that pass through the lower electrode, a pin plate 132 provided with the lift pins, and a lift unit 133 for lifting the pin plate up and down.
When gate valve G is opened in a state shown in FIG. 1 a , a robot arm carrying the substrate is advanced into the chamber through the gate valve. As shown in FIG. 1 b , when the robot arm advances into the chamber, pin plate 132 is immediately lifted causing lift pins 131 to pass through lower electrode. When the lift pins project out of the lower electrode, substrate S carried is transferred onto the lift pins from the robot. When the pin plate is lowered, the lift pins pass back through the lower electrode to thereby place the substrate on the lower electrode as shown in FIG. 1 c.
When the lift pins contact the substrate during lifting and lowering, foreign materials attached to uppermost parts of the pins may cause spots to form on the substrate. Also, the positions of the lift pins are fixed and cannot be changed because, in any other position, the pins would not be able to pass through the respective holes in the lower electrode. Also, lift pins may damage patterns formed on the substrate, and further damage may result when processes are performed without first detecting that one or more of the lift pins are broken.
FIGS. 2 and 3 show an embodiment of another type of substrate supporting apparatus 30 . This apparatus includes first and second supporters 31 a and 31 b provided in parallel at respective sides of lower electrode 20 . The lower electrode is interposed between the first and second supporters and first and second combining holes 31 ah and 31 bh are formed on the first and second supporters respectively.
First shafts 32 a are inserted into three of the combining holes 31 ah , and second shafts 32 b are inserted into three of the combining holes 31 bh . This insertion may be performed, for example, by screwing the shafts into the holes. Wires 33 are connected to respective pairs of the shafts 32 a and 32 b that face each other. In FIG. 3 , three wires are shown as being used. However, a different number of wires (e.g., 1 or more) may be used in other embodiments. Also, the gap or spacing between the wires may be determined, for example, based on the positions of the combining holes.
The position of the wires can be set or changed based on (e.g., to correspond to or avoid) patterns formed on the substrate. By setting or changing the position of the wires, it is possible, for example, to prevent the wires from contacting and therefore damaging portions of the substrate that contain patterns.
The substrate supporting apparatus also includes lift units 33 a and 33 b which are respectively connected to lower ends of first and second supporters 31 a and 31 b . The lift units operate to lift the first and second supporters 31 a and 31 b up and down as necessary before, during, and/or after processing.
The substrate supporting apparatus may also include a sensor 34 to detect the presence of a break in one or more of the wires. The sensor may detect a break (or short) by applying a signal (e.g., a current, voltage, or power signal) to one end of the wire and then detecting the presence or absence of the signal at an opposing end of the wire. Other types of sensors may be used for this purpose. An unexplained reference numeral ‘ 50 ’ indicates a substrate transfer robot.
Referring to FIG. 4 , one or more grooves 22 are formed on an upper surface of the lower electrode 20 to receive respective ones of the wires 33 , when frames 31 a and 31 b are lifted down. In other embodiments, these grooves may not be formed.
FIG. 5 shows an embodiment of another type of substrate supporting apparatus. In this embodiment, supporters 31 a and 31 b are connected to each other. That is, the supporters in FIG. 3 correspond to a pair of bars but the supporters in FIG. 5 are connected to form a frame 41 . This frame may be a rectangular ring-type frame that surrounds the lower electrode. The construction and operation of shaft 42 and wires 43 may be similar to those in FIG. 3 .
Operation of the substrate supporting apparatus will now be explained with reference to FIGS. 6 a to 6 c . First, as shown in FIG. 6 a when a gate valve G is opened and a robot arm carrying a substrate S is advanced through the valve, the first and second supporters 31 a and 31 b are lifted up by the lift units. As a result, the substrate is removed from the robot arm to rest on the wires 33 as shown in FIG. 6 b.
Next, the robot arm is withdrawn through the gate valve and the first and second supporters are lowered. When the supporters are lowered, the wires are received in respective grooves formed in lower electrode 20 and substrate S is placed on the lower electrode as shown in FIG. 6 c.
Thus, one or more embodiments described herein provide a substrate supporting apparatus than can prevent spots from forming on contact portions of a substrate by using one or more wires to lift the substrate instead of lift pins.
According to one embodiment, a substrate supporting apparatus includes a pair of frames provided at both sides of a lower electrode, where the lower electrode is interposed between the frames; a plurality of shafts projected from upper surfaces of the frames; a wire whose both ends are connected to the shafts provided at both sides of the lower electrode; and a lift unit lifting up/down the frames.
A groove may be formed in an upper surface of the lower electrode to receive the wire when the frame is lifted down. The shaft may be formed integrally with the frame. Or, the shaft may be formed separately from the frame so as to be movably combined to the frame. The wire may be formed of conductor. Or, the wire may be formed of non-conductor and coated with conductor such as aluminum.
In addition, the substrate supporting apparatus may further include a sensor sensing a short of the wire to interrupt process when the wire is shorted. Both facing ends of the pair of frames may be connected with each other in a rectangular shape.
The foregoing embodiments of the substrate supporting apparatus can achieve one or more of following effects. First, the substrate is lifted using one or more wires. This prevents formation of spots on the substrate including areas that include patterns. Second, the positions of the wires can be set or changed (e.g., by moving shafts to different holes) to positions that avoid patterns on the substrate to thereby ensure that these portions of the substrate are not damaged. Third, the manufacturing process can be interrupted by quickly sensing a break (or short) in any one of the wires.
Any reference in this specification to “one embodiment,” “an embodiment,” “example embodiment,” etc., means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment is included in at least one embodiment of the invention. The appearances of such phrases in various places in the specification are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiment. Further, when a particular feature, structure, or characteristic is described in connection with any embodiment, it is submitted that it is within the purview of one skilled in the art to effect such feature, structure, or characteristic in connection with other ones of the embodiments.
Although embodiments of the present invention have been described with reference to a number of illustrative embodiments thereof, it should be understood that numerous other modifications and embodiments can be devised by those skilled in the art that will fall within the spirit and scope of the principles of this invention. More particularly, reasonable variations and modifications are possible in the component parts and/or arrangements of the subject combination arrangement within the scope of the foregoing disclosure, the drawings and the appended claims without departing from the spirit of the invention. In addition to variations and modifications in the component parts and/or arrangements, alternative uses will also be apparent to those skilled in the art.
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A substrate supporting apparatus includes first and second shafts spaced by a distance that corresponds to or exceeds a width of a substrate, and at least one wire to support the substrate. The wire has ends coupled to respective ones of the first and second shafts. The wire is raised and lowered to place a substrate onto a lower electrode in a substrate processing chamber and to remove the substrate when processing is completed.
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[0001] This application is related to and claims priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119 to U.S. provisional patent application No. 60/614,560, filed 30 Sep. 2004, bearing attorney docket number P2010US00, entitled “Display Hinge Assembly with An Adjustable Counter Balance”, by Paul Amdahl, David Kim, Robert Riccomini, and Gerson Goldberg, the entirety of which is incorporated by reference herein.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] 1. Field of the Invention
[0003] The present invention relates to hinge assemblies, and more specifically to such assemblies used to support visual displays such as computer monitors and LCD television monitors.
[0004] 2. Brief Description of the Related Art
[0005] Hinges or clutches have in the past been used to hold an LCD's position in a vertical (up-down) position and a tilted position. One problem that has been encountered with such prior systems using clutches is the difficulty in the user's feel of up-down movement; because the clutches are counter-balancing the overall weight of the LCD assembly (e.g., 15″˜4.6 lbs, 17″˜7.3 lbs, and 19″˜10.3 lbs), the torque values of the clutches need to be quite high. Thus, in upward movement, the user has to not only overcome the torque value of the clutches, but also the overall weight of the LCD assembly.
[0006] There remains a need, therefore, for improvements in hinge assemblies that assist a user in adjusting the height and/or tilt of the object to which the hinge is attached.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0007] According to a first aspect of the invention, a hinge assembly useful for supporting an object includes a base, an attachment element configured and arranged to attach to said object, a link extending between the base and the attachment element, a tension element extending between the base and the link, and a resistive torque supplying device attached to the base and pivotally attached to the link, wherein the resistive torque supplying device inhibits the link pivoting relative to the base.
[0008] Still other aspects, features, and attendant advantages of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from a reading of the following detailed description of embodiments constructed in accordance therewith, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0009] The invention of the present application will now be described in more detail with reference to exemplary embodiments of the apparatus, given only by way of example, and with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:
[0010] FIG. 1 illustrates a right top rear perspective view of portions of an exemplary embodiment of a hinge assembly in accordance with the principles of the present invention; and
[0011] FIG. 2 illustrates a right side elevational view of portions of the exemplary embodiment illustrated in FIG. 1 .
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS
[0012] Referring to the drawing figures, like reference numerals designate identical or corresponding elements throughout the several figures.
[0013] A counter balanced hinge assembly in accordance with principles of the present invention assists the up-down movement of a display, e.g., a LCD assembly, thus giving a user very smooth feel during up-down movement.
[0014] Turning now to the drawing figures, a first exemplary embodiment of a hinge assembly in accordance with the principles of the present invention is illustrated. Throughout the following description, reference will be simultaneously made to both FIGS. 1 and 2 , as different portions of the exemplary hinge assembly have been excluded from each drawing figures to aid in a clearer understanding of the principles of the invention in general, and of the exemplary hinge assembly specifically.
[0015] FIGS. 1 and 2 illustrate an exemplary hinge assembly 10 embodying principles of the present invention. The hinge 10 includes a base 12 , a display attachment element 14 , movable link 16 between the base and the display attachment element, a tension member 18 , and resistive torque supplying elements 20 , 22 . While the following description details exemplary embodiments of structures which together act as a hinge assembly, those of ordinary skill in the art will readily appreciate that other structures can be employed to perform the same or similar functions as those described herein without departing from the principles of the present invention.
[0016] The base 12 includes a base bottom 42 , a first base half 30 , and a second base half 32 spaced from the first base half. An upstanding flange 34 is attached to the base 12 , and includes an attachment point 38 , e.g., one or more holes, a purpose of which will be described in greater detail below. A control bar 44 extends between the first 30 and second 32 base halves, which provides a tension direction transition point as also described in greater detail below. The control bar 44 also enables the tension member 18 to be longer than would otherwise be possible without the control bar, because the tension member passes over the control bar between the two points of attachment of the tension member to the other structures of the assembly. In this manner, exemplary embodiments of assemblies according to principles of the present invention can be more finely tuned, including longer tension members with higher effective spring rates, than embodiments of the present invention in which the tension member does not pass over the control bar 44 .
[0017] The display attachment element 14 can take any of numerous forms, an example of which includes a bar or plate 46 to which a display D is firmly attached by known ways. The display D has a mass M, the gravitational force from which is, at least in part, counteracted by structures described herein.
[0018] The movable link 16 is attached to the base 12 at a base end 64 and to the display attachment element 14 at a display end 66 , and joins the two together. According to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the movable link 16 includes at least a parallel pair of bars, including an upper bar 60 and a lower bar 62 . In the exemplary embodiment illustrated in the figures, each bar 60 , 62 includes spaced apart portions at both the base end 64 and the display end 66 , and are pivotally attached to the base halves 30 , 32 at pivot points 40 , and directly or indirectly to the display attachment element 14 at the display end 66 . As can be seen in both drawing figures, an attachment point 68 is provided, e.g., on the lower bar 62 , for attaching a tension member to the movable link 16 ; the attachment point can be located anywhere on the link in accordance with the present invention. A clutch attachment point 48 is provided on the display attachment element 14 , as will be described in greater detail below.
[0019] While a single base/link/display attachment/tension element/resistive torque supplying element combination can support a display D, the present invention extends to the provision of more than one such combination, acting in parallel with each other to support a display D. As illustrated in the drawing figures, a second combination of these elements is illustrated spaced apart from the first set of these elements, bridged by the display attachment element 14 ; of course, if the display D itself is sufficiently rigid, the display attachment element need not bridge the two sets of elements, and the two or more attachment elements can separately and independently attach to the display D, in accordance with the principles of the present invention.
[0020] The second base/link/display attachment/tension element/resistive torque supplying element combination includes an upper bar 80 , lower bar 82 , base 84 , flange 86 , control bar 88 , and the other structures described herein. Thus, the second set is, essentially, a duplicate of the first, and preferably includes the same elements. Optionally, one or more anti-sway bars 100 , 102 , extend between the movable links 16 , and inhibit or prevent the parallel sets of structures from moving out of parallel planes. While the bars 100 , 102 are illustrated as extending between both upper and lower bars 60 , 62 , other embodiments in accordance with the principles of the present invention include only a single anti-sway bar joining portions of the movable links 16 . Thus, as illustrated in the exemplary embodiment of the drawing figures, a four-bar linkage links the bases 12 , 84 , and the display D.
[0021] With more specific reference to FIG. 2 , tension element 18 and resistive torque supplying elements 20 , 22 are illustrated. In general terms, the tension element 18 provides a tension force between the base 12 and the link 16 , while the resistive torque supplying element 20 resists, but does not prevent, pivotal motion between the link 16 and the base 12 , and the resistive torque supplying element 22 resists, but does not prevent, pivotal motion between the link 16 and the display attachment element 14 . In this manner, the tension element 18 can provide most, or all, of the force necessary to offset the gravitational force of the display D, optionally assisted by the force provided by resistive torque supplying element 20 . The resistive torque supplying element 20 provides a force resisting up and down motion of the display D, while the resistive torque supplying element 22 provides a force resisting tilting or rotation of the display D at the attachment point 48 .
[0022] The tension element 18 can be, according to the principles of the present invention, embodied in one or more of numerous structures. By way of example and not of limitation, one or more tension springs 110 can be stretched, preferably with a pre-tension, between the base 12 , e.g., at the attachment point 38 , and the link 16 , e.g., at the attachment point 68 . When the attachment point 38 is provided near the bottom of the base 12 , it is advantageous to extend the tension element 18 over the control bar 44 , thus providing the tension force vector with an upward component that, by appropriate selection of the spring rate of the tension element 18 , at least partially, and preferably completely compensates for the gravitational force on the display D.
[0023] As can be seen in FIG. 2 , the base includes an internal, that is, between the two halves 30 , 32 , upstanding flange 36 to which the resistive torque supplying element 20 is firmly attached. The resistive torque supplying element 20 is pivotally attached to the link 16 , e.g., at the lower bar 62 , at an attachment point 120 . Thus, the link 16 can pivot at the resistive torque supplying element 20 , but only after a preselected rotational force (moment) is applied to the display end 66 of the link 16 . Thus, the resistive torque supplying element 20 stabilizes the interaction between the tension element 18 and the display D, and optionally can provide some of the force necessary to offset the weight of the display.
[0024] The display end 66 of the link 16 is attached to a resistive torque supplying element 22 in an optionally different manner; the resistive torque supplying element 22 is illustrated in part in broken lines, and exemplarily has the same general shape as resistive torque supplying element 20 . A link 124 is provided between the upper bar 60 and the lower bar 62 , and includes a slot 130 . The resistive torque supplying element 22 is attached to the attachment point 48 on the display attachment element 14 at the pivot point 122 , while other portions of the resistive torque supplying element 22 extend into and are retained in the slot 130 . In this manner, the display D can be tilted about the pivot point 122 , once sufficient force/moment is applied to the display to overcome the force of the resistive torque supplying element 22 , while the link 124 keeps the upper bar 60 and lower bar 62 parallel at pivot points 126 , 128 .
[0025] The resistive torque supplying elements 20 , 22 , preferably include a friction clutch such as those commonly commercially available in numerous sizes and friction force values. Further optionally, adjustable friction clutches can be provided, by which the statics of and motion between the structures described herein can be finely tuned. The tension element 18 can include one or more tension springs. Preferably, although not necessarily, the elements 20 , 22 , supply the same amount of resistive torque, and/or tension elements 18 supply the same amount of force, so the motion of the hinge is substantially even.
[0026] Further optionally, the display D can be replaced with any other object for which it is useful to control a height and/or a tilt, including, but not limited to, computing devices, lamps, mirrors, static displays, signs, chalkboards, whiteboards, cameras, etc.
[0027] While the invention has been described in detail with reference to exemplary embodiments thereof, it will be apparent to one skilled in the art that various changes can be made, and equivalents employed, without departing from the scope of the invention. Each of the aforementioned documents is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.
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A hinge assembly includes a base, a link, a spring, and a pair of clutches. The spring attaches to the link, and the link attaches to an object to be supported, e.g., an LCD monitor. The clutches resist pivotal motion between the link and the base, and between the object and the link, wile the spring is in tension and balances the weight of the object. One or more additional combinations of these elements can be placed in parallel, joined by anti-sway bars, to further stabilize the assembly.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to the field of materials science and, more particularly, to nonmetallic materials and powder metallurgy. This invention was made with government support under Contract No. W-7405-ENG-36 awarded by the U.S. Department of Energy. The government has certain rights in the invention.
The cobalt dicarbollide anion, [Co(7,8-C 2 B 9 H 11 ) 2 ]-, is of interest to researchers because it is extremely robust, in that it is capable of withstanding strong acids, moderate bases, high temperatures, and intense radiation. Due to these properties, cobalt dicarbollide is being investigated for use in a number of applications. It may be useful in boron neutron capture therapy, where it is used as a carrier of boron-10. A cobalt dicarbollide salt may be administered to a living subject in such a manner that it concentrates near a malignant growth. Upon neutron irradiation, 10 B nuclei absorb neutrons and release alpha particles, which damage or destroy the tumor.
Cobalt dicarbollide may be useful as a rumor imaging reagent. Its kinetic stability and resistance to radiolytic degradation make it unlikely that radioactive cobalt would be released in a subject to which it is administered in order to image, by means of emitted radiation, a portion of the subject's body.
Cobalt dicarbollide is being investigated as a weakly coordinating counter-ion for certain polymerization catalysts, where turnover rates are dependent on vacant sites on the metal center or the degree of dissociation of the anion. Examples of such catalysts are [Cp 2 ZrCH 3 ]+ and [Cp 2 Th CH 3 ]+, where Cp is cyclopentadiene anion. The large size-to-charge ratio of cobalt dicarbollide aids in the coordinative unsaturation of the Zr or Th center.
Radioactive cesium and strontium are components of high-level nuclear waste which cause a great deal of concern in regard to safe storage of the waste, since storage is the only currently feasible disposal method. The intense radiation and thermal energy emitted by high-level nuclear waste pose significant problems in design of waste containers and storage facilities. Waste storage capacity at nuclear power plants is limited. Also, Cs and Sr are present in low-level nuclear waste generated in nuclear power plants. Removal of cesium and strontium from the waste will make handling and storage much safer and easier and reduce the volume of the waste. This may be accomplished by using cobalt dicarbollide in processing the waste. Cesium-137 and 9 Sr are also used in commercial applications such as sterilization of medical equipment, treatment of sewage, and thermoelectric generators; recovery and re-use of these elements is desirable. Cobalt dicarbollide is capable of extracting cesium and strontium (under different conditions from those used for cesium) from acidic aqueous solutions into an organic solvent.
Although cobalt dicarbollide is quite stable, the chlorinated and brominated derivatives exhibit even greater stability to degradation by acidic media and intense radiation. Protection at the B10 and B10' positions is necessary for increased stability of cobalt dicarbollide in 3M HNO 3 . When the number 10 positions are protected with halogens, use of the halogenated derivatives provides the same separation efficiency as unhalogenated cobalt dicarbollide. Thus, it is desirable to use these derivatives in extraction processes. Use of dihalogenated cobalt dicarbollide will result in less halogenated waste than use of more highly substituted compounds and it is less costly, since less halogenation reagent is required to make it. Previous preparations of chlorinated cobalt dicarbollide have used Cl 2 with gamma or ultraviolet radiation or KCl0 3 in aqueous HCl. These yield up to six different products, with up to seven chlorine atoms per anion, which are then separated chromatographically, using harsh conditions or expensive reagents. Reported preparations of the brominated derivatives of the cobalt dicarbollide anion have yielded either the hexa-bromo derivative or a mixture of products.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
This invention is a method for selectively adding chlorine, bromine, or iodine to cobalt dicarbollide anions by means of electrophilic substitution reactions. Halogens are added only to the B10 and B10' positions of the anion. The process involves use of hypohalous acid or N-halosuccinimide or gaseous chlorine in the presence of iron.
In a broad embodiment, the invention is a process for halogenating cobalt dicarbollide anions in which a halogen atom is added only to a boron atom located in the number 10 position of each cage of a cobalt dicarbollide anion or substituted cobalt dicarbollide anion, said process comprising:
a. reacting cobalt dicarbollide anions with a halogenation agent selected from a group consisting of an N-halosuccinimide, hypohalous acid, and iron and gaseous chlorine, where the halogen of said hypohalous acid or N-halosuccinimide is chosen from a group consisting of chlorine, bromine, and iodine, and where said reaction is conducted by a method chosen from a group consisting of:
(1) forming a mixture comprised of tetraalkylammonium cobalt dicarbollide, hypohalous acid, and water, and agitating said mixture for a time period sufficient for halogenation to take place, where the pH of said mixture is less than about 6.0;
(2) forming a mixture comprised of finely divided iron, a polar organic solvent, and x cobalt dicarbollide, and adding chlorine gas to said mixture for a period of time sufficient for chlorination to take place, where the number of moles of iron in said mixture is equal to at least half the number of moles of x cobalt dicarbollide and where x is a cation chosen from a group consisting of hydrogen, lithium, sodium, potassium, rubidium, cesium, trialkylammonium, and tetraalkylammonium; and
(3) forming a solution of x cobalt dicarbollide or a substituted x cobalt dicarbollide and an N-halosuccinimide in a polar organic solvent and agitating the solution for a time period sufficient for halogenation to take place; where x is a cation chosen from a group consisting of hydrogen, lithium, sodium, potassium, rubidium, cesium, trialkylammonium, and tetraalkylammonium, and where said substituted x cobalt dicarbollide has a substituent group attached to one or more of the carbon and boron atoms of the cobalt dicarbollide anion cages by means of a linking atom chosen from a group consisting of carbon, oxygen, nitrogen, phosphorus, and sulfur; and
b. recovering from said mixture or solution a solid material comprised of cobalt dihalo dicarbollide or a substituted cobalt dihalo dicarbollide.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING
The Drawing depicts the structure of a chlorinated cobalt dicarbollide anion. Atoms are labeled with chemical symbols and a number indicating their position in the anion. Twenty hydrogen atoms, one attached to each boron atom and carbon atom excepting the boron atoms to which chlorine atoms are attached, are not shown. The structure consists of two polyhedrons or cages, each having 20 sides and 12 vertices, linked by a single cobalt atom at a vertex of each polyhedron.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
The term "dicarbollide" was adopted by those skilled in the art because the chemical nomenclature system provides a name which is too cumbersome for convenient use in written and verbal communication. The commonly used names are used herein.
The reactions of this invention are electrophilic substitution reactions in which one of three reaction systems are used. The dicarbollide starting materials which are used are cobalt dicarbollide compounds where the cation is hydrogen, lithium, sodium, potassium, rubidium, cesium, trialkylammoniium, or tetraalkylammonium. Cobalt dicarbollide anions which have alkyl groups or other substituent groups attached to one or more of the cage carbon and/or boron atoms in place of hydrogen atoms may be halogenated by practice of this invention.
In one reaction system, hypochlorous, hypobromous, or hypoiodous acid is used to provide the halogen atoms. In experimentation regarding this invention, hypochlorous acid, which is unstable, was prepared by addition of aqueous NaOCl to 6M HCl. This reaction system can be used only when tetraalkylammonium cobalt dicarbollide is the starting material, but the cation may easily be replaced with another after halogenation. Compounds other than those of this invention resulted upon use of the trimethyl ammonium and cesium salts as starting materials. Chlorination of tetramethylammonium cobalt dicarbollide by hypochlorous acid is unique in that the reaction gives exclusively B10, B10' disubstitution and does not proceed to further substitution at room temperature. It is believed that the same is true for bromination and iodination.
In a second reaction system, cobalt dicarbollide compounds with the cations mentioned above are used in chlorination by means of chlorine gas in the presence of iron. This reaction stops at dichlorination; if iron is not present, the reaction continues to addition of chlorine atoms at positions in addition to the number 10 position of each cage.
In a third reaction system, cobalt dicarbollide compounds of the cations mentioned above are used in halogenation by means of N-chlorosuccinimide, N-bromosuccinimide, or N-iodosuccinimide. These reactions are sufficiently gentle that halogenation in the number 10 position of each cage will take place without destroying the substituent groups of a substituted cobalt dicarbollide, that is, a cobalt dicarbollide anion having a substituent group attached to one or more of the cage carbon and boron atoms.
Following are examples of work done in regard to the present invention, followed by additional information on the reaction system used in each example.
EXAMPLE 1
Tetramethyl ammonium cobalt dicarbollide, [(CH 3 ) 4 N ] [Co(7,8-C 2 B 9 H 11 ) 2 ], in the amount of 0.57 g (1.43 mmol) was dissolved in 120 ml of a mixture of 50 vol % tetrahydrofuran (THF) and 50 vol % isopropanol at room temperature. Iron filings (0.40 g, 0.72 mmol) were added to the resulting orange solution. Chlorine gas was sparged through the solution for two hours. The yellow solution obtained upon chlorine addition was evaporated to dryness and the resulting dark yellow solid was washed with two 50 ml portions of water to remove iron chloride. The solid was then dissolved/mixed in THF/isopropanol and the liquid was filtered to remove solid material, such as iron. Tetramethylammonium cobalt dichloro dicarbollide (0.61 g) was recovered by evaporating the solution to dryness, for a yield of 91%.
It is expected that almost any polar organic solvent may be used. However, it is desirable to limit the choice of solvents to those which are not chlorinated by the chlorine gas, thus avoiding generation of chlorinated waste and excessive use of chlorine. In the experimentation, isopropanol was mixed with THF because THF is expensive. It is believed likely that use of more than 50% isopropanol with THF would have resulted in chlorination of the isopropanol. Also, THF is easily chlorinated. It is expected that ferric chloride could be used instead of iron, as the mechanism of the reaction involves chlorination of the iron and formation of electrophilic chlorine. The amount of iron present in the reaction mixture should be at least half the amount of cobalt dicarbollide, where both amounts are expressed in moles. This is necessary to avoid the presence of free chlorine radicals in the reaction solution; the presence of such radicals would result in addition of more than two Cl atoms to each cobalt dicarbollide molecule. Use of more than this amount of iron will not improve the synthesis. Use of iron is an important feature of the invention, as it "stops" the reaction at dihalogenation. Without iron, more than one Cl atom would be added to each cage. Chlorine should be bubbled into the solution at a rate which is sufficiently low that the temperature of the solution is not raised by the heat of reaction to a point where excessive chlorination of the solvent takes place. Of course, this temperature varies, depending on the solvent selected, and a higher solution temperature speeds up the reaction. When bubbling chlorine gas into a solution containing finely divided iron, an excess of Cl is required. If the solution were to be extremely well agitated, it is expected that the stoichiometric amount of Cl for the dicarbollide reaction plus the stoichiometric amount of Cl for converting the iron to ferric chloride would be sufficient. In practice, such good mixing is very difficult to obtain. The first solid obtained in Example 1 is washed with water to remove FeCl 3 . The purpose of mixing the washed solid with a solvent and filtering is to remove iron and any unsoluble materials.
EXAMPLE 2
Trimethylammonium cobalt dicarbollide (0.40 g, 1.03 mmol) and N-bromosuccinimide (0.60 g, 3.37 mmol) were dissolved in 100 ml of THF, and the resulting dark brown clear solution was refluxed for 20 minutes. The solution was evaporated to dryness and washed with water to obtain 0.50 g of trimethyl ammonium cobalt dibromo dicarbollide, a dark orange solid. Yield:89%.
Trimethyl ammonium cobalt dibromo dicarbollide was made in a similar manner and it is believed that the diiodo compound can be made in a similar manner. Inventive compounds whose cations are tetramethylammonium, H, Li, Na, K, Rb, and Cs can be made in the same manner. Polar organic solvents which do not react with N-halosuccinimides may be used instead of THF. The reaction takes place slowly at room temperature. Increasing the temperature of the reaction solution decreases the time required for the reaction. It is necessary to use only a very slight excess of the N-halosuccinimide for complete dihalogenation and the reaction does not proceed to halogenation of boron atoms in addition to those in the number 10 positions even when large excesses of N-halosuccinimides are used.
It is believed that substituted cobalt dicarbollides can be halogenated in the same manner. The chemical literature may be consulted for methods of preparation of substituted cobalt dicarbollides. The term "substituted" refers to a cobalt dicarbollide anion having a group attached to one or more of the carbon and boron atoms of the two cobalt dicarbollide cages. There may be as many as 21 substituent groups; in this case, only one of the number 10 positions would be available for halogenation by use of N-halosuccinimide. The substituent groups which may be attached are limited to those having a particular linking atom which attaches to the carbon atoms and/or boron atoms of the cages, where the linking atom is one of a group consisting of carbon, oxygen, nitrogen, phosphorus, or sulfur. If all 22 of the primary cage atoms have a substituent group instead of a hydrogen atom attached, halogenation of the primary cage atoms will not take place. If both number 10 boron atoms have hydrogens and there are substituents at the other 20 positions, dihalogenation will take place. The reaction with N-halosuccinimide is sufficiently gentle so that the substituent groups will not be destroyed or substantially altered, though halogens may be added to the substituent groups. Halogenated x cobalt dicarbollide may be chemically attached to a substrate comprised of silicon oxides or aluminum oxides or to a polymer backbone by means of these substituent groups or by means of the halogens in the number 10 positions. The substituent groups may be organic or inorganic, but will always be attached to the cage carbons and/or borons through one of the five atoms mentioned above. Examples of substitutents are --CH 3 , --COOH, --C 2 H 3 , --CONH 2 , --SH, --NH 2 , and --OSO 2 . In future experimentation, it is planned to halogenate cobalt dicarbollide which is bound to an oxygen of a polysulfonamide through a cage carbon and cobalt dicarbollide attached to a nitrogen of a polyaniline. N-bromosuccinimide was reacted with Cs[Co((CH 3 ) 2 C 2 B 9 H 9 ) 2 ] and it is believed that it was dihalogenated, though characterization of the reaction product was not completed.
EXAMPLE 3
Tetramethylammonium cobalt dicarbollide (0.62 g, 1.36 mmol) was added to 20 ml of 6M HCl and then 50 ml of a solution of 10 wt % sodium hypochlorite (NaOCl) in water was added to the resulting mixture in dropwise fashion. The resulting yellow slurry was stirred for 24 hours at about 25° C. 50 ml of acetonitrile (CH 3 CN) was mixed with the slurry and two layers were allowed to form. The resulting clear yellow organic layer was separated from the clear colorless aqueous layer and evaporated to dryness, yielding 0.62 g of tetramethyl ammonium cobalt dichloro dicarbollide. Yield:85%.
In other experimentation at 25° C., it was found that the reaction of Example 3 was 80% complete in two hours and 100% complete in six hours. A higher temperature will result in a shorter reaction time, but may also result in occurrence of side reactions. It can be seen in the above example that a large excess of the reagents were used; this was done because the reaction is heterogeneous. Use of HCl without NaOCl and NaOCl without HCl did not result in the dihalogenated compounds of this invention. The solution must be acidic; it is believed that a pH of about 6.0 or less is required and that a lower pH will have no further effect.
At this time, it is unclear whether forming a mixture of tetramethyl ammoniu cobalt dicarbollide, HCl, water, and NaOCl would be more or less desirable than the dropwise addition of the above example. Trimethyl ammonium cobalt dicarbollide and cesium cobalt dicarbollide could not be used as starting materials. The reason for this may be that their solubility permits intimate contact of dicarbollide with localized areas of high pH momentarily caused by addition of NaOCl solution, thus causing degradation of the dicarbollide before halogenation takes place.
Since tetramethyl ammonium cobalt dicarbollide is insoluble, it is possible that the reaction of cobalt dicarbollide was sufficiently slow to allow formation of HOCl from NaOCl and HCl before degradation took place.
It is believed that hypobromous acid and hypoiodus acid and any tetraalkylammonium cobalt dicarbollide, where the alkyl group has from one to eight carbon atoms, may be used in this reaction system. The hypohalous acid may be formed by reaction of various salts comprised of hypohalite anions, such as KOCl and strong acids. Hydrochloric acid, sulfuric acid, and nitric acid are preferred, but phosphoric acid and glacial acetic acid may be used. Hypochlorous acid may be formed by bubbling chlorine monoxide (Cl 2 O) into a reaction mixture of tetraalkylammonium cobalt dicarbollide having a pH of about 6.0 or less. Polar organic solvents other than acetonitrile may be used for extraction of dihalogenated dicarbollide.
Tetramethylammonium cobalt dicarbollide and trimethylammonium cobalt dicarbollide were prepared by means of literature procedures except that n-propanol was substituted for ethanol in the preparation of the intermediate [Me 3 NH][C 2 B 9 H 12 ]. By reference to such procedures, those skilled in the art can easily prepare the above compounds and cobalt dicarbollide compounds where the cations are hydrogen, lithium, sodium, potassium, rubidium, or cesium. These eight cations are easily substituted for one another in cobalt dicarbollide and dihalogenated cobalt dicarbollide compounds. A primary source for synthesis procedures is a paper by M. Hawthorne, D. Young, T. Andrews, D. Howe, R. Pilling, D. Pitts, M. Reintjes, L. Warren, and P. Wegner, J. Am. Chem. Soc. 90, 879-896 (1968). Additional sources are M. Hawthorne, Accounts Chem., Res. 1, 281-288 (1968); M. Hawthorne and T. Andrews, Chem. Commun., 443-444 (1965); and L. Warren and M. Hawthome, J. Am. Chem. Soc., 89, 470-471 (1967). The most advantageous synthesis involves three steps. First, orthocarborane (1,2-C 2 B 10 H 12 ) is degraded with alcoholic alkali metal hydroxide (NaOH or KOH in CH 3 OH or C 2 H 5 OH). It is believed that deprotonated alcohol anion abstracts a BH 2+ unit from the orthocarborane to briefly create the dicarbollide dianion [C 2 B 9 H 11 ] 2- as an intermediate. However, the solution is only weakly basic, and [C 2 B 9 H 11 ] 2- is protonated by solvent to give [C 2 B 9 H 12 ] - . The overall result of this step is abstraction of B+ from orthocarborane. In the second step, dicarbollide anion is generated by treating [C 2 B 9 H 12 ] - with hot aqueous concentrated alkali metal hydroxide (40% by weight) to form [C 2 B 9 H 11 ] 2- . Finally, the [C 2 B 9 H 11 ] 2- reacts in situ with cobalt(II) chloride (CoCl 2 ) to give cobalt(III) dicarbollide. The last step involves disproportionation by 1.5 equivalents of Co(II) to give one equivalent of Co(III) complex and 0.5 equivalents of Co(0) metal. The molecular weight of cobalt dicarbollide is 323.73 g/mol.
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A method for selectively adding chlorine, bromine, or iodine to cobalt dicarbollide anions by means of electrophilic substitution reactions. Halogens are added only to the B10 and B10' positions of the anion. The process involves use of hypohalous acid or N-halosuccinimide or gaseous chlorine in the presence of iron.
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FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The present invention relates to the field of parathyroid hormone (PTH) analogs, in particular to novel PTH-like peptides hereinafter reported, useful for the treatment of hypoparathyroidism and diseases characterized by bone mass reduction, such as osteoporosis, and for stimulating bone repair or favoring the engraftment of a bone implant.
STATE OF THE ART
[0002] Parathyroid hormone (PTH) is an 84 amino acids polypeptide that acts as the most important regulator of calcium homeostasis in the human body through its direct action on bone and kidneys. The powerful anabolic effect on bone mass makes this hormone particularly interesting as potential therapeutic agent in the therapy of osteoporosis.
[0003] Unfortunately, due to the elevated molecular weight of PTH, its therapeutic applications have important limitations since its synthesis is technically difficult, and therefore expensive, and the only possible administration mode is the injection route. Moreover, PTH is easily susceptible to protease attack and must be stored at low temperature due to its low stability. In addition to these technical limitations, the toxicological data, and in particular the unfavorable results of cancerogenesis studies, induce a cautious use of PTH (Vahle J. L., Toxicol. Pathos. 2004 July-August, 32(4): 426-38; Whitfiel J. F., Medscape Womens Health 2001 October, 6(5):7; Kuijpers G., BMJ 2002 February 23, 324 (7335): 435-6).
[0004] Therefore, during the last years, investigation has focused on development of PTH-derived low molecular weight peptides which have analogous biological activity but can be administered by the oral route, are protease resistant, have structural constraints that improve the interaction with the receptor, can be easily synthesized and exhibit a greater therapeutic index.
[0005] Recently, it was found that a peptide composed of the first 34 amino acids of PTH is capable of inducing receptor activation and is effective in the treatment of osteoporosis in women in menopause (Neer R. M. et al, N. Eng. J. Med. 2001, 34:1434-1441).
[0006] However, the molecular weight of this peptide is still too high for oral administration. On the other hand, lower molecular weight peptides, for instance those consisting of the first 14 or 11 amino acids of PTH (PTH(1-14) and PTH(1-11)), proved to be inactive or exhibited very low biological activity.
[0007] Recently, it was found that the activity of low molecular weight peptides can be increased by introducing particular substitutions at specific amino acid positions. For example, PTH (1-11) analogs endowed with biological activity that were described in the prior art are: [Ala 3 , Gln 10 , Arg 11 ]-PTH(1-11), [Ala 3 , Gln 10 , Harg 11 ]-PTH(1-11), and [Aib 1,3 ; Gln 10 ; Harg 11 ]-PTH(1-11).
[0008] All studies carried out to find low molecular weight peptides with PTH-like activity showed that the substitution of valine at position 2 with both natural or non natural amino acids, such as Aib, leads to a reduction of biological activity ( Mol. and Cell. End., 2000, 160 pp. 135-147; J. Biol. Chem. 2000, 275, pp. 21836-21843; Endocrinology, 2001, 142, pp. 3068-3074; J. Biol. Chem., 2001, 52, pp. 49003-49012; WO 03/009804).
[0009] Therefore, these studies have generated a prejudice in the art that position 2 of PTH is essential for receptor recognition and therefore cannot be substituted when developing PTH derived low molecular weight peptides endowed with biological activity.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0010] Now the Applicant surprisingly found that, in contrast with the prior art teachings, substitution of valine at position 2 of PTH-(1-11) does not always lead to a decrease of biological activity. In fact, the substitution of amino acid at position 2 of PTH (1-11) with α-methyl-valine or α-methyl-leucine, combined with specific substitutions of other amino acids, results in peptides which have high biological activity and stability, and are suitable for oral administration.
[0011] In one aspect, the present invention is therefore directed to a peptide with PTH-like activity, comprising an amino acid sequence selected from the group consisting of:
(SEQ ID NO: 1) Ala-X 2 -Aib-Glu-Ile-Gln-Leu-Nle-His-Asn-Arg; (SEQ ID NO: 2) Aib-X 2 -Ser-Glu-Ile-Gln-Leu-Nle-His-Asn-Arg; (SEQ ID NO: 3) Ala-X 2 -Ser-Aib-Ile-Gln-Leu-Nle-His-Asn-Arg; and (SEQ ID NO: 4) Aib-X 2 -Aib-Glu-Ile-Gln-Leu-Nle-His-Asn-Arg,
wherein X 2 is selected from the group consisting of α-methyl-valine and α-methyl-leucine, and C- or N- derivatives thereof, and pharmaceutically acceptable salts thereof.
[0012] In another aspect, the present invention is directed to pharmaceutical compositions comprising at least one of the above said peptides, or C- or N- derivatives thereof, or pharmaceutically acceptable salts thereof.
[0013] The present invention is further drawn to a method of treating hypoparathyroidism and diseases characterized by bone mass reduction and to a method of stimulating bone repair and favoring the engraftment of a bone implant comprising administering to a patient in need of such a treatment an effective amount of at least one of the above said peptides, or a C- or N- derivative thereof, or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0014] According to the invention, by “Aib” the α-aminoisobutyric acid is meant, and by “Nle” norleucine is meant.
[0015] According to a particularly preferred embodiment of the present invention, X 2 is α-methyl-valine.
[0016] Compared to PTH (1-11) analogs known in the art, the present peptides exhibit a higher biological activity associated with greater resistance to protease degradation. The synthesis of said peptides is preferably performed by a solid phase technique, in which a resin suitable to anchor the C-terminal amino acid of the peptide is used as the solid phase. The extension of the peptide in N-terminal direction is then obtained by reaction of the amino acid bound to the resin with the next amino acid, appropriately protected usually by a FMOC or BOC group, according to a protocol that is well known to any expert in the field (Fields G. B. et al. Int. J. Peptide and Protein Res. 1990, 35; 161; Chone W. C. et al. “ Fmoc Solid Phase Peptide Synthesis: a practical approach”, Oxford University Press 2000) and combines the HOBut/HBTU/Dipea activaction with the activation by means of acyl fluoride.
[0017] In fact, for steric reasons, formation of a peptide bond involving α-methyl amino acids requires the activation of the carboxyl group by means of acyl fluorides. The same activation is applied to all the residues that follow the α-methyl amino acid present in the sequence.
[0018] The peptides of the present invention have a powerful PTH-like activity and are therefore indicated for the manufacture of medicaments useful in the treatment of hypoparathyroidism and of diseases characterized by a reduction of bone mass, as for instance osteoporosis, or as adjuvants in implantology and in repair of bone fractures.
[0019] Moreover, the present peptides showed to be able to stimulate bone repair and favor the engraftment of bone implants, and can be therefore administered in a therapeutically effective dose to this aim.
[0020] Therefore the present invention refers also to pharmaceutical compositions comprising at least one of said peptides in presence of pharmaceutically acceptable excipients and/or diluents.
[0021] Said peptides are particularly suitable for oral administration. Therefore, according to a particularly preferred embodiment, the pharmaceutical compositions of the invention are formulated for oral administration, for instance in the form of tablets, capsules, granulates, drops or syrups.
[0022] The following example is given to provide a non limiting illustration of the present invention.
EXAMPLE 1
Peptide Synthesis
[0023] a) Preparation and Conjuqation of Resin
[0024] The RINK AMIDE MBHA resin from NOVABIOCHEM is swollen for 30′ in NMP. It is filtered and the procedure is repeated for additional 30′. The resin is filtered again, then suspended in 20% piperidine solution in NMP for 45′. The resin is filtered and washed repeatedly with NMP. The resin is then suspended in NMP solution for 1 hour, with 4 equivalents of HOBt and HBTU, 8 equivalents of DIPEA. It is then filtered and washed with NMP. This procedure is followed for all amino acids that are not alpha-methylated.
[0025] b) Preparation of Acyl Fluoride
[0026] 1 equivalent of amino acid protected by a Fmoc group is suspended in anhydrous CH 2 Cl 2 and 1 equivalent of piridine is added. The temperature is brought to 0° C. and 2 equivalents of fluorocyanide are added. The temperature is allowed to rise to room temperature. After 3 hours, the reaction is stopped by addition of ice and CH 2 Cl 2 . The two phases are separated, the organic phase is washed with cold water and dried over Na 2 SO 4 . The organic solvent is removed, thus obtaining a glassy solid of white-yellow color.
[0027] An analysis of the so obtained product is performed by FT-IR spectroscopy. The acyl fluoride signal is detected at 1860-1830 cm −1 (Carpino L. A., J. Am. Chem. Soc. 1990, 112, 9651).
[0028] c) Solid Phase Reaction
[0029] 3 equivalents of acyl fluoride are reacted for 2 hours with 1 equivalent of DIPEA in DMF dried overnight on A4 molecular sieves (Wenschuh H., J. Org. Chem. 1994, 59, 3275).
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The present invention relates to peptides that are parathyroid hormone (PTH) analogs, useful for the treatment of hypoparathyroidism and diseases characterized by bone mass reduction, such as osteoporosis, and for stimulating bone repair or favoring the engraftment of a bone implant; to the pharmaceutical compositions comprising these PTH-like peptides and use thereof.
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BACKGROUND
[0001] Overnight bags are frequently used to carry a small number of items in a convenient manner. Backpacks are commonly used for this purpose, in many situations (e.g., overnight camping trips; child sleepovers) a sleeping bag is also needed. Sleeping bags can he cumbersome to carry separately and if stuffed into a backpack or other overnight bag, there is little room left for other items (clothes, books, stuffed animals, etc.).
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0002] Described is a multipurpose overnight bag which includes a storage body and a sleeping bag coupled thereto, and which includes one or more shoulder straps connectable to the storage body to enable the multipurpose overnight bag to be carried by a user when it is configured in a “travel mode” The multipurpose overnight bag is configured such that when put into the travel mode the sleeping bag wraps completely around and cushions the storage body, thereby protecting the contents of the storage body and providing a plush and comfortable carrying experience for a user carrying it via the one or more shoulder straps.
[0003] In an alternative embodiment, the storage body is made of a rigid material or is made of a soft material that is rendered semi-rigid via the inclusion of stiffening elements within the material.
[0004] In another embodiment, the storage body includes at least one flat side that lies flat a surface on which the sleeping bag is in a “deployed mode,” and is connected to the sleeping bag at one end thereof, thus forming a “headboard” at an open end of the sleeping bag which can be leaned upon buy a user and/or provide easy access to items placed within storage body.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0005] FIG. 1 shows a multipurpose overnight hag according to the present invention in a fully deployed mode configuration;
[0006] FIG. 2 shows a partial perspective view of a multipurpose overnight bag according to the present invention, showing a pillow removed, revealing a storage pocket for same;
[0007] FIG. 3 shows a multipurpose overnight bag according to the present invention in a travel mode configuration;
[0008] FIG. 4 shows an alternate partial perspective view of a multipurpose overnight bag according to the present invention;
[0009] FIG. 5 shows an enlarged view of a decorative head of the present invention, illustrating a zipper pocket therein;
[0010] FIG. 6 shows an embodiment of a multipurpose overnight bag according to the present invention, in which D rings are attached to the bottom portion of the storage body, and connection means, e.g., spring hooks, boltsnaps, carabiner clips, etc,, are provided for connecting straps to allow interconnection in a well-known manner; and
[0011] FIG. 7 shows a light element that can be provided at the tip of tail as shown with a zipper provided to enable the insertion of batteries to allow the operation of the light.
[0012] The instant invention is most clearly understood with reference to the following definitions:
[0013] As used in the specification and claims, the singular form “a,” “an,” and “the” include plural references unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.
[0014] Unless specifically stated or obvious from context, as used herein, the term “about” is understood as within a range of normal tolerance in the art, for example within 2 standard deviations of the mean, About can be understood as within 10%, 9%, 8%, 7%, 6%, 5%, 4%, 3%, 2%, 1%, 0.5%, 0.1%, 0.05%, or 0.01% of the stated value, Unless otherwise clear from context, all numerical values provided herein are modified by the term about.
[0015] As used in the specification and claims, the terms “comprises,” “comprising,” “containing,” “having,” and the like can have the meaning ascribed to them in U.S. patent law and can mean “includes,” “including,” and the like.
[0016] Ranges provided herein are understood to be shorthand for all of the values within the range. For example, a range of I to 50 is understood to include any number, combination of numbers, or sub-range from the group consisting 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, or 50 (as well as fractions thereof unless the context clearly dictates otherwise).
[0017] Unless specifically stated or obvious from context, as used herein, the term “or” is understood to be inclusive.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0018] Referring to FIGS. 1 through 7 , a multipurpose overnight bag 100 is shown. FIG. 1 best shows the multipurpose overnight hag 100 in a fully deployed mode configuration, and FIG. 3 best shows the multipurpose overnight hag 100 shown in its travel mode configuration.
[0019] Referring first now to FIGS. 1 and 2 , the overnight bag 100 includes a sleeping bag 102 and a storage body 104 , The sleeping hag 102 has a first end 106 (see FIG. 2 ), a second end 108 , a first side 110 and a second side 112 , Sleeping bag 102 also has a top surface 114 and a bottom surface 116 (which abuts the floor/ground when displayed as shown in FIG. 1 ). Sleeping hag 102 , in the broadest embodiment, is a typical sleeping bag as is well known, e.g., a cloth “pouch” preferably filled with polyester fiber padding, down, or other such material and having a zipper around the perimeter on at least two sides, e.g., bottom 108 and second side 112 . As described in more detail below, various modifications to this “typical” sleeping bag can be included to provide additional functionality and/or decorative features.
[0020] Storage body 104 includes a first end 105 and a second end 136 (see FIG. 4 ). An imaginary longitudinal axis 120 extends through storage body 104 as shown in FIG. 1 . An imaginary longitudinal axis 118 extends through sleeping bag 102 as shown in FIG. 1 . As shown, for example, in FIG. 1 , sleeping bag 102 is coupled to storage body 104 . In the preferred embodiment shown in FIG. 1 , the first end 108 of sleeping bag 102 is coupled to storage body 104 along the longitudinal axis 120 of storage body 104 , such that the longitudinal axis 118 of sleeping bag 102 is perpendicular to the longitudinal axis 120 of storage body 104 , in a preferred embodiment, the first end 106 of sleeping bag 102 is connectable to storage body 104 via a zipper 130 (See FIG. 2 ). It is understood that any connection means can be used in place of zipper 130 , e.g., simple hooks, ties, Velcro®, buckle clips, or the like.
[0021] As shown in the figures, in a preferred embodiment, the storage body 104 has at least one flat side, 107 as shown, for example, in FIG. 2 . In a preferred embodiment, the storage body 104 is generally trapezoidal shaped as shown in the figures, However, it is understood that in the preferred embodiment, only side 107 need be flat, and the remainder of the surface can be any shape, e.g., curved rather than trapezoidal, resembling essentially a tube with one flat side to sit on the ground when deployed.
[0022] In the embodiment shown in the Figures, storage body 104 has two points of entry so that items can be stowed therein and accessed when needed. A first point of entry is formed by providing a zipper 109 on first end 105 , As shown in FIG. 2 , this zipper 109 can be positioned around a portion of the perimeter of first end 105 , A second point of entry as shown in FIG. 2 is formed by placing a zipper 111 on a side of the storage body 104 that is easily accessible by a user of the sleeping bag sitting or lying on it, e.g., on a side of the storage body 104 that faces the sleeping bag, as shown in FIG. 2 . Placing zipper 111 in this location gives easy access to the contents of the storage body 104 when the sleeping bag is in the deployed mode configuration.
[0023] The storage body 104 can be made of any material capable of being formed into a shape having a generally flat side 107 . The material can be a softer less-rigid materials such as cloth, rip-stop nylon, sheet plastic, or like materials. It can also be a more rigid material such as high density polyethylene, polyvinyl chloride, polypropylene, or like materials. If softer less rigid materials are used, “stiffeners” can be included in seams or in inserts to add rigidity to the storage body 104 so that it can essentially “stand” on its own, even when unfilled with items,
[0024] In a preferred embodiment, a pillow 124 is also included for use by a user of the sleeping bag 110 . As best shown in FIG. 2 , if desired, a pocket or slot 132 can be provided into which the pillow 124 can he stored when not in use.
[0025] At the second end 108 of sleeping bag 102 , in a preferred embodiment, fasteners 128 are provided which interact, when in the travel mode configuration, with corresponding fasteners 134 (see FIG. 3 ) situated on the bottom side of sleep bag 102 , By way of example, for a sleeping bag 102 that is approximately 5 feet in length, used with a storage body 104 which has dimensions of approximately 18 inches in length by 8 inches in width by 6.5 inches in height, the complimentary fasteners 134 should be situated approximately 27-28 inches from the top of the sleeping hag, As noted above, FIG. 3 best illustrates the overnight bag of the present invention in the travel position. As can be seen, the sleeping bag is rolled around the storage body 104 and is fastened in place by fasteners 128 coupled to corresponding fasteners 134 , Any type of fastener can he used, for example, simple hooks, ties, buckle clips, or the like,
[0026] Also shown in FIG. 3 are straps 136 , As shown in. FIG. 3 , only a single strap 136 is shown. However, as can be seen in FIG. 6 , multiple straps (two arc shown) can be attached to make the device function as a backpack if desired, As shown in FIG. 6 , in one embodiment, D ring 140 are attached to the bottom portion of the storage body 104 , e,g., approximately at the four corners of the flat side 107 of storage body 104 , and connection means, e.g., spring hooks, boltsnaps, carabiner clips, etc., are provided for connecting straps 136 to allow interconnection in a well-known manner.
[0027] In a preferred embodiment, the sleeping bag 102 can include first and/or second decorative elements 122 and 126 , such as a stuffed animal head and a stuffed animal tail configured as shown. As can best be seen in FIG. 4 , the head and tail (in this example) are attached on the sides of the sleeping bag 102 , next to the top of the sleeping bag 102 and extending outward from the first side 110 and second side 112 , respectively. In a preferred embodiment, they are detachably connected, e.g., through the use of zippers or other fasteners, so that they may be removed when the sleeping bag is to be washed. In a preferred embodiment, the head 122 includes a zipper 138 on its hack of the head, which opens to provide a storage area within the head for a child or other user of the device.
[0028] Further, as best seen in FIG. 7 , if desired, a light element 142 can be provided at the tip of tail as shown with a zipper 144 provided to enable the insertion of batteries 146 to allow the operation of the light 142 . The materials used for the sleeping bag 102 and storage element 104 are preferably decorated with prints or other markings that are consistent with the decorative elements, for example, if a tiger head and tail are used, the material used for the sleeping bag 102 could have tiger stripes printed thereon, as could the storage element 104 . The light 142 can comprise any portable light (battery operated; solar powered, etc.) that can be situated within the tail 126 and emit light outward from the tail as shown, for example, in FIG. 7 .
[0029] The head and tail shown in the drawings are shown for the purpose of example only, and it is understood that many other decorative add-ons, e.g., lion, horse, cat, alligators, moose, panda, elephant, pig, cow, sheep, raccoon, seal, koala, hippo, frog, bunny, zebra, whale, kangaroo, bear, dolphin, butterfly, bumblebee, buffalo, duck, dragon, shark, kitten, dog, puppies, unicorns, monkeys, turtles, leopards, giraffes, ladybugs, penguins, dinosaurs; or sports related decorative items, e.g., baseball, basketball, football, soccer, tennis, lacrosse, and the like could be used and all such decorative add-ons are considered to be covered by the appended claims.
[0030] To put the overnight bag in the travel position, the sleeping bag is rolled around the storage body, through the straps 136 , and fastened using fasteners 128 , as shown in FIG. 3 . This provides the user with an easily carryable overnight bag which includes a sleeping bag and storage facilities for minor sundries, clothing, etc., that might be included on an overnight stay.
EQUIVALENTS
[0031] The functions of several elements may, in alternative embodiments, be carried out by fewer elements, or a single element. Similarly, in some embodiments, any functional element may perform fewer, or different, operations or functions than those described with respect to the illustrated embodiment. Also, functional elements (e.g., modules, computers, fasteners, straps and the like) shown as distinct for purposes of illustration can be incorporated within other functional elements, separated in different hardware, or distributed in a particular implementation.
[0032] While certain embodiments according to the invention have been described, the invention is not limited to just the described embodiments. Various changes and/or modifications can be made to any of the described embodiments without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention. Also, various combinations of elements, steps, features, and/or aspects of the described embodiments are possible and contemplated even if such combinations are not expressly identified herein.
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Described is a multipurpose overnight bag which includes a storage body and a sleeping bag coupled thereto, and which includes one or more shoulder straps connectable to the storage body to enable the multipurpose overnight bag to be carried by a user when it is configured in a “travel mode.” The multipurpose overnight bag is configured such that when put into the travel mode the sleeping hag wraps completely around and cushions the storage body, thereby protecting the contents of the storage body and providing a plush and comfortable carrying experience for a user carrying it via the one or more shoulder straps.
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This application claims priority from U.S. Provisional Application 60/425,662, filed Nov. 6, 2002, and U.S. Provisional Application 60/466,214, filed Apr. 28, 2003, each of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates, generally, to the field of detection of proteins involved in blood coagulation. More specifically, it relates to a method for determining the amount of tissue factor and/or factor VIIa in simple and complex biological systems.
2. Description of the Related Art
Tissue factor (TF) and factor VIIa (fVIIa) are essential components for the initiation of blood coagulation. Blood coagulation is initiated when cryptic TF becomes exposed on the surface of vascular cells where it can bind circulating fVIIa.
Although several assays for fVIIa have been described (some commercially available), those assays do not discriminate between factor VII and factor VIIa, either due to the lack of specificity in immunologic methods, or due to the feedback-activation of factor VII in the amidolytic and clot-based assays. For example, there is a “direct” factor VIIa assay based upon clotting of plasma initiated with a soluble mutant of TF. The assay involves the entire coagulation cascade, so it is therefore sensitive to the concentration of procoagulant proteins and coagulation inhibitors as well as factor VII by virtue of feed-back activation. Thus, the clotting time of plasma reflects the concentration of fVIIa, as well as, the concentration of all components of plasma involved in coagulation and its regulation.
Moreover, because of the critical role TF plays in hemostasis, its potential role in metastasis, and its extensive use in-vitro, it is important to have a sensitive and specific TF assay that can detect relatively low amounts of this protein in biological fluids, cell cultures, lysates, and in purified and semi-purified systems. TF assays thus far developed employ clotting, chromogenic, and immunochemical methods. The clotting methods involve the entire coagulation cascade and are therefore sensitive to alterations in the levels of procoagulant proteins and coagulation inhibitors. Chromogenic methods do not allow a direct measure of TF activity, and are expensive since they require additional purified coagulation factors. Similarly, immunochemical methods are relatively expensive and time-consuming. Thus, at the present time, there is no quick, accurate and somewhat universal method to directly measure TF activity.
Accordingly, a functional-based assay that could be used to measure TF or fVIIa in purified and/or complex biological systems would have a variety of potential applications. These include: in-vitro diagnostics for the assessment of hemostatic potential; in-vitro diagnostics for thrombotic risk assessment; in-vitro diagnostics for cancer screening; quality control during the purification of recombinant tissue factor; quality control during the manufacture of prothrombin time PT reagents; and characterization of final TF and/or PT reagents.
It has been demonstrated that the amidolytic activity of the TF/factor VIIa complex toward small fluorogenic substrates is membrane (phospholipid) independent. This suggests that TF can be successfully quantitated in a free form in purified systems and biological fluids, as well as, present on cell or artificial membranes and in cell lysates. Fluorogenic substrates, which allow a quantitation of low concentrations of factor VIIa (as described above), will similarly allow the quantitation of low concentrations of TF. U.S. Pat. No. 5,399,487, which is fully incorporated by reference, discloses fluorogenic substrates for serine proteases that contain 6-amino-1-naphthalenesulfonamide (ANSN) leaving groups.
SUMMARY OF INVENTION
The invention provides assays for detecting and quantitating tissue factor and factor VIIa in purified form or in complex biological mixtures such as body fluids and tissues, e.g., plasma. The assay is performed by detecting and/or measuring the TF-dependent fVIIa enzymatic activity using aminonapthalene sulfonamide-based (ANSN-based) fluorogenic substrates. The TF-dependent activity is an important aspect of this assay, as the TF/factor VIIa complex will yield nearly a 100-fold higher rate of substrate hydrolysis relative to factor VIIa alone with appropriate substrates. It has been demonstrated that the properties of the ANSN-based fluorogenic substrates allow for the direct quantitation of fVIIa at low (<5) picomolar concentrations in purified systems.
The enzymatic activity of a TF/fVIIa complex is related to the concentration of either TF or fVIIa in the sample, depending upon which is present at a limiting concentration. Standard calibration curves can be generated using samples with known concentrations of TF or fVIIa. The concentration of active TF or fVIIa in a sample suspected of containing these factors can be determined by comparing the detected enzymatic activity to the calibration curves.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a fluorogenic assay calibration curve for factor VIIa amidolyic activity in the presence of excess (5 nM) TF;
FIG. 2 is a fluorogenic assay calibration curve for TF cofactor activity in the presence of excess (2 nM) factor VIIa; and
FIG. 3 is a calibration curve for TF activity where TF activity is expressed as the amount of cofactor activity per milliliter of solution (units/ml). RFU represents relative fluorescent units.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
As noted above, the invention provides assays for tissue factor and factor VIIa. There are two broad aspects of the invention.
One aspect is a method used to determine the cofactor activity of TF in a fluid sample suspected of containing TF or containing an unknown quantity of TF. The term “determine” as used herein encompasses both quantitative measurements as well as qualitative assessments. Thus, the methods of the invention can be used to determine (1) if any TF is present in a sample and (2) the amount of TF activity in a sample. In the first aspect, the assay initially involves combining the sample suspected to contain TF with fVIIa to form a TF/fVIIa complex, i.e., a reaction mixture. Optionally, added to the reaction mixture are divalent metal ions, such as calcium ion, or metal ion chelators, such as ethylenediamimetetraacetic acid (EDTA) and ethylene glycol-bis(2-aminoethylether)-N,N,N′,N′-tetraacetic acid (EGTA). Other optional components of the reaction mixture include alcohols and polyhydroxylated materials. Representative alcohols include lower alcohols, e.g., C 1 -C 6 alcohols such as methanol, ethanol, propanol, pentanol, and hexanol. Polyhydroxylated materials include various glycols and sugars. Representative polyhydroxylated materials include glycerol, ethylene glycol, diethylene glycol, triethylene glycol, propylene glycol, dipropylene glycol, trimethylene glycol, butylene glycols, 1,2-cyclohexanediol, poly(oxyalkylene)polyols derived from the condensation of ethylene oxide, propylene oxide, or any combination thereof, 1,1,1-trimethylolpropane, 1,1,1-trimethylolethane, 2,2-dimethyl-1,3-propane diol, and pentaerythritol. More preferably, the alcohol is ethanol or n-propanol. Preferred polyhydroxylated materials include glycerol, ethylene glycol, and propylene glycol. More preferably, the polyhydroxylated material is ethylene glycol or propylene glycol.
Typically, the TF sample is combined with a molar excess of fVIIa to produce a TF/fVIIa enzyme complex in a TF limiting manner. When developing a calibration curve, there is a possibility that fVIIa may not be present in an excess relative to the concentration of TF. If so, there will be no change in the fluorescence level with change in concentration, i.e., a flat line will be generated, until the TF concentration is reduced to a point where fVIIa is in excess. Preferably, the excess of fVIIa is about a 2-fold excess. Alternatively, the molar excess of fVIIa is about a 100-fold molar excess; in yet another alternative, the excess of fVIIa is about a 1000-fold excess. Finally, the enzymatic activity of the complex may be detected, preferably by using an amino-napthalenesulfonamide-based fluorogenic substrate. Fluorescence can be monitored (continuously or discontinuously) using a suitable fluorescence spectrophotometer. Representative devices include (a) Perkin Elmer model MPF-44A; (b) a Perkin Elmer Model LS50B; (c) a Molecular Devices Spectramax fluorescence plate reader. When an ANSN-based fluorescent substrate is used, the fluorophore is preferably detected using monochrometers set at an excitation wavelength of about 340-360 nm, preferably about 350 nm, and an emission wavelength of about 460-480 nm, preferably about 470 nm. Light scattering artifacts can be minimized using an appropriate cut-off filter in the emission light beam, e.g., a 435 nm cut off filter.
The amino-naphthalenesulfonamide (ANSN) based fluorogenic substrate used is a compound of the formula:
or a pharmaceutically acceptable non-toxic salts thereof; wherein
R 1 is hydrogen, straight or branched chain lower alkyl having 1-6 carbon atoms optionally substituted with C 1 -C 6 alkoxy, straight or branched chain alkenyl having 2-8 carbon atoms, straight or branched chain alkynyl having 2-8 carbon atoms, cycloalkyl having 3-7 carbon atoms, alkylcycloalkyl where the alkyl portion has 1-6 carbon atoms, cycloalkylakyl where the alkyl portion has 1-6 carbon atoms, or phenylalkyl where the alkyl portion is straight or branched chain alkyl having 1-6 carbon atoms, or a group of the formula
R 5 represents hydrogen or an amino acid side chain; and
R 4 is hydroxy, C 1 -C 6 alkoxy, an amino acid or a peptide residue;
R 2 is hydrogen, straight or branched chain lower alkyl having 1-6 carbon atoms, straight or branched chain alkenyl having 2-8 carbon atoms, straight or branched chain alkynyl having 2-8 carbon atoms, cycloalkyl having 3-7 carbon atoms, alkylcycloalkyl where the alkyl portion has 1-6 carbon atoms, or phenylalkyl where the alkyl portion is straight or branched chain alkyl having 1-6 carbon atoms, or a group of the formula
R 5 represents hydrogen or an amino acid side chain; and
R 4 is hydroxy, C 1 -C 6 alkoxy, an amino acid or peptide residue; or
NR 1 R 2 forms a nitrogen heterocycle; and
R 3 is an amino acid or a peptide residue.
These substrates can be prepared as described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,399,437. Suitable substrates include the following: D -FPR-(cyclohexyl)ANSN (where FPR represents Phe-Pro-Arg, ANSN represents aminonaphthalenesulfonamide, R 1 is cyclohexyl and R 2 is hydrogen); D -FPR-(ethyl)ANSN (R 1 is ethyl and R 2 is hydrogen), D -FPR-(n-propyl)ANSN (R 1 is n-propyl and R 2 is hydrogen), D -FPR-(n-butyl)ANSN (R 1 is n-butyl and R 2 is hydrogen), D -FPR-(n-hexyl)ANSN (R 1 is n-hexyl and R 2 is hydrogen), D -FPR-(benzyl)ANSN (R 1 is benzyl and R 2 is hydrogen), D -FPR-(hexamethylene)ANSN (NR 1 R 2 represents an azepan-1-yl group), D -FPR-(isopropyl)ANSN (R 1 is isopropyl and R 2 is hydrogen), D -FPR-(methoxyethylene)ANSN (R 1 is methoxyethyl and R 2 is hydrogen), D -FPR-(t-butyl)ANSN (R 1 is t-butyl and R 2 is hydrogen), D -FPR-(methylacetate)ANSN (R 1 is —CH 2 CO 2 CH 3 and R 2 is hydrogen), D -FPR-(di-ethyl)ANSN (R 1 and R 2 are both ethyl), Boc- D -FPR-(cyclohexyl)ANSN (R 1 is cyclohexyl and R 2 is hydrogen), (p-F)FPR-(ethyl)ANSN (R 1 is ethyl and R 2 is hydrogen), Boc(p-F)FPR-(ethyl)ANSN (R 1 is ethyl and R 2 is hydrogen), D -FVR-(ethyl)ANSN (R 1 is ethyl and R 2 is hydrogen), Boc- D -FVR-(ethyl)ANSN (R 1 is ethyl and R 2 is hydrogen), D -LPR-(propyl)ANSN (R 1 is propyl and R 2 is hydrogen), Boc- D -LPR-(propyl)ANSN (R 1 is propyl and R 2 is hydrogen), D -VPR-(butyl)ANSN (R 1 is n-butyl and R 2 is hydrogen), Boc- D -VPR-(butyl)ANSN (R 1 is n-butyl and R 2 is hydrogen), L -VPR-(butyl)ANSN (R 1 is n-butyl and R 2 is hydrogen), Boc- L -VPR-(butyl)ANSN (R 1 is n-butyl and R 2 is hydrogen), D -VLR-(butyl)ANSN (R 1 is n-butyl and R 2 is hydrogen), Boc- D -VLR-(butyl)ANSN (R 1 is n-butyl and R 2 is hydrogen), L -VLR-(butyl)ANSN (R 1 is n-butyl and R 2 is hydrogen), Boc- L -VLR-(butyl)ANSN (R 1 is n-butyl and R 2 is hydrogen), D -LSR-(propyl)ANSN (R 1 is propyl and R 2 is hydrogen), Boc- D -LSR-(propyl)ANSN (R 1 is propyl and R 2 is hydrogen), D -FLR-(propyl)ANSN (R 1 is propyl and R 2 is hydrogen), Boc- D -FLR-(propyl)ANSN (R 1 is propyl and R 2 is hydrogen), L -FLR-(propyl)ANSN (R 1 is propyl and R 2 is hydrogen), D -VSR-(isopropyl)ANSN (R 1 is isopropyl and R 2 is hydrogen), Boc- D -VSR-(isopropyl)ANSN (R 1 is isopropyl and R 2 is hydrogen), D -LGR-(cyclohexyl)ANSN (R 1 is cyclohexyl and R 2 is hydrogen), Boc- D -LGR-(cyclohexyl)ANSN (R 1 is cyclohexyl and R 2 is hydrogen), D -PFR-(isopropyl)ANSN (R 1 is isopropyl and R 2 is hydrogen), and Mes- D -LGR(di-ethyl)ANSN (R 1 and R 2 are both ethyl). A preferred substrate is D -FPR-(cyclohexyl)ANSN.
In addition to fluorogenic substrates, chromogenic substrates such as p-nitroaniline-based (pNA-based) substrates may be employed.
Tissue factor from a variety of sources and species can be assayed using the invention. Preferably, the TF to be assayed with the invention is human TF. There are several sources for human TF. The sources include brain tissue, placenta, endothelial cells, tissue extract, plasma, cell extract, synthetic or naturally derived thromboplastin, and recombinant human TF. The fVIIa used in the TF assay is preferably either native human factor VIIa or recombinant factor VIIa, although factor VIIa from other species and sources may be employed.
The concentration of TF in the sample can be determined by quantifying the TF-dependent enzymatic activity of the TF/fVIIa complex. This involves comparing the TF-dependent enzymatic activity to a standard calibration curve. Quantifying the TF-dependent enzymatic activity of the TF/fVIIa complex in a sample with known concentrations of TF generates the standard curve. The concentrations of TF used for creating the standard curve may range from about 0.1 pM to about 1 mM, as long as factor VIIa is maintained in a molar concentration greater than that of TF, i.e., in excess relative to the TF molar concentration.
The specificity, sensitivity and limits of detection of the tissue factor assay may be modulated by employing techniques to physically capture tissue factor from the sample solution. This may be accomplished by, for example, using immunocapture techniques that employ immobilized anti-tissue factor antibodies or by immobilizing the enzyme (factor VIIa) itself. Using such techniques, tissue factor can be captured or removed from solution while extraneous materials are washed away. Techniques suitable for adhering antibodies to assay plates are well-known in the art as are methods for immobilizing enzymes such as fVIIa. Suitable anti-tissue factor antibodies are commercially available or may be prepared using methods known in the art.
The performance of the tissue factor assay can be enhanced if desired by adjusting various assay conditions. For example, the pH and ionic strength of the assay buffer can be adjusted.
The second aspect of the invention is a method used to determine the fVIIa enzymatic activity in a sample, preferably a fluid sample, suspected of containing fVIIa or containing an unknown quantity of fVIIa.
As noted above, the term “determine” as used herein encompasses both quantitative measurements as well as qualitative assessments. Thus, the methods of the invention can be used to determine (1) if any fVIIa is present in a sample and (2) the amount of fVIIa activity in a sample.
The assay in the second aspect first involves combining TF and fVIIa to form a TF/fVIIa complex, i.e., a reaction mixture. Optionally, added to the reaction mixture are divalent metal ions, such as calcium ion, or metal ion chelators, such as ethylenediamimetetraacetic acid (EDTA) and ethylene glycol-bis(2-aminoethylether)-N,N,N′,N′-tetraacetic acid (EGTA). Other optional components of the reaction mixture include alcohols and polyhydroxylated materials. Representative alcohols include lower alcohols, e.g., C 1 -C 6 alcohols such as methanol, ethanol, propanol, pentanol, and hexanol. Polyhydroxylated materials include various glycols and sugars. Representative polyhydroxylated materials include glycerol, ethylene glycol, diethylene glycol, triethylene glycol, propylene glycol, dipropylene glycol, trimethylene glycol, butylene glycols, 1,2-cyclohexanediol, poly(oxyalkylene)polyols derived from the condensation of ethylene oxide, propylene oxide, or any combination thereof, 1,1,1-trimethylolpropane, 1,1,1-trimethylolethane, 2,2-dimethyl-1,3-propane diol, and pentaerythritol. More preferably, the alcohol is ethanol or n-propanol. Preferred polyhydroxylated materials include glycerol, ethylene glycol, and propylene glycol. More preferably, the polyhydroxylated material is ethylene glycol or propylene glycol.
Factor VIIa from a variety of sources and species can be assayed using the methods of the invention. Preferably, the fVIIa to be assayed is human factor VIIa. Possible sources include plasma, tissue extract, cell extract or recombinant material. Preferably, the TF used in the fVIIa assay is native human tissue factor or recombinant human tissue factor, although TF from other sources may be employed. Possible sources of TF also include synthetic or naturally derived thromboplastin.
The concentration of fVIIa in the sample can be found by quantifying the fVIIa-dependent enzymatic activity of the TF/fVIIa complex. This involves comparing the fVIIa dependent enzymatic activity to a standard calibration curve. Quantifying the fVIIa-dependent enzymatic activity of the TF/fVIIa complex in a sample with known concentrations of fVIIa generates the standard curve. The concentrations of fVIIa used for creating the standard curve may range from about 0.1 pM to about 1 mM, so long as TF is maintained in a molar excess over the factor VIIa.
When developing a calibration curve, there is a possibility that TF may not be present in an excess relative to the concentration of fVIIa. If so, there will be no change in the fluorescence level with change in concentration, i.e., a flat line will be generated, until the fVIIa concentration is reduced to a point where TF is in excess. Preferably, the excess of TF is about a 2-fold excess; alternatively, the molar excess of TF is about a 100-fold molar excess; in another alternative, the excess of TF is about a 1000-fold excess.
Enzymatic activity of the complex may be determined in a manner similar to that used to assay for TF.
The specificity, sensitivity and limits of detection of the basic factor VIIa assay described above may be enhanced by employing techniques to physically capture factor VIIa from the sample solution. This may be accomplished using immunocapture techniques that employ immobilized anti-factor VIIa antibodies or by immobilizing the cofactor (tissue factor) itself. In this manner, factor VIIa may be captured from solution while extraneous materials are washed away in subsequent steps
The performance of the factor VIIa assay can be enhanced if desired by adjusting various assay conditions. As with the TF assay, for example, the pH and ionic strength of the assay buffer can be adjusted.
This invention is illustrated further by the following examples, which are not to be construed as limiting the invention in scope or spirit to the specific compounds or procedures described in them.
Example 1
Varying concentrations of fVIIa (0-1000 pM) were incubated with 5 nM TF in 20 mM Hepes (N-2-hydroxyethylpiperazine-N′-2-ethanesulfonic acid), 0.15 M Sodium Chloride (NaCl), pH 7.4 (HBS), containing 20 mM EDTA for 10 minutes at room temperature, followed by the addition of 100 μM D-FPR-(cyclohexyl)ANSN. Substrate hydrolysis was monitored continuously for five minutes in a fluorometer at an excitation wavelength of 350 nm and an emission wavelength of 470 nm. The rates of substrate hydrolysis were determined for each fVIIa concentration tested. FIG. 1 is a graph of a calibration line based on these rates of hydrolysis at various factor VIIa concentrations. FIG. 1 shows that the factor VIIa/TF dependent rate of substrate hydrolysis is linear over the range of factor VIIa concentrations tested.
Example 2
Normal citrated plasma was diluted (1:1) with HBS containing 20 mM EDTA, and the pH was adjusted to 7.4. Five nM TF was then added. The plasma was incubated for 10 minutes at room temperature followed by the addition of 100 μM D-FPR-(cyclohexyl)ANSN. The rates of substrate hydrolysis were determined. In a control experiment, the rate of substrate hydrolysis was evaluated for the same plasma sample, but in the absence of TF. The increased rate of substrate hydrolysis observed in the presence of TF (versus the control) was attributed to the activity of the factor VIIa/TF complex. The results were compared to the FIG. 1 calibration curve. The plasma sample yielded a fVIIa concentration of 102 pM.
Example 3
Concentrations of TF were varied (0-500 pM) and incubated with 2 nM fVIIa in HBS pH 7.4, containing 2 mM Calcium Chloride (CaCl 2 ), for 10 minutes at room temperature. Next, 50 μM D-FPR-(n-butyl)ANSN was added. Substrate hydrolysis was then monitored continuously for five minutes in a fluorometer at an excitation wavelength of 350 nm and an emission wavelength of 470 nm. The rates of substrate hydrolysis were determined for each TF concentration tested. The rate of hydrolysis by 2 nM fVIIa alone was measured and subtracted from the rates observed in the presence of TF. FIG. 2 is a graph of a calibration line based on these rates of hydrolysis at various TF concentrations. FIG. 2 shows that the factor VIIa/TF dependent rate of substrate hydrolysis is linear over the range of TF concentrations tested.
Example 4
In this example the preparation for TF employed in Example 3 was relipidated into phospholipid (PCPS) vesicles, composed of 75% phosphatidylcholine (PC) and 25% phosphatidylserine (PS). Relipidated TF, 250 pM TF to 500 nM PCPS, was incubated with 2 nM fVIIa in HBS, 2 mM CaCl 2 pH 7.4 for ten minutes at room temperature. Next, 50 μM D-FPR-(n-butyl)ANSN was added. Rates of hydrolysis were determined and the rate of hydrolysis by 2 nM fVIIa alone was measured and subtracted from the rates observed in the presence of TF. The net rate of hydrolysis was then compared to the FIG. 2 calibration curve. The assay data indicates that 35-40% of the TF added to the relipidation mixture was expressed as functional TF, which indicates poor recovery of total TF activity following relipidation.
Example 5
A standardized preparation of recombinant human TF with a cofactor activity of 241 units/ml (specific activity of 3906 units/milligram) was serially diluted to create stock assay standards in the range of 8 to 0.25 units/ml. One hundred microliters of each stock standard was combined with 50 microliters of 120 nM factor VIIa. Subsequently 50 microliters of 150 uM D-FPR-(n-butyl)ANSN was added and the rate of substrate hydrolysis was measured in a fluorometer at an excitation wavelength of 350 nm and an emission wavelength of 470 nm. A standard curve was generated in FIG. 3 by plotting the change in fluorescent intensity over time versus the concentration of TF (in units/ml). In a similar manner, a sample of TF (0.8 mg/ml) with an unknown amount of cofactor activity was assayed for comparison to the standard. After correcting for assay dilution, the unknown sample returned an assay value of 2803 units per milliliter, and thus a specific activity of 3504 units per milligram. Consequently, this allows for comparison of different preparations of TF using their specific activity, which is a direct indication of quality and functionality.
Example 6
Varying concentrations of fVIIa (0-200 pM) were incubated with 40 nM nM TF, in a buffer of 20 mM Hepes (N-2-hydroxyethylpiperazine-N′-2-ethanesulfonic acid), 0.05 M Sodium Chloride (NaCl), pH 8.0 (HBS), containing 0.1% (w/v) polyethlyeneglycol (PEG) and 25% (v/v) ethylene glycol for 10 minutes at room temperature, followed by the addition of 80 μM D-FPR-(cyclohexyl)ANSN. Substrate hydrolysis was allowed to proceed for 24 hours at room temperature after which an endpoint reading was taken in a fluorometer at an excitation wavelength of 350 nm and an emission wavelength of 470 nm. When a calibration curve was constructed by plotting the relative fluorescence intensity versus factor VIIa concentration, a linear relationship was observed with the lower limit of detection being approximately 2 pM. In this case, the optimized buffer conditions (pH, ionic strength, and additives) along with an extended assay period and end-point reading yielded a lower limit of detection that was 20 fold lower than that observed using the standard assay conditions outlined in “example 1”.
Example 7
A microtiter assay plate was precoated with purified recombinant tissue factor and residual plate binding sites were blocked with bovine serum albumin using conventional coating and blocking methods. Serial dilutions of factor VIIa in TBS, pH 7.4 (20 nM to 8.5 pM) were added to the plate and allowed to incubate for 2 hours at room temperature. The plate was then washed with TBS, pH 7.4 to remove non-bound factor VIIa and this was followed by the addition of 80 μM D-FPR-(cyclohexyl)ANSN. Substrate hydrolysis was allowed to proceed for 24 hours at room temperature after which an endpoint reading was taken in a fluorometer at an excitation wavelength of 350 nm and an emission wavelength of 470 nm. When a calibration curve was constructed by plotting the relative fluorescence intensity versus factor VIIa concentration, a linear relationship was observed with the lower limit of detection being approximately 8.5 pM.
The invention and the manner and process of making and using it, are now described in such full, clear, concise and exact terms as to enable any person skilled in the art to which it pertains, to make and use the same. It is to be understood that the foregoing describes preferred embodiments of the present invention and that modifications may be made therein without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention as set forth in the claims. To particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter regarded as invention, the following claims conclude this specification.
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The invention provides assays for detecting and quantitating tissue factor and factor VIIa in simple and complex biological systems. The assays are performed by detecting and/or measuring the tissue factor cofactor activity and factor VIIa enzymatic activity using aminonapthalene-based fluorogenic substrates.
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[0001] This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/231,102, filed Jun. 25, 2015, and incorporated herein by reference.
FIELD OF INVENTION
[0002] The present invention relates to a signaling device associated with a weapon.
BACKGROUND OF INVENTION
[0003] Recently, there have been many cases of high profile police shootings in the news and it seems as though there should be a simple way to avoid them. In many of these incidents, analysts including police experts have commented that while these shootings have occurred in the heat of a situation where the police officer may well fear for his safety, that if the police officer had just had an extra brief moment, perhaps just a split second, to analyze the situation, the police officer may not have pulled the trigger of his firearm or Taser. For example, in South Carolina on Apr. 4, 2015, a man named Walter Scott was shot and killed by a police officer named Michael Slager. Officer Slager shot Mr. Scott multiple times in the back as Mr. Scott was running away from the officer. Many analysts have commented that this death could have been avoided if Michael Slager had just thought a little bit more about the potential consequences before pulling the trigger. Perhaps the officer would have chosen instead to chase the suspect, shoot a warning shot, or aim at the fleeing individual's legs instead of his back.
[0004] The present invention is directed to overcoming this issue by providing a possible weapon user with a reminder of the potential consequences.
SUMMARY OF INVENTION
[0005] The present invention is directed to providing positive indication to a user, through use of a signaling device, that a weapon is being or has been removed from its holder. The system of the present invention recognizes when a weapon has been or is being removed from a holding device and a possible user may be about to activate the weapon. The signaling device is able to send an alarm signal to the individual via a visual, tactile, audible or other method. The intention of the alarm signal is to make the individual rethink the consequences of activating the weapon and consider how important and necessary a shot may be. The invention could be used with guns, Tasers, or other weapons.
[0006] In another embodiment, in addition to or as an alternative to an alarm, a delay factor can be automatically inserted. That is, upon initial attempt to fire, the weapon would be precluded from firing for some defined time period, such as five seconds.
[0007] An additional benefit of the device of the present invention is that it functions independently from who removes the weapon from its holder. If a person removes a weapon from another person's holding device, the signal produced by the device may make the person think twice before using the weapon. An example of a situation where this benefit could be realized is if someone takes out the gun or other weapon from a police officer, security guard, soldier, or other individual from their holding device. The signal may, in that split second, help the person reconsider the consequences of their potential actions. Similarly, the signal may serve to warn a person who may find an unattended weapon, as happens periodically when a child finds a parent's firearm and results in a tragic shooting because the child did not know the weapon was loaded and/or did not think thoroughly about the consequences of using the weapon.
[0008] The signal preferably is may be activated in “live” situations, as opposed to practice sessions or training so the incidence of the signal would be an unusual sensation that would have the desired effect of causing the individual to realize they are in an unusual situation and should think twice before activating the weapon.
[0009] The signal could be a vibration which could be activated if the individual is in a location where there is excessive noise such as a traffic situation, large crowd, riot or other situation where it is too loud to hear an audible signal from the device. The signal could be activated when a gun or other weapon is pulled out of the holster by using a sensor in the form of magnets associated with or in the holster and the sensor senses when the weapon and when the two are separated. This is similar to technology used with mobile phones, tablets, and the like that turn the device on when it is removed from its case. The signal would only need to be slight enough for the individual to sense the signal, and would preferably not be strong enough as to affect the accuracy of any shot or other weapon activation. The signal could be able to be turned off if, for example, the system is in a shooting range or just during practice.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES
[0010] FIG. 1 depicts an exemplary embodiment of the system of the present invention, including a weapon in a holding device, depicted as a holster, and an auxiliary device, depicted as an audio speaker.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0011] The present invention is directed to delivering an alarm or warning to a potential shooter once a gun or other weapon is pulled out of a holster or other holding device. One or more portions of the system of the present invention can, for example, vibrate, which would be a signal to the person removing the weapon to consider any consequences before shooting the bullet. In one embodiment, the device could make a noise which could be a voice announcement, such as one that says “think” or a comparable phrase which would make the potential shooter stop for a second and make sure that they were about to make the right decision. The voice could even be a self recorded message by the individual with the weapon or another individual of their choosing which may have the desired effect of causing the individual to think further before activating their weapon.
[0012] More specifically, the overall system of the present invention is comprised of at least three main parts, one part preferably located on the holding device of a weapon, such as but not limited to a holster, and another being the weapon itself or a device attached to the weapon. These two parts combine to, at least in part, form a system so as to allow the system of the present invention to be usable to recognize when a weapon has been or is being removed from a holding device. A third part is a sensor, in communication with a processor, where the sensor recognizes movement and the processor, in communication with a signaling element, alerts the signaling element to release an alarm signal. For example, when a firearm is removed from a holster, a signal is activated. This signal may be in the form of a vibration, and/or a noise. This signal may emanate from the weapon, the holding device, and/or an auxiliary device. The signal is a reminder to the individual to consider the consequences of activating a weapon, such as shooting a firearm and potentially killing an individual. An additional portion of the system of the present invention is the signaling or alerting means.
[0013] In one embodiment, the portion alerting a user could be incorporated into another device, such as one worn by or associated with a user, such as a mobile phone.
[0014] In different embodiments of the present invention, the device is usable with respect to firearms. In one embodiment of the invention, the device is usable with respect to Tasers. In one embodiment of the invention, the device is usable with respect to knives, swords or other sharp devices. In one embodiment of the invention, the device is usable with respect to batons. In one embodiment of the invention, the device is usable with respect to brass knuckles. In one embodiment of the invention, the device is usable with respect to handcuffs. In one embodiment of the invention, the device is usable with respect to grenades. In one embodiment of the invention, the device is usable with respect to other types of explosive devices. In one embodiment of the invention, the device is usable with respect to nun chucks. In one embodiment of the invention, the device is usable with respect to tear gas. In one embodiment of the invention, the device is usable with respect to smoke bombs. In one embodiment of the invention, the device is usable with respect to pepper spray. In one embodiment of the invention, the device is usable with respect to mace. In one embodiment of the invention, the device is usable with respect to crossbows. In one embodiment of the invention, the device is usable with respect to bow and arrows. In all of these embodiments, the common element is a unit that has potential to cause human injury which is stored in some type of storage or holding device and can be removed from the storage or holding device by a person.
[0015] In one embodiment of the invention, the holding device is a holster. In one embodiment of the invention, the holding device is a brief case. In one embodiment of the invention, the holding device is a knife cover or knife box. In one embodiment of the invention, the holding device is a bandolier. In one embodiment of the invention, the holding device is a quiver. In one embodiment of the invention, the holding device is a sheath.
[0016] In the context of the present invention, the system of the present invention includes a processor based unit which can sense change in position of a weapon (or comparable device) from a storage or holding device and signals such movement. In one embodiment of the invention, the signal is a vibration. In one embodiment of the invention, the signal is a voice. In one embodiment of the invention, the signal is a sound. In one embodiment of the invention, the signal is a light. In one embodiment of the invention, the signal is a message displayed. In one embodiment of the invention, the signal is a poke or a touch. In one embodiment of the invention, the signal is a scent or a gas. In one embodiment of the invention, the signal is a small projection onto the hand or a surface. In one embodiment of the invention, the signal is a temperature change. In one embodiment of the invention, the signal is a visual signal on a surface, screen, projection, or device visible to the user.
[0017] In one embodiment of the invention, the holding device is made out of leather. In one embodiment of the invention, the holding device is made out of fabric. In one embodiment of the invention, the holding device is made out of natural and synthetic fibers. In one embodiment of the invention, the holding device is made out of plastic. In one embodiment of the invention, the holding device is made out of metal. In one embodiment of the invention, the holding device is made out of canvas and the like.
[0018] In one embodiment of the invention, the signal is activated using magnets in the holding device and/or weapon. In one embodiment of the invention, the signal is activated using a gyroscope in the weapon to know when its position or orientation has changed. In one embodiment of the invention, the signal is activated using a button or other switch in the holding device and when it is pressed or not pressed, it activates the signal. In one embodiment of the invention, the signal is activated using a pressure sensor on the weapon. In one embodiment of the invention, the signal is activated using a pressure sensor on the trigger or similar device on the weapon. In one embodiment of the invention, the signal is activated using sensors, switches, buttons or the like in or on the holder.
[0019] In one embodiment of the invention, the signal is emitted from the weapon. In one embodiment of the invention, the signal is emitted from a weapon holding device. In one embodiment of the invention, the signal is emitted from an auxiliary device. In one embodiment of the invention, the signal is emitted from an electronic device.
[0020] An example of how the signal could be activated is with the use of magnetic sensors. Magnetic sensors use two magnets. The device of the present invention includes one or more sensors which sense when the magnets have overlapping magnetic field and when they overlap, which is referred to herein as being in the “switch off” position. Technology like this is used in phone and tablet cases where there is one magnet on the cover of the screen and one in the device and when the cover magnet is in range of the other magnet inside of the device, a signal is sent to the phone or tablet that turns it off. Magnetic sensors are used for the detection of positions of devices without contact or wear and tear of the devices. The sensor switches as soon as the magnet has reached the switch-on point. The direction of movement of the magnet is not important. Since magnetic fields penetrate all non-magnetizable materials, the sensors can detect magnets through many different materials.
[0021] In another example, the signal could be activated with the use of buttons or switches which, when pushed down, can complete an electrical circuit. When on, a small metal spring inside makes contact with two wires, allowing for flow of electricity. When off, the spring returns to its normal form and the current cannot flow. Similar technology is used in TV remote controls, calculators, and some other devices.
[0022] Another example of a signal from the present invention is vibration. The vibrating part of the device could be the same method used in cell phones. In cell phones and other devices, there is a small motor that has an attached rod that rotates when it is activated. Attached to this rod is a small semicircular metal part that, when it rotates, the lopsidedness causes the motor to shake. The motor is connected to the phone so when the motor shakes, the phone shakes with it, causing a vibration.
[0023] Another example of a signal from the present invention is a tactile sensation such as a poke. The poke could be activated using hydraulic technology. Similar technology is used in car brakes. When you step on the brake, a liquid is pumped into. As the brakes are pushed down, a lever pushes a piston into a narrow cylinder filled with hydraulic brake fluid. As the piston moves into the cylinder, it squeezes hydraulic fluid out of the end. The brake fluid squirts down a long, thin pipe until it reaches another cylinder at the wheel, which is much wider. When the fluid enters the cylinder, it pushes the piston in the wider cylinder with greatly increased force. The piston pushes the brake pad toward the brake disc. When the brake pad touches the brake disc, friction between the two generates heat. The friction slows down the outer wheel and tire, stopping the car. A similar technology could be used to activate a poke to the shooter.
[0024] In one embodiment of the present invention, the user can be poked, such as by a dull or sharp object as the tactile approach. Such a poke could be sourced from the holder or could be sourced from another location (in communication, preferably wireless, with the holder, weapon, sensor, processor, or alarming element) attached to a wearer's clothing or body.
[0025] Another example of a signal from the present invention is a change in temperature that the individual could sense. It could use a similar technology as electronic blankets. The way that an electronic blanket works is with an electric current that passes through a wire in the blanket that generates heat. The wire is put in a serpentine pattern in the blanket so that the whole blanket heats up. In the invention, the handle could heat up rapidly.
[0026] Another example of a signal from the present invention is with an audible sound. A speaker works by converting electrical signals into sound. A diaphragm moves back and forth, which makes the sound. An electric current is sent through a coil that changes creates an electromagnet with constantly changing polar orientations, which moves the diaphragm back and forth and it vibrates, which creates sound.
[0027] Another example of a signal from the present invention is a release of a scent or gas. It could be similar technology to electronic air fresheners. When the air fresheners see that someone is walking by, they release scent by building up pressure and letting out a little bit of the scented gas into the air. When the weapon is pulled out of its holding device, it could send the signal to send out the gas, which would act as a symbol for thinking before using the weapon.
[0028] The device signal could be from an auxiliary device, meaning that upon removal of a weapon from a holding device, a signal is sent to a third or auxiliary device, and it is the auxiliary device that actually provides a signal to the individual. The signal could be sent to the auxiliary device, such as an ear plug, or a wearable device. Similar technology is used in a printer, the computer sends a signal to the printer and the printer receives the signal and it does what the computer told it to do. The auxiliary device could be worn separately by the individual or combined or attached to a garment, device or other piece of equipment of the individual.
[0029] FIG. 1 is of a weapon 1 , which is a firearm in this case, a holding device 2 , which is a holster in this case, and an auxiliary device 9 , which is an audio speaker in this case. An activation device 3 is on weapon 1 , which is a magnet in this case. A corresponding activation device 4 , which in another magnet, is on holding device 2 . When the two activation devices 3 and 4 are separated, when the weapon 1 is taken out of the holding device 2 , a signal is sent from the transmitter 5 to a signaling device which may be on the weapon, as depicted with item 6 , or on the holding device, as depicted with item 7 , or on an auxiliary device 9 , as depicted with item 8 . The signaling device 6 , 7 , 8 will then produce a signal to the individual.
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The present invention is directed to a device, system, and associated method useful in alerting and warning an individual or another before the individual activates a weapon such as a gun, a Taser, or the like, by emitting a signal, which could be a vibration, noise, or other indicator to act as a message or to provide the individual with an opportunity to consider the consequences of activating the weapon. The signal may be activated when the weapon is removed or is being removed from a holster or other holding device. The removal of the weapon from the holding device may be detected by using magnets, switches, or another known method. The device may also be able to be turned off manually, such as if in a shooting range or in practice.
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BACKGROUND ART
1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a hydrodynamic bearing having fluid in its rotation section and a disc rotation apparatus having the same.
2. Prior Art
In recent years, in recording apparatuses using discs and the like, their memory capacities are increasing and their data transfer speeds are rising. Hence, a disc rotation apparatus for use in this kind of recording apparatus is required to rotate at high speed and with high accuracy, and a hydrodynamic bearing is used in its rotating main shaft section.
A conventional hydrodynamic bearing and an example of a disc rotation apparatus having the same will be described below referring to FIG. 12 to FIG. 16 . FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view showing the right portion of the center line C indicating the center of the rotation shaft of the conventional hydrodynamic bearing. In FIG. 12 , a shaft 31 is rotatably inserted into a sleeve 32 having a bearing hole 32 A. At the lower end of the shaft 31 , a flange 33 is provided so as to be integrated therewith. The lower end of the flange 33 is accommodated in a recess portion formed by a hole in a base 35 and the sleeve 32 and rotatably held so as to be opposed to a thrust plate 34 mounted on the base 35 . A hub rotor 36 , a rotor magnet 38 , a plurality of discs 39 , spacers 40 and a clamper 41 are secured to the shaft 31 . A motor stator 37 opposed to the rotor magnet 38 is installed on the base 35 . Dynamic pressure generation grooves 32 B and 32 C indicated by broken lines are provided on the inner circumferential face of the bearing hole 32 A of the sleeve 32 . Dynamic pressure generation grooves 33 A are provided on the upper face of the flange 33 , a face opposed to the sleeve 32 . In addition, dynamic pressure generation grooves 33 B are provided on the lower face of the flange 33 , a face opposed to the thrust plate 34 . The clearances between the shaft 31 and the sleeve 32 , including the dynamic pressure generation grooves 32 B, 32 C, 33 A and 33 B, are filled with oil.
The operation of the conventional hydrodynamic bearing shown in FIG. 12 will be described below. In FIG. 12 , when electric power is applied to the coil of the stator 37 , a rotating magnet field is generated, and a rotation force is generated in the rotor magnet 38 , whereby the shaft 31 and the flange 33 rotate together with the hub rotor 36 and the discs 39 . During the rotation, dynamic pressures are generated in the oil by the dynamic pressure generation grooves 32 B, 32 C, 33 A and 33 B, and the shaft 31 is floated in the upward direction of the figure and rotates while holding space from the sleeve 32 and without making contact with the thrust plate 34 and the sleeve 32 . Magnet heads, not shown, make contact with the discs 39 and carry out the recording and reproduction of electrical signals.
The conventional hydrodynamic bearing configured as described above had problems described below. FIG. 13 is a plan view of the flange 33 which is provided with a plurality of the dynamic pressure generation grooves 33 A indicated by black-colored regions. FIG. 14 is a bottom view of the flange 33 which is similarly provided with a plurality of the dynamic pressure generation grooves 33 B indicated by black-colored regions. The outside diameters of the patterns of the dynamic pressure generation grooves 33 A and 33 B on the top and bottom faces are represented by D 1 o and D 2 o , respectively, and their inside diameters are represented by D 1 i and D 2 i , respectively. The diameters D 1 m and D 2 m of the respective turn-back parts of the dynamic pressure generation grooves 33 A and 33 B are set at sufficiently large values so that pumping pressures in the directions indicated by arrow E and arrow H, respectively, are raised.
FIG. 15 and FIG. 16 are views showing the cross sections of relevant parts in the vicinity of the lower end of the shaft 31 and showing pressures on the surfaces of the flange 33 and the shaft 31 of the above-mentioned conventional hydrodynamic bearing. If the pumping pressures in the directions indicated by arrows E and H shown in FIG. 13 and FIG. 14 , respectively, are raised too high, a negative pressure with respect to atmospheric pressure is generated at the central portion of the lower face of the flange 33 as indicated by curve P 1 in FIG. 15 , whereby air bubbles mixed in the oil are coagulated and air is accumulated in a region 43 B having a constant size.
In FIG. 16 , the dynamic pressure generation grooves 32 B and 32 C of the sleeve 32 are made so that dimension L 1 in the figure is larger than dimension L 2 , (L 1 >L 2 ), and so that dimension L 4 is larger than dimension L 3 , (L 4 >L 3 ). In addition, the dimensional difference (L 1 −L 2 ) is selected so as to be nearly equal to the dimensional difference (L 4 −L 3 ), that is, (L 1 −L 2 )≈(L 4 −L 3 ). As shown by ΔL in FIG. 16 , in the case that the amount of the oil becomes slightly insufficient and the upper face of the oil is at the position lower than the upper ends of the dynamic pressure generation grooves 33 B by dimension 4 L, no oil is present in the portion corresponding to the dimension ΔL of the upper ends of the dynamic pressure generation grooves 33 B, whereby the pressure distribution of oil is represented by curve P 2 shown in FIG. 16 . In addition, a negative pressure is generated at the lower portion of the range of the dimension L 4 in the figure. Hence, air bubbles are accumulated in a region 43 A, whereby there is a fear of breaking the oil film in this region 43 A and of causing friction between the shaft 31 and the sleeve 32 .
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention purports to provide a hydrodynamic bearing in which a negative pressure is prevented from generating between the shaft and the sleeve, whereby oil film breakage due to locally accumulated air in oil does not occur.
A hydrodynamic bearing in accordance with the present invention comprises a sleeve having a bearing hole at the nearly central portion thereof, a shaft rotatably inserted into the bearing hole of the above-mentioned sleeve, and a nearly disc-shaped flange, secured to one end of the above-mentioned shaft, one face of which is opposed to the end face of the sleeve 1 and the other face of which is opposed to a thrust plate provided to hermetically seal a region including the above-mentioned end face of the above-mentioned sleeve, wherein herringbone-shaped first and second dynamic pressure generation grooves are provided on at least one of the inner circumferential face of the above-mentioned sleeve and the outer circumferential face of the above-mentioned shaft so as to be arranged in the direction along the shaft, herringbone-shaped third dynamic pressure generation grooves are provided on at least one of the opposed faces of the flange and the thrust plate, the above-mentioned first, second and third dynamic pressure generation grooves are filled with oil having a kinematic viscosity of 4 cSt (centi-stokes) or more at 40° C. of temperature, one of the above-mentioned sleeve and the above-mentioned shaft is secured to a base and the other is secured to a rotatable hub rotor, and when the outside diameter of the herringbone pattern of the above-mentioned third dynamic pressure generation groove is designated as d 1 o , the inside diameter thereof is designated as d 1 i , the diameter of the turn-back part is designated as d 1 m , the value of the diameter d 1 m being in the range of 1 mm or more and 10 mm or less, and the diameter of the turn-back part of the herring pattern, wherein the oil pressure generated by the above-mentioned third dynamic pressure generation grooves in the direction from the outer circumference to the inner circumference of the flange becomes equal to the oil pressure generated in the direction from the inner circumference to the outer circumference thereof, is designated as dsy and is represented by:
dsy={ ( d 1 i 2 +d 1 o 2 )/2} 1/2 ,
where the diameter d 1 m of the turn-back part is determined so that the value obtained by subtracting the diameter d 1 m from the diameter dsy, (dsy−d 1 m ), is in the range of 0.05 mm or more and 0.8 mm or less, that is, d 1 m =dsy−(0.05 to 0.8 mm).
A hydrodynamic bearing in accordance with another aspect of the present invention comprises a sleeve having a bearing hole at the nearly central portion thereof, a shaft rotatably inserted into the bearing hole of the above-mentioned sleeve, and a nearly disc-shaped flange, secured to one end of the above-mentioned shaft, one face of which is opposed to the end face of the sleeve 1 and the other face of which is opposed to a thrust plate provided to hermetically seal a region including the above-mentioned end face of the above-mentioned sleeve, wherein herringbone-shaped first and second dynamic pressure generation grooves are provided on at least one of the inner circumferential face of the above-mentioned sleeve and the outer circumferential face of the above-mentioned shaft so as to be arranged in the direction along the shaft, among the above-mentioned first and second dynamic pressure generation grooves, when the grooves away from the above-mentioned thrust plate are designated as the first dynamic pressure generation grooves and the grooves close thereto are designated as the second dynamic pressure generation grooves, the first length L 1 of the groove portion, away from the above-mentioned thrust plate, of the above-mentioned herringbone-shaped first dynamic pressure generation groove in the direction of the shaft is larger than the second length L 2 of the groove portion close to the above-mentioned thrust plate in the direction of the shaft, when the diameter of the above-mentioned shaft is in the range of 1 mm or more and 10 mm or less, the value obtained by subtracting the length L 2 from the length L 1 is set in the range of 0.05 or more and 1.5 mm or less, herringbone-shaped third dynamic pressure generation grooves are provided on at least one of the opposed faces of the flange and the thrust plate, the above-mentioned first, second and third dynamic pressure generation grooves are filled with oil having a kinematic viscosity of 4 cSt or more at 40° C. of temperature, and one of the above-mentioned sleeve and the above-mentioned shaft is secured to a base and the other is secured to a rotatable hub rotor.
A hydrodynamic bearing in accordance with another aspect of the present invention comprises a sleeve having a bearing hole at the nearly central portion thereof, a shaft rotatably inserted into the bearing hole of the above-mentioned sleeve, and a nearly disc-shaped flange, secured to one end of the above-mentioned shaft, one face of which is opposed to the end face of the sleeve 1 and the other face of which is opposed to a thrust plate provided to hermetically seal a region including the above-mentioned end face of the above-mentioned sleeve, wherein herringbone-shaped first and second dynamic pressure generation grooves are provided on at least one of the inner circumferential face of the above-mentioned sleeve and the outer circumferential face of the above-mentioned shaft, among the above-mentioned first and second dynamic pressure generation grooves, when the grooves away from the above-mentioned thrust plate are designated as the first dynamic pressure generation grooves and the grooves close thereto are designated as the second dynamic pressure generation grooves, the first length L 1 of the groove portion, away from the above-mentioned thrust plate, of the above-mentioned herringbone-shaped first dynamic pressure generation groove in the direction of the shaft is larger than the second length L 2 of the groove portion close to the above-mentioned thrust plate in the direction of the shaft, the above-mentioned herringbone-shaped second dynamic pressure generation groove is made symmetric with respect to a line passing through the herringbone-shaped turn-back parts, the value of a calculation expression, (L 1 +L 2 )/(2×L 2 ) represented by using the above-mentioned first length L 1 and the above-mentioned second length L 2 , is in the range of 1.02 to 1.60, herringbone-shaped third dynamic pressure generation grooves are provided on at least one of the opposed faces of the flange and the thrust plate, the above-mentioned first, second and third dynamic pressure generation grooves are supplied with oil having a kinematic viscosity of 4 cSt or more at 40° C. of temperature, one of the above-mentioned sleeve and the above-mentioned shaft is secured to a base and the other is secured to a rotatable hub rotor, and when the outside diameter of the herringbone pattern of the above-mentioned third dynamic pressure generation groove is designated as d 1 o , the inside diameter thereof is designated as d 1 i , the diameter of the turn-back part thereof is designated as d 1 m , and the diameter of the turn-back part of the herring pattern, wherein the oil pressure generated by the above-mentioned third dynamic pressure generation grooves in the direction from the outer circumference to the inner circumference of the flange becomes equal to the oil pressure generated in the direction from the inner circumference to the outer circumference thereof, is designated as dsy and is represented by:
dsy={ ( d 1 i 2 +d 1o 2 )/2} 1/2 ,
the diameter d 1 m of the turn-back part is determined so that when the diameter of the above-mentioned shaft is in the range of 1 mm or more and 10 mm or less, the value obtained by subtracting the above-mentioned length L 2 from the above-mentioned length L 1 is set in the range of 0.05 mm or more and 1.5 mm or less, the diameter d 1 m is in the range of 1 mm or more and 10 mm or less, and the value obtained by subtracting the diameter d 1 m from the diameter dsy is in the range of 0.05 mm or more and 0.8 mm or less, that is, d 1 m =dsy: (0.05 to 0.8 mm).
In accordance with the above-mentioned configurations of the present invention, the patterns of the dynamic pressure generation grooves in the thrust bearing section and the radial bearing section have optimum shapes, whereby no negative pressure is generated inside the bearing. Hence, since air accumulation due to the coagulation of air bubbles can be prevented, it is possible to provide a hydrodynamic bearing not causing oil film breakage.
A disc rotation apparatus using the hydrodynamic bearing in accordance with the present invention records or reproduces signals, wherein a recording/reproduction disc is concentrically secured to the hub rotor of the hydrodynamic bearing in accordance with claims 1 to 5 and rotated, magnetic heads or optical heads are provided so as to be opposed to the faces of the above-mentioned rotating disc, and the magnetic heads or optical heads are configured so as to be movable in parallel with the faces of the above-mentioned disc. By using the hydrodynamic bearing in accordance with the present invention, it is possible to obtain a disc rotation apparatus being high in reliability like that of the bearing.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a hydrodynamic bearing in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 2 is a bottom view of the flange 3 of the hydrodynamic bearing in accordance with this embodiment;
FIG. 3 is a plan view of the flange 3 of the hydrodynamic bearing in accordance with this embodiment;
FIG. 4 is a graph showing the relationship between the pump pressure in the dynamic pressure generation grooves 3 A of the flange 3 and the dimensional distribution of the diameter dsy of the turn-back part and the inside diameter d 1 i of the dynamic pressure generation groove 3 A in the hydrodynamic bearing in accordance with this embodiment;
FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of a relevant part showing the distribution of oil pressure generated by the dynamic pressure generation grooves 3 A and 3 B in the case when the floating distance S 1 between the flange 3 and the thrust plate 4 is sufficiently small in the hydrodynamic bearing in accordance with this embodiment;
FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of a relevant part showing the distribution of oil pressure generated by the dynamic pressure generation grooves 3 A and 3 B in the case when the floating distance S 2 between the flange 3 and the thrust plate 4 is sufficiently large in the hydrodynamic bearing in accordance with this embodiment;
FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of a relevant part showing the distribution of oil pressure in the radial bearing section and the distribution of oil pressure generated by the dynamic pressure generation grooves 3 A and 3 B of the flange 3 of the hydrodynamic bearing in accordance with this embodiment;
FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view of a relevant part showing the distribution of oil pressure in the radial bearing section and the distribution of oil pressure generated by the dynamic pressure generation grooves 3 A and 3 B of the flange 3 in the case when the amount of oil is smaller than a specified amount in the hydrodynamic bearing in accordance with this embodiment;
FIG. 9 is a graph showing the relationship between the oil pressure generated by the dynamic pressure generation grooves 1 A and 1 B and the dimensional distribution of the dynamic pressure generation grooves 1 A and 1 B of the hydrodynamic bearing in accordance with this embodiment;
FIG. 10 is a graph showing the relationship between the bubble entry amount in oil and the kinematic viscosity of oil at 40° C. of temperature in the hydrodynamic bearing in accordance with this embodiment;
FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view of a disc rotation apparatus using the hydrodynamic bearing in accordance with this embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 12 is the cross-sectional view showing the right half of the conventional hydrodynamic bearing;
FIG. 13 is the plan view of the flange 33 of the conventional hydrodynamic bearing;
FIG. 14 is the bottom view of the flange 33 of the conventional hydrodynamic bearing;
FIG. 15 is the cross-sectional view of a relevant part showing the distribution of oil pressure generated by the dynamic pressure generation grooves 33 A and 33 B of the flange 33 in the conventional hydrodynamic bearing; and
FIG. 16 is the cross-sectional view of a relevant part showing the distribution of oil pressure generated in the radial direction by the dynamic pressure generation grooves 32 B and 3 C of the sleeve 32 of the conventional hydrodynamic bearing.
DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
A preferred embodiment of a hydrodynamic bearing in accordance with the present invention will be described below referring to FIGS. 1 to 10 . FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a hydrodynamic bearing in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 1 , a sleeve 1 has a bearing hole 20 at its nearly central portion, and herringbone-shaped dynamic pressure generation grooves 1 A and 1 B are formed on the inner circumferential face of the bearing hole 20 . A recess portion 1 C is formed at the lower end of the sleeve 1 . A shaft 2 is rotatably inserted into the bearing hole 20 . A flange 3 is secured to the lower end of the shaft 2 so as to be accommodated in the recess portion 1 C at the lower end of the sleeve 1 . A thrust plate 4 is secured to the recess portion 1 C of the sleeve 1 by a securing method, such as laser welding, precision crimping or bonding, and the recess portion 1 C including the flange 3 is hermetically sealed. The sleeve 1 is secured to a base 6 . The shaft 2 is secured to a hub rotor 7 . Dynamic pressure generation grooves are provided on one of the opposed faces of the flange 3 and the thrust plate 4 . In FIG. 1 , dynamic pressure generation grooves 3 A are provided on the lower face of the flange 3 . Dynamic pressure generation grooves 3 B are also provided on the upper face of the flange 3 opposed to the recess portion 1 C of the sleeve 1 . The insides of the dynamic pressure generation grooves 1 A, 1 B, 3 A and 3 B are filled with oil or grease. A rotor magnet 9 is installed in the hub rotor 7 . In addition, a stator 8 is installed on the base 6 so as to be opposed to the above-mentioned rotor magnet 9 . Two discs 10 , for example, are installed on the hub rotor 7 via a spacer 12 . The discs 10 are secured by a damper 11 installed on the shaft 2 by a screw 13 .
The operation of the hydrodynamic bearing in accordance with this embodiment configured as mentioned above will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 10 . In FIG. 1 , first, when electric power is applied to the coil of the stator 8 , a rotating magnet field is generated, and the rotor magnet 9 receives a rotation force, and the hub rotor 7 , the shaft 2 and the discs 10 rotate together with the damper 11 and the spacer 12 . By the rotation, the dynamic pressure generation grooves 1 A, 1 B, 3 A and 3 B rake up oil, and pressures are generated between the dynamic pressure generation grooves 1 A and 1 B and the shaft 2 and between the dynamic pressure generation grooves 3 A and the thrust plate 4 . Hence, the shaft 2 is floated in the upward direction of the figure and rotates without making contact with the thrust plate 4 and the sleeve 1 .
FIG. 2 is a view of the lower face of the flange 3 , that is, the bottom face thereof opposing to the thrust plate 4 , and the black-colored portions indicate the dynamic pressure generation grooves 3 A. The outside diameter of the pattern of the dynamic pressure generation groove 3 A is designated as d 1 o , the inside diameter thereof is designated as d 1 i and the diameter of the turn-back part is designated as d 1 m . When the flange 3 rotates inside the recess portion 1 C of the sleeve 1 , an oil pressure G is generated on the face of the flange 3 in the direction from the outer circumference to the inner circumference thereof. Furthermore, an oil pressure H is also generated in the direction from the inner circumference to the outer circumference thereof. The diameter of the turn-back part wherein the pressure G becomes equal to the pressure H is represented by dsy. Usually, the dynamic pressure generation grooves 3 A are designed so that the pressure G becomes equal to the pressure H. For this purpose, the diameter d 1 m is determined by equation (1), a well-known equation in hydrodynamics.
d 1 m={ ( d 1 i 2 +d 1 o 2 )/2} 1/2 (1)
However, the hydrodynamic bearing in accordance with the present invention is designed so that the pressure G becomes larger than the pressure H. In other words, when the diameter d 1 m has a value in the range of 1 mm or more and 10 mm or less and the relationship represented by equation (2) is established, the value of the diameter d 1 m is set so that the value obtained by subtracting the diameter d 1 m from the diameter dsy is in the range of 0.05 or more and 0.8 mm or less as represented by equation (3).
dsy={ ( d 1 i 2 +d 1 o 2 )/2} 1/2 (2)
dsy−d 1 m= 0.05 to 0.8 mm (3)
FIG. 3 is a plan view of the flange 3 , and the black-colored portions indicate the dynamic pressure generation grooves 3 B. The dynamic pressure generation grooves 3 B are designed so that the pressure in the direction indicated by arrow E from the inner circumference to the outer circumference is nearly balanced with the pressure in the direction indicated by arrow F from the outer circumference to the inner circumference. In other words, when the outside diameter of the pattern of the dynamic pressure generation groove 3 B is designated as d 2 o , the inside diameter thereof is designated as d 2 i and the diameter of the turn-back part thereof is designated as d 2 m , a relationship represented by equation (4) is established.
d 2 m={ ( d 2 o 2 +d 2 i 2 )/2} 1/2 (4)
The vertical axis of the graph in FIG. 4 represents the oil pressure (pascal) in the dynamic pressure generation groove 3 A, which is variable depending on the value of the diameter difference (dsy−d 1 m ). If asymmetry is insufficient in the pressures inside the bearing, a partially negative pressure portion is generated somewhere inside the bearing, and air may be accumulated there. On the other hand, if asymmetry is excessive, the internal pressure becomes too high, and there arises a danger of causing cavitation or microbubbles. Relating to the hydrodynamic bearing in accordance with this embodiment, a hydrodynamic bearing is made by using transparent materials for the sake of observation, and experiments are carried out. As a result, it was found that when the value of the above-mentioned dsy−d 1 m was in the range of 0.05 or more to 0.99 or less, the amount of air bubbles entered and the amount of air coagulated during rotation were minimal, whereby this range was an appropriate range and air is least likely to be accumulated in oil.
FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view showing the cross-section of a relevant part and the pressure distribution of oil by the dynamic pressure generation grooves 3 A and 3 B with reference to the atmospheric pressure in the case that the floating amount (S 1 ) of the flange 3 from the thrust plate 4 is sufficiently small. In the hydrodynamic bearing in accordance with the present invention, only the positive pressure indicated by curve P 10 representing the pressure distribution of oil is generated and no negative pressure is generated. For this reason, a phenomenon of air accumulation between the flange 3 and the thrust plate 4 hardly occurs.
FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view showing the cross-section of a relevant part and the pressure distribution of oil by the dynamic pressure generation grooves 3 A and 3 B as indicated by pressure curves P 11 and P 12 in the case that the floating amount (S 2 ) is sufficiently large. Even in this case, no negative pressure is generated inside the bearing as indicated by the pressure curve P 11 . In FIG. 6 , the positive pressure indicated by the curve P 12 of the pressure generated by the dynamic pressure generation grooves 3 B on the upper face of the flange 3 prevents collision between the flange 3 and the sleeve 1 .
FIG. 7 and FIG. 8 , views showing the cross-sections of a relevant part and the pressure distributions, show detailed pressure distributions regarding the pressures generated in the radial direction (the left-to-right direction in the figure) of the dynamic pressure generation grooves 1 A and 1 B. FIG. 7 shows a case wherein the clearance portions of the hydrodynamic bearing are wholly filled with oil 5 and the liquid face is above the upper ends of the dynamic pressure generation grooves 1 A. The dynamic pressure generation grooves 1 A are provided in the upper portion of the sleeve 1 and made asymmetric such that the groove portion 28 A in the range of the upper half dimension L 1 is longer than the groove portion 29 A in the range of the lower half dimension L 2 . Hence, the oil is pressed downward by the effect of dynamic pressure, thereby being prevented from leaking outside. The acute connection part of the groove portion 28 A and the groove portion 29 A is referred to as a turn-back part. The groove portion 28 A and the groove portion 29 A of the dynamic pressure generation groove 1 A have the same inclination angle. In the configuration shown in FIG. 7 , if the difference between the dimension L 1 and the dimension L 2 of the dynamic pressure generation groove 1 A is too small, there is a danger of causing oil leakage. On the other hand, if the difference is too large, the internal pressure becomes too high, and there is a danger of generating cavitation or microbubbles.
In the dynamic pressure generation groove 1 B, the groove portion 28 B of the upper half is made symmetric with the groove portion 29 B of the lower half. Since the dynamic pressure generation groove 1 A is made asymmetric, the pressure inside the bearing becomes positive as indicated by pressure curve P 13 . Since no negative pressure is generated inside the bearing even in this case, air accumulation hardly occurs. The pressures in the thrust direction become positive as indicated by pressure curves P 14 and P 15 , whereby no negative pressure is generated.
FIG. 8 shows a case wherein the oil inside the bearing decreases and becomes insufficient by the amount corresponding to the dimension ΔL. Even in this case, only the positive pressure is generated as indicated by pressure curve P 17 , whereby no negative pressure is generated inside the bearing.
FIG. 9 shows the appropriate range of the asymmetry of the dynamic pressure generation groove 1 A. It is desirable that the dimension L 2 of the groove portion 29 A is smaller than the dimension L 1 of the groove portion 28 A, that is, the portion on the opposite side, and that the value of the relational expression shown on the left side of equation (5), wherein the difference between the dimensions L 1 and L 2 , (L 1 −L 2 ), is set in the range represented by equation (5), is in the value range shown on the right side when the diameter of the shaft 2 is in the range of 1 mm or more and 10 mm or less.
( L 1 −L 2)=0.05 mm to 1.5 mm (5)
As the results of various experiments, in the range shown in equation 5, the entry of air and the entry of microbubbles hardly occurred.
FIG. 10 shows the relationship between the kinematic viscosity of oil or the kinematic viscosity of the base oil of grease and the bubble mixing rate into the clearances of the bearing, obtained from the observation results of the experimental bearing made of the transparent materials. The bubble mixing rate is represented by the percentage of the volume of bubbles with respect to the volume of oil. According to the observation results, it was found that the bubble mixing rate was very low in the case when oil or the base oil of grease had a kinematic viscosity of 4 cSt or more at 40° C. of temperature.
The configuration and operation of a disc rotation apparatus using the hydrodynamic bearing in accordance with the present invention will be described by using FIG. 11 . In FIG. 11 , on a hydrodynamic bearing provided inside a box-shaped base 6 and comprising a sleeve 1 , a shaft 2 , a flange 3 , a thrust plate 4 , a hub rotor 7 , a stator 8 and a rotor magnet 9 , two discs 10 are installed while space is provided therebetween by using a spacer 12 . Heads 25 respectively supported by arms 15 are opposed to both faces of the disc 10 . The arms 15 rotate while being supported by a head support shaft 16 . The upper face of the base 6 is hermetically sealed by an upper lid 14 so as to prevent the entry of dust and the like. When electric power is applied to the motor stator 8 , a rotating magnet field is generated, and the rotor magnet 9 starts rotating together with the hub rotor 7 , the shaft 2 and the discs 10 . The dynamic pressure generation grooves 1 A, 1 B, 3 A and 3 B rake up oil by pumping forces and generate pressures, whereby the bearing portion floats and rotates with high accuracy in a noncontact state. The heads 25 make contact with the rotating discs 10 , thereby recording or reproducing electrical signals.
Although the thrust plate is secured to the sleeve 1 in FIG. 1 , it may be secured to the base 6 if the interior of the bearing can be hermetically sealed.
Even if helical dynamic pressure generation grooves, in which d 1 m =d 1 o , are used as a modification application example of the dynamic pressure generation grooves 3 A shown in FIG. 2 , instead of the herringbone-shaped grooves, nearly equivalent performance can be obtained.
As mentioned above, with the hydrodynamic bearing in accordance with this embodiment, the entry of air into the hydrodynamic bearing section is prevented, and the breakage of oil film, having been apt to occur in bearings, is prevented. As a result, a long-life disc rotation apparatus capable of rotating discs with high accuracy is obtained by using the hydrodynamic bearing in accordance with the present invention.
In addition, the design conditions of the dynamic pressure generation grooves are combined with the selection conditions of the kinematic viscosity of oil so that the accumulation of air inside the bearing due to the pumping forces in the dynamic pressure generation grooves is prevented during rotation, therefore the breaking of oil film in the clearances of the bearing does not occur, whereby the hydrodynamic bearing in accordance with the present invention has high accuracy and long life.
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A high-accuracy, long-life hydrodynamic bearing that does not cause oil film breakage in bearing clearances and a disc rotation apparatus using the bearing is disclosed. Oil film breakage is avoided as negative pressure is prevented from generating between the shaft and sleeve of the hydrodynamic bearing. Herringbone shaped dynamic pressure generating grooves, located on the thrust bearing section and the radial bearing section of the hydrodynamic bearing, are oil filled and have optimum shapes. The optimum shapes prevent the generation negative pressure and thus prevents the coagulation of air bubbles that can cause oil film breakage. The disc rotation apparatus, that holds a reproduction/recording disc, is concentrically secured to the hydrodynamic bearing and rotated. The disc is put into contact with magnetic or optical heads while rotating in the disc rotation apparatus. Both the hydrodynamic bearing and the disc rotation apparatus experience high reliability.
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CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application is a non-provisional application which claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 61/350,294, which is incorporated herein in its entirety.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0002] The invention encompasses devices and methods for treating one or more damaged, diseased, or traumatized portions of the spine, including intervertebral discs, to reduce or eliminate associated back pain. Specifically, the invention encompasses interspinous spacers, intervertebral spacers and corpectomy spacers.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0003] The vertebral column serves as the main structural support of the human skeleton. The vertebral column consists of a number of vertebrae separated by intervertebral discs. A vertebra approximates a cylindrical shape, with wing-like projections and a bony arch. The arches create a passageway through which the spinal cord runs. The vertebral column is held upright by fibrous bands of muscle and ligament. There are seven vertebrae in the cervical region, twelve in the thoracic region, five in the lumbar region, and five in the sacral region that are usually fused together. The integrity of the vertebral column is critical to protecting the fragile spinal cord, in addition to its duties in supporting the skeleton.
[0004] When a vertebra becomes damaged or diseased, surgery may be used to replace the vertebra or a portion thereof with a prosthetic device for maintaining the normal spacing of the vertebrae and to support the spine. A prosthesis, which may be referred to as a corpectomy spacer or spinous spacer or implant, can be inserted into the cavity created where the vertebra was removed.
[0005] A corpectomy spacer or spinous spacer or implant should be easily adjustable to allow the surgeon to quickly select the height of the device during surgery to fit the needs of the patient. The desired height of the device will depend on the amount of bone that is removed from the patient, the size of the patient, as well as the location of the removed bone (i.e., cervical region or lumbar region). In addition, a one-size-fits-all device may reduce manufacturing costs because fewer different parts and/or models will be required to meet the needs of the marketplace.
[0006] While prosthetic corpectomy implants are known in the art, the inventors have developed improved corpectomy implants that are more easily adjusted to achieve the necessary height to replace the excised vertebra during the implantation process, while also possessing the biomechanical properties necessary for long-term implantation in the human body and the immediate fixation ability to provide stability to the spinal column.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0007] The inventors have surprisingly found that the interspinous spacer compositions and methods of the invention may overcome the shortcomings associated with currently used replacement and repair technology. As used herein, the terms “interspinous spacer,” “corpectomy spacer,” and “implant” are used interchangeably and refer to the composition of the invention.
[0008] Accordingly, in one embodiment, the invention encompasses an expandable spacer comprising: (i) an outer jacket, (ii) one or more central regions located within the outer jacket capable of receiving one or more filler materials, and (iii) a unidirectional valve to allow filling the one or more central regions with the one or more filler materials. In certain exemplary embodiments, the expandable spacer composition is in the form of a balloon, and the filler material fills a central cavity of the expandable spacer composition. In other exemplary embodiments, the balloon is fillable in situ to conform to the dimensions of an intevertebral space of the subject (i.e., the patient).
[0009] In another embodiment, the invention encompasses an expandable spacer comprising (i) an outer jacket, (ii) one or more central regions capable of receiving one or more filler materials, (iii) a unidirectional valve to allow filling the central region with the one or more filler materials, and (iv) anchoring elements to secure the spacer to one or more vertebrae. In certain exemplary embodiments, the one or more vertebrae are adjacent to the spacer composition.
[0010] In another embodiment, the invention encompasses an expandable spacer comprising (i) an outer jacket, (ii) one or more central regions capable of receiving one or more filler materials, (iii) a unidirectional valve to allow filling with the one or more filler materials, and (iv) one or more bumpers to support compression loading.
[0011] In another embodiment, the invention encompasses an expandable spacer comprising:
[0012] a. an outer jacket comprised of a biocompatible material;
[0013] b. an inner surface capable of being filled with a load bearing polymeric or elastomeric material,
[0014] c. a unidirectional valve to allow filling of the inner surface; and
[0015] d. a sealing crimp to prevent leakage of the load bearing polymeric or elastomeric material filling the inner surface.
[0016] wherein a top surface and/or a bottom surface of the outer jacket are textured to provide anchorage with one or more vertebral endplates. In certain embodiments, the expandable spacer further includes one or more internal or external bumpers to support compression loading.
[0017] In another embodiment, the invention encompasses a method of replacing or repairing a vertebral disc comprising:
[0018] a. removing a vertebral disc to create a cavity;
[0019] b. inserting a expandable spacer composition comprising a finable inner surface into the cavity;
[0020] c. filling the inner surface with a load bearing polymeric or elastomeric material; and
[0021] d. sealing the expandable spacer to prevent leakage of the load bearing polymeric or elastomeric material filling the inner surface.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES
[0022] A more complete understanding of the present invention may be obtained by reference to the accompanying drawings, when considered in conjunction with the subsequent detailed description. The embodiments illustrated in the drawings are intended only to exemplify the invention and should not be construed as limiting the invention to the illustrated embodiments, in which:
[0023] FIG. 1 illustrates a non-limiting, exemplary embodiment of the insertion of a deflated single- or multi-lumen expandable intervertebral, intravertebral, or corpectomy spacer into a vertebral space or cavity using a catheter or endoscope. FIG. 1 further illustrates the inflating of the expandable spacer using mechanical or hydraulic means with an elastomeric or polymeric filler material.
[0024] FIG. 2 illustrates a non-limiting, exemplary embodiment of the insertion of a deflated single- or multi-lumen expandable intervertebral, intravertebral, or corpectomy spacer 210 into the vertebral cavity using a catheter or endoscope 220 . FIG. 2A illustrates a rolled-up expandable spacer 210 located inside a catheter or endoscope 220 . FIG. 2B illustrates an expandable spacer 210 . FIG. 2C illustrates the unrolling of the expandable spacer 210 . FIG. 2D illustrates an expanded spacer 210 , which remains attached to the catheter or endoscope 220 to allow filling with a filler material.
[0025] FIG. 3 illustrates a non-limiting, exemplary embodiment of the insertion of another deflated single- or multi-lumen expandable intervertebral, interspinous, or corpectomy spacer 310 before insertion into the interspinous space using a catheter or endoscope 320 . FIG. 3 also illustrates the expanded spacer 330 located inside the interspinous space.
[0026] FIG. 4 a illustrates a non-limiting, exemplary embodiment of the insertion of a deflated single- or multi-lumen expandable intervertebral, interspinous, or corpectomy spacer 410 including insertion holes 420 to allow a screw 430 or bone nail to secure the corpectomy spacer to the vertebra. FIG. 4 b illustrates a non-limiting, exemplary embodiment of an expandable spacer 410 secured between two spinous processes of adjacent vertebrae.
[0027] FIG. 5 illustrates a non-limiting, exemplary embodiment of the filling of the expandable intervertebral, interspinous, or corpectomy spacer 510 being filled with bone cement 530 or another filler material using an endoscope or catheter 520 .
[0028] FIG. 6 a illustrates a top view a non-limiting, exemplary embodiment of the single- or multi-lumen expandable intervertebral or corpectomy spacer 610 located in the vertebral cavity including one or more outer bumpers 620 and one or more inner bumpers 630 to support compression loading. FIG. 6 b illustrates a non-limiting, exemplary embodiment of the single- or multi-lumen expandable spacer 610 located in the vertebral cavity between two vertebrae 600 . FIG. 6 c illustrates a non-limiting, exemplary expandable spacer 610 comprising one or more outer bumpers 620 and one or more inner bumpers 630 to support compression loading.
[0029] FIG. 7 a illustrates a non-limiting, exemplary view of an expandable intervertebral or corpectomy spacer 710 located in a vertebral space with a collapse prevention bumper 730 . FIG. 7 b illustrates a non-limiting, exemplary view of an expandable spacer 710 including one or more keels 720 to anchor to bone and facilitate fixation and one or more inner bumpers 730 to support compression loading, wherein the inner bumper is located within the skin, shell, or jacket of the spacer. FIG. 7 c illustrates a non-limiting, exemplary view of an expandable spacer 710 including one or more keels 720 to facilitate fixation and one or more inner bumpers 730 to support compression loading, wherein the inner bumper is located outside the skin or jacket of the spacer. FIG. 7 d illustrates a non-limiting, exemplary expandable spacer 710 comprising one or more keels 720 to facilitate fixation and one or more inner bumpers 730 to support compression loading, a unidirectional valve 740 to allow filling with the one or more filler materials and a seal plug 750 to prevent leakage of the filler material.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0030] The invention generally encompasses vertebrae replacement and repair technology.
[0031] In one embodiment, the invention encompasses an expandable corpectomy spacer (also referred to herein as an artificial disc or spinous spacer or implant) comprising (i) an outer jacket, (ii) one or more central regions located within the outer jacket capable of receiving one or more filler materials, and (iii) a unidirectional valve to allow filling the one or more central regions with the one or more filler materials.
[0032] In certain illustrative embodiments the expandable corpectomy spacer outer jacket is comprised of one or more elastomeric or polymeric materials, a biodegradable or bioresorbable material, or a combination thereof.
[0033] In certain illustrative embodiments, the polymeric material is polypropylene, polyethylene, polyurethane, polycarbonate urethane, polyetheretherketone (PEEK), polyester, polyethylene terephthalate (PET), poly olefin copolymer, polypropylene, polyethylene or a combination thereof.
[0034] In certain illustrative embodiments, the biodegradable or bioresorbable material is collagen, cellulose, polysaccharide, polylactic acid (PLA), polyglycolic acid (PGA), polylactic acid/polyglycolic acid, a polylevolactic acid, a polydioxanone (PDA), poly-DL-lactic acid (PDLLA) or a combination thereof.
[0035] In certain illustrative embodiments, the one or more or elastomeric materials comprise thermoplastic polyurethane elastomer, polysiloxane modified styrene-ethylene/butylene block copolymer, polycarbonate-urethane, polycarbonate-urethane cross-linked by a polyol, silicone rubber, silicone elastomer, polyether urethane, polyester urethane, a polyether polyester copolymer, polypropylene oxide, styrene isoprene butadiene, or combinations thereof.
[0036] In certain illustrative embodiments, the expandable corpectomy spacer composition is in the form of a balloon.
[0037] In certain illustrative embodiments, the central fillable cavity is pre-shaped with dimensions that conform to an intevertebral disc space.
[0038] In certain illustrative embodiments, the central fillable cavity comprises a single lumen.
[0039] In certain illustrative embodiments, the central fillable cavity comprises more than one lumen.
[0040] In certain illustrative embodiments, the central cavity can be filled with bone cement, a biocompatible fluid or gel, a load-bearing polymeric or elastomeric material, or a combination thereof.
[0041] In certain illustrative embodiments, the bone cement is polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA).
[0042] In certain illustrative embodiments, the biocompatible fluid or gel is saline, beta-glucan, hyaluronic acid and derivatives thereof, polyvinyl pyrrolidone or a hydrogel derivative thereof, polyvinyl acetate, dextrans or a hydrogel derivative thereof, glycerol, polyethylene glycol, block copolymers based on ethylene oxide and propylene oxide), succinaylated collagen, liquid collagen, and other polysaccharides or biocompatible polymers or combinations thereof.
[0043] In certain illustrative embodiments, the load bearing polymeric or elastomeric material is thermoplastic polyurethane elastomer, polysiloxane modified styrene-ethylene/butylene block copolymer, polycarbonate-urethane, polycarbonate-urethane cross-linked by a polyol, silicone rubber, silicone elastomer, polyether urethane, polyester urethane, a polyether polyester copolymer, polypropylene oxide, silicone, urethane, silicone-urethane copolymer, polycarbonate-urethane copolymer, polyethylene terephthalate, saline, beta-glucan, hyaluronic acid and derivatives thereof, polyvinyl pyrrolidone or a hydrogel derivative thereof, dextrans or a hydrogel derivative thereof, glycerol, polyethylene glycol, succinaylated collagen, liquid collagen, and other polysaccharides or biocompatible polymers or combinations thereof.
[0044] In certain illustrative embodiments, the outer jacket is porous.
[0045] In certain illustrative embodiments, the porous outer jacket comprises one or more bioactive agents, which diffuse into the surrounding tissue after implantation.
[0046] In certain illustrative embodiments, the one or more bioactive agents promote growth or reduce inflammation.
[0047] In certain illustrative embodiments, the spacer further comprises anchoring elements.
[0048] In certain illustrative embodiments, the anchoring elements comprise holes to allow one or more bone screws or nails to secure the spacer to one or more vertebrae.
[0049] In another embodiment, the invention encompasses an expandable corpectomy spacer comprising (i) an outer jacket, (ii) one or more central regions capable of receiving one or more filler materials, (iii) a unidirectional valve to allow filling the central region with the one or more filler materials, and (iv) anchoring elements to secure the spacer to one or more vertebrae.
[0050] In certain illustrative embodiments, the outer jacket is comprised of one or more elastomeric or polymeric materials, a biodegradable or bioresorbable material, or a combination thereof.
[0051] In certain illustrative embodiments, the polymeric material is polypropylene, polyethylene, polyurethane, polycarbonate urethane, Polyetheretherketone (PEEK), polyester, PET, poly olefin copolymer, polypropylene, polyethylene or a combination thereof.
[0052] In certain illustrative embodiments, the biodegradable or bioresorbable material is collagen, cellulose, polysaccharide, polylactic acid (PLA), polyglycolic acid (PGA), polylactic acid/polyglycolic acid, a polylevolactic acid (PPLA), a polydioxanone (PDA), poly-DL-lactic acid (PDLLA) or a combination thereof.
[0053] In certain illustrative embodiments, the one or more elastomeric materials comprise thermoplastic polyurethane elastomer, polysiloxane modified styrene-ethylene/butylene block copolymer, polycarbonate-urethane, polycarbonate-urethane cross-linked by a polyol, silicone rubber, silicone elastomer, polyether urethane, polyester urethane, a polyether polyester copolymer, polypropylene oxide, styrene isoprene butadiene, or combinations thereof.
[0054] In certain illustrative embodiments, the spacer composition is in the form of a balloon.
[0055] In certain illustrative embodiments, the central fillable cavity is pre-shaped with dimensions that conform to an intevertebral disc space.
[0056] In certain illustrative embodiments, the central fillable cavity comprises a single lumen.
[0057] In certain illustrative embodiments, the central fillable cavity comprises a more than one lumen.
[0058] In certain illustrative embodiments, the central cavity can be filled with bone cement, a biocompatible fluid or gel or a combination thereof.
[0059] In certain illustrative embodiments, the bone cement is polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA).
[0060] In certain illustrative embodiments, the biocompatible fluid or gel is saline, beta-glucan, hyaluronic acid and derivatives thereof, polyvinyl pyrrolidone or a hydrogel derivative thereof, polyvinyl acetate, dextrans or a hydrogel derivative thereof, glycerol, polyethylene glycol, block copolymers based on ethylene oxide and propylene oxide), succinaylated collagen, liquid collagen, and other polysaccharides or biocompatible polymers or combinations thereof.
[0061] In certain illustrative embodiments, the outer jacket is porous.
[0062] In certain illustrative embodiments, the porous outer jacket further comprises one or more bioactive agents, which diffuse into the surrounding tissue after implantation.
[0063] In certain illustrative embodiments, the one or more bioactive agents promote growth or reduce inflammation.
[0064] In another embodiment, the invention encompasses an expandable corpectomy spacer comprising (i) an outer jacket, (ii) one or more central regions capable of receiving one or more filler materials, (iii) a unidirectional valve to allow filling with the one or more filler materials, and (iv) one or more bumpers to support compression loading.
[0065] In certain illustrative embodiments, the outer jacket is comprised of one or more elastomeric or polymeric materials, a biodegradable or bioresorbable material, or a combination thereof.
[0066] In certain illustrative embodiments, the polymeric material is polypropylene, polyethylene, polyurethane, polycarbonate urethane, polyetheretherketone (PEEK), polyester, PET, poly olefin copolymer, polypropylene, polyethylene or a combination thereof.
[0067] In certain illustrative embodiments, the biodegradable or bioresorbable material is collagen, cellulose, polysaccharide, polylactic acid (PLA), polyglycolic acid (PGA), polylactic acid/polyglycolic acid, a polylevolactic acid (PPLA), a polydioxanone (PDA), poly-DL-lactic acid (PDLLA) or a combination thereof.
[0068] In certain illustrative embodiments, the one or more or elastomeric materials comprise thermoplastic polyurethane elastomer, polysiloxane modified styrene-ethylene/butylene block copolymer, polycarbonate-urethane, polycarbonate-urethane cross-linked by a polyol, silicone rubber, silicone elastomer, polyether urethane, polyester urethane, a polyether polyester copolymer, polypropylene oxide, styrene isoprene butadiene, or combinations thereof.
[0069] In certain illustrative embodiments, the spacer composition is in the form of a balloon.
[0070] In certain illustrative embodiments, the central fillable cavity is pre-shaped with dimensions that conform to an intevertebral disc space.
[0071] In certain illustrative embodiments, the central fillable cavity comprises a single lumen.
[0072] In certain illustrative embodiments, the central fillable cavity comprises a more than one lumen.
[0073] In certain illustrative embodiments, the central cavity can be filled with bone cement, a biocompatible fluid or gel or a combination thereof.
[0074] In certain illustrative embodiments, the bone cement is polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA).
[0075] In certain illustrative embodiments, the biocompatible fluid or gel is saline, beta-glucan, hyaluronic acid and derivatives thereof, polyvinyl pyrrolidone or a hydrogel derivative thereof, polyvinyl acetate, dextrans or a hydrogel derivative thereof, glycerol, polyethylene glycol, block copolymers based on ethylene oxide and propylene oxide), succinaylated collagen, liquid collagen, and other polysaccharides or biocompatible polymers or combinations thereof.
[0076] In certain illustrative embodiments, the outer jacket is porous.
[0077] In certain illustrative embodiments, the porous outer jacket further comprises one or more bioactive agents, which diffuse into the surrounding tissue after implantation.
[0078] In certain illustrative embodiments, the one or more bioactive agents promote growth or reduce inflammation.
[0079] In certain illustrative embodiments, the spacer further comprises anchoring elements to secure the spacer to one or more vertebrae.
[0080] In certain illustrative embodiments, the anchoring elements comprise holes to allow a screw or nail to secure the spacer to one or more vertebrae.
[0081] In certain illustrative embodiments, the bumper is in the internal part of the jacket.
[0082] In certain illustrative embodiments, the bumper is located on the external part of the jacket.
[0083] In another embodiment, the invention encompasses a method of repairing a vertebra comprising:
[0084] (i) removing all or a portion of a vertebral disc to create a vertebral cavity;
[0085] (ii) inserting an expandable corpectomy spacer comprising one or more fillable central cavities into the vertebral cavity;
[0086] (iii) filling the expandable corpectomy spacer with one or more filler materials; and
[0087] (iv) sealing the expandable corpectomy spacer to prevent removal of the one or more filler materials.
[0088] In certain illustrative embodiments, the removing of the vertebral disc is done using forceps.
[0089] In certain illustrative embodiments, the inserting the expandable corpectomy spacer replacement composition is done using an endoscope or catheter.
[0090] In certain illustrative embodiments, the expandable corpectomy spacer composition is comprised of one or more biocompatible elastomers comprised of thermoplastic polyurethane elastomer, polysiloxane modified styrene-ethylene/butylene block copolymer, polycarbonate-urethane, polycarbonate-urethane cross-linked by a polyol, silicone rubber, silicone elastomer, polyether urethane, polyester urethane, a polyether polyester copolymer, polypropylene oxide, and combinations thereof.
[0091] In certain illustrative embodiments, the expandable corpectomy spacer composition is in the form of an inflatable balloon.
[0092] In certain illustrative embodiments, the one or more filler materials comprise polymethylmethacrylate, silicone, urethane, silicone-urethane copolymer, polycarbonate-urethane copolymer, polyethylene terephthalate, beta-glucan, hyaluronic acid and derivatives thereof, polyvinyl pyrrolidone or a hydrogel derivative thereof, dextrans or a hydrogel derivative thereof, glycerol, polyethylene glycol, succinaylated collagen, liquid collagen, and other polysaccharides or biocompatible polymers or combinations thereof.
[0093] In certain illustrative embodiments, the sealing of the expandable corpectomy spacer comprises sutures, adhesives, in-situ fabricated plugs, pre-fabricated plugs, textiles, expandable plugs, or combinations thereof.
Corpectomy Jacket, Artificial Disc, and Interspinous Spacer Technology of the Invention
[0094] The invention generally encompasses expandable spinal implant compositions, including disc replacement compositions that can be implanted with minimally invasive surgical procedures. Due to the composition, make-up and mechanical properties (e.g., flexibility and compressibility), the replacement compositions of the invention will result in less blood loss during implantation, shorter post-operative recovery times, and shorter surgical operation time.
[0095] In one embodiment, the invention encompasses a vertebral disc replacement composition including a solid, deformable, load-bearing material capable of being filled with one or more elastomeric or polymeric materials, a biodegradable or bioresorbable material, or a combination thereof.
[0096] The composition may be useful for treating or replacing one or more herniated or degenerated discs. In an illustrative embodiment, the composition is used in minimally invasive endoscopic disectomy (e.g., lumbar disectomy) for treating or replacing one or more herniated or degenerated discs. The disc replacement composition can maintain its structural and functional integrity. To repair an injury, the disc material is removed in a minimally invasive surgical operation to form a cavity. This may be carried out with, for example, a forceps-like instrument.
[0097] In certain illustrative embodiments, the implant incorporates a deflated deformable, load-bearing material (e.g., a single or multi-lumen elastomeric balloon), which can be inflated with one or more elastomeric or polymeric materials, a biodegradable or bioresorbable material, or a combination thereof.
[0098] In certain illustrative embodiments, the disc replacement composition can mimic a disc of a healthy subject and will bear physiologic loads through stiffness imparted by the one or more elastomeric or polymeric materials, a biodegradable or bioresorbable material, or a combination thereof. The stiffness and internal hydrostatic pressure can assist load bearing, support the spine from all sides and prevent creep or effusion and stress relaxation of the elastomeric material.
[0099] FIG. 1 illustrates a non-limiting, exemplary embodiment of the insertion of an intervertebral, intravertebral, or corpectomy spacer 110 using a cannulated tube 120 and a delivery tube 130 and inserting into an intervertebral space between two vertebrae 101 and filling the spacer with a filler material 140 . In FIG. 1 , a deflated single- or multi-lumen corpectomy spacer 110 can be inserted into the intervertebral cavity 105 using a catheter or endoscope 120 . FIG. 1 illustrates the inflation or filling of the spacer using mechanical or hydraulic means with load bearing filler material 140 .
[0100] FIG. 1 also illustrates the inflated disc replacement composition arranged between two vertebrae. It is understood that the upper vertebra rests with its lower end plate in a surface-to-surface manner in the same way as the lower vertebra with its upper end plate against the intervertebral disc.
[0101] The disc replacement composition comprising a solid, deformable, load-bearing material can be comprised of any durable material that is safe for in vivo transplantation including, but not limited to, one or more biocompatible polymers of elastomers including thermoplastic polyurethane elastomer, polysiloxane modified styrene-ethylene/butylene block copolymer, polycarbonate-urethane, polycarbonate-urethane cross-linked by a polyol, silicone rubber, silicone elastomer, polyether urethane, polyester urethane, a polyether polyester copolymer, polypropylene oxide, and combinations thereof.
[0102] In certain illustrative embodiments, any material that is safe for in vivo use can be used including, but not limited to, silicone, urethane, silicone-urethane copolymer, polycarbonate-urethane copolymer, polyethylene terephthalate, or combinations thereof.
[0103] In other illustrative embodiments, the filler material that is injected in the composition includes, but is not limited to, saline, beta-glucan, hyaluronic acid and derivatives thereof, polyvinyl pyrrolidone or a hydrogel derivative thereof, dextrans or a hydrogel derivative thereof, glycerol, polyethylene glycol, succinaylated collagen, liquid collagen, and other polysaccharides or biocompatible polymers, alcohols, polyols, amino acids, sugars, proteins, polysaccharides, chondroitin sulfate, dermatan sulfate, heparin sulfate, biglycan, syndecan, keratocan, decorin, aggrecan, and combinations thereof.
[0104] FIG. 2 illustrates a representation of the steps of inserting the spacer of FIG. 1 followed by filling the spacer. In a first step, a spacer is delivered to an intervertebral space using a catheter or endoscope and a delivery tube. In an illustrative embodiment, the spacer is initially deflated and for example rolled to allow easy insertion. The spacer is then deployed to the intervertebral space and then filled to provide support.
[0105] FIG. 2 illustrates a non-limiting, exemplary blown up view of the insertion of a deflated single- or multi-lumen balloon 210 into the cavity using a catheter or endoscope 220 . FIG. 2 further illustrates the inflating of the spacer using mechanical or hydraulic means with load bearing material.
[0106] Additionally, the spacer or jacket surface can be coated with one or more bioactive agents. “Bioactive agents,” as used herein, include, but are not limited to, chemotactic agents; therapeutic agents (e.g., antibiotics, steroidal and non-steroidal analgesics and anti-inflammatories (including certain amino acids such as glycine), anti-rejection agents such as immunosuppressants and anti-cancer drugs); various proteins (e.g., short term peptides, bone morphogenic proteins, collagen, hyaluronic acid, glycoproteins, and lipoprotein); cell attachment mediators; biologically active ligands; integrin binding sequence; ligands; various growth and/or differentiation agents and fragments thereof (e.g., epidermal growth factor (EGF), hepatocyte growth factor (HGF), vascular endothelial growth factors (VEGF), fibroblast growth factors (e.g., bFGF), platelet derived growth factors (PDGF), insulin derived growth factor (e.g., IGF-1, IGF-II) and transforming growth factors (e.g., TGF-.beta. I-III), parathyroid hormone, parathyroid hormone related peptide, bone morphogenic proteins (e.g., BMP-2, BMP-4; BMP-6; BMP-7; BMP-12; BMP-13; BMP-14), sonic hedgehog, growth differentiation factors (e.g., GDF5, GDF6, GDF8), recombinant human growth factors (e.g., MP52, and MP-52 variant rhGDF-5), cartilage-derived morphogenic proteins (CDMP-1; CDMP-2, CDMP-3)); small molecules that affect the upregulation of specific growth factors; tenascin-C; hyaluronic acid; chondroitin sulfate; fibronectin; decorin; thromboelastin; thrombin-derived peptides; heparin-binding domains; heparin; heparan sulfate; DNA fragments and DNA plasmids; and combinations thereof. Suitable effectors likewise include the agonists and antagonists of the agents described above. The growth factor can also include combinations of the growth factors described above. In addition, the growth factor can be autologous growth factor that is supplied by platelets in the blood. In this case, the growth factor from platelets will be an undefined cocktail of various growth factors. If other such substances have therapeutic value in the orthopedic field, it is anticipated that at least some of these substances will have use in the present invention, and such substances should be included in the meaning of “bioactive agent” and “bioactive agents” unless expressly limited otherwise. Illustrative examples of preferred bioactive agents include culture media, bone morphogenic proteins, growth factors, growth differentiation factors, recombinant human growth factors, cartilage-derived morphogenic proteins, hydrogels, polymers, antibiotics, anti-inflammatory medications, immunosuppressive mediations, autologous, allogenic or xenologous cells such as stem cells, chondrocytes, fibroblast and proteins such as collagen and hyaluronic acid. Bioactive agents can be synthetic (e.g., bioactive glass), autologus, allogenic, xenogenic or recombinant.
[0107] In another embodiment, the invention encompasses an implant that can replace a herniated or degenerated disc. In certain embodiments, the herniated or degenerated disc is in the early stages of degenerative disc disease. In various embodiments, the implant is composed of a polymeric or elastomeric material that has the mechanical properties that mimic the vertebral disc of a healthy subject.
[0108] Accordingly, the implant can be composed of a material including, but not limited to, one or more biocompatible polymers of elastomers including thermoplastic polyurethane elastomer, polysiloxane modified styrene-ethylene/butylene block copolymer, polycarbonate-urethane, polycarbonate-urethane cross-linked by a polyol, silicone rubber, silicone elastomer, polyether urethane, polyester urethane, a polyether polyester copolymer, polypropylene oxide, and combinations thereof.
[0109] In certain embodiments, the implant is composed of a polymeric or elastomeric material that is compressible and flexible to allow insertion and implantation endoscopically without causing the implant to substantially lose shape or form.
[0110] In other embodiments, the implant is composed of a polymeric or elastomeric material that is porous. Bioactive agents as defined herein can be loaded into the implant, for example, to promote growth or to alleviate pain associated with degeneration.
[0111] FIG. 3 illustrates a non-limiting example of another embodiment of an expandable spacer for use in the interspinous space. In certain embodiments, a deflated spacer 310 may be attached to an endoscope or catheter 320 and once inflated, spacer 330 present in the interspinous space. In certain embodiments, the composition has the same height as the intended disc height to be restored. One skilled in the art will also consider the cross section of the replacement composition since contact surface area help with load/force distribution in the spine.
[0112] In other illustrative embodiments, to achieve a desired disc height the more than one spring nucleus replacement composition can be inserted into the vertebral cavity, for example, in layers. In certain embodiments, the implant composition comprises a single biocompatible polymeric or elastomeric material that is solid, deformable, and load-bearing and comprises a center cavity and one or more envelope cavities surrounding the center cavity. In certain embodiments, the center cavity and one or more envelope cavities surrounding the center cavity can be independently filled with a plurality of elastomeric or polymeric materials.
[0113] FIG. 4 a illustrates a non-limiting, exemplary interspinous spacer replacement composition 410 including holes 420 that allow a bone screw or nail 430 to secure the replacement composition to vertebrae. FIG. 4 b illustrates a side perspective view of the implant composition secured to a spinous process.
[0114] FIG. 5 illustrates a non-limiting, exemplary inflated interspinous spacer 510 attached to an endoscope or catheter 520 . FIG. 5 illustrates the spacer being filled with a filler material. The filler material may be chosen from known materials to achieve the desirous mechanical properties of the spacer. For a more rigid implant, for example, a cement product may be inserted into spacer 510 . For a more compliant implant, a gel or the like may be used.
[0115] FIG. 6 illustrates a non-limiting, exemplary expandable corpectomy spacer 610 comprising one or more outer bumpers 620 and one or more inner bumpers 630 to support compression loading.
[0116] FIG. 7A illustrates a non-limiting, exemplary expandable intervertebral or corpectomy or intervertebral spacer including a bumper located inside the jacket, shell or outer perimeter thereof. FIG. 7 b illustrates a non-limiting, exemplary expandable spacer including a bumper located inside the jacket of the spacer. FIG. 7 c illustrates a non-limiting, exemplary expandable spacer including one or more keels located outside the jacket of the spacer. In certain embodiments, the composition has the same height as the intended disc height to be restored. One skilled in the art will also consider the cross section of the disc replacement composition since contact surface area helps with load/force distribution in the spine. FIG. 7 d illustrates a non-limiting, exemplary expandable spacer 710 comprising one or more keels 720 to facilitate fixation and one or more inner bumpers 730 to support compression loading, a unidirectional valve 740 to allow filling with the one or more filler materials and a seal plug 750 to prevent leakage of the filler material.
[0117] In certain embodiments, the expandable implant includes a textured top and/or bottom surface to provide anchorage with vertebral endplates and an optionally textured surface along the curved perimeter. The implant can be filled with a load bearing polymeric or elastomeric material to allow the implant to conform to the shape of the vertebral cavity. In an illustrative, non-limiting embodiment, the implant is further comprised of a unidirectional valve for filling the inner surface; and a sealing crimp to prevent leakage of the load bearing polymeric or elastomeric material filling the inner surface.
[0118] One illustrative embodiment encompasses a corpectomy spacer comprising:
[0119] a. an outer jacket comprised of a biocompatible material;
[0120] b. an inner surface capable of being filled with a load bearing polymeric or elastomeric material,
[0121] c. a unidirectional valve for filling the inner surface; and
[0122] d. a sealing crimp to prevent leakage of the load bearing polymeric or elastomeric material filling the inner surface.
[0123] wherein the outer jacket has a cylindrical-like shape, wherein a top surface and/or a bottom surface are textured to provide anchorage with vertebral endplates.
[0124] Another illustrative embodiment encompasses a disc replacement composition comprising:
[0125] a. an inflatable outer jacket comprised of a biocompatible material;
[0126] b. one or more inner surfaces located in the outer jacket capable of being filled with a load bearing polymeric or elastomeric material,
[0127] c. a unidirectional valve for filling the inner surface; and
[0128] d. a sealing crimp to prevent leakage of the load bearing polymeric or elastomeric material filling the inner surface.
[0129] wherein the outer shell has a cylindrical-like shape, wherein a top surface and/or a bottom surface include bumpers so that compression loading is supported thereby reducing the risk of burst due to uncontrolled pressure.
[0130] In certain illustrative embodiments, the outer jacket is comprised of (1) metals (e.g., titanium or titanium alloys, alloys with cobalt and chromium, cobalt-chrome, stainless steel); (2) plastics (e.g., ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE), polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA), polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), polyetheretherketone (PEEK), nylon, polypropylene, and/or PMMA/polyhydroxy-ethylmethacrylate (PHEMA)); (3) ceramics (e.g., alumina, beryllia, calcium phosphate, and/or zirconia, among others); (4) composites; and/or the like. In certain embodiments, the materials may be partially or completely bio-resorbable as desired or appropriate.
[0131] In other illustrative embodiments, the containment shell can include a partially or totally textured surface to allow anchorage with the vertebral endplates. As used herein, textured, refers to any grooved or rough texture (e.g., a Velcro®-like texture) or porous features that increases the friction and anchorage with the vertebral endplates.
[0132] Another embodiment encompasses a disc replacement system including an outer jacket having a cylindrical shape and a textured top and bottom surface to provide anchorage with vertebral endplates. The implant can be filled with a load bearing polymeric or elastomeric material filling to allow the implant to conform to the shape of the disc cavity. The illustrative, non-limiting implant includes a polymer jacket (e.g., urethanes, silicones), or a combination thereof, a unidirectional valve for filling the inner surface; and a sealing crimp to prevent leakage of the load bearing polymeric or elastomeric material filling the inner surface.
[0133] In certain embodiments, the load bearing polymeric or elastomeric material is a thermoplastic polyurethane elastomer, polysiloxane modified styrene-ethylene/butylene block copolymer, polycarbonate-urethane, polycarbonate-urethane cross-linked by a polyol, silicone rubber, silicone elastomer, polyether urethane, polyester urethane, a polyether polyester copolymer, polypropylene oxide, silicone, urethane, silicone-urethane copolymer, polycarbonate-urethane copolymer, polyethylene terephthalate, saline, beta-glucan, hyaluronic acid and derivatives thereof, polyvinyl pyrrolidone or a hydrogel derivative thereof, dextrans or a hydrogel derivative thereof, glycerol, polyethylene glycol, succinaylated collagen, liquid collagen, and other polysaccharides or biocompatible polymers or combinations thereof.
[0134] Generally, the jacket includes a unidirectional valve to allow filling of the containment shell with the load bearing polymeric or elastomeric material. In addition, the nucleus containment shell includes a sealing crimp to prevent leakage of the load bearing polymeric or elastomeric material.
[0135] In another embodiment, the invention encompasses a disc repair system comprising:
[0136] a disc replacement composition comprising:
[0137] an outer surface comprised of a biocompatible material and adapted to conform to an inner wall of a vertebral cavity and comprising a valve attached to the outer surface comprising a rigid socket geometry; and
[0138] an inner surface having a central recess capable of receiving a load bearing polymeric or elastomeric material,
[0139] wherein the outer and inner surfaces define a solid, deformable thickness therebetween.
[0140] In certain embodiments, the repair system includes a guide for inserting the disc replacement composition.
[0141] The disc replacement composition can be comprised of any durable material that is safe for in vivo transplantation including, but not limited to, one or more biocompatible polymers of elastomers including thermoplastic polyurethane elastomer, polysiloxane modified styrene-ethylene/butylene block copolymer, polycarbonate-urethane, polycarbonate-urethane cross-linked by a polyol, silicone rubber, silicone elastomer, polyether urethane, polyester urethane, a polyether polyester copolymer, polypropylene oxide, and combinations thereof.
[0142] In certain illustrative embodiments, the elastomer includes any material that is safe for in vivo use including, but not limited to, silicone, urethane, silicone-urethane copolymer, polycarbonate-urethane copolymer, polyethylene terephthalate, or combinations thereof.
[0143] In other illustrative embodiments, the biocompatible filler includes any material that is safe for in vivo use including, but not limited to, saline, beta-glucan, hyaluronic acid and derivatives thereof, polyvinyl pyrrolidone or a hydrogel derivative thereof, dextrans or a hydrogel derivative thereof, glycerol, polyethylene glycol, Pluronic® type block copolymers (i.e., based on ethylene oxide and propylene oxide), succinaylated collagen, liquid collagen, and other polysaccharides or biocompatible polymers or combinations thereof. In other embodiments, the biocompatible fluid or gel. includes salts, alcohols, polyols, amino acids, sugars, proteins, polysaccharides, chondroitin sulfate, dermatan sulfate, heparin sulfate, biglycan, syndecan, keratocan, decorin, aggrecan, and combinations thereof. In other embodiments, the filler includes in situ curable materials, for example, polyurethanes and silicones) that will form a solid in situ.
Kits
[0144] The invention also contemplates kits including a disc replacement composition and the equipment and materials required to insert the composition into the intervertebral cavity.
[0145] Accordingly, the disc replacement composition can be manufactured in varying widths, lengths, and dimensions to accommodate the type of surgery and needs of the surgeon.
[0146] In addition, the kits can also include the load bearing polymeric or elastomeric material including a plurality of elastomeric materials and the necessary cannulas to administer them.
[0147] The kits of the invention are intended to broaden a surgeon's options once in surgery to provide a patient with the most optimal nucleus replacement composition and annulus fibrosus repair technology.
EXAMPLES
Example 1
[0148] To repair a herniated disk injury, verterbral disc material is removed in a surgical operation to form a cavity. This may be carried out with, for example, a forceps-like instrument with which the jelly-like nucleus material is cut off and the opening may also be enlarged and its edges smoothed. The thus removed nucleus material may be used for growing a culture of the patient's own body cells.
[0149] A disc replacement composition of the invention is then inserted into the cavity. The disc replacement composition includes, for example, a biocompatible solid, deformable, load-bearing material in the form of a balloon, which is deflated and incorporated into the vertebral cavity using a catheter and is selected in relation to the size of the opening such that upon introducing the disc replacement composition into the opening, the opening is not unnecessarily enlarged. The disc replacement composition is connectable by a rod to a handle which can be removed, for example, by unscrewing.
[0150] After insertion of the disc replacement composition, the composition can be filled with, for example, an elastomeric or polymeric material. The amount of material can be determined by the surgeon during surgery and depends on the patient's physiology, the location on the vertebra of the implant, and other mechanical and physical properties apparent to the surgeon.
[0151] In this way, the entire material of the plug may be flexible or elastic, but it is also possible for the material of the plug to become progressively firmer. When the opening has been closed in this way, cell material grown outside of the body (e.g., in a culture) can be introduced into the interior of the intervertebral disc. For example, this is carried out approximately weeks after the surgical operation described above. Alternatively, the porous jacket can be coated with a bioactive agent that promotes cell growth or provides a therapeutic effect.
[0152] In the specification, there have been disclosed typical illustrative embodiments of the invention and, although specific terms are employed, they are used in a generic and descriptive sense only and not for purposes of limitation. Obviously many modifications and variations of the invention are possible in light of the above teachings. It is therefore to be understood that the invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described.
[0153] Unless defined otherwise, all technical and scientific terms and any acronyms used herein have the same meanings as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art in the field of this invention. Although any compositions, methods, kits, and means for communicating information similar or equivalent to those described herein can be used to practice this invention, the preferred compositions, methods, kits, and means for communicating information are described herein.
[0154] All references cited above are incorporated herein by reference to the extent allowed by law. The discussion of those references is intended merely to summarize the assertions made by their authors. No admission is made that any reference (or a portion of any reference) is relevant prior art. Applicants reserve the right to challenge the accuracy and pertinence of any cited reference.
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The invention encompasses devices and methods for treating one or more damaged, diseased, or traumatized intervertebral discs to reduce or eliminate associated back pain. Specifically, the invention encompasses interspinous spacers, for example, corpectomy spacers that are suitable for insertion into an intervertebral disc space.
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BACKGROUND TO THE INVENTION
[0001] 1. Field of the Invention
[0002] The invention relates to woven fabrics, and fabric for wicking sweat or moisture away from the skin.
[0003] 2. Background Information
[0004] There is an on-going requirement to make clothing, especially sports clothing, diapers and incontinent apparel and so forth more comfortable and healthier to wear and use, even though considerable moisture or liquids may be liberated by the wearer in normal use. It is known to provide composite textile materials that comprise distinct layers of materials having respective appropriate characteristics so that moisture, or liquid, migrates or drains quickly away from an inner surface of the material in contact with the skin of a wearer. The liquid may be retained in a second outer layer in the case of a diaper or evaporate normally from an outer surface of the material where there is only one layer, in the case of sports clothing, say. Examples of known textile materials can be found in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,509,285, 6,432,504, 6,427,493, 6,341,505, 6,277,469, 5,315,717, 5,735,145 and 4,411,660.
[0005] However difficulties remain especially with multi-layer materials because they are bulky and uncomfortable or certainly difficult to style fashionably. Also, even though the present materials may keep the wearer's skin relatively dry and comfortable in use at first, once an absorbent layer becomes saturated or relatively wet, the moisture or liquid may migrate back towards the body of the user. Presently used composite materials, especially where they are multi-layer, are usually not re-usable.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0006] It is an object of the present invention to provide a woven fabric with improved moisture management properties.
[0007] According to the invention there is provided a woven fabric comprising a generally uniform woven structure consisting of hydrophobic and hydrophilic materials, the woven structure having an inner exposed surface of hydrophobic and hydrophilic materials that is between 40% and 70% the hydrophobic material, and having an outer exposed surface of hydrophobic and hydrophilic materials that is predominantly the hydrophilic material.
[0008] Preferably, the hydrophobic material is polypropylene.
[0009] Preferably, the hydrophobic material is polyester.
[0010] Preferably, the hydrophobic material is natural fiber selected from cotton, wool, silk and linen, and which are treated with a water repellent agent.
[0011] Preferably, the water repellent agent is HYDROPHOBL CF.
[0012] Preferably, the water repellent agent is SiO x nano water repellence agent.
[0013] Preferably, the hydrophilic material is absorbent yarn made from synthetic fiber.
[0014] Preferably, the synthetic fiber is coolmax or coolplus.
[0015] Preferably, the hydrophilic material is absorbent yarn made from natural fiber.
[0016] Preferably, the natural fiber is one of cotton, silk, wool or linen.
[0017] Preferably, the natural fiber is treated with a hydrophilic finishing agent with nano particles such as TiO 2 and ZnO for creating nanostructures.
[0018] Preferably, the woven fabric structure is one of plain weave, twill weave or sateen weave.
[0019] The fabric can be used in components of clothing including sports wear, casual wear, uniform and pants. It can also be used in components of a diaper, or household articles such as bed sheet, covers and pillows.
[0020] Further aspects of the invention will become apparent from the following description, which is given by way of example only.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0021] Embodiments of the invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:
[0022] FIG. 1 illustrates the structure of denim cotton yarn of a woven fabric according to the invention,
[0023] FIG. 2 illustrates the structure of polypropylene of a woven fabric according to the invention,
[0024] FIG. 3 is a typical measuring curve of the woven fabric,
[0025] FIGS. 4 to 11 illustrate how difference percentage points/areas on the inner surface of polypropylenes or coolmax influence the measurement results of one-way transfer of the fabric and over all moisture management properties, and
[0026] FIG. 12 is the typical measurement curve of the fabric in which the hydrophobic yarn is pure cotton pre-treated by nano water repellent agent.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0027] According to a preferred embodiment of the invention a flat woven fabric with moisture management properties for use in garments includes inner and outer surfaces. The inner surface is, in use, worn next to the skin of a wearer, and has a high proportion of hydrophobic areas or structure points and a low proportion of hydrophilic areas or structure points. In the preferred embodiment the hydrophobic areas occupy 40%-70% of the inner surface. The outer surface, positioned away from the wearers skin, has a high proportion of hydrophilic areas or structure points. The hydrophilic fibers/yarns transfer any liquid or moisture from the inner side of the fabric to the outer side.
[0028] The low proportion of hydrophilic points/areas on the inner surface allows quick absorption of liquid water and enable wicking actions, while the high proportion of hydrophobic points/areas on the inner surface is able to keep the surface relatively dry and prevent the liquid water wicking back to the inner surface.
[0029] The terms hydrophobic and hydrophilic are comparative terms and depend upon selection of fibers and yarn with different surface tension, contact angle, shape of cross section, diameters of fibers, chemical and physical finishing, and so forth. Thus it will be understood that the terms “hydrophobic” and “hydrophilic” are used in the specification and claims as relative terms. This means that the Woven fabric is made up of materials that are hydrophobic and hydrophilic relative to one another rather than necessarily having such properties in comparison to a norm or some industrial standard, for example.
[0030] A wide range of hydrophobic yarns can be selected for the fabric. Such yarns can be synthetic yarns, like polypropylenes, etc., or natural fibers finished with the use of chemicals or nano technology to enhance their hydrophobic properties. Examples include cotton yarns finished by water repellent agent, Ciba's HYDROPHOBL CF, or Zhousan Mingri nano-technology company's water repellent agent. In the preferred embodiment polypropylene is chosen for the hydrophobic yarn.
[0031] Likewise, hydrophilic yarns can be selected from a wide range of synthetic yarns or fibers. Examples include coolmax, coolplus, natural yarns/fibers such as cotton, or yarns finished with the use of chemicals or nano technology to modify their hydrophilic properties by hydrophility finishing agent such as FZ agent. In the preferred embodiment coolmax is chosen for the hydrophilic yarn.
[0032] The moisture management properties of the fabric depend on the proportion of the hydrophobic areas or points on the inner surface. For polypropylene hydrophobic yarn used with pure cotton hydrophilic yarn the range of polypropylenes structure points on the inner surface should be 40% to 70% for optimum moisture management.
[0033] A series of woven fabrics with different percentage of hydrophobic points/areas were developed and measured. As an example, the structure of a fabric, WMMF006, is designed as shown as in FIGS. 1 and 2 . The warp yarn is 100D polyester. The structure of the fabric in FIG. 1 is 20S denim cotton yarn, and the structure of the fabric in FIG. 2 is 83.3 dex polypropylene. The pattern arrangement is polypropylene:cotton:polypropylene=1:1:1. The content of fabric is cotton 45%, polypropylene 25%, polyester 30% and the structure is 100D×(20s+83.3 dtex)/55.1 ends/cm×90 ends/cm.
[0034] The moisture management properties of the fabric were tested using a moisture management tester to determine moisture management indexes. The fabric is sandwiched between two plates. Electrical conductors arranged in concentric opposing pairs are used to measure changes in electrical resistance of the fabric. A quantity of water (or other chosen liquid) is poured down a guide pipe and changes of resistance measured against time. From this data, specific indexes are determined, in a repeatable fashion, and used for determining moisture management characteristics of the fabric. Details of the tester can be found inventors U.S. Pat. No. 6,499,338. The typical measuring curve of the woven fabric is shown in FIG. 3 .
[0035] FIG. 4 shows the influence of percentage of inner surface structure points of polypropylenes on the fabric one way transfer property.
[0036] FIG. 5 shows the influence of percentage of inner surface structure point of polypropylenes on the fabric overall moisture management capacity.
[0037] FIG. 6 shows the influence of percentage of inner surface structure point of coolmax on the fabric one way transfer property.
[0038] FIG. 7 shows the influence of percentage of inner surface structure point of coolmax on the fabric overall moisture management capacity.
[0039] FIG. 8 shows the influence of percentage of inner surface area of polypropylene on the fabric one-way transfer property.
[0040] FIG. 9 shows the influence of percentage of inner surface area of polypropylene on the fabric overall moisture management capacity.
[0041] FIG. 10 shows the influence of percentage of inner surface area of coolmax on the fabric one-way transfer property.
[0042] FIG. 11 shows the influence of percentage of inner surface area of coolmax on the fabric overall moisture management capacity.
[0043] In an alternative embodiment of the invention polypropylenes or coolmax is replaced by pure cotton yarns pre-treated by a nano water repellent agent as hydrophobic yarn. The typical measurement curve for this alternative embodiment is shown in FIG. 12 .
[0044] The fabric according to the invention can more easily transport the liquid water from the inner surface to the outer surface than the normal fabrics, such as pure cotton fabric, and so maintain the comfort feeling during the wearing, especially under the heavy sweating rate.
[0045] Where in the foregoing description reference has been made to integers or elements having known equivalents then such are included as if individually set forth herein.
[0046] Embodiments of the invention have been described, however it is understood that variations, improvements or modifications can take place without departure from the spirit of the invention or scope of the appended claims.
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A woven fabric consists of a generally uniformly woven structure of hydrophobic and hydrophilic materials and has inner and outer exposed surfaces of hydrophobic and hydrophilic materials. The inner exposed surface is between 40% and 70% hydrophobic material, and the outer exposed surface is predominantly hydrophilic material.
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CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
This application is a continuation-in-part of application Ser. No. 725,439 filed Sept. 22, 1976.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to travelling-wave looms and, more particularly, it relates to methods of and apparatus for supplying weft thread carriers (shuttles) used thereon.
At present, there are known methods of supplying weft thread carriers wherein a weft thread is fed in one direction from a bobbin for winding in the form of coils by a thread guide onto a spool of a carrier, with a free end of the weft thread gripped preliminarily. In a space between the thread guide and the bobbin the thread is braked. Subsequently, after the winding is completed, each carrier is admitted into a weaving zone, with an elongated section of the weft thread formed between this carrier and the thread guide, after which the coils of the weft thread are separated from the elongated section at the edge of the looming-up zone and a portion of the elongated section is sequentially pulled through a grip and the thread guide in a direction opposite to that of the feed for the elongated section to be compensated for, the pulling of the portion of the elongated section in the opposite direction being achieved by pulling in a direction normal to the direction of advance of the thread and by forming a loop intermediate of the braking point and the thread guide.
A known apparatus for practicing this known method comprises grips for the end of the weft thread arranged on a rotatable horizontal disk as well as thread guides installed on the disk so as to be rotatable around their own axes which extend parallel to the axis of rotation of the disk. The thread guides wind the thread nipped by the grip and unwound from a bobbin, in the form of coils onto the spools of carriers admitted successively by a conveyer into a weaving zone thereby forming a straight elongated section of the thread. Additionally, the apparatus includes a device for braking the thread unwound from the bobbin, a device for separating the elongated section from the coils and a device for compensating for a portion of the straight section by pulling that portion through one of the grips and the thread guide in a direction opposite to that of feed. The disk of the apparatus carries bell cranks entrailed by the thread for said loop to be formed which execute oscillatory motion in the horizontal plane.
Due to availability of the thread loop the thread is subjected to an additional mechanical action of the bell crank which, in turn, causes fraying and eventual breaking of the thread.
Besides, the location of the bell crank on the disk encumbers the zone thereby rendering the servicing of the apparatus inconvenient. If the weft thread breaks, the time required to repair the break is increased due to the fact that the weaving zone is encumbered and also due to the elimination of the break.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the present invention to provide a method of and an apparatus for supplying weft thread carriers wherein the device for compensating for the portion of the elongated section is constructed so as to reduce the additional mechanical effect on the thread.
The principal object of the invention is to provide a method and an apparatus for realizing this method which will clear out the weaving zone.
It is another object of the invention to provide a method and an apparatus for realizing this method which will increase the loom productivity.
One more object of the invention is to provide an apparatus of such a structure which will make the servicing thereof less laborious.
These objects are attained by providing a method of supplying weft thread carriers in travelling-wave looms including the steps of feeding a weft thread from a bobbin and winding the same in the form of coils by a thread guide onto a spool of a carrier shuttle, with a free end of the weft thread gripped preliminarily, while in a space between the thread guide and the bobbin the thread is braked. After the winding is completed, each carrier is admitted into a weaving zone, with an elongated section of the weft thread being formed between each respective wound carrier and the thread guide, after which the coils of the weft thread are separated from the elongated section at the edge of the looming-up zone and thereafter, a portion of the elongated section is pulled through a grip and the thread guide in a direction opposite to that of feed to compensate for the elongated section. In accordance with the invention, the elongated section, while being pulled through the grip and the thread guide in a direction opposite to the direction of feed, extends along a straight line connecting the thread guide and a braking point which, in the course of compensation, is moved away from the thread guide by a distance equal to the length of the pulled portion of the elongated section.
The preferred apparatus for effecting the method of this invention comprises grips for the end of the weft thread arranged on a rotatable horizontal disk, thread guides, installed so as to be free to turn around their own axes extending parallel to the axis of rotation of the disk, for winding the thread, nipped by the grip and unwound from the bobbin, in the form of coils onto the spools of the carriers admitted in succession into the weaving zone by a conveyor whereupon the elongated thread section is formed, a device for braking the thread unwound from the bobbin, a device for separating the elongated section from the coils, and a device for compensating for the portion of the elongated section when this portion is pulled through one of the grips and the thread guide in a direction opposite to that of feed. In accordance with the invention, the device adapted to compensate for the portion of the elongated section includes a bell crank or level installed on the disk one arm of which carries said braking device, while a stationary profiled cam is situated relative to the bell crank so that at the moment of separation of the straight section a free arm of this bell crank comes in contact with the lowest part of the cam profile which subsequently travels to the upper part of the profile whereby said braking device is moved away from the thread guide by a distance equal to the length of the dragged portion of the straight section.
Inasmuch as the pulled portion of the straight section is placed on the straight line connecting the thread guide and the braking point, any curving of the thread is avoided, thereby additionally avoiding contact thereof with the additional devices, whereby the fraying and the breaking of the thread are precluded. What is more, the vertical displacement of the bell crank, that is the displacement in the direction of advance of the pulled portion of the elongated section clears out the weaving zone, as a result of which the time spent on elimination of any break is reduced.
Taken together all said advantages increase the loom productivity and make the servicing thereof less laborious.
To simplify the structure of the apparatus and to create the most favorable servicing and threading conditions, in accordance with another embodiment of the invention, the devices adapted to compensate for the portion of the elongated section include an additional disk placed above the main disk, outfitted at the periphery with said braking device and installed relative to the main disk so as to be able to rotate in step therewith, both disks being mutually arranged in such a manner that after the separation of the elongated section during their synchronous rotation through some angle said braking device is disposed at a distance from the thread guide sufficient for compensation of the pulled portion of the elongated section, with the axis of rotation of the additional disk being inclined at an angle to the axis of rotation of the main disk in a direction diametrically opposite to the position of the thread guide at the moment when the winding of the weft thread onto the spool of the carrier is initiated, the angle of inclination being chosen in accordance with the required length of the pulled portion of the elongated section for which compensation is made.
To make the apparatus more compact and to reduce the mass of the additional disk, in accordance with the invention, the axis of rotation of the additional disk may be parallel to and displaced from the axis of rotation of the main disk in a direction diametrically opposite to the position of the thread guide at the moment the winding of the weft thread onto the spool of the carrier is initiated, the disks having different diameters and the amounts of the displacement of the axles and the difference between the diameters of the disks being chosen in accordance with the required length of the pulled portion of the elongated section for which compensation is made.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Given below is a detailed description of the present invention with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein;
FIG. 1 is a schematic top view of an apparatus according to the present invention for practicing the proposed method of threading weft thread carriers;
FIG. 2 is a schematic side view of an apparatus of the present invention illustrating one of the embodiments of a device for compensation of the portion of the elongated thread section;
FIG. 3 is a schematic side view of the apparatus according to the present invention, in FIG. 1, illustrating another embodiment of said compensation device;
FIG. 4 is a schematic side view of the apparatus according to the present invention in FIG. 1, illustrating still another embodiment of said compensation device;
FIG. 5 is a schematic side view of the apparatus according to the present invention illustrating yet another embodiment of said compensation device; and
FIG. 6 is a schematic top view of the apparatus illustrated in FIG. 1 further illustrating the cam device comprising an element of one embodiment of the compensation device showing the beginning and end of the interaction of the cam and arm associated therewith.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
Essentially the proposed method comprises feeding a weft thread 1 (FIG. 1) from a bobbin 2 for winding in the form of coils by a thread guide 3 onto a spool 4 of a carrier 5. Preliminarily a free end 6 of the weft thread is nipped by a grip 7. A known structure of the above type is illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 3,835,893. In the space between the thread guide 3 and the bobbin 2 the thread 1 is braked by a braking means 8. After the winding is completed, the carrier 5 is admitted by a conveyer 9 into a weaving zone. At this time, a substantially straight section, designated "a" in FIG. 1 of weft thread 1 is formed between carrier 5 and the wound thread guide 3. After the carrier has entered the looming-up weaving zone, designated "A", and the elongated substantially straight section has been engaged by a grip 10 located at the edge of the weaving zone, the coils of the weft thread wound on the spool 4 of the carrier 5 are cut from the section "a" by a knife 11 also disposed at the edge of the weaving zone. Following this cutting, a portion of the section "a" is engaged and pulled by the grip 7 and the thread guide 3 in a direction opposite to the direction of advance of the weft thread during winding onto the spool. The entire portion of the section "a" to be pulled extends on a straight line connecting the thread guide 3 and a braking means 8. The braking means 8 then travels away from the thread guide 3 along with the portion of the straight thread portion "a".
Thus, referring to FIG. 1 a carrier 5a is shown which has entered into the looming-up or weaving zone "A" with an elongated, substantially straight length of weft thread "a" being engaged by grip 10. At this time, the knife 11 cuts the straight thread portion "a" and the grip 7a which engages the cut portion of section "a" begins to pull this section in a direction opposite to the direction of advance of the weft thread during its winding onto the spool. At this time, the braking means 8 which grips the weft thread between the bobbin 2 and the thread guide 3 begins to travel away from the thread guide 3 to compensate for the length of the straight thread portion "a" by pulling the same through the grip 7a.
One of the embodiments of the apparatus for practicing the above-described method of the present invention is illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 6 and includes a horizontal disk 12 on which are installed the thread guides 3 and grips 7 for the end 6 of the weft thread 1 formed during initial threading. The guides 3 are installed on the disk 12 so as to be free to rotate around their own axes extending parallel to the axis 13 of rotation of the disk 12. A structure of this type is illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 3,835,893. The direction of rotation of the disk is conventionally shown in the drawings by an arrow "B". Mounted on the disk 12 are vertically displaceable levers or bell cranks 14. Fixed to one arm 15 of each of the bell cranks are a bobbin 2 and the braking means 8 comprising a spring-loaded tensioner. Fixed rigidly on the loom frame is a profiled cam 16 in contact with a second arm 17 of the bell crank 14.
Referring to FIG. 6, cam 16 has a profile which increases from a lowermost point, designated "b", to an uppermost point, designated "c", and then decreases to a point "d", equal in vertical displacement to point "b". Thus, upon the knife 11 severing a portion of thread section a, the braking means 8 and associated bobbin 2 are located at their lower vertical height through the interaction of arm 17 with cam 16 at point b. As disk 12 continues to rotate in the direction of arrow B, the braking means 8 and associated bobbin are vertically displaced in the upward direction as arm 17 is cammed upwardly on the surface of cam 16, reaching their uppermost location when arm 17 engages cam 16 at point C. This uppermost position is shown at the right in FIG. 2. In FIG. 2, a telescoped tubular structure 50 is schematically illustrated as mounted on disk 12 for vertically guiding the braking means and bobbin and which allows the structure to move downwardly under the force of gravity during engagement of arm 17 on cam 16 from points c and d. Thus, as disk 12 rotates, the bobbin and braking means are first upwardly vertically displaced as arm 17 engages the portion of cam 16 from points b to c and then downwardly displaced as arm 17 engages the portion of cam 16 from points c to d. It is during this upward movement where the braking means 8 travels away from the thread guide 3 to retract the cut portion of the section "a" of weft thread in a direction opposite to the direction of advance thereof during winding of the spool to compensate for the extended length thereof so that this thread is not wasted and instead is subsequently used in winding the thread onto a spool of the shuttle on carrier 5. The winding of the spool is contacted at point C of the travel of disk 12.
Referring to FIG. 3, another embodiment of the present invention comprises an additional disk 20 on which are installed the braking means 8 and associated bobbins 2. The additional disk 20 is rotatably mounted above the main disk 12 about an axis of rotation 19 which is disposed at an angle "α" to the axis of rotation 19 of the main disk 12. As is shown in FIG. 3, the shaft 13 is driven in the direction of the arrow B by the loom drive in an unillustrated manner, the disk 12 being rotated in the manner apparent from U.S. Pat. No. 3,835,893. The shaft 19 is supported for rotation by schematically illustrated bearings and the shafts 13 and 19 respectively fixedly carry bevel gears 24 and 26 so that the rotation of the shaft 13 is transmitted to the shaft 19, which thus rotates the additional disk 20 in the direction indicated in FIG. 3. The transmission ratio between the bevel gears 24 and 26 is such that as each bobbin 2 together with the brake means 8 associated therewith reaches the lowermost point on the disk 20, shown at the left in FIG. 3, this particular bobbin and brake means will be situated directly opposite the point C indicated in the Figures. The continued rotation of the disk 20 will thus cause the bobbin and brake means shown at the left in FIG. 3 to move upwardly away from the disk 12, thus retracting the thread a which has just been cut by the cutting means 11 back in a direction opposite to the feed direction, so that this thread which otherwise would be wasted is available for winding onto a spool of a shuttle.
The axis of rotation 19 of the additional disk 20 is upwardly inclined in a direction diametrically opposite to the position of the thread guide 3 at the moment the winding of the weft thread 1 onto the spool of the carrier 5 is initiated. This position is indicated in the Figures by point "c". In this case, the distance between the braking means 8 and the thread guide 3 at the point "c" is greater than in the diametrically opposite point by a value equal to the length of the pulled portion of the section "a".
Referring to FIG. 4 another embodiment of the present invention is illustrated. This embodiment includes an additional disk 21, the axis of rotation 19 of which forms an angle of substantially 90° with the axis of rotation 13 of disk 12. The disk 21 is adapted to rotate about the axis of shaft 19 in conjunction with the rotation of disk 12. More particularly, the shaft 13 defining the axis of rotation of disk 12 has a bevel gear 32 fixed thereto which meshes with a bevel gear 34 fixed on a rotatable horizontal shaft 35. A stub shaft 36 is rotated through the meshing of gears 37, 38 fixed to shafts 36, 35, respectively. A pair of vertically aligned pulleys 39, 40 are respectively fixed to shafts 36, 19 so that rotation of shaft 13 and disk 12 will cause a similar and coordinated rotation of shaft 19 and disk 21. The disk 21 is also displaceable in the horizontal direction axially with respect to shaft 19 in the direction designated D in FIG. 4 in order to selectively adjust the distance between braking means 8 and a respective thread guide 3 as determined by the particular length of thread portion a. Thus, the axial location of disk 21 is preliminarily adjusted and then fixed with respect to shaft 19.
According to yet another embodiment illustrated in FIG. 5, the apparatus for practicing the proposed method is provided with the additional disk 22 rotatably mounted about a shaft or axis of rotation 19 extending parallel to the axis of rotation or shaft 13 of the main disk 12. The axis of rotation 19 is likewise displaced by a distance "e" with respect to the axis of rotation 13 of the main disk 12 in a direction diametrically opposite to the point "c". Moreover, the diameters of the disks 22, 12 differ from each other. The amounts of the displacement of the disks 12 and 22 and the difference between the diameters are chosen according to the required length of the pulled portion of the section "a" for which compensation is provided.
The shaft 13 of FIG. 5 is driven from the loom drive with respect to the rotating disk 12 which of course is driven in a manner shown, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 3,835,893.
A gear train is provided which comprises a gear 52 fixed to shaft 13, a gear 53 fixed to a stub shaft 54 which meshes with gear 52, a gear 54 fixed to the same stub shaft, and a gear 55 fixed to shaft 19, rotatably synchronizes disk 22 with disk 12. The transmission ratio between the disks 12 and 19 provided by way of the gears 52, 55 is such that as each bobbin 2 and brake means 8 cooperating therewith reaches the location directly opposite the point c, the thread a is cut by the separating means 11 and then during the continued turning of the disk 18c together with the disk 12, the free portion of the thread a extending outwardly beyond the grip 7 is retracted back through the grip 7 so as to be available for winding on a spool of a shuttle as described above.
It is to be noted that with all embodiments the force of friction provided by way of the brake means 8 is greater than that provided by way of the grips 7 so that the thread held by the brake means 8 will be pulled through the grips 7. On the other hand, the tension in the threads resulting from winding thereof onto the spools 4 of the shuttles will be sufficient to overcome the force of the brake means 8, so that the thread will be pulled from the bobbins 2 in order to be supplied to the shuttles.
It is thus apparent that according to the method of the invention thread is wound onto the spools of the shuttles at the winding means formed by the disk 12 and the parts which cooperate therewith, with the shuttles which have been supplied with thread being transported to the weaving zone by way of the conveyor 9, and simultaneously with this transporting of each shuttle to the weaving zone part of the thread wound onto the spool of the shuttle extends from the weaving zone back toward the winding means to form in this way the elongated thread portion a. This elongated thread portion is cut at the region of the weaving zone, by way of the separating means 11, so as to leave a free elongated thread portion extending from the winding means, and in accordance with the invention this free elongated thread portion is retracted back to the winding means.
The structure of the invention thus includes the winding means for winding thread onto the spools of the shuttles, this winding means being formed by the disk 12 and the parts associated therewith, as well as a transporting means 9 for transporting each shuttle which has been supplied with thread from the winding means to the weaving zone while forming a length of thread a extending from the winding means to the weaving zone. The separating means 11 serves to cut the thread a at the region of the weaving zone so as to leave an elongated free portion of the thread a extending from the winding means, and in accordance with the invention a retracting means retracts this free portion of the thread back to the winding means.
In the embodiment of FIGS. 2 and 6, the retracting means is formed by the cam 16 together with the arm 17 of the lever means 14. In the embodiment of FIGS. 3-5, the retracting means is formed by the additional disk 20, 21 and 22 of FIGS. 3-5, respectively, together with the structure cooperating therewith as described above.
Obviously, numerous modifications and variations of the present invention are possible in the light 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.
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The present invention relates to methods of and apparatus for supplying weft thread carriers. In this method a thread is wound in the form of coils onto a spool of a carrier whereupon the carriers along with the thread are admitted into a weaving zone whereby an elongated section of the thread is formed to be sequentially separated from the coils, with the elongated section being thereafter pulled in a direction opposite to that of feed and, while being pulled the elongated section is arranged on a straight line connecting a thread guide and a braking point which, to compensate for the length of the pulled portion of the straight section, is moved away from the thread guide by a distance equal to this length.
In an apparatus for practicing this method a device for compensating for the portion of the elongated section comprises a bell crank installed on a disk on one arm of which bell crank there are located braking means and a stationary profiled cam cooperating with a free arm of this bell crank for the braking means to be moved away from the thread guide.
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BACKGROUND OF INVENTION
[0001] The present invention relates generally to window regulators that are employed to raise and lower windows in vehicles.
[0002] Window regulator assemblies are employed to raise and lower windows in vehicles. Such window regulator assemblies may employ a switch to operate a motor, which raises and lowers the window—commonly called a power window. Some power window systems use slider assemblies that are secured to the window and move up and down on guide rails. These slider assemblies may be pulled up and down by a cable assembly, which is driven by a cable drum mounted to the output shaft of the motor. The other ends of the cable assemblies attach to the slider assemblies. The cable drum has a generally cylindrical shape and the cables are wound onto and off of the drum by activating the motor in one direction or the other. Rotation of the cable drum, then, causes the cables to pull the slider assemblies up (to close the window) or to pull the slider assemblies down (to open the window). With a motor having a single speed, and the cable drum being cylindrical, the travel speed and the pull force are constant throughout the entire length of window travel.
[0003] A constant travel speed and pull force may not be desirable for certain window opening/closing conditions. For example, it may be desirable to have a larger pull force at the end of upward (i.e., closing) travel to overcome window seal resistance. Also, it might be desirable to have a larger pull force at the beginning of downward (i.e., opening) travel to overcome seal resistance or release a frozen window. In addition, it might be desirable to increase the travel speed of the window in the mid-travel range, with a slower travel speed at each end of travel. There may be other types of variations in travel speed and pull force that may be desirable for the operation of a window regulator assembly. Such variation in the travel speed and/or pull force during window opening and closing may be possible by employing a controller with some type of a hardware and/or software control function that will provide for the variability desired. But this may increase the size of motor required, and would increase the number of parts and complexity of the window regulator assembly. Consequently, such a solution may be more costly and complex than is desired for a window regulator assembly.
SUMMARY OF INVENTION
[0004] An embodiment of the present invention contemplates a window regulator system. The window regulator system may include a slider assembly adapted to engage a movable window and move along a pre-defined path, a cable assembly operatively engaging the slider assembly, a cable drum having a first end, an opposed second end, and an outer surface extending substantially from the first end to the second end, with the outer surface having a non-cylindrical profile about which a portion of the cable assembly wraps, and a drive unit operatively engaging the cable drum to selectively cause the cable drum to rotate.
[0005] An embodiment according to the present invention may contemplate a cable drum for use in a window regulator system of a vehicle having a first end, an opposed second end, and an outer surface extending substantially from the first end to the second end, with the outer surface having a non-cylindrical profile, and with the non-cylindrical profile of the outer surface adapted to receive a portion of a cable assembly therearound.
[0006] An advantage of an embodiment of the present invention is that the window regulator system can move the window with a variable travel speed and variable pull force. This ability to vary the travel speed and pull force is accomplished without requiring a controller with additional hardware and/or software, thus minimizing the cost and complexity of the window regulator system.
[0007] An advantage of an embodiment of the present invention is that the motor size can be reduced by shaping the profile of the cable drum to reduce the maximum torque output required by the motor to produce the required pull force at each portion of window travel. A smaller motor may improve packaging, and reduce the mass and cost of the motor. For example, the pull force can be increased at the end of upward travel to overcome seal resistance, and/or at the beginning of downward travel to overcome seal resistance or release a frozen window. Additionally, the travel speed of the window can be increase in the mid-travel range to assure relatively quick movement between the fully closed and fully open positions.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
[0008] FIG. 1 is a somewhat schematic, partially exploded, perspective view of a portion of window regulator system for a vehicle window, in accordance with the present invention.
[0009] FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of a portion of the window regulator system of FIG. 1 .
[0010] FIG. 3 is a schematic view of a cable drum and cable of a window regulator system for a vehicle window, in accordance with the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0011] FIGS. 1-3 illustrate a window regulator system, indicated generally at 10 , for raising and lowering a vehicle window (not shown). The window regulator system 10 includes a first guide rail 12 and a second guide rail 14 , which mount to vehicle structure, such as a door (not shown), in a conventional manner.
[0012] A first slider assembly 16 mounts to the first guide rail 12 and a second slider assembly 18 mounts to the second guide rail 14 . The guide rails 12 , 14 define the paths along which the slider assemblies 16 , 18 move. Each slider assembly 16 may include a slider 20 (mounted to a respective guide rail), a clamp plate 22 , a friction pad 24 that mounts between the slider 20 and clamp plate 22 and engages the window, and a lift plate 26 . The slider assemblies 16 , 18 may be conventional and so will not be discussed or shown in greater detail herein.
[0013] The first guide rail 12 may also have an upper pulley 28 and a lower pulley (not shown), and a down stop 34 mounted thereon, and the second guide rail 14 may have an upper pulley 30 and a lower pulley 32 mounted thereon. Alternatively, other mechanisms for redirecting and allowing a sliding motion of a stretched cable may be employed instead of the pulleys, if so desired.
[0014] A cable assembly 42 may include a first cable 36 , a second cable 38 and a third cable 40 . The cables 36 , 38 , 40 may each have an outer casing and an inner core, as is known to those skilled in the art. The inner cores of the cables 36 , 38 are not shown herein, and the inner core of the cable 40 is shown only in FIG. 3 . The first cable 36 connects at a first end to the first slider assembly 16 and at a second end to the second slider assembly 18 . The first cable 36 also extends around the upper pulley 28 and the lower pulley 32 .
[0015] The second and third cables 38 , 40 in the cable assembly 42 include first ends that are attached to a cable drum 44 (discussed below), and wind around or unwind from the drum 44 depending upon the direction the drum rotates. The second cable 38 includes a second opposing end that is secured to the second slider assembly 18 , and is mounted around the upper pulley 30 . The third cable 40 includes a second opposing end that is secured to the first slider assembly 16 . Alternatively, the second and third cables 38 , 40 connected to the cable drum 44 can be a single cable wrapped around the drum 44 , with first and second ends connected to respective slider assemblies 16 , 18 .
[0016] The cable assembly, then, forms a pull-pull type of system between the cable drum 44 and the slider assemblies 16 , 18 . That is, depending upon the direction of rotation of the motor 46 , the cables 36 , 38 , 40 will pull the slider assemblies 16 , 18 up along the guide rails 12 , 14 or will pull the slider assemblies 16 , 18 down along the guide rails 12 , 14 . The slider assemblies 16 , 18 , cables 36 , 38 , 40 and pulleys 28 , 30 , 32 are operative in a known manner in response to the actuation of the motor 46 to raise and lower the slider assemblies 16 , 18 , and thereby raise and lower the window, and so will not be discussed in greater detail herein.
[0017] The window regulator system 10 also includes a drive unit 48 , which includes the bidirectional motor 46 . The drive unit 48 is fixed relative to the guide rails 12 , 14 . The supply of power to and control of the motor 46 can be conventional and so will not be discussed further herein. The motor 46 has an output shaft 50 , with the cable drum 44 mounted to and driven by the output shaft 50 about an axis 54 . The drive unit 48 may also include a drum housing 52 that covers and protects the drum 44 and cables 38 , 40 .
[0018] The cable drum 44 has a first end 56 that mounts adjacent to the motor 46 and an opposed second end 58 facing away from the motor 46 . An outer surface 60 extends generally between the first and second ends 56 , 58 (best seen in FIG. 3 ). This outer surface 60 has a profile 62 that is a generally frustum-conical shape—being radially larger near the first end 56 and tapering down toward the second end 58 . For the motor 46 driving the drum 44 at a given speed, then, a cable winding on the drum 44 near the first end 56 will have greater travel speed but less pull force than when winding on the drum 44 near the second end 58 . Thus, this window regulator system 10 has a variable travel speed/pull force, even without employing special electronics or a variable speed motor—although, if so desired, one may add these features to the system as well.
[0019] The outer surface 60 of the cable drum 44 may have a helical shaped cable groove 64 to receive the cable 40 as the drum 44 turns. This cable groove 64 causes the cable 40 to track in a predictable manner (i.e., preventing it from slipping up or down the drum profile 62 ), thus providing proper tensioning and travel speed/pull force for each position of the vehicle window (not shown). The depth, width and spacing of the cable groove 64 can be any suitable dimensions for assuring that the cable 40 tracks on the drum 44 in the desired manner. Alternatively, a different means for causing the cable to track around the drum in a predictable manner may be employed instead of the cable groove, if so desired.
[0020] When referring to the profile 62 of the outer surface 60 herein, this refers to the overall general shape of this surface 60 , whether or not it includes the cable groove 64 . Accordingly, for a conventional cable drum, the profile is cylindrical (i.e., a generally constant diameter extending axially from near the first end to near the second end), whether or not the outer surface has a cable groove. In the example shown in FIGS. 1-3 , then, the profile 62 of the outer surface 60 is considered to be frustum-conical (i.e., a larger diameter near the first end 56 tapering down to a smaller diameter near the second end 58 ), even though the outer surface 60 includes the cable groove 64 .
[0021] As an alternative to the profile 62 illustrated in FIGS. 1-3 , the profile of the cable drum 44 may radially taper down extending toward the motor 46 rather than as shown radially tapering down as it extends away from the motor 46 . As another alternative, the cable drum 44 may have other non-cylindrical outer surface profile shapes, as desired, to obtain the desired variations in window travel speed/pull force relative to corresponding window open positions. For example, the cable drum may have a profile shape being a pair of frustum-cones back-to-back, with the first frustum-cone being adjacent to the first end and extending toward the second end and the second frustum-cone being adjacent to the second end and extending toward the first end until it meets the first frustum-cone. In this example, if the pair of frustum-cones radially taper down from the middle out toward the first and second ends, respectively, then the window travel speed would vary slow-fast-slow. On the other hand, if, in this example, the pair of frustum-cones radially taper down from each end toward the middle, then the window travel speed would vary fast-slow-fast. Or, as a further alternative, the outer surface profile shape may have only a portion that is cylindrical and another portion that is not so that the overall profile is non-cylindrical, with the travel speed/pull force being constant over a portion of the window travel and varying over another portion of the window travel.
[0022] While certain embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail, those familiar with the art to which this invention relates will recognize various alternative designs and embodiments for practicing the invention as defined by the following claims.
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The invention concerns a cable drum having a non-cylindrical profile of its outer surface and the use of this cable drum in a window regulator system, particularly in a vehicle. The window regulator system may include a slider assembly adapted to engage a movable window and move along a pre-defined path, a cable assembly operatively engaging the slider assembly, a cable drum having a first end, an opposed second end, and an outer surface extending substantially from the first end to the second end, with the outer surface having a non-cylindrical profile about which a portion of the cable assembly wraps; and a drive unit operatively engaging the cable drum to selectively cause the cable drum to rotate.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to methods of manufacture and, more particularly, to a method for manufacturing a fluid flow restrictor by forming a plurality of plates with tabs punched therein, stacking the tabbed plates with non-tabbed plates and brazing the entire assembly to form a unitary structure having radial tortuous paths communicating between a central core and the exterior surface thereof.
Fluid flow restrictors are employed to effect a pressure drop in a hydraulic system. In one type of fluid flow restrictor as typically employed with valves used in submarines and the like wherein a low noise environment is required, a structure such as that shown in FIGS. 1-4 is employed. The restrictor, generally indicated as 10, comprises a plurality of annular machined plates 12 and flat plates 14 which are brazed together to form the hollow cylindrical structure as shown having a central bore 16 into which the fluid flows and a plurality of radial tortuous paths 18 communicating between the central bore 16 and the cylindrical exterior surface 20 from which the fluid flows out. As best seen in FIG. 4, the tortuous paths 18 comprise a plurality of separated wall members 22 lying along concentric circles wherein the space 24 between wall members 22 in one circular row is disposed opposite a wall member 22 in the next row whereby, as indicated by the arrows 26, the flow of fluid is stopped and must branch. It is this branching and the back pressures created thereby which effects the drop in fluid pressure. The construction of such a fluid flow restrictor is described in greater detail in U.S. Pat. No. Re. 29,714 entitled "Fluid Flow Restrictor" by Paul F. Hayner and Richard J. Brockway, which is also assigned to the common assignee of this application.
Such a fluid flow restrictor works well for its intended purpose providing the desired reduction in fluid pressure while creating very little detectable noise in its operation. By virtue of the nature of its construction, however, such fluid flow restrictors as presently manufactured are very expensive. The prior art method of manufacture most commonly employed is shown in FIGS. 5 and 6. The machined plates 12 (which can also be chemically etched in another costly and time-consuming process) are typically first drilled on both surfaces according to a preset pattern as shown in FIG. 5. In a typical flow restrictor as employed in a valve on a submarine, twenty-eight plates 12 are employed. Each plate 12 has approximately 2580 wall members 22 thereon. This means that 2580 holes 28 must be drilled into the surface of the machined plate 12 on each side; that is, 2580×2×28 or a total of 144,480 holes must be drilled into the surfaces of the twenty-eight plates for each restrictor 10. The plates 12 are then rotated in a lathe where a cutting tool 30 is employed to cut along the dotted lines 32 between adjacent rows of holes 28 to create channels 34 thus defining wall members 22 by removing the material around them (i.e., holes 28 and channels 34). As can be readily understood, it is easy to make an error or have a broken drill/cutting tool thereby creating an unusable plate 12 for purposes of the restrictor 10.
Wherefore, it is the object of the present invention to provide a method of manufacturing flow restrictors such as that indicated as 10 in FIGS. 1-4 which is cheaper and more reliable than the previous method of manufacture.
SUMMARY
The foregoing objective has been met by the method of the present invention comprising the steps of forming a plurality of annular first plates having an inside radius R1 and an outside radius R2; forming a plurality of annular second plates having an inside radius R1 and an outside radius R2; punching the first plates to form tabs therein defining a tortuous path where the tabs are of equal size and at right angles to one surface of the first plates, the tabs lie along circles concentric with the center of the first plates, and the tabs of each circle are equally radially spaced and disposed between a pair of the tabs in the next adjacent circle of tabs; forming a stack of the first and second plates where the plates are concentrically aligned, the tabs face the same direction, and the first and second plates are alternated; and, bonding the first and second plates and tabs together at their points of contact to form a flow restrictor of the desired design.
According to the preferred embodiment, the tabs are semicircular in shape and are ground to an equal height before assembling the stacks. The tabs are also aligned so as to form a self-supporting stack. Further, the plates are of stainless steel and the second plates are plated with a brazing metal whereby the bonding is accomplished by heating the stack and the brazing material is in sufficient quantity such that it forms fillets where the tips of the semicircular tabs contact the next adjacent plates and the like.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a cutaway elevation of a fluid flow restrictor as manufactured by the method of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a plan view of the fluid flow restirctor of FIG. 1.
FIG. 3 is a detailed view of the fluid flow restrictor of FIG. 1 in the region designated as III.
FIG. 4 is a detailed view of the fluid flow restrictor of FIG. 2 in the area designated as IV.
FIG. 5 shows a portion of a plate being manufactured according to the prior art technique wherein a pattern of holes is first drilled into the surface thereof.
FIG. 6 shows the portion of the plate of FIG. 5 during the prior art process of machining grooves between the rows of holes to create the wall members thereon.
FIG. 7 is a plan view of a portion of a plate as employed in the present invention after the punching of semicircular tabs therethrough.
FIG. 8 is a cutaway view through one of the tabs of the plate of FIG. 7 in the plane VIII--VIII.
FIG. 9 is a cutaway view through the plate of FIG. 7 adjacent one of the tabs in the plane IX--IX.
FIG. 10 is a drawing showing the step of grinding the tabs to a common and uniform height.
FIG. 11 shows the preferred manner of stacking the tabbed and untabbed plates prior to the step of brazing.
FIG. 12 is a cross section through a portion of a flow restrictor according to the present invention showing the manner in which the fillets form at the point of contact between the tabs and the next adjacent plate.
FIG. 13 is an enlarged drawing through the flow restrictor of FIG. 12 in the plane XIII--XIII.
FIG. 14 is a block diagram depicting the steps of the present invention.
FIG. 15 shows the method of grinding in an alternate embodiment.
FIG. 16 shows a cross section through a restrictor being manufactured by the alternate embodiment method.
FIG. 17 is a simplified drawing of a triangular first plate which could be used in the method of the present invention.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
The description which follows hereinafter is with respect to an actual fluid flow restrictor constructed according to the method of the present invention for commercial application on submarine valves by the assignee of this application.
To manufacture a fluid flow restrictor such as that designated as 10 in FIG. 1 employing the method of the present invention, a plurality of annular plate blanks are first punched from 0.010" thick stainless steel. Each annular disk plate has an inner diameter R1 and an outer diameter R2. The inner diameter R1 will be the diameter of the central bore 16 of the final flow restrictor 10'. The annular plates thus formed are divided into two sets comprising a plurality of first plates 36 to be punched in a manner to be described in greater detail shortly and a plurality of second plates 46 to be prepared for brazing.
The first plates 36 are all punched to form semicircular tabs 38 at right angles to one surface 40 of the plates 36 as shown in FIGS. 7-9 which define a tortuous path. As can be seen, the tabs 38 are disposed in rows in the form of concentric circles where each row of tabs 38 is disposed with the individual tabs 38 thereof between tabs 38 in the next adjacent rows in the manner of the wall members 22 of the prior art previously described. In the embodiment being described, there are twenty-nine rows of punched holes 0.070" apart radially where the outer row has thirty-six punched holes or tabs 38 per quadrant and every succeeding row moving towards the center has one less punched hole/tab than the previous row until the inner row has six tabs 38 per quadrant.
Further, in the commercial embodiment being described, the punching of the tabs 38 is accomplished in four steps. The individual punch die is constructed to punch one-fourth of each quadrant's holes simultaneously. Thus, to punch all the tabs 38 in each quadrant, the die must be positioned and operated four times. The die is rotated 90° between punchings to punch all the holes and form the tabs 38 in each of the four quadrants. This process results in the punching of the required 2580 tabs 38 per first plate 36 in a more cost effective and reliable manner than attempting to punch them simultaneously.
Once the tabs 38 have been punched, the first plates 36 are mounted to a magnetic work plate 42 in order to hold the first plates 36 in a perfectly flat position while they are passed beneath a grinding wheel 44 whereby the tabs 38 are all ground to a uniform height.
While the first plates 36 are being thus formed, the second plates 46 are plated on either side with a coating of brazing metal 48 such as copper. The first plates 36 and second plates 46 are then alternately stacked as shown in FIG. 11 in a fixture (not shown) to hold them firmly together flat and in the desired position such as with a weight 50 as shown. In the preferred method, the tabs 38 of the various first plates 36 are stacked in longitudinal alignment. As a result the tabs 38 at corresponding positions on the plates 36 form self-supporting stacks which add strength to the whole resultant structure. The stack of first and second plates 36,46 is next heated to the brazing temperature of the metal 48 (in the embodiment being described, the brazing metal 48 was copper and, therefore, the stack was raised to the melting point of copper) which causes the plates 36,46 to be bonded together in the manner shown in FIGS. 12 and 13. Where the first plates and second plates are in contact on the surfaces opposite the tabs 38, the metal 48 merely brazes the two plates 36,46 together evenly across as shown. At points of angular contact such as at the tip of the semicircular tabs 38 and the points of cutting and bending of the tabs 38, the metal 48 on the second sheets 46 is originally plated on to sufficient thickness such that it tends to move by capillary attraction to the points of contact and form fillets such as those generally indicated as 52. The fillets 52 add both strength to the structure and smoothness to the tortuous paths 18 formed thereby.
Thus, the steps of the present invention in its preferred embodiment can be summarized as shown in the diagram of FIG. 14. First, sheet metal is cut as through metal stamping to form a plurality of blanks of desired size and shape. In the example described, the blanks are of stainless steel and shaped as annular disks having an inside radius R1 and an outside radius R2. Half of the blanks are designated as first plates and these are punched to form semicircular tabs at right angles to the surface in a pattern defining a tortuous path. The other half of the plates are designated as second plates and are plated on both sides with brazing material such as copper. The first plates are mounted in a manner to assure their being flat such as to a magnetic plate and the tips of the tabs ground to assure that all tabs are of an even height. The first and second plates are then stacked alternately in a desired configuration such as concentrically with the tabs of the first plates being aligned with the tabs of the next adjacent first plates to form self-supporting stacks. While being held firmly together, the first and second plates are heated to a brazing temperature to melt the brazing material which bonds the plates together and the tabs to the plates to form a unitary structure having a cylindrical center bore and a plurality of tortuous paths defined by the tabs disposed radially between the center bore and the cylindrical outer surface. The resultant unitary restrictor is then finish machined as necessary to correct any minor misalignments made during the fabrication process.
As previously mentioned, the embodiment hereinbefore described is with respect to a restrictor which is to be incorporated into a submarine valve. Since that valve operates under extremely high pressures, the above-described restrictor and its method of manufacture are intended to result in a restrictor which will successfully tolerate those pressure extremes.
An alternate method of manufacture according to the basic technique of the present invention is shown in FIGS. 15 and 16. As depicted in FIG. 15, according to this embodiment, the semicircular tabs 38 in the grinding step are ground to about one-half their original height. Pairs of first plates 36, generally indicated as 54, are positioned in face-to-face relationship with the tabs 38 aligned and then the pairs 54 are stacked with the tabs 38 in longitudinal alignment as shown in FIG. 16. The points of contact are then bonded together. If the bonding is to be by brazing as in the preferred embodiment, a suitable brazing metal is placed between the points of contact and the entire structure heated to the appropriate brazing temperature as previously described. Unpunched second plates 46 are positioned over the two outer ends to seal the restrictor from undesired leakage through the punched holes in the two outer most first plates 36. Thin second plates 46 can be disposed between the pairs 54 if desired or can be omitted to produce a tortuous path pattern having the capability of fluid movement between adjacent pairs 54 as well as radially outward from the central bore 16 to the exterior surface 20.
It should also be noted and appreciated by those skilled in the art that the method of the present invention can be used to manufacture fluid flow restrictors having more specialized shapes for particular applications than is possible using the prior art method. Thus, instead of being limited to a cylindrical shape as produced by lathe turning, the method of the present invention can produce restrictors having cross-sectional shapes such as triangles, squares, pentagons, etc.
For example, a triangular cross-sectioned fluid flow restrictor first plate 36' is shown in simplified form in FIG. 17. The central bore 16' is triangular and concentrically disposed with respect to the triangular exterior surface 20'. The tabs 38' are disposed on concentric triangular "circles" to define the desired tortuous path.
In the description hereinbefore and the claims that follow, the terms annular, circular, and the like, are intended to include these other shapes as well.
Thus, it can be seen that the method of the present invention provides a fluid flow restrictor having the same capabilities as those manufactured using prior art machining or chemical etching techniques but in a manner which is less costly and less prone to error and waste.
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The method of providing an order of magnitude manufacturing cost reduction in the manufacture of fluid flow restrictors by employing components produced by punch press stamping operations. The flow restrictor is formed of a plurality of annular plates. Half of the plates are punched to form concentric rings of tabs at right angles to one surface thereof. The plates with and without the tabs are alternately stacked concentrically and brazed together to form the fluid flow restrictor having a central core communicating with the exterior surface through a plurality of tortuous paths.
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FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The present invention relates to the field of contraception, hormone replacement therapy (HRT) and therapy of gynaecological disorders, as well as adjuvant therapy in cancer and other diseases.
[0002] The subject invention provides novel progesterone receptor modulating steroids which have both agonistic and antagonistic modulating activities towards the progesterone receptor, processes for their preparation, and their use in therapy.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0003] Intracellular receptors are a class of structurally related proteins involved in the regulation of gene transcription. Steroid receptors are a subset of these receptors, including the progesterone receptor (PR), androgen receptor (AR), estrogen receptor (ER), glucocorticoid receptor (GR) and mineralocorticoid receptor (MR). Regulation of a gene requires the intracellular receptor and a corresponding ligand which has the ability to selectively bind to the receptor in a way that affects gene transcription.
[0004] Progesterone receptor modulators (progestagens and antiprogestagens) are known to play an important role in the health of women. The natural ligand for PR is the steroid hormone progesterone, but synthetic compounds have been made which may also serve as ligands (see e.g. Jones et al U.S. Pat. No. 5,688,810).
[0005] Progestagens are currently widely used for hormonal contraception and in HRT. Other important clinical applications of progestagens are treatment of gynaecological disorders (e.g. endometriosis, dysmenorrhea, dysfunctional uterine bleeding, severe premenstrual syndrome), breast cancer, hot flushes and mood disorders, and luteal support during IVF. In addition, they are applied in combination with other hormones and/or other therapies including, without limitation, chemotherapeutic agents such as cytotoxic and cytostatic agents, immunological modifiers such as interferons and interleukins, growth hormones or other cytokines, hormone therapies, surgery and radiation therapy.
[0006] The current steroidal progestagens have been proven to be quite safe and are well tolerated. Sometimes, however, side effects (e.g. breast tenderness, headaches, depression, and weight gain) have been reported that are attributed to these steroidal progestagens, either alone or in combination with estrogenic compounds. In addition, steroidal ligands for one receptor often show cross-reactivity with other steroidal receptors. Many progestagens also bind e.g. to the androgen receptor, whereas many antiprogestagens have affinity for the glucocorticoid receptor.
[0007] Antiprogestagens in combination with progestagens are also useful in contraceptive and hormone replacement regimens as described e.g. in WO 99/25360 and WO 97/49407. It would therefore be useful to find compounds which have both progestagenic and antiprogestagenic properties within one molecule.
[0008] WO 99/45022 describes 20-keto-11β-arylsteroids which have either antagonistic or agonistic activity towards the progesterone receptor. Of the many compounds disclosed in WO 99/45022, three or four compounds have both progesterone antagonist and agonist activity. None of these compounds has a substituent in position 16; in position 17α, they have an acetyloxy, acetyloxymethyl or methoxymethyl substituent.
[0009] The compounds described in EP 349481 contain a 4-[(3-pyridyl)phenyl] substituent in position 11β and have no substituent in position 16; none of these compounds possesses a cyclopropylcarbonyl or cyclopropenylcarbonyl substituent in position 17, nor a spirocycloalkanone or spirocycloalkenone substituent in position 17. The compounds of EP 349481 have antiprogestagenic properties only.
[0010] The subject invention now surprisingly discloses that novel steroid compounds with an (11β)-[4-(aza-aryl)phenyl] substituent in combination with a variety of substituents in positions 16 and 17 show a mixed profile of PR agonist and PR antagonist activity (hereinafter referred to as mixed P/AP profile) within one compound. These compounds are particularly useful for contraction, HRT and the treatment of gynaecological disorders. Cook et al. (Life Sciences 52 (1993), 155-162) describes the possibility that a steroid which has an antiprogestagenic profile with an acetyloxy substituent at the 17α position can be turned into a compound with a mixed profile by deleting this substituent, while introduction of a substituent in the 16α position turns the compound into a full agonist Surprisingly, this is not the case for the novel compounds disclosed in the subject invention, which uniformly have mixed profiles with various combinations (including hydrogen) of 16α- and 17α-substituents.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0011] The subject invention provides a compound of structural Formula I
wherein
X is O, NOH, NO(1-4C)alkyl, NO(1-4C)acyl; A1-A5 are C, substituted with R1, or N, provided that at least one and not more than three of A1-A5 are N; or one or two of A1, A2 and A5 are N, and the others are C, substituted with R1, and A3 and A4 together represent a fused benzo ring or a fused five- or six-membered nitrogen-containing aromatic ring, both optionally substituted with one or more halogen and/or (1-4C)alkyl; each R1 is independently selected from H, halogen, (1-4C)alkyl and (1-4C)alkoxy; R2 is H, (1-4C) alkyl or (1-6C) alkenyl, both optionally substituted with an (6-10C)aryl group, which is optionally substituted with one or more halogen and/or (1-4C)alkyl; and R3 is H or (1-4C)alkyl, optionally substituted with one or more halogen atoms; and R4 is cyclopropyl or cyclopropenyl, both optionally substituted with one or more halogen and/or (1-4C)alkyl; or R2 together with R3 forms a 3-, 4-, 5- or 6-membered carbocyclic ring; and R4 is cyclopropyl or cyclopropenyl, both optionally substituted with one or more halogen and/or (1-4C)alkyl; or R2 is H or (1-4C)alkyl; and R3 together with R4 forms a 5-, 6- or 7-membered saturated or unsaturated carbocyclic ring R5 is H or (1-4C)alkyl;
or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt and/or hydrate form and/or prodrug thereof.
[0024] In one embodiment, A1-A5 are C, substituted with R1, or N, provided that at least one and not more than three of A1-A5 are N.
[0025] In another embodiment, one or two of A1, A2 and A5 are N, and the others are C, substituted with R1, and A3 and A4 together represent a fused benzo ring or a fused nitrogen-containing ring, both optionally substituted with halogen and/or (1-4C)alkyl.
[0026] In one embodiment, R2 is H, (1-4C)alkyl or (1-6C)alkenyl, both optionally substituted with an (6-10C)aryl group, which is optionally substituted with one or more halogen and/or (1-4C)alkyl; and R3 is H or (1-4C)alkyl, optionally substituted with one or more halogen; and R4 is cyclopropyl or cyclopropenyl, both optionally substituted with one or more halogen and/or (1-4C)alkyl.
[0027] In another embodiment, R2 together with R3 forms a 3-, 4-, 5- or 6-membered carbocyclic ring; and R4 is cyclopropyl or cyclopropenyl, both optionally substituted with one or more halogen and/or (1-4C)alkyl.
[0028] In yet another embodiment, R2 is H or (1-4C)alkyl; and R3 together with R4 forms a 5-, 6- or 7-membered saturated or unsaturated carbocyclic ring.
[0029] In a specific embodiment, X is O.
[0030] In another specific embodiment, R4 is cyclopropyl.
[0031] In yet another specific embodiment, A1, A3, A4 and A5 are C, substituted with R1, and A2 is N.
[0032] In one embodiment R2 is H, (1-4C)alkyl or (1-4C)alkenyl.
[0033] In a specific embodiment, X is O, A1, A3, A4 and A5 are C, substituted with R1, and A2 is N; R2 is H, (1-4C)alkyl or (1-4C)alkenyl; and R3 is H or (1-4C)alkyl, optionally substituted with one or more halogen; and R4 is cyclopropyl; or
R2 together with R3 forms a 3-, 4-, 5- or 6-membered carbocyclic ring; and R4 is cyclopropyl.
[0036] In a particular embodiment, X is O, A1, A3, A4 and A5 are C; A2 is N; R1 is H; R2 is methyl; R3 is H; R4 is cyclopropyl; and R5 is H
[0037] In another particular embodiment, X is O, A1, A3, A4 and A5 are C; A2 is N; R1 is H; R2 is ethenyl; R3 is H; R4 is cyclopropyl; and R5 is H.
[0038] The compounds of the subject invention are envisaged for use in therapy.
[0039] The subject invention provides a pharmaceutical composition comprising a compound of the subject invention and a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier. In one embodiment, a pharmaceutical composition is envisaged for contraception. In another embodiment, a pharmaceutical composition is envisaged for hormone replacement therapy. In yet another embodiment, a pharmaceutical composition is envisaged for the treatment of a gynaecological disorder.
[0040] The subject invention further involves a use of a compound of the subject invention for the manufacture of a medicament In one embodiment, a use of a compound of the subject invention is for the manufacture of a contraceptive. In another embodiment, a use of a compound of the subject invention is for the manufacture of a medicament for hormone replacement therapy or for the treatment of a gynaecological disorder.
[0041] The subject invention further provides a method of contraception comprising administering a pharmaceutically effective amount of a compound of the subject invention to a subject in need thereof.
[0042] The subject invention further provides a method of treating a gynaecological disorder comprising administering a pharmaceutically effective amount of a compound of the subject invention to a subject in need thereof.
[0043] Compounds of Formula I wherein X is NOH, NO(alkyl) or NO(acyl) were prepared from compounds of Formula I wherein X is O by treatment with H 2 NOH, H 2 NO(alkyl) or H 2 NO(acyl) or salts of these amines.
[0044] As depicted in Scheme 1 compounds of Formula I wherein X is O (Formula I in Scheme 1) were prepared from compounds of Formula II. In this scheme Pg was a suitable protecting group of the carbonyl function at position 3 of the steroids. Several protecting groups known in the art are described in “Protective Groups In Organic Synthesis” by Greene T. W. and Wuts P. G. M. (John Wiley & Sons, New York). Suitable types of protective groups are ketals; in particular, cyclic ketals such as 1,3-dioxolanes are suited. The carbonyl group at position 17 of the steroid was used as such in this reaction sequence, or was masked in the form of a synthetic equivalent such as an hydroxymethyl group (which at a later moment in the synthesis was oxidized back to a carbonyl). Another option is protection of the carbonyl by a protecting group such as ketal.
[0045] Compounds of Formula II were oxidized to an epoxide of Formula III using various methods known in the art such as treatment with hydrogen peroxide in the presence of trifluoroacetophenone. Treatment of such an epoxide with (4-bromophenyl)magnesium bromide in the presence of a suitable Cu(I) salt such as copper(II) chloride yielded compounds of Formula IV. Compounds of Formula IV were transferred into compounds of Formula V using palladium-mediated cross-coupling reactions such as the Suzuki, Stille or Negishi reactions. Removal of the protecting group of compounds of Formula V using methods known in the art such as, in the case of ketals, aqueous acid afforded compounds of Formula I. Such methods of deprotection can be applied to compounds of Formula IV to give compounds of Formula VI. The latter compounds can be transferred into compounds of Formula I using palladium-mediated cross-coupling reactions.
[0046] Compounds of Formula II in which R4 is cyclopropyl or cyclopropenyl were prepared from compounds of Formula VII as depicted in Scheme 2. Compounds of Formula VII are described in the literature (e.g. van den Heuvel, M. J. and Groen, M. B. Rec. Trav. Chim. Pays-Bas, 112, 107 (1993), EP289073, EP277676, DE3617883, EP549041, EP 582338). Compounds of Formula VII were transformed into enol triflates using a base and triflating reagent. An example of a suitable combination of reagents is lithium hexamethyldisilazane as base followed by addition of N-phenyl-bis(trifluoromethanesulfonimide) as triflating agent The resulting enol triflates were transferred into compounds of Formula VIII using a palladium-mediated carbonylation in the presence of N,O-dimethylhydroxylamine. Treatment of compounds of Formula VIII with cyclopropyl-Grignard, cyclopropyllithiate, cyclopropenyl-Grignard, or cyclopropenyllithiate yields compounds of Formula IX. Treatment of the latter compounds with an R2-lithiate or R2-Grignard compound in the presence of a suitable Cu(I) salt followed by quenching with water yields compounds of Formula II wherein R3 is H; alternatively, quenching with an alkylating reagent such as methyl iodide or the like yields compounds of Formula II wherein R3 is alkyl.
[0047] Compounds of Formula II where R3 together with R4 forms a 5-membered carbocyclic ring can be prepared using the method described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,084,450. In general, compounds of Formula II where R3 together with R4 forms a 5-, 6- or 7-membered carbocyclic ring can be prepared from compounds of Formula VII using the method described by Mash, E. A. et al. in J. Org. Chem. 55, 2045 (1990). In this publication the method was applied to transform a ketone into a 6-membered spiro compound. This method can be extended to 5- or 7-membered spiro compounds by using 4-iodobutyl tert-butyldimethylsilyl ether or 6-iodohexyl tert-butyldimethylsilyl ether instead of the 5-iodopentyl tert-butyldimethylsilyl ether applied in the publication to prepare a 6-membered spiro compound.
[0048] A compound according to the invention is a compound as defined above in Formula I, a salt thereof, a hydrate thereof and/or a prodrug thereof.
[0049] In those cases that a compound of the invention contains a nitrogen atom of suitable basicity, the compound may be used as a free base or as a pharmaceutically acceptable salt.
[0050] The term pharmaceutically acceptable salt represents those salts which are, within the scope of medical judgement, suitable for use in contact with the tissues of humans and/or animals without undue toxicity, irritation, allergic response and the like, and are commensurate with a reasonable benefit/risk ratio. Pharmaceutically acceptable salts are well known in the art. They may be obtained during the final isolation and purification of the compounds of the invention, or separately by reacting the free base function with a suitable mineral acid such as hydrochloric acid, phosphoric acid, or sulfuric acid, or with an organic acid such as for example ascorbic acid, citric acid, tartaric acid, lactic acid, maleic acid, malonic acid, fumaric acid, glycolic acid, succinic acid, propionic acid, acetic acid, methanesulfonic acid, and the like.
[0051] Prodrugs represent compounds which are rapidly transformed in vivo to the parent compound of the above formula, for example by hydrolysis in the stomach and/or in the blood, metabolism in the liver or other processes known to those skilled in the art. For instance, those skilled in the art will recognize that compounds of Formula I where X is H 2 can be expected to be metabolized to the analogous compounds where X is O, which show activity in vitro even if the prodrug where X is H 2 does not.
[0052] The terms used in the definition of the compounds of the invention according to formula I have the following meaning:
(1-4C)alkyl is a branched or unbranched alkyl group having 1-4 carbon atoms, for example methyl ethyl, propyl, isopropyl butyl, sec-butyl or tert-butyl; (1-4C)alkoxy means (1-4C)alkyloxy, wherein (1-4C)alkyl has the meaning as defined above; (1-6C)alkenyl is a branched or unbranched alkenyl group having 1-6 carbon atoms, such as ethenyl, 1-methyl-ethenyl, 2-propenyl 2-butenyl and the like; (6-10)aryl is a carbocyclic aromatic group having 6-10 carbon atoms, such as phenyl 1-naphthyl or 2-naphthyl; (1-4C)acyl is an alkylcarbonyl group having 1-4 carbon atoms, such as formyl, acetyl or propionyl; aza-aryl means a monocyclic or bicyclic aromatic ring system, in which at least one of the rings contains at least one nitrogen ring atom. Examples include, but are not limited to, pyridyl pyrimidinyl quinolinyl naphthyridyl and the like; carbocyclic, when mentioned in the context of a ring, means that all the atoms constituting the ring are carbon atoms; spirocycloalkane is a substituent consisting of an alkanediyl group of which the two terminal atoms are attached to the same (carbon) atom, thus forming a spiro ring system; spirocycloalkene is a substituent consisting of an alkenediyl group of which the two terminal atoms are attached to the same (carbon) atom, thus forming a spiro ring system; the prefixes (1-4C), (2-4C) etc. have the usual meaning to restrict the meaning of the indicated group to those with 1 through 4, 2 through 4 etc. carbon atoms; halogen refers to fluorine, chlorine, bromine and iodine; spirocycloalkanone is a spirocycloalkane ring where one of the carbon atoms is forming a carbonyl group; spirocycloalkenone is a spirocycloalkene ring where one of the carbon atoms is forming a carbonyl group.
[0066] The progestagen receptor affinity and efficacy of the compounds according to the invention make them suitable for use in control of fertility and reproduction, e.g. in female contraception, and further for female HRT, the treatment of gynaecological disorders, as components of male contraception and in diagnostic methods focussed on the amount and/or location of progesterone receptors in various tissues. For the latter purpose it can be preferred to make isotopically labelled variants of the compounds according to the invention.
[0067] The compounds of the invention may further be useful for the treatment of endometriosis, menorrhagia, menometrorrhagia, dysmenorrhoea, acne, fibroids, osteoporosis as well as other bone disorders, bone fraction repair, sarcopenia, frailty, skin ageing, female sexual dysfunction, postmenopausal symptoms, atherosclerosis, aplastic anaemia, lipodystrophy, side effects of chemotherapy, tumours (located in e.g. breast, ovary or uterus) and others.
[0068] The compounds of the invention may be administered in conjunction with estrogens, androgens, progestagens, antiprogestagens, and other suitable compounds such as folic acid, vitamins, minerals etc.
[0069] Methods to determine receptor binding as well as in vitro and in vivo assays to determine biological activity of the compounds are well known. In general, expressed receptor (or a functional part thereof) is treated with a compound of the invention and binding or stimulation or inhibition of a functional response is measured.
[0070] To measure a functional response, isolated DNA encoding the progesterone receptor gene, preferably the human receptor, is expressed in suitable host cells. Such a cell might be the Chinese Hamster Ovary (CHO) cell, but other cells are also suitable. Preferably the cells are of mammalian origin. Methods to construct recombinant progesterone receptor-expressing cell lines are well known in the art (Sambrook et al., Molecular Cloning: a Laboratory Manual, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press, Cold Spring Harbor, latest edition). Expression of receptor is attained by expression of the DNA encoding the desired protein.
[0071] Techniques for site-directed mutagenesis, ligation of additional sequences, PCR, and construction of suitable expression systems are all by now, well known in the art. Portions or all of the DNA encoding the desired protein can be constructed synthetically using standard solid phase techniques, preferably to include restriction sites for ease of ligation. Suitable control elements for transcription and translation of the included coding sequence can be provided through the DNA coding sequences. As is well known, expression systems are now available which are compatible with a wide variety of hosts, including prokaryotic hosts such as bacteria and eukaryotic hosts such as yeast, plant cells, insect cells, mammalian cells, avian cells and the like.
[0072] Cells expressing the receptor are then contacted with a compound of the invention to observe binding, or stimulation or inhibition of a functional response.
[0073] Alternatively, isolated cytosol containing the expressed receptor may be used to measure binding of a compound of the invention.
[0074] For measurement of binding, radioactive or fluorescence-labelled compounds may be used. As reference compound, the native hormone, or other compounds binding to the receptor, can be used. As an alternative, competition binding assays can be performed as well. Another assay involves screening for progesterone receptor mixed agonist/antagonist compounds of the invention by determining regulation of receptor-mediated natural target gene mRNA, i.e. genes regulated by the receptor through binding of the receptor in the promoter region of the gene. The levels of target gene mRNA will be reduced or increased, depending on the inhibitory or stimulating effect of a compound of the invention upon binding to the receptor.
[0075] In addition to direct measurement of mRNA levels in the exposed cells, cells can be used which in addition to transfection with receptor encoding DNA have also been transfected with a second DNA encoding a reporter gene, the expression of which responds to binding of the receptor towards responsive elements in the promoter of the particular reporter gene. Such responsive elements might be classical hormone-responsive elements, well known in the art and described e.g. in Beato, M, Chalepakis, G, Schauer, M, Slater, EP J. Steroid Biochem. 5 (1989)737-47 or might be constructed in such a way that they are connected to novel responsive elements. In general, reporter gene expression might be controlled by any response element reacting to progesterone receptor binding. Suitable reporter genes are e.g. LacZ, alkaline phosphatase, firefly luciferase and green fluorescence protein.
[0076] For selecting compounds of the subject invention with a mixed modulating effect on the progesterone receptor, testing in the agonistic mode must result in an intrinsic activity of between about 15% and about 85% of the maximal activity when (16α)-16-ethyl-21-hydroxy-19-norpregn-4-ene-3,20-dione is used as a reference. Moreover, this maximal agonistic activity should be reached at a concentration of 10 −6 or less, and preferably at a concentration of 10 −8 or less.
[0077] In the antagonistic mode, testing must result in an intrinsic activity of between about 85% and about 15% of the maximal activity when (6β,11β,17β)-11-[4-(dimethylamino)phenyl]-4′,5′-dihydro-6-methylspiro[estra-4,9-diene-17,2′(3′H)-furan]-3-one is used as a reference.
[0078] An additional criterion is the IC 50 value, which must be <10 −6 M, preferably <10 −8 M. It will be understood by those skilled in the art that for the present invention compounds with a mixed P/AP profile are understood to have a profile ranging from a combination of minimal intrinsic agonistic activity of about 15% and maximal intrinsic antagonistic activity of about 85% to a combination of maximal intrinsic agonistic activity of about 85% and minimal intrinsic antagonistic activity of about 15%. Those skilled in the art will also recognize that, due to the biological variation in the assay, it is not always necessarily the case that the intrinsic agonistic activity and the intrinsic antagonistic activity add up to exactly 100%.
[0079] The skilled artisan will further recognize that desirable EC 50 and IC 50 values are dependent on the compound of the invention which is being tested. For example, a compound with an EC 50 which is less than 10 −6 M is, generally, considered a candidate for drug selection. Preferably this value is lower than 10 −8 M. However, a compound which has a higher EC 50 and/or IC 50 , but has a suitable selectivity (or a combination of agonistic and antagonistic selectivity) for the particular receptor, may still be a candidate for drug selection.
[0080] Basically any transactivation assay in mammalian cells (cell line or primary culture) that can yield information about the possible receptor activation can be used for the purpose of selecting potent and suitable ligands. The added value of using several cell systems, with cells which originate from different organs, will be that information on the potential tissue specificity of the ligands is obtained. Without limitation, examples of cells frequently used to this end are, besides CHO cells, e.g. T47D cells, MCF7 cells, ECC-1 cells, HeLa cells, primary cultures of endometrial cells, and pituitary cells.
[0081] Suitable routes of administration for the compounds of the subject invention (also called active ingredient) are oral, rectal, nasal, topical (including transdermal, buccal and sublingual), vaginal or parenteral (including subcutaneous, intramuscular, intravenous and intradermal) administration or administration via an implant. In a specific embodiment, the compounds can be administered orally. The exact dose and regimen of administration of the active ingredient, or a pharmaceutical composition thereof, will necessarily be dependent upon the therapeutic effect to be achieved (e.g. contraception, HRT, endometriosis) and may vary with the particular compound, the route of administration, and the age and condition of the individual subject to whom the medicament is to be administered.
[0082] In general, parenteral administration requires lower dosages than other methods of administration which are more dependent upon adsorption. However, a dosage for humans is likely to contain 0.0001-25 mg per kg body weight. The desired dose may be presented as one dose or as multiple sub-doses administered at appropriate intervals throughout the day, or, in case of female recipients, as doses to be administered at appropriate (daily) intervals throughout the menstrual cycle.
[0083] The present invention thus also relates to pharmaceutical compositions comprising a compound according to Formula I in admixture with pharmaceutically acceptable auxiliaries, and optionally other therapeutic agents. The auxiliaries must be “acceptable” in the sense of being compatible with the other ingredients of the composition and not deleterious to the recipients thereof.
[0084] Pharmaceutical compositions include those suitable for oral, rectal, nasal, topical (including transdermal, buccal and sublingual), vaginal or parenteral (including subcutaneous, intramuscular, intravenous and intradermal) administration or administration via an implant The compositions may be prepared by methods known in the art of pharmacy, for example, using methods such as those described in Gennaro et al., Remington's Pharmaceutical Sciences (18th ed., Mack Publishing company, 1990, see especially Part 8 : Pharmaceutical Preparations and Their Manufacture ).
[0085] Such methods include the step of bringing in association the active ingredient with any auxiliary agent. The auxiliary agent(s), also named accessory ingredient(s), include those conventional in the art (Gennaro, supra), such as carriers, fillers, binders, diluents, disintegrants, lubricants, colorants, flavouring agents, anti-oxidants, and wetting agents.
[0086] Pharmaceutical compositions suitable for oral administration may be presented as discrete dosage units such as pills, tablets, dragées or capsules, or as a powder or granules, or as a solution or suspension. The active ingredient may also be presented as a bolus or paste. The compositions can further be processed into a suppository or enema for rectal administration.
[0087] The invention further includes a pharmaceutical composition, as hereinbefore described, in combination with packaging material, including instructions for the use of the composition for the use as hereinbefore described.
[0088] For parenteral administration, suitable compositions include aqueous and non-aqueous sterile injection. The compositions may be presented in unit-dose or multi-dose containers, for example sealed vials and ampoules, and may be stored in a freeze-dried (lyophilised) condition requiring only the addition of sterile liquid carrier, for example water, prior to use.
[0089] Compositions or formulations suitable for administration by nasal inhalation include fine dusts or mists which may be generated by means of metered dose pressurized aerosols, nebulisers or insufflators.
[0090] The compounds of the invention can also be administered in the form of devices consisting of a core of active material, encased by a release rate-regulating membrane. Such implants are to be applied subcutaneously or locally, and will release the active ingredient at an approximately constant rate over relatively large periods of time, for instance from weeks to years. Methods for the preparation of implantable pharmaceutical devices as such are known in the art, for example as described in EP 303,306.
[0091] The compounds of the invention can also be administered in the form of a vaginal ring such as described for example in EP 876815.
[0092] The compounds of the invention can be produced by various methods known in the art of organic chemistry in general. More specifically the routes of synthesis as illustrated in the previous and following schemes and examples can be used. In the schemes and examples the following abbreviations are used:
[0093] THF: tetrahydrofuran
[0094] DMF: N,N-dimethylformamide
[0095] NaHCO 3 : sodium hydrogencarbonate
[0096] NH 4 Cl: ammonium chloride
[0097] Na 2 S 2 O 3 : sodium thiosulfate
[0098] SiO 2 : silicon dioxide (silica gel)
[0099] Na 2 SO 4 : sodium sulfate
[0100] MgSO 4 : magnesium sulfate
[0101] LCMS: liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry
[0102] HPLC: high performance liquid chromatography
[0103] NMR: nuclear magnetic resonance
[0104] M: molar
[0105] The present invention is further described in the following examples which are not in any way intended to limit the scope of the invention as claimed.
EXAMPLES
Example 1
Preparation of (11β,16α,17β)-17-cyclopropylcarbonyl-16-methyl-11-[4-(3-pyridinyl)-phenyl]estra-4,9-dien-3-one
a. 17-[[(Trifluoromethyl)sulfonyl]oxy]estra-5(10),9(11),16-trien-3-one cyclic 1,2-ethanediyl acetal
[0106] Lithium hexamethyldisilazane (1M in THF, 478 mL, 478 mmol) was added to THF (1 L) and cooled to −40° C. under a nitrogen atmosphere. A solution of estra-5(10),9(11)-diene-3,17-dione cyclic 3-(1,2-ethanediyl acetal) (50 g, 159 mmol) in dry THF (500 mL) was added dropwise while the reaction temperature slowly raised until −15° C. After stirring 30 minutes at −15° C., N-phenyl-bis(trifluoromethanesulfonimide) (62.5 g, 175 mmol) was added batchwise and the reaction mixture was stirred for 3 hours at 0° C. A saturated aqueous NaHCO 3 solution was added dropwise (exothermic) followed by water. The organic layer was separated and the aqueous layer was extracted three times with ethyl acetate. The combined organic layers were washed with brine, dried (Na 2 SO 4 ) and evaporated to dryness. The crude product was purified by column chromatography (SiO 2 , heptane/ethyl acetate, 4/1) to give 17-[[(trifluoromethyl)sulfonyl]oxy]estra-5(10),9(11),16-trien-3-one cyclic 1,2-ethanediyl acetal (90.1 g, 159 mmol, 100% yield, still containing some solvent). 1 H NMR (400 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ 0.91 (s, 3H), 1.20-2.55 (m, 16H), 3.98 (s, 4H), 5.52 (m, 1H), 5.59 (m, 1H).
b. N-methoxy-N-methyl-3,3-[1,2-ethanediylbis(oxy)]oxo-estra-5(10),9(11),16-triene-17-carboxamide
[0107] Triethylamine (221 mL, 1.59 mol), triphenylphosphine (6.67 g, 25 mmol) and N,O-dimethylhydroxylamine.HCl (82.2 g, 843 mmol) were added to a solution of 17-[[(trifluoromethyl)sulfonyl]oxy]estra-5(10),9(11),16-trien-3-one cyclic 1,2-ethanediyl acetal (70.9 g, 159 mmol) in DMF (1.5 L). Carbon monoxide was passed through the solution for 10 minutes, then palladium(II)acetate (2.86 g, 12.7 mmol) was added and the reaction mixture was stirred overnight at 60° C. under a CO atmosphere. The reaction mixture was poured into a saturated aqueous NH 4 Cl solution and extracted three times with ethyl acetate. The combined organic layers were washed with brine, dried (Na 2 SO 4 ) and evaporated to dryness. The crude product was purified by column chromatography (SiO 2 , heptane/ethyl acetate, 2/1) to give N-methoxy-N-methyl-3,3-[1,2-ethanediylbis(oxy)]estra-5(10),9(11),16-triene-17-carboxamide (59.7 g, 139 mmol, 87% yield, still containing some solvent). 1 H NMR (400 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ 0.97 (s, 3H), 1.25-2.58 (m, 16H), 3.25 (s, 3H), 3.62 (s, 3H), 3.99 (s, 4H), 5.58 (m, 1H), 6.41 (m, 1H).
c. 17-(Cyclopropylcarbonyl)estra-5(10),9(11),16-trien-3-one cyclic 1,2-ethanediyl acetal
[0108] A solution of cyclopropyl bromide (22.3 mL, 278 mmol) in diethyl ether (20 mL) was slowly added to a cooled suspension (0° C.) of crushed lithium (5.8 g, 834 mmol) in ether (380 mL) (exothermic) under a nitrogen atmosphere. The reaction mixture was stirred for 90 minutes while the temperature rose to room temperature. The solution of this lithiate was slowly added to a cooled solution (0° C.) of N-methoxy-N-methyl-3,3-[1,2-ethanediylbis(oxy)]estra-5(10),9(11),16-triene-17-carboxamide (59.7 g, 139 mmol) in THF (260 mL). After stirring this mixture for 2 hours at 0° C., a saturated aqueous NH 4 Cl solution was added dropwise (exothermic) followed by water. The organic layer was separated and the aqueous layer was extracted three times with ethyl acetate. The combined organic layers were washed with brine, dried (Na 2 SO 4 ) and evaporated to dryness. The crude product was purified by column chromatography (SiO 2 , heptane/ethyl acetate, 4/1) to give 17-(cyclopropylcarbonyl)estra-5(10),9(11),16-trien-3-one cyclic 1,2-ethanediyl acetal (33.9 g, 93 mmol, 67% yield). 1 H NMR (400 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ 0.82-2.67 (m, 24H), 3.99 (s, 4H), 5.59 (m, 1H), 6.88 (m, 1H).
d. (16α,17β)-17-(Cyclopropylcarbonyl)-16-methylestra-5(10),9(11)-dien-3-one cyclic 1,2-ethanediyl acetal
[0109] Methylmagnesium chloride (3M in THF, 92.6 mL, 278 mmol) was added to a stirred and cooled solution (0° C.) of copper(II)acetate (1.7 g, 9.3 mmol) in THF (1 L) under a nitrogen atmosphere. A solution of 17-(cyclopropylcarbonyl)estra-5(10),9(11),16-trien-3-one cyclic 1,2-ethanediyl acetal (33.9 g, 93 mmol) and trimethylsilyl chloride (58.5 mL, 463 mmol) in THF (500 mL) was added dropwise while the temperature was kept at 0° C. After 1 hour another equivalent of methylmagnesium chloride was added dropwise and stirring was continued for 30 minutes at 0° C. A saturated aqueous NH 4 Cl solution was added dropwise followed by water. The organic layer was separated and the aqueous layer was extracted three times with ethyl acetate. The combined organic layers were washed with brine, dried (Na 2 SO 4 ) and evaporated to dryness to give (16α,17β)-17-(cyclopropylcarbonyl)-16-methylestra-5(10),9(11)-dien-3-one cyclic 1,2-ethanediyl acetal (32.9 g, 86 mmol 93% yield). 1 H NMR (400 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ 0.61 (s, 3H), 0.80-2.79 (m, 26H), 3.99 (s, 4H), 5.55 (m, 1H).
e. (5α,10α,16α,17β)-17-(Cyclopropylcarbonyl)-5,10-epoxy-16-methylestr-9(11)-en-3-one cyclic 1,2-ethanediyl acetal
[0110] To a stirred solution of (16α,17β)-17-(cyclopropylcarbonyl)-16-methylestra-5(10),9(11)-dien-3-one cyclic 1,2-ethanediyl acetal (32.9 g, 86 mmol) in dichloromethane (500 mL), pyridine (2.1 mL, 26.7 mmol), trifluoroacetophenone (12.1 mL, 86.1 mmol) and hydrogen peroxide (30% in water, 96.1 mL) were added. The resulting two-phase system was vigorously stirred at ambient temperature for 2 days. The organic layer was separated and the aqueous layer was extracted twice with dichloromethane. The combined organic layers were washed twice with a saturated aqueous Na 2 S 2 O 3 solution, washed with brine, dried (Na 2 SO 4 ) and evaporated to dryness. The crude product was purified by column chromatography (SiO 2 , heptane/ethyl acetate, 5/1) to give (5α,10α,16α,17β)-17-(cyclopropylcarbonyl)-5,10-epoxy-16-methylestr-9(11)-en-3-one cyclic 1,2-ethanediyl acetal (27.9 g, 70.1 mmol, 81% yield, 16% β-epoxide present). 1 H NMR (400 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ 0.61 (s, 3H), 0.81-2.78 (m, 26H), 3.87-3.96 (m, 4H), 6.02 (m, 1H).
f. (5α,11β,16α,17β)-11-(4-Bromophenyl)-17-(cyclopropylcarbonyl)-5-hydroxy-16-methylestr-9-en-3-one cyclic 1,2-ethanediyl acetal
[0111] A grain of iodine was added to magnesium (8.4 g, 350 mmol) and heated for 1 minute. A solution of 1,4-dibromobenzene (85.1 g, 350 mmol) and a few drops of 1,2-dibromoethane in THF (400 mL) was added dropwise under a nitrogen atmosphere while the temperature was kept at 45° C. After 1 hour stirring at 45° C. this Grignard suspension was added to a cooled (−40° C.) solution of (5α,10α,16α,17β)-17-(cyclopropylcarbonyl)-5,10-epoxy-16-methylestr-9(11)-en-3-one cyclic 1,2-ethanediyl acetal (27.9 g, 70.1 mmol) and copper(I) chloride (3.4 g, 35.1 mmol) in 1THF (550 mL) under a nitrogen atmosphere while the temperature was kept at −40° C. The reaction mixture was stirred for 2 hours while the temperature rose to room temperature. A saturated aqueous NH 4 Cl solution was added dropwise (exothermic) followed by water. The organic layer was separated and the aqueous layer was extracted three times with ethyl acetate. The combined organic layers were washed with a saturated aqueous NaHCO 3 solution and brine, dried (Na 2 SO 4 ) and evaporated to dryness. The crude product was purified by column chromatography (SiO 2 , heptane/ethyl acetate, 2/1) to give (5α,11β,16α,17β)-11-(4-bromophenyl)-17-(cyclopropylcarbonyl)-5-hydroxy-16-methylestr-9-en-3-one cyclic 1,2-ethanediyl acetal (30.0 g, 54.1 mmol, 77% yield). 1 H NMR (400 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ 0.24 (s, 3H), 0.80-2.71 (m, 26H), 3.89-4.05 (n, 4H), 4.23 (d, J=6 Hz, 1H), 4.37 (d, J=1 Hz, 1H), 7.05-7.09, (m, 2H), 7.35-7.38 (m, 2H).
g. (11β,16α,17β)-11-(4-bromophenyl)-17-cyclopropylcarbonyl-16-methylestra-4,9-dien-3-one
[0112] 2 N Hydrochloric acid (81.1 mL, 162 mmol) was added to a solution of (5α,11β,16α,17β)-11-(4-bromophenyl)-17-(cyclopropylcarbonyl)-5-hydroxy 16-methylestr-9-en-3-one cyclic 1,2-ethanediyl acetal (30.0 g, 54.1 mmol) in acetone (600 mL). After stirring this solution for 10 minutes at room temperature, a saturated aqueous NaHCO 3 solution was added. The reaction mixture was extracted three times with ethyl acetate. The combined organic layers were washed with brine, dried (Na 2 SO 4 ) and evaporated to dryness. The crude product was purified by column chromatography (SiO 2 , heptane/ethyl acetate, 2/1) to give (11β,16α,17β)-11-(4-bromophenyl)-17-cyclopropylcarbonyl-16-methylestra-4,9-dien-3-one (17.6 g, 35.7 mmol, 66% yield). 1 H NMR (400 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ 0.30 (s, 3H), 0.84-2.76 (m, 24M), 4.34 (d, J=8 Hz, 1H), 5.79 (s, 1H), 7.02-7.05 (m, 2H), 7.37-7.41 (m, 2H).
h. (11β,16α,17β)-17-cyclopropylcarbonyl-16-methyl-11-[4-(3-pyridinyl)phenyl]estra-4,9-dien-3-one
[0113] (11β,16α,17β)-11-(4-Bromophenyl)-17-cyclopropylcarbonyl-16-methylestra-4,9-dien-3-one (10 g, 20.3 mmol), 3-pyridinylboronic acid (3.7 g, 30.4 mmol), potassium phosphate (5.2 g, 24.3 mmol), bis(triphenylphosphine)palladium(II) chloride (442 mg, 0.61 mmol) and triphenylarsine (426 mg, 1.4 mmol) were dissolved in a mixture of dioxane (240 mL) and water (30 mL) under a nitrogen atmosphere. The reaction mixture was stirred for 2 hours at 100° C. and then cooled to room temperature. Water was added and the mixture was extracted three times with ethyl acetate. The combined organic layers were washed with brine, dried (MgSO 4 ) and evaporated to dryness. Purification by column chromatography (SiO 2 , heptane/ethyl acetate, gradient 2/1 to 1/2) gave crude product (8.3 g, 16.9 mmol) which was crystallized from acetonitrile/water to give (11β,16α,17β)-17-cyclopropylcarbon-yl-16-methyl-11-[4-(3-pyridinyl)phenyl]estra-4,9-dien-3-one (5.5 g, 11.2 mmol, 55% yield), mp. 206° C. 1 H NMR (400 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ 0.35 (s, 3H), 0.86-2.86 (m, 24H), 4.46 (d, J=8 Hz, 1H), 5.80 (s, 1H), 7.26-7.29 (m, 2H), 7.35 (dd, J=10 and 6 Hz, 1H), 7.49-7.53 (m, 2H), 7.86 (dt, J=10 and 4 Hz, 1H), 8.57 (dd, J=6 and 4 Hz, 1H), 8.84 (d, J=4 Hz, 1H).
Example 2
Preparation of (11β,16α,17β)-17-cyclopropylcarbonyl-16-methyl-11-[4-(3-pyridinyl)-phenyl]estra-4,9-dien-3-one hydrochloride
[0114] To a solution of (11β,16α,17β)-17-cyclopropylcarbonyl-16-methyl-11-[4-(3-pyridinyl)phenyl]estra-4,9-dien-3-one (40 mg, 0.081 mmol) in acetonitrile (1 mL) were added 2 N hydrochloric acid (40 μL) and water (5 mL). Lyophilisation of this mixture gave 11β,16α,17β)-17-cyclopropylcarbonyl-16-methyl-11-[4-(3-pyridinyl)phenyl]estra-4,9-dien-3-one hydrochloride in quantitative yield (40 mg, 0.08 mmol). 1 H NMR (400 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ 0.34 (s, 3H), 0.80-2.85 (m, 24H), 4.47 (d, J=7 Hz, 1H), 5.81 (s, 1H), 7.31-7.35 (m, 2H), 7.51-7.55 (m, 2H), 7.64 (dd, J=8 and 5 Hz, 1H), 8.18 (dt, J=8 and 1 Hz, 1H), 8.62 (d, J=5 Hz, 1H), 8.90 (d, J=1 Hz, 1H).
Example 3
Preparation of (11β,16α,17β)-17-cyclopropylcarbonyl-11-[4-(6-methoxypyridin-3-yl)phenyl]-16-methylestra 4,9-dien-3-one
[0115] Reaction of (11β,16α,17β)-11-(4-bromophenyl)-17-cyclopropylcarbonyl-16-methylestra-4,9-dien-3-one and 6-methoxy-3-pyridinylboronic acid using the procedure described in example 1 step h afforded the title compound (54% yield). 1 H NMR (400 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ 0.35 (s, 3H), 0.84-0.99 (m, 6H), 1.08-1.15 (m, 1H), 1.33-1.39 (m, 1H), 1.45-1.54 (m, 1H), 1.62-1.70 (m, 2H), 1.91-1.97 (m, 1H), 2.01-2.08 (m, 1H), 2.24-2.53 (m, 6H), 2.58-2.64 (m, 2H), 2.68-2.85 (m, 3H), 3.98 (s, 3H), 4.44 (d, J=8 Hz, 1H), 5.80 (s, 1H), 6.80 (d, J=8 Hz, 1H), 7.23 (d, J=7 Hz, 2H), 7.44 (d, J=7 Hz, 2H), 7.75-7.79 (m, 1H), 8.36-8.38 (m, 1H).
Example 4
Preparation of (11β,16α,17β)-11-[4-(6-chloropyridin-3-yl)phenyl]-17-cyclopropyl-carbonyl-16-methylestra 4,9-dien-3-one
[0116] To prepare the title compound from (11β,16α,17β)-11-(4-bromophenyl)-17-cyclopropylcarbonyl-16-methylestra-4,9-dien-3-one and 6-chloro-3-pyridinylboronic acid the procedure described in example 1 step h was slightly modified The reaction mixture was heated for 4 hours and an additional 2 equivalents of 6-chloro-3-pyridinylboronic acid were added in 4 portions. Purification by LCMS followed by lyophilisation gave the product (11% yield). 1 H NMR (400 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ 0.34 (s, 3H), 0.84-2.84 (m, 24H), 4.45 (d, J=7 Hz, 1H), 5.80 (s, 1H), 7.25-7.30 (m, 2H), 7.38 (d, J=8 Hz, 1H), 7.45-7.49 (m, 2H), 7.82 (dd, J=8 and 3 Hz, 1H), 8.59 (d, J=3 Hz, 1H).
Example 5
Preparation of (11β,16α,17β)-17-cyclopropylcarbonyl-11-[4-(6-fluoropyridin-3-yl)phenyl]-16-methylestra-4,9-dien-3-one
[0117] (11β,16α,17β)-11-(4-Bromophenyl)-17-cyclopropylcarbonyl-16-methylestra-4,9-dien-3-one and 6-fluoro-3-pyridinylboronic acid were used as described in example 1 step h. Purification by LCMS followed by lyophilisation gave the product (65% yield). 1 H NMR (400 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ 0.34 (s, 3H), 0.80-2.85 (m, 24H), 4.45 (d, J=7 Hz, 1H), 5.80 (s, 11H), 7.00 (dd, J=8 and 3 Hz, 1H), 7.25-7.29 (m, 2H), 7.44-7.48 (m, 2H), 7.95 (dt, J=8 and 3 Hz, 1H), 8.41 (d, J=3 Hz, 1H).
Example 6
Preparation of (11β,16α,17β)-17-cyclopropylcarbonyl-16-methyl-11-[4-(5-methoxy-pyridin-3-yl)phenyl]estra-4,9-dien-3-one
[0118] (11β,16α,17β)-11-(4-Bromophenyl)-17-cyclopropylcarbonyl-16-methylestra-4,9-dien-3-one and 5-methoxy-3-pyridinylboronic acid were used as described in example 1 step h. Purification by LCMS followed by lyophilisation gave the product (41% yield). 1 H NMR (400 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ 0.35 (s, 3H), 0.80-2.86 (m, 24H), 3.92 (s, 3H), 4.46 (d, J=7 Hz, 1H), 5.80 (s, 1H), 7.24-7.29 (m, 2H), 7.35 (dd, J=3 and 1 Hz, 1H), 7.48-7.53 (m, 2H), 8.28 (d, J=3 Hz, 1H), 8.45 (d, J=1 Hz, 1H).
Example 7
Preparation of (11β,16α,17β)-17-cyclopropylcarbonyl-16-methyl-11-[4-(3-quinolidinyl)phenyl]estra-4,9-dien-3-one
[0119] (11β,16α,17β)-11-(4-Bromophenyl)-17-cyclopropylcarbonyl-16-methylestra-4,9-dien-3-one and quinoline-3-boronic acid pinacolate were heated for 3 hours according to the procedure described in example 1 step h. Purification by LCMS followed by lyophilisation gave the title compound (18% yield). 1 H NMR (400 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ 0.38 (s, 3H), 0.78-2.89 (m, 24H), 4.49 (d, J=7 Hz, 1H), 5.81 (s, 1H), 7.30-7.34 (m, 2H), 7.58 (dt, J=7 and 1 Hz, 1H), 7.63-7.67 (m, 2H), 7.72 (dt, J=8 and 1 Hz, 1H), 7.87 (dd, J=8 and 1 Hz, 1H), 8.13 (d, J=8 Hz, 1H), 8.29 (d, J=3 Hz, 1H), 9.17 (d, J=3 Hz, 1H).
Example 8
Preparation of (11β,16α,17β)-17-cyclopropylcarbonyl-16-methyl-11-[4-(4-pyridazinyl)phenyl]estra-4,9-dien-3-one
[0120] n-Butyllithium (2.76 mL, 6.9 mmol, 2.5 M in hexane) was added dropwise to a cooled (0° C.) solution of diisopropylamine (0.97 mL, 6.9 mmol) in tetrahydrofuran (2 mL) under a nitrogen atmosphere. After stirring for 30 minutes the reaction mixture was cooled to −78° C. and a solution of pyridazine (452 μL, 6.3 mmol) and tributyltin chloride (1.9 mL, 6.9 mmol) were added simultaneously while the temperature was kept below −70° C. The reaction mixture was stirred for 2 hours at −78° C.; subsequently, a saturated aqueous NH 4 Cl solution was added and the reaction mixture was extracted three times with ethyl acetate. The combined organic layers were dried (MgSO 4 ) and evaporated to dryness. The crude product was purified by LCMS to give tributylstannylpyridazine (197 mg, 0.53 mmol, 8% yield). This stannylpyridazine (183 mg, 0.49 mmol), (11β,16α,17β)-11-(4-bromophenyl)-17-cyclopropylcarbonyl-16-methylestra-4,9-dien-3-one (100 mg, 0.20 mmol) and bis(triphenylphosphine)palladium(II) chloride (3 mg, 0.004 mmol) were dissolved in dioxane (3 mL) under a nitrogen atmosphere. The reaction mixture was stirred overnight at 110° C. and then cooled to room temperature. Water was added and the mixture was extracted three times with dichloromethane. The combined organic layers were dried through a phase separate filter and evaporated to dryness. Purification by LCMS followed by lyophilisation gave (11β,16α,17β)-17-cyclopropylcarbonyl-16-methyl-11-[4-(4-pyridazinyl)phenyl]estra-4,9-dien-3-one (78 mg, 0.16 mmol, 79% yield). 1 H NMR (400 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ 0.33 (s, 3H), 0.85-2.84 (m, 26H), 4.48 (d, J=7 Hz, 1H), 5.81 (s, 1H), 7.33-7.37 (m, 2H), 7.60-7.64 (m, 3H), 9.21 (dd, J=5 and 1 Hz, 1H), 9.46 (dd, J=3 and 1 Hz, 1H).
[0121] The same title compound was also obtained using 4-tributylstannylpyridazine prepared according to the procedures described in Eur. J. Org. Chem. 2885-2896 (1998) and Tetrahedron Letters 38, 5791-5794 (1997).
Example 9
Preparation of (11β,16α,17β)-17-cyclopropylcarbonyl-16-methyl-11-[4-(pyrazin-2-yl)phenyl]estra-4,9-dien-3-one
[0122] According to the procedure described in example 8, (11β,16α,17β)-11-(4-bromophenyl)-17-cyclopropylcarbonyl-16-methylestra-4,9-dien-3-one and 2-tributylstannylpyrazine were heated in a microwave at 135° C. (150 W, 25 minutes) to give the title compound (35% yield). 1 H NMR (400 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ 0.33 (s, 3H), 0.84-2.86 (m, 24H), 4.47 (d, J=7 Hz, 1H), 5.81 (s, 1H), 7.30-7.34 (m, 2H), 7.92-7.96 (m, 2H), 8.49 (d, J=3 Hz, 1H), 8.61 (dd, J=3 and 1 Hz, 1H), 9.01 (d, J=1 Hz, 1H).
Example 10
Preparation of (11β,16α,17β)-17-cyclopropylcarbonyl-16-methyl-11-[4-(2-pyridinyl)phenyl]estra-4,9-dien-3-one
[0123] (PPh 3 ) 2 PdCl 2 (4 mg, 0.006 mmol), ferrocene palladium dichloride (6 mg, 0.009 mmol) and 2-pyridylzine bromide (2 mL, 1.0 mmol) were added to a solution of (11β,16α,17β)-11-(4-bromophenyl)-17-cyclopropylcarbonyl-16-methylestra-4,9-dien-3-one (200 mg, 0.41 mmol) in THF (4 mL) under a nitrogen atmosphere. The reaction mixture was stirred for 5 hours at 60° C. and then cooled to room temperature. A saturated aqueous NH 4 Cl solution was added and the mixture was extracted three times with dichloromethane. The combined organic layers were dried through a phase separate filter and evaporated to dryness. Purification by HPLC followed by lyophilisation gave (11β,16α,17β)-17-cyclopropylcarbonyl-16-methyl-11-[4-(2-pyridinyl)phenyl]estra-4,9-dien-3-one (80 mg, 0.16 mmol, 40% yield). 1 H NMR (400 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ 0.33 (s, 3H), 0.80-2.87 (m, 24H), 4.46 (d, J=7 Hz, 1H), 5.80 (s, 1H), 7.20-7.23 (m, 1H), 7.25-7.29 (m, 2H), 7.68-7.77 (m, 2H), 7.89-7.92 (m, 2H), 8.67 (dt, J=5 and 1 Hz, 1H).
Example 11
Preparation of (11β,16α,17β)-17-cyclopropylcarbonyl-16-methyl-11-[4-(5 methylpyridin-2-yl)phenylestra-4,9-dien-3-one
[0124] The title compound (10% yield) was prepared from (11β,16α,17β)-11-(4-bromophenyl)-17-cyclopropylcarbonyl-16-methylestra-4,9-dien-3-one and 5-methyl-2-pyridinylzinc bromide using the procedure described in example 10. 1 H NMR (400 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ 0.33 (s, 3H), 0.80-2.86 (m, 27H), 4.45 (d, J=7 Hz, 1H), 5.79 (s, 1H), 7.22-7.26 (m, 2H), 7.52-7.60 (m, 2H), 7.85-7.88 (m, 2H), 8.48-8.50 (m, 1H).
Example 12
Preparation of (11β,16α,17β)-17-cyclopropylcarbonyl-16-methyl-11-[4-(4-pyridinyl)phenyl]estra-4,9-dien-3-one
[0125] (11β,16α,17β)-11-(4-Bromophenyl)-17-cyclopropylcarbonyl-16-methylestra-4,9-dien-3-one and 4-pyridinylboronic acid were applied as described in example 1 step h. Purification by HPLC followed by crystallisation (acetonitrile/water) gave the product (44% yield). 1 H NMR (400 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ 0.33 (s, 3H), 0.84-2.85 (m, 24H), 4.46 (d, J=7 Hz, 1H), 5.81 (s, 1H), 7.26-7.30 (m, 2H), 7.48-7.50 (m, 2H), 7.55-7.59 (m, 2H), 8.63-8.65 (m, 2H).
Example 13
Preparation of (11β,16α,17β)-17-cyclopropylcarbonyl-16-ethenyl-11-[4-(3-pyridinyl)phenyl]estra-4,9-dien-3-one
a. (16α,17β)-17-(Cyclopropylcarbonyl)-16-ethenylestra-5(10),9(11)-dien-3-one cyclic 1,2-ethanediyl acetal
[0126] Reaction of 17-(cyclopropylcarbonyl)estra-5(10),9(11),16-trien-3-one cyclic 1,2-ethanediyl acetal and vinylmagnesium chloride according to the procedure described in example 1 step d afforded the title compound (48% yield). 1 H NMR (400 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ 0.63 (s, 3H), 0.80-2.66 (m, 21H), 2.71 (d, J=9 Hz, 1H), 3.30-3.39 (m, 1H), 3.99 (s, 4H), 4.84-4.97 (m, 2H), 5.54-5.58 (m, 1H), 5.71-5.81 (m, 1H).
b. (11β,16α,17β)-17-Cyclopropylcarbonyl-16-ethenyl-11-[4-(3-pyridinyl)phenyl]-estra-4,9-dien-3-one
[0127] (16α,17β)-17-(Cyclopropylcarbonyl)-16-ethenylestra-5(10),9(11)-dien-3-one cyclic 1,2-ethanediyl acetal was transformed into crude title compound using the procedures described in example 1 steps e, f, g and h. Purification by preparative LCMS followed by lyophilisation gave the title compound. (15% yield over these 4 steps). 1 H NMR (400 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ 0.38 (s, 3H), 0.84-0.99 (m, 3H), 1.08-1.15 (m, 1H), 1.46-2.88 (m, 16H), 3.26-3.35 (m, 1H), 4.47 (d, J=7 Hz, 1H), 4.86-4.97 (m, 2H), 5.70-5.79 (m, 1H), 5.81 (s, 1H), 7.26-7.30 (m, 2H), 7.35 (dd, J=8 and 5 Hz, 1H), 7.49-7.53 (m, 2H), 7.86 (dt, J=8 and 1 Hz, 1H), 8.58 (dd, J=5 and 1 Hz, 1H), 8.84 (d, J=1 Hz, 1H).
Example 14
Preparation of [11β,16α(E),17β]-17-cyclopropylcarbonyl-16-(2-phenylethenyl)-11-[4-(3-pyridinyl)phenyl]estra-4,9-dien-3-one
[0128] In the purification of (11β,16α,17β)-17-cyclopropylcarbonyl-16-ethenyl-11-[4-(3-pyridinyl)phenyl]estra-4,9-dien-3-one the title compound was isolated as a by-product (2% yield). 1 H NMR (400 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ 0.41 (s, 3H), 0.83-1.15 (m, 4H), 1.50-2.91 (m, 16H), 3.43-3.53 (n, 1H), 4.49 (d, J=7 Hz, 1H), 5.82 (s, 1H), 6.12 (dd, J=16 and 8 Hz, 1H), 6.32 (d, J=16 Hz, 1H), 7.17-7.22 (m, 1H), 7.26-7.40 (m, 7H), 7.50-7.54 (in 2H), 7.85-7.91 (m, 1H), 8.56-8.61 (m, 1H), 8.83-8.87 (m, 1H).
Example 15
Preparation of (11β,16α,17β)-17-(cyclopropylcarbonyl)-16-ethenyl-11-[4-(6-methoxypyridin-3-yl)phenyl]estra-4,9-dien-3-one
[0129] (16α,17β)-17-(Cyclopropylcarbonyl)-16-ethenylestra-5(10),9(11)-dien-3-one cyclic 1,2-ethanediyl acetal was transformed into crude title compound using the procedures described in example 1 steps e, f, g and h (using 6-methoxy-3-pyridinylboronic acid in the last step). Purification by crystallisation from heptane gave the title compound. (24% yield over these 4 steps), mp. 197° C. 1 H NMR (400 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ 0.39 (s, 3H), 0.84-2.87 (m, 20H), 3.26-3.34 (m, 1H), 3.98 (s, 3H), 4.45 (d, J=7 Hz, 1H), 4.88 (d, J=11 Hz, 1H), 4.95 (d, J=16 Hz, 1H), 5.70-5.81 (m, 2H), 6.81 (d, J=8 Hz, 1H), 7.23 (d, J=8 Hz, 2H), 7.45 (d, J=8 Hz, 2H), 7.77 (dd, J=8 and 3 Hz, 1H), 8.37 (d, J=3 Hz, 1H).
Example 16
Preparation of (11β,16α,17β)-17-cyclopropylcarbonyl-16-ethyl-11-[4-(3-pyridinyl)-phenyl]-estra-4,9-dien-3-one
a. (16α,17β)-17-(Cyclopropylcarbonyl)-16-ethylestra-5(10),9(11)-dien-3-one cyclic 1,2-ethanediyl acetal
[0130] Reaction of 17-(cyclopropylcarbonyl)estra-5(10),9(11),16-trien-3-one cyclic 1,2-ethanediyl acetal and ethylmagnesium chloride according to the procedure described in example 1 step d afforded the title compound (87% yield). 1 H NMR (400 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ 0.60 (s, 3H), 0.80-2.64 (m, 28H), 3.99 (s, 4H), 5.54-5.58 (m, 1H).
b. (11β,16α,17β)-17-Cyclopropylcarbonyl-16-ethyl-11-[4-(3-pyridinyl)phenyl]-estra-4,9-dien-3-one
[0131] (16α,17β)-17-(Cyclopropylcarbonyl)-16-ethylestra-5(10),9(11)-dien-3-one cyclic 1,2-ethanediyl acetal was transformed into crude title compound using the procedures described in example 1 steps e, f, g and h. Purification by preparative LCMS followed by lyophilisation gave the title compound. (22% yield over these 4 steps). 1 H NMR (400 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ 0.35 (s, 3H), 0.82 (t, 3=7 Hz, 3H), 0.87-0.98 (m, 3H), 1.07-1.14 (m, 1H), 1.25-1.34 (m, 2H), 1.41-1.64 (m, 5H), 1.91-1.99 (m, 1H), 2.03-2.11 (m, 1H), 2.24-2.85 (m, 10H), 4.46 (d, J=7 Hz, 1H), 5.80 (s, 1H), 7.25-7.30 (m, 2H), 7.35 (dd, J=7 and 5 Hz, 1H), 7.48-7.53 (m, 2H), 7.46 (dt, J=8 and 1 Hz, 1H), 8.57 (dd, J=5 and 1 Hz, 1H), 8.84 (d, J=3 Hz, 1H).
Example 17
Preparation of (11β,16α,17β)-17-cyclopropylcarbonyl-16-ethyl-11-[4-(6-methoxy-pyridin-3-yl)phenyl]-estra-4,9-dien-3-one
[0132] (16α,17β)-17-(Cyclopropylcarbonyl)-16-ethylestra-5(10),9(11)-dien-3-one cyclic 1,2-ethanediyl acetal was transformed into crude title compound using the procedures described in example 1 steps e, f, g and h using 6-methoxy-3-pyridinylboronic acid in the last step. Purification by column chromatography gave the title compound. (14% yield over these 4 steps).δ 0.35 (s, 3H), 0.82 (t, J=8 Hz, 3H), 0.85-0.99 (m, 4H), 1.07-1.13 (m, 1H), 1.25-1.34 (m, 2H), 1.41-2.84 (m, 16H), 3.98 (s, 3H), 4.44 (d, J=7 Hz, 1H), 5.80 (s, 1H), 6.80 (d, J=8 Hz, 1H), 7.21-7.25 (m, 2H), 7.42-7.46 (m, 2H), 7.77 (dd, J=8 and 2 Hz, 1H), 8.37 (d, J=2 Hz, 11).
Example 18
Preparation of (11β,17β)-17-cyclopropylcarbonyl-11-[4-(3-pyridinyl)phenyl]estra-4,9-dien-3-one
a. (17β)-17-(Cyclopropylcarbonyl)estra-5(10),9(11)-dien-3-one cyclic 1,2-ethanediyl acetal
[0133] K-selectride (1M in THF, 12.1 mL, 12.1 mmol) was added dropwise to a cooled solution (−78° C.) of 17-(cyclopropylcarbonyl)estra-5(10),9(11),16-trien-3-one cyclic 1,2-ethanediyl acetal (3.7 g, 10.0 mmol) in THF (105 mL) under a nitrogen atmosphere while the reaction temperature was kept below −70° C. After stirring this solution for 20 minutes, a saturated aqueous Na 2 SO 4 solution was added dropwise followed by water. The organic layer was separated and the aqueous layer was extracted three times with ethyl acetate. The combined organic layers were washed with brine, dried (Na 2 SO 4 ) and evaporated to dryness. The crude product was purified by column chromatography (SiO 2 , heptane/ethyl acetate, 4/1) to give (17β)-17-(cyclopropylcarbonyl)estra-5(10),9(11)-dien-3-one cyclic 1,2-ethanediyl acetal (2.1 g, 5.8 mmol 57% yield). 1 H NMR (400 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ 0.59 (s, 3H), 0.80-2.59 (m, 23H), 2.86 (t, J=9 Hz, 1H), 3.99 (s, 4H), 5.55-5.60 (m, 1H).
b. (17β)-17-(Cyclopropylhydroxymethyl)estra-5(10),9(11)-dien-3-one cyclic 1,2-ethanediyl acetal
[0134] A solution of 17-(cyclopropylcarbonyl)estra-5(10),9(11)-dien-3-one cyclic (1,2-ethanediyl acetal) (2.1 g, 5.8 mmol) in diethyl ether (54 mL) was added slowly to a cooled (0° C.) suspension of lithium aluminum hydride (262 mg, 6.9 mmol) in diethyl ether (36 mL) under a nitrogen atmosphere. After 1 hour stirring at 0° C. a saturated aqueous Na 2 SO 4 solution was added until the grey colour disappeared. Solid Na 2 SO 4 was added and the mixture was filtered, washed with ethyl acetate and the filtrate evaporated to dryness to give cyclic (17β)-17-(cyclopropylhydroxymethyl)estra-5(10),9(11)-dien-3-one 1,2-ethanediyl acetal (2.2 g, 5.8 mmol, >100% yield, product still contained some ethyl acetate). 1 H NMR (400 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ 0.20-0.59 (m, 4H), 0.70 (s, 3H), 0.82-2.59 (m, 21H), 2.85 (dt, J=9 and 4 Hz, 1H), 3.99 (s, 4H), 5.53-5.58 (m, 1H).
c. (5α,11β,17β)-11-(4-Bromophenyl)-17-(cyclopropylhydroxymethyl)-5-hydroxyestr-9-en-3-one cyclic 1,2-ethanediyl acetal
[0135] According to the procedures described in example 1 steps e and f (17β)-17-(cyclopropylhydroxymethyl)estra-5(10),9(11)-dien-3-one cyclic 1,2-ethanediyl acetal was transformed into the title compound (26% yield). 1 H NMR (400 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ 0.12-0.57 (m, 7H), 0.79-0.89 (m, 1H), 1.10-2.12 (m, 17H), 2.27-2.40 (m, 2H), 2.65-2.76 (m, 2H), 3.88-4.03 (m, 4H), 4.14 (d, J=7 Hz, 1H), 4.34 (s, 1H), 7.08-7.13 (m, 2H), 7.32-7.36 (m, 2H).
d. (5α,11β,17β)-11-(4-Bromophenyl)-17-(cyclopropylcarbonyl)-5-hydroxyestr-9-en-3-one cyclic 1,2-ethanediyl acetal
[0136] To a solution of (5α,11β,17β)-11-(4-bromophenyl)-17-(cyclopropylhydroxymethyl)-5-hydroxyestr-9-en-3-one cyclic (1,2-ethanediyl acetal) (726 mg, 1.3 mmol) in acetone (25 mL), 4-methylmorpholine N-oxide (438 mg, 3.7 mmol) and tetra-N-propylammonium perruthenate (VII) (28 mg, 0.08 mmol) were added and the reaction mixture was stirred for 2 hours at room temperature under a nitrogen atmosphere. Silica and heptane (14 mL) were added and the mixture was stirred for 1 hour, then filtered through dicalite and washed properly with ethyl acetate. The filtrate was evaporated to dryness to give (5α,11β,17β)-11-(4-bromophenyl)-17-(cyclopropylcarbonyl)-5-hydroxyestr-9-en-3-one cyclic 1,2-ethanediyl acetal (732 mg, 1.3 mmol, 100% yield). 1 NMR (400 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ 0.21 (s, 3H), 0.80-2.39 (m, 22H), 2.66-2.74 (m, 2H), 3.88-4.05 (m, 4H), 4.23 (d, J=7 Hz, 1H), 4.37 (s, 1H), 7.06-7.10 (m, 2H), 7.34-7.38 (m, 2H).
e. (11β,17β)-11-(4-Bromophenyl)-17-cyclopropylcarbonyl-4,9-dien-3-one
[0137] According to the procedure described in example 1 step g (5α,11β,17β)-11-(4-bromophenyl)-17-(cyclopropylcarbonyl)-5-hydroxyestr-9-en-3-one cyclic 1,2-ethanediyl acetal was transformed into the title compound (65% yield). 1 NMR (400 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ 0.27 (s, 3H), 0.83-2.83 (m, 22H), 4.34 (d, J=7 Hz, 1H), 5.79 (s, 1H), 7.02-7.07 (m, 2H), 7.37-7.42 (m, 2H).
f. (11β,17β)-17-Cyclopropylcarbonyl-11-[4-(3-pyridinyl)phenyl]estra-4,9-dien-3-one
[0138] (11β,17β)-11-(4-Bromophenyl)-17-cyclopropylcarbonyl-4,9-dien-3-one was transformed into crude title compound using the procedure described in example 1 step h. Purification by preparative LCMS followed by lyophilisation gave the title compound (66% yield). 1 NMR (400 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ 0.32 (s, 3H), 0.84-2.82 (m, 21H), 2.92 (d, J=13 Hz, 1H), 4.46 (d, J=7 Hz, 1H), 5.80 (s, 1H), 7.27-7.32 (m, 2H), 7.34 (dd, J=8 and 5 Hz, 1H), 7.49-7.54 (m, 2H), 7.86 (dt, J=8 and 1 Hz, 1H), 8.58 (d, J=5 Hz, 1H), 8.84 (d, J=1 Hz, 1H).
Example 19
Preparation of (11β,17β)-17-cyclopropylcarbonyl-11-[4-(6-methoxypyridin-3-yl)phenyl]estra-4,9-dien-3-one
[0139] (11β,17β)-11-(4-Bromophenyl)-17-cyclopropylcarbonyl-4,9-dien-3-one was transformed into crude title compound using the procedure described in example 1 step h using 6-methoxy-3-pyridinylboronic acid as reagent. Purification by preparative LCMS followed by lyophilisation gave the title compound. (60% yield). 1 NMR (400 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ 0.32 (s, 3H), 0.83-2.81 (m, 21H), 2.91 (d, J=13 Hz, 1H), 3.98 (s, 3H), 4.44 (d, J=7 Hz, 1H), 5.80 (s, 1H), 6.80 (d, J=8 Hz, 1H), 7.22-7.26 (m, 2H), 7.42-7.46 (m, 2H), 7.77 (dd, J=8 and 2 Hz, 1H), 8.37 (d, J=2 Hz, 1H).
Example 20
Preparation of (11β,17β)-17-cyclopropylcarbonyl-17-methyl-11-[4-(3-pyridinyl)-phenyl]estra-4,9-dien-3-one
a. (17β)-17-(Cyclopropylcarbonyl)-17-methylestra-5(10),9(11)-dien-3-one cyclic 1,2-ethanediyl acetal
[0140] L-selectride (3.0 mL, 3.0 mmol, 1M in THF) was slowly added to a cooled (−78° C.) and stirred solution of 17-(cyclopropylcarbonyl)estra-5(10),9(11),16-trien-3-one cyclic 1,2-ethanediyl acetal (500 mg, 1.4 mmol) and 1,3-dimethyl-3,4,5,6-tetrahydro-2(1H)-pyrimidinone (0.33 mL, 2.7 mmol) in dry THF (20 mL) under a nitrogen atmosphere. After 1 hour at −78° C. methyl iodide (1.7 mL, 27 mmol) was added. The reaction mixture was stirred for an additional 1.5 hours while the temperature raised to −30° C. The reaction mixture was poured into water and extracted with ethyl acetate. The combined organic layers were washed with a saturated aqueous NaHCO 3 solution and brine, dried (MgSO 4 ) and the solvents were evaporated in vacuo. The crude product was purified by column chromatography (SiO 2 , heptane/ethyl acetate=9/1, v/v) to give (17β)-17-(cyclopropylcarbonyl)-17-methylestra-5(10),9(11)-dien-3-one cyclic 1,2-ethanediyl acetal (255 mg 0.67 mmol, 49% yield). 1 NMR (400 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ 0.67 (s, 3H), 0.78-2.72 (m, 27H), 1.23 (s, 3H), 3.96-4.02 (m, 4H), 5.57-5.61 (m, 1H).
b. (11β,17β)-17-Cyclopropylcarbonyl-17-methyl-11-[4-(3-pyridinyl)phenyl]estra-4,9-dien-3-one
[0141] (17β)-17-(Cyclopropylcarbonyl)-17-methylestra-5(10),9(11)-dien-3-one cyclic 1,2-ethanediyl acetal was transformed into crude title compound using the procedures described in example 1 steps e, f, g and h. Purification by HPLC followed by lyophilisation gave the title compound. (19% yield over these 4 steps). 1 NMR (400 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ 0.42 (s, 3H), 0.80-2.82 (m, 24H), 2.28 (s, 3H), 4.48 (d, J=8 Hz, 1H), 5.80 (s, 1H), 7.30 (d, J=8 Hz, 1H), 7.34 (dd, J=4 and 8 Hz, 1H), 7.50 (d, J=8 Hz, 1H), 7.85 (dt, J=2 and 8 Hz, 1H), 8.57 (dd, J=2 and 4 Hz, 1H), 8.84 (d, J=2 Hz, 1H).
Example 21
Preparation of (11β,16α,17β)-17-cyclopropylcarbonyl-16,17-dihydro-11-[4-(3-pyridinyl)phenyl]-3′H-cyclopropa[16,17]estra 4,9,16-trien-3-one
a (11β,16α,17β)-17-(Cyclopropylcarbonyl)-16,17-dihydro-3′H-cyclopropa[16,17]estra-5(10),9(11),16-trien-3-one cyclic 1,2-ethanediyl acetal
[0142] Sodium hydride (60% oil dispersion, 197 mg, 4.9 mmol) was added to a stirred solution of trimethylsulfoxonium iodide (960 mg, 1.1 mmol) in DMSO (20 mL) under a nitrogen atmosphere, After 30 minutes a solution of 17-(cyclopropylcarbonyl)estra-5(10),9(11),16-trien-3-one cyclic (1,2-ethanediyl acetal) (400 mg, 1.1 mmol) in dry THF (4 mL) was added. After 1 hour the reaction mixture was poured into ice-water and extracted with ethyl acetate. The combined organic layers were washed with brine, dried (MgSO 4 ) and the solvents were evaporated in vacuo. The crude product was purified by column chromatography (SiO 2 , gradient heptane/ethyl acetate=9/1, v/v to heptane/ethyl acetate=3/7, v/v) to give (16α,17β)-17-(cyclopropylcarbonyl)-16,17-dihydro-3′H-cyclopropa[16,17]estra-5(10),9(11),16-trien-3-one cyclic 1,2-ethanediyl acetal (102 mg 0.25 mmol, 91% yield). 1 NMR (400 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ 0.72-2.50 (m, 28H), 0,98 (s, 3H), 3.97-4.02 (m, 4H), 5.56-5.60 (m, 1H).
b. (11β,16α,17β)--17-cyclopropylcarbonyl-16,17-dihydro-11-[4-(3-pyridinyl)phenyl]-3′H-cyclopropa[16,17]estra-4,9,16-trien-3-one
[0143] (16α,17β)-17-(cyclopropylcarbonyl)16,17-dihydro-3′H-cyclopropa[16,17]estra-5(10),9(11),16-trien-3-one cyclic 1,2-ethanediyl acetal was transformed into crude title compound using the procedures described in example 1 steps e, f, g and h. Purification by HPLC followed by lyophilisation gave the title compound. (24% yield over these 4 steps). 1 NMR (400 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ 0.70 (s, 3H), 0.68-2.78 (m, 23H), 3.03 (d, J=12, 1H), 4.41 (d, J=8 Hz, 1H), 5.78 (s, 1H), 7.31 (d, J=8 Hz, 1H), 7.35 (dd, J=4 and 8 Hz, 1H), 7.49 (d, J=8 Hz, 1H), 7.86 (dt, J=2 and 8 Hz, 1H), 8.57 (dd, J=2 and 5 Hz, 1H), 8.83 (d, J=3 Hz, 1H).
Example 22
Preparation of (11β,16α,17β)-17-cyclopropylcarbonyl-16-methyl-11-[4-(3-pyridinyl)-phenyl]estra-4,9-dien-3-one 3-oxime
[0144] Hydroxylamine hydrochloride (20 mg, 0.30 mmol) and water (1 mL) were added to a stirred solution of 100 mg (0.20 mmol) of (11β,16α,17β)-17-cyclopropylcarbonyl-16-methyl-11-[4-(3-pyridinyl)phenyl]estra-4,9-dien-3-one in dioxane (2 mL). The reaction mixture was stirred overnight at room temperature and then extracted three times with dichloromethane. The combined organic layers were dried through a phase separate filter and evaporated to dryness. Purification of the crude product by HPLC followed by lyophilisation gave (11β,16α,17β)-17-cyclopropylcarbonyl-16-methyl-11-[4-(3-pyridinyl)phenyl]estra-4,9-dien-3-one 3-oxime as an E/Z mixture (2:1) (85 mg, 0.17 mmol, 84% yield). 1 H NMR (400 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ 0.31 and 0.32 (2×s, in total 3H), 0.83-2.95 (m, 25H), 4.37-4.42 (m, 1H), 5.89 and 6.55 (2×s, in total 1H), 7.26-7.32 (m, 21H), 7.35 (dd, J=8 and 5 Hz, 1H), 7.47-7.51 (m, 2H), 7.86 (dt, J=8 and 1 Hz, 1H), 8.57 (dd, J=5 and 1 Hz, 1H), 8.84 (d, J=1 Hz, 1H).
Example 23
Preparation of (11β)-11-[4-(3-pyridinyl)phenyl]-17,24-cyclo-19,21-dinorchola 4,9-diene-3,20-dione
[0145] According to the procedures described in example 1 steps e, f, g and h 17,24-cyclo-19,21-dinorchola-5(10),9(11)-diene-3,20-dione cyclic 3-(1,2-ethanediyl acetal) (U.S. Pat. No. 5,084,450) was transformed into the crude title compound. Purification by preparative HPLC followed by lyophilisation gave the title compound (18% yield). 1 H NMR (400 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ 0.47 (s, 3H), 1.24-2.82 (m, 22H), 4.48 (d, J=7 Hz, 1H), 5.80 (s, 1H), 7.23-7.27 (m, 2H), 7.35 (dd, J=8 and 4 Hz, 1H), 7.46-7.51 (m, 2H), 7.84 (dt, J=8 and 1 Hz, 1H), 8.58 (dd, J=4 and 1 Hz, 1H), 8.82 (d, J=1 Hz, 1H).
Example 24
Preparation of (11β)-11-[4-(6-methoxypyridin-3-yl)phenyl]-17,24-cyclo-19,21-dinorchola 4,9-diene-3,20-dione
[0146] Using the procedures applied in example 25 and using 6-methoxy-3-pyridinylboronic acid as borate in the last step the title compound was obtained from 17,24-cyclo-19,21-dinorchola-5(10),9(11)-diene-3,20-dione cyclic 3-(1,2-ethanediyl acetal) (17% yield). 1 H NMR (400 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ 0.47 (s, 3H), 1.25-2.81 (m, 22H), 3.98 (s, 3H), 4.46 (d, J=7 Hz, 1H), 5.80 (s, 1H), 6.80 (d, J=9 Hz, 1H), 7.18-7.22 (m, 2H), 7.40-7.44 (m, 2H), 7.75 (dd, J=9 and 2 Hz, 1H), 8.36 (d, J=2 Hz, 1H).
Example 25
Preparation of (11β)-11-[4-(3-pyridinyl)phenyl]-17,24-cyclo-19,21-dinorchola-4,9-diene-3,20-dione hydrochloride
[0147] Using the procedure described in example 2 (11β)-11-[4-(3-pyridinyl)phenyl]-17,24-cyclo-19,21-dinorchola-4,9-diene-3,20-dione was transformed into (11β)-11-[4-(3-pyridinyl)phenyl]-17,24-cyclo-19,21-dinorchola-4,9-diene-3,20-dione hydrochloride (100% yield). 1 H NMR (600 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ 0.45 (s, 3H), 1.33-2.80 (m, 22H), 4.50 (d, J=7 Hz, 1H), 5.82 (s, 1H), 7.30-7.33 (m, 2H), 7.50-7.53 (m, 2H), 7.69-7.72 (m, 1H), 8.25 (d, J=7 Hz, 1H), 8.64 (d, J=5 Hz, 1H), 8.90 (d, J=1 Hz, 1H).
Example 26
(6β,11β,16α,17β)-17-cyclopropylcarbonyl-6,16-dimethyl-11-[4-(3-pyridinyl)-phenyl]estra-4,9-dien-3-one
[0148] According to the procedures described in example 1 (6β)-6-methylestra-5(10),9(11)-diene-3,17-dione cyclic 3-(1,2-ethanediyl acetal) was transformed into the crude title compound. Purification by preparative HPLC followed by lyophilisation gave the title compound (14% yield). 1 NMR (400 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ 0.38 (s, 3H), 0.85-2.88 (m, 24H), 0.99 (d, J=8 Hz, 3H), 1.32 (d, J=8 Hz, 3H), 4.46 (d, J=8 Hz, 1H), 5.84 (s, 1H), 7.27 (d, J=8 Hz, 1H), 7.41 (dd, J=5 and 8 Hz, 1H), 7.53 (d, J=8 Hz, 1H), 7.94 (dt, J=2 and 8 Hz, 1H), 8.59 (dd, J=2 and 4 Hz, 1H), 8.90 (d, J=2 Hz, 1H).
Example 27
Preparation of (11β,16α,17β)-17-cyclopropylcarbonyl-16-methyl-11-[4-(pyrimidin-2-yl)phenyl]estra-4,9-dien-3-one
[0149] According to the procedure described in example 8, (11β,16α,17β)-11-(4-bromophenyl)-17-cyclopropylcarbonyl-16-methylestra-4,9-dien-3-one and 2-tributylstannylpyrimidine were heated for four hours at 110° C. to give the title compound (17% yield). 1 H NMR (400 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ 0.32 (s, 3H), 0.83-2.87 (m, 24H), 4.47 (d, J=7.0 Hz, 1H), 5.80 (s, 1H), 7.18 (t, J=4.7 Hz, 1H), 7.28-7.31 (m, 2H), 8.32-8.35 (m, 2H), 8.79 (d, J=4.7 Hz, 2H).
Example 28
Progesterone Receptor-B Activity in a Transactivation
[0150] The progestagenic activity of a compound of the invention (EC 50 and intrinsic agonistic activity) was determined in an in vitro bioassay of Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells as described by W. G. E. J. Schoonen et al. (Anal. Biochem. 261 (1998), 222-224). The antiprogestagenic activity of a compound of the invention (IC 50 and intrinsic antagonistic activity) was determined in a setting comparable to the agonistic assay described above, by the inhibition of the transactivation via the progesterone receptor-B of the enzyme luciferase in the presence of 0.1 nM of the inducer (16α)-16-ethyl-21-hydroxy-19-norpregn-4-ene-3,20-dione. The efficacy of the antagonistic effect was expressed as the percentage of the effect produced by a standard antagonist, (6β,11β,17β)-11-[4-(dimethylamino)phenyl]-4′,5′-dihydro-6-methylspiro[estra-4,9-diene-17,2′(3′H)-furan]-3-one. Agonistic ligands do not inhibit transactivation of luciferase activity produced by the inducer, whereas strong and weak antiprogestagens as well as compounds with a mixed progestagenic/antiprogestagenic profile can inhibit transactivation dependent on the dose level used of the antiprogestagen or mixed-profile compound in question.
[0151] It will be recognized by those skilled in the art that, in the setting described above, the EC50 determined is more or less absolute and depends on the intrinsic property of the tested compound itself, however, the IC50 depends on the amount and agonistic EC50 of the inducer as well as on the intrinsic property of the tested compound itself. Thus, with the same amount of inducer, a relatively strong antagonist will be able to produce a measurable IC50 whereas a relatively weak antagonist may fail to produce a detectable result.
TABLE PRBagoEC50 PRBago PRBant PRBant Example [M] Eff (%) EC50 [M] Eff (%) 1 2E−10 49.2 2.67E−10 46.4 2 3.4E−10 44.5 3.3E−09 47 3 1.2E−10 41.5 6.28E−10 59 4 1.1E−09 46.5 4.7E−10 43 5 4.9E−10 50.5 8.48E−09 50 6 1.3E−09 54 2.8E−08 34 7 1E−09 50 3.14E−09 24 8 3.6E−10 50.5 3.64E−09 37 9 1.13E−09 54 1.3E−09 35 10 2.6E−09 49.25 1.48E−08 32.5 11 1.7E−09 56 8E−10 35 12 4E−09 56 2.5E−09 26.5 13 6.6E−10 46.8 6.10E−10 38 14 5.7E−09 49.75 2.9E−08 34.5 15 7.4E−10 41.4 9.80E−10 44.5 16 2.3E−10 34 5.96E−10 53 17 1.3E−09 42 7.89E−09 51.7 18 8.2E−10 36 7.51E−10 66 19 5.1E−10 28.3 4.27E−10 57 20 4.9E−10 37.5 1.3E−10 58 21 2E−09 18 1.4E−09 58 22 6.4E−10 43 1.47E−09 32 23 2.9E−10 17 3.25E−10 70.8 24 1.5E−10 20 5.46E−10 62 25 4.8E−10 17 1.1E−09 66 26 8.09E−10 46 2.75E−09 17 27 2.54E−09 52 3.25E−09 >27
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The subject invention provides a compound according to Formula I, wherein
each of the substituents is given the definition as set forth in the specification and claims, or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt and/or hydrate form and/or prodrug thereof.
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FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] This invention relates to the equipment and system used to perform drill-hole survey and geological surveys of the sub-surface of earth, either onshore or offshore, wherein the equipment is given access to the subterranean strata by way of pre-prepared exploratory drill-holes.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] Geological surveys are critical activities used by mining and resource companies to determine the viability and operation of mines and wells. The accuracy and timeliness of the acquired data is an important factor in finding the next big ore deposit, or oil or gas well. When it comes to geological surveying, time and precision are critical factors. Cost is an important factor as well. Lower cost surveys allow an operator to conduct more surveys within a set survey budget for a particular site.
[0003] It is common practice that a series of drill-holes are created so that professional geoscientists, such as geologists can use a variety of equipment and survey technology and techniques to get as much data as physically possible that relates to the subterranean strata deep within the Earth's crust at that location.
[0004] One of the problems associated with the practice is that these geological surveys are typically slow and costly to perform. The common practice is to have an on-site a drilling team that performs the drilling operation and creates the drill-hole, and then there is a survey team that subsequently works on the drill-hole with their equipment and performs the necessary geological survey. The survey team then returns to their office with their collected data and start processing it to generate a survey report that mining or resource companies use to guide the planning and decision making relating to the operation of an existing asset, or the creation of a whole new operation.
[0005] Another problem associated with the common practice is that the tools and equipment used by the survey team are often highly specialised and complex, often requiring significant training and years of experience to operate correctly and effectively. In addition, the equipment is often expensive to maintain. Also there is currently only limited access to real-time data produced by the survey. Often this data is not analysed for days, weeks or months after the survey has been performed.
[0006] Ideally it would be best if the professional survey personnel were able to remain at the place where they are able to analyse and collate the survey data acquired as soon as possible after the survey operation has been completed and the data has been obtained.
[0007] Another problem is that drillers usually maintain a paper log of drill site activity, and this adds delays to the processing times of the geological survey data, and also adds delays to the processing of payments to the drillers for their work, and has the potential of introducing human error into the log.
[0008] Also geological survey personnel such as geologists often take an ad-hoc approach to the storage of the acquired geological survey data.
[0009] Due to the complexity and specialization of skills needed to effectively use the tools and equipment to conduct the survey, it is often not possible to have the drill operators perform the geological survey of a high and known quality, in addition to creating the drill-hole.
[0010] It is an object of the present invention to at least ameliorate some or all of the aforementioned problems.
DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION
[0011] The present invention is a drill-hole survey and geoscientific data acquisition system that includes a down-hole tool including:
a sensor control module, at least one sensor module, and data, control and electrical power connection means,
[0015] wherein the sensor control module, the at least one sensor module, and the connection means are each sized and shaped so that they can be placed within a drill-hole and can travel along the length of the drill-hole, and can travel along the drill-hole. the sensor control module is a discreet control module, and each of said at least one sensor modules are also each a discreet sensor module, and each of the discreet control and sensor modules are inter-connectable via said data, control and electrical power connection means so that the series of modules are connected end to end to make one continuous elongate tool that contains a series of interconnected modules. The sensor control module controls the tool and provides electrical power to, and sends control signals to, and receives data from, each of the at least one sensor module. The tool collects data along the drill-hole.
[0016] Preferably the tool collects geoscience data at discreet places along the drill-hole when the tool is stopped.
[0017] Alternatively the tool continuously collects geoscience data as the tool travels along the drill-hole.
[0018] Preferably the tool includes data transmission means that sends data up to the operator at the ground surface, and said transmission means is either wired or wireless.
[0019] Preferably the tool includes two wireless communication modes, one that is high powered, and the other that is low powered, and only one or the other is typically in operation at any one time.
[0020] Preferably the high powered mode is used to transfer a large amount of data as quickly as possible, such as firmware upgrades to the modules, and/or large amounts of sensor data, and is subsequently switched off when no longer required to preserve the tool's battery power reserves.
[0021] Preferably the low powered wireless communications mode is used to send short quick commands back and forth from the tool, and when only small amounts of data need to be transferred.
[0022] Preferably the tool is capable of self-determining which wireless communication mode to use for any particular data transfer task, or the operator can manually select the wireless communication mode using remote commands.
[0023] Preferably the tool is capable of continuously transmitting said geoscience data back to the operator while the tool is down the drill-hole.
[0024] Alternatively the geoscience data can be collected and stored within the tool, and this collected data can then be uploaded into a handset by an operator after the tool has been retrieved from the drill-hole.
[0025] Preferably at least one gyroscope is included inside a discrete gyroscope module that is connected to, and forms a part of the elongate tool.
[0026] Alternatively at least one gyroscope is incorporated into the sensor control module.
[0027] Preferably the gyroscope is a microelectromechanical type gyroscope, also known as a MEMs gyroscope.
[0028] Preferably the gyroscope module includes four gyroscopes, and these are installed “nose to tail” so that the length of the gyroscope module is minimised.
[0029] Preferably each sensor module includes one or more types of sensor technology.
[0030] Typical sensor types used within a discrete sensor module include, but are not limited to:
a. magnetic induction sensing, or b. gamma ray sensing, or c. electrical resistance sensing, or d. acoustics sensing, or e. video surveillance, or f. temperature sensing, or g. gravity gradiometer, or h. pressure sensing.
[0039] The down-hole tool is capable of being transported to the drill-hole site by the drilling operators in a disassembled condition, and the tool is capable of being assembled on-site and accurately calibrated so that the tool includes all the appropriate modules required for any particular geoscientific survey to be performed on a particular drill-hole.
[0040] Preferably the tool can be disassembled and safely stored after the survey operation has been completed by the drilling operators, ready to be transported to the next survey site.
[0041] Preferably the discrete modules are screwed together to form the elongate tool.
[0042] Preferably the sensor control module has the data transmission means at its end nearest to the opening of the drill-hole, and has data, control and electrical power connection means at the other.
[0043] Preferably each of the sensor modules and the gyroscope module has data, control and electrical power connection means at each end, and when each discrete module is screwed together with a neighbouring module, the data, control and electrical power connection is made between each module that makes up the tool.
[0044] Preferably the connection means includes an array of spring loaded electrical connector pins at one end, and a plurality of discrete electrical contacts at the other, so that when two modules are screwed together, the spring loaded pins of one module are forced into electrical contact with a desired electrical contact on its neighbouring module.
[0045] Preferably each module includes a data logger that is relevant to that particular module.
[0046] Preferably each module includes the capability of shutting down power to its neighbouring module to preserve its own operational integrity.
[0047] Preferably the sensor control module includes a temperature sensor for the tool.
[0048] Preferably the sensor control module includes a tamper sensor that indicates if any of the modules have been tampered with.
[0049] Alternatively each of the modules that makes up the tool includes a tamper sensor that indicates if the particular module has been tampered with.
[0050] Preferably the tool is capable of processing the data acquired by the sensors within the tool, so that the amount of data that is stored within the tool and transferred or transmitted from the tool is minimised.
[0051] Optionally at least one of the modules is filled with a suitable material such as oil to dampen the rate of variations in temperature which may adversely affect the efficacy or accuracy of the particular sensor.
[0052] Optionally the tool, including each module, and/or ancillary equipment, such as the handset, and/or associated software, includes digital rights management technology that can be remotely enabled or disabled by an authorised third party, such as a distributor and/or owner of the tool, and wherein the tool, including each module, and/or ancillary equipment such as the handset, and/or associated software, can only be operated when the digital rights management technology is enabled.
[0053] In another form, the present invention is a down-hole survey system that uses the down-hole tool that has been previously described, and includes:
a tool controller, an access point, at least one server, and a plurality of computers,
[0058] wherein the tool controller and the access point are located in the vicinity of the drill-hole. The tool controller is used to operate the tool, and collect the geophysical data acquired by the tool. This data is sent to the access point, and the access point is capable of wirelessly transmitting the acquired data over a wide area network, such as the internet, to the at least one server and plurality of computers.
[0059] Preferably the tool controller is a ruggedised handset.
[0060] Preferably the access point is capable of creating a gateway between the local area network at the survey site, and a wide area network, such as the internet, so that data to/from the down-hole tool, and/or to/from the handset, and/or to/from the at least one server, and/or to/from any one of the plurality of computers, passes via the gateway.
[0061] Optionally the access point is integrated into the ruggedized handset so that the handset is capable of functioning as both the tool controller and the access point.
[0062] The present invention includes the arrangement where both the at least one server and at least one computer are geographically remote from the survey site.
[0063] Preferably the at least one server and the at least one computer in the plurality of computers are located within a master control facility, and at least one of the plurality of computers is located in a separate office remote from the master control facility.
[0064] Preferably the master control facility, both in conjunction with, or independently of, the separate office, prepares and dispatches a drilling program to a driller onsite, who will compare instrument data with a planned drill-hole plan so that the driller can make any last minute adjustments to the drilling program.
[0065] Preferably the master control facility, either in conjunction with, or independently of, the separate office, is capable of using the survey data it receives from the survey site so that the drilling program and drill-holes can be analyzed.
[0066] Preferably the handset is capable of acquiring and transmitting data relating to the operational status and condition of the tool so that either or both the operator at the drill-hole site or the professional personnel at the master control facility are alerted if/when critical aspects of the tool has fallen out of proper calibration, or has in some other way moved outside of acceptable operational parameters for the particular survey operation being undertaken.
[0067] Preferably personnel at the master control facility can react to alerts relating to critical aspects of the tool falling out of proper calibration, or in some other way has moved outside of acceptable operational parameters for a particular survey operation, by sending corrective and/or instructional data back to the drill site, including firmware for the hardware, and/or updated associated software, in order to attempt to get the tool, or an included module within the tool, back into proper calibration, and/or back to within acceptable operational parameters for that particular survey operation being undertaken, or to upgrade the equipment so that it operates at peak efficiency.
[0068] Preferably an authorised third party, such as a distributor and/or owner of the tool, including each module, and/or ancillary equipment such as the handset, and/or associated software, can enable or disable the digital rights management technology associated with that equipment and associated software, depending on the licence status of the operator at the time that the operator is preparing to use the equipment and/or associated software to perform a survey on a drill-hole.
[0069] Preferably the handset has a simplified user interface that enables and empowers a driller at the survey site to perform highly specialised and complex survey activities under the supervision and instruction of professional geological survey experts, such as geologists, located at the master control facility, or at a remote office, thereby giving the professional survey experts virtual access to the drill site and remote oversight of the survey operation for any particular drill-hole survey operation being undertaken.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0070] FIG. 1 is an exploded isometric view of a tool having a control module, a gyroscope module and a sensor module.
[0071] FIG. 2 is an isometric view of the electrical power, control and data connection means.
[0072] FIG. 3 is a side cut away view of the gyroscope module showing four gyroscopes installed.
[0073] FIG. 4 is a schematic of the complete survey system including the tool.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0074] Turning firstly to FIG. 1 we see an exploded view of the down-hole survey tool 1 . The survey tool 1 can be assembled from a sensor control module 3 and a gyroscope module 13 , and a plurality of sensor modules, selected from a kit containing a wide variety of sensor module types. Starting with the sensor control module 3 , typically the gyroscope module 13 is connected to the sensor control module 3 via the external and internal screw thread pair 5 and 7 respectively. Each module has matching internal and external screw threads, thereby enabling the tool to be assembled in a wide variety of configurations. A different selection of sensor modules are assembled together for each specific survey task.
[0075] The sensor control module 3 is the master controller for the device. It includes the power supply for the tool, as well as the controller and monitoring means for each other module in the tool assembly. In addition, the sensor control module 3 includes data receiving and transmitting means. An example of suitable means is the wireless data receiving/transition means 11 . As an alternative to wireless means, the sensor control module could also communicate with the ground surface via a wire.
[0076] In another preferred embodiment, the tool may incorporate two wireless communication modes. The first is a high power mode that is capable of sending and receiving comparatively large amounts of data more quickly and effectively. The other mode is a low power mode, and this mode is suitable for small amounts of data transfer. Typically only one mode is in operation at any one time. Because the high power mode consumes more power from the battery power reserves for the tool, it is only switched on when needed, and at other times it is turned off The tool is capable of self-determining which mode it needs to use based on a variety of factors, such as the amount of data to be transferred, and/or whether there is enough power in the battery to be able to be used. In addition to this, either the driller, or a remote operator can remotely command the tool to use one mode or the other.
[0077] The end of the sensor control module 3 furthest from the opening of the drill-hole includes a set of electrical contact rails. When a module is screwed onto the sensor control module, and electrical connection is made between them. This electrical connection permits the flow of data, electrical power and control signals throughout the tool.
[0078] Within the scope of the present invention, the sensor control module may also include one or more gyroscopes. In this embodiment, there is no need to have a separate gyroscope module 13 . In another embodiment, the sensor control module 3 may also include a sensor, such as a temperature sensor, thereby removing the need for including a temperature sensing module in the tool. In yet another embodiment, the sensor control module 3 may include a tamper alert sensor that is capable of alerting the operator or owner of the tool to an unauthorised tamper event on any of the modules of the tool.
[0079] In another embodiment, some or all the modules include a respective tamper alert sensor that alerts the operator or owner of the tool of an unauthorized tamper event on any of the respective modules of the tool.
[0080] Each sensor module 15 is capable of doing at least one specific sensor or survey task, including, but not limited to:
magnetic induction sensing gamma ray sensing electrical resistance sensing acoustics sensing video surveillance temperature sensing gravity gradiometer pressure sensing
[0089] Each sensor module may operate either autonomously, or may be controlled by the control module. Sensor data collected by a particular sensor module may either be stored locally in that particular sensor module, or the data may be stored in the control module, or a combination of both for the sake of redundancy.
[0090] Each module within the tool 1 includes a data logger.
[0091] Turning to FIG. 2 , we are shown opposite ends of a sensor module. We can see that there is an array of multiple spring loaded connector pins 17 at one end, and a plurality of concentric electrical contact rails 19 at the other. When two modules are screwed together, the spring loaded connector pins are forced into electrical contact with the electrical contact rails 19 . Depending on the requirements for that particular module, the pins 17 are arrayed so that only the appropriate contact rails 19 are connected to.
[0092] When the tool is assembled, it becomes a rigid elongate tool that is dimensioned to be lowered down the drill-hole. In another form of the invention, small bendable connectors are located between each module, thereby allowing individual modules to bend with respect to its neighbor. This assists in special circumstances where the tool needs to pass around a bend in the drill-hole that is would otherwise not be capable of passing in its rigid form.
[0093] Turning to FIG. 3 we can see a cut away side view of the gyroscope module 13 . In this embodiment we can see that is includes four MEMs type gyroscopes. The internals for the entire gyroscope module are capable of turning under the influence of a motor. The internals of the module are connected at each end to the bearings 23 . The more gyroscopes that are installed in the tool thereby gives the tool a capability to reach an acceptable level of directional orientation precision in a shorter period of time, compared to a tool with fewer gyroscopes installed.
[0094] In a preferred embodiment, up to four MEMs gyroscopes are used inside the gyroscope module, and these are installed in a “nose to tail” configuration so that the length of the gyroscope module is considerably reduced.
[0095] In an alternative embodiment, it is possible that some, or all of the individual modules used in the tool are filled with a suitable substance, such as an oil, so as to dampen the rate at which temperature varies within the tool. Some efficacy and/or accuracy of some types of tools is degraded if it is subjected to temperature variations.
[0096] Turning to FIG. 4 we are shown a schematic of the down-hole survey system 25 that uses the down-hole tool 1 as previously described. The system includes the down-hole survey tool 1 , a handset 27 , an access point 29 , at least one server 31 . The access point 29 acts as a gateway between the local area network 35 , and the wide area network, such as the internet, that connects to the remote server 31 and the computer 33 . In a preferred embodiment, the server 31 is remotely located from both the survey site and the computer 33 . Preferably the server is located inside a Master Control Facility 37 that can be physically located anywhere in the world. The computer 33 is located at a client survey office 39 , also located anywhere in the world. Geophysical scientists, such as geologists can be located at either facility and can oversee and run survey remotely from the survey site. There is a high degree to communications flexibility designed within the system. The down-hole tool 1 is can be configured to communicate directly with the access point 29 , or via the handset 27 to the access point, and also it can be configured to communicate directly with the computer 33 or the server 31 .
[0097] Additionally the master control facility 37 can monitor and maintain the equipment at the survey site in real time. If the module issues an alert that one or more of the modules have gone out of acceptable operational limits, the master control facility 37 can send back corrective instructions to the tool, and/or send instructions to the drilling operator about how to correct the problem.
[0098] The master control facility 37 enables the geophysical professionals to remotely plan and control the drilling program for the client at a particular survey site. At the commencement of a survey, the survey plan would be sent via the wide area network link to the handset and down-hole tools onsite. The handset, or in some cases a laptop computer or tablet that is being used by the driller will compare the instrument data with the planned survey data and provide guidance to the driller on parameters such as actual drill-hole deviation from planned direction to suit the specific geology of the survey location. A client company, such as a geoscience laboratory, at their office 39 , can also enter in assay or other relevant information into the server records relating to the particular survey.
[0099] Furthermore, the master control facility can perform analytics based on the geo-location of the survey and the theoretical accuracy of the down-hole tool based on its location on the earth can be accounted for. This is required because Gyroscopic based sensors change accuracy depending on the latitude at which they are used, while Magnetics tools require declination corrections to calculate true north depending on the latitude and longitude.
[0100] The other main aspect of the invention is that a user, such as a drilling contractor, or a mine site, can create a local area geophysical data network in a region by installing an access point 29 and that allows the down-hole tool and/or handset to directly and wirelessly communicate with both the master control facility's server, and/or client survey office 39 .
[0101] In another form of the present invention, the access point 29 is incorporated into the handset, so that the handset also performs the function of the access point.
[0102] Another important aspect of the invention is that down-hole tool 1 undertakes the majority of the sensor data processing and thereby reduces the amount of data that needs to be transferred to the handset. This reduces the processing required on the handset, and reduces the amount of data to be transmitted to the handset from the instrument, and to the master control facility server 31 . For the user at the survey site, it offers them a simple handset which is very easy to use, and requires minimal training, thereby allowing a drilling contractor to also perform the physical operations required to perform the survey.
[0103] Another important aspect of the invention is that the owner and/or distributor of the tool, ancillary equipment, and associated software, can remotely upgrade or service it as required so that the tool and its ancillary equipment and associated software can function at peak efficiency. Upgrades include updated software, or firmware for relevant hardware used either in or associated with the tool.
[0104] In another aspect of the invention, at least some of the modules, and/or the ancillary equipment such as the handset, and any associated software, has digital rights management technology incorporated with it. When the digital rights management technology is activated, the tool, and ancillary equipment, is in a usable condition. When the digital rights management technology is disabled, the tool and/or ancillary equipment is in a non-usable condition. Furthermore the distributor and/or owner of the tool is able to remotely enable or disable the digital rights management technology. This arrangement thereby enables the distributor and/or the owner of the tool and ancillary equipment to lease/rent out the equipment to an operator and ensure that it can only be used when the operator is in compliance with their relevant lease/rental agreement.
[0105] There are also other significant advantages to the system of the present invention. Under current practice, drillers maintain a paper log of drill site activity. This manual process introduces delay into the processing and payment times for the field services they have provided. Under this system, payments to the drillers for their field services can be processed much quicker.
[0106] Finally, by having the data collected by the tool sent directly from the drill-site to the remote office, the integrity and security of the data kept more secure.
[0107] Whilst the above description includes the preferred embodiments of the invention, it is to be understood that many variations, alterations, modifications and/or additions may be introduced into the constructions and arrangements of parts previously described without departing from the essential features or the spirit or ambit of the invention.
[0108] It will be also understood that where the word “comprise”, and variations such as “comprises” and “comprising”, are used in this specification, unless the context requires otherwise such use is intended to imply the inclusion of a stated feature or features but is not to be taken as excluding the presence of other feature or features.
[0109] The reference to any prior art in this specification is not, and should not be taken as, an acknowledgment or any form of suggestion that such prior art forms part of the common general knowledge in Australia.
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The present invention is a drill-hole survey and geoscientific data acquisition system that includes a down-hole tool including:
a sensor control module, at least one sensor module, and data, control and electrical power connection means,
wherein the sensor control module, the at least one sensor module, and the connection means are each sized and shaped so that they can be placed within a drill-hole and can travel along the length of the drill-hole, and can travel along the drill-hole. the sensor control module is a discreet control module, and each of said at least one sensor modules are also each a discreet sensor module, and each of the discreet control and sensor modules are inter-connectable via said data, control and electrical power connection means so that the series of modules are connected end to end to make one continuous elongate tool that contains a series of interconnected modules. The sensor control module controls the tool and provides electrical power to, and sends control signals to, and receives data from, each of the at least one sensor module. The tool collects data along the drill-hole.
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CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
The present application is a continuation-in-part of application Ser. No. 349,403, filed May 8, 1989, which was a continuation of application Ser. No. 240,380 filed Aug. 29, 1988, which was a continuation of application Ser. No. 779,676 filed Sep. 24, 1985, and is a continuation-in-part of application Ser. No. 816,583, filed Jan. 3, 1992, which was a continuation of application Ser. No. 314,238 filed Feb. 22, 1989, which was a continuation of application Ser. No. 864,502 filed May 19, 1986.
This is a continuation of Ser. No. 458,480 filed Jun. 2, 1995 which is a continuation of application Ser. No. 08/435,959, filed May 5, 1995; which is a continuation of application Ser. No. 08/294,407, filed Aug. 23, 1994 now U.S. Pat. No. 5,448,519; which is a continuation of application Ser. No. 07/855,843, filed Mar. 20, 1992 now U.S. Pat. No. 5,450,342; which is a continuation-in-part of application Ser. No. 07/349,403, filed May 8, 1989 now U.S. Pat. No. 5,175,838; which is a continuation of application Ser. No. 07/240,380, filed Aug. 29, 1988 now U.S. Pat. No. 4,868,781; which is a continuation of application Ser. No. 06/779,676, filed Sep. 24, 1985; said U.S. Pat. No. 4,868,781 being reissued by application Ser. No. 07/542,028, filed Jun. 21, 1990 now Re. 33,922; said application Ser. No. 07/855,843 now U.S. Pat. No. 5,450,342 also being a continuation-in-part of Ser. No. 07/816,583, filed Jan. 3, 1992; which is a continuation of application Ser. No. 07/314,238, filed Feb. 22, 1989 now U.S. Pat. No. 5,113,487; which is a continuation of application Ser. No. 06/864,502, filed May 19, 1986, now abandoned, said application Ser. No. 07/816,583 also being a continuation-in-part of application Ser. No. 07/349,403, filed May 8, 1989 now U.S. Pat. No. 5,175,838; which is a continuation of application Ser. No. 07/240,380, filed Aug. 29, 1988 now U.S. Pat. No. 4,868,781; which is a continuation of application Ser. No. 06/779,676, filed Sep. 24, 1985, now abandoned; said U.S. Pat. No. 4,868,781 being reissued by application Ser. No. 07/542,028, filed Jun. 21, 1990 now Re. 33,922.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a memory device, and in particular, to a memory device suitable for a graphic memory to be utilized in high-speed image processing.
The prior art technique will be described by referring to graphic processing depicted as an example in FIGS. 1-2. For example, the system of FIG. 1 comprises a graphic area M1 having a one-to-one correspondence with a cathode ray tube (CRT) screen, a store area M2 storing graphic data to be combined, and a modify section FC for combining the data in the graphic area M1 with the data in the store area M2. In FIG. 2, a processing flowchart includes a processing step S1 for reading data from the graphic area M1, a processing step S2 for reading data from the store area M2, a processing step S3 for combining the data read from the graphic area M1 and the data read from the store area M2, and a processing step S4 for writing the composite data generated in the step S3 in the graphic area M1.
In the graphic processing example, the processing step S3 of FIG. 2 performs a logical OR operation only to combine the data of the graphic area M1 with that of the store area M2.
On the other hand, the graphic area M1 to be subjected to the graphic processing must have a large memory capacity ranging from 100 kilobytes to several megabytes in ordinary cases. Consequently, in a series of graphic processing steps as shown in FIG. 2, the number of processing iterations to be executed is on the order of 10 6 or greater even if the processing is conducted on each byte one at a time.
Similarly referring to FIGS. 2-3, graphic processing will be described in which the areas M1 and M2 store multivalued data such as color data for which a pixel is represented by the use of a plurality of bits.
Referring now to FIG. 3, a graphic processing arrangement comprises a memory area M1 for storing original multivalued graphic data and a memory area M2 containing multivalued graphic data to be combined therewith.
For the processing of multivalued graphic data shown in FIG. 3, addition is adopted as the operation to ordinarily generate composite graphic data. As a result, the values of data in the overlapped portion become larger, and hence a thicker picture is displayed as indicated by the crosshatching. In this case, the memory area must have a large memory capacity. The number of iterations of processing from the step S1 to the step S4 becomes on the order of 10 6 or greater, as depicted in FIG. 2. Due to the large iteration count, most of the graphic data processing time is occupied by the processing time to be elapsed to process the loop of FIG. 2. In graphic data processing, therefore, the period of time utilized for the memory access becomes greater than the time elapsed for the data processing. Among the steps S1-S4 of FIG. 2, three steps S1, S2, and S4 are associated with the memory access. As described above, in such processing as graphic data processing in which memory having a large capacity is accessed, even if the operation speed is improved, the memory access time becomes a bottleneck of the processing, which restricts the processing speed and does not permit improving the effective processing speed of the graphic data processing system.
In the prior art examples, the following disadvantages take place.
(1) In the graphic processing as shown by use of the flowchart of FIG. 2, most of the processing is occupied by the steps S1, S2, and S4 which use a bus for memory read/write operations, consequently, the bus utilization ratio is increased and a higher load is imposed on the bus.
(2) The graphic processing time is further increased, for example, because the bus has a low transfer speed, or the overhead becomes greater due to the operation such as the bus control to dedicatedly allocate the bus to CRT display operation and to memory access.
(3) Moreover, although the flowchart of FIG. 2 includes only four static processing steps, a quite large volume of data must be processed as described before. That is, the number of dynamic processing seeps which may elapse the effective processing time becomes very large, and hence a considerably long processing time is necessary.
Consequently, it is desirable to implement a graphic processing by use of a lower number of processing steps.
A memory circuit for executing the processing described above is found in the Japanese Patent Unexamined Publication No. 55-129387, for example.
Recent enhanced resolution of graphic display units is now demanding a large-capacity memory for use as a frame buffer for holding display information. In displaying a frame of graphic data, a large number of access operations to a capacious frame buffer take place, and therefore high-speed memory read/write operations are required. A conventional method for coping with this requirement is the distribution of processings.
An example of the distributed process is to carry out part of the process with a frame buffer. FIG. 26 shows, as an example, the arrangement of the frame buffer memory circuit, used in the method. The circuit includes an operation unit 1, a memory 2, an operational function control register 23, and a write mask register 26. The frame buffer writes data in bit units regardless of the word length of the memory device. On this account, the frame buffer writing process necessitates to implement operation and writing both in bit units. In the example of FIG. 26, bit operation is implemented by the operation unit 1 and operational function control register 23, while bit writing is implemented by the mask register 6 only to bits effective for writing. This frame buffer is designed to implement the memory read-modify-write operation in the write cycle for data D from the data processor, eliminating the need for the reading of data D0 out of the memory, which the usual memory necessitates in such operation, whereby speedup of the frame buffer operation is made possible.
FIG. 27 shows another example of distributed processing which is applied to a graphic display system consisting of two data processors 20 and 20' linked through a common bus 21 with a frame buffer memory 9". The frame buffer memory 9" is divided into two areas a and b which are operated for display by the data processors 20 and 20', respectively. FIG. 28 shows an example of a display made by this graphic system. The content of the frame buffer memory 9" is displayed on the CRT screen, which is divided into upper and lower sections in correspondence with the divided memory areas a and b as shown in FIG. 28. When it is intended to set up the memory 9" for displaying a circle, for example, the data processor 20 produces an arc αα'α" and the data processor 20' produces a remaining arc ββ'β" concurrently. The circular display process falls into two major processings of calculating the coordinates of the circle and writing the result into the frame buffer. In case the calculation process takes a longer time than the writing process, the use of the two processors 20 and 20' for the process is effective for the speedup of display. If, on the other hand, the writing process takes a longer time, the two processors conflict over the access to the frame buffer memory 9", resulting in a limited effectiveness of the dual processor system. The recent advanced LSI technology has significantly reduced the computation time of data processors relative to the memory write access time, which fosters the use of a frame buffer memory requiring less access operations such as one 9' shown in FIG. 26.
In application of the frame buffer memory 9' shown in FIG. 26 to the display system shown in FIG. 27, when both processors share in the same display process as shown in FIG. 28, the memory modification function is consistent for both processors and no problem will arise. In another case, however, if one processor draws graphic display a' and another processor draws character display b' as shown in FIG. 29, the system is no longer uneventful. In general, different kinds of display are accompanied by different memory modification operations, and if two processors make access to the frame buffer memory alternately, the setting for the modification operation and the read-modify-write operation need to take place in each display process. Setting for modification operation is identical to memory access when seen from the processor, and such double memory access ruins the attempt of speedup.
A conceivable scheme for reducing the number of computational settings is the memory access control in which one processor makes access to the frame buffer several times and then hands over the access right to another processor, instead of the alternate memory access control. However, this method requires additional time for the process of handing over the access right between the processors as compared with the display process using a common memory modification function. Namely, the conventional scheme of sharing in the same process among more than one data processor as shown in FIG. 28 is recently shifting to the implementation of separate processes as shown in FIG. 29 with a plurality of data processors, as represented by the multi-window system, and the memory circuit is not designed in consideration of this regard.
An example of the frame buffer using the read-modify-write operation is disclosed, for example, in an article entitled "Designing a 1280-by-1024 pixel graphic display frame buffer in a 64K RAM with nibble mode", Nikkei electronics, pp. 227-245, published on Aug. 27, 1984.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a method for storing graphic data and a circuit using the method which enables a higher-speed execution of dyadic and arithmetic operations on graphic data.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a memory circuit which performs read, modify, and write operations in a write cycle so that the number of dynamic steps is greatly reduced in the software section of the graphic processing.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a memory circuit comprising a function to perform the dyadic and arithmetic operations so as to considerably lower the load imposed on the bus.
Further another object of the present invention is to provide a memory circuit which enables easily to implement a priority processing to be effected when graphic images are overlapped.
Further another object of the present invention is to provide a memory circuit with logical functions for use in constructing a frame buffer suitable for the multiple processors' parallel operations with the intention of realizing a high-speed graphic display system.
According to the present invention, there is provided a memory circuit having the following three functions to effect a higher-speed execution of processing to generate composite graphic data.
(1) A function to write external data in memory elements.
(2) A function to execute a logical operation between data previously stored in memory elements and external data, and to write the resultant data in the memory elements.
(3) A function to execute an arithmetic operation between data previously stored in memory elements and external data and to write the resultant data, in the memory elements.
A memory circuit which has these functions and which achieves a portion of the operation has been, implemented with emphasis placed on the previous points.
Also, many operations other than processing to generate composite multivalued graphic data as described above, a dyadic logic operation is required in which two operands are used. That is, the operation format is as follows in such cases.
D←D op s; where op stands for operator. On the other hand, the polynomial operation and multioperand operation as shown below are less frequently used.
D←S.sub.1 op S.sub.2 op . . . op S.sub.n
when the dyadic and two-operand operation is conducted between data in a central processing unit (CPU) and data in the memory elements, memory elements need be accessed only once if the operation result is to be stored in a register of the CPU (in a case where the D is a register and the S is a unit of memory elements). Contrarily, if the D indicates the memory elements unit and the S represents a register, the memory elements unit must be accessed two times. In most cases of data processing including the multivalued graphic data processing, the number of data items is greater than the number of registers in the CPU; and hence the operation of the latter case where the D is the data element unit is frequently used; furthermore, each of two operands is stored in a memory element unit in many cases. Although the operation to access the S is indispensable to read the data, the D is accessed twice for read and write operations, that is, the same memory element unit is accessed two times for an operation.
To avoid this disadvantageous feature, the Read-Modify-Write adopted in the operation to access a dynamic random access memory (DRAM) is utilized so as to provide the memory circuit with an operation circuit so that the read and logic operations are carried out in the memory circuit, whereby the same memory element unit is accessed only once for an operation. The graphic data is modified in this fashion, which unnecessitates the operation to read the graphic data to be stored in the CPU and reduces the load imposed on the bus.
In accordance with the present invention there is provided a unit of memory elements which enables arbitrary operations to read, write, and store data characterized by including a control circuit which can operate in an ordinary write mode for storing in the memory elements unit a first data supplied externally based on first data and second data in the memory elements unit, a logic operation mode for storing an operation result obtained from a logic operation executed between the first and second data, and an arithmetic operation mode for storing in the memory element unit result data obtained from an arithmetic operation executed between the first data and the second data.
In general, when it is intended to share a resource by a plurality of processors, the resource access arbitration control is necessary, and when it is intended for a plurality of processors to share in a process for the purpose of speedup, they are required to operate and use resources in unison. These controls are generally implemented by the program of each processor, and it takes some processing time. Resources used commonly among processors include peripheral units and a storage unit. A peripheral unit is used exclusively for a time period once a processor has begun its use, while the storage unit is accessed by processors on a priority basis. The reason for the different utilization modes of the resources is that a peripheral unit has internal sequential operating modes and it is difficult for the unit to suspend the process in an intermediate mode once the operation has commenced, while the storage unit completes the data read or write operation within the duration of access by a processor and its internal operating mode does not last after the access terminates.
When it is intended to categorize the aforementioned memory implementing the read-modify-write operation in the above resource classification, the memory is a peripheral unit having the internal modification function, but the internal operating mode does not last beyond the access period, and operates faster than the processor. Accordingly, the memory access arbitration control by the program of the low-speed processor results in an increased system overhead for the switching operation, and therefore such control must be done within the memory circuit. The memory circuit implementing the read-modify-write operation does not necessitate internal operating modes dictated externally and it can switch the internal states to meet any processor solely by the memory internal operation.
The present invention resides in a memory circuit including a memory device operative to read, write and hold data, an operator which performs computation between first data supplied from outside and second data read out of the memory device, means for specifying an operational function from outside, and means for controlling bit writing from outside, wherein the operational function specifying means issues a selection control signal to a selector which selects one of a plurality of operational function specifying data supplied from outside, and wherein the bit writing control means issues a selection control signal to a selector which selects one of a plurality of bit writing control data supplied from outside, so that a frame buffer memory which implements the read-modify-write operation can be used commonly.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a schematic block diagram for explaining an operation to generate a composite graphic image in a graphic data processing system.
FIG. 2 is a flowchart of processing applied to the prior art technique to generate composite graphic data.
FIG. 3 is a schematic block diagram for explaining multivalued graphic data processing.
FIG. 4 is a timing chart illustrating the ordinary operation of a memory.
FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram of a memory having a logic function.
FIG. 6 is a table for explaining the operation modes of the memory of FIG. 5.
FIG. 7 is schematic circuit diagram for implementing the logic function.
FIGS. 8-9 are tables for explaining truth values in detail.
FIG. 10 is a block diagram depicting the configuration of a memory having a logic function.
FIG. 11 is a flowchart of processing to generate composite graphic data by use of the memory of FIG. 10.
FIG. 12 is an explanatory diagram of processing to generate composite graphic data by use of an EOR logic function.
FIGS. 13-14 are schematic diagrams for explaining the processing to generate composite graphic data according to the present invention.
FIG. 15 is an explanatory diagram of an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 16 is a table for explaining in detail the operation logic or the present invention.
FIG. 17 is a schematic circuit diagram of an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 18 is a circuit block diagram for explaining an embodiment applied to color data processing.
FIG. 19 is a block diagram illustrating a memory circuit of an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 20 is a table for explaining the operation modes of a control circuit.
FIG. 21 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of the control circuit configuration.
FIG. 22 is a circuit block diagram depicting an example of a 4-bit operational memory configuration.
FIGS. 23a to 23c are diagrams for explaining an application example of an embodiment.
FIG. 24 is a schematic diagram for explaining processing to delete multivalued graphic data.
FIG. 25 is a block diagram showing the memory circuit embodying the present invention;
FIG. 26 is a block diagram showing the conventional memory circuit;
FIG. 27 is a block diagram showing the conventional graphic display system;
FIG. 28 is a diagram explaining a two processor graphic display;
FIG. 29 is a diagram showing a graphic display by one processor a character display by another processor;
FIG. 30 is a block diagram showing the multi-processor graphic display system embodying the present invention;
FIG. 31 is a table used to explain the operational function of the embodiment shown in FIG. 30;
FIG. 32 is a block diagram showing the arrangement of the conventional frame buffer memory;
FIG. 33 is a block diagram showing the arrangement of the memory circuit embodying the present invention;
FIG. 34 is a schematic logic diagram showing the write mask circuit in FIG. 33;
FIG. 35 is a diagram used to explain the frame buffer constructed using the memory circuit shown in FIG. 33;
FIG. 36 is a block diagram showing the arrangement of the graphic display system for explaining operation code setting according to this embodiment;
FIG. 37 is a timing chart showing the memory access timing relationship according to this embodiment;
FIG. 38 is a timing chart showing the generation of the selection signal and operation code setting signal based on the memory access timing relationship; and
FIG. 39 is a timing chart showing the memory write timing relationship derived from FIG. 37, but with the addition of the selection signal.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
Referring to the accompanying drawings, the following paragraphs describe embodiments of the present invention in detail.
FIG. 4 is a timing chart of a DRAM. First, the operation to access the memory will be briefly described in conjunction with FIG. 4. In this timing chart, ADR is an address signal supplied from an external device and WR indicates a write request signal. These two signals (ADR and WR) are fed from a microprocessor, for example. In addition, RAS is a row address strobe signal, CAS is a column address strobe signal, A indicates an address signal representing a column or row address generated in the timesharing fashion, WE stands for a write enable signal, and Z is a data item supplied from an external device (microprocessor). Excepting the Z signal, they are control signals generated by a DRAM controller, for example. The memory access outlined in FIG. 4 can be summarized as follows.
(i) As shown in FIG. 4, a memory access in a read/write cycle generally commences with a read cycle (I) and ends with a write cycle () due to a write enable signal, WE.
(ii) Between the read cycle (I) and the write cycle (), there appears an interval (II) in which a read data Do and an external data Z (to be written) exist simultaneously.
(iii) This interval (II) is referred to as the operation enabled interval.
As described above, the store data Do and the external write data Z exist simultaneously in the interval II. As a consequence, the store data Do and the external data Z can be subjected to an operation during a memory cycle in this interval by use of the memory circuit having an operation function, thereby enabling the operation result to be written in the memory circuit.
FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating a first embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram of the operation principle of the embodiment shown in FIG. 5, FIG. 7 is a circuit example implementing the operation principle of FIG. 6, and FIG. 8 is a table for explaining in detail the operation of the circuit shown in FIG. 7.
The circuit configuration of FIG. 5 comprises a control logic circuit 1, a unit of memory elements 2, a DRAM controller 3, external data X and Y, a write data Z to the memory elements unit 2, a read data Do from the memory elements unit 2, and signals A, CAS, RAS, ADR, and WR which are the same as those described in conjunction with FIG. 4. The external data Z of FIG. 4 is replaced with the write data Z delivered via the control circuit 1 to the memory elements unit 2 in FIG. 5.
In accordance with an aspect of the present invention as shown in FIG. 5, the control circuit 1 controls the read data Do by use of the external data signals X and Y, and the modified read data is written in the memory elements unit 2. FIG. 6 is a table for explaining the control operation. In this table, mode I is provided to set the external data Y as the write data Z, whereas mode II is provided to set the read data Do as the write data Z. As shown in FIG. 6, the external data signals X and Y, namely, the external control is used to control two modes, that is, the read data of the memory elements unit 2 is altered and written (mode II), or the external data Y is written (mode I). For the control of two modes, (i) mode I or II is specified by the external data X and (ii) the modification specification to invert or not to invert the read data Do is made by use of an external data.
The control and modification are effected in the interval II described in conjunction with FIG. 4.
A specific circuit example implementing the operation described above is shown in FIG. 7.
The control logic circuit comprises an AND gate 10 and an EOR gate 11 and operates according to the truth table of FIG. 8, which illustrates the relationships among two external data signals X and Y, store data Do, and output Z from the control circuit 1.
As can be seen from FIG. 8, the control circuit 1 operates primarily in the following two operation modes depending on the external data X.
(i) When the external data X is `0`, it operates in the operation mode I in which the external data Y is processed as the write data Z.
(ii) When the external data X is `1`, it operates in the operation mode II in which the data obtained by modifying the read data Do based on the external data Y is used as the write data Z.
As already shown in FIG. 4, the operation above is executed during a memory cycle.
Consequently, the principle of the present invention is described as follows.
(i) The output Do from the memory elements unit 2 is fed back as an input signal to the control circuit as described in conjunction with FIG. 4; and
(ii) The write data to the memory elements unit 2 is controlled by use of the input data signals X and Y (generated from the write data from the CPU) as shown in FIG. 5.
These operations (i) and (ii) are executed during a memory cycle. That is, a data item in the memory elements is modified with an external input data (namely, an operation is conducted between these two data items) during a memory cycle by use of three data items including (i) feedback data from the memory elements, (ii) data inputted from an external device, and (iii) control data from an external device (a portion of external input data is also used as the control data). These operations imply that an external device (for example, a graphic processing system, a CPU available at present, or the like) can execute a logic operation only by use of a write operation.
The operation of the circuit shown in FIG. 7, on the other hand, is expressed as follows
Z=X·DoY+X·Do·Y=Do·Y+X·Y+X.multidot.Do·Y=(X+Y)·Do·Y+X·Y+X·Do.multidot.Y=X·Y+X·(Y⊕Do) (1)
Substituting the externally controllable data items X and Y with the applicable values of a signal "0", a signal "1", the bus data Di fed from the microprocessor, and the reversed data thereof appropriately Di, the operation results of the dyadic logic operations as shown in FIG. 9 will be obtained. FIG. 10 is a circuit diagram implemented by combining the dyadic operations of FIG. 9 with the processing system of the FIG. 5 embodiment. The system of FIG. 10 comprises four-input selectors SELφ and SEL1, input select signals S0 and S1 to the selector SELφ, input select signals S2 and S3 to the selector SEL1, and an inverter element INV.
Referring now to FIG. 1, and FIGS. 9-11, an operation example of a logic operation will be specifically described.
As shown in FIG. 9, the input select signals S0 and S1 are used as the select signals of the selector SELφ to determine the value of data X. Similarly, the input select signals S2 and S3 are used to determine the value of data Y. The values that can be set to these data items X and Y include a signal "0", a signal "1", the bus data Di, and the inverted data thereof Di as described before. The selectors SELφ and SEL1 each select one of these four signal values depending on the input select signals S 0 to S 3 as shown in FIG. 10. FIG. 9 is a table illustrating the relationships between the input select signals S0 to S3 and the data items X and Y outputted from the selectors SELφ and SEL1, respectively, as well as the write data Z outputted from the control circuit 1. In graphic processing as shown in FIG. 1 (OR operation: Case 1), for example, the data items X and Y are selected as Di and Di, respectively when the input select signals are set as follows: S0, S1=(11) and S 2 , S 3 =(10). Substituting these values of X and Y in the expression (1) representing the operation of the control circuit 1, the OR operation, namely, Z=Di+Di Do=Di·(1+Do)+Di Do=Di+(Di+Di) Do=Di+Do is executed. In accordance with an aspect of the present invention, therefore, the graphic processing of FIG. 1 can be performed as shown in FIG. 11 in which the input select signals S0 to S1 are specified in the first step (function specification), a graphic data item to be combined is thereafter read from the storage area M2, and the obtained data item is stored in the graphic area only by use of a write operation.
Various logic functions can be effected by changing the values of S0 to S3 as depicted in FIG. 9. Consequently, an operation to draw a picture, for example, by use of a mouse cursor which is arbitrarily moved can be readily executed as shown in FIG. 12. Even when the mouse cursor (M2) overlaps with a graphic image in the graphic area M1 as illustrated in FIG. 12, the cursor must be displayed, and hence a function of the EOR operation is necessary. In this cursor display, when the input select signals are set as S0, S1=(10) and S2, S3=(01), the processing can be achieved as depicted in FIG. 11 in the same manner as the case of the composite graphic data generation described before. The various logic functions as listed in the table of FIG. 9 can be therefore easily implemented; furthermore, the Read-Modify-Write operation on the memory element unit 2 can be accomplished only by a write operation.
By use of the circuit configuration of FIG. 10, the dyadic logic operations of FIG. 9 can be executed as a modify operation to be conducted between the data Di from the microprocessor and the read data Do from the memory elements unit 2. Incidentally, the input select signals are used to specify a dyadic logic operation.
In accordance with the embodiment described above, the prior art processing to generate a composite graphic image can be simplified as depicted by the flowchart of FIG. 11.
The embodiment of the present invention described above comprises three functions as shown in FIG. 10, namely, a memory section including memory elements unit 2, a control section having the control circuit 1, and a selector section including the selectors SELφ and SEL1. However, the function implemented by a combination of the control and selector sections is identical to the dyadic logic operation function described in conjunction with FIG. 9. Although this function can be easily achieved by use of other means, the embodiment above is preferable to simplify the circuit configuration.
On the other hand, graphic processing is required to include processing in which graphic images and the like are overlapped as illustrated in FIGS. 13-14. In the first case, the graphic image in the store area M2 takes precedence over the graphic image in the graphic image area M1 when they are displayed as depicted in FIG. 13. In the second case, the graphic image in the graphic image area M1 takes precedence over the graphic image in the store area M2 as shown in FIG. 14.
The priority processing to determine the priority of graphic data as illustrated in FIGS. 13-14 cannot be achieved only by the logical function (implemented by the FC section of FIG. 10) described above.
This function, however, can be easily implemented by use of the memory circuit in an embodiment of the present invention, namely, only simple logic and selector circuits need by added to the graphic processing system. An embodiment for realizing such a function will be described by referring to FIGS. 15-17. The FC section of FIG. 15 corresponds to a combination of the control circuit and the selectors SELφ and SEL1. In this embodiment, the logic operation function (FC) section operates in the pass mode with the input select signals S0 to S3 of the selectors SELφ and SEL1 set as (0, 0, 1, 0), for example.
The circuit block diagram of FIG. 15 includes a priority control section 4, a two-input selector SEL2, a priority specification signal P, an input select signal S4 to the selector SEL2, a graphic data signal Di' from the store area M2, a graphic image area M1, a selected signal Di from selector SEL2, a graphic data signal Do from the graphic image area M1 (identical to the read data signal from the memory elements unit 2 shown in FIG. 10), and an output signal Z from the FC section (identical to the output signal from the control circuit 1 of FIG. 4). For the convenience of explanation, the graphic area is set to a logic value "1" and the background area is set to a logic value "0" as shown in FIG. 15. In this processing, the priority control section 4 and the selector SEL2 operate according to the contents of the truth table of FIG. 16. The relationships between the input select signal S4 and the input data Di to the logic operation function (FC) section are outlined in FIG. 16, where the signal S4 is determined by a combination of the priority specification signal P, the data Di' in the area M2, and the data Do from the area M1, and the input data Di is set by the signal S4.
In other words, the truth table of FIG. 16 determines an operation as follows. For example, assume that the graphic area to be used as the background is M1. If the data items Do and Di' in the areas M1 and M2, respectively, are set to the effective data ("1"), the priority specification signal P is used to determine whether the data Do of the background area M1 takes precedence (P=1), or the data Di' of the area M2 takes precedence (P=0).
That is, if a graphic image in the store area M2 is desired to be displayed over the graphic image of the graphic area M1, as illustrated in FIG. 13, the priority specification signal P is set to "0". Then, if the graphic data items Di' and Do are in the graphic areas ("1") as depicted in FIG. 15, the data Di' of the store area M2 is preferentially selected by the selector SEL2. If the priority specification signal P is set to "1", the graphic processing is similarly executed according to the truth table of FIG. 16 as shown in FIG. 14.
In FIG. 16, if the graphic areas ("1") are overlapped, the graphic area of the graphic area M1, or the store area M2, is selected depending on the priority specification signal P, and the data of the graphic area M1 is selected as the background for the area in which the graphic area does not exist.
FIG. 17 is a specific circuit diagram of the priority control section 4 depicted in FIG. 15. In this circuit diagram, reference numerals 40 and 41 indicate a three-input NAND circuit and a two-input NAND circuit, respectively.
In order to apply the principle of priority decision to color data in which each pixel comprises a plurality of bits, the circuit must be modified as illustrated in FIG. 18.
The circuit of FIG. 18 includes a compare and determine section 5 for determining the graphic area (COL3) of the graphic area M1 and a compare and determine section 6 for determining the graphic area (COL1) of the store area M1. As described above, the priority determining circuit of FIG. 18 is configured to process code information for which a pixel comprises a plurality of bits. It is different from the circuit for processing information for which a pixel comprises a bit as shown in FIG. 15 in that the priority determination between significant data items is achieved by use of the code information (COLφ to COL3) because the graphic data is expressed by the code information.
Consequently, in the case of color data, the overlapped graphic images can be easily processed by adding the compare and determine sections which determine the priority by comparing the code information.
The preceding paragraphs have described the priority determine circuit applied to an embodiment of the memory circuit having an operation function, however, it is clear that such embodiment can be applied to a simple memory circuit, or a memory circuit which has integrated shift register and serial outputs.
In accordance with this embodiment, the following effect is developed.
(1) When executing the processing as shown in FIG. 1, the processing flowchart of FIG. 11 can be utilized, and hence the memory cycle can be minimized.
(2) Three kinds of processing including the read, modify, and write operations can be executed only during a write cycle, which enables an increase in the processing speed.
(3) As depicted in FIGS. 16-18, the priority processing to be conducted when the graphic images are overlapped can be effected by the use of a plurality of simple logic gates.
(4) The graphic processing of color data can be also easily implemented by externally adding the compare and determine circuits for determining the graphic areas (code data comprising at least two bits).
(5) The size of the circuit configuration necessary for implementing the memory circuit according to the invention is quite small as compared with that of a group of memory elements, which is considerably advantageous to manufacture a large scale integration circuit in the same memory chip.
Next, another embodiment will be described in which processing to generate a composite graphic data represented as the multivalued data of FIG. 3 is executed.
FIG. 19 is a circuit block diagram of a memory circuit applied to a case in which multivalued data is processed. This circuit is different from the memory circuit of FIG. 5 in the configuration of a control circuit 1'.
The configuration of FIG. 19 is adopted because the processing to generate a composite graphic data from the multivalued data indispensably necessitates an arithmetic operation, not a simple logic operation. As shown in FIG. 19, however, the basic operation is the same as depicted in FIG. 5.
In the following paragraphs, although the arithmetic operation is described, the circuit configuration includes the sections associated with the logic operation because the logic operation is also used for the multivalued graphic data processing. The circuit arrangement of FIG. 19 includes a control circuit 1', memory elements unit 2, a DRAM controller 3, external control signals CNT and Cr, data Y supplied from an external device, write data Z to the memory elements unit 2, read data Do from the memory elements unit 2, and signals A, WE, CAS, RAS, ADR, and WR which are the same as those shown in FIG. 5.
In the embodiment as shown in FIG. 19, the control circuit 1' performs an operation on the read data Do and the external data Y according to the external control signals CNT and Cr; and the operation result, write data Z is written in the memory elements 2. FIG. 20 is a table illustrating the control operation modes of the control circuit 1'. When the external control signals CNT and Cr are set to φ, the control circuit 1' operates in a mode where the external data Y is used as a control signal to determine whether or not the read data Do is subjected to an inversion before it is outputted; when the signals CNT and Cr are set to 0 and 1, respectively, the control circuit 1' operates in a mode where the external data Y is outputted without change; and when the signals are set to 1, the control circuit 1' operates in a mode where the read data Do, the external data Y, and the external control signal Cr are arithmetically added.
FIG. 21 is a specific circuit diagram of a circuit implementing the control operation modes. In this circuit arrangement, the arithmetic operation is achieved by use of the ENOR gates G1 and G2, and the condition that the external control signals CNT and Cr are φ and 1, respectively is detected by the gates G6 to G8, and the output from the ENOR gate or the external data Y is selected by use of a selector constituted from the gates G3 to G5. This circuit configuration further includes a NAND gate G9 for outputting a generate signal associated with the carry lookahead function provided to minimize the propagation delay of the carry and an AND gate G10 for generating a propagate signal similarly associated with the carry lookahead function. The logical expressions of the output signals Z, P, and G from the control circuit 1' are as listed in FIG. 21, where the carry lookahead signals P and G each are set to fixed values (P=0, G=1) if the external control signal CNT is φ.
FIG. 22 is the configuration of a four-bit operation memory utilizing four memory circuits for the embodiment. For simplification of explanation, only the sections primarily associated with the arithmetic operation mode are depicted in FIG. 22. The circuit diagram includes the memory circuits 11-14 shown in FIG. 19, gates G11 to G28 constituting a carry lookahead circuit for achieving a carry operation, and a register F for storing the result of a carry-caused by an arithmetic operation. The memory circuits 11 and 14 are associated with the least- and most-significant bits, respectively.
Although not shown in this circuit configuration to simplify the circuit arrangement, the register F is connected to an external circuit which sets the content to φ or 1. The logical expression of the carry result, namely, the output from the gate G29 is as follows.
G4+G3·P4+G2·P3·P4+G1·P2·P3.multidot.P4+Cr·P1·P2·P3·P4
When the external control signal CNT is φ, Pi and Gi are set to 1 and φ, respectively (where, i indicates an integer ranging from one to four), and hence the logical expression includes only the signal Cr, which means that the value of the register F is not changed by a write operation. Since the intermediate carry signals Gr2 to Gr4 are also set to the value of the signal Cr, three operation states are not changed by a write operation when the external control signal CNT is φ. If the external control signal CNT is 1, the carry control signals P1 to P4 and G1 to G4 of the memory circuits 11-14, respectively function as the carry lookahead signals, so an ordinary addition can be conducted.
As shown in FIG. 20, although the control circuit has a small number of operation modes, the operation functions can be increased by selecting the logic value φ, the logic value 1, the write data D to a microprocessor or the like, and the inverted data D of the write data D as the inputs of the external control signal Cr and the external data Y.
FIGS. 23a to 23c illustrate an example in which the above-mentioned circuits are combined. FIG. 23a is a specific representation of a circuit for the least-significant bit, whereas FIG. 22b is a table outlining the operation functions of the circuit of FIG. 23a.
In the following paragraphs, the circuit operation will be described only in the arithmetic operation mode with the external control signal CNT set to 1.
Gates G29-G33 constitute a selector (SEL3) for the external control signal Cr, while gates G34-G37 configure a selector (SEL4) for the external data Y. The circuit arrangement of FIG. 23a comprises select control signals Sφ and S1 for selecting the external control signal Cr and select control signals S2 and S3 for selecting the external data Y. FIG. 23c depicts a circuit for the most-significant bit. This circuit is different from that of FIG. 23a in that the selector for the signal Cr is constituted from the gates G38-G44 so that a carry signal Cri-1 from the lower-order bit is inputted to the external control signal Cr when the external control signal CNT is 1. The selector for the external data Y is of the same configuration of that of FIG. 23a. In the circuit configuration of FIG. 23c, the memory circuit arrangement enables to achieve 16 kinds of logical operations and six kinds of arithmetic operations by executing a memory write access. For example, the processing to overlap multivalued graphic data as shown in FIG. 3 is carried out as follows. First, the select signals S0 to S3 are set to 0, 0, 0, and 1, respectively and the write data Z is specified for an arithmetic operation of Do Plus 1. A data item is read from the multivalued graphic data memory M2 and the obtained data item is written in the destination multivalued graphic data area M1, which causes each data to be added and the multivalued graphic data items are overlapped at a higher speed. Similarly, if the select signals Sφ to S3 are set to 1 and the write data Z is specified for a subtraction of Do Minus Di, the unnecessary portion (such as the noise) of the multivalued graphic data can be deleted as depicted in FIG. 24. Like the case of the overlap processing, this processing can be implemented only by executing a read operation on the data memory M3 containing the data from which the unnecessary portion is subtracted and by repeating a write operation thereafter on the destination data memory M3', which enables higher-speed graphic processing.
According to the above embodiments,
(1) The multivalued graphic data processing is effected by repeating memory access two times, and hence the processing such as the graphic data overlap processing and subtraction can be achieved at a higher speed;
(2) Since the data operation conducted between memory units is implemented on the memory side, the multivalued graphic processing can be implemented not only in a device such as a microprocessor which has an operation function but also in a device such as a direct memory access (DMA) controller which has not an operation function; and
(3) The carry processing is conducted when a memory write access is executed by use of the circuit configuration as shown in FIG. 22, so the multiple-precision arithmetic operation can be implemented only by using a memory write operation, thereby enabling a multiple-precision arithmetic operation to be achieved at a higher speed.
It is also possible to perform the dyadic operation and the arithmetic operation on graphic data at a higher speed. Moreover, the priority processing to be utilized when graphic images overlap and processing for color data can be readily implemented.
FIG. 25 shows a frame buffer memory circuit including an operation unit (LU) 1 for implementing the modification functions for the read-modify-write operation, a data memory 2, operational function specifying registers 23 and 24 for specifying an operational function of the operation unit, an operational function selector 25 for selecting an operational function, write mask registers 26 and 27 for holding write mask data, and a write mask selector 28 for selecting write mask data. Symbol D denotes write data sent over the common bus, and symbol C denotes a selection signal for controlling the operational function selector 5 and write mask selector 28.
FIG. 30 is a block diagram showing the application of the inventive frame buffer memory circuit 9 shown in FIG. 25 to the multi-processor system, in which are included data processors 20 and 20', a common bus 21 and an address decoder 22.
The following describes, as an example, the operation of this embodiment. For clarification purposes, FIGS. 25 and 30 do not show the memory read data bus, memory block address decoder and read-modify-write control circuit, all of which are not essential for the explanation of this invention. In this embodiment, the memory circuit 9 is addressed from 800000H to 9FFFFFH. The memory circuit 9 itself has a 1M byte capacity in a physical sense, but it is addressed double in the range 800000H-9FFFFFH to provide a virtual 2M byte address space. The method of double addressing is such that address 800000H and address 900000H contain the same byte data, and so on, and finally address 8FFFFFH and address 9FFFFFH contain the same byte data. Accordingly, data read by the processor 20 at address 8xxxxxH is equal to data read at address 9xxxxxH, provided that the address section xxxxx is common. The reason for double addressing the memory circuit 9 beginning with address 800000H and address 900000H is to distinguish accesses by the data processors 20 and 20'. Namely, the data processor 20 is accessible to a 1M byte area starting with 800000H, while the processor 20' is accessible to a 1M byte area starting with 900000H. The address decoder 22 serves to control the double addressing system, and it produces a "0" output in response to an address signal having an even (8H) highest digit, while producing a "1" output in response to an address signal having an odd (9H) highest digit.
The operation unit 1 has a function set of 16 logical operations as listed in FIG. 31. In order to specify one of the 16 kinds of operations, the operation code data FC is formatted in 4 bits, and the operational function specifying registers 23 and 24 and operational function selector 25 are all arranged in 4 bits. Since the memory 2 is of the 16-bit word length, the write mask registers 26 and 27 and mask selector 28 also have 16 bits.
Next, the operation of the data processor 20 in FIG. 30 in making write access to the frame buffer memory 9 will be described. The data processor 20 has a preset of function code F0 in the operational function specifying register 23 and mask data M0 in the write mask register 26. When the data processor 20 makes write access to address 800000H, for example, the memory access operation takes place in the order of reading, modifying and writing in the timing relationship as shown in FIG. 39. In response to the output of address 800000H onto the address bus by the data processor 20, the address decoder 22 produces a "0" output, the operational function selector 25 selects the operational function specifying register 23, and the operation unit 1 receives F0 as operation code data FC. At this time, the write mask selector 28 selects the write mask register 26, and it outputs M0 as WE to the memory 2. In FIG. 39, data in address 800000H is read out in the read period, which is subjected to calculation with write data D from the data processor 20 by the operation unit 1 in accordance with the calculation code data F0 in the modification period, and the result is written in accordance with data M0 in the write period. The write mask data inhibits writing at "0" and enables writing at "1", and the data M0 is given value FFH for the usual write operation.
When another data processor 20' makes access to the frame buffer 9, function code F1 is preset in the operational function specifying register 24 and mask data M1 is preset in the write mask register 27. In order for the data processor 20' to access the same data as one in address 800000H for the data processor 20, it makes write access to address 900000H. The write access timing relationship for the data processor 20' is similar to that shown in FIG. 39, but differs in that the output signal C of the address decoder 22 is "1" during the access, the function code for modification is F1, and the write mask is M1 in this case.
Accordingly, by making the data processors 20 and 20' access different addresses, the calculation and mask data can be different, and the operational functions need not be set at each time even when the processors implement different display operations as shown in FIG. 29.
Next, the arrangement of the frame buffer memory 9 and the method of setting the operational function according to this embodiment will be described.
FIG. 32 shows a typical arrangement of the frame buffer. Conventionally, a memory has been constructed using a plurality of memory IC (Integrated Circuit) components with external accompaniments of an operation unit 1, operational function specifying register 23 and write mask register 26. The reason for the arrangement of the memory using a plurality of memory IC components is that the memory capacity is too large to be constructed by a single component. The memory is constructed divisionally, each division constituting 1, 3 or 4 bits or the like of data words (16-bit word in this embodiment). For example, when each division forms a bit of data words, at least 16 memory IC components are used. For the same reason when it is intended to integrate the whole frame buffer shown in FIG. 32, it needs to be divided into several IC components.
The following describes the method of this embodiment for setting the operational function and write mask data for the sliced memory structure. The setting method will be described on the assumption that a single operational function specifying register and write mask register are provided, since the plurality of these register sets is not significant for the explanation.
Currently used graphic display units are mostly arranged to have operational functions of logical bit operations, and therefore it is possible to divide the operation unit into bit groups of operation data. It is also possible in principle to divide the operation unit on a bit slicing basis also for the case of implementing arithmetic operations, through the additional provision of a carry control circuit. The write mask register 26 is a circuit controlling the write operation in bit units, and therefore it can obviously be divided into bit units. The operational function specifying register 23 stores a number in a word length determined from the type of operational function of the operation unit 1, which is independent of the word length of operation data (16 bits in this embodiment), and therefore it cannot be divided into bit groups of operation data. On this account, the operational function specifying register 23 needs to be provided for each divided bit group. Although it seems inefficient to have the same functional circuit for each divided bit group, the number of elements used for the peripheral circuits is less than 1% of the memory elements, and the yearly increasing circuit integration density makes this matter insignificant. However, in contrast to the case of slicing the operational function specifying register 23 into bit groups, partition of the frame buffer shown in FIG. 32 into bit groups of data is questionable. The reason is that the operational function specifying register 23 is designed to receive data signals D15-D0. When the frame buffer is simply sliced into 1-bit groups, the operational function specifying register 23 can receive 1-bit data and it cannot receive a 4-bit specification code listed in FIG. 31. If, on the other hand, it is designed to supply a necessary number of 1-bit signals to the operational function specifying register 23, the frame buffer must have terminals effective solely for the specification of operational functions, and this will result in an increased package size when the whole circuit is integrated. If it is designed to specify the operational function using the data bus, the number of operational functions becomes dependent on bit slicing of data, and to avoid this the frame memory of this embodiment is intended to specify operational functions using the address but which is independent of bit slicing.
FIG. 33 shows, as an example, the arrangement of the frame buffer memory which uses part of the address signals for specifying operational functions. Symbol Dj denotes a 1-bit signal in the 16-bit data signals to the graphic display data processor, A23-A1 are address signals to the data processor, WE is the write control signal to the data processor, FS is the data setting control signal for the operational function specifying register 3 and write mask register 26, DOj is a bit of data read out of the memory device 2, DIj is a bit of data produced by the operation unit 1, and Wj is the write control signal to the memory device 2.
FIG. 34 shows, as an example, the arrangement of the write mask register, which includes a write mask data register 61 and a gate 62 for disabling the write control signal WE.
FIG. 35 shows the arrangement of the frame buffer constructed by using the memory circuit shown in FIG. 33. The figure shows a 4-bit arrangement for clarifying the connection to each memory circuit.
FIG. 36 shows the memory circuit of this embodiment applied to a graphic display system, with the intention of explaining the setting of the operation code. Reference number 20 denotes a data processor, and 23 denotes a decoder for producing the set signal FS.
The following describes the operation of the memory circuit. In this embodiment, an address range 800000H-9FFFFFH is assigned to the memory circuit 9. The decoder 23 produces the set signal FS in response to addresses A00000H-A0001FH. The operation unit 1 has the 16 operational functions as listed in FIG. 31.
When the data processor 20 operates to write data F0FFH in address A00014H, for example, the decoder 23 produces the set signal FS to load the address bit signals A4-A1, i.e., 0101B (B signifies binary), in the operational function specifying register 3. Consequently, the operation unit 2 selects the logical-sum operation in compliance with the table in FIG. 31. In the write mask register 26, a bit of 16-bit data 0F00H from the data processor 20, the bit position being the same as the bit position of the memory device, is set in the write mask data register 61. As a result, F0FFH is set as write mask data.
Next, the operation of the data processor 20 for writing F3FFH in address 800000H will be described. It is assumed that the address 800000H has the contents of 0512H in advance. FIG. 37 shows the timing relationship of memory access by the data processor 10. The write access to the memory circuit 9 by the data processor 20 is the read-modify-write operation as shown in FIG. 37. In the read period of this operation, data 0512H is read out onto the DO bus, and the D bus receives F3FFH. In the subsequent modification period, the operation unit 1 implements the operation between data on the D bus and DO bus and outputs the operation result onto the DI bus. In this example, the D bus carries F3FFH and the DO bus carries 0512H, and the DI bus will have data F7FFH as a result of the logical-sum operation which has been selected for the operation unit 1. Finally, in the write period of the read-modify-write operation, data F7FFH on the DI bus is written in the memory device. In this case, F0FFH has been set as write mask data by the aforementioned setting operation, and a "0" bit of mask data enables the gate 62, while "1" bit disables the gate 62 as shown in FIG. 34, causing only 4 bits (D11-D8) to undergo the actual write operation, with the remaining 12 bits being left out of the write operation. Consequently, data in address 800000H is altered to 0712H.
The foregoing embodiment of this invention provides the following effectiveness. Owing to the provision of the operation specifying registers 23 and 24 and the write mask registers 26 and 27 in correspondence to the data processors 20 and 20', specification of a modification function for the read-modify-write operation and mask write specification are done for each data processor even in the case of write access to the frame buffer memory 9 by the data processors 20 and 20' asynchronously and independently, which eliminates the need for arbitration control between the data processors, whereby both processors can implement display processings without interference from each other except for an access delay caused by conflicting accesses to the frame buffer memory 9.
The above embodiment is a frame buffer memory for a graphic display system, and the data processors 20 and 20' mainly perform the coordinate calculations for pixels. The two data processors can share in the coordinate calculation and other processes in case they consume too much time, thereby reducing the processing time and thus minimizing the display wait time. For the case of a time-consuming frame buffer write processing, the use of the read-modify-write operation reduces the frequency of memory access, whereby a high-speed graphic display system operative with a minimal display wait time can be realized.
The above embodiment uses part of the address signal for the control signal, and in consequence a memory circuit operative in read-modify-write mode with the ability of specifying the operational function independent of data slicing methods can be realized. On this account, when all functional blocks are integrated in a circuit component, the arrangement of the memory section can be determined independently of the read-modify-write function.
Although in the foregoing embodiment two data processors are used, it is needless to say that a system including three or more data processors can be constructed in the same principle.
The present invention is obviously applicable to a system in which a single data processor initiates several tasks and separate addresses are assigned to the individual tasks for implementing parallel display processings.
The memory circuit of the above embodiment differs from the usual memory IC component in that the set signal FS for setting the operational function and write mask data and the signal C for selecting an operational function and write mask are involved. These signals may be provided from outside at the expense of two additional IC pins as compared with the usual memory device, or may be substituted by the aforementioned signals by utilization of the memory access timing relationship for the purpose of minimizing the package size. FIG. 38 shows the memory access timing relationship for the latter method, in which a timing unused in the operation of a usual dynamic RAM is used to distinguish processors (the falling edge of RAS causes the WE signal to go low) and to set the operation code and write mask data (the rising edge of RAS causes CAS and WE signals to go low), thereby producing the FS and C signals equivalently.
Although in the above embodiment a 16-bit data word is sliced into 1-bit groups, these values can obviously be altered.
Although in the above embodiment the operational function and write mask are specified concurrently, they may be specified separately.
It is obvious that the word length for operational function specification may be other than 4 bits.
The above embodiment can also be applied to a memory with a serial output port by incorporating a shift register.
According to the above embodiments, the coordinate calculation process in the display process is shared by a plurality of processors so that the calculation time is reduced, and the frame buffer memory operative in a read-modify-write mode can be shared among the processors without the need of arbitration control so that the number of memory accesses is reduced, whereby a high-speed graphic display system can be constructed.
Moreover, the modification operation for the read-modify-write operation is specified independently of the word length of write data, and this realizes a memory circuit incorporating a circuit which implements the read-modify-write operation in arbitrary word lengths, whereby a frame buffer used in a high-speed graphic display system, for example, can be made compact.
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A memory device formed on an IC chip includes dynamic random access memories for effecting data read and write operations, first and second data terminals for receiving data from an external side of the IC chip, and a controller having a first data input connected to the first data terminal to receive first data, a second input connected to receive second data read, a third data input connected to the second data terminal to receive a function mode signal, and operation unit for executing operations between the first data provided from the first data input and the second data provided from the second input. The operation unit includes a function setting unit responsive to the function mode signal for setting a function indicated by the function mode signal prior to receipt of the first data. The second data is read out of a selected part of the storage locations. The operation corresponding to the function set by the function setting unit is executed for the first and second data. The result of the execution is written into the selected part of the storage locations via the input of the dynamic random access memories during one memory cycle.
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PRIORITY TO RELATED APPLICATION(S)
[0001] This application claims the benefit of European Patent Application No. 09151382.0, filed Jan. 27, 2009, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] Schizophrenia is a progressive and devastating neurological disease characterized by episodic positive symptoms such as delusions, hallucinations, thought disorders and psychosis and persistent negative symptoms such as flattened affect, impaired attention and social withdrawal, and cognitive impairments (Lewis D A and Lieberman J A, Neuron, 2000, 28:325-33). For decades research has focused on the “dopaminergic hyperactivity” hypothesis which has led to therapeutic interventions involving blockade of the dopaminergic system (Vandenberg R J and Aubrey K R., Exp. Opin. Ther. Targets, 2001, 5(4): 507-518; Nakazato A and Okuyama S, et al., 2000 , Exp. Opin. Ther. Patents, 10(1): 75-98). This pharmacological approach poorly address negative and cognitive symptoms which are the best predictors of functional outcome (Sharma T., Br. J. Psychiatry, 1999, 174(suppl. 28): 44-51).
[0003] A complementary model of schizophrenia was proposed in the mid-1960' based upon the psychotomimetic action caused by the blockade of the glutamate system by compounds like phencyclidine (PCP) and related agents (ketamine) which are non-competitive NMDA receptor antagonists. Interestingly in healthy volunteers, PCP-induced psychotomimetic action incorporates positive and negative symptoms as well as cognitive dysfunction, thus closely resembling schizophrenia in patients (Javitt D C et al., 1999 , Biol. Psychiatry, 45: 668-679 and refs. herein). Furthermore transgenic mice expressing reduced levels of the NMDAR1 subunit displays behavioral abnormalities similar to those observed in pharmacologically induced models of schizophrenia, supporting a model in which reduced NMDA receptor activity results in schizophrenia-like behavior (Mohn A R et al., 1999 , Cell, 98: 427-236).
[0004] Glutamate neurotransmission, in particular NMDA receptor activity, plays a critical role in synaptic plasticity, learning and memory, such as the NMDA receptors appears to serve as a graded switch for gating the threshold of synaptic plasticity and memory formation (Hebb D O, 1949 , The organization of behavior , Wiley, NY; Bliss T V and Collingridge G L, 1993 , Nature, 361: 31-39). Transgenic mice overexpressing the NMDA NR2B subunit exhibit enhanced synaptic plasticity and superior ability in learning and memory (Tang J P et al., 1999 , Nature: 401-63-69).
[0005] Thus, if a glutamate deficit is implicate in the pathophysiology of schizophrenia, enhancing glutamate transmission, in particular via NMDA receptor activation, would be predicted to produce both anti-psychotic and cognitive enhancing effects.
[0006] The amino acid glycine is known to have at least two important functions in the CNS. It acts as an inhibitory amino acid, binding to strychnine sensitive glycine receptors, and it also influences excitatory activity, acting as an essential co-agonist with glutamate for N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor function. While glutamate is released in an activity-dependent manner from synaptic terminals, glycine is apparently present at a more constant level and seems to modulate/control the receptor for its response to glutamate.
[0007] One of the most effective ways to control synaptic concentrations of neurotransmitter is to influence their re-uptake at the synapses. Neurotransmitter transporters by removing neurotransmitters from the extracellular space, can control their extracellular lifetime and thereby modulate the magnitude of the synaptic transmission (Gainetdinov R R et al, 2002, Trends in Pharm. Sci., 23(8): 367-373).
[0008] Glycine transporters, which form part of the sodium and chloride family of neurotransmitter transporters, play an important role in the termination of post-synaptic glycinergic actions and maintenance of low extracellular glycine concentration by re-uptake of glycine into presynaptic nerve terminals and surrounding fine glial processes.
[0009] Two distinct glycine transporter genes have been cloned (GlyT-1 and GlyT-2) from mammalian brain, which give rise to two transporters with ˜50% amino acid sequence homology. GlyT-1 presents four isoforms arising from alternative splicing and alternative promoter usage (1a, 1b, 1c and 1d). Only two of these isoforms have been found in rodent brain (GlyT-1a and GlyT-1b). GlyT-2 also presents some degree of heterogeneity. Two GlyT-2 isoforms (2a and 2b) have been identified in rodent brains. GlyT-1 is known to be located in CNS and in peripheral tissues, whereas GlyT-2 is specific to the CNS. GlyT-1 has a predominantly glial distribution and is found not only in areas corresponding to strychnine sensitive glycine receptors but also outside these areas, where it has been postulated to be involved in modulation of NMDA receptor function (Lopez-Corcuera B et al., 2001 , Mol. Mem. Biol., 18: 13-20). Thus, one strategy to enhance NMDA receptor activity is to elevate the glycine concentration in the local microenvironment of synaptic NMDA receptors by inhibition of GlyT-1 transporter (Bergereon R. Et al., 1998 , Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, 95: 15730-15734; Chen L et al., 2003 , J. Neurophysiol., 89 (2): 691-703).
[0010] Glycine transporters inhibitors are suitable for the treatment of neuroligical and neuropsychiatric disorders. The majority of diseases states implicated are psychoses, schizophrenia (Armer R E and Miller D J, 2001 , Exp. Opin. Ther. Patents, 11 (4): 563-572), psychotic mood disorders such as severe major depressive disorder, mood disorders associated with psychotic disorders such as acute mania or depression associated with bipolar disorders and mood disorders associated with schizophrenia, (Pralong E T et al., 2002 , Prog. Neurobiol., 67: 173-202), autistic disorders (Carlsson M L, 1998 , J. Neural Transm. 105: 525-535), cognitive disorders such as dementias, including age related dementia and senile dementia of the Alzheimer type, memory disorders in a mammal, including a human, attention deficit disorders and pain (Armer R E and Miller D J, 2001 , Exp. Opin. Ther. Patents, 11 (4): 563-572).
[0011] Thus, increasing activation of NMDA receptors via GlyT-1 inhibition may lead to agents that treat psychosis, schizophrenia, dementia and other diseases in which cognitive processes are impaired, such as attention deficit disorders or Alzheimer's disease.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0012] The present invention provides a compound of formula I
[0000]
[0000] wherein
R 1 is hydrogen, lower alkyl, CD 3 , —(CH 2 ) n —CHO, —(CH 2 ) n —O-lower alkyl, —(CH 2 ) n —OH, —(CH 2 ) n -cycloalkyl or heterocycloalkyl; R 2 is hydrogen, halogen, hydroxy, lower alkyl, di-lower alkyl, —OCH 2 —O-lower alkyl, or lower alkoxy; or the piperidin ring together with R 2 forms 4-aza-spiro[2.5]oct-6-yl; Ar is aryl or heteroaryl, each of which is optionally substituted by one, two or three substituents selected from halogen, lower alkyl, lower alkyl substituted by halogen, lower alkoxy substituted by halogen, cycloalkyl, lower alkoxy, S-lower alkyl, heteroaryl, heterocycloalkyl, or and phenyl optionally substituted by R′; R′ is halogen, lower alkyl, lower alkoxy, lower alkoxy substituted by halogen, or heteroaryl; R is lower alkyl, cycloalkyl, heterocycloalkyl, aryl or heteroaryl, wherein aryl and heteroaryl are each optionally substituted by one or two R′; and n is 0, 1 2 or 3;
or a pharmaceutically acceptable acid addition salt, a racemic mixture, or its corresponding enantiomer and/or optical isomer thereof.
[0019] Furthermore, the invention includes all racemic mixtures, all their corresponding enantiomers and/or optical isomers.
[0020] The present invention provides pharmaceutical compositions containing the compounds of formula I or pharmaceutically acceptable acid addition salts thereof. The invention also provides methods for the manufacture of the compounds and compositions of the invention.
[0021] Compounds of formula I are good inhibitors of the glycine transporter 1 (GlyT-1) and have a good selectivity to glycine transporter 2 (GlyT-2) inhibitors. As such, the compounds of the invention are useful for the treatment of diseases related to activation of NMDA receptors via Glyt-1 inhibition. The invention provides methods for the treatment of neurological and neuropsychiatric disorders, for example psychoses, dysfunction in memory and learning, schizophrenia, dementia and other diseases in which cognitive processes are impaired, such as attention deficit disorders or Alzheimer's disease.
[0022] The preferred indications using the compounds of the present invention are schizophrenia, cognitive impairment and Alzheimer's disease.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0023] The following definitions of general terms used herein apply irrespective of whether the terms in question appear alone or in combination. It must be noted that, as used in the specification and the appended claims, the singular forms “a”, “an,” and “the” include plural forms unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.
[0024] As used herein, the term “lower alkyl” denotes a saturated straight- or branched-chain hydrocarbon group containing from 1 to 7 carbon atoms, for example, methyl, ethyl, propyl, isopropyl, n-butyl, i-butyl, 2-butyl, t-butyl and the like. Preferred alkyl groups are groups with 1-4 carbon atoms.
[0025] As used herein, the term “lower alkoxy” denotes a lower alkyl group as defined above, which is linked through an O atom.
[0026] The term “cycloalkyl” denotes a saturated or partially saturated ring containing from 3 to 7 carbon atoms, for example cyclopropyl, cyclobutyl, cyclopentyl, cyclopentenyl, cyclohexyl, cyclohexenyl, cycloheptyl or cycloheptenyl. Preferred cycloalkyl rings are cyclopropyl and cyclopentyl.
[0027] The term “heterocycloalkyl” denotes a saturated or partially saturated ring containing from 3 to 6 ring atoms, wherein at least one ring atom is a heteroatom selected from N, S and O, with the rest of the ring atoms being carbon, for example piperazinyl, pyrrolidinyl, oxetanyl, morpholinyl piperidinyl, or tetrahydropyranyl.
[0028] The term “halogen” denotes chlorine, iodine, fluorine and bromine.
[0029] The term “aryl” denotes a monovalent cyclic aromatic hydrocarbon radical consisting of one or more fused rings in which at least one ring is aromatic in nature, for example phenyl or naphthyl.
[0030] The term “lower alkyl substituted by halogen” denotes a lower alkyl group as defined above, wherein at least one hydrogen atom is replaced by a halogen atom, for example the following groups: CF 3 , CHF 2 , CH 2 F, CH 2 CF 3 , CH 2 CHF 2 , CH 2 CH 2 F, CH 2 CH 2 CF 3 , CH 2 CH 2 CH 2 CF 3 , CH 2 CH 2 Cl, CH 2 CF 2 CF 3 , CH 2 CF 2 CHF 2 , CF 2 CHFCF 3 , C(CH 3 ) 2 CF 3 , CH(CH 3 )CF 3 or CH(CH 2 F)CH 2 F.
[0031] The term “lower alkoxy substituted by halogen” denotes an alkoxy group as defined above, wherein at least one hydrogen atom is replaced by halogen as defined above.
[0032] The term “heteroaryl” denotes a cyclic aromatic radical consisting of one or more fused rings containing 5-14 ring atoms, preferably containing 5-10 ring atoms, in which at least one ring is aromatic in nature, and which contains at least one heteroatom, selected from N, O and S, for example quinoxalinyl, dihydroisoquinolinyl, pyrazinyl, pyridazinyl, pyrazolyl, pyridinyl, pyridyl, pyrimidinyl, oxadiazolyl, triazolyl, tetrazolyl, thiazolyl, thiadiazolyl, thienyl, furyl, imidazolyl, benzofuranyl, dihydrobenzofuranyl and benzo[1,3]dioxole. Preferred heteroaryl group is pyridinyl.
[0033] “Pharmaceutically acceptable,” such as pharmaceutically acceptable carrier, excipient, etc., means pharmacologically acceptable and substantially non-toxic to the subject to which the particular compound is administered.
[0034] The term “pharmaceutically acceptable acid addition salts” embraces salts with inorganic and organic acids, such as hydrochloric acid, nitric acid, sulfuric acid, phosphoric acid, citric acid, formic acid, fumaric acid, maleic acid, acetic acid, succinic acid, tartaric acid, methane-sulfonic acid, p-toluenesulfonic acid and the like.
[0035] “Therapeutically effective amount” means an amount that is effective to prevent, alleviate or ameliorate symptoms of disease or prolong the survival of the subject being treated.
[0036] Preferred compounds of formula I are those, wherein R 1 is lower alkyl and Ar and R are phenyl.
[0037] Especially preferred are compounds, wherein the phenyl group for Ar is substituted by at least two CF 3 groups, for example the following compounds:
rac-2-fluoro-N-(1-methyl-3-phenyl-piperidin-3-yl)-4,6-bis-trifluoromethyl-benzamide; rac-2-methoxy-N-(1-methyl-3-phenyl-piperidin-3-yl)-4,6-bis-trifluoromethyl-benzamide; rac-2-ethyl-N-(1-methyl-3-phenyl-piperidin-3-yl)-4,6-bis-trifluoromethyl-benzamide; rac-N-[3-(4-fluoro-phenyl)-1-methyl-piperidin-3-yl]-2-methoxy-4,6-bis-trifluoromethyl-benzamide; and 2-methoxy-N—((R)-1-methyl-3-phenyl-piperidin-3-yl)-4,6-bis-trifluoromethyl-benzamide.
[0043] Further preferred are compounds, wherein the phenyl group for Ar is substituted by at least one CF 3 group, for example the following compounds:
rac-2-ethyl-N-(1-methyl-3-phenyl-piperidin-3-yl)-4-trifluoromethyl-benzamide; rac-2-bromo-6-methoxy-N-(1-methyl-3-phenyl-piperidin-3-yl)-4-trifluoromethyl-benzamide; rac-N-(1,2-dimethyl-3-phenyl-piperidin-3-yl)-2-methoxy-6-methylsulfanyl-4-trifluoromethyl-benzamide; rac-2-cyclopropyl-N-(1-methyl-3-phenyl-piperidin-3-yl)-4-trifluoromethyl-benzamide; rac-2-methoxy-N-(1-methyl-3-phenyl-piperidin-3-yl)-6-methylsulfanyl-4-trifluoromethyl-benzamide; rac-N-(1-methyl-3-phenyl-piperidin-3-yl)-2-methylsulfanyl-4-trifluoromethyl-benzamide; rac-N-[3-(4-fluoro-phenyl)-1-methyl-piperidin-3-yl]-2-methoxy-6-methylsulfanyl-4-trifluoromethyl-benzamide; rac-N-[3-(4-chloro-phenyl)-1-methyl-piperidin-3-yl]-2-methoxy-6-methylsulfanyl-4-trifluoromethyl-benzamide; 2-methoxy-N—((S)-1-methyl-3-phenyl-piperidin-3-yl)-6-methylsulfanyl-4-trifluoromethyl-benzamide; 2-methoxy-N—((R)-1-methyl-3-phenyl-piperidin-3-yl)-6-methylsulfanyl-4-trifluoromethyl-benzamide; rac-2-difluoromethoxy-N-(1-methyl-3-phenyl-piperidin-3-yl)-4-trifluoromethyl-benzamide; rac-N-[3-(3-chloro-phenyl)-1-methyl-piperidin-3-yl]-2-methoxy-6-methylsulfanyl-4-trifluoromethyl-benzamide; rac-2-methoxy-N-[3-(4-methoxy-phenyl)-1-methyl-piperidin-3-yl]-6-methylsulfanyl-4-trifluoromethyl-benzamide; rac-N-(5-fluoro-1-methyl-3-phenyl-piperidin-3-yl)-2-methoxy-6-methylsulfanyl-4-trifluoromethyl-benzamide; rac-N-(1-isopropyl-3-phenyl-piperidin-3-yl)-2-methoxy-6-methylsulfanyl-4-trifluoromethyl-benzamide; 2-cyclopropyl-N—((S)-1-methyl-3-phenyl-piperidin-3-yl)-4-trifluoromethyl-benzamide; 2-cyclopropyl-N—((R)-1-methyl-3-phenyl-piperidin-3-yl)-4-trifluoromethyl-benzamide; rac-2-cyclobutyl-N-(1-methyl-3-phenyl-piperidin-3-yl)-4-trifluoromethyl-benzamide; rac-N-[3-(2,4-difluoro-phenyl)-1-methyl-piperidin-3-yl]-2-methoxy-6-methylsulfanyl-4-trifluoromethyl-benzamide; rac-N-[3-(2-fluoro-phenyl)-1-methyl-piperidin-3-yl]-2-methoxy-6-methylsulfanyl-4-trifluoromethyl-benzamide; rac-N-[3-(2,5-difluoro-phenyl)-1-methyl-piperidin-3-yl]-2-methoxy-6-methylsulfanyl-4-trifluoromethyl-benzamide; rac-2-isopropyl-N-(1-methyl-3-phenyl-piperidin-3-yl)-4-trifluoromethyl-benzamide; rac-2-methoxy-6-methylsulfanyl-N-(1-methyl-1,4,5,6-tetrahydro-2H-[3,4′]bipyridinyl-3-yl)-4-trifluoromethyl-benzamide; rac-2-ethyl-N-(1-methyl-1,4,5,6-tetrahydro-2H-[3,4′]bipyridinyl-3-yl)-4-trifluoromethyl-benzamide; rac-2-methoxy-6-methylsulfanyl-N-(1-methyl-1,4,5,6-tetrahydro-2H-[3,3′]bipyridinyl-3-yl)-4-trifluoromethyl-benzamide; rac-2-Ethyl-N-(1-methyl-1,4,5,6-tetrahydro-2H-[3,3′]bipyridinyl-3-yl)-4-trifluoromethyl-benzamide hydrochloride; 2-methoxy-N-((3RS,5SR)-5-methoxy-1-methyl-3-phenyl-piperidin-3-yl)-6-methylsulfanyl-4-trifluoromethyl-benzamide; 2-cyclopropyl-N-((3RS,5SR)-5-methoxy-1-methyl-3-phenyl-piperidin-3-yl)-4-trifluoromethyl-benzamide; 2-ethyl-N-((3RS,5SR)-5-methoxy-1-methyl-3-phenyl-piperidin-3-yl)-4-trifluoromethyl-benzamide; rac-2,6-dimethoxy-N-(1-methyl-3-phenyl-piperidin-3-yl)-4-trifluoromethyl-benzamide; 2-cyclopropyl-N-((3RS,5SR)-1,5-dimethyl-3-phenyl-piperidin-3-yl)-4-trifluoromethyl-benzamide; rac-2-cyclopropyl-4-trifluoromethyl-N-(1,5,5-trimethyl-3-phenyl-piperidin-3-yl)-benzamide; rac-2-methoxy-6-methylsulfanyl-4-trifluoromethyl-N-(1,6,6-trimethyl-3-phenyl-piperidin-3-yl)-benzamide; N-((3RS,5SR)-1,5-dimethyl-3-phenyl-piperidin-3-yl)-2-methoxy-6-methylsulfanyl-4-trifluoromethyl-benzamide; 2-methoxy-N-((3RS,5SR)-5-methoxymethoxy-1-methyl-3-phenyl-piperidin-3-yl)-6-methylsulfanyl-4-trifluoromethyl-benzamide; rac-N-[3-(3-bromo-phenyl)-1-methyl-piperidin-3-yl]-2-methoxy-6-methylsulfanyl-4-trifluoromethyl-benzamide; rac-N-[3-(2-chloro-4-fluoro-phenyl)-1-methyl-piperidin-3-yl]-2-methoxy-6-methylsulfanyl-4-trifluoromethyl-benzamide; rac-2-methoxy-6-methylsulfanyl-N-[1-methyl-3-(3-trifluoromethyl-phenyl)-piperidin-3-yl]-4-trifluoromethyl-benzamide; rac-2-methoxy-N-[3-(3-methoxy-phenyl)-1-methyl-piperidin-3-yl]-6-methylsulfanyl-4-trifluoromethyl-benzamide; rac-N-[3-(3-fluoro-phenyl)-1-methyl-piperidin-3-yl]-2-methoxy-6-methylsulfanyl-4-trifluoromethyl-benzamide;
[0084] rac-N-[3-(3-chloro-4-fluoro-phenyl)-1-methyl-piperidin-3-yl]-2-methoxy-6-methylsulfanyl-4-trifluoromethyl-benzamide
rac-N-[3-(3,4-difluoro-phenyl)-1-methyl-piperidin-3-yl]-2-methoxy-6-methylsulfanyl-4-trifluoromethyl-benzamide; rac-2-methoxy-6-methylsulfanyl-N-(1-methyl-3-m-tolyl-piperidin-3-yl)-4-trifluoromethyl-benzamide; rac-N-[3-(4-fluoro-3-methyl-phenyl)-1-methyl-piperidin-3-yl]-2-methoxy-6-methylsulfanyl-4-trifluoromethyl-benzamide; rac-N-[3-(3,5-difluoro-phenyl)-1-methyl-piperidin-3-yl]-2-methoxy-6-methylsulfanyl-4-trifluoromethyl-benzamide; rac-2-methoxy-6-methylsulfanyl-4-trifluoromethyl-N-(1,5,5-trimethyl-3-phenyl-piperidin-3-yl)-benzamide; rac-2-ethyl-3-methyl-N-(1-methyl-3-phenyl-piperidin-3-yl)-4-trifluoromethyl-benzamide; rac-N-(1-tert-butyl-3-phenyl-piperidin-3-yl)-2-methoxy-6-methylsulfanyl-4-trifluoromethyl-benzamide; rac-2-methoxy-N-(4-methyl-6-phenyl-4-aza-spiro[2.5]oct-6-yl)-6-methylsulfanyl-4-trifluoromethyl-benzamide; N-((3R,5S) or (3S,5R)-5-hydroxy-1-methyl-3-phenyl-piperidin-3-yl)-2-methoxy-6-methylsulfanyl-4-trifluoromethyl-benzamide; 2-methoxy-N-((3R,5S) or (3S,5R)-5-methoxy-1-methyl-3-phenyl-piperidin-3-yl)-6-methylsulfanyl-4-trifluoromethyl-benzamide; 2-methoxy-N-((3S,5R) or (3R,5S)-5-methoxy-1-methyl-3-phenyl-piperidin-3-yl)-6-methylsulfanyl-4-trifluoromethyl-benzamide; N—[(R or S)-3-(2-fluoro-phenyl)-1-methyl-piperidin-3-yl]-2-methoxy-6-methylsulfanyl-4-trifluoromethyl-benzamide; N—[(R or S)-3-(2,5-difluoro-phenyl)-1-methyl-piperidin-3-yl]-2-methoxy-6-methylsulfanyl-4-trifluoromethyl-benzamide; 2-ethyl-N-((R or S)-1-methyl-3-phenyl-piperidin-3-yl)-4-trifluoromethyl-benzamide; 2-methoxy-6-methylsulfanyl-4-trifluoromethyl-N—((S or R)-1,5,5-trimethyl-3-phenyl-piperidin-3-yl)-benzamide; N-((3S,6S) or (3R,6R)-1,6-dimethyl-3-phenyl-piperidin-3-yl)-2-methoxy-6-methylsulfanyl-4-trifluoromethyl-benzamide; N-((3R,6R) or (3S,6S)-1,6-dimethyl-3-phenyl-piperidin-3-yl)-2-methoxy-6-methylsulfanyl-4-trifluoromethyl-benzamide; N-((3R,6S) or (3S,6R)-1,6-dimethyl-3-phenyl-piperidin-3-yl)-2-methoxy-6-methylsulfanyl-4-trifluoromethyl-benzamide; N-((3S,5R) or (3R,5S)-1,5-dimethyl-3-phenyl-piperidin-3-yl)-2-methoxy-6-methylsulfanyl-4-trifluoromethyl-benzamide; N-((3R,5S) or (3S,5R)-1,5-dimethyl-3-phenyl-piperidin-3-yl)-2-ethyl-4-trifluoromethyl-benzamide; 2-ethyl-N-((3R,5S) or (3S,5R)-5-methoxy-1-methyl-3-phenyl-piperidin-3-yl)-4-trifluoromethyl-benzamide; 2-cyclopropyl-N-((3R,5S) or (3S,5R)-5-methoxy-1-methyl-3-phenyl-piperidin-3-yl)-4-trifluoromethyl-benzamide; and 2,6-Dimethoxy-N—(R or (S)-1-methyl-3-phenyl-piperidin-3-yl)-4-trifluoromethyl-benzamide.
[0108] Preferred compounds of formula I are those, wherein R 1 is cycloalkyl or heterocycloalkyl and Ar and R are phenyl, for example
rac-N-(1-cyclopentyl-3-phenyl-piperidin-3-yl)-2-methoxy-4,6-bis-trifluoromethyl-benzamide; rac-N-(1-cyclopropylmethyl-3-phenyl-piperidin-3-yl)-2-methoxy-4,6-bis-trifluoromethyl-benzamide; and rac-2-methoxy-N-[3-phenyl-1-(tetrahydro-pyran-4-yl)-piperidin-3-yl]-4,6-bis-trifluoromethyl-benzamide.
[0112] Preferred compounds of formula I are those, wherein R 1 is lower alkyl, Ar is phenyl and R is heteroaryl, for example
rac-N-(5-fluoro-1′-methyl-1′,4′,5′,6′-tetrahydro-2′H-[2,3′]bipyridinyl-3′-yl)-2-methoxy-6-methylsulfanyl-4-trifluoromethyl-benzamide; rac-2-methoxy-6-methylsulfanyl-N-(1-methyl-1,4,5,6-tetrahydro-2H-[3,4′]bipyridinyl-3-yl)-4-trifluoromethyl-benzamide; rac-2-ethyl-N-(1-methyl-1,4,5,6-tetrahydro-2H-[3,4′]bipyridinyl-3-yl)-4-trifluoromethyl-benzamide hydrochloride; rac-2-methoxy-6-methylsulfanyl-N-(1-methyl-1,4,5,6-tetrahydro-2H-[3,3′]bipyridinyl-3-yl)-4-trifluoromethyl-benzamide; and rac-2-ethyl-N-(1-methyl-1,4,5,6-tetrahydro-2H-[3,3′]bipyridinyl-3-yl)-4-trifluoromethyl-benzamide.
[0118] Preferred compounds of formula I are those, wherein R 1 is hydrogen and Ar and R are phenyl, for example, rac-2-cyclopropyl-N-(3-phenyl-piperidin-3-yl)-4-trifluoromethyl-benzamide.
[0119] Preferred compounds of formula I are those, wherein R 2 is hydroxy, for example
rac-N-(5-hydroxy-1-methyl-3-phenyl-piperidin-3-yl)-2-methoxy-6-methylsulfanyl-4-trifluoromethyl-benzamide and N-((3R,5S) or (3S,5R)-5-hydroxy-1-methyl-3-phenyl-piperidin-3-yl)-2-methoxy-6-methylsulfanyl-4-trifluoromethyl-benzamide.
[0122] Preferred compounds of formula I are those, wherein R 2 is halogen, for example rac-N-(5-fluoro-1-methyl-3-phenyl-piperidin-3-yl)-2-methoxy-6-methylsulfanyl-4-trifluoromethyl-benzamide.
[0123] Preferred compounds of formula I are those, wherein R 1 is CD 3 , for example the following compound [2H-methyl]-2-methoxy-N—(R) or (S)-1-methyl-3-phenyl-piperidin-3-yl)-6-methylsulfanyl-4-trifluoromethyl-benzamide hydrochloride.
[0124] The present compounds of formula I and their pharmaceutically acceptable salts can be prepared by methods known in the art, for example, by processes described below, which process comprises
[0125] a) reacting a compound of formula
[0000]
[0000] with a compound of formula
[0000]
[0000] in the presence of an activating agent such as HATU (o-(7-azabenzotriazol-1-yl)-1,1,3,3-tetramethyluronium hexafluorophosphate) or thionyl chloride
to obtain a compound of formula
[0000]
[0000] wherein the substituents are as defined above, or
[0126] b) reacting a compound of formula
[0000]
[0000] with a compound of formula
[0000] R 1 X
[0000] in the presence of base like N-ethyldiisopropylamine to obtain a compound of formula
[0000]
[0000] wherein X is halogen and the other substituents are as defined above, or
[0127] c) reacting a compound of formula
[0000]
[0000] with a carbonyl reagent of formula R 4 —C(O)—R 5 ,
in the presence of a reducing agent like sodium cyanoborohydride to obtain a compound of formula
[0000]
[0000] wherein the substituents are as defined above, R 4 and R 5 are lower alkyl or form together with the carbon atom to which they are attached a cycloalkyl or heterocycloalkyl group, and if desired, converting the compounds obtained into pharmaceutically acceptable acid addition salts.
[0128] The compounds of formula I can be prepared in accordance with process variant a) or b) or c) and with the following schemes 1-12. The starting material is commercially available or can be prepared in accordance with known methods.
[0000]
[0129] Compounds of general formula I can be prepared by reacting piperidine derivatives of formula II with acid of formula III in the presence of an activating agent like HATU (o-(7-azabenzotriazol-1-yl)-1,1,3,3-tetramethyluronium hexafluorophosphate) or thionyl chloride. Piperidine derivatives of formula II can be prepared by reacting piperidone derivative VI with an organometallic reagent like a Grignard to provide alcohol VII followed by a treatment with sodium azide in the presence of an acid like TFA to provide azide derivative VIII which is transformed into II in the presence of a reducing agent like lithium aluminium hydride.
[0000]
[0130] Alternatively, piperidine derivatives of formula II in which R 2 is hydrogen can be prepared from nitro-piperidone derivatives XII after reduction of the nitro group with reducing agent like Raney Nickel under an atmosphere of hydrogen or like Zinc in the presence of acid like hydrochloride acid to provide amino-piperidone derivatives XIII which can be reduced to II in the presence of reducing agent like lithium aluminium hydride. Nitro-piperidone derivatives XII can be prepared from nitro derivatives XI according to an intramolecular Mannich type reaction performed in the presence of an amine: R 1 NH 2 and an aldehyde like formaldehyde. XI can be prepared by Michael addition of nitro-methyl-aryl derivatives IX onto methyl acrylate in the presence of base like Amberlyst A21 or Triton B or by reacting aryl halide derivatives X with methyl 4-nitrobutyrate in the presence of Palladium catalyst like Pd 2 dba 3 , ligand like 2-(di-t-butylphosphino)-2′-methybiphenyl and base like cesium carbonate as described by Buchwald et al. in J. Org. Chem. 2002, 106.
[0000]
[0131] Alternatively, piperidine derivatives of formula II in which R is an alkyl group can be prepared from acid XVI after a Curtius rearrangement in the presence of a reagent like DPPA (diphenylphosphoryl azide) to provide isocyanate XVII which is then hydrolyzed in presence of base like sodium hydroxide to lead to protected piperidine XVIII that is reduced in II in a presence of a reducing agent like lithium aluminiumhydride. Acid XVI can be prepared from ester XIV after treatment with a base like lithium diisopropylamide and an alkylating agent R—X to provide intermediate ester XV which is then saponified to XVI in the presence of base like lithium hydroxide.
[0000]
[0132] The substituents are as described above, R 4 and R 5 are lower alkyl or form together with the carbon atom to which they are attached a cycloalkyl or heterocycloalkyl group.
[0133] Alternatively, compounds of general formula I can be prepared by reaction of piperidine derivative IV with either an alkylating agent R 1 X in the presence of base like N-ethyldiisopropylamine or with a carbonyl reagent V in the presence of a reducing agent like sodium cyanoborohydride. Piperidine derivative IV can be prepared after reduction of azide VIII with reagent like sodium borohydride to provide amine derivative XIX which can be then coupled with acid III in the presence of an activating agent like HATU or thionyl chloride to yield amide derivative XX which is then transformed into IV after cleavage of the N-protective group.
[0000]
[0134] Alternatively, piperidine derivatives of formula II in which R 2 is fluorine can be prepared from fluorinated nitro piperidone XXI after two consecutive reductions. The first reduction uses an agent like Raney Nickel, and the second reduction uss an agent like lithium aluminiumhydride. XXI can be prepared by reaction of nitro piperidine XII with a base like lithium diisopropylamine followed by treatment with an electrophilic fluorinating agent like N-fluorobenzenesulphonimide.
[0000]
[0135] Alternatively, piperidine derivatives of formula II in which R 2 is alkyl can be prepared from alkylated nitro piperidone XXIII after two consecutive reductions. The first reduction uses an agent like Raney Nickel, and the second reduction uses an agent like lithium aluminiumhydride. XXIII can be prepared by reaction of nitro piperidine XII with a base like lithium diisopropylamine followed by treatment with an electrophilic alkylating agent like R 2 X where X is an halogen.
[0000]
[0136] Alternatively, piperidine derivatives of formula II which contains two geminal alkyl group R 2 can be prepared from bis-alkylated nitro piperidone XXV after two consecutive reductions. The first reduction uses an agent like Raney Nickel, and the second reduction uses an agent like lithium aluminiumhydride. XXV can be prepared by reaction of mono-alkylated nitro piperidine XXIII with a base like lithium diisopropylamine in the presence of TMEDA (tetramethylethylenediamine) followed by treatment with an electrophilic alkylating agent like R 2 X where X is an halogen.
[0000]
[0137] Alternatively, piperidine derivatives of formula II in which R 2 is an hydroxyl (R 6 ═H) or an alkoxy group (R 6 =Alkyl) can be prepared from hydroxy nitro piperidone XXVII or alkoxy nitro piperidone XXVIII after two consecutive reductions. The first reduction uses an agent like Raney Nickel, and the second reduction uses an agent like lithium aluminiumhydride. XXVIII can be prepared from XXVII by reaction with a base like sodium hydride and an electrophilic alkylating agent like R 6 X where X is an halogen. XXVII can be prepared by reaction of nitro piperidine XII with a base like lithium diisopropylamine followed by treatment with an electrophilic hydroxylating agent like (oxodiperoxy(pyridine) (1,3-dimethyl-3,4,5,6-tetrahydro-2(1H)-pyrimidone)molybdenum(IV)) or bis(trimethylsilyl)peroxide.
[0000]
[0138] Alternatively, piperidine derivatives of formula II in which R is an heteroaryl group like pyridine can be prepared from nitro piperidine thione XXX after two consecutive reductions The first reduction uses an agent like sodium borohydride, and the second reduction uses an agent like Raney Nickel. XXX can be prepared from nitro piperidinone XXII by reaction with Lawesson's reagent.
[0000]
[0139] Alternatively, piperidine derivatives of formula II which contains two geminal methyl groups can be prepared from Boc-protected amino piperidinone XXXII after reaction with methylmagnesium bromide and Zirconium (IV) chloride followed by cleavage of the Boc group under acidic condition. XXXII can be prepared after reaction of amino piperidone XIII with di-tert-butyl dicarbonate.
[0000]
[0140] Alternatively, piperidine derivatives of formula II which contains a cyclopropyl unit can be prepared from Boc-protected amino piperidinone XXXII after reaction with ethyl magnesium bromide and titanium isopropoxide followed by cleavage of the Boc group under acidic condition.
[0000]
[0141] Alternatively, piperidine derivatives of formula II in which R 2 is an alkyl group can be prepared from nitro derivative XXXIX following an intramolecular Mannich reaction performed in the presence of an aldehyde like formaldehyde to provide nitro piperidine XXXX which is then treated with a reducing agent like Raney Nickel. XXXIX can be obtained by deprotection of Boc-protected nitro derivative XXXVIII which can be prepared by reaction of nitro derivative XXXXI with halogenated compound XXXVII in the presence of a base like n-butyl lithium. XXXVII can be obtained after protection and halogenation of amino alcohol XXXV.
[0142] Racemic mixtures of chiral compound I can be separated using chiral HPLC.
[0143] The acid addition salts of the basic compounds of formula I can be converted to the corresponding free bases by treatment with at least a stoichiometric equivalent of a suitable base such as sodium or potassium hydroxide, potassium carbonate, sodium bicarbonate, ammonia, and the like.
Experimental Part
Abbreviations
[0144] HATU O-(7-azabenzotriazol-1-yl)-1,1,3,3-tetramethyluronium hexafluorophosphate
DMF Dimethylformamide
DMSO Dimethylsulfoxide
THF Tetrahydrofuran
TMEDA Tetramethylethylenediamine
Preparation of Intermediates
Example A.1
Preparation of rac-1-Methyl-3-phenyl-piperidin-3-ylamine
[0145]
a) step 1: rac-3-Hydroxy-3-phenyl-piperidine-1-carboxylic acid benzyl ester
[0146]
[0147] To a solution of 9 ml (9 mmol) phenylmagnesium bromide (1M solution in THF) in THF (13 ml) was added a solution of 1.5 g (6.00 mmol) 3-oxo-piperidine-1-carboxylic acid benzyl ester (commercial) in THF (5 ml) at room temperature over a period of 15 minutes. The mixture was stirred for 30 minutes and then quenched under ice bath cooling with a 20% ammonium chloride solution (4 ml). The organic layer was decanted and the residue was extracted once with ethyl acetate. The combined organic layers were dried over sodium sulfate, filtered and concentrated in vacuo. The crude oil was purified on silica gel (Eluent: Heptane/ethyl acetate 0 to 50%) to provide 0.55 g (30%) of the title compound as a white solid. MS (m/e): 312.0 (M+H + )
a) step 2: rac-3-Azido-3-phenyl-piperidine-1-carboxylic acid benzyl ester
[0148]
[0149] g (3.212 mmol) 3-Hydroxy-3-phenyl-piperidine-1-carboxylic acid benzyl ester was dissolved in a cold mixture (10° C.) of trifluoroacetic acid (12.3 ml) and water (2.0 ml). The solution was cooled to 0° C. and 1.46 g (22.48 mmol) sodium azide were added portionwise. The temperature rose to 10° C. The ice bath was removed and the mixture was stirred at room temperature for 3 hours. The mixture was cooled in an ice bath and basified by dropwise addition of a 25% ammonium hydroxide solution (13.0 ml) maintaining the temperature below 20° C. The mixture was diluted with water (45 ml) and extracted 3 times with dichloromethane. The combined extracts were washed once with brine, dried over sodium sulfate, filtered and concentrated in vacuo to provide the title compound as a light yellow oil which was used in the next step without further purification.
a) step 3: rac-1-Methyl-3-phenyl-piperidin-3-ylamine
[0150] To a suspension of 126 mg (3.15 mmol) LiAlH 4 in THF (2.7 ml) at temperature below 10° C. was added dropwise a solution of 530 mg (1.576 mmol) rac-3-azido-3-phenyl-piperidine-1-carboxylic acid benzyl ester in THF (5.3 ml). The ice bath was removed. The temperature rose to 35° C. The mixture was then heated in a 65° C. oil bath for 1 hour. The mixture was cooled to 0° C. Water (125 ul), NaOH 5N (125 ul) and finally water (0.375 ml) were added dropwise maintaining the temperature below 10° C. The mixture was diluted with ethyl acetate. Sodium sulfate was added. The mixture was filtered and the filtrate was concentrated in vacuo. The crude oil was purified on silica gel (Eluent: Heptane/ethyl acetate 0 to 100%) to provide 0.14 g (47%) of the title compound as a yellow oil. MS (m/e): 191.5 (M+H + )
Example A.2
Preparation of rac-3-(4-Fluoro-phenyl)-1-methyl-piperidin-3-ylamine
[0151]
[0152] In analogy to the procedure described for the synthesis of example A.1 (step 1-3), the title compound was prepared from 3-oxo-piperidine-1-carboxylic acid benzyl ester (commercial) and 4-fluoro-phenylmagnesium bromide. MS (m/e): 209.2 (M+H + ).
Example A.3
Preparation of rac-3-(4-Chloro-phenyl)-1-methyl-piperidin-3-ylamine
[0153]
[0154] In analogy to the procedure described for the synthesis of example A.1 (step 1-3), the title compound was prepared from 3-oxo-piperidine-1-carboxylic acid benzyl ester (commercial) and 4-chloro-phenylmagnesium bromide. MS (m/e): 225.3 (M+H + ).
Example A.4
Preparation of rac-1-Methyl-3-p-tolyl-piperidin-3-ylamine
[0155]
[0156] In analogy to the procedure described for the synthesis of example A.1 (step 1-3), the title compound was prepared from 3-oxo-piperidine-1-carboxylic acid benzyl ester (commercial) and 4-methyl-phenylmagnesium bromide. MS (m/e): 205.3 (M+H + ).
Example A.5
Preparation of rac-1,2-Dimethyl-3-phenyl-piperidin-3-ylamine
[0157]
a) step 1: 3-Hydroxy-2-methyl-piperidine-1-carboxylic acid benzyl ester
[0158]
[0159] To a solution of 1.4 g (9.232 mmol) 2-methyl-piperidin-3-ol (CAS: 4766-56-7) in 9.8 ml dichloromethane under argon at room temperature, was added 2.57 ml (18.46 mmol) triethylamine. The mixture was stirred for 15 minutes and then cooled to 0° C. 1.37 ml (9.232 mmol) benzyl chloroformate was added dropwise. The reaction mixture was allowed to come to room temperature and the stirring was continued overnight. The mixture was extracted three times with water and the combined extracts were dried over sodium sulfate, filtered and concentrated in vacuo. The crude product was purified with flash column chromatography on silica gel (Eluent: Heptane/ethyl acetate 0 to 30) to provide 800 mg (34.8%) of the title compound as a colorless oil. MS (m/e): 272.4 (M+Na + )
b) step 2: rac-2-Methyl-3-oxo-piperidine-1-carboxylic acid benzyl ester
[0160]
[0161] To a stirred solution of 309.5 ul (3.530 mmol) oxalyl chloride in 3 ml dichloromethane at −50° C. to −60° C. was added a solution of 873 ul DMSO in 2 ml dichloromethane. The reaction mixture was stirred for 10 minutes, after which a solution of 800 mg (3.209 mmol) 3-hydroxy-2-methyl-piperidine-1-carboxylic acid benzyl ester in 3 ml dichloromethane was added over a period of 10 minutes. Stirring was continued for an additional 30 minutes. To this, was subsequently added 2.24 ml (16.05 mmol) triethylamine. The reaction mixture was stirred for 15 minutes, then allowed to warm to room temperature, taken in water, separated, and the aqueous layer extracted with dichloromethane. The combined organic layers were washed twice with water, dried over sodium sulfate, filtered and concentrated in vacuo. The crude product was purified with flash column chromatography on silica gel (Eluent: Heptane/ethyl acetate 0 to 40) to provide 600 mg (76%) of the title compound as a light yellow oil. MS (m/e): 270.2 (M+Na + ).
c) step 3: rac-1,2-Dimethyl-3-phenyl-piperidin-3-ylamine
[0162] In analogy to the procedure described for the synthesis of example A.1 (step 1-3), the title compound was prepared from rac-2-methyl-3-oxo-piperidine-1-carboxylic acid benzyl ester and phenylmagnesium bromide. MS (m/e): 205.2 (M+H + ).
Example A.6
Preparation of rac-3-(3-Chloro-phenyl)-1-methyl-piperidin-3-ylamine
[0163]
a) step 1: rac-4-(3-Chloro-phenyl)-4-nitro-butyric acid methyl ester
[0164]
[0165] To a solution of 1 g (5.828 mmol) 1-chloro-3-nitromethyl-benzene (CAS: 38362-91-3) at 0° C. in 2 ml dioxane was added 0.512 g (5.828 mmol) methyl acrylate followed by 3.3 g Amberlyst A-21. The reaction mixture was stirred overnight at room temperature, filtered and the filtrate was dried over sodium sulfate and concentrated in vacuo. The crude product was purified with flash column chromatography on silica gel (Eluent: Heptane/ethyl acetate 0 to 10%) to provide 980 mg (65%) of the title compound as a colorless oil.
b) step 2: rac-5-(3-Chloro-phenyl)-1-methyl-5-nitro-piperidin-2-one
[0166]
[0167] To a stirred room temperature solution of 164 ul (1.940 mmol) methylamine (41% in water) in 1 ml dioxane was added 141 ul (1.940 mmol) formaldehyde (37% in water) dropwise (exothermic reaction). The mixture was stirred for 5 min and then a solution of 0.5 g (1.940 mmol) rac-4-(3-chloro-phenyl)-4-nitro-butyric acid methyl ester in 1.5 ml dioxane was added at once. The mixture was stirred at 65° C. for 6 h. The mixture was cooled to room temperature, ethyl acetate and a saturated NaCl solution were added. Aqueous phase was extracted 2 times with ethyl acetate. Combined organic phases were washed with a saturated NaCl solution, dried over sodium sulfate and concentrated in vacuo. The crude product was purified with flash column chromatography on silica gel (Eluent: Heptane/ethyl acetate 0 to 100%) to provide 395 mg (76%) of the title compound as a colorless oil. MS (m/e): 269.2 (MH+).
c) step 3: rac-5-Amino-5-(3-chloro-phenyl)-1-methyl-piperidin-2-one
[0168]
[0169] To a solution of 115 mg (0.428 mmol) 5-(3-chloro-phenyl)-1-methyl-5-nitro-piperidin-2-one in 0.5 ml dioxane was added 2 ml 3NHCl and 280 mg (4.28 mmol) zinc dust. The mixture was stirred at room temperature for 30 minutes. The mixture was filtered and the filtrate was basified with a 5N NaOH solution. Ethyl acetate was added. The mixture was filtered through a pad of dicalite. The organic layer was separated and the aqueous layer was extracted twice with ethyl acetate. The combined extracts were dried over sodium sulfate, filtered and concentrated in vacuo to provide 88 mg (86%) of the title compound as a light yellow oil. MS (m/e): 239.0 (MH+).
d) step 4: rac-3-(3-Chloro-phenyl)-1-methyl-piperidin-3-ylamine
[0170] To a slurry of 20 mg (0.494 mmol) LiAlH 4 in 0.5 ml THF was added dropwise a solution of 59 mg (0.247 mmol) rac-5-amino-5-(3-chloro-phenyl)-1-methyl-piperidin-2-one in 0.6 ml THF at room temperature. The mixture was refluxed for 30 minutes. The mixture was cooled in an ice bath and quenched carefully with 20 ul water, 20 ul 5N NaOH and finally 60 ul water. Ethyl acetate was added. The mixture was filtered and the filtrate was concentrated in vacuo to provide 48 mg (86%) of the title compound as a colorless oil. MS (m/e): 225.2 (MH+).
Example A.7
Preparation of rac-3-(4-Methoxy-phenyl)-1-methyl-piperidin-3-ylamine
[0171]
a) step 1: rac-4-(4-Methoxy-phenyl)-4-nitro-butyric acid methyl ester
[0172]
[0173] As described by Buchwald et al. (J. Org. Chem. 2002, 106): in a flask was added successively: 187 mg (0.198 mmol) Pd 2 dba 3 , 247 mg (0.791 mmol) 2-(Di-t-butylphosphino)-2′-methybiphenyl, and 1.555 g (4.747 mmol) cesium carbonate. The mixture was put under argon and 740 mg (3.956 mmol) 4-bromoanisole, 15 ml of DME and finally 600 mg (3.956 mmol) of methyl 4-nitrobutyrate were successively added. The mixture was stirred vigorously for 1 minute at room temperature and the flask was placed in a preheated oil bath at 50° C. and stirred at this temperature overnight. The reaction mixture was cooled to room temperature, and a saturated NH 4 Cl solution and ethyl acetate were added. Aqueous phase was extracted 3 times with ethyl acetate and combined organic phases were washed with brine, and concentrated in vacuo. The crude product was purified with flash column chromatography on silica gel (Eluent: heptane/ethyl acetate 0 to 20%) to provide 897 mg (90%) of the title compound as a orange oil.
b) step 2: rac-3-(4-Methoxy-phenyl)-1-methyl-piperidin-3-ylamine
[0174] In analogy to the procedure described for the synthesis of example A.6 (steps: 2-4), the title compound was prepared from rac-4-(4-Methoxy-phenyl)-4-nitro-butyric acid methyl ester. MS (m/e): 221.2 (MH+).
Example A.8
Preparation of rac-5-Fluoro-1′-methyl-1′,4′,5′,6′-tetrahydro-2H-[2,3′]bipyridinyl-3′-ylamine
[0175]
[0176] In analogy to the procedure described for the synthesis of example A.7 (steps: 1-2), the title compound was prepared from methyl 4-nitrobutyrate and 2-bromo-5-fluoropyridine. MS (m/e): 210.2 (MH+).
Example A.9
Preparation of rac-5-Fluoro-1-methyl-3-phenyl-piperidin-3-ylamine
[0177]
a) step 1: rac-1-Methyl-5-nitro-5-phenyl-piperidin-2-one
[0178]
[0179] In analogy to the procedure described for the synthesis of example A.6 (steps: 1-2), the title compound was prepared from nitromethyl-benzene (CAS: 622-42-4). MS (m/e): 235.2 (MH+).
b) step 2: rac-3-Fluoro-1-methyl-5-nitro-5-phenyl-piperidin-2-one
[0180]
[0181] To a solution of 78.4 ul (0.555 mmol) diisopropylamine in 2 ml THF were added 347 ul (0.555 mmol) of a 1.6M n-BuLi solution in hexane at −5° C. The solution was stirred for 15 minutes at 0° C. and then cooled to −70° C. A solution of 100 mg (0.427 mmol) rac-1-methyl-5-nitro-5-phenyl-piperidin-2-one in 1 ml THF was added dropwise. The brown solution was stirred at −70° C. for 45 minutes. A solution of 180 mg (0.555 mmol) N-fluorobenzenesulphonimide in 1 ml THF was added dropwise. The mixture was stirred at −70° C. for 1.5 hour, quenched with 2 ml of a 20% NH 4 Cl solution and allowed to warm to room temperature. Water and ethyl acetate were added. The aqueous layer was extracted twice with ethyl acetate. The combined organic layers were dried over sodium sulfate, filtered and concentrated in vacuo. The crude oil was purified on silica gel (Eluent: Heptane/ethyl acetate 0 to 100%) to provide 58 mg (54%) of the title compound as a light yellow solid. MS (m/e): 253.2 (M+H).
c) step 3: rac-5-Amino-3-fluoro-1-methyl-5-phenyl-piperidin-2-one
[0182]
[0183] To a solution of 55 mg (0.218 mmol) rac-3-fluoro-1-methyl-5-nitro-5-phenyl-piperidin-2-one in 1.5 ml THF at 0° C. was added 100 ul Raney Nickel (50% in water). The mixture was stirred under a hydrogen atmosphere at 0° C. for 2 hours. The mixture was filtered and the catalyst was washed with THF. The filtrate was concentrated in vacuo to provide 48 mg (99%) of the title compound as a light yellow solid. MS (m/e): 223.3 (M+H).
d) step 4: rac-5-Fluoro-1-methyl-3-phenyl-piperidin-3-ylamine
[0184] In analogy to the procedure described for the synthesis of example A.6 (steps: 4), the title compound was prepared from rac-5-amino-3-fluoro-1-methyl-5-phenyl-piperidin-2-one. MS (m/e): 192.3 (M−NH 2 ).
Example A.10
Preparation of rac-5-Methoxymethoxy-1-methyl-3-phenyl-piperidin-3-ylamine
[0185]
a) step 1: rac-3-Hydroxy-1-methyl-5-nitro-5-phenyl-piperidin-2-one
[0186]
[0187] To a solution of 118 ul (0.833 mmol) diisopropylamine in 3 ml THF were added 520 ul (0.833 mmol) of a 1.6M n-BuLi solution in hexane at −5° C. The solution was stirred for 15 minutes at 0° C. and then cooled to −70° C. A solution of 150 mg (0.641 mmol) rac-1-methyl-5-nitro-5-phenyl-piperidin-2-one (example A.9, step 1) in 1.5 ml THF was added dropwise. The brown solution was stirred at −70° C. for 45 minutes. 517 mg (1.282 mmol) (oxodiperoxy(pyridine) (1,3-dimethyl-3,4,5,6-tetrahydro-2(1H)-pyrimidone)molybdenum(IV)) were added portionwise at −70° C. The mixture was stirred at −70° C. for 1 hour and then allowed to warm to 0° C. After 1 hour at 0° C., the mixture was quenched with 2.5 ml of a saturated solution of sodium sulfite. Water and ethyl acetate were added. The aqueous layer was extracted once with ethyl acetate. The combined organic layers were dried over sodium sulfate, filtered and concentrated in vacuo. The crude oil was purified on silica gel (Eluent: Heptane/ethyl acetate 0 to 100%) to provide 82 mg (51%) of the title compound as a light brown oil. MS (m/e): 251.1 (MH+).
b) step 2: rac-3-Methoxymethoxy-1-methyl-5-nitro-5-phenyl-piperidin-2-one
[0188]
[0189] To a solution of 50 mg (0.2 mmol) rac-3-hydroxy-1-methyl-5-nitro-5-phenyl-piperidin-2-one and 52 ul (0.3 mmol) N-ethyl diisopropylamine in 1,2-dimethoxyethane were added 23 ul (0.3 mmol) chloromethyl methyl ether at room temperature. After 1 hour, the solution was heated in a 60° C. oil bath for 20 hours. The mixture was cooled to room temperature. 52 ul (0.3 mmol) N-ethyl diisopropylamine and 23 ul (0.3 mmol) chloromethyl methyl ether were added. The mixture was heated in a 60° C. oil bath for 4 hours. The solvent was removed in vacuo. The residue was taken in ethyl acetate. The mixture was washed once with water. The aqueous layer was extracted once with ethyl acetate. The combined extracts were dried over sodium sulfate, filtered and concentrated in vacuo. The crude oil was purified on silica gel (Eluent: Heptane/ethyl acetate 0 to 100%) to provide 30 mg (51%) of the title compound as a yellow oil. MS (m/e): 295.2 (MH+).
c) step 3: rac-5-Amino-3-methoxymethoxy-1-methyl-5-phenyl-piperidin-2-one
[0190]
[0191] In analogy to the procedure described for the synthesis of example A.9 (steps: 3), the title compound was prepared from rac-3-methoxymethoxy-1-methyl-5-nitro-5-phenyl-piperidin-2-one. MS (m/e): 265.1 (MH+).
d) step 4: rac-5-Methoxymethoxy-1-methyl-3-phenyl-piperidin-3-ylamine
[0192] In analogy to the procedure described for the synthesis of example A.6 (steps: 4), the title compound was prepared from rac-5-amino-3-methoxymethoxy-1-methyl-5-phenyl-piperidin-2-one. MS (m/e): 251.2 (MH+).
Example A.11
Preparation of rac-3-Cyclohexyl-1-methyl-piperidin-3-ylamine
[0193]
a) step 1: rac-4-Cyclohexyl-4-nitro-butyric acid methyl ester
[0194]
[0195] To a solution of 3.18 g (22.2 mmol) nitromethyl-cyclohexane (CAS: 2625-30-1) in 1 ml tert-butanol and 0.12 ml 35% benzyltrimethylammonium hydroxide in methanol warmed to 40° C. were added 1.99 ml (22.2 mmol) methyl acrylate. The yellow mixture was stirred at 40° C. for 2 hours then diluted with water and extracted with ethyl acetate. The combined extracts were washed with brine, dried over sodium sulfate, filtered and evaporated. The title compound was obtained in as slightly yellow oil: MS (EI): 198 (M •+ −MeO), 183 (M •+ −NO2), 151 (M−(MeO+NO2+H)) •+ (100%).
b) step 2: rac-5-Cyclohexyl-1-methyl-5-nitro-piperidin-2-one
[0196]
[0197] To 4.25 g (18.5 mmol) rac-4-cyclohexyl-4-nitro-butyric acid methyl ester were added 4.56 ml (32.5 mmol) 1,3,5-trimethylhexahydro-1,3,5-triazine and the mixture heated to 100° C. for 4 hours. The reaction mixture was cooled to ambient temperature and adsorbed on silica gel which was transferred on top of a silica gel column and purified by flash-chromatography with a gradient of heptane and 10 to 75% ethyl acetate: 2.55 g of title compound were isolated as colourless oil: MS (m/e): 240 (MH+).
c) step 3: rac-5-Amino-5-cyclohexyl-1-methyl-piperidin-2-one
[0198]
[0199] To a solution of 500 mg (2.08 mmol) rac-5-cyclohexyl-1-methyl-5-nitro-piperidin-2-one in 5 ml methanol were added 500 mg wet Raney Nickel and the mixture stirred under a hydrogen atmosphere at normal pressure and ambient temperature for 22 hours. Then the reaction mixture was filtered through a Dicalite pad, the precipitate washed with methanol and the filtrate evaporated: 452 mg title compound were obtained as colourless oil which was used without purification for the next step.
d) step 4: rac-3-Cyclohexyl-1-methyl-piperidin-3-yl-amine
[0200] To 2.06 ml of a 2.5M lithium aluminium hydride solution in tetrahydrofuran cooled to 0° C. was added dropwise a solution of 452 mg (2.15 mmol) rac-5-amino-5-cyclohexyl-1-methyl-piperidin-2-one in 6 ml tetrahydrofuran. Then the solution was heated to 65° C. for 1 hour. The turbid reaction solution was cooled with an ice bath and below 12° C. were added drop-wise 0.13 ml water, 0.32 ml 2N NaOH and further 0.19 ml water. The suspension was diluted with tert-butyl methyl ether, dried over sodium sulfate, filtered and evaporated: 368 mg title compound were obtained as colourless oil which was used without purification for the next step.
Example A.12
Preparation of rac-1-Methyl-3-(tetrahydro-pyran-4-yl)-piperidin-3-ylamine
[0201]
a) step 1: 4-Nitromethyl-tetrahydro-pyran
[0202]
[0203] To a stirred suspension of 1.81 g (11.8 mmol) silver nitrite in 6 ml acetonitrile in a reaction flask enwrapped with aluminum foil, cooled to 0° C. was added drop-wise within 5 min 1.60 g (8.93 mmol) 4-bromomethyl-tetrahydro-pyran. Stirring was then continued at ambient temperature for 93 h. The reaction mixture was filtered and washed thoroughly with diethyl ether. The filtrate was mixed with silica gel and evaporated. The residue was transferred onto a silica gel column and purified by flash-chromatography on silica gel (eluent: heptane/ethyl acetate 9:1). The title compound (441 mg) was obtained as colorless oil.
b) step 2: rac-1-Methyl-3-(tetrahydro-pyran-4-yl)-piperidin-3-ylamine
[0204] In analogy to the procedure described for the synthesis of example A.11 (steps: 1-4), the title compound was prepared from 4-nitromethyl-tetrahydro-pyran.
Example A.13
Preparation of rac-1,3-Dimethyl-piperidin-3-ylamine dihydrochloride
[0205]
a) step 1: rac-3-Isocyanato-3-methyl-piperidine-1-carboxylic acid tert-butyl ester
[0206]
[0207] To a suspension of 727 mg (3.0 mmol) rac-3-methyl-piperidine-1,3-dicarboxylic acid 1-tert-butyl ester (CAS: 534602-47-6) in 8 ml toluene was added at ambient temperature 0.42 ml (3.0 mmol) triethylamine. To the resulting solution was added under stirring 0.72 ml (3.3 mmol) diphenylphosphoryl azide and the mixture heated to 90° C. (gas evolution) for 90 min. The reaction mixture was poured onto iced water and extracted 3 times with tert-butyl methyl ether. The combined extracts were washed with brine, dried over sodium sulfate, filtered and evaporated. The title compound was obtained as slightly yellow oil which was used without purification in the next step. MS (m/e): 240 (M).
b) step 2: rac-3-Amino-3-methyl-piperidine-1-carboxylic acid tert-butyl ester
[0208]
[0209] To a solution of 812 mg (3.38 mmol) rac-3-isocyanato-3-methyl-piperidine-1-carboxylic acid tert-butyl ester in 17 ml THF were added 16.9 ml 2N NaOH and the emulsion stirred vigorously at ambient temperature for 20 h. The emulsion was diluted with tert-butyl methyl ether and extracted three times. The combined extracts were washed with brine to neutral pH, dried over sodium sulfate, filtered and evaporated. The crude product was purified by column chromatography on silica gel with a gradient of heptane and 10 to 100% ethyl acetate then with ethyl acetate/MeOH provided the title compound: 232 mg colourless oil which crystallized at ambient temperature MS (m/e): 215.2 (M+H).
c) step 3: rac-1,3-Dimethyl-piperidin-3-ylamine dihydrochloride
[0210] To 3.15 ml 1M lithium aluminium hydride in THF was added at 5-10° C. drop-wise a solution of 225 mg (1.05 mmol) rac-3-amino-3-methyl-piperidine-1-carboxylic acid tert-butyl ester in 4 ml dry THF. The reaction mixture was heated to 65° C. for 1 h. The turbid reaction solution was cooled with an ice bath and below 12° C., were added drop-wise 0.13 ml water, 0.32 ml 2N NaOH and further 0.19 ml water. The suspension was diluted with tert-butyl methyl ether, dried over sodium sulfate, filtered and acidified with 2N HCl in diethyl ether. Evaporation provided 210 mg of the title compound as a colourless semisolid. MS (m/e): 129.3 (M+H).
Example A.14
Preparation of rac-3-(2,4-Difluorophenyl)-1-methyl-piperidin-3-ylamine
[0211]
[0212] In analogy to the procedure described for the synthesis of example A.6 (steps: 1-4), the title compound was prepared from 2,4-difluoro-1-nitromethyl-benzene.
Example A.15
Preparation of rac-3-(2-Fluoro-phenyl)-1-methyl-piperidin-3-ylamine
[0213]
[0214] In analogy to the procedure described for the synthesis of example A.6 (steps: 1-4), the title compound was prepared from 1-fluoro-2-nitromethyl-benzene.
Example A.16
Preparation of rac-3-(2,5-Difluoro-phenyl)-1-methyl-piperidin-3-ylamine
[0215]
[0216] In analogy to the procedure described for the synthesis of example A.6 (steps: 1-4), the title compound was prepared from 1,4-Difluoro-2-nitromethyl-benzene.
Example A.17
Preparation of rac-1-Methyl-1,4,5,6-tetrahydro-2H-[3,4′]bipyridinyl-3-ylamine
[0217]
a) step 1: rac-1-Methyl-3-nitro-2,3,4,5-tetrahydro-1H-[3,4′]bipyridinyl-6-one
[0218]
[0219] In analogy to the procedure described for the synthesis of example A.6 (steps: 1-2), the title compound was prepared from 4-nitromethyl-pyridine (CAS: 22918-06-5).
b) step 2: rac-1-Methyl-3-nitro-2,3,4,5-tetrahydro-1H-[3,4′]bipyridinyl-6-thione
[0220]
[0221] To a solution of 125 mg (0.531 mmol) rac-1-Methyl-3-nitro-2,3,4,5-tetrahydro-1H-[3,4′]bipyridinyl-6-one in 2.5 ml toluene were added 240 mg (0.584 mmol) Lawesson reagent. The suspension was heated in a 80° C. oil bath for 30 minutes. The mixture was concentrated in vacuo. The crude oil was purified on silica gel (Eluent: Heptane/ethyl acetate 0 to 100%) to provide 105 mg (79%) of the title compound as a light yellow solid. MS (m/e): 252.1 (M+H).
c) step 3: rac-1-Methyl-3-nitro-1,2,3,4,5,6-hexahydro-[3,4′]bipyridinyl
[0222]
[0223] To a solution of 105 mg (0.418 mmol) rac-1-Methyl-3-nitro-2,3,4,5-tetrahydro-1H-[3,4′]bipyridinyl-6-thione in 2.1 ml methanol was added 144 mg (3.8 mmol) NaBH 4 . The mixture was stirred at room temperature for 20 minutes. Water (1.0 ml) was added. The mixture was stirred for 1 hour. The methanol was removed in vacuo. The residue was diluted with water and extracted 3 times with dichloromethane. The combined extracts were dried over sodium sulfate, filtered and concentrated in vacuo. The crude oil was purified on silica gel (Eluent: Heptane/ethyl acetate 0 to 100%) to provide 53 mg (57%) of the title compound as a yellow oil. MS (m/e): 222.3 (M+H).
d) step 4: rac-1-Methyl-1,4,5,6-tetrahydro-2H-[3,4′]bipyridinyl-3-ylamine
[0224] To a 0° C. cooled solution of 52 mg (0.235 mmol) rac-1-Methyl-3-nitro-1,2,3,4,5,6-hexahydro-[3,4′]bipyridinyl in 2.0 ml THF were added 150 ul of Raney Nickel (50% in water). The mixture was stirred at 0° C. under a hydrogen atmosphere for 7 hours. The catalyst was filtered and the filtrate was concentrated in vacuo to provide 45 mg (88%) of the title compound as a light yellow oil. MS (m/e): 192.4 (M+H).
Example A.18
Preparation of rac-1-Methyl-1,4,5,6-tetrahydro-2H-[3,3′]bipyridinyl-3-ylamine
[0225]
a) step 1: rac-1-Methyl-3-nitro-2,3,4,5-tetrahydro-1H-[3,3′]bipyridinyl-6-one
[0226]
[0227] In analogy to the procedure described for the synthesis of example A.7 (steps: 1-2), the title compound was prepared from 3-nitromethyl-pyridine (CAS: 69966-29-6).
b) step 2: rac-1-Methyl-1,4,5,6-tetrahydro-2H-[3,3′]bipyridinyl-1-3-ylamine
[0228] In analogy to the procedure described for the synthesis of example A.17 (steps: 2-4), the title compound was prepared from rac-1-Methyl-3-nitro-2,3,4,5-tetrahydro-1H-[3,3′]bipyridinyl-6-one.
Example A.19
Preparation of (3RS,5SR)-5-Methoxy-1-methyl-3-phenyl-piperidin-3-ylamine
[0229]
a) step 1: (3SR,5RS)-3-Methoxy-1-methyl-5-nitro-5-phenyl-piperidin-2-one
[0230]
[0231] A solution of 1.15 g (4.595 mmol) rac-3-Hydroxy-1-methyl-5-nitro-5-phenyl-piperidin-2-one (example A.10, step 1) in 11.5 ml DMF was cooled to 0° C. 220 mg (5.514 mmol) NaH (60% in oil) was added. The temperature rose to 3° C. The mixture was stirred at 0° C. for 15 minutes. 430 ul (6.893 mmol) iodomethane was added and the mixture was stirred at 0° C. for 30 minutes. 6.5 ml water was added and the solvent was removed in vacuo. The residue was taken in ethyl acetate. The solution was washed twice with water. The washings were reextracted once with ethyl acetate. The combined extracts were dried over sodium sulfate, filtered and concentrated in vacuo. The crude oil was purified on silica gel (Eluent: Heptane/ethyl acetate 0 to 100%) to provide 500 mg (42%) of the title compound as a light brown solid. MS (m/e): 265.1 (M+H).
b) step 2: (3SR,5RS)-5-Amino-3-methoxy-1-methyl-5-phenyl-piperidin-2-one
[0232]
[0233] In analogy to the procedure described for the synthesis of example A.17 (steps: 4), the title compound was prepared from (3SR,5RS)-3-Methoxy-1-methyl-5-nitro-5-phenyl-piperidin-2-one.
c) step 3: (3RS,5SR)-5-Methoxy-1-methyl-3-phenyl-piperidin-3-ylamine
[0234] In analogy to the procedure described for the synthesis of example A.6 (steps: 4), the title compound was prepared from (3SR,5RS)-5-Amino-3-methoxy-1-methyl-5-phenyl-piperidin-2-one.
Example A.20
Preparation of (3RS,5SR)-1,5-Dimethyl-3-phenyl-piperidin-3-ylamine
[0235]
a) step 1: (3SR,5RS)-1,3-Dimethyl-5-nitro-5-phenyl-piperidin-2-one
[0236]
[0237] To a solution of 1.6 ml (11.1 mmol) diisopropylamine in 40 ml THF were added 7 ml (11.1 mmol) of a 1.6M n-Buli solution in hexane at −5° C. The solution was stirred for 15 minutes at 0° C. and then cooled to −70° C. A solution of 2 g (8.538 mmol) rac-1-methyl-5-nitro-5-phenyl-piperidin-2-one (example A9, step 1) in 20 ml THF was added dropwise. The brown solution was stirred at −70° C. for 45 minutes. 639 ul (10.25 mmol) methyliodide in THF (8 ml) were added dropwise at −70° C. The mixture was stirred at −70° C. for 1 hour and then allowed to warm to 0° C. After 30 minutes at 0° C., the mixture was quenched with 30 ml of a 20% NH 4 Cl solution. Water and ethyl acetate were added. The aqueous layer was extracted once with ethyl acetate. The combined organic phases were dried over sodium sulfate, filtered and concentrated in vacuo. The crude product was purified on silica gel (Eluent: Heptane/ethyl acetate 0 to 100%) to provide 1.72 g (81%) of the title compound as a yellow oil. MS (m/e): 249.2 (M+H)
b) step 2: (3SR,5RS)-5-Amino-1,3-dimethyl-5-phenyl-piperidin-2-one
[0238]
[0239] In analogy to the procedure described for the synthesis of example A.17, step 4, the title compound was prepared from (3SR,5RS)-1,3-Dimethyl-5-nitro-5-phenyl-piperidin-2-one. MS (m/e): 202.2 (M−NH 2 )
c) step 3: (3RS,5SR)-1,5-Dimethyl-3-phenyl-piperidin-3-ylamine
[0240] In analogy to the procedure described for the synthesis of example A.6, step 4, the title compound was prepared from (3SR,5RS)-5-Amino-1,3-dimethyl-5-phenyl-piperidin-2-one. MS (m/e): 205.3 (M+H).
Example A.21
Preparation of rac-1,5,5-Trimethyl-3-phenyl-piperidin-3-ylamine
[0241]
a) step 1: 1,3,3-Trimethyl-5-nitro-5-phenyl-piperidin-2-one
[0242]
[0243] To a solution of 170.7 ul (1.208 mmol) diisopropylamine in 4 ml THF were added 755 ul (1.208 mmol) of a 1.6M n-Buli solution in hexane at −5° C. The solution was stirred for 15 minutes at 0° C. and then cooled to −70° C. Then 300 ul HMPA was added. A solution of 200 mg (0.805 mmol) (3SR,5RS)-1,3-dimethyl-5-nitro-5-phenyl-piperidin-2-one (example A.20, step a) in 2 ml THF was added dropwise. The brown solution was stirred at −70° C. for 45 minutes. 151 ul (2.415 mmol) methyliodide in THF (1 ml) were added dropwise at −70° C. The mixture was stirred at −70° C. for 1 hour and then allowed to warm to 0° C. After 1 hour at 0° C., the mixture was quenched with 7 ml of a 20% NH 4 Cl solution. Water and ethyl acetate were added. The aqueous layer was extracted once with ethyl acetate. The combined organic phases were dried over sodium sulfate, filtered and concentrated in vacuo. The crude product was purified on silica gel (Eluent: Heptane/ethyl acetate 0 to 100%) to provide 131 mg (62%) of the title compound as a yellow oil. MS (m/e): 263.2 (M+H).
b) step 2: rac-1,5,5-Trimethyl-3-phenyl-piperidin-3-ylamine
[0244] In analogy to the procedure described for the synthesis of example A.20, step 2-3, the title compound was prepared from 1,3,3-Trimethyl-5-nitro-5-phenyl-piperidin-2-one. MS (m/e): 219.4 (M+H).
Example A.22
Preparation of rac-1,6,6-Trimethyl-3-phenyl-piperidin-3-ylamine
[0245]
a) step 1: 5-Amino-1-methyl-5-phenyl-piperidin-2-one
[0246]
[0247] In analogy to the procedure described for the synthesis of example A.6, step 3, the title compound was prepared from 1-Methyl-5-nitro-5-phenyl-piperidin-2-one (example A.9, step 1). MS (m/e): 205.2 (M+H).
b) step 2: (1-Methyl-6-oxo-3-phenyl-piperidin-3-yl)-carbamic acid tert-butyl ester
[0248]
[0249] To a solution of 1.5 g (7.35 mmol) 5-Amino-1-methyl-5-phenyl-piperidin-2-one in 30 ml THF under nitrogen at room temperature, were added 2.1 ml (14.7 mmol) triethylamine. A solution of 3.24 g (14.7 mmol) di-tert-butyl dicarbonate in 15 ml THF was added dropwise. The reaction mixture was stirred in a 55° C. oil bath for 7 hours and then at room temperature overnight. 100 ml water was added. The mixture was extracted 3 times with ethyl acetate. The combined organic phases were dried over sodium sulfate, filtered and concentrated in vacuo. The crude product was purified on silica gel (Eluent: Heptane/ethyl acetate 0 to 100%) to provide 1.21 g (54%) of the title compound as a yellow oil. MS (m/e): 305.3 (M+H).
c) step 3: (1,6,6-Trimethyl-3-phenyl-piperidin-3-yl)-carbamic acid tert-butyl ester
[0250]
[0251] A solution of 61 mg (0.2 mmol) (1-Methyl-6-oxo-3-phenyl-piperidin-3-yl)-carbamic acid tert-butyl ester in 2 ml THF was cooled to −20° C. 48 mg (0.2 mmol) Zirconium (IV) chloride were added at once. The temperature rose to −12° C. The mixture was stirred at −10° C. for 30 minutes. 400 ul (1.2 mmol) of a 3M methylmagnesium bromide solution in ether was added dropwise maintaining the temperature below −10° C. After 10 minutes the mixture was allowed to warm to room temperature. After 2 hours the mixture was cooled in an ice bath and quenched with 2 ml of a saturated NH 4 Cl solution. Ethyl acetate and water were added. The organic layer was separated and the aqueous layer was extracted twice with ethyl acetate. The combined organic phases were dried over sodium sulfate, filtered and concentrated in vacuo to provide 50 mg (80%) of the title compound as a yellow oil. MS (m/e): 319.3 (M+H).
d) step 4: rac-1,6,6-Trimethyl-3-phenyl-piperidin-3-ylamine
[0252] To a solution of 50 mg (0.157 mmol) (1,6,6-Trimethyl-3-phenyl-piperidin-3-yl)-carbamic acid tert-butyl ester in 0.3 ml dioxane was added 0.39 ml (1.57 mmol) of a 4M HCl solution in dioxane at room temperature. After 30 minutes 0.3 ml methanol was added to dissolve the product. The mixture was stirred at room temperature for 5 hours. The solvent was removed in vacuo. The residue was dissolved in water. The aqueous layer was extracted twice with ethyl acetate and then basified with a 2M sodium carbonate solution. The aqueous layer was extracted 3 times with dichloromethane. The combined organic phases were dried over sodium sulfate, filtered and concentrated in vacuo to provide 22 mg (64%) of the title compound as a brown oil. MS (m/e): 219.4 (M+H).
Example A.23
Preparation of rac-3-(3-Bromo-phenyl)-1-methyl-piperidin-3-ylamine
[0253]
a) step 1: rac-3-(3-Bromo-phenyl)-1-methyl-3-nitro-piperidine
[0254]
[0255] In analogy to the procedure described for the synthesis of example A.17, step 1-3, the title compound was prepared from 1-Bromo-3-nitromethyl-benzene (CAS:854634-33-6). MS (m/e): 300.3 (M+H).
b) step 2: rac-3-(3-Bromo-phenyl)-1-methyl-piperidin-3-ylamine
[0256]
[0257] In analogy to the procedure described for the synthesis of example A.6, step 3, the title compound was prepared from rac-3-(3-Bromo-phenyl)-1-methyl-3-nitro-piperidine. MS (m/e): 269.2 (M+H).
Example A.24
Preparation of rac-3-(2-Chloro-4-fluoro-phenyl)-1-methyl-piperidin-3-ylamine
[0258]
[0259] In analogy to the procedure described for the synthesis of example A.6 (steps: 1-4), the title compound was prepared from 2-chloro-4-fluoro-1-nitromethyl-benzene.
Example A.25
Preparation of rac-3-(5-Chloro-2-fluoro-phenyl)-1-methyl-piperidin-3-ylamine
[0260]
[0261] In analogy to the procedure described for the synthesis of example A.6 (steps: 1-4), the title compound was prepared from 4-Chloro-1-fluoro-2-nitromethyl-benzene.
Example A.26
Preparation of rac-1-Methyl-3-(3-trifluoromethyl-phenyl)-piperidin-3-ylamine
[0262]
[0263] In analogy to the procedure described for the synthesis of example A.6 (steps: 1-4), the title compound was prepared from 1-Nitromethyl-3-trifluoromethyl-benzene.
Example A.27
Preparation of rac-1-Methyl-3-(3-trifluoromethoxy-phenyl)-piperidin-3-ylamine
[0264]
[0265] In analogy to the procedure described for the synthesis of example A.6 (steps: 1-4), the title compound was prepared from 1-Nitromethyl-3-trifluoromethoxy-benzene.
Example A.28
Preparation of rac-3-(3-Methoxy-phenyl)-1-methyl-piperidin-3-ylamine
[0266]
[0267] In analogy to the procedure described for the synthesis of example A.6 (steps: 1-4), the title compound was prepared from 1-Methoxy-3-nitromethyl-benzene.
Example A.29
Preparation of rac-3-(3-Difluoromethoxy-phenyl)-1-methyl-piperidin-3-ylamine
[0268]
[0269] In analogy to the procedure described for the synthesis of example A.6 (steps: 1-4), the title compound was prepared from 1-Difluoromethoxy-3-nitromethyl-benzene
Example A.30
Preparation of rac-3-(3-Fluoro-phenyl)-1-methyl-piperidin-3-ylamine
[0270]
[0271] In analogy to the procedure described for the synthesis of example A.6 (steps: 1-4), the title compound was prepared from 1-Fluoro-3-nitromethyl-benzene.
Example A.31
Preparation of rac-3-(3-Chloro-4-fluoro-phenyl)-1-methyl-piperidin-3-ylamine
[0272]
[0273] In analogy to the procedure described for the synthesis of example A.6 (steps: 1-4), the title compound was prepared from 2-Chloro-1-fluoro-4-nitromethyl-benzene.
Example A.32
Preparation of rac-3-(3,4-Difluoro-phenyl)-1-methyl-piperidin-3-ylamine
[0274]
[0275] In analogy to the procedure described for the synthesis of example A.6 (steps: 1-4), the title compound was prepared from 1,2-Difluoro-4-nitromethyl-benzene.
Example A.33
Preparation of rac-1-Methyl-3-m-tolyl-piperidin-3-ylamine
[0276]
[0277] In analogy to the procedure described for the synthesis of example A.6 (steps: 1-4), the title compound was prepared from 1-Methyl-3-nitromethyl-benzene.
Example A.34
Preparation of rac-3-(4-Fluoro-3-methyl-phenyl)-1-methyl-piperidin-3-ylamine
[0278]
[0279] In analogy to the procedure described for the synthesis of example A.6 (steps: 1-4), the title compound was prepared from 1-Fluoro-2-methyl-4-nitromethyl-benzene.
Example A.35
Preparation of rac-3-(3,5-Difluoro-phenyl)-1-methyl-piperidin-3-ylamine
[0280]
[0281] In analogy to the procedure described for the synthesis of example A.6 (steps: 1-4), the title compound was prepared from 1,3-Difluoro-5-nitromethyl-benzene.
Example A.36
Preparation of rac-1-Methyl-3-(3-thiazol-2-yl-phenyl)-piperidin-3-ylamine
[0282]
[0283] In analogy to the procedure described for the synthesis of example A.6 (steps: 1-4), the title compound was prepared from 2-(3-Nitromethyl-phenyl)-thiazole.
Example A.37
Preparation of rac-1-tert-Butyl-3-phenyl-piperidin-3-ylamine
[0284]
a) step 1: rac-4-Nitro-4-phenyl-butyric acid methyl ester
[0285]
[0286] In analogy to the procedure described for the synthesis of example A.6, step 1, the title compound was prepared from Nitromethyl-benzene (CAS: 622-42-4).
b) step 2: rac-5-Nitro-5-phenyl-piperidin-2-one
[0287]
[0288] To a stirred solution of 2.11 g (26.88 mmol) ammonium acetate in 15 ml ethanol under nitrogen at room temperature, was added 980 ul (13.44 mmol) formaldehyde (37% in water), followed by a solution of 3 g (13.44 mmol) rac-4-Nitro-4-phenyl-butyric acid methyl ester in 7.5 ml ethanol. The mixture was refluxed for 26 hours then cooled to room temperature and the solvent was evaporated. Water was added. The resulting suspension was stirred for 15 minutes, filtered, rinsed with water, then with diethyl ether and dried in vacuo to provide 2.49 g (y: 84.1%) of the title compound as a white solid. MS (m/e): 221.2 (M+H).
c) step 3: rac-5-Amino-5-phenyl-piperidin-2-one
[0289]
[0290] In analogy to the procedure described for the synthesis of example A.17, step 4, the title compound was prepared from rac-5-Nitro-5-phenyl-piperidin-2-one. MS (m/e): 191.4 (M+H).
d) step 4: rac-3-Phenyl-piperidin-3-ylamine
[0291]
[0292] In analogy to the procedure described for the synthesis of example A.6, step 4, the title compound was prepared from rac-5-Amino-5-phenyl-piperidin-2-one. MS (m/e): 177.7 (M+H).
e) step 5: rac-2-(3-Amino-3-phenyl-piperidin-1-yl)-2-methyl-propionitrile
[0293]
[0294] To a solution of 300 mg (1.701 mmol) rac-3-Phenyl-piperidin-3-ylamine in 1.3 ml acetic acid, was added dropwise 188 ul (2.553 mmol) acetone. The mixture was stirred at room temperature for 5 minutes. 320 ul (2.553 mmol) trimethylsilyl cyanide was added dropwise. The temperature rose to 31° C. The mixture was stirred at room temperature for 4 hours. The mixture was diluted with dichloromethane and cooled to 0° C. NaOH 2N was added dropwise to basify the mixture. The organic layer was separated and the aqueous layer was extracted twice with dichloromethane. The combined organic layers were dried over sodium sulfate, filtered and concentrated in vacuo to provide 315 mg (76.1%) of the title compound as a yellow oil. MS (m/e): 244.4 (M+H).
f) step 6: rac-1-tert-Butyl-3-phenyl-piperidin-3-ylamine
[0295] To a solution of 100 mg (0.411 mmol) rac-2-(3-Amino-3-phenyl-piperidin-1-yl)-2-methyl-propionitrile in 2.0 ml tetrahydrofuran over mol-sieve at 0° C. under nitrogen, was added dropwise 1.4 ul (4.11 mmol) of a 3M methylmagnesium bromide solution in diethyl ether. The mixture was stirred at 0° C. for 10 minutes, and then at 60° C. for 30 hours. The mixture was cooled in an ice bath and quenched with a saturated ammonium chloride solution. The mixture was extracted 3 times with ethyl acetate. The combined extracts were dried over sodium sulfate, filtered and concentrated in vacuo to provide 60 mg (63%) of the title compound as a yellow gum. MS (m/e): 233.2 (M+H).
Example A.38
Preparation of rac-4-Methyl-6-phenyl-4-aza-spiro[2.5]oct-6-ylamine hydrochloride
[0296]
a) step 1: rac-(4-Methyl-6-phenyl-4-aza-spiro[2.5]oct-6-yl)-carbamic acid tert-butyl ester
[0297]
[0298] A solution of 333 ul (1.0 mmol) of a 3M ethyl magnesium bromide solution in ether in 4 ml THF was cooled to −70° C. A solution of 124 ul (0.42 mmol) titanium isopropoxide in 0.4 ml THF was added dropwise. The light brown mixture was stirred for 2 minutes. A solution of 122 mg (0.4 mmol) rac-(1-Methyl-6-oxo-3-phenyl-piperidin-3-yl)-carbamic acid ter!-butyl ester (example A.22, step 2) in 2.4 ml THF was added dropwise. The mixture was allowed to warm to room temperature and was stirred for 3 hours. The mixture was cooled in an ice bath and quenched with a 20% ammonium chloride solution. Water and ethyl acetate were added. The white suspension was filtered through a pad of dicalite. The organic layer was separated and the aqueous layer was extracted twice with ethyl acetate. The combined organic phases were dried over sodium sulfate, filtered and concentrated in vacuo. The crude product was purified on silica gel (Eluent: Heptane/ethyl acetate 0 to 100%) to provide 14 mg (11%) of the title compound as a colorless oil. MS (m/e): 317.2 (M+H).
b) step 2: rac-4-Methyl-6-phenyl-4-aza-spiro[2.5]oct-6-ylamine hydrochloride
[0299] In analogy to the procedure described for the synthesis of example A.22, step 4, the title compound was prepared from rac-(4-Methyl-6-phenyl-4-aza-spiro[2.5]oct-6-yl)-carbamic acid tert-butyl ester. MS (m/e): 217.4 (M+H).
Example B.1
Preparation of 2-bromo-6-methoxy-4-trifluoromethyl-benzoic acid
[0300]
[0301] To −75° C. cooled THF (70 ml) was added dropwise 36 ml (50.0 mmol) of a 1.4 M sec-BuLi solution in cyclohexane within 5 minutes keeping the temperature below −70° C. 7.5 ml (50.0 mmol) TMEDA were added dropwise at temperature below −70° C. within 5 minutes. A solution of 5.0 g (22.71 mmol) 2-methoxy-4-(trifluoromethyl)benzoic acid (commercial) in THF (25 ml) was added dropwise at over a period of 20 minutes. The dark green solution was stirred at −75° C. for 2 hours. A solution of 29.6 g (90.84 mmol) 1,2-dibromotetrachloroethane in THF (30 ml) was added dropwise. The off-white suspension was stirred at −75° C. for 1 hour and then allowed to warm to room temperature. The yellow solution was quenched by dropwise addition of 60 ml water under ice bath cooling. The mixture was diluted with ethyl acetate (70 ml) and water (30 ml). The aqueous layer was extracted with ethyl acetate (50 ml), acidified with HCl 25% and extracted with ethyl acetate (3×50 ml). The extracts were combined, dried over sodium sulfate, filtered and concentrated in vacuo. The crude product was stirred in heptane, filtered and dried. The solid was recristallized from heptane (7 ml) and ethyl acetate (2 ml) to provide 815 mg (12%) of the title compound as a white solid. MS (m/e): 298.9 (M−H).
Example B.2
Preparation of 2-Methoxy-6-methylsulfanyl-4-trifluoromethyl-benzoic acid
[0302]
[0303] In analogy to the procedure described for the synthesis of example B.1, the title compound was prepared from 2-methoxy-4-(trifluoromethyl)benzoic acid (commercial) and dimethyldisulfide.
Example B.3
Preparation of 2-Cyclopropyl-4-trifluoromethyl-benzoic acid
[0304]
a) step 1: 2-Bromo-4-trifluoromethyl-benzoic acid methyl ester
[0305]
[0306] To a solution of 2 g (7.434 mmol) 2-bromo-4-trifluoromethyl-benzoic acid (CAS: 328-89-2) in 20 ml DMF under nitrogen at room temperature, was added 1.13 g (8.177 mmol) potassium carbonate and 557 ul (8.921 mmol) methyl iodide. The mixture was stirred overnight under nitrogen. The mixture was poured into water (300 ml). The aqueous layer was extracted with ethyl acetate (2×80 ml). The combined extracts were dried over sodium sulfate, filtered and concentrated in vacuo. The crude oil was purified on silica gel (Eluent: Heptane/ethyl acetate 0 to 10%) to provide 1.75 g (83%) of the title compound as an orange oil.
b) step 2: 2-Cyclopropyl-4-trifluoromethyl-benzoic acid methyl ester
[0307]
[0308] To a solution of 400 mg (1.413 mmol) 2-bromo-4-trifluoromethyl-benzoic acid methyl ester, 146 mg (1.696 mmol) cyclopropyl boronic acid, 1.21 g (4.946 mmol) tri-potassium phosphate monohydrate, 40.9 mg (0.141 mmol) tricyclohexyl phosphine in 6 ml toluene and 0.3 ml water under nitrogen at room temperature, was added 15.9 mg (0.0707 mmol) palladium acetate. The mixture was stirred in a 100° C. oil bath for 4 hours and overnight at room temperature under nitrogen. The mixture was cooled to room temperature. Water was added and the mixture extracted with ethyl acetate. The organic layer was washed once with brine, dried over sodium sulfate, filtered and concentrated in vacuo. The crude compound was purified on silica gel (Eluent: Heptane/ethyl acetate 0 to 10%) to provide 0.24 g (71%) of the title compound as a yellow oil.
c) step 3: 2-Cyclopropyl-4-trifluoromethyl-benzoic acid
[0309]
[0310] To a suspension of 485 mg (1.986 mmol) 2-cyclopropyl-4-trifluoromethyl-benzoic acid methyl ester in 8 ml ethanol at room temperature, was added 1.99 ml (3.972 mmol) 2N NaOH. The mixture was heated in a 80° C. oil bath for 30 minutes. The solution was cooled to room temperature and the ethanol was evaporated. The residue was diluted with water, acidified with 2N HCl to pH 2 and dichloromethane was added. The aqueous phase was extracted twice with dichloromethane. The combined organic phases were dried over sodium sulfate, filtered and concentrated in vacuo. The crude product was purified on silica gel (Eluent: Heptane/ethyl acetate 0 to 100%) to provide 0.197 g (27%) of the title compound as a light yellow solid. MS (m/e): 229.0 (M−H).
Example B.4
Preparation of 5-Trifluoromethyl-biphenyl-2-carboxylic acid
[0311]
[0312] A mixture of 300 mg (0.949 mmol) 2-iodo-4-trifluoromethyl-benzoic acid (CAS: 54507-44-7), 239 mg (1.898 mmol) phenylboronic acid, 302 mg (2.847 mmol) sodium carbonate and 10.7 mg (0.0475 mmol) palladium acetate in 4.5 ml water was stirred at room temperature for 48 hours. The mixture was filtered and the filtrate was acidified with 37% HCl. The mixture was stirred at room temperature for 30 minutes. The solid was filtered, washed with water and dried to provide 225 mg (89%) of the title compound as a brown solid. MS (m/e): 264.9 (M+H + )
Example B.5
Preparation of 2-Isopropoxy-4-trifluoromethyl-benzoic acid
[0313]
[0314] To a solution of 500 mg (2.271 mmol) 2-hydroxy-4-trifluoromethyl-benzoic acid methyl ester (CAS: 345-28-8), 209 ul (2.725 mmol) 2-propanol and 706.2 mg (2.612 mmol) triphenylphosphine in 6.5 ml tetrahydrofuran under nitrogen at 0° C., was added dropwise a solution of 575.2 mg (2.498 mmol) di-tert-butyl azodicarboxylate in 1 ml tetrahydrofuran. The reaction mixture was allowed to warm to room temperature and stirred for 1.5 hours. 8 ml (15.9 mmol) 2N NaOH was added and the reaction mixture was warmed at 80° C. for 5 hours. The reaction mixture extracted twice with 5 ml ether. The aqueous layer was acidified under ice bath cooling with a 5N HCl solution to pH 1. The resulting precipitate was filtered and dried in vacuo to provide 444 mg (y: 78.8%) of the expected compound as a white solid. MS (m/e): 247.0 (MH+).
Example B.6
Preparation of 2-Methoxy-6-methylsulfanyl-4-trifluoromethyl-benzoyl chloride
[0315]
[0316] A mixture of 51 mg (0.191 mmol) 2-methoxy-6-methylsulfanyl-4-trifluoromethyl-benzoic acid (Example B.2) and 140 ul (1.91 mmol) thionylchloride in toluene (0.5 ml) was heated in a 80° C. oil bath for 4 hours. The solvent was removed in vacuo to provide the title compound.
Example B.7
Preparation of 2-Ethyl-4,6-bis-trifluoromethyl-benzoyl chloride
[0317]
a) step 1: 2-Ethyl-4,6-bis-trifluoromethyl-benzoic acid
[0318]
[0319] In analogy to the procedure described for the synthesis of example B.1, the title compound was prepared from 2,4-bis-trifluoromethyl-benzoic acid (commercial) and ethyliodide.
Example B.8
Preparation of 2-Difluoromethoxy-4-trifluoromethyl-benzoic acid
[0320]
a) step 1: 2-Difluoromethoxy-4-trifluoromethyl-benzoic acid methyl ester
[0321]
[0322] To a solution of 500 mg (2.271 mmol) 2-hydroxy-4-trifluoromethyl-benzoic acid methyl ester (CAS: 345-28-8) in 5 ml N,N-dimethylformamide at room temperature, was added 470.8 mg (3.407 mmol) potassium carbonate, followed by dropwise addition of 293.4 ul (2.725 mmol) methyl chlorodifluoroacetate. The reaction mixture was heated at 65° C. oil bath for 22 hours. Water and ethyl acetate were added. The organic phase was washed 3 times with water. The organic phase was dried over sodium sulfate, filtered and concentrated in vacuo to provide 449 mg of the title compound as a pink oil which was used in the next step without any further purification.
b) step 2: 2-Difluoromethoxy-4-trifluoromethyl-benzoic acid
[0323] In analogy to the procedure described for the synthesis of example B.3, step 3 the title compound was prepared from 2-difluoromethoxy-4-trifluoromethyl-benzoic acid methyl ester. MS (m/e): 254.9 (M−H)
Example B.9
Preparation of 2-Pyrrolidin-1-yl-4-trifluoromethyl-benzoic acid
[0324]
a) step 1: 2-Pyrrolidin-1-yl-4-trifluoromethyl-benzoic acid methyl ester
[0325]
[0326] To 30 mg (0.0318 mmol) Pd 2 dba 3 , 37.9 mg (0.106 mmol) 2-(dicyclohexyl-phosphino)biphenyl and 315 mg (1.484 mmol) potassium phosphate tribasic under argon at room temperature, was added a solution of 105.2 ul (1.272 mmol) pyrrolidine in 5.5 ml toluene dry, followed by 300 mg (1.06 mmol) 2-bromo-4-trifluoromethyl-benzoic acid methyl ester (CAS: 328-89-2). The reaction mixture was heated at 80° C. overnight. The mixture was cooled to room temperature and diluted with dichloromethane. The suspension was filtered. The filtrate was concentrated in vacuo. The residue was purified on silica (Eluent: heptane/ethyl acetate 0 to 10%) to provide 88 mg (30.4%) of the title compound as an orange oil. MS (m/e): 274.3 (MH+).
b) step 2: 2-Pyrrolidin-1-yl-4-trifluoromethyl-benzoic acid
[0327] In analogy to the procedure described for the synthesis of example B.3, step 3 the title compound was prepared from 2-pyrrolidin-1-yl-4-trifluoromethyl-benzoic acid methyl ester. MS (m/e): 258.0 (M−H).
Example B.10
Preparation of 2-Cyclohexyl-4-trifluoromethyl-benzoic acid
[0328]
a) step 1: 2-Iodo-4-trifluoromethyl-benzoic acid methyl ester
[0329]
[0330] In analogy to the procedure described for the synthesis of example B.3, step 1 the title compound was prepared from 2-iodo-4-trifluoromethyl-benzoic acid (CAS: 54507-44-7).
b) step 2: 2-Cyclohexyl-4-trifluoromethyl-benzoic acid methyl ester
[0331]
[0332] To a solution of 300 mg (0.909 mmol) 2-iodo-4-trifluoromethyl-benzoic acid methyl ester, 14.4 mg (0.0455 mmol) Pd(dppf)Cl 2 and 10.6 mg (0.0545 mmol) copper (I) iodide in THF (5 ml) was added at room temperature 2.73 ml (1.364 mmol) cyclohexylzinc bromide (0.5M). The mixture was stirred for 3 hours. Then it was heated to 50° C. and stirred for 4 hours and at room temperature over night. The mixture was concentrated in vacuo and dissolved in ethyl acetate. Then it was washed twice with a 1N HCl solution, twice with a saturated sodium bicarbonate solution and once with brine. The organic layer was dried over sodium sulfate, filtered and concentrated in vacuo. The residue was purified on silica (Eluent: heptane/ethyl acetate 0 to 20%) to provide 176 mg (68%) of the title compound as a light yellow oil. MS (m/e): 286 (MH+).
c) step 3: 2-Cyclohexyl-4-trifluoromethyl-benzoic acid
[0333] In analogy to the procedure described for the synthesis of example B.3, step 3 the title compound was prepared from 2-cyclohexyl-4-trifluoromethyl-benzoic acid methyl ester. MS (m/e): 271.2 (M−H).
Example B.11
Preparation of 2-cyclopentyl-4-trifluoromethyl-benzoic acid
[0334]
[0335] In analogy to the procedure described for the synthesis of example B.10, the title compound was prepared from 2-iodo-4-trifluoromethyl-benzoic acid methyl ester and cyclopentyl zinc bromide followed by saponification with sodium hydroxide. MS (m/e): 257.0 (M−H).
Example B.12
Preparation of 2-Cyclobutyl-4-trifluoromethyl-benzoic acid
[0336]
[0337] In analogy to the procedure described for the synthesis of example B.10, the title compound was prepared from 2-iodo-4-trifluoromethyl-benzoic acid methyl ester and cyclobutyl zinc bromide followed by saponification with sodium hydroxide. MS (m/e): 243.0 (M−H)
Example B.13
Preparation of 2-Isopropyl-4-trifluoromethyl-benzoic acid
[0338]
[0339] In analogy to the procedure described for the synthesis of example B.10, the title compound was prepared from 2-iodo-4-trifluoromethyl-benzoic acid methyl ester and 2-propyl zinc bromide followed by saponification with sodium hydroxide. MS (m/e): 231.0 (M−H)
Example B.14
Preparation of 2,6-Dimethoxy-4-trifluoromethyl-benzoic acid
[0340]
[0341] To a solution of sodium hydroxide (5.66 g, 141.4 mmol) in 33 ml water and 33 ml ethanol at room temperature under nitrogen, was added 2,6-dimethoxy-4-trifluoromethyl-benzonitrile (CAS: 51271-36-4) (3.27 g, 14.14 mmol). The reaction mixture was heated in a 90° C. oil bath for 37 hours. The reaction mixture was cooled to room temperature and 130 ml water was added. The product was collected by filtration and dried to provide 3.05 g of an off-white solid. To a solution of nitrosylsulfuric acid (15.6 g, 110.2 mmol) in 9.5 ml water at 0° C. under nitrogen, was added dropwise a suspension of the previously obtained material in 19 ml dichloromethane. The reaction mixture was stirred at 0° C. for 4.5 h. The reaction mixture was poured over ice and extracted with dichloromethane. The combined organic layers were dried over Na 2 SO 4 , filtered and dried to provide 1.51 g of product. The aqueous phase was filtered and the white solid was dried to provide 1.36 g of product. Both batches were mixed to provide 2.87 g (93.7%) of the title compound as a white solid. MS (m/e): 249.1 (M−H).
Example B.15
Preparation of 2-Methoxy-6-(2,2,2-trifluoro-ethoxy)-4-trifluoromethyl-benzoic acid
[0342]
a) step 1: 2-Methoxy-6-nitro-4-trifluoromethyl-benzonitrile
[0343]
[0344] To a solution of 3 g (11.49 mmol) 2,6-dinitro-4-trifluoromethyl-benzonitrile (CAS: 35213-02-6) in 30 ml methanol at 0° C. under nitrogen, was added 2.3 ml (11.49 mmol) of a 5M sodium methoxide in methanol. The reaction mixture was stirred at 0° C. for 1.5 hours then poured into ice water, stirred for 60 minutes and the product was collect by filtration. The crude solid was purified on silica (Eluent: heptane/ethyl acetate 0 to 30%) to provide 2.24 g (79%) of the title compound as a light yellow solid.
b) step 2: 2-Methoxy-6-(2,2,2-trifluoro-ethoxy)-4-trifluoromethyl-benzonitrile
[0345]
[0346] To a solution of 200 mg (0.804 mmol) 2-methoxy-6-nitro-4-trifluoromethyl-benzonitrile in 2.4 ml 2,2,2-trifluoroethanol under argon at 0° C. was added dropwise a solution of 81.3 mg (1.246 mmol) potassium hydroxide in 600 ul water. The mixture was refluxed for 2 days then cooled to room temperature and poured into ice/water. The resulting suspension was filtered and dried in vacuo to provide 112 mg (47%) of the title compound as a white solid. MS (m/e): 317.2 (M+H).
c) step 3: 2-Methoxy-6-(2,2,2-trifluoro-ethoxy)-4-trifluoromethyl-benzoic acid
[0347] In analogy to the procedure described for the synthesis of example B.14, the title compound was prepared from 2-methoxy-6-(2,2,2-trifluoro-ethoxy)-4-trifluoromethyl-benzonitrile. MS (m/e): 316.9 (M−H).
Example B.16
Preparation of 2-Ethyl-3-methyl-4-trifluoromethyl-benzoyl chloride
[0348]
a) step 1: 2-(2-Methoxy-4-trifluoromethyl-phenyl)-4,4-dimethyl-4,5-dihydro-oxazole
[0349]
[0350] To a solution of 24.98 g (113 mmol) 4-(trifluoromethyl)-2-methoxy-benzoic acid in 220 ml toluene were added 82 ml (1.13 mol) thionyl chloride and 5 drops dimethylformamide. The mixture was heated to 80° C. for 3 h. Then the reaction mixture was concentrated at 50° C./10 mbar. The remaining acid chloride, 27.9 g of a light yellow liquid, was dissolved in 160 ml dichloromethane, cooled to 0° C. and a solution of 20.34 g (228 mmol) 2-amino-2-methyl-propan-1-ol in 60 ml dichloromethane added. The mixture was allowed to stir at ambient temperature for 16 h. The off-white suspension was diluted with water, the aqueous phase evaporated and the organic phase extracted 3 times with ethyl acetate. The combined organic layers were dried over Na 2 SO 4 , filtered and concentrated. The crude product, 33.2 g N-(2-hydroxy-1,1-dimethyl-ethyl)-2-methoxy-4-trifluoro-methyl-benzamide, a light yellow oil was dissolved in 220 ml dichloromethane and cooled to 0° C. Then 24.7 ml (340 mmol) thionyl chloride was added drop-wise and the resulting light yellow solution stirred at ambient temperature for 16 h. Then the pH was adjusted to 10 by addition of saturated aqueous Na 2 CO 3 solution. The aqueous layer was separated and extracted 3 times with tert-butyl methyl ether. The combined organic phases were washed twice with brine, dried over Na 2 SO 4 , filtered and concentrated to provide the title compound as light yellow oil which was used without further purification. MS (m/e): 274.1 (M+H + ).
b) step 2: 2-(2-Methoxy-3-methyl-4-trifluoromethyl-phenyl)-4,4-dimethyl-4,5-dihydro-oxazole
[0351]
[0352] To a solution of 5.465 g (20 mmol) 2-(2-methoxy-4-trifluoromethyl-phenyl)-4,4-dimethyl-4,5-dihydro-oxazole in 60 ml dry THF were added at <−60° C. 11.0 ml (22 mmol) lithium diisopropylamide solution 2M in THF/heptanes/ethylbenzene and the mixture stirred for 1.5 h at <−60° C. To the resulting dark brown solution were added 2.5 ml (40 mmol) iodomethane drop wise over 10 min (exothermal, Ti<−48° C.). The resulting light brown solution was stirred at <−50° C. for 2.5 h then quenched with sat. aq. NH 4 Cl solution and extracted three times with tert-butyl methyl ether. The combined organic phases were washed 3× with brine, dried over Na 2 SO 4 , filtered and evaporated: 7.002 g yellow solid: which was purified by flash-chromatography on silica gel with heptane and 5 to 10% AcOEt over 25 min and heptane/AcOEt 90:10 for 20 min to provide the title compound as a light yellow oil. MS (m/e): 288.12 (M+H + ).
c) step 3: 2-(2-Ethyl-3-methyl-4-trifluoromethyl-phenyl)-4,4-dimethyl-4,5-dihydro-oxazole
[0353]
[0354] To a cooled solution of 355 mg (1.17 mmol) 2-(2-methoxy-3-methyl-4-trifluoromethyl-phenyl)-4,4-dimethyl-4,5-dihydro-oxazole in 4 ml THF were added at <10° C. drop-wise over 20 min 2.35 ml (4.7 mmol) 2M ethylmagnesium chloride solution in THF. The resulting brown solution was stirred at ambient temperature for 1 h, then quenched with saturated aqueous NH 4 Cl solution (cooling with ice bath) and extracted three times with tert-butyl methyl ether. The combined organic phases were washed three times with brine, dried over Na 2 SO 4 , filtered and evaporated. 2-(2-Ethyl-3-methyl-4-trifluoromethyl-phenyl)-4,4-dimethyl-4,5-dihydro-oxazole was obtained as yellow oil: MS (ISP): 286.1 ((M+H) +• ).
d) step 4: 2-(2-Ethyl-3-methyl-4-trifluoromethyl-phenyl)-3,4,4-trimethyl-4,5-dihydro-oxazol-3-ium iodide
[0355]
[0356] To a solution of 837 mg (2.9 mmol) 2-(2-ethyl-3-methyl-4-trifluoromethyl-phenyl)-4,4-dimethyl-4,5-dihydro-oxazole in 8 ml nitromethane were added 1.47 ml (23.5 mmol) methyl iodide and the mixture heated in a sealed tube to 70° C. for 18 h. The brown solution was diluted with tert-butyl methyl ether, the suspension filtered and the precipitate washed with tert-butyl methyl ether and dried. 2-(2-Ethyl-3-methyl-4-trifluoromethyl-phenyl)-3,4,4-trimethyl-4,5-dihydro-oxazol-3-ium iodide was obtained as colourless solid: MS (ISP): 300.1 (M +• ).
e) step 5: 2-Ethyl-3-methyl-4-trifluoromethyl-benzoic acid
[0357]
[0358] A solution of 960 mg (2.25 mmol) 2-(2-ethyl-3-methyl-4-trifluoromethyl-phenyl)-3,4,4-trimethyl-4,5-dihydro-oxazol-3-ium iodide in 10 ml MeOH and 5 ml 20% NaOH was heated to 70° C. for 17 h The yellow solution was cooled to rt, MeOH distilled off, the residue acidified with conc. HCl to pH 1 and extracted three times with tert-butyl methyl ether. The combined organic phases were washed twice with brine, dried over Na 2 SO 4 , filtered and evaporated: 2-Ethyl-3-methyl-4-trifluoromethyl-benzoic acid was obtained as yellow solid: MS (ISN): 231.06 ((M−H) −• ).
f) step 6: 2-Ethyl-3-methyl-4-trifluoromethyl-benzoyl chloride
[0359]
[0360] In analogy to the procedure described for the synthesis of example B.6, the title compound was prepared from 2-Ethyl-3-methyl-4-trifluoromethyl-benzoic acid.
Example C.1
Preparation of N-(1,6-Dimethyl-3-phenyl-piperidin-3-yl)-2-methoxy-6-methylsulfanyl-4-trifluoromethyl-benzamide
[0361]
a) step 1: (3-Hydroxy-1-methyl-propyl)-methyl-carbamic acid tert-butyl ester
[0362]
[0363] To a solution of 2 g (19.39 mmol) 3-(methylamino)-1-butanol (commercial, CAS: 89585-18-2) in 15 ml dichloromethane under nitrogen at room temperature, was added 3.24 ml (23.27 mmol) triethylamine. The reaction mixture was cooled to 0° C. and a solution of 5.13 g (23.27 mmol) di-tert-butyl dicarbonate in 5 ml dichloromethane was added dropwise. The reaction mixture was stirred at room temperature for 2 days, then quenched with a saturated solution of sodium bicarbonate. The organic layer was dried over sodium sulfate, filtered and concentrated in vacuo. The residue was purified on silica (Eluent: heptane/ethyl acetate 0 to 40%) to provide 3.3 g (84%) of the title compound as a colorless oil. MS (m/e): 204.3 (M+H).
b) step 2: (3-Bromo-1-methyl-propyl)-methyl-carbamic acid tert-butyl ester
[0364]
[0365] To a solution of 1 g (4.919 mmol) (3-hydroxy-1-methyl-propyl)-methyl-carbamic acid tert-butyl ester in 12.5 ml dichloromethane under nitrogen at 0° C., was added 1.46 g (5.411 mmol) triphenylphosphine, followed by a solution of 1.79 g (5.411 mmol) carbone tetrabromide in 3.5 ml dichloromethane. The reaction mixture was stirred at room temperature for 3 hours. The suspension was concentrated in vacuo. The residue was purified on silica (Eluent: heptane/ethyl acetate 0 to 15%) to provide 0.74 g (57%) of the title compound as a colorless oil. MS (m/e): 210.1 (M−56).
c) step 3: Methyl-(1-methyl-4-nitro-4-phenyl-butyl)-carbamic acid tert-butyl ester
[0366]
[0367] To a −78° C. solution of 304 mg (2.219 mmol) nitromethyl-benzene (CAS: 622-42-4) in 5 ml tetrahydrofuran over mol-sieve and 1.29 ml HMPA, was added dropwise 2.91 ml (4.654 mmol) n-BuLi (1.6 M in hexane). After 45 minutes at −78° C., a solution of 590.7 mg (2.219 mmol) (3-bromo-1-methyl-propyl)-methyl-carbamic acid tert-butyl ester in 1.5 ml tetrahydrofuran over mol-sieve was added dropwise. After 1 hour at −78° C., the reaction mixture was allowed to warm up slowly, during 2 hours, to −15° C. The mixture was then cooled again to −78° C. and quenched with 0.75 ml of acetic acid, then with 13 ml saturated ammonium chloride. Back to room temperature, the aqueous phase was extracted two times with ethylacetate. The combined organic layers were dried over sodium sulfate, filtered and concentrated in vacuo. The residue was purified on silica (Eluent: heptane/ethyl acetate 0 to 10%) to provide 201 mg (28%) of the title compound as a colorless oil. MS (m/e): 323.3 (M+H).
d) step 4: Methyl-(1-methyl-4-nitro-4-phenyl-butyl)-amine
[0368]
[0369] In analogy to the procedure described for the synthesis of example A.22, step 4, the title compound was prepared from Methyl-(1-methyl-4-nitro-4-phenyl-butyl)-carbamic acid tert-butyl ester. MS (m/e): 223.3 (M+H).
e) step 5: 1,2-Dimethyl-5-nitro-5-phenyl-piperidine
[0370]
[0371] To a suspension of 138 mg (0.621 mmol) Methyl-(1-methyl-4-nitro-4-phenyl-butyl)-amine in 2.2 ml dioxane under argon at room temperature, was added 49.8 ul (0.683 mmol) formaldehyde (37% in water). The mixture was stirred at room temperature for 30 minutes and then at 65° C. for 4.5 hours. The mixture was cooled to room temperature and diluted with ethyl acetate. Sodium sulfate was added. The mixture was filtered and the filtrate was concentrated in vacuo. The residue was purified on silica (Eluent: heptane/ethyl acetate 0 to 20%) to provide 76 mg (52%) of the title compound as a colorless oil. MS (m/e): 235.3 (M+H).
f) step 6: 1,6-Dimethyl-3-phenyl-piperidin-3-ylamine
[0372]
g) step 7: N-(1,6-Dimethyl-3-phenyl-piperidin-3-yl)-2-methoxy-6-methylsulfanyl-4-trifluoromethyl-benzamide
[0373] In analogy to the procedure described for the synthesis of example 16, the title compound was prepared from 1,6-Dimethyl-3-phenyl-piperidin-3-ylamine and 2-Methoxy-6-methylsulfanyl-4-trifluoromethyl-benzoyl chloride (Example B.6). MS (m/e): 453.2 (M+H).
Example C.2
Preparation of N-((3RS,5SR)-1,5-Dimethyl-3-phenyl-piperidin-3-yl)-2-ethyl-4-trifluoromethyl-benzamide
[0374]
[0375] In analogy to the procedure described for the synthesis of example 1, the title compound was prepared from (3RS,5SR)-1,5-Dimethyl-3-phenyl-piperidin-3-ylamine (Example A.20) and 2-Ethyl-4-trifluoromethyl-benzoic acid (CAS: 854531-63-8). MS (m/e): 405.4 (M+H).
Description of Active Examples
Example 1
rac-2-Chloro-N-(1-methyl-3-phenyl-piperidin-3-yl)-3-trifluoromethyl-benzamide
[0376]
[0377] To a solution of 33 mg (0.144 mmol) 2-chloro-3-(trifluoromethyl)benzoic acid (commercial), 75 mg (0.197 mmol) HATU and 90 ul (0.524 mmol) N-ethyldiisopropylamine in DMF (1 ml) was added a solution of 25 mg (0.131 mmol) rac-1-methyl-3-phenyl-piperidin-3-ylamine (Example A.1) in DMF (0.25 ml). The mixture was stirred at room temperature for 22 hours. The solvent was removed in vacuo. The residue was dissolved in ethyl acetate. The solution was washed once with water and twice with a saturated sodium carbonate solution. The aqueous layer was extracted once with ethyl acetate. The combined extracts were dried over sodium sulfate, filtered and concentrated in vacuo. The crude product was purified on silica gel (Eluent: Heptane/ethyl acetate 0 to 100%) to provide 27 mg (52%) of the title compound as a light yellow oil. MS (m/e): MS (m/e): 397.2 (M+H)
[0378] In analogy to Example 1, compounds 2 to 15 of the following table were prepared from the acid derivatives and piperidine derivatives:
[0000]
MW found
Ex No.
Structure
Systematic Name
Starting materials
(MH + )
2
rac-N-(1-Methyl- 3-phenyl- piperidin-3-yl)- 2,4-bis- trifluoromethyl- benzamide
rac-1-Methyl-3-phenyl- piperidin-3-ylamine (Example A.1) and 2,4- bis(trifluoromethyl) benzoic acid (commercial)
431.3
3
rac-2-Bromo-N-(1- methyl-3-phenyl- piperidin-3-yl)-4- trifluoromethyl- benzamide
rac-1-Methyl-3-phenyl- piperidin-3-ylamine (Example A.1) and 2- Bromo-4-trifluoromethyl- benzoic acid (CAS: 328-89-2)
441.2
4
rac-2-Ethyl-N-(1- methyl-3-phenyl- piperidin-3-yl)-4- trifluoromethyl- benzamide
rac-1-Methyl-3-phenyl- piperidin-3-ylamine (Example A.1) and 2- Ethyl-4-trifluoromethyl)- benzoic acid (CAS: 854531-63-8)
391.2
5
rac-2-Fluoro-N-(1- methyl-3-phenyl- piperidin-3-yl)- 4,6-bis- trifluoromethyl- benzamide
rac-1-Methyl-3-phenyl- piperidin-3-ylamine (Example A.1) and 2- fluoro-4,6-bis (trifluoromethyl)benzoic acid (commercial)
449.2
6
rac-2-Chloro-N-(1- methyl-3-phenyl- piperidin-3-yl)- 4,6-bis- trifluoromethyl- benzamide
rac-1-Methyl-3-phenyl- piperidin-3-ylamine (Example A.1) and 2- chloro-4,6-bis (trifluoromethyl)benzoic acid (commercial)
465.1
7
rac-2-Bromo-6- methoxy-N-(1- methyl-3-phenyl- piperidin-3-yl)-4- trifluoromethyl- benzamide
rac-1-Methyl-3-phenyl- piperidin-3-ylamine (Example A.1) and 2- Bromo-6-methoxy-4- trifluoromethyl)- benzoic acid (Example B1)
471.1
8
rac-2-Methoxy-6- methylsulfanyl-N- (1-methyl-3- p-tolyl-piperidin- 3-yl)-4- trifluoromethyl- benzamide
rac-1-Methyl-3-p-tolyl- piperidin-3-ylamine- (Example A.4) and 2- Methoxy-6-methylsulfanyl- 4-trifluoromethyl-benzoic acid (Example B.2)
453.3
9
rac-4′-Fluoro- biphenyl-2- carboxylic acid (1- methyl-3-phenyl- piperidin-3-yl)- amide
rac-1-Methyl-3-phenyl- piperidin-3-ylamine (Example A.1) and 4′- fluorobiphenyl-2- carboxylic acid (commercial)
389.1
10
rac-N-(1-Methyl- 3-phenyl- piperidin-3-yl)- 2-pyridin-3-yl- benzamide
rac-1-Methyl-3-phenyl- piperidin-3-ylamine (Example A.1) and 2- pyrid-3-yl-benzoic acid (commercial)
372.2
11
rac-N-(1,2- Dimethyl-3- phenyl-piperidin- 3-yl)-2-methoxy-6- methylsulfanyl-4- trifluoromethyl- benzamide
rac-1,2-Dimethyl-3- phenyl-piperidin-3-ylamine (Example A.5) and 2- Methoxy-6-methylsulfanyl- 4-trifluoromethyl-benzoic acid (Example B.2)
453.2
12
rac-2-Ethoxy-N- (1-methyl-3- phenyl-piperidin- 3-yl)-4- trifluoromethyl- benzamide
rac-1-Methyl-3-phenyl- piperidin-3-ylamine (Example A.1) and 2- Ethoxy-4-trifluoromethyl- benzoic acid (CAS: 334018-39-2)
407.4
13
rac-2-Cyclopropyl- N-(1-methyl-3- phenyl-piperidin- 3-yl)-4- trifluoromethyl- benzamide
rac-1-Methyl-3-phenyl- piperidin-3-ylamine (Example A.1) and 2- Cyclopropyl-4- trifluoromethyl-benzoic acid (Example B.3)
403.3
14
rac-5-Trifluoromethyl- biphenyl-2- carboxylic acid(1- methyl-3-phenyl- piperidin-3-yl)- amide
rac-1-Methyl-3-phenyl- piperidin-3-ylamine (Example A.1) and 5- Trifluoromethyl-biphenyl- 2-carboxylic acid (Example B.4)
439.4
15
rac-2-Isopropoxy- N-(1-methyl-3-phenyl-piperidin- 3-yl)-4- trifluoromethyl- benzamide
rac-1-Methyl-3-phenyl- piperidin-3-ylamine (Example A.1) and 2- Isopropxoy-4- trifluoromethyl-benzoic acid (Example B.5)
421.2
Example 16
rac-2-Methoxy-N-(1-methyl-3-phenyl-piperidin-3-yl)-4,6-bis-trifluoromethyl-benzamide
[0379]
[0380] To a solution of 205 mg (1.077 mmol) rac-1-methyl-3-phenyl-piperidin-3-ylamine (Example A.1) and 369 ul (2.154 mmol) N-ethyldiisopropylamine in dichloromethane (2.5 ml) was added dropwise a solution of 430 mg (1.4 mmol) 2-methoxy-4,6-bis-trifluoromethyl-benzoyl chloride (CAS: 886503-47-5) in dichloromethane (2.0 ml) at room temperature. The mixture was stirred at room temperature for 16 hours. The solvent was removed in vacuo. The crude product was purified on silica gel (Eluent: Heptane/ethyl acetate 0 to 100%) to provide 340 mg (69%) of the title compound as a light yellow foam. MS (m/e): MS (m/e): 461.4 (M+H).
[0381] In analogy to Example 16, compounds 17 to 28 of the following table were prepared from the acyl chloride derivatives and piperidine derivatives:
[0000]
MW found
Ex No.
Structure
Systematic Name
Starting materials
(MH + )
17
rac-2,4-Dichloro-N- (1-methyl-3-phenyl- piperidin-3-yl)- benzamide
rac-1-Methyl-3-phenyl- piperidin-3-ylamine (Example A.1) and 2,4- dichloro-benzoyl chloride (CAS: 98499-66-2)
363.1
18
rac-2-Methoxy-N-(1- methyl-3-phenyl- piperidin-3-yl)-6- methylsulfanyl-4- trifluoromethyl- benzamide
rac-1-Methyl-3-phenyl- piperidin-3-ylamine (Example A.1) and 2- Methoxy-6- methylsulfanyl-4- trifluoromethyl-benzoyl chloride (Example B.6)
439.4
19
rac-N-(1-methyl-3- phenyl-piperidin-3- yl)-2-methylsulfanyl- 4-trifluoromethyl- benzamide
rac-1-Methyl-3-phenyl- piperidin-3-ylamine (Example A.1) and 2- Methylsulfanyl-4- trifluoromethyl- benzoyl chloride (CAS: 956830-68-5)
409.3
20
rac-2-Methyl-N-(1- methyl-3-phenyl- piperidin-3-yl)-4- trifluoromethyl- benzamide
rac-1-Methyl-3-phenyl- piperidin-3-ylamine (Example A.1) and 2- Methyl-4-trifluoromethyl- benzoyl chloride (CAS: 98499-66-2)
377.3
21
rac-2-Chloro-N-(1- methyl-3-phenyl- piperidin-3-yl)-5- trifluoromethyl- benzamide
rac-1-Methyl-3-phenyl- piperidin-3-ylamine (Example A.1) and 2- Chloro-5-trifluoromethyl- benzoyl chloride (CAS: 657-05-06)
397.2
22
rac-Naphthalene-1- carboxylic acid(1- methyl-3-phenyl- piperidin-3-yl)-amide
rac-1-Methyl-3-phenyl- piperidin-3-ylamine (Example A.1) and 1- Naphthoyl chloride (commercial)
345.3
23
rac-4-Fluoro-2- methoxy-6-methyl-N- (1-methyl-3-phenyl- piperidin-3-yl)- benzamide
rac-1-Methyl-3-phenyl- piperidin-3-ylamine (Example A.1) and 4- Fluoro-2-methoxy-6- methyl-benzoyl chloride (CAS: 960531-76-4)
357.4
24
rac-2-Methyl-N-(1- methyl-3-phenyl- piperidin-3-yl)-4,6- bis-trifluoromethyl- benzamide
rac-1-Methyl-3-phenyl- piperidine-3-ylamine (Example A.1) and 2- Methyl-4,6-bis- trifluoromethyl-benzoyl chloride (CAS: 895580-42-4)
445.4
25
rac-2-Ethyl-N-(1- methyl-3-phenyl- piperidin-3-yl)-4,6- bis-trifluoromethyl- benzamide
rac-1-Methyl-3-phenyl- piperidin-3-ylamine (Example A.1) and 2- Ethyl-4,6-bis- trifluoromethyl-benzoyl chloride (Example B.7)
459.4
26
rac-N-[3-(4-Fluoro- phenyl)-1-methyl- piperidin-3-yl]-2- methoxy-4,6-bis- trifluoromethyl- benzamide
rac-3-(4-Fluoro-phenyl)- 1-methyl-piperidin-3- ylamine (Example A.2) and 2-Methoxy-4,6-bis- trifluoromethyl-benzoyl chloride (CAS: 886503-47-5)
479.1
27
rac-N-[3-(4-Fluoro- phenyl)-1-methyl- piperidin-3-yl]-2- methoxy-6- methylsulfanyl-4- trifluoromethyl- benzamide
rac-3-(4-Fluoro-phenyl)- 1-methyl-piperidin-3- ylamine (Example A.2) and 2-Methoxy-6- methylsulfanyl-4- trifluoromethyl-benzoyl chloride (Example B1)
457.2
28
rac-N-[3-(4-Chloro- phenyl)-1-methyl- piperidi-3-yl]-2- methoxy-6- methylsulfanyl-4- trifluoromethyl- benzamide
rac-3-(4-Chloro-phenyl)- 1-methyl-piperidin-3- ylamine (Example A.3) and 2-Methoxy-6- methylsulfanyl-4- trifluoromethyl-benzoyl chloride (Example B1)
473.3
Example 29
rac-2-Methoxy-N-(3-phenyl-piperidin-3-yl)-4,6-bis-trifluoromethyl-benzamide
[0382]
a) step 1: rac-3-Amino-3-phenyl-piperidine-1-carboxylic acid benzyl ester
[0383]
[0384] To a refluxing solution of 500 mg (1.486 mmol) rac-3-azido-3-phenyl-piperidine-1-carboxylic acid benzyl ester (example A.1, step 2) and 281 mg (7.43 mmol) NaBH 4 in THF (5 ml) was added dropwise 2.0 ml methanol over 1.5 hour. The mixture was refluxed for another hour and then stirred at room temperature overnight. Another 114 mg (3 mmol) NaBH 4 were added and the mixture was refluxed for 2 hours. The mixture was cooled in an ice bath and acidified with HCl 1N. The mixture was basified with 1N NaOH and extracted three times with ethyl acetate. The combined extracts were dried over sodium sulfate, filtered and concentrated in vacuo. The crude product was purified on silica gel (Eluent: Heptane/ethyl acetate 0 to 100%) to provide 220 mg (48%) of the title compound as a colorless oil. MS (m/e): MS (m/e): 311.4 (M+H).
b) step 2: rac-3-(2-Methoxy-4,6-bis-trifluoromethyl-benzoylamino)-3-phenyl-piperidine-1-carboxylic acid benzyl ester
[0385]
[0386] In analogy to the procedure described for the synthesis of example 16, the title compound was prepared from rac-3-amino-3-phenyl-piperidine-1-carboxylic acid benzyl ester and 2-methoxy-4,6-bis-trifluoromethyl-benzoyl chloride (CAS: 886503-47-5).
c) step 3: rac-2-Methoxy-N-(3-phenyl-piperidin-3-yl)-4,6-bis-trifluoromethyl-benzamide
[0387] To a solution of 445 mg (0.767 mmol) rac-3-(2-methoxy-4,6-bis-trifluoromethyl-benzoylamino)-3-phenyl-piperidine-1-carboxylic acid benzyl ester in methanol (4.5 ml) were added 44 mg Pd/C 10%. The mixture was stirred under an hydrogen atmosphere at room temperature for 1.5 hour. The apparatus was purged with argon. The catalyst was filtered and the filtrate was concentrated in vacuo to provide 330 mg (96%) of the title compound as a white foam. MS (m/e): 447.3 (M+H).
Example 30
rac-N-(1-Ethyl-3-phenyl-piperidin-3-yl)-2-methoxy-4,6-bis-trifluoromethyl-benzamide
[0388]
[0389] To a solution of 25. mg (0.056 mmol) rac-2-methoxy-N-(3-phenyl-piperidin-3-yl)-4,6-bis-trifluoromethyl-benzamide in 0.25 ml dichloromethane were added 19.7 ul (0.112 mmol) N-ethyldiisopropylamine and finally 6.0 ul (0.0728 mmol) iodoethane. The solution was stirred at room temperature for 20 hours. The solvent was removed in vacuo. The crude product was purified on silica gel (Eluent: Heptane/ethyl acetate 0 to 100%) to provide 15 mg (58%) of the title compound as a colorless oil. MS (m/e): 475.2 (M+H).
Example 31
rac-N-(1-Isopropyl-3-phenyl-piperidin-3-yl)-2-methoxy-4,6-bis-trifluoromethyl-benzamide
[0390]
[0391] To a solution of 35.7 mg (0.08 mmol) rac-2-methoxy-N-(3-phenyl-piperidin-3-yl)-4,6-bis-trifluoromethyl-benzamide in methanol were added 28 ul (0.48 mmol) acetic acid, 59 ul (0.8 mmol) acetone and finally 30 mg (0.4 mmol) sodium cyanoborohydride. The mixture was stirred at room temperature for 4 hours. The solvent was removed in vacuo. The residue was taken in ethyl acetate. The mixture was washed once with a 1N NaOH solution, once with water and once with brine. The aqueous layer was extracted once with ethyl acetate. The combined organic layers were dried over sodium sulfate, filtered and concentrated in vacuo. The crude product was purified on silica gel (Eluent: Heptane/ethyl acetate 0 to 100%) to provide 33 mg (85%) of the title compound as a white foam. MS (m/e): 489.4 (M+H).
[0392] In analogy to Example 31, compounds 32 to 34 of the following table were prepared from rac-2-methoxy-N-(3-phenyl-piperidin-3-yl)-4,6-bis-trifluoromethyl-benzamide and carbonyl derivatives:
[0000]
MW found
Ex No.
Structure
Systematic Name
Starting materials
(MH + )
32
rac-N-(1-Cyclopentyl-3- phenyl-piperidin-3-yl)-2- methoxy-4,6-bis- trifluoromethyl- benzamide
cyclopentanone
515.5
33
rac-N-(1- Cyclopropylmethyl-3- phenyl-piperidin-3-yl)-2- methoxy-4,6-bis trifluoromethyl- benzamide
cyclopropane- carboxaldehyde
501.3
34
rac-2-Methoxy-N-[3- phenyl-1-(tetrahydro- pyran-4-yl)-piperidin-3- yl]-4,6-bis- trifluoromethyl- benzamide
tetrahydro-4H- pyran-4-one
531.3
[0393] The examples 35-38 have been prepared by separation of the racemic material by chiral HPLC:
[0000]
Systematic
Starting racemic
Retent.
MW found
Ex No.
Structure
Name
material
time (min.)*
(MH + )
35
2-Methoxy-N- ((S)-1-methyl-3- phenyl-piperidin- 3-yl)-4,6-bis- trifluoromethyl- benzamide
rac-2-Methoxy- N-(1-methyl-3- phenyl-piperidin- 3-yl)-4,6-bis- trifluoromethyl- benzamide (Example 16)
5.4
461.4
36
2-Methoxy-N- ((R)-1-methyl-3- phenyl-piperidin- 3-yl)-4,6-bis- trifluoromethyl- benzamide
rac-2-Methoxy- N-(1-methyl-3- phenyl-piperidin- 3-yl)-4,6-bis- trifluoromethyl- benzamide (Example 16)
10.3
461.4
37
2-Methoxy-N- ((S)-1-methyl-3- phenyl-piperidin- 3-yl)-6- methylsulfanyl-4- trifluoromethyl- benzamide hydrochloride
rac-2-Methoxy- N-(1-methyl-3- phenyl-piperidin- 3-yl)-6- methylsulfanyl-4- trifluoromethyl- benzamide (Example 18)
7.3
439.3
38
2-Methoxy-N- ((R)-1-methyl-3- phenyl-piperidin- 3-yl)-6- methylsulfanyl-4- trifluoromethyl- benzamide hydrochloride
rac-2-Methoxy- N-(1-methyl-3- phenyl-piperidin- 3-yl)-6- methylsulfanyl-4- trifluoromethyl- benzamide (Example 18)
14.1
439.3
*Analytical separation conditions: Column: Chiralpak AD; Eluent: 15% Isopropanol/Heptane; flow 35 ml, UV detection: 254 nm
[0394] In analogy to Example 1, compounds 39 to 44 of the following table were prepared from the acid derivatives and piperidine derivatives:
[0000]
MW found
Ex No.
Structure
Systematic Name
Starting materials
(MH + )
39
rac-2- diofluoromethoxy- N-(1-methyl-3- phenyl-piperidin-3- yl)-4- trifluoromethyl- benzamide
rac-1-Methyl-3- phenyl-piperidin- 3-ylamine (Example A.1) and 2- Difluoromethoxy- 4-trifluoromethyl- benzoic acid (Example B.8)
429.2
40
rac-2-Chloro-N-(1- methyl-3-phenyl- piperidin-3-yl)-6- trifluoromethyl- nicotinamide hydrochloride
rac-1-Methyl-3- phenyl-piperidin- 3-ylamine (Example A.1) and 2-chloro-6- (trifluoromethyl) nicotinic acid (commercial)
398.1
41
rac-2-Chloro-N-(1- methyl-3-phenyl- piperidin-3-yl)-6- trifluoromethyl- nicotinamide hydrochloride
rac-1-Methyl-3- phenyl-piperidin- 3-ylamine (Example A.1) and 2-Pyrrolidin- 1-yl-4- trifluoromethyl- benzoic acid (Example B.9)
432.4
42
rac-2-Cyclopropyl- 2-trifluoromethyl- pyrimidine-5- carboxylic acid(1- methyl-3-phenyl- piperidin-3-yl)- amide
rac-1-Methyl-3- phenyl-piperidin- 3-ylamine (Example A.1) and 4-cyclopropyl-2- trifluoromethyl- imidine-5- carboxylic acid (commercial)
405.4
43
rac-2-Cyclohexyl- N-(1-methyl-3- phenyl-piperidin- 3-yl)-4- trifluoromethyl- benzamide
rac-1-Methyl-3- phenyl-piperidin- 3-ylamine (Example A.1) and 2-Cyclohexyl- 4-trifluoromethyl)- benzoic acid (Example B.10)
445.4
44
rac-2-Cyclopentyl- N-(1-methyl-3- phenyl-piperidin-3- yl)-4- trifluoromethyl- benzamide
rac-1-Methyl-3- phenyl-piperidin- 3-ylamine (Example A.1) and 2-Cyclohexyl- 4-trifluoromethyl- benzoic acid (Example B.11)
431.3
[0395] In analogy to Example 16, compounds 45 to 48 of the following table were prepared from the acyl chloride derivatives and piperidine derivatives:
[0000]
MW found
Ex No.
Structure
Systematic Name
Starting materials
(MH + )
45
rac-N-[3-(3-Chloro- phenyl)-1-methyl- piperidin-3-yl]-2- methoxy-6- methylsulfanyl-4- trifluoromethyl- benzamide hydrochloride
rac-3-(3-Chloro- phenyl)-1-methyl- piperidin-3-ylamine (Example A.6) and 2-Methoxy-6- methylsulfanyl-4- trifluoromethyl- benzoyl chloride (Example B6)
473.2
46
rac-2-Methoxy-N-[3- (4-methoxy-phenyl)- 1-methyl-piperidin-3- yl]-6-methylsulfanyl- 4-trifluoromethyl- benzamide
rac-3-(4-Methoxy- phenyl)-1-methyl- piperidin-3-ylamine (Example A.7) and 2-Methoxy-6- methylsulfanyl-4- trifluoromethyl- benzoyl chloride (Example B6)
469.2
47
rac-N-(5-Fluoro-1′- methyl-1′,4′,5′, 6′- tetrahydro-2′H- [2,3′]bipyridinyl-3′- yl)-2-methoxy-6- methylsulfanyl-4- trifluoromethyl- benzamide
rac-5-Fluoro-1′- methyl-1′,4′,5′,6′- tetrahydro-2H- [2,3′]bipyridinyl-3′- ylamine (Example A.8) and 2- Methoxy-6- methylsulfanyl-4- trifluoromethyl- benzoyl chloride (Example B6)
458.2
48
rac-N-(5-Fluoro-1- methyl-3-phenyl- piperidin-3-yl)-2- methoxy-6- methylsulfanyl-4- trifluoromethyl- benzamide
rac-5-Fluoro-1- methyl-3-phenyl- piperidin-3-ylamine (Example A.9) and 2-Methoxy-6- methylsulfanyl-4- trifluoromethyl- benzoyl chloride (Example B6)
457.2
Example 49
rac-2-Cyclopropyl-N-(3-phenyl-piperidin-3-yl)-4-trifluoromethyl-benzamide
[0396]
[0397] In analogy to the procedure described for the synthesis of example 29, the title compound was prepared from rac-3-amino-3-phenyl-piperidine-1-carboxylic acid benzyl ester and 2-cyclopropyl-4-trifluoromethyl-benzoic acid (Example B.3). MS (m/e): 389.1 (MH+).
Example 50
rac-2-Methoxy-6-methylsulfanyl-N-(3-phenyl-piperidin-3-yl)-4-trifluoromethyl-benzamide hydrochloride
[0398]
a) step 1: rac-3-(2-Methoxy-6-methylsulfanyl-4-trifluoromethyl-benzoylamino)-3-phenyl-piperidine-1-carboxylic acid benzyl ester
[0399]
[0400] In analogy to the procedure described for the synthesis of example 16, the title compound was prepared from rac-3-amino-3-phenyl-piperidine-1-carboxylic acid benzyl ester (example 29, step 1) and 2-methoxy-6-methylsulfanyl-4-trifluoromethyl-benzoyl chloride (Example B.6). MS (m/e): 559.1 (MH+)
b) step 2: rac-2-Methoxy-6-methylsulfanyl-N-(3-phenyl-piperidin-3-yl)-4-trifluoromethyl-benzamide hydrochloride
[0401] To a solution of 50 mg (0.0895 mmol) rac-3-(2-methoxy-6-methylsulfanyl-4-trifluoromethyl-benzoylamino)-3-phenyl-piperidine-1-carboxylic acid benzyl ester in 1 ml ethanol under argon at room temperature, were added 57 mg (0.895 mmol) ammonium formate and 50 mg Pd/C 10%. The mixture was refluxed for 20 minutes, filtered and the filtrate was concentrated in vacuo. The residue was taken in water. The aqueous layer was basified with a 2M Na 2 CO 3 solution and extracted 3 times with dichloromethane. The combined extracts were dried over sodium sulfate, filtered and concentrated in vacuo. The crude product was purified on silica gel (Eluent: heptane/ethyl acetate 0 to 100%) to provide 13.4 mg of product which was dissolved in methanol. The solution was acidified with a 1.6M HCl/methanol solution. The solvent was removed in vacuo to provide 13 mg of the title compound as a light yellow solid. MS (m/e): 425.1 (MH+).
Example 51
rac-N-(5-Hydroxy-1-methyl-3-phenyl-piperidin-3-yl)-2-methoxy-6-methylsulfanyl-4-trifluoromethyl-benzamide
[0402]
a) step 1: rac-2-Methoxy-N-(5-methoxymethoxy-1-methyl-3-phenyl-piperidin-3-yl)-6-methylsulfanyl-4-trifluoromethyl-benzamide
[0403]
[0404] In analogy to the procedure described for the synthesis of example 16, the title compound was prepared from rac-5-methoxymethoxy-1-methyl-3-phenyl-piperidin-3-ylamine (Example A.10) and 2-methoxy-6-methylsulfanyl-4-trifluoromethyl-benzoyl chloride (Example B.6). MS (m/e): 499.3 (MH+).
b) step 2: rac-N-(5-Hydroxy-1-methyl-3-phenyl-piperidin-3-yl)-2-methoxy-6-methylsulfanyl-4-trifluoromethyl-benzamide
[0405] To a solution of 17 mg (0.0341 mmol) rac-2-methoxy-N-(5-methoxymethoxy-1-methyl-3-phenyl-piperidin-3-yl)-6-methylsulfanyl-4-trifluoromethyl-benzamide in 0.5 ml methanol were added 102 ul (0.102 mmol) of an aqueous 1N HCl solution. The mixture was stirred at room temperature for 30 minutes and then in a 65° C. oil bath for 24 hours. The solvent was removed in vacuo. The residue was taken in water. The aqueous layer was basified with a 2M Na 2 CO 3 solution and extracted 3 times with dichloromethane. The combined extracts were dried over sodium sulfate, filtered and concentrated in vacuo. The crude product was purified on silica gel (Eluent: Heptane/ethyl acetate 0 to 100%) to provide 8 mg (52%) of the title compound as a white solid. MS (m/e): 455.2 (MH+).
Example 52
rac-2-Methoxy-N-[1-(2-methoxy-ethyl)-3-phenyl-piperidin-3-yl]-6-methylsulfanyl-4-trifluoromethyl-benzamide; hydrochloride
[0406]
[0407] In analogy to the procedure described for the synthesis of example 30, the title compound was prepared from rac-2-methoxy-6-methylsulfanyl-N-(3-phenyl-piperidin-3-yl)-4-trifluoromethyl-benzamide hydrochloride (Example 50) and 2-bromoethyl methyl ether. MS (m/e): 483.2 (MH+).
Example 53
rac-N-[1-(2-Hydroxy-ethyl)-3-phenyl-piperidin-3-yl]-2-methoxy-6-methylsulfanyl-4-trifluoromethyl-benzamide; hydrochloride
[0408]
[0409] In analogy to the procedure described for the synthesis of example 30, the title compound was prepared from rac-2-methoxy-6-methylsulfanyl-N-(3-phenyl-piperidin-3-yl)-4-trifluoromethyl-benzamide hydrochloride (Example 50) and 2-iodoethanol. MS (m/e): 469.2 (MH+).
Example 54
rac-N-(1-Cyclobutyl-3-phenyl-piperidin-3-yl)-2-methoxy-6-methylsulfanyl-4-trifluoromethyl-benzamide; hydrochloride
[0410]
[0411] In analogy to the procedure described for the synthesis of example 31, the title compound was prepared from rac-2-methoxy-6-methylsulfanyl-N-(3-phenyl-piperidin-3-yl)-4-trifluoromethyl-benzamide hydrochloride (Example 50) and cyclobutanone. MS (m/e): 479.1 (MH+).
Example 55
rac-N-(1-Isopropyl-3-phenyl-piperidin-3-yl)-2-methoxy-6-methylsulfanyl-4-trifluoromethyl-benzamide; hydrochloride
[0412]
[0413] In analogy to the procedure described for the synthesis of example 31, the title compound was prepared from rac-2-methoxy-6-methylsulfanyl-N-(3-phenyl-piperidin-3-yl)-4-trifluoromethyl-benzamide hydrochloride (Example 50) and acetone. MS (m/e): 467.2 (MH+).
[0414] The examples 56-57 have been prepared by separation of the racemic material by chiral HPLC followed by formation of the hydrochloride salt with HCl/Methanol:
[0000]
Systematic
Starting racemic
Retent.
MW found
Ex No.
Structure
Name
material
time (min.)*
(MH + )
56
2-Cyclopropyl-N- ((S)-1-methyl-3- phenyl-piperidin- 3-yl)-4- trifluoromethyl- benzamide hydrochloride
rac-2- Cyclopropyl-N- (1-methyl-3- phenyl- piperidin-3-yl)-4- trifluoromethyl- benzamide (Example 13)
5.6
403.3
57
2-Cyclopropyl-N- ((R)-1-methyl-3- phenyl-piperidin- 3-yl)-4- trifluoromethyl- benzamide hydrochloride
rac-2- Cyclopropyl-N- (1-methyl-3- phenyl- piperidin-3-yl)-4- trifluoromethyl- benzamide (Example 13)
18.8
403.3
*Analytical separation conditions: Column: Chiralpak AD; Eluent: 15% Isopropanol/Heptane; flow 35 ml, UV detection: 254 nm
Example 58
rac-N-(3-Cyclohexyl-1-methyl-piperidin-3-yl)-2-methoxy-6-methylsulfanyl-4-trifluoromethyl-benzamide
[0415]
[0416] In analogy to the procedure described for the synthesis of example 16, the title compound was prepared from rac-3-cyclohexyl-1-methyl-piperidin-3-ylamine (Example A.11) and 2-methoxy-6-methylsulfanyl-4-trifluoromethyl-benzoyl chloride (Example B6). MS (m/e): 445.2 (MH+).
Example 59
rac-2-Methoxy-6-methylsulfanyl-N-[1-methyl-3-(tetrahydro-pyran-4-yl)-piperidin-3-yl]-4-trifluoromethyl-benzamide
[0417]
[0418] In analogy to the procedure described for the synthesis of example 16, the title compound was prepared from rac-1-methyl-3-(tetrahydro-pyran-4-yl)-piperidin-3-ylamine (Example A.12) and 2-methoxy-6-methylsulfanyl-4-trifluoromethyl-benzoyl chloride (Example B6). MS (m/e): 447.2 (MH+).
Example 60
rac-N-(1,3-Dimethyl-piperidin-3-yl)-2-methoxy-6-methylsulfanyl-4-trifluoromethyl-benzamide
[0419]
[0420] In analogy to the procedure described for the synthesis of example 16, the title compound was prepared from rac-1,3-dimethyl-piperidin-3-ylamine dihydrochloride (Example A.13) and 2-methoxy-6-methylsulfanyl-4-trifluoromethyl-benzoyl chloride (Example B6). MS (m/e): 377.3 (MH+).
[0421] The examples 61-62 have been prepared by separation of the racemic material by chiral HPLC:
[0000]
Systematic
Starting racemic
Retent.
MW found
Ex No.
Structure
Name
material
time (min.)*
(MH + )
61
2-Methoxy-6- methylsulfanyl- N-((S) or (R)-3- phenyl- piperidin-3- yl)-4- trifluoromethyl- benzamide
rac-2-Methoxy-6- methylsulfanyl- N-(3-phenyl- piperidin-3-yl)-4- trifluoromethyl- benzamide (Example 50)
11.0
425.1
62
2-Methoxy-6- methylsulfanyl- N-((S) or (R)-3- phenyl- piperidin-3- yl)-4- trifluoromethyl- benzamide
rac-2-Methoxy-6- methylsulfanyl- N-(3-phenyl- piperidin-3-yl)-4- trifluoromethyl- benzamide (Example 50)
13.5
425.1
*Analytical separation conditions: Column: Chiralpak AD; Eluent: 15% Isopropanol/Heptane;
Example 63
[2H-methyl]-2-Methoxy-N—(R) or (S)-1-methyl-3-phenyl-piperidin-3-yl)-6-methylsulfanyl-4-trifluoromethyl-benzamide hydrochloride
[0422]
[0423] In analogy to the procedure described for the synthesis of example 30, the title compound was prepared from 2-Methoxy-6-methylsulfanyl-N—((R) or (S)-3-phenyl-piperidin-3-yl)-4-trifluoromethyl-benzamide (Example 62) and tri-deuteromethyl iodide. MS (m/e): 442.3 (MH+).
Example 64
rac-2-Methoxy-6-methylsulfanyl-N-(1-oxetan-3-yl-3-phenyl-piperidin-3-yl)-4-trifluoromethyl-benzamide hydrochloride
[0424]
[0425] In analogy to the procedure described for the synthesis of example 31, the title compound was prepared from rac-2-methoxy-6-methylsulfanyl-N-(3-phenyl-piperidin-3-yl)-4-trifluoromethyl-benzamide hydrochloride (Example 50) and oxetanone. MS (m/e): 481.1 (MH+).
Example 65
N-((3RS,5RS)-5-Hydroxy-1-methyl-3-phenyl-piperidin-3-yl)-2-methoxy-6-methylsulfanyl-4-trifluoromethyl-benzamide
[0426]
a) step 1: rac-2-Methoxy-N-(1-methyl-5-oxo-3-phenyl-piperidin-3-yl)-6-methylsulfanyl-4-trifluoromethyl-benzamide
[0427]
[0428] To a −50° C. solution of 11 ul (0.21 mmol) oxalyl chloride in 0.8 ml dichloromethane was added a solution of 17.2 ul DMSO in 0.2 ml dichloromethane over a period of 15 minutes. The reaction mixture was stirred for 10 minutes, after which a solution of 50 mg (0.11 mmol) rac-N-(5-hydroxy-1-methyl-3-phenyl-piperidin-3-yl)-2-methoxy-6-methylsulfanyl-4-trifluoromethyl-benzamide (example 51) in 0.8 ml dichloromethane was added over a period of 15 minutes. After 30 min stirring, 77 ul (0.55 mmol) triethylamine was added. The reaction mixture was stirred for 15 minutes, then allowed to warm to room temperature and quenched with water and the aqueous layer was extracted with dichloromethane. The combined extracts were dried over sodium sulfate, filtered and concentrated in vacuo. The crude product was purified on silica gel (Eluent: Heptane/ethyl acetate 0 to 15%) to provide 44 mg (89%) of the title compound as a white foam. MS (m/e): 453.1 (MH+).
b) step 2: N-((3RS,5RS)-5-Hydroxy-1-methyl-3-phenyl-piperidin-3-yl)-2-methoxy-6 methylsulfanyl-4-trifluoromethyl-benzamide
[0429] To a solution of 23 mg (0.0508 mmol) rac-2-methoxy-N-(1-methyl-5-oxo-3-phenyl-piperidin-3-yl)-6-methylsulfanyl-4-trifluoromethyl-benzamide in 0.46 ml methanol was added 3.9 mg (0.102 mmol) sodium borohydride. The mixture was stirred at room temperature for 30 minutes, quenched with 1.0 ml HCl 1N and stirred for 15 minutes. Water was added and the mixture was basified with a 2M sodium carbonate solution. The mixture was extracted 3 times with dichloromethane. The combined extracts were dried over sodium sulfate, filtered and concentrated in vacuo. The crude product was purified on silica gel (Eluent: heptane/ethyl acetate 0 to 100%) to provide 4.5 mg (20%) of the title compound as a white solid. MS (m/e): 455.2 (MH+).
[0430] In analogy to Example 1, compounds 66 to 84 of the following table were prepared from the acid derivatives and piperidine derivatives:
[0000]
MW found
Ex No.
Structure
Systematic Name
Starting materials
(MH + )
66
rac-2- Cyclobutyl-N- (1-methyl-3- phenyl- piperidin-3-yl)-4- trifluoromethyl- benzamide hydrochloride
rac-1-Methyl-3- phenyl-piperidin- 3-ylamine (Example A.1) and 2-Cyclobutyl-4- trifluoromethyl- benzoic acid (Example B.12)
417.3
67
rac-N-[3-(2,4- Difluoro- phenyl)-1- methyl- piperidin-3-yl]- 2-methoxy-6- methylsulfanyl-4- trifluoromethyl- benzamide
rac-3-(2,4- Difluorophenyl)-1- methyl-piperidin-3- ylamine (Example A.14) and 2- Methoxy-6- methylsulfanyl-4- trifluoromethyl- benzoic acid (Example B.2)
475.5
68
rac-N-[3-(2- Fluoro-phenyl)- 1-methyl- piperidin-3-yl]- 2-methoxy-6- methylsulfanyl-4- trifluoromethyl- benzamide
rac-3-(2-Fluoro- phenyl)-1-methyl- piperidin-3- ylamine (Example A.15) and 2- Methoxy-6- methylsulfanyl-4- trifluoromethyl- benzoic acid (Example B.2)
457.6
69
rac-N-[3-(2,5- Difluoro- phenyl)-1- methyl- piperidin-3-yl]- 2-methoxy-6- methylsulfanyl-4- trifluoromethyl- benzamide
rac-3-(2,5- Difluoro-phenyl)-1- methyl-piperidin-3- ylamine (Example A.16) and 2- Methoxy-6- methylsulfanyl-4- trifluoromethyl- benzoic acid (Example B.2)
475.5
70
rac-2-Isopropyl- N-(1-methyl- 3-phenyl- piperidin-3-yl)-4- trifluoromethyl- benzamide hydrochloride
rac-1-Methyl-3- phenyl-piperidin- 3-ylamine (Example A.1) and 2-Isopropyl-4- trifluoromethyl- benzoic acid (Example B.13)
405.4
71
rac-2-Methoxy-6- methylsulfanyl- N-(1-methyl- 1,4,5,6- tetrahydro-2H- [3,4′]bipyridinyl- 3-yl)-4- trifluoromethyl- benzamide
rac-1-Methyl- 1,4,5,6-tetrahydro-2H- [3,4′]bipyridinyl-3- ylamine (Example A.17) and 2- Methoxy-6- Methylsulfanyl-4- trifluoromethyl- benzoic acid (Example B.2)
440.2
72
rac-2-Ethyl-N- (1-methyl- 1,4,5,6- tetrahydro-2H- [3,4′]bipyridinyl- 3-yl)-4- trifluoromethyl- benzamide hydrochloride
rac-1-Methyl- 1,4,5,6-tetrahydro-2H- [3,4′]bipyridinyl-3- ylamine (Example A.17) and 2-Ethyl- 4-trifluoromethyl- benzoic acid (CAS: 854531-63-8)
392.2
73
rac-2-Methoxy-6- methylsulfanyl- N-(1-methyl- 1,4,5,6- tetrahydro-2H- [3,3′]bipyridinyl- 3-yl)-4- trifluoromethyl- benzamide
rac-1-Methyl- 1,4,5,6-tetrahydro-2H- [3,3′]bipyridinyl-3- ylamine (Example A.18) and 2- Methoxy-6- Methylsulfanyl-4- trifluoromethyl- benzoic acid (Example B.2)
440.2
74
rac-2-Ethyl-N- (1-methyl- 1,4,5,6- tetrahydro-2H- [3,3′]bipyridinyl- 3-yl)-4- trifluoromethyl- benzamide hydrochloride
rac-1-Methyl- 1,4,5,6-tetrahydro-2H- [3,3′]bipyridinyl-3- ylamine (Example A.18) and 2-Ethyl- 4-trifluoromethyl- benzoic acid (CAS: 854531-63-8)
392.2
75
2-Methoxy-N- ((3RS,5SR)-5- methoxy-1- methyl-3- phenyl- piperidin-3-yl)-6- methylsulfanyl-4- trifluoromethyl- benzamide
(3RS,5SR)-5- Methoxy-1- methyl-3-phenyl- piperidin-3- ylamine (Example A.19) and 2- Methoxy-6- methylsulfanyl-4- trifluoromethyl- benzoic acid (Example B.2)
469.2
76
2-Cyclopropyl- N-((3RS,5SR)-5- methoxy-1- methyl-3- phenyl- piperidin-3-yl)-4- trifluoromethyl- benzamide
(3RS,5SR)-5- Methoxy-1- methyl-3-phenyl- piperidin-3- ylamine (Example A.19) and 2- Cyclopropyl-4- trifluoromethyl- benzoic acid (Example B.3)
433.4
77
2-Ethyl-N- ((3RS,5SR)-5- methoxy-1- methyl-3- phenyl- piperidin-3-yl)-4- trifluoromethyl- benzamide
(3RS,5SR)-5- Methoxy-1- methyl-3-phenyl- piperidin-3- ylamine (Example A.19) and 2-Ethyl- 4-trifluoromethyl- benzoic acid (CAS: 854531-63-8)
421.1
78
rac-2,4- Dichloro-6- methoxy-N-(1- methyl-3- phenyl- piperidin-3-yl)- benzamide hydrochloride
rac-1-Methyl-3- phenyl-piperidin- 3-ylamine (Example A.1) and 2,4-Dichloro-6- methoxy-benzoic acid (CAS: 92294-09-4)
393
79
rac-4-Methoxy- 2,6-dimethyl-N- (1-methyl-3- phenyl- piperidin-3-yl)- benzamide
rac-1-Methyl-3- phenyl-piperidin- 3-ylamine (Example A.1) and 4-Methoxy-2,6- dimethyl-benzoic acid (CAS: 37934-89-7)
353.3
80
rac-2,6- Dimethyl-N- (1-methyl-3- phenyl- piperidin-3-yl)-4- trifluoromethyl- benzamide
rac-1-Methyl-3- phenyl-piperidin- 3-ylamine (Example A.1) and 2,6-Dimethoxy-4- trifluoromethyl- benzoic acid (Example B.14)
423.2
81
rac-4-Methoxy- N-(1-methyl-3- phenyl- piperidin-3-yl)- 6-(2,2,2- trifluoro- ethoxy)-4- trifluoromethyl- benzamide
rac-1-Methyl-3- phenyl-piperidin- 3-ylamine (Example A.1) and 2-Methoxy-6- (2,2,2-trifluoro- ethoxy)-4- trifluoromethyl- benzoic acid (Example B.15)
491.2
82
2-Cyclopropyl- N-((3RS,5SR)- 1,5-dimethyl-3- phenyl- piperidin-3-yl)-4- trifluoromethyl- benzamide hydrochloride
(3RS,5SR)-1,5- Dimethyl-3- phenyl-piperidin- 3-ylamine (Example A.20) and 2- Cyclopropyl-4- trifluoromethyl- benzoic acid (Example B.3)
417.3
83
rac-2- Cyclopropyl-4- trifluoromethyl- N-(1,5,5- trimethyl-3- phenyl- piperidin-3-yl)- benzamide
rac-1,5,5- Trimethyl-3- phenyl-piperidin- 3-ylamine (Example A.21) and 2- Cyclopropyl-4- trifluoromethyl- benzoic acid (Example B.3)
431.3
84
2-Methoxy-6- methylsulfanyl-4- trifluoromethyl- N-(1,6,6- trimethyl-3- phenyl- piperidin-3-yl)- benzamide hydrochloride
rac-1,6,6- Trimethyl-3- phenyl-piperidin- 3-ylamine (Example A.22) and 2-Methoxy-6- methylsulfanyl-4- trifluoromethyl- benzoic acid (Example B.2)
467.2
[0431] In analogy to Example 16, compounds 85 to 105 of the following table were prepared from the acyl chloride derivatives and piperidine derivatives:
[0000]
MW
Ex.
found
No.
Structure
Systematic Name
Starting materials
(MH + )
85
N-((3RS,5SR)-1,5- Dimethyl-3-phenyl- piperidin-3-yl)-2- methoxy-6- methylsulfanyl-4- trifluoromethyl- benzamide hydrochloride
(3RS,5SR)-1,5- Dimethyl-3-phenyl- piperidin-3-ylamine (Example A.20) and 2-Methoxy-6- methylsulfanyl-4- trifluoromethyl- benzoyl chloride (Example B6)
453.5
86
2-Methoxy-N- ((3RS,5SR)-5- methoxymethoxy- 1-methyl-3-phenyl- piperidin-3-yl)-6- methylsulfanyl-4- trifluoromethyl- benzamide
rac-5- Methoxymethoxy-1- methyl-3-phenyl- piperidin-3-ylamine (Example A.10) and 2-Methoxy-6- methylsulfanyl-4- trifluoromethyl- benzoyl chloride (Example B6)
499.3
87
rac-N-[3-(3-Bromo- phenyl)-1-methyl- piperidin-3-yl]-2- methoxy-6- methylsulfanyl-4- trifluoromethyl- benzamide hydrochloride
rac-3-(3-Bromo- phenyl)-1-methyl- piperidin-3-ylamine (Example A.23) and 2-Methoxy-6- methylsulfanyl-4- trifluoromethyl- benzoyl chloride (Example B6)
517.2
88
rac-N-[3-(2-Chloro- 4-fluoro-phenyl)-1- methyl-piperidin-3- yl]-2-methoxy-6- methylsulfanyl-4- trifluoromethyl- benzamide
rac-3-(2-Chloro-4- fluoro-phenyl)-1- methyl-piperidin-3- ylamine (Example A.24) and 2-Methoxy- 6-methylsulfanyl-4- trifluoromethyl- benzoyl chloride (Example B6)
491.1
89
rac-2-Methoxy-6- methylsulfanyl-N- [1-methyl-3-(3- trifluoromethyl- phenyl)-piperidin- 3-yl]-4- trifluoromethyl- benzamide
rac-1-Methyl-3-(3- trifluoromethyl- phenyl)-piperidin-3- ylamine (Example A.26) and 2-Methoxy- 6-methylsulfanyl-4- trifluoromethyl- benzoyl chloride (Example B6)
507.2
90
rac-2-Methoxy-6- methylsulfanyl-N- [1-methyl-3-(3- trifluoromethoxy- phenyl)-piperidin- 3-yl]-4- trifluoromethyl- benzamide
rac-1-Methyl-3-(3- trifluoromethoxy- phenyl)-piperidin-3- ylamine (Example A.27) and 2-Methoxy- 6-methylsulfanyl-4- trifluoromethyl- benzoyl chloride (Example B6)
523.1
91
rac-2-Methoxy-N- [3-(3-methoxy- phenyl)-1-methyl- piperidin-3-yl]-6- methylsulfanyl-4- trifluoromethyl- benzamide
rac-3-(3-Methoxy- phenyl)-1-methyl- piperidin-3-ylamine (Example A.28) and 2-Methoxy-6- methylsulfanyl-4- trifluoromethyl- benzoyl chloride (Example B6)
469.2
92
rac-N-[3-(3- Difluoromethoxy- phenyl)-1-methyl- piperidin-3-yl]-2- methoxy-6- methylsulfanyl-4- trifluoromethyl- benzamide formic acid
rac-3-(3- Difluoromethoxy- phenyl)-1-methyl- piperidin-3-ylamine (Example A.29) and 2-Methoxy-6- methylsulfanyl-4- trifluoromethyl- benzoyl chloride (Example B6)
505.2
93
rac-N-[3-(3-Fluoro- phenyl)-1-methyl- piperidin-3-yl]-2- methoxy-6- methylsulfanyl-4- trifluoromethyl- benzamide formic acid
rac-3-(3-Fluoro- phenyl)-1-methyl- piperidin-3-ylamine (Example A.30) and 2-Methoxy-6- methylsulfanyl-4- trifluoromethyl- benzoyl chloride (Example B6)
457.2
94
rac-N-[3-(3-Chloro- 4-fluoro-phenyl)-1- methyl-piperidin-3- yl]-2-methoxy-6- methylsulfanyl-4- trifluoromethyl- benzamide
rac-3-(3-Chloro-4- fluoro-phenyl)-1- methyl-piperidin-3- ylamine (Example A.31) and 2-Methoxy- 6-methylsulfanyl-4- trifluoromethyl- benzoyl chloride (Example B6)
491.1
95
rac-N-[3-(3,4- Difluoro-phenyl)-1- methyl-piperidin-3- yl]-2-methoxy-6- methylsulfanyl-4- trifluoromethyl- benzamide
rac-3-(3,4-Difluoro- phenyl)-1-methyl- piperidin-3-ylamine (Example A.32) and 2-Methoxy-6- methylsulfanyl-4- trifluoromethyl- benzoyl chloride (Example B6)
475.1
96
rac-2-Methoxy-6- methylsulfanyl-N- (1-methyl-3-m- tolyl-piperidin-3- yl)-4- trifluoromethyl- benzamide
rac-1-Methyl-3-m- tolyl-piperidin-3- ylamine (Example A.33) and 2- Methoxy-6- methylsulfanyl-4- trifluoromethyl- benzoyl chloride (Example B6)
453.2
97
rac-N-[3-(4-Fluoro- 3-methyl-phenyl)- 1-methyl-piperidin- 3-yl]-2-methoxy-6- methylsulfanyl-4- trifluoromethyl- benzamide
rac-3-(4-Fluoro-3- methyl-phenyl)-1- methyl-piperidin-3- ylamine (Example A.34) and 2- Methoxy-6- methylsulfanyl-4- trifluoromethyl- benzoyl chloride (Example B6)
471.2
98
rac-N-[3-(3,5- Difluoro-phenyl)-1- methyl-piperidin-3- yl]-2-methoxy-6- methylsulfanyl-4- trifluoromethyl- benzamide
rac-3-(3,5-Difluoro- phenyl)-1-methyl- piperidin-3-ylamine (Example A.35) and 2-Methoxy-6- methylsulfanyl-4- trifluoromethyl- benzoyl chloride (Example B6)
475.1
99
rac-2-Methoxy-6- methylsulfanyl-4- trifluoromethyl-N- (1,5,5-trimethyl-3- phenyl-piperidin-3- yl)-benzamide hydrochloride
rac-1,5,5-Trimethyl-3- phenyl-piperidin-3- ylamine (Example A.21) and 2- Methoxy-6- methylsulfanyl-4- trifluoromethyl- benzoyl chloride (Example B6)
467.2
100
rac-N-[3-(3-Chloro- phenyl)-1-methyl- piperidin-3-yl]-2- methylsulfanyl-4- trifluoromethyl- benzamide
rac-3-(3-Chloro- phenyl)-1-methyl- piperidin-3-ylamine (Example A.6) and 2- Methylsulfanyl-4- trifluoromethyl- benzoyl chloride (CAS: 956830-68-5)
443.1
101
rac-2-Chloro-N-(1- methyl-3-phenyl- piperidin-3-yl)-4- trifluoromethyl- benzamide
rac-1-Methyl-3- phenyl-piperidin-3- ylamine (Example A.1) and 2-Chloro-4- trifluoromethyl- benzoyl chloride (CAS: 76286-03-8)
397.1
102
rac-2-Methoxy-6- methylsulfanyl-N- [1-methyl-3-(3- thiazol-2-yl- phenyl)-piperidin- 3-yl]-4- trifluoromethyl- benzamide formic acid
rac-1-Methyl-3-(3- thiazol-2-yl-phenyl)- piperidin-3-ylamine (Example A.36) and 2-Methoxy-6- methylsulfanyl-4- trifluoromethyl- benzoyl chloride (Example B6)
522.1
103
rac-2-Ethyl-3- methyl-N-(1- methyl-3-phenyl- piperidin-3-yl)- 4-trifluoromethyl- benzamide formic acid
rac-1-Methyl-3- phenyl-piperidin-3- ylamine (Example A.1) and 2-Ethyl-3- methyl-4- trifluoromethyl- benzoyl chloride (Example B.16)
405.2
104
rac-N-(1-tert-Butyl- 3-phenyl-piperidin- 3-yl)-2-methoxy-6- methylsulfanyl-4- trifluoromethyl- benzamide
rac-1-tert-Butyl-3- phenyl-piperidin-3- ylamine (Example A.37) and 2-Methoxy- 6-methylsulfanyl-4- trifluoromethyl- benzoyl chloride (Example B6)
481.2
105
rac-2-Methoxy-N- (4-methyl-6- phenyl-4-aza- spiro[2.5]oct-6-yl)- 6-methylsulfanyl-4- trifluoromethyl- benzamide
rac-4-Methyl-6- phenyl-4-aza- spiro[2.5]oct-6- ylamine hydrochloride (Example A.38) and 2-Methoxy-6- methylsulfanyl-4- trifluoromethyl- benzoyl chloride (Example B6)
465.2
[0432] The examples 106-128 have been prepared by separation of the racemic material by chiral HPLC:
[0000]
Retent.
MW
Ex.
Starting
Col.
time
found
No.
Structure
Systematic Name
racemic material
type
(min.)*
(MH + )
106
N-((3S,5R) or (3R,5S)-5-Hydroxy- 1-methyl-3-phenyl- piperidin-3-yl)-2- methoxy-6- methylsulfanyl-4- trifluoromethyl- benzamide hydrochloride
rac-N-(5- Hydroxy-1- methyl-3- phenyl- piperidin-3-yl)- 2-methoxy-6- methylsulfanyl- 4-trifluoro- methyl- benzamide (Example 51)
A
6.9
455.2
107
N-((3R,5S) or (3S,5R)-5-Hydroxy- 1-methyl-3-phenyl- piperidin-3-yl)-2- methoxy-6- methylsulfanyl-4- trifluoromethyl- benzamide hydrochloride
rac-N-(5- Hydroxy-1- methyl-3- phenyl- piperidin-3-yl)- 2-methoxy-6- methylsulfanyl- 4-trifluoro- methyl- benzamide (Example 51)
A
10.2
455.2
108
2-Methoxy-N- ((3R,5S) or (3S,5R)- 5-methoxy-1- methyl-3-phenyl- piperidin-3-yl)-6- methylsulfanyl-4- trifluoromethyl- benzamide
2-Methoxy-N- ((3RS,5SR)-5- methoxy-1- methyl-3- phenyl- piperidin-3-yl)- 6-methyl- sulfanyl-4- trifluoromethyl- benzamide (Example 75)
B
22.7
469.2
109
2-Methoxy-N- ((3S,5R) or (3R,5S)- 5-methoxy-1- methyl-3-phenyl- piperidin-3-yl)-6- methylsulfanyl-4- trifluoromethyl- benzamide
2-Methoxy-N- ((3RS,5SR)- 5-methoxy-1- methyl-3- phenyl- piperidin-3- yl)-6-methyl- sulfanyl-4- trifluoromethyl- benzamide (Example 75)
B
31.4
469.2
110
N-[(S or R)-3-(2- Fluoro-phenyl)-1- methyl-piperidin-3- yl]-2-methoxy-6- methylsulfanyl-4- trifluoromethyl- benzamide
rac-N-[3-(2- Fluoro- phenyl)-1- methyl- piperidin-3-yl]- 2-methoxy-6- methylsulfanyl- 4-trifluoro- methyl- benzamide (Example 68)
A
8.0
457.2
111
N-[(R or S)-3-(2- Fluoro-phenyl)-1- methyl-piperidin-3- yl]-2-methoxy-6- methylsulfanyl-4- trifluoromethyl- benzamide
rac-N-[3-(2- Fluoro- phenyl)-1- methyl- piperidin-3- yl]-2- methoxy-6- methylsulfanyl-4- trifluoromethyl- benzamide (Example 68)
A
14.6
457.2
112
N-[(S or R)-3-(2,5- Difluoro-phenyl)-1- methyl-piperidin-3- yl]-2-methoxy-6- methylsulfanyl-4- trifluoromethyl- benzamide
rac-N-[3-(2,5- Difluoro- phenyl)-1- methyl- piperidin-3-yl]- 2-methoxy-6- methyl- sulfanyl-4- trifluoromethyl- benzamide (Example 69)
A
14.6
475.1
113
N-[(R or S)-3-(2,5- Difluoro-phenyl)-1- methyl-piperidin-3- yl]-2-methoxy-6- methylsulfanyl-4- trifluoromethyl- benzamide
rac-N-[3-(2,5- Difluoro- phenyl)-1- methyl- piperidin-3-yl]- 2-methoxy-6- methylsulfanyl- 4-trifluoro- methyl- benzamide (Example 69)
A
15.8
475.1
114
2-Ethyl-N-((S or R)- 1-methyl-3-phenyl- piperidin-3-yl)-4- trifluoromethyl- benzamide hydrochloride
rac-2-Ethyl-N- (1-methyl-3- phenyl- piperidin-3-yl)- 4-trifluoro- methyl- benzamide (Example 4)
A
5.4
391.2
115
2-Ethyl-N-((R or S)- 1-methyl-3-phenyl- piperidin-3-yl)-4- trifluoromethyl- benzamide hydrochloride
rac-2-Ethyl-N- (1-methyl-3- phenyl- piperidin-3-yl)- 4-trifluoro- methyl- benzamide (Example 4)
A
9.9
391.1
116
2-Methoxy-6- methylsulfanyl-4- trifluoromethyl-N- ((S or R)-1,5,5- trimethyl-3-phenyl- piperidin-3-yl)- benzamide
rac-2-Methoxy- 6-methyl- sulfanyl-4- trifluoromethyl- N-(1,5,5- trimethyl-3- phenyl- piperidin-3-yl)- benzamide hydrochloride (example 99)
C
9.8
467.2
117
N-((3S,6S) or (3R,6R)-1,6- Dimethyl-3-phenyl- piperidin-3-yl)-2- methoxy-6- methylsulfanyl-4- trifluoromethyl- benzamide
N-(1,6- Dimethyl-3- phenyl- piperidin-3-yl)- 2-methoxy-6- methylsulfanyl- 4-trifluoro- methyl- benzamide (Example C.1)
A
7.5
453.2
118
N-((3S,6R) or (3R,6S)-1,6- Dimethyl-3-phenyl- piperidin-3-yl)-2- methoxy-6- methylsulfanyl-4- trifluoromethyl- benzamide
N-(1,6- Dimethyl-3- phenyl- piperidin-3-yl)- 2-methoxy-6- methylsulfanyl- 4-trifluoro- methyl- benzamide (Example C.1)
A
8.9
453.2
119
N-((3R,6R) or (3S,6S)-1,6- Dimethyl-3-phenyl- piperidin-3-yl)-2- methoxy-6- methylsulfanyl-4- trifluoromethyl- benzamide
N-(1,6- Dimethyl-3- phenyl- piperidin-3-yl)- 2-methoxy-6- methylsulfanyl- 4-trifluoro- methyl- benzamide (Example C.1)
A
10.8
453.2
120
N-((3R,6S) or (3S,6R)-1,6- Dimethyl-3-phenyl- piperidin-3-yl)-2- methoxy-6- methylsulfanyl-4- trifluoromethyl- benzamide
N-(1,6- Dimethyl-3- phenyl- piperidin-3-yl)- 2-methoxy-6- methylsulfanyl- 4-trifluoro- methyl- benzamide (Example C.1)
A
15.7
453.2
121
N-((3S,5R) or (3R,5S)-1,5- Dimethyl-3-phenyl- piperidin-3-yl)-2- methoxy-6- methylsulfanyl-4- trifluoromethyl- benzamide
N-((3RS,5SR)- 1,5-Dimethyl- 3-phenyl- piperidin-3-yl)- 2-methoxy-6- methylsulfanyl- 4-trifluoro- methyl- benzamide hydrochloride (Example 85)
C
14.4
453.2
122
N-((3R,5S) or (3S,5R)-1,5- Dimethyl-3-phenyl- piperidin-3-yl)-2- methoxy-6- methylsulfanyl-4- trifluoromethyl- benzamide
N-((3RS,5SR)- 1,5-Dimethyl- 3-phenyl- piperidin-3-yl)- 2-methoxy-6- methylsulfanyl- 4-trifluoro- methyl- benzamide hydrochloride (Example 85)
C
17.7
453.2
123
N-((3S,5R) or (3R,5S)-1,5- Dimethyl-3-phenyl- piperidin-3-yl)-2- ethyl-4- trifluoromethyl- benzamide
N-((3RS,5SR)- 1,5-Dimethyl- 3-phenyl- piperidin-3-yl)- 2-ethyl-4- trifluoromethyl- benzamide (Example C.2)
A
5.6
405.2
124
N-((3R,5S) or (3S,5R)-1,5- Dimethyl-3-phenyl- piperidin-3-yl)-2- ethyl-4- trifluoromethyl- benzamide
N-((3RS,5SR)- 1,5-Dimethyl- 3-phenyl- piperidin-3-yl)- 2-ethyl-4- trifluoromethyl- benzamide (Example C.2)
A
17.8
405.2
125
2-Ethyl-N-((3R,5S) or (3S,5R)-5- methoxy-1-methyl- 3-phenyl-piperidin- 3-yl)-4- trifluoromethyl- benzamide
2-Ethyl-N- ((3RS,5SR)-5- methoxy-1- methyl-3- phenyl- piperidin-3-yl)- 4-trifluoro- methyl- benzamide (Example 77)
B
7.1
421.2
126
2-Cyclopropyl-N- ((3R,5S) or (3S,5R)- 5-methoxy-1- methyl-3-phenyl- piperidin-3-yl)-4- trifluoromethyl- benzamide
2-Cyclopropyl- N-((3RS,5SR)- 5-methoxy-1- methyl-3- phenyl- piperidin-3-yl)- 4-trifluoro- methyl- benzamide (Example 76)
C
18
433.4
127
2,6-Dimethoxy-N- ((S) or (R)-1- methyl-3-phenyl- piperidin-3-yl)-4- trifluoromethyl- benzamide
rac-2,6- Dimethoxy-N- (1-methyl-3- phenyl- piperidin-3-yl)- 4-trifluoro- methyl- benzamide (Example 80)
B
9.7
423.2
128
2,6-Dimethoxy-N- (R or (S)-1-methyl- 3-phenyl-piperidin- 3-yl)-4- trifluoromethyl- benzamide
rac-2,6- Dimethoxy-N- (1-methyl-3- phenyl- piperidin-3-yl)- 4-trifluoro- methyl- benzamide (Example 80)
B
20.7
423.2
*Analytical separation conditions: Column: A: Chiralpak AD; B: Lux 2 cellulose; C: Reprosil chiral NR. Eluent: 15% Isopropanol/Heptane;
[0433] The compounds of formula I and their pharmaceutically usable addition salts possess valuable pharmacological properties. Specifically, compounds of the present invention are good inhibitors of the glycine transporter I (GlyT-1). The compounds were investigated in accordance with the test given hereinafter.
Solutions and Materials
[0434] DMEM complete medium: Nutrient mixture F-12 (Gibco Life-technologies), fetal bovine serum (FBS) 5%, (Gibco life technologies), Penicillin/Streptomycin 1% (Gibco life technologies), Hygromycin 0.6 mg/ml (Gibco life technologies), Glutamine 1 mM Gibco life technologies)
[0435] Uptake buffer (UB): 150 mM NaCl, 10 mM Hepes-Tris, pH 7.4, 1 mM CaCl 2 , 2.5 mM KCl, 2.5 mM MgSO 4 , 10 mM (+) D -glucose.
[0000] Flp-in™-CHO (Invitrogen Cat n o R758-07) cells stably transfected with mGlyTlb cDNA.
[0436] Glycine Uptake Inhibition Assay (mGlyT-1b)
[0437] On day 1 mammalian cells, (Flp-in™-CHO), transfected with mGlyT-1b cDNA, were plated at the density of 40,000 cells/well in complete F-12 medium, without hygromycin in 96-well culture plates. On day 2, the medium was aspirated and the cells were washed twice with uptake buffer (UB). The cells were then incubated for 20 min at 22° C. with either (i) no potential competitor, (ii) 10 mM non-radioactive glycine, (iii) a concentration of a potential inhibitor. A range of concentrations of the potential inhibitor was used to generate data for calculating the concentration of inhibitor resulting in 50% of the effect (e.g. IC 50 , the concentration of the competitor inhibiting glycine uptake of 50%). A solution was then immediately added containing [ 3 H]-glycine 60 nM (11-16 Ci/mmol) and 25 μM non-radioactive glycine. The plates were incubated with gentle shaking and the reaction was stopped by aspiration of the mixture and washing (three times) with ice-cold UB. The cells were lysed with scintillation liquid, shaken 3 hours and the radioactivity in the cells was counted using a scintillation counter.
[0438] The compounds described in examples 1-60 have an IC 50 data<1.0 μM. IC 50 data (<0.2 μM) for compounds 1-128 is provided in table 1.
[0000]
TABLE 1
Example
IC 50 data (μM)
4
0.0264
5
0.1074
7
0.0854
11
0.0202
13
0.013
16
0.1379
18
0.0244
19
0.0672
25
0.1256
26
0.0593
27
0.0262
28
0.0277
36
0.0839
37
0.1817
38
0.0101
39
0.1843
45
0.0245
46
0.1693
47
0.1811
48
0.1973
51
0.0582
55
0.0777
56
0.1617
57
0.0227
58
0.1561
63
0.0100
66
0.243
67
0.1289
68
0.1746
69
0.1175
70
0.1973
71
0.0559
72
0.0369
73
0.0544
74
0.1226
75
0.0538
76
0.0929
77
0.0881
80
0.1759
82
0.0253
83
0.03
84
0.0173
85
0.0313
86
0.0715
87
0.0396
88
0.1457
89
0.107
91
0.1132
93
0.0479
94
0.0596
95
0.0515
96
0.0682
97
0.1851
98
0.0622
99
0.0366
103
0.0773
104
0.1734
105
0.0293
107
0.0312
108
0.0409
109
0.1507
111
0.0573
113
0.0564
115
0.0259
116
0.0358
117
0.0324
119
0.0139
120
0.0127
121
0.0165
124
0.0127
125
0.1761
126
0.0312
128
0.1255
[0439] The present invention also provides pharmaceutical compositions containing compounds of the invention, for example, compounds of formula I or pharmaceutically acceptable acid addition salts thereof and a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier. Such pharmaceutical compositions can be in the form of tablets, coated tablets, dragées, hard and soft gelatin capsules, solutions, emulsions or suspensions. The pharmaceutical compositions also can be in the form of suppositories or injectable solutions.
[0440] The pharmaceutical compositions of the invention, in addition to one or more compounds of the invention, contain a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier. Suitable pharmaceutically acceptable carriers include pharmaceutically inert, inorganic or organic carriers. Lactose, corn starch or derivatives thereof, talc, stearic acids or its salts and the like can be used, for example, as such carriers for tablets, coated tablets, dragées and hard gelatin capsules. Suitable carriers for soft gelatin capsules are, for example, vegetable oils, waxes, fats, semi-solid and liquid polyols and the like. Depending on the nature of the active substance no carriers are however usually required in the case of soft gelatin capsules. Suitable carriers for the production of solutions and syrups are, for example, water, polyols, glycerol, vegetable oil and the like. Suitable carriers for suppositories are, for example, natural or hardened oils, waxes, fats, semi-liquid or liquid polyols and the like.
[0441] The pharmaceutical compositions can, moreover, contain preservatives, solubilizers, stabilizers, wetting agents, emulsifiers, sweeteners, colorants, flavorants, salts for varying the osmotic pressure, buffers, masking agents or antioxidants. They can also contain still other therapeutically valuable substances.
[0442] The present invention also provides a method for the manufacture of pharmaceutical compositions. Such process comprises bringing one or more compounds of formula I and/or pharmaceutically acceptable acid addition salts thereof and, if desired, one or more other therapeutically valuable substances into a galenical administration form together with one or more therapeutically inert carriers.
[0443] The most preferred indications in accordance with the present invention are those, which include disorders of the central nervous system, for example the treatment or prevention of schizophrenia, cognitive impairment and Alzheimer's disease.
[0444] The dosage at which compounds of the invention can be administered can vary within wide limits and will, of course, have to be adjusted to the individual requirements in each particular case. In the case of oral administration the dosage for adults can vary from about 0.01 mg to about 1000 mg per day of a compound of general formula I or of the corresponding amount of a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof. The daily dosage can be administered as single dose or in divided doses and, in addition, the upper limit can also be exceeded when this is found to be indicated.
[0000]
Tablet Formulation (Wet Granulation)
mg/tablet
Item
Ingredients
5 mg
25 mg
100 mg
500 mg
1.
Compound of formula I
5
25
100
500
2.
Lactose Anhydrous DTG
125
105
30
150
3.
Sta-Rx 1500
6
6
6
30
4.
Microcrystalline Cellulose
30
30
30
150
5.
Magnesium Stearate
1
1
1
1
Total
167
167
167
831
Manufacturing Procedure
[0445] 1. Mix items 1, 2, 3 and 4 and granulate with purified water.
2. Dry the granules at 50° C.
3. Pass the granules through suitable milling equipment.
4. Add item 5 and mix for three minutes; compress on a suitable press.
[0000]
Capsule Formulation
mg/capsule
Item
Ingredients
5 mg
25 mg
100 mg
500 mg
1.
Compound of formula I
5
25
100
500
2.
Hydrous Lactose
159
123
148
—
3.
Corn Starch
25
35
40
70
4.
Talc
10
15
10
25
5.
Magnesium Stearate
1
2
2
5
Total
200
200
300
600
Manufacturing Procedure
[0446] 1. Mix items 1, 2 and 3 in a suitable mixer for 30 minutes.
2. Add items 4 and 5 and mix for 3 minutes.
3. Fill into a suitable capsule.
|
The present invention relates to a compound of formula I
wherein R 1 , R 2 , and Ar are as defined herein or to a pharmaceutically acceptable acid addition salt, to a racemic mixture, or to its corresponding enantiomer and/or optical isomer thereof. These compounds and their pharmaceutical compositions are useful in the treatment of neurological and neuropsychiatric disorders.
| 2
|
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] This invention relates to unique thermoplastic monofilament fibers and yarns that exhibit heretofore unattained physical properties. Such fibers are basically manufactured through the extrusion of thermoplastic resins that include a certain class of nucleating agent therein, and are able to be drawn at high ratios with such nucleating agents present, that the tenacity and modulus strength are much higher than any other previously produced thermoplastic fibers, particularly those that also simultaneously exhibit extremely low shrinkage rates. Thus, such fibers require the presence of certain compounds that quickly and effectively provide rigidity to the target thermoplastic (for example, polypropylene), particularly after heat-setting. Generally, these compounds include any structure that nucleates polymer crystals within the target thermoplastic after exposure to sufficient heat to melt the initial pelletized polymer and allowing such an oriented polymer to cool. The compounds must nucleate polymer crystals at a higher temperature than the target thermoplastic without the nucleating agent during cooling. In such a manner, the “rigidifying” nucleator compounds provide nucleation sites for thermoplastic crystal growth. The preferred “rigidifying” compounds include dibenzylidene sorbitol based compounds, as well as less preferred compounds, such as [2.2.1]heptane-bicyclodicarboxylic acid, otherwise known as HPN-68, sodium benzoate, certain sodium and lithium phosphate salts [such as sodium 2,2′-methylene-bis-(4,6-di-tert-butylphenyl)phosphate, otherwise known as NA-11]. Specific methods of manufacture of such inventive thermoplastic fibers, as well as fabric articles made therefrom, are also encompassed within this invention.
BACKGROUND OF THE PRIOR ART
[0002] Thermoplastic fibers (most significantly, polypropylene fibers) are utilized in various end-uses, including carpet backings, scrim fabrics, and other fabrics for article reinforcement or dimensional stability purposes. Other thermoplastics, such as polyesters, polyamides, and the like, are mostly used in apparel fabrics, draperies, napery fabrics, and the like, as well. Unfortunately, prior applications utilizing standard thermoplastic fibers have suffered from relatively high shrinkage rates, due primarily to the fiber constituents. Heat, moisture, and other environmental factors all contribute to shrinkage possibilities of the fibers (and yarns made therefrom), thereby causing a residual effect of shrinkage within the article itself. Thus, although such polypropylene fibers are highly desired in such end-uses as carpet backings, unfortunately, shrinkage causes highly undesirable warping or rippling of the final carpet product. Or, alternatively, the production methods of forming carpets (such as, for example, carpet tiles) compensate for expected high shrinkage, thereby resulting in generation of waste materials, or, at least, the loss of relatively expensive amounts of finished carpet material due to expected shrinkage of the carpet itself, all the result of the shrinkage rates exhibited by the carpet backing fibers themselves. Furthermore, such previously manufactured and practiced fibers suffer from relatively low tensile strengths. For scrim fabrics (such as in roofing articles, asphalt reinforcements, and the like), such shrinkage rate problems are of great importance as well to impart the best overall reinforcement capabilities to the target article and permitting the reinforced article to remain flat. Utilization of much more expensive polyesters and polyamides as constituent fibers has constituted the only alternative methods to such problematic high shrinkage fibers in the past (for both carpet backings and scrim applications). Such replacement fibers, however, are not only more expensive than polypropylene fibers, but their tensile modulus levels sometimes too low for certain desired end-use applications.
[0003] There has been a continued desire to utilize such polypropylene fibers in various different products (as alluded to above), ranging from apparel to carpet backings (as well as carpet pile fabrics) to reinforcement fabrics, and so on. Such polypropylene fibers exhibit a certain high level of high strength characteristics and do not easily degrade or erode when exposed to certain “destructive” chemicals. However, even with such impressive and beneficial properties and an abundance of polypropylene, which is relatively inexpensive to manufacture and readily available as a petroleum refinery byproduct, such fibers are not widely utilized in products that are exposed to relatively high temperatures during use, cleaning, and the like. This is due primarily to the aforementioned high and generally non-uniform heat- and moisture-shrink characteristics exhibited by typical polypropylene fibers. Such fibers are not heat stable and when exposed to standard temperatures (such as 150° C. and 130° C. temperatures), the shrinkage range from about 2% (in boiling water) to about 3-4% (for hot air exposure) to 5-6% (for higher temperature hot air). In addition, when polypropylene tapes and monofilaments are processed in order to give relatively high tenacity and tensile modulus, the shrinkage can be even more dramatically higher, up to 20% at 150° C. These extremely high and varied shrink rates thus render the utilization and processability of highly desirable polypropylene fibers very low, particularly for end-uses that require heat stability (such as carpet pile, carpet backings, molded pieces, and the like). Furthermore, in high strength (high tenacity, high modulus, etc.) applications, such polypropylene fibers generally lack the requisite high strength physical characteristics needed to withstand external forces to permit utilization within a cost-effective article.
[0004] Past uses of polypropylene fibers within carpet backings have resulted in the necessity of estimating nonuniform shrinkage rates for final products and thus to basically expect the loss of a certain amount of product during such manufacturing and/or further treatment. For example, after a tufted fiber component is first attached to its primary carpet backing component for dimensional stability during printing, if such a step is desired to impart patterns of color or overall uniform colors to the target tufted substrate. After printing, a drying step is required to set the colors in place and reduce potential bleeding therefrom. The temperatures required for such a printing step (e.g., 130° C. and above) are generated within a heated area, generally, attached to the printing assembly. At such high temperatures, typical polypropylene tape fiber-containing backings exhibit the aforementioned high shrink rates (e.g., between 2-4% on average). Such shrinkage unfortunately dominates the dimensional configuration of the printed tufted substrate as well and thus dictates the ultimate dimensions of the overall product prior to attachment of a secondary backing. Such a secondary backing is thus typically cut to a size in relation to the expected size of the tufted component/primary backing article. Nonuniformity in shrinkage, as well as the need to provide differently sized secondary backings to the primary and tufted components thus evince the need for low-shrink polypropylene tape fiber primary carpet backings. With essentially zero shrinkage capability, the reliable selection of a uniform, proper size for the secondary backing would be a clear aid in reducing waste and cost in the manufacture of such carpets.
[0005] If printing is not desired, there still exist potential problems in relation to high-shrink tape fiber primary backing fabrics, namely the instance whereupon a latex adhesive is required to attach the remaining secondary backing components (as well as other components) to the tufted substrate/primary backing article. Drying is still a requirement to effectuate quick setting of such an adhesive. Upon exposure to sufficiently high temperatures, the sandwiched polypropylene tape fiber-containing primary backing will undergo a certain level of shrinkage, thereby potentially causing buckling of the ultimate product (or other problems associated with differing sizes of component parts within such a carpet article). And, again, tensile strength, tenacity, and modulus are generally unavailable at sufficiently high levels with simultaneous low-shrink properties. Thus, past low-shrink fibers have been highly suspect as proper selections for high-strength end-use fabrics.
[0006] To date, there has been no simple solution to such problems, even a fiber that provides merely the same tensile strength exhibited by such higher-shrink fibers. Some ideas for improving upon the shrink rate characteristics of polypropylene fibers have included narrowing and controlling the molecular weight distribution of the polypropylene components themselves in each fiber or mechanically working the target fibers prior to and during heat-setting. Unfortunately, molecular weight control is extremely difficult to accomplish initially, and has only provided the above-listed shrink rates (which are still too high for widespread utilization within the fabric industry). Furthermore, the utilization of very high heat-setting temperatures during mechanical treatment has, in most instances, resulted in the loss of good hand and feel to the subject fibers, and also tends to reduce the stiffness. Another solution to this problem is preshrinking the fibers, which involves winding the fiber on a crushable paper package, allowing the fiber to sit in the oven and shrink for long times, (crushing the paper package), and then rewinding on a package acceptable for further processing. This process, while yielding an acceptable yarn, is expensive, making the resulting fiber uncompetitive as compared to polyester and nylon fibers. As a result, there has not been any teaching or disclosure within the pertinent prior art providing any heat- and/or moisture-shrink improvements in polypropylene fiber technology.
[0007] As noted above, the main concern with this invention is the production of low-shrink, high-tenacity, high tensile strength, high modulus strength thermoplastic fibers. For the purpose of this invention, the term “thermoplastic fiber” or fibers is intended to encompass polyester, polyamide, or polyolefin monofilament fibers. As noted above, such a fiber is generally produced through the initial creation of a thermoplastic resin (such as a polypropylene, a polyolefin) from which the desired fibers are extruded into individual fibers that can then be incorporated into yarns,-fabrics, or both. To date, no thermoplastic fibers exhibiting simultaneous low-shrink, high-modulus strength, and/or high-tenacity characteristics have been accorded the pertinent markets.
DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0008] It is thus an object of the invention to provide improved shrink rates while also increasing tensile strengths for thermoplastic fibers. A further object of the invention is to provide a class of additives that, in a range of concentrations, will provide low shrinkage and/or higher tensile strength levels for such inventive fibers (and yarns made therefrom). Another object of the invention is to provide a specific method for the production of nucleator-containing polypropylene fibers permitting the ultimate production of such low-shrink, high tensile strength, fabrics therewith.
[0009] Accordingly, this invention encompasses a monofilament thermoplastic fiber comprising at least one nucleator compound, wherein said fiber exhibits a shrinkage rate of at most 5% at 150° C. and a 3% secant modulus of at least 35 gf/denier, and optionally a tenacity measurement of at least 2.75 gf/denier. Also encompassed within this invention is a polypropylene monofilament fiber meeting these specific physical characteristic requirements. Such fibers can have any cross section; two common cross sections will be a round cross section, or a highly elongated rectangular cross section such as that produced when making slit film monofilaments (tape). Certain yarns and fabric articles comprising such inventive fibers are also encompassed within this invention.
[0010] Furthermore, this invention also concerns a method of producing such fibers comprising the sequential steps of a) extruding a heated formulation of thermoplastic resin comprising at least one nucleator compound into a fiber; b) immediately quenching the fiber of step “a” to a temperature which prevents orientation of thermoplastic crystals therein; c)mechanically drawing said individual fibers at a draw ratio of at least 5:1 while exposing said fibers to a temperature of at between 250 and 450° F., preferably between 300 and 420° F., and most preferably between 340 and 400° F., thereby permitting crystal orientation of the polypropylene therein; and d.) an optional heat setting step. Preferably, step “b” will be performed at a temperature of at most 95° C. and at least about 5° C., preferably between 5 and 60° C., and most preferably between 10 and 40° C. (or as close to room temperature as possible for a liquid through simply allowing the bath to acclimate itself to an environment at a temperature of about 25-30° C.). The quench is facilitated by using a liquid with a high heat capacity such as water. Again, such a temperature is needed to ensure that the component polymer (being polyolefin, such as polypropylene or polyethylene, polyester, such as polyethylene terephthalate, or polyamide, such as nylon 6, and the like, as structural enhancement additives therein that do not appreciably affect the shrinkage characteristics thereof) does not exhibit orientation of crystals. Upon the heated draw step, such orientation is effectuated which has now been determined to provide the necessary rigidification of the target fibers and thus to increase the strength and modulus of such fibers. Generally, high draw ratios facilitate breakage of the fibers during manufacture, therefore, leading to greater costs and much longer manufacturing times (if possible). However, with such high draw ratios, greater tensile strength, tenacity levels, and modulus strengths are available as well. As a product of this invention, the addition of at least one nucleator compound to the thermoplastic resin which is submitted to high draw ratio, allows for the production of an ultra high modulus monofilament fiber with significantly less shrinkage than a fiber generated under similar conditions without the nucleator compound. Thus, as a continuous process, this inventive method provides surprisingly good results in physical characteristics by permitting high draw ratios to be utilized without breakage of the fibers during production. Hence, to effectuate such desirable physical characteristics, the drawing speed to line speed ratio should exceed at least 5, preferably at least 10, and most preferably, at least 12, times that of the rate of movement of the fiber through the production line after extrusion. Preferably, such a drawing speed is at from 400-2000 feet/minute, while the prior speed of the fibers from about 25-400 feet/minute, with the drawing speed ratio between the two areas being from about 5:1 to about 18:1, and is discussed in greater detail below, as is the preferred method itself. The optional step “d” final heat-setting temperature “locks” the polypropylene crystalline structure in place after extruding and drawing. Such a heat-setting step generally lasts for a portion of a second, up to potentially a couple of minutes (i.e., from about {fraction (1/10)} th of a second, preferably about ½ of a second, up to about 3 minutes, preferably greater than ½ of a second). The heat-setting temperature should be in excess of the drawing temperature and must be at least 265° F., more preferably at least about 300° F., and most preferably at least about 350° F. (and as high as 450° F.).
[0011] The term “mechanically drawing” is intended to encompass any number of procedures that basically involve placing an extensional force on fibers in order to elongate the polymer therein. Such a procedure may be accomplished with any number of apparatus, including, without limitation, godet rolls, nip rolls, steam cans, hot or cold gaseous jets (air or steam), and other like mechanical means.
[0012] Such yarns may also be produced through extruding individual fibers of high thickness and of a sufficient gauge, thereby followed by drawing and heatsetting steps in order to attain such low shrinkage rate properties. All shrinkage values discussed as they pertain to the inventive fibers and methods of making thereof correspond to exposure times for each test (hot air and boiling water) of about 5 minutes. The heat-shrinkage at about 150° C. in hot air is, as noted above, at most 5.0% for the inventive fiber; preferably, this heat-shrinkage is at most 2.5%; more preferably at most 2.0%; and most preferably at most 1.0%. Also, the amount of nucleating agent present within the inventive monofilament fiber is from about 50 to about 5,000 ppm; preferably this amount is at least 500 ppm; and most preferably is at least 1500 ppm, up to a preferred maximum (for tensile strength retention) of about 5000 ppm, more preferably up to 4000 ppm, and most preferably as high as 3000 ppm. Any amount within this range should suffice to provide the high draw ratios, and the desired shrinkage rates after heat-setting of the fiber itself.
[0013] The term “polypropylene” is intended to encompass any polymeric composition comprising propylene monomers, either alone or in mixture or copolymer with other randomly selected and oriented polyolefins, dienes, or other monomers (such as ethylene, butylene, and the like). Such a term also encompasses any different configuration and arrangement of the constituent monomers (such as syndiotactic, isotactic, and the like). Thus, the term as applied to fibers is intended to encompass actual long strands, tapes, threads, and the like, of drawn polymer. The polypropylene may be of any standard melt flow (by testing); however, standard fiber grade polypropylene resins possess ranges of Melt Flow Indices between about 2 and 50. Contrary to standard plaques, containers, sheets, and the like (such as taught within U.S. Pat. No. 4,016,118 to Hamada et al., for example), fibers clearly differ in structure since they must exhibit a length that far exceeds its cross-sectional area (such, for example, its diameter for round fibers). Fibers are extruded and drawn; articles are blow-molded or injection molded, to name two alternative production methods. Also, the crystalline morphology of polypropylene within fibers is different than that of standard articles, plaques, sheets, and the like. For instance, the dpf of such polypropylene fibers is at most about 5000; whereas the dpf of these other articles is much greater. Polypropylene articles generally exhibit spherulitic crystals while fibers exhibit elongated, extended crystal structures. Thus, there is a great difference in structure between fibers and polypropylene articles such that any predictions made for spherulitic particles (crystals) of nucleated polypropylene do not provide any basis for determining the effectiveness of such nucleators as additives within polypropylene fibers.
[0014] The terms “nucleators”, “nucleator compound(s)”, “nucleating agent”, and “nucleating agents” are intended to generally encompass, singularly or in combination, any additive to polypropylene that produces nucleation sites for polypropylene crystals from transition from its molten state to a solid, cooled structure. Hence, since the polypropylene composition (including nucleator compounds) must be molten to eventually extrude the fiber itself, the nucleator compound will provide such nucleation sites upon cooling of the polypropylene from its molten state. The only way in which such compounds provide the necessary nucleation sites is if such sites form prior to polypropylene recrystallization itself. Thus, any compound that exhibits such a beneficial effect and property is included within this definition. Such nucleator compounds more specifically include dibenzylidene sorbitol types, including, without limitation, dibenzylidene sorbitol (DBS), monomethyldibenzylidene sorbitol, such as 1,3:2,4-bis(p-methylbenzylidene) sorbitol (p-MDBS), dimethyl dibenzylidene sorbitol, such as 1,3:2,4-bis(3,4-dimethylbenzylidene) sorbitol (3,4-DMDBS); other compounds of this type include, again, without limitation, sodium benzoate, NA-11, NA-21, HPN-68, and the like. The concentration of such nucleating agents (in total) within the target polypropylene fiber is at least 500 ppm up to 5000 ppm, preferably at least 1500 ppm to 4000 ppm, and most preferably from 2000 to 3000 ppm.
[0015] Also, without being limited by any specific scientific theory, it appears that the shrink-reducing nucleators that perform the best are those which exhibit relatively high solubility within the propylene itself. Thus, compounds which are readily soluble, such as 1,3:2,4-bis(p-methylbenzylidene) sorbitol provides the lowest shrinkage rate for the desired polypropylene fibers. The DBS derivative compounds are considered the best shrink-reducing nucleators within this invention due to the low crystalline sizes produced by such compounds. Other nucleators, such as NA-11 and HPN-68 (disodium [2.2.1]heptane bicyclodicarboxylate), also provide acceptable low-shrink characteristics to the target polypropylene fiber and thus are considered as potential nucleator compound additives within this invention. Basically, the selection criteria required of such nucleator compounds are particle sizes (the lower the better for ease in handling, mixing, and incorporation with the target resin), particle dispersability within the target resin (to provide the most effective nucleation properties), and nucleating temperature (e.g., crystallization temperature, determined for resin samples through differential scanning calorimetry analysis of molten nucleated resins), the higher such a temperature, the better.
[0016] It has been determined that the nucleator compounds that exhibit good solubility in the target molten polypropylene resins-(and thus are liquid in nature during that stage in the fiber-production process) provide effective low-shrink characteristics. Thus, low substituted DBS compounds (including DBS, p-MDBS, DMDBS) appear to provide fewer manufacturing issues as well as lower shrink properties within the finished polypropylene fibers themselves. Although p-MDBS and DMDBS are preferred, however, any of the above-mentioned nucleators may be utilized within this invention as long as the x-ray scattering measurements are met or the low shrink requirements are achieved through utilization of such compounds. Mixtures of such nucleators may also be used during processing in order to provide such low-shrink properties as well as possible organoleptic improvements, facilitation of processing, or cost.
[0017] In addition to those compounds noted above, sodium benzoate and NA-11 are well known as nucleating agents for standard polypropylene compositions (such as the aforementioned plaques, containers, films, sheets, and the like) and exhibit excellent recrystallization temperatures and very quick injection molding cycle times for those purposes. The dibenzylidene sorbitol types exhibit the same types of properties as well as excellent clarity within such standard polypropylene forms (plaques, sheets, etc.). For the purposes of this invention, it has been found that the dibenzylidene sorbitol types are preferred as nucleator compounds within the target polypropylene fibers.
[0018] The term “polyester” for such monofilaments means a resin that has structural units linked by ester groups (obtained through the condensation of carboxylic acids with polyhydric alcohols). Common types include polyethylene terephthalate, for example. General nucleating agents for polyesters include sodium benzoate, HPN-68, 2,6-dicarboxypyridine disodium salts, NA-21, Calcium hexahydrophthalic acid, perelynedianhydride, and the like.
[0019] The term “polyamide” for such monofilaments means a resin that has structural units liked by amide or thioamide groups (generally formed from monomers of carboxylic acids and their aminated derivatives). The most common types include nylon, such as nylon-6 and nylon-6,6. Nucleating agents for polyamides include sodium benzoate, dibenzylidene sorbitols, and the like.
[0020] The closest prior art references teach the addition of nucleator compounds to general polypropylene compositions (such as in U.S. Pat. No. 4,016,118, referenced above). However, some teachings include the utilization of certain DBS compounds within limited portions of fibers in a multicomponent polypropylene textile structure. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,798,167 to Connor et al. and U.S. Pat. No. 5,811,045 to Pike, both teach the addition of DBS compounds to polypropylene in fiber form; however, there are vital differences between those disclosures and the present invention. For example, both patents require the aforementioned multicomponent structures of fibers. Thus, even with DBS compounds in some polypropylene fiber components within each fiber type, the shrink rate for each is dominated by the other polypropylene fiber components which do not have the benefit of the nucleating agent. Also, there are no lamellae that give a long period (as measured by small-angle X-ray scattering) thicker than 20 nm formed within the polypropylene fibers due to the lack of a post-heatsetting step being performed. Again, these thick lamellae provide the desired inventive higher heat-shrink fiber. Also of importance is the fact that, for instance, Connor et al. require a nonwoven polypropylene fabric laminate containing a DBS additive situated around a polypropylene internal fabric layer which contained no nucleating agent additive. The internal layer, being polypropylene without the aid of a nucleating agent additive, dictates the shrink rate for this structure. Furthermore, the patentees do not expose their yarns and fibers to heatsetting procedures in order to permanently configure the crystalline fiber structures of the yams themselves as low-shrink is not their objective. In addition, none of these patentees teach to draw the fibers to a high draw ratio, and thus do not generate the high tenacity and modulus that as that is not their objective.
[0021] In addition, Spruiell, et al, Journal of Applied Polymer Science, Vol. 62, pp. 1965-75 (1996), reveal using a nucleating agent, MDBS, at 0.1%, to increase the nucleation rate during spinning, but not for monofilament. However, after crystallizing and drawing the fiber, Spruiell et al. do not expose the nucleated fiber to any heat, which is necessary to impart the very best shrinkage properties, therefore the shrinkage of their fibers was similar to conventional polypropylene fibers without a nucleating agent additive. Also, their residual elongation of 100% or more show that their fibers were not highly drawn, and thus exhibit low tensile and modulus values, which they report.
[0022] Of particular interest and which has been determined to be of primary importance in the production of such inventive low-shrink polypropylene fibers, is the discovery that, at the very least, the presence of nucleating agent within heat-set polypropylene fibers (as discussed herein), appears to provide very thick crystalline lamellae of the polypropylene itself. This discovery is best explained by the following:
[0023] Polymers, when crystallized from a melt under dynamic temperature and stress conditions, first supercool and then crystallize with the crystallization rate dependent on the number of nucleation sites, and the growth rate of the polymer, which are both in turn related to the thermal and mechanical working that the polymer is subjected to as it cools. These processes are particularly complex in a normal fiber drawing line. The results of this complex crystallization, however, can be measured using small angle x-ray scattering (SAXS), with the measured SAXS long period representative of an average crystallization temperature. A higher SAXS long period corresponds to thicker lamellae (which are the plate-like polymer crystals characteristic of semi-crystalline polymers like PP), and which is evidenced by a SAXS peak centered at a lower scattering angle than for comparative unnucleated polypropylene fibers. The higher the crystallization temperature of the average crystal, the thicker the measured SAXS long period will be. Further, higher SAXS long periods are characteristic of more thermally stable polymeric crystals. Crystals with shorter SAXS long periods will “melt”, or relax and recrystallize into new, thicker crystals, at a lower temperature than those with higher SAXS long periods. Crystals with higher SAXS long periods remain stable to higher temperatures, requiring more heat to destabilize the crystalline structure.
[0024] In highly oriented polymeric samples such as fibers, those with higher SAXS long periods will remain stable to higher temperatures. Thus the shrinkage, which is a normal effect of the relaxation of the highly oriented polymeric samples, remains low to higher temperatures than in those highly oriented polymeric samples with lower SAXS long periods. In this invention, the nucleating additive is used in conjunction with a thermal treatment to create fibers exhibiting thicker lamellae that in turn are very stable and exhibit low shrinkage up to very high temperatures. For monofilament fibers, this apparently not only translates into low-shrink properties therein, but also high tenacity and modulus strength characteristics as well.
[0025] Another function of the nucleator is to help the polymer to crystallize faster in the quench before the polymer can become highly oriented. Such orientation which occurs in the melt phase is undesirable as it occurs unevenly, with the outside of the fibers more highly oriented. These highly oriented outer sections limit the tenacity and modulus by limiting the draw ratio that can be effected in further processing. The function of the nucleator is to freeze the molten polymer in a more evenly oriented state, which then allows the draw ratio to be higher in subsequent processing, allowing for the creation of very high tensile modulus and tenacity, while continuing to effectuate low shrinkage through the creation of thicker lamellae evident in the SAXS.
[0026] Furthermore, such fibers may also be colored to provide other aesthetic features for the end user. Thus, the fibers may also comprise coloring agents, such as, for example, pigments, with fixing agents for lightfastness purposes. For this reason, it is desirable to utilize nucleating agents that do not impart visible color or colors to the target fibers. Other additives may also be present, including antistatic agents, brightening compounds, clarifying agents, antioxidants, antimicrobials (preferably silver-based ion-exchange compounds, such as ALPHASAN® antimicrobials available from Milliken & Company), UV stabilizers, fillers, and the like. Furthermore, any fabrics made from such inventive fibers may be, without limitation, woven, knit, non-woven, in-laid scrim, any combination thereof, and the like. Additionally, such fabrics may include fibers other than the inventive polypropylene fibers, including, without limitation, natural fibers, such as cotton, wool, abaca, hemp, ramie, and the like; synthetic fibers, such as polyesters, polyamides, polyaramids, other polyolefins (including non-low-shrink polypropylene), polylactic acids, and the like; inorganic fibers such as glass, boron-containing fibers, and the like; and any blends thereof.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0027] The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate a potentially preferred embodiment of producing the inventive low-shrink polypropylene fibers and together with the description serve to explain the principles of the invention wherein:
[0028] [0028]FIG. 1 is a schematic of the potentially preferred method of producing low-shrink polypropylene fibers.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING AND OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
[0029] [0029]FIG. 1 depicts the non-limiting preferred procedure followed in producing the inventive thermoplastic monofilament fibers. The entire fiber production assembly 10 comprises a mixing manifold 11 for the incorporation of molten polymer and additives (such as the aforementioned nucleator compound) which then move into a heated screw extruder 12 . The extruded polymer is then passed through a metering pump 14 to a die assembly 16 , whereupon the extruded fiber 17 is initially produced. The fiber 17 then immediately moves to a quenching bath 18 comprising a liquid, such as water, and the like, set at a temperature from 5 to 95° C. (here, preferably, about room temperature). The fiber 17 then moves through a series of idle rolls 20 , 22 , 24 , whereupon the fiber 17 exhibits a high amount of liquid (again such as water) after quenching. Thus, the fiber 17 then moves through a series of air knives 26 that pneumatically force the excess water from the fiber surface. The drawing speed of the fiber at this point is dictated by separate sets of draw rolls 28 , 32 and relax rolls 36 , 40 wherein the draw rolls 28 , 32 are set at differing speeds of between about 30 to 800 feet/minute, preferably, with a draw ratio between the two sets 28 , 32 of from 5 to about 12. The relax rolls 36 , 40 are utilized for the purpose of permitting such relaxation within the fiber 17 (e.g., for the ability to elongate with substantial return to initial shape and length). Between each series of draw rolls 28 , 32 and relax rolls 36 , 40 are ovens 30 , 34 , 38 through which the fiber 17 passes. The temperatures increase in level through each oven set at temperatures of between about 280 and 450° F. After passing through such rolls 28 , 32 , 36 , 40 and ovens 30 , 34 , 38 , the finished, crystal-oriented monofilament fiber 50 passes through a series of winding rolls 42 , 44 , 46 that leads to a spool (not illustrated) for winding of the finished fiber 50 .
Inventive Fiber and Yarn Production
[0030] The following non-limiting examples are indicative of the preferred embodiment of this invention:
[0031] Yarn Production
[0032] Nucleator concentrate was made by mixing Millad powder with powdered polypropylene resin with a MFI of 35 in a high speed mixer at a 10% concentration, then extruded through a twin screw extruder at an extruder temperature of 240° C., and then cut into concentrate pellets. Concentrates were made of both Millad 3988 (DMDBS) and Millad 3940 (p-MDBS). These concentrates were let down into polypropylene resin with MFI 12-18 at a level of 2.2%, to give 0.22% (2200 ppm) nucleator concentration in the final polymer concentration. This yarn was extruded through a single screw extruder at a temperature of 490° F. and extruded through a dye into a water quench bath. The quenched fibers are wrapped over four sets of draw rolls and passed through three ovens in between them in order to draw the fiber and impart the final physical properties. The temperatures and roll speeds are given in the table below.
POLYPROPYLENE YARN COMPOSITION TABLE Yarn Samples with Specific Nucleators Added Roll Speeds Oven Temps. Sam- Nucleator (ft/min) (° F.) Draw ple Added #1 #2 #3 #4 #1 #2 #3 Ratio A None 75 524 630 580 300 320 350 8.4 B None 86 519 628 557 300 320 350 7.3 C None 86 518 628 557 325 345 350 7.3 D None 75 524 630 558 325 345 350 8.4 E None 75 524 630 580 325 345 410 8.4 F None 86 520 630 557 325 345 410 7.33 G None 86 520 630 557 300 320 410 7.33 H None 75 524 630 557 300 320 410 8.4 I DMDBS 75 524 630 557 300 320 350 8.4 J DMDBS 86 520 630 557 300 320 350 7.33 K DMDBS 55 453 610 560 300 320 350 11.09 L DMDBS 86 520 630 557 325 345 350 7.33 M DMDBS 75 522 630 557 325 345 350 8.4 N DMDBS 75 522 630 557 325 345 410 8.4 O DMDBS 86 520 630 557 325 345 410 7.33 P DMDBS 86 520 630 557 300 320 410 7.33 Q DMDBS 75 520 630 557 300 320 410 8.4 R MDBS 75 525 630 557 300 320 350 8.4 S MDBS 86 520 630 557 300 320 350 7.33 T MDBS 55 450 618 557 300 320 350 11.2 U MDBS 75 522 630 557 325 345 350 8.4 V MDBS 86 524 630 557 325 345 350 7.33 W MDBS 86 524 630 559 325 345 410 7.33 X MDBS 75 521 629 557 325 345 350 8.39 Y MDBS 75 524 630 559 300 320 410 8.4 Z MDBS 86 524 630 559 300 320 410 7.33
Fiber and Yarn Physical Analyses
[0033] These sample yarns were then tested for shrink characteristics at a 150° C. heat-exposure condition (hot air). The results are tabulated below, as well as for tenacity, 3% secant modulus, and denier:
EXPERIMENTAL TABLE 1 Experimental Physical Characteristic Measurements for Sample Yarns 3% Sec. Shrinkage Tenacity Modulus Sample Denier Test (° C.) Shrinkage (gf/denier) (gf/den) A 519 150 Hot air 15% 5.306 51.66 B 522 ″ 13% 4.519 45.18 C 494 ″ 6.1% 4.402 44.94 D 517 ″ 8.6% 4.898 48.30 E 526 ″ 3.9% 3.261 33.52 F 518 ″ 3.2% 3.508 31.78 G 514 ″ 2.4% 2.763 30.18 H 516 ″ 4.3% 3.046 35.19 I 504 ″ 1.8% 5.577 54.00 J 505 ″ 1.6% 5.226 43.96 K 497 ″ 2.2% 5.712 82.87 L 517 ″ 0.8% 3.734 32.86 M 510 ″ 0.6% 5.009 43.28 N 495 ″ 0.4% 4.511 38.74 O 506 ″ −0.02% 2.918 29.679 P 506 ″ 0.3% 3.190 31.76 Q 513 ″ 0.9% 3.413 36.22 R 513 ″ 1.7% 5.363 54.15 S 506 ″ 1.3% 4.673 46.84 T 495 ″ 1.6% 5.240 82.41 U 516 ″ 0.6% 4.842 43.99 V 524 ″ 0.8% 3.727 34.13 W 508 ″ 0.5% 4.038 36.70 X 519 ″ 1.2% 4.67 40.53 Y 528 ″ 0.5% 4.553 37.72 Z 502 ″ −0.1% 3.011 30.44
[0034] Thus, the inventive fibers exhibit excellent high tenacity and modulus strength levels as well as simultaneously low shrinkage rates, characteristics that have heretofore been simultaneously unattainable for monofilament thermoplastic fibers.
[0035] 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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Unique thermoplastic monofilament fibers and yarns that exhibit heretofore unattained physical properties are provided. Such fibers are basically manufactured through the extrusion of thermoplastic resins that include a certain class of nucleating agent therein, and are able to be drawn at high ratios with such nucleating agents present, that the tenacity and modulus strength are much higher than any other previously produced thermoplastic fibers, particularly those that also simultaneously exhibit extremely low shrinkage rates. Thus, such fibers require the presence of certain compounds that quickly and effectively provide rigidity to the target thermoplastic (for example, polypropylene), particularly after heat-setting. Generally, these compounds include any structure that nucleates polymer crystals within the target thermoplastic after exposure to sufficient heat to melt the initial pelletized polymer and allowing such an oriented polymer to cool. The compounds must nucleate polymer crystals at a higher temperature than the target thermoplastic without the nucleating agent during cooling. In such a manner, the “rigidifying” nucleator compounds provide nucleation sites for thermoplastic crystal growth. The preferred “rigidifying” compounds include dibenzylidene sorbitol based compounds, as well as less preferred compounds, such as [2.2.1]heptane-bicyclodicarboxylic acid, otherwise known as HPN-68, sodium benzoate, certain sodium and lithium phosphate salts [such as sodium 2,2′-methylene-bis-(4,6-di-tert-butylphenyl)phosphate, otherwise known as NA-11]. Specific methods of manufacture of such inventive thermoplastic fibers, as well as fabric articles made therefrom, are also encompassed within this invention.
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RELATED APPLICATIONS
This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/084,433, filed on Apr. 5, 2011 (now U.S. Pat. No. 8,353,290), which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/856,568 filed on Sep. 17, 2007 (now U.S. Pat. No. 8,011,362), all of which are hereby incorporated by reference.
BACKGROUND
1. The Field of the Invention
The invention pertains to the field of continuous positive airway pressure apparatus and methods and more particularly to portable systems for active adult users during travel.
2. The Background Art
Continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) therapy is often used to treat obstructive sleep apnea as well as certain other disorders. In a CPAP apparatus and method, pressurized air is delivered through a mask to a patient's airway. Air may be introduced through the nostrils or through a mask that covers the nostrils and mouth. Typically, such systems are set on a night stand or other support beside a bed, and operate from wall current or a battery power source. Typically, a fan in a “generator” blows ambient air to create a pressurized supply having a pressure of from about five to fifteen centimeters of water. The mask or interface portion of the apparatus may be oral, oral-nasal, or simply nasal in its introduction of air.
Typically, such systems are treated as a medical devices and are engineered to be efficient movers of air through the various passages. Accordingly, such devices typically have a very box-like aspect ratio in which the height, width, and the depth (or thickness, width and length), are typically sized to be of the same order of magnitude. Thus, the aspect ratio is approximately one to one to one (1:1:1:). In the prior art, many such systems have aesthetically pleasing lines developed to make the device seem less rectangular or box-like, yet the overall principal dimensions are about the same.
One of the particular difficulties is the unwieldy size and shape of CPAP systems during travel. Accordingly, each requires a large fraction of the space within a person's luggage. Even supposedly compact or portable CPAP units, when ultimately designed, still have sufficient bulk in all three dimensions as to require a packing system that requires either another piece of luggage or a sizeable portion of the space in other large luggage.
What is needed is an apparatus that can meet several criteria for traveling. The apparatus should fit within luggage configured to hold a laptop computer. If a CPAP system were configured to take on more of the aspect ratios of a laptop computer, then it could be carried as part of carry-on luggage, could be opened for inspection, and could be readily evaluated by conventional security mechanisms in airports. Thus, traveling professionals would not be required to carry such large luggage, or an additional piece of luggage, especially checked luggage, specifically to accommodate the CPAP system.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In view of the foregoing, in accordance with the invention as embodied and broadly described herein, a method and apparatus are disclosed in one embodiment of the present invention as including a housing sized and shaped to fit the space requirements and power requirements typical of a lap top computer.
In accordance with certain embodiments of an apparatus and method in accordance with the invention, a CPAP unit may include a housing, sized and shaped to fit in luggage designed to accommodate conventional laptop computers and their supporting peripherals. The system may typically include a drive system for generating a pressurized air stream at a volume and pressure in accordance with the therapy for which CPAP systems are designed. Likewise, an apparatus and method may include a delivery system of fittings, tubing (hose), and masks in order to deliver the pressurized stream of air into the breathing system of a user.
In certain embodiments, an apparatus in accordance with invention may include various electrical and electronic control systems in order to turn the machine on and off, control the air flow rate or motor speed, and the like. Other systems may be incorporated to accommodate the valving of air flows to and from the lungs of a user. That is, any of the valving systems whereby air may be relieved or expelled from a mask or the delivery system, or the like may be incorporated in a system in accordance with the invention.
The power system may rely on wall power, converted DC power from a wall outlet through a DC power supply, a battery, a computer battery, or the like.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
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:
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of one embodiment of an apparatus in accordance with the invention, in which tubing or a delivery hose for the pressurized air supply may be stowed in a spooled configuration within the housing of the apparatus;
FIG. 2 is a perspective view of one embodiment of the spool center and the fan system of the apparatus of figure one, having the lid and upper console portions removed;
FIG. 3 is a perspective view of one embodiment of the apparatus of FIG. 1 in a closed configuration with the tubing stowed therein;
FIG. 4 is perspective view of an alternative embodiment of an apparatus in which a cavity is available to stow the tubing and mask completely within an outer case, to be not visible when the case is closed;
FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the apparatus of FIG. 4 illustrating the stowed mask and tubing with associated fittings;
FIG. 6 is a perspective view of one embodiment of a motor and fan system suitable for implementation in an apparatus in accordance with the invention;
FIG. 7 is perspective view of an alternative embodiment of a fan and motor system suitable for pressurizing air in an apparatus in accordance with the invention;
FIG. 8 is a perspective view of an alternative embodiment of a fan suitable for developing a flow of pressurized air in an apparatus in accordance with the invention;
FIG. 9 is a perspective view of an alternative embodiment of a fan, designed to provide an axial flow of pressurized air in an apparatus in accordance with the invention;
FIG. 10 is a perspective view of an alternative embodiment of an apparatus in accordance with the invention, having a capability to expand a plenum for development of a larger supply of pressurized air;
FIG. 11 is a perspective view of the apparatus of FIG. 10 with the tubing removed from the case for deployment;
FIG. 12 is a perspective view of the apparatus of FIGS. 10 and 11 illustrating the position of the aperture and connector feeding the tubing and mask of the apparatus from the lid side of the plenum chamber;
FIG. 13 is a perspective view of one embodiment of a power supply suitable for powering an apparatus in accordance with the invention;
FIG. 14 is a perspective view of an alternative embodiment of a power supply suitable for portability and for powering the apparatus in accordance with the invention;
FIG. 15 is a perspective view of one alternative embodiment of a rechargeable battery suitable for use to power an apparatus in accordance with the invention, or suitable for recharging a computer battery for use in both a laptop computer and a CPAP system in accordance with the invention;
FIG. 16 is a perspective view of one embodiment of a carrying case suitable for packing an apparatus in accordance with the invention;
FIG. 17 is a perspective view of an alternative embodiment of a luggage system accommodating an apparatus in accordance with the invention; and
FIG. 18 is a perspective view of yet another alternative embodiment of a carrying case suitable for packing an apparatus in accordance with the invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
Referring to FIG. 1 , in one embodiment of an apparatus and method in accordance with the invention, a system 10 or device 10 may be configured to provide a continuous positive airway pressure to a user. In the illustrated embodiment, a housing 12 may contain the basic elements required to drive the air to an elevated pressure. In typical usage, a fraction of a pound per square inch or a fraction of a kilogram per square centimeter will be provided by the system 10 , to the airway of a user.
Typically, a drive system 14 provides the prime mover of air. The drive system 14 may draw air from the environment, through a filter, or without a filter, and pressurize it sufficiently to maintain a positive pressure against which a user breathes during sleep. From the drive system 14 , a delivery system 16 provides passageways to carry the air to an interface for delivery into the nostrils or mouth of a user, or both.
Typically, a control system 18 may be designed to be as simple or sophisticated as desired for the appropriate therapy. At a rudimentary level the system may be turned off and on. In a more sophisticated embodiment, a selection of the pressure, the net air flow, the profile of the increase of pressure of the air flow, or the like may be controlled in order to provide for the comfort and therapy of a user.
A power system 20 provides a power source to drive the drive system 14 . In certain embodiments, a pneumatic power system may be provided. A convenient power system may rely on either wall current or battery power instead. To provide completely self-contained power, a power system 20 may be as simple as a rechargeable battery built into the system 10 . Alternatively, a power supply that connects to a wall outlet may service the system equally well. In yet another alternative embodiment, both may be provided in order that a system may be recharged when the wall current is available, but may still be used when wall current is not available.
Referring to FIG. 1 , the system 10 may include a base 22 to which to mount the other components of the system 10 . A console 23 may be provided in order to accommodate controls, user interface, and other access to the system during operation. The console 24 or console layer 24 may be positioned opposite the base 22 , each effectively forming a flange of a spool. Thus, the base 22 and console 24 may actually act as flanges of a spool to receive therebetween the delivery system 16 .
In certain embodiments, whether for protection, or simply for purposes of convenience, securement, or closing a display of information or the like, a cover 26 may be provided to close the console layer 24 .
In certain embodiments the drive system 14 may be protected by a grid 28 in order to prevent entry of fingers or other small objects into the drive system 14 .
Downstream from the drive system 14 an aperture 30 may be provided to discharge air from the drive system into the delivery system 16 . A fitting 31 may be provided about the aperture 30 in order to accommodate connection and disconnection of the delivery system 16 .
In certain embodiments, storage space 32 may be provided for a mask 34 or interface 34 . The storage space 32 may be formed as a recess in the console 24 of the apparatus. In other embodiments the recess 32 may be dispensed with in order to simply store the mask elsewhere. Soft masks may be folded up or otherwise placed in a small space. In certain embodiments, it is desired that the mask 34 be of a substantially stiffer quality, in order to assure a firm seal against the face. Thus, a mask 34 may need storage space 32 within the apparatus 10 .
A storage space 36 for a power supply 38 may be provided in the console 24 as well. In the illustrated embodiment, a simple DC power supply 38 may provide the conversion of wall power (alternating current) to be converted to direct current to drive the drive system 14 .
A recess 40 or space 40 may be provided between the base 22 and console 24 in order to wrap a hose 42 or tube there around. The hose 42 may be formed in any suitable manner. A convoluted hose may actually provide a very flexible, light, and still comparatively compact system for delivering air from the apparatus 10 to a user. In particular, the hose 42 will connect to the fitting 31 of the aperture 30 to receive air driven by the fan 50 .
The fan 50 may be protected by the grid 28 at the inlet where air is received. Accordingly, the fan 50 may blow air to a higher pressure and discharge it through the aperture 30 into the hose 42 for delivery to a mask 34 and ultimately to a user.
In certain embodiments, a cord 52 may deliver power from a power supply or wall current into a plug 54 . The plug 54 may fit into a jack 55 formed within the base 22 , console 24 , or other part of the housing 12 in order to access the drive system 14 and power it. In embodiments where an internal battery is powering the apparatus 10 , the cord 52 and plug 54 may simply operate to power the battery during recharging.
In certain embodiments, various buttons 56 or switches 56 may be provided for the system 10 . In the illustrated embodiment, various buttons 56 a , 56 b , 56 c , 56 d are shown. For example, a button 56 a may be a switch to turn the drive system 14 on and off. Other buttons 56 c , 56 d may control the increase and decrease of the speed of the fan 50 .
Other buttons 56 d may control other factors, including the display 60 . A display 60 may include instructions, may provide feedback information regarding pressure, fan speed, or the like, and may include interactive selections for controlling the apparatus 10 by the user. In general, information and instructions by way of warning and basic set up may also be included in a label 58 simply printed and adhered to a portion of the apparatus 10 .
In the illustrated embodiment, deployment of the apparatus 10 may include unwrapping the delivery system 16 including the hose 42 with its fittings 44 , 46 from the apparatus 10 , such as from a spooled location between the console layer 24 and the base layer 22 acting as flanges of a spool. Accordingly, the fitting 44 may be connected to the output fitting 31 , and the fitting 46 to the mask 34 . A mask 34 may be formed in any suitable manner, typically of a flexible material in contact with the skin in order to form a good seal, with straps or other secure mechanisms to secure it to the face of a user. The mask 34 may cover only the nostrils, the nostrils and the mouth, or only the mouth. Accordingly, the drive system 14 , and the fan 50 in particular, provides pressurized air through the aperture 30 into the tubing 42 for delivery into the mask 34 at an increased pressure above ambient pressure.
Meanwhile, the power supply 38 may be removed from its storage location 36 and plugged into outlet power in order feed the cord 52 and the plug 54 connected to power the motor driving the fan 50 .
Upon waking, a user may stow the system 10 by removing the fitting 44 from the aperture 30 with its retaining fitting 31 and removing the mask 34 , optionally, from the mask fitting 46 . In some embodiments, a more compact system may have a foldable or very flexible mask 34 . The mask fitting 46 may also be formed integrally between the tubing 42 and the mask 34 making removal of the mask 34 from the tubing 42 unnecessary. Likewise, the fitting 31 , 44 need not be readily separable, nor separable at all, nor distinct from one another.
In either mode, the tubing 42 , whether or not removed from the fitting 31 or mask 34 may be spooled around the space 40 between the base 22 and console 24 to stow it. Detents may be provided by way of bosses, tabs, or simply a closer proximity to one another of the edges of the base 22 and console 24 in order to retain the tubing 42 therebetween. After final stowage of the power supply 38 in its storage location 36 , the lid 26 or cover 26 may be closed on hinges 48 against the console 24 in order to close the system up for travel.
Referring to FIG. 2 , a view of the apparatus 10 of FIG. 1 is illustrated showing only the base 22 with selected components located below the console 24 . In the illustration, a spool portion 62 or mandrel 62 for receiving the tubing 42 may be located between the base 22 and the console 24 . Within the periphery of this spool portion 62 , or mandrel 62 , the fan 50 may operate.
In the illustrated embodiment, the fan 70 represents a generic fan 50 of FIG. 1 . In the illustrated embodiment, the fan 70 is a squirrel-cage type fan and the motor 68 is embedded within the confines of the fan 70 . A shroud 64 surrounds the fan 70 to direct the air to an output duct 66 .
The spinning of the fan 70 about the motor 68 (by the motor 68 ) causes the air to move radially away from the fan 70 , while also moving the air circumferentially with respect to the outer circumference of the fan 70 . Accordingly, the duct 66 is filled with pressurized air, while the region within the circumference of the fan 70 is decreasing in pressure as it draws air through the grid 28 and through the fan 70 .
Referring to FIG. 3 , the apparatus 10 in the illustrated embodiment may fold up with the cover 26 against the console 24 , forming a compact package between the base 22 and the cover 26 . Meanwhile, the hose 42 or tubing 42 is spooled around the mandrel 62 in order to fit within the overall envelope defined by the juxtaposed base 22 and cover 26 .
Referring to FIG. 4 , an apparatus 10 may have a housing 12 formed of a base 22 and a cover 26 . The base 22 and cover 26 may be connected by a hinge 48 pivotable between a closed and an open position. In FIG. 4 , the apparatus 10 is shown in an open position with the tubing 42 removed from stowage along with the power supply 38 for use. In the illustrated embodiment, the delivery system 16 is constituted by the tubing 42 with its associated fittings 44 , 46 and mask 34 , having a strap 35 for securement to the face of a user.
Meanwhile, the drive system 14 is enclosed within a shroud 64 and the fan 50 is behind the grid 28 provided for protection. The aperture 30 is connectable to the fitting 44 to direct pressurized air from the duct 66 provided as an outlet from the shroud 64 delivering pressurized air from the fan 50 into the tubing 42 . In the illustrated embodiment, the control buttons 56 may be provided on the case 12 or housing 12 in any suitable location. In the illustration, the control buttons 56 are positioned on the base 22 . Likewise, the jack 55 for receiving the plug 54 from the power supply 38 and cord 52 is located on the front face of the base 22 .
Accordingly, the power can be converted from wall power to DC current by the power supply 38 and delivered through the plug 54 and jack 55 to the motor 50 inside the shroud 64 . Controls 56 may be used for controlling on, off, pressure, power, speed, or the like. The display 60 may provide instructions for monitoring of the operation of the apparatus 10 .
Referring to FIG. 5 , the apparatus 10 of FIG. 4 may be placed in a stowed configuration by wrapping the tubing 42 about the drive system 14 containing the fan 50 and shroud 64 . The fitting 44 may be disconnected from the aperture 30 or remain in it. Likewise, the fitting 46 may be removed from the mask 34 or remain connected. The mask 34 in the illustrated embodiment may be stowed within the base 22 just as the tubing 42 or hose 42 . Thus, closure of the lid 26 or cover 26 against the base 12 provides an envelope that is approximately that of a laptop computer and encloses the accompanying supporting peripheral elements of the apparatus 10 in a compact and easily transportable unit. Various types of sealing mechanisms such as bosses, knobs, ridges or other detents within the hinge 48 , or between the cover 26 and base 22 may be implemented in accordance with principles or devices known in the art.
Referring to FIG. 6 , an apparatus 10 in accordance with the invention may include a fan 50 connected directly to a motor 68 , or connected indirectly as illustrated. In the illustrated embodiment of FIG. 6 the motor 68 is connected to the fan 50 by a set of pulleys 74 , 76 and corresponding shafts 75 , 77 . A belt 72 connects the pulleys 74 , 76 in order to drive the fan shaft 77 from the motor shaft 75 .
In the illustrated embodiment, the axial direction 80 represents the direction of intake, while the radial directions 82 represent the direction that air moves in response the spinning of the fan 50 . A shroud 64 around the fan 50 may restrict the flow of air and directly into a particular duct 66 as described hereinabove. In response to the rotation of the fan, the space in the center of the fan 50 is evacuated or rather contains air at reduced pressure, while the area around the circumference of the fan represents air being driven in a radial 82 and a circumferential 84 direction. The shrouding 64 prevents air from escaping the fan 50 , while the ducting 66 provides a location or plenum for the air to accumulate at elevated pressure in order to be driven out the aperture 30 to the tubing 42 .
Referring to FIG. 7 , in an alternative embodiment, a motor 68 may be embedded within the fan 50 in order to reduce the overall size of the system 10 . However, if the fan 50 is formed to be of a comparatively thin profile, then the motor may need additional space. Meanwhile, the vanes 78 tend to drive the air in a circumferential direction 84 , resulting in acceleration in a radial direction 82 . As the air escapes from the vanes 78 or blades 78 of the fan 50 , it may have both a circumferential 84 and a radial 82 component of velocity. Accordingly, it may be ducted as described hereinabove.
In typical embodiments, the fan 50 may be formed of vanes 78 projecting (for example, at right angles) from a disk 79 or base 79 . Typically, the base 79 will include a hub for receiving a shaft 77 on the motor 68 . Any suitable attachment mechanism including keys, set-screws, friction, splines, and the like may be used to secure the shaft 77 to the fan 50 .
Referring to FIG. 8 , in one embodiment of an apparatus 10 in accordance with invention, the fan 50 may actually be configured with vanes that taper toward the center hub 86 , having their greatest height from the frame 79 or disk 79 near the outer periphery thereof. Accordingly, the vane 78 may actually act as trapezoidal or triangular vanes that are very short axially with respect to the disk 79 near the hub 86 , and very tall near the outer periphery of the disk 79 .
Thus, the air flow in 88 will be drawn in an axial direction into the fan while the blades 78 or vanes 78 rotate, the air moves in a circumferential direction 84 . A response of the air is to flow outwardly in a radial direction 82 such as the flow illustrated as flow 90 b. Ultimately, however, the shroud 64 and duct 66 will permit escape of the air only in a circumferential direction 84 illustrated as the airflow 90 a exiting the fan 50 .
The squirrel cage fan of 57 , and the vane fan of FIG. 8 both tend to be centripetal or centrifugal fans. That is, the pressure comes as a result of the spinning of the air, and its tendency to want to escape radially 82 from the circumferential motion 84 . That is, any motion in a circumferential direction 84 is actually an acceleration toward the center shaft 77 , and the air preferentially migrates radially 82 .
Referring to FIG. 9 , another embodiment of the fan 50 may include a shaft 77 and hub 86 from which various vanes 78 extend outward. In the embodiment of FIG. 9 , air is actually inducted from one side of the fan 50 in an axial direction 80 , and is discharged out the other side in the same axial direction 80 . Of course, in the illustrated embodiment, the direction of rotation in the circumferential direction 84 determines which direction or sense the air flow will actually take in the axial direction 80 .
One of the advantages of a squirrel cage fan 50 or a vane fan 50 is a comparatively thin profile on the order of from about one half inch to about an inch and a half, or perhaps up to two inches. On a substantially larger radius of from about one and half to about four inches, the fan may provide a comparatively large flow rate (e.g. 0.1 to about 2 cfm), large pressure increase (e.g. 5 to 30 cm of water), or the like, into a comparatively smaller duct, such as the duct 66 , and the tube 42 . One benefit of the fan 50 illustrated in FIG. 9 is that a comparatively quite fan with a minimal direction change may be implemented. Many pancake fans 50 may actually include a motor within the hub 86 in the fan 50 of FIG. 9 , thus forming a comparatively compact, axial drive system 14 .
Referring to FIG. 10 , an apparatus 10 may include a housing 12 having a base 22 , console 24 , and cover 26 . Likewise, a drive system 16 may include a fan 50 under a grid 28 to drive airflow into a tube 42 . In the illustrated embodiments, the console portion 24 actually becomes the bottom of the housing 12 , when stowed. Nevertheless, the control buttons 56 may be provided on a panel 92 associated with the console layer 24 of the apparatus 10 . Likewise, some type of power line 52 with its associated plug 54 may provide power into the system by any of the mechanisms discussed above or known in the art. Meanwhile, the mask 34 may be stowed with the tubing 42 and its associated fittings 44 , 46 within the space available in the base 22 .
In the illustrated embodiment of FIGS. 10-12 , retainers 94 may provide flexible or rigid restraints in order to hold the tubing 42 in place during stowage. In one embodiment, the retainers 94 may be formed of a flexible plastic or stiff rubber such that they may be easily deflected in order to place the tubing behind them. The retainers 94 may be replaced by belts, straps, or the like, securing to the base 22 in certain embodiments.
By either means, the tubing 42 may be wrapped for stowage within the base 26 . Meanwhile, the grid 28 covering the fan 50 may cover a squirrel cage fan 50 , a vane fan 50 , an axial fan 50 , or any other suitable mechanism. In the illustrated embodiment, an optional bellows 96 is included. The bellows provides an expansion space between the base 22 and the lid 26 in order to provide a plenum or expanse of space or volume in which a volume of air under pressure can be collected.
The value of a plenum is that pressures are moderated somewhat in response to the breathing of an individual, or changes in output. For example, whenever an individual is breathing against the pressure of air within the tubing 42 , pressure rises behind the fan 50 . This effect may be somewhat ameliorated by providing a plenum that tends to have sufficient volume to absorb the instantaneous fluctuations in pressure and volume of air.
Any suitable support including the bellows alone, or flexible joints, struts, or the like may be used to support the cover 26 with respect to the base 22 . In such an embodiment, the system may actually expand to a larger size than its stowed size in order to create a plenum within the bellows 96 and the lid 26 .
Referring to FIG. 12 , the apparatus of FIGS. 10 and 11 is illustrated in a stowed configuration. For clarity, the hose 42 has been removed from the housing 12 in order to illustrate an embodiment of how the fitting 44 may fit onto the cover 26 in the aperture 30 .
When the fitting 44 is removed from the aperture 30 , and its associated fitting 31 , a cap 101 fitted to the fitting 31 may be inserted to prevent damage, dirt, and the like. In the illustrated embodiment, the lid closes against the bellows 96 , but may close over the bellows, in order to close up against the console 24 , which forms the outer shell of the housing 12 . Meanwhile, the base 22 is fit down into the console portion 24 .
In general, the hose 42 may be connected in any suitable manner. In the illustrated embodiment, the mask 34 may be secured permanently or temporarily to the hose 42 . The fitting 44 , typically permanently attached to the hose 42 , may include both a securement 100 and a stop 102 . The purpose of the securement 100 is as a detent to engage the fitting 31 . The purpose of the stop 102 is to prevent the fitting 44 penetrating further into the aperture 30 . Any suitable mechanism may be used including threads, quick release couplings, interfering “o” rings, or the like.
In general, the space 98 for storage of the hose 42 may actually be used as a plenum in certain embodiments. That is, for example, the space 98 may be configured on the opposite side of the base 22 , between the base 22 and the cover 26 in order to form a plenum after the hose 42 is removed therefrom. Accordingly, the surface defined by the edges of the base 22 closest to the console 24 may be a solid surface except for the opening for the grid 28 .
The bellows 96 is not required. Thus, the illustration of FIG. 12 shows the housing 12 in substantially the stowed configuration, but with the cap 101 removed. Meanwhile, the hose 42 is illustrated in order to show its positioning and sealing with respect to the aperture 30 .
Referring to FIG. 13 , the power system 20 for the apparatus 10 in accordance with the invention may be one of several possible configurations. For example, a power supply 38 may include the appropriate hardware to convert alternating current to direct current for convenience, and safety. Thus, a cord 104 may come from wall power through a plug 106 to be connected by the adapter 108 to the power supply 38 . Wall current may be converted from alternating current, at a comparatively higher voltage, to direct current, at a comparatively lower voltage, delivered through the cord 52 and subsequently the plug 54 into the apparatus 10 . Typically, a plate 110 commonly called a rating plate or “boiler plate” may contain information concerning safety, ratings, instructions, warnings, connection requirements, and the like.
Referring to FIG. 14 , a compact power supply may be used in many situations requiring comparatively lower power (e.g. a few amps or less). The apparatus 10 does not require large amounts of power (e.g. typically less than an amp down to tenths of an amp). A simple adapter 38 or power supply 38 may provide a plug 112 directly into a wall socket, feeding direct current through a cord 52 and a plug 54 into the apparatus 10 .
Referring to FIG. 15 , in one embodiment, an apparatus 10 in accordance with the invention may use a battery 120 . The battery 120 may be identical to, or may be the same battery 120 as that of a laptop computer. Accordingly, a charger 118 or cradle 118 may be used to charge the battery 120 , or the battery 120 may be charged within a laptop computer.
A CPAP apparatus 10 may be carried with a computer and may share the same battery 120 . In the illustrated embodiment, a battery 120 may be fitted into a cradle 118 connected to wall power or a power supply by a cord 114 , and secured electrically by a plug 116 in the cradle 118 . In the illustrated embodiment, the output cord 52 and the plug 54 may actually be connected to the apparatus 10 .
In an alternative embodiment, a computer battery 120 may be embedded within the envelope of the apparatus 10 , and included in the space near the fan 50 of the drive system 14 within the housing 12 . A rating plate 110 or instruction plate 110 may provide the similar warnings, instructions, and connection details as discussed above.
Referring to FIG. 16 , a case 130 for an apparatus 10 may include a region for holding the apparatus 10 , divided into compartments 137 . For example, a compartment 137 a may hold the apparatus 10 , while a compartment 137 b may hold a power supply 38 , a folded cord 104 , and the like. A closure 132 , or lid 132 may be secured to the case 130 by a zipper 134 or other suitable mechanism.
Typically, a handle 136 for carrying may be adapted to a hand of a user, a shoulder strap, or the like. In the illustrated embodiment, the case 130 may be a conventional case, borrowed from the laptop computer market, may be or a specially designed case adapted to the apparatus 10 . For example, the divider 136 may be moveable, and thus may be positionable within the case 130 in order to securely stow the apparatus 10 , and still accommodate the power supply 38 , cord 136 , or other accoutrements associated with the apparatus 10 .
In certain embodiments, the cord 104 may actually be wrapped around a spooling mechanism before the tubing 42 . Likewise, the power supply 38 may be replaced with a battery 120 actually embedded in the apparatus 10 . Thus, not all embodiments of an apparatus in accordance with the invention will require separate storage for a power supply 38 and cord 104 .
Referring to FIG. 17 , a case 130 suitable for holding the apparatus 10 may be a simple compartment 130 associated with other luggage 140 , such as a briefcase. For example, certain suitcases, briefcases, and the like may be configured as a separate piece of luggage 140 having a pocket 130 interior or exterior thereto for receiving a laptop computer or the like. Accordingly, an apparatus 10 in accordance with the invention may be placed within the compartment 130 and closed by an appropriate lid 132 or cover 132 sealed by any appropriate mechanism.
In the illustrated embodiment, hook-and-loop fasteners may be formed as a securement mechanism 142 on the flap 144 and the outer portion of the case 130 or compartment 130 in order to form a proper securement keeping the lid 132 closed on the apparatus 10 . Zipper closures 134 may be formed as appropriate in any particular location, including as the sealing mechanism for the lid 132 of the compartment 130 . Any suitable system of handles, shoulder straps, and the like may be associated with the luggage 140 as known in the art.
Referring to FIG. 18 , one embodiment of an apparatus 10 in accordance with the invention may be fitted into a case 130 having a closure 132 sealed by a zipper 134 , or the like. Typically, a zipper pull 135 or more than one, may secure the zipper 134 to itself in order to close the cover 132 over the apparatus 10 . Similarly, a variety of carrying straps 138 or handles 136 may be secured on various sides in order to promote convenient carrying. Meanwhile, the apparatus 10 may be fitted within the case 130 to be easily stowed, opened, inspected, and otherwise travel just as a laptop computer would.
In certain embodiments, the tubing 42 may be configured to fit on a reel. The reel may be operated by a crank in order to wind up the tubing 42 into the housing 12 . In an alternative embodiment, the tubing 42 may be of a length selected to exactly fit with a single wrap or a few wraps about a spooling center portion 62 . The shape of a laptop computer may actually contain four or five feet of hose along its periphery. Accordingly, in one method and apparatus in accordance with the invention, the system 10 may include a simple clip system around the outer periphery of the CPAP apparatus 10 suitable for holding the tubing 42 therearound.
In yet another embodiment, a computer battery may be fitted to the apparatus 10 in accordance with the invention. The power conditioning or the motor 50 may be sized to match the battery of an individual's laptop computer. Alternatively, a power supply, such as a battery of generic configuration having power conditioning for current, voltage, and the like may be adapted to power a laptop computer, the apparatus 10 , or both. Thus, a computer battery may be matched to a user's apparatus 10 , or vice versa.
In yet another alternative embodiment, the housing 12 may be configured as a “clam shell” configuration, having a hinge 42 at the back of two substantially identical halves. The drive system 14 may be configured near the center of the housing 12 , with the delivery system 16 , principally the hose 42 or tubing 42 wrapped therearound.
The present invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from its basic operational principles or essential 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.
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A compact continuous positive airway pressure apparatus and method provide a flatter profile and more compact thickness, including a larger lateral dimension in order to be accommodated in conventional luggage designed to stow laptop computers having a smaller aspect ratio of thickness to length or thickness to width. Air tubing may be coiled within a case or coiled as about a spool-like configuration in the base unit of the device.
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This application is a continuation of application Ser. No. 391,492, filed June 24, 1982 now abandoned.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a bevel cutting device and more particularly to a device which can accurately and repetitively produce decorative bevel cuts in picture frame matte board and other materials.
2. Brief Background of the Invention
One of the significant problems confronting picture frame manufacturers and frame shop operators is the cost associated with producing high quality decorative bevel cut picture frame mats. Bevel cut matte boards are preferred over straight cut boards because the bevel cut is more attractive and adds a sense of depth to the display picture. A bevel cut matte board not only highlights the beauty of an expensive frame but can also enhance the appearance of an otherwise unattractive and often inexpensive frame. For this reason, manufacturers of inexpensive picture frames often prefer to use the bevel cut matte board. Unfortunately, most manufacturers are deterred from using bevel cut matte boards because they are too expensive and not reasonably available in production quantities.
At the present, most bevel cut matte boards are produced on hand-drawn devices. These devices are unable to reasonably produce bevel cut mats in production quantities. Very often, the maximum output from such hand-operated devices are between 75 and 100 mats per hour. In practice, due to the calibration and adjustment time needed by these devices and the high amount of scrap boards caused by operator error, the rate is often much lower.
Both the manual devices and a few automated bevel cutters that are now on the market are often unable to produce museum quality bevel cuts. There are numerous inherent quality problems with these devices. They require the insertion of a cutting blade into a matte board and the subsequent movement of the blade through the board. The insertion or punching of the cutting blade into the matte board is commonly now accomplished by moving the blade downward in a single linear motion. Typically, the blade extends through the matte board into the work surface beneath the matte board by approximately 1/32 of an inch. As a result, the tip of the blade is anchored or compressed into the work surface while another portion of the blade is in the matte board. This can cause the cutting edge of the blade to be bent or warped. As the blade is later drawn through the matte board, an uneven, wobbling cut is often produced because of the flexure of the cutting blade. The cut does not become uniform until the blade is straight.
In addition, there are other problems associated with the insertion or punching of a cutting blade into the matte board as commonly now done in the art. Since the blade is essentially pushed through several layers of matte board, the blade will often draw the top color layer into the interior portion of the board. This can produce a cut that appears to be uneven in color and size. There is a also a problem of tearing or pinching the corners of a matte board because the punching of the blade tends to separate the layers or fibers of the board and causes a layer to tear from the board.
These quality problems are, to a certain extent, compounded because of the manual operation of these machines. The punch or insertion process of the blade is normally accomplished by having an operator manually press the blade into the matte board. Usually, the blade is attached to a lever type device wherein the arm of the lever is punched or pressed with the result that the blade enters the work piece. Since this is a manual operation, the amount of pressure applied to the blade varies from stroke to stroke. Ordinarily, the operator is not technically sophisticated which can lead to problems in accurately aligning and calibrating the cutter and also presents problems and errors during the punching and drawing of the blade through the work piece. Thus, the combination of operator error and the inadequacies of the cutter themselves often cause a fairly low quality bevel cut matte board.
There is a need in the market for a machine that can accurately produce high quality bevel cut matte board in production quantities. This machine should be able to cut matte board with minimum setup and maintenance and should be conducive to operation by an unskilled operator.
The present invention is capable of producing very high quality, so-called museum quality, bevel cut mats in production quantities with minimum setup and calibration time. Since the machine can produce several hundred mats per hour, the labor costs associated with each matte is minimal. As will be seen in greater detail below, the inadequacies associated with the punching of the blade through the work piece have been eliminated, and the tearing, color draw, and uneven cut problems have been solved.
3. Description of the Prior Art
Prior art matte cutting devices are generally jigs for holding blades that are manually manipulated once angles are preset by such jigs. For example, in Wheeler U.S. Pat. No. 513,851, mitering knives are held by a clamping jaw device at an angle whereupon the knives are manually drawn along a straightedge guide to effect a bevel cut in a matte board. In the Childs U.S. Pat. No. 534,061, a device for cutting circular openings in picture mats is disclosed. The cutting blade n 3 is inclined inwardly to the matte board so that a beveled edge is cut. The Murdoch cutter disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 571,677 is a device for moving a cutting edge downward into a matte board at any desired beveled angle. Likewise, the devices disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. Eno 3,130,622; Keeton 3,213,736; Shapiro 3,463,041; Ellerin 3,527,131; McBride 3,768,357; Matthew 3,774,495; Broides 3,779,119; Stowe 3,973,459; Logan 3,996,827; and Jones 4,022,095 are bevel cutters which require the manual operations of blade insertion and draw along a guiding edge.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is an automated means and method for cutting matte board and other soft materials. A matte board having a front display surface and spaced rear surface is placed on a planar support surface in facing contact with the display surface. After the matte is fixed into position, at least one cutting blade is caused to move towards and through the display face from the rear surface to form a bevel cut. The cut is made to start and stop at a predetermined space from the edges of the matte board.
The cutting edge of the blade moves both vertically and horizontally as the edge is moving from at least the rear surface through to the display face. Once the cutting edge has pierced the display face by a predetermined amount, there is no further vertical movement of the blade but instead the blade moves horizontally through the matte board. The bevel cut is made for a predetermined length whereby the blade is withdrawn from the matte board while the cutting edge is moving both horizontally and vertically. As a result of this blade movement, the problems associated with the punching or insertion of the cutting blade in prior art devices is virtually eliminated and the quality of the bevel cut obtained from the present invention is of museum quality.
The bevel cutting machine comprises a work surface upon which the material to be cut is placed, a cutting arm housing which supports and positions the blade holders, a guiding surface on which the cutting arm housing moves, and a drive means which causes the cutting arm housing to move across the work material. The drive means and blade holders are activated by a source of power such as pneumatic power. In addition, there are positioning arms which position and upon activation clamp the work piece to the work surface immediately prior to activation of the cutting cycle. As will be described below, although pneumatic power is employed in the preferred embodiment, other forms of power, such as electric or hydraulic, can be used to effect the clamping and cutting cycles.
In operation a work piece is placed display face down on the work surface and positioned against positioning tabs. For the purpose of this description, the blade holders are assumed to be adjusted for the proper size cut. This step will be described in greater detail below. Upon activation of the clamping cycle, several clamps located near the work surface clamp the work piece to the surface. When the cut cycle is initiated, the cutting housing is caused to move along the guide means while the blade holders simultaneously cause the blades to move downward to engage the work piece. Thus, as the cutting edge of the blades enter the work piece, the edge is following an angular path. By doing so, the problems inherent in the prior art devices which result from the punching of the cutting blade into the matte board are virtually eliminated. The cutting blade passes through the matte board at a controlled rate until it cuts through to the front side of the board. Since the rate of entry is controlled, the blade is more capable of staying straight and producing a uniform cut than possible in the prior art methods. Further, the overcut appears on the back side of the board and is controlled.
In a preferred embodiment, two parallel cuts are made at the same time. It can be appreciated that more cuts can be made by merely adding blade holder and cutter housing assemblies. The blades are withdrawn from the work piece and the cutter housing is returned to its original position upon contact with a micro switch located on the guide means. The work piece is then removed and processed again to complete the two additional cuts necessary to complete a four-sided bevel cut of the matte board. Thus, by placing a work piece on a work surface, the present invention automatically, upon activation, clamps the piece, cuts at least two parrallel sides, and withdraws to its original position.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an automated cutter which is capable of producing several hundred "museum quality" bevel cut matte boards per hour.
It is another object of the present invention to provide an improved matte cutter in which consistent, straight line cuts are achieved and in which the cutting accuracy is such that the corners of the cut are clean without tears or pinches in the matte board stock.
Another object of the present invention is to have an automated matte cutter which does not draw the color of the outer layer of matte board stock into the center portion of the stock.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a matte cutter which can be accurately and quickly adjusted to cut stock of varying thickness, density, and size and for different bevel angle settings.
Still another object of the present invention is to have a bevel cutter which requires minimal maintenance to maintain production output.
A further object of the present invention is to be able to produce production quantities of bevel cut matte board while reducing the energy and labor costs associated with each cut matte board.
A further object of this invention is to provide a novel and advantageous method of bevel cutting mats rapidly and efficiently in automated equipment.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The exact nature of the invention, as well as other objects and advantages, will be readily apparent from consideration of the following specification and the following drawings.
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the present invention bevel cutter machine shown arranged for bevel cutting of two of the four sides of a matte board.
FIG. 2 is a top view of the bevel cutter machine showing the cutter housing assembly in its rest position.
FIG. 3 is a side section view of the bevel cutter machine taken along section line 3--3 in FIG. 2.
FIG. 4 is a front section view of the bevel cutter machine taken along section line 4--4 in FIG. 2.
FIG. 5 is a front section view of the bevel cutter machine showing a work piece stop and adjustment screw taken along section line 5--5 in FIG. 2.
FIG. 6 is a section view of a clamp device taken along line 6--6 of FIG. 4.
FIG. 7 is a section view of a blade holder showing the cutting blade in both cutting and at rest position along line 7-7 of FIG. 3.
FIG. 8 is a section view of the blade holder taken along section line 8--8 of FIG. 7.
FIG. 9 is a side view of the blade holder which shows the cutting edge in its cutting position within the work piece.
FIGS. 10-14 are an operational schematic showing the operational steps in obtaining a four-sided bevel cut from the present invention.
FIG. 15 is a perspective view of an alternate embodiment of a blade holder assembly.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
In FIG. 1 a preferred embodiment of an automatic bevel cutting machine 10 is shown. It comprises a pair of blade holder assemblies 20 and 21 mounted upon cutter arm housing 13 which is slidably mounted upon guide bars 14 and 18. On guide bar 14 is mounted a limit switch 15 and bracket arm 19. The above-recited structure is supported by a base plate 17 upon which a work surface 11 is placed. A work piece 12 is shown in phantom placed in a cutting position upon work surface 11. Typically, work surface 11 is a self-healing plastic which is capable of receiving repetitive blade insertions with minimal damage. The machine 10 is shown supported by a cabinet 80 which stabilizes the work base 17 and provides storage for the various pneumatic power devices which drive the various moving parts of the machine 10. These devices are set up to power the machine by use of well-known pneumatic techniques.
The machine can be seen in greater detail in a top view as shown in FIG. 2. The cutting arm housing 13 is shown to be in the shape of a backward "P." It contains long housing arm 41 and short housing arm 40 mounted in a parallel and confronting position to each other. Connecting arms 41 and 40 are cylindrical arms 42 and 43 which are substantially parallel and confronting to each other. Contained within each cylindrical arm 42 and 43 are sleeve bearing 44 and 45, respectively. The bearings 44 and 45 extend into holes in arms 40 and 41 so that the entire cutting arm housing 13 can smoothly glide along guide arms 14 and 18. In addition, the bearings 44 and 45 are dimensioned so that there is minimum play between the bearings and guide arms 14 and 18. As such, the vertical movement of housing 13 is minimized with the result that the cutting accuracy of the machine is enhanced. It can be seen by those skilled in the art that the guide arms 14 and 18 can be positioned differently to provide greater stability to the unit. For example, guide arm 18 can be positioned further away from guide arm 14 or beneath the work surface 17.
The guide arms 14 and 18 are supported at the outer ends by support brackets 81 and 82. Passing through support bracket 81, which is adjacent to cutting arm 13 in its rest position, a piston 50 is contiguous with threaded shaft 54. The shaft 54 is threaded into the confronting end of piston 50 so that movement of piston 50 causes movement of the cutting arm housing 13. The air cylinder which causes the piston to move in and out is shown in phantom as cylinder 47. Flow regulation valve 92 on inlet line 93 to cylinder 47 adjusts the speed at which the piston 50 will move. It has the additional advantage of eliminating a spongy or soft movement by the piston 50. Thus, the cutting arm housing 13 is caused to move crisply from its rest position (shown in FIG. 2) to its cutting position and back by the movement of piston 50. As will be seen below, the length of the cutting cycle and the initiation of the return of the cutting arm housing 13 to the rest position is determined by the position of limit switch 15.
Posts 25 and 27, as well as posts 85 and 86, can be seen in FIG. 2. These posts are used to provide proper positioning to the work piece 12 when placed upon the work surface 11. In the embodiment shown, posts 85 and 86 are fixed while posts 25 and 26 are adjustable. In FIG. 5 the adjustable thumb screw 26 is shown for post 25. Slide column 24 is shown mounted in slot 32 so that a clockwise movement of screw 26 causes the post 25 to be secured in a desired position. Post 25 is shown to contain pin 23 which anchors the post to the screw. Column 24 when secured into slot 32 makes post 25 immovable for normal machine usage.
Also shown in FIG. 2 are clamp assemblies 35 and 36. These assemblies, when activated, clamp the work piece 12 to the work surface 11. The clamps 35 and 36 are activated immediately prior to the insertion of the cutting blades 70 and 71 into the work piece. As such, while the cutting blades 70 and 71 are moving through the work piece 12, the work piece is clamped to the surface 11 so that the cut is accurate and clean. Upon completion of the cut cycle, clamp assemblies 35 and 36 are deactivated and return to their normal position. The work piece 11 can then be removed and replaced with another.
In FIG. 6 clamp assembly 35 is shown. The clamp bar 34 is shown mounted above base 17 and guided to move vertically by guide posts 29 and 30. Mounted below the surface 17 by bolt 33 is clamp air cylinder 37. Piston 46 is threaded into clamp 34 with the result that movement of the piston causes movement of the clamp bar. Recesses 39 in clamp bar 34 allow the heads of bolts 33 to protrude into the clamp bar when the bar 34 is in a clamping mode. The piston is caused to movement upward and downward by air power supplied through inlet line 52 and outlet line 53. As can be seen from FIG. 2, the clamping assemblies 35 and 36 are slidably positioned within slot 31. Depending upon the size of the work piece 11, the clamping assemblies can be positioned anywhere along slot 31. In addition, FIG. 3 shows that air cylinders 37 and 38 for clamps 35 and 36, respectively, utilize common air inlet lines 52 and outlet lines 53. As a result, the clamps 35 and 36 are activated and released synchronously.
The blade holder assemblies 20 and 21 are shown in FIGS. 3, 4, 7, 8, and 9. They are mounted on long housing arm 41 within slots 65 and 66, respectively. Slots 65 and 66 allow blade holders 20 and 21 to be adjusted for a desired size of mat. The blade holders are merely moved along slots 65 and 66 and then secured by bolts 88 and 89, respectively. Further, as shown in FIG. 8, the blade holder assemblies 20 and 21 can be adjusted to cut different angles in a matte board. The hex nut 69 allows the blade holder assembly to be adjusted for three different cutting angles. It can be appreciated that other kinds of nuts and securing devices can be used to provide numerous angle settings for the blade holders 20 and 21.
As can be seen from FIGS. 3 and 4, blade holder 20 consists of blade holder housing 73 to which is mounted air cylinder 60, slide bearing 74, and blade extension stop 63. Mounted on slide bearing 74 and contiguous with piston shaft 75 is the blade support bar 77. Blade support 77 is seen in FIG. 9 to support blade 70 in conjunction with removable blade support bar 78. Bars 77 and 78 are joined together by bolt and nut 79 and 83, respectively. In order to effect blade changes as quickly as possible, the bolt 79 is loosened, the blade is slid out along a groove (not shown) in the blade, and a new blade is inserted. Once inserted, the bolt is tightened and the machine is once again operational. Typically, blades 70 and 71 are single-sided cutting edge blades.
In FIG. 7 the blade holder assembly 20 can be clearly seen. The blade support bars 77 and 78 are shown to be supporting the blade 70. The bars are mounted within slide bearing 74 which is supported by housing 73. The threaded shaft 75 is shown inserted into bar 77 and is contiguous with piston 76 in cylinder 60. Thus, when cylinder 60 is filled with air, piston 76 causes bars 77 and 78 to move downward along slide bearing 74. The length of the downward movement is regulated by adjustments of thumb screw 63. Thumb screw 63 is passed through shaft 83 in housing 73 and is threaded into bar 77. Thus, when the piston 76 moves downward, the length of the stroke is dependent upon the length of screw 63. When the screw knurl touches the upper surface of housing 73, the piston is at its lowest position. If the desired bevel angle is to be changed, a corresponding change or adjustment must be made to the length of the stroke by adjustment of screw 63. An added benefit of this structure is that the blade 70 with support bars 77 and 78 is supported and guided at two opposing ends. The slide bearing 74 and screw 63 provide in essence substantially parallel guide for the blade 70. As such, the insertion and removal of the blade from the work piece 11 is achieved with minimum rocking motion and thus provides a very accurate and clean bevel cut.
The extent of blade insertion into work piece 12 and work surface 11 during its cutting mode is shown in FIG. 9. The blade 70 is shown to be completely through work piece 12 and partially into work surface 11. As already described above, work surface 11 is normally a self-healing plastic material which is capable of receiving numerous blade insertions with minimal damage. The stroke of piston 76 is adjusted by screw 63 so that the blade 70 does not come in contact with table surface 17. This maintains the long life of the cutting edge of the blade.
In operation, the preferred embodiment is capable of cutting two parallel bevel cuts at the same time. Extension of the cutting arm housing 13 and the addition of blade holder assemblies will result in the machine being able to cut more than the two parallel cuts already mentioned.
In FIGS. 10-14 the operation of the machine is shown schematically. The first step is to insert a matte board 12, face down, against posts 85, 86, 25, and 27. The clamp button is then pressed which pneumatically activates air cylinders 37 and 38 to pull clamp assemblies 35 and 36 down into a clamp mode. Thus, the work piece 12 is now in its proper position and clamped to work surface 11. At this time, the cut button is pressed which activates air cylinder 47 and causes piston 50 to move from left to right. Almost simultaneously with the activation of piston 50, the blade holder air cylinders 59 and 60 are activated so that the blades 70 and 71, held in blade holder assemblies 20 and 21, respectively, are caused to move toward the work piece. The slight time delay between movement of piston 50 and the downward movement of the blades is caused by adjusting the flow regulation valves 90 and 91 on air cylinder valves in cylinders 59 and 60, respectively. As the housing 13 is caused to move by piston 50, the blades 70 and 71 are caused to move downward until the blades have entered the work piece 12 at the desired beveled angle. As mentioned below, the blade gradually moves into the work piece until it cuts through to produce a total cut. Piston 50 continues to push the housing 13 with the blades 70 and 71 inserted in the work piece until the trip button 57 on long housing arm 41 comes into contact with limit switch 15. When contact is made, the piston 50 retreats and the clamps are released. When piston 50 begins its retreat, the blade cylinders 59 and 60 are vented so that the blades retreat upward to their rest position. Thus, as the piston 50 is retreating, the blades have already been withdrawn from the work piece 12 without producing a second cut over the original cut. This is, of course, highly desirable since a second stroke over the original bevel cut would damage the smooth, clean finish of the cut. In addition, it would consume valuable cycle time and slow down the overall productivity of the machine.
Having retreated to its rest position, the next two cuts as shown in FIGS. 12 and 13 are ready to be performed. The work piece 12 is simply rotated 90 degrees and placed against the positioning posts 85, 86, 25, and 27, and the cycle is repeated. As a result of the two sets of cuts, a beveled matte frame as shown in FIG. 14 is produced.
It can be appreciated by those skilled in the art that if the cut desired calls for uniform borders, then no adjustments are necessary between adjustment of the first and second set of cuts. However, if, as is usually the case, the cuts are for nonuniform borders, then an adjustment is needed of the positioning posts 25, 27, 85, and 86 between the first and second set of cuts. As a result, it is more productive to cut all the boards with the first cut and then adjust the machine. The boards can then be passed through for a second cut to complete the cut out. If necessary, the piston adjust screw 51 can be adjusted to lengthen or shorten the stroke of the cutting arm assembly 13.
It can also be appreciated that the clamp and cutting buttons can be reduced to a one-button system with the clamp air cylinders 37 and 38 activated first, piston 50 second, and the cutting cylinders 59 and 60 activated last. In this way, the work piece is clamped and the blades are inserted into the work piece 12 while the cutter arm assembly 13 is moving. Further, by use of known cycling techniques, the machine can have a dwell cycle in which there is a delay or dwell between the cut cycle and a new clamp cycle to afford the operator the opportunity to insert a new work piece.
It is noted that the fact that the blades are moving horizontally at the time it enters the work piece has a significant operating advantage. As already mentioned, many of the manual hand-drawn units mentioned above require a punch insertion of the blade into the work piece. This kind of insertion does not produce a clean cut but has many inherent quality problems associated with it. The cuts produced by the present machine 10 are crisp and clean because as the piston 50 causes the blades 70 and 71 to move from left to right, the blade cylinders 60 and 59 are causing downward movement of the blade. As a result, the cutting edge of blades 70 and 71 actually move in an angular path. Thus, when the cutting edge enters the work piece, it actually produces an arcuate cut in the piece 12 until it cuts through to the bottom side of the matte board. In order to conceal the cutting arc in work piece 12, the work piece 12 is placed face down on the work surface 11. Therefore, the blades 70 and 71 enter the back side of the work piece 12 with the result that the arc cuts are never seen by the consumer. In addition, the arc cut is gradual with the result that there is virtually no color draw caused by the blade. In addition, the location of the cut through to the front surface can be calibrated by adjustment of flow valves 90 and 91 to insure that the corner cuts are neat and clean.
FIG. 15 shows a perspective view of another embodiment of blade holder assembly 21. Shown is blade holder assembly 21' having air cylinder 59', blade extension stop 63', and slide bearing 74'. Assembly 21' is configured so that offset platform 94 is positioned over offset tab 93 so that the air cylinder 59' and stop 63' are vertically offset from blade support bar 77' and blade 70'. As a result, blade holder assemblies of this kind can be moved closer together without their respective air cylinders touching each other. The assemblies can thus be adjusted to cut fairly small openings in matte board for a wide variety of bevel angle cuts.
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An automated means and method for cutting matte board and other soft materials. A matte board having a front display surface and spaced rear surface is placed on a planar support in facing contact with the display surface. After the matte is fixed into position, at least one cutting blade is caused to initially move simultaneously in both a vertical and horizontal direction to make a bevel cut from the rear surface through to the front surface. Once the cutting blade has passed through the front surface, the blade is caused to move horizontally so as to form a bevel cut along a predetermined length of the matte board.
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RELATED APPLICATIONS
This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 61/324,257 filed Apr. 14, 2010, entitled Hard-Surface Disinfection System and to U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 61/267,805 filed Dec. 8, 2009, entitled Hard-Surface Disinfection System, the contents of which are each incorporated in their entireties herein.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to systems for disinfection of hard-surfaces and related methods thereof and, more particularly, to ultraviolet light disinfection of hard-surfaces.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Disinfection of the hard surface environment is a key factor in the constant battle to reduce infections. The emergence of multi-drug resistant organisms (MDROs) throughout the as-built environment poses a significant threat to the health and well-being of people throughout the world. MDROs in the environment contribute to rising health care costs, excessive antibiotic use and premature mortality.
Disinfecting hard surfaces, such as those found in patient areas, can be performed by exposing the hard surfaces to UVC light that is harmful to micro-organisms such as bacteria, viruses and fungi. Ultraviolet germicidal irradiation (UVGI) is an evidence-based sterilization method that uses ultraviolet (UV) light at sufficiently short wavelengths to break-down and eradicate these organisms. It is believed that the short wavelength radiation destroys organisms at a micro-organic level. It is also believed that UV light works by destroying the nucleic acids in these organisms, thereby causing a disruption in the organisms' DNA. Once the DNA (or RNA) chain is disrupted, the organisms are unable to cause infection. The primary mechanism of inactivation by UV is the creation of pyrimidine dimers which are bonds formed between adjacent pairs of thymine or cytosine pyrimidines on the same DNA or RNA strand.
There are several advantages to utilizing UV light, in addition to the effectiveness described above. UV light requires only electricity, there are no potentially hazardous chemicals and the associated storage challenges presented thereby. UV light leaves no residue, does not require drying time, cannot be spilled, requires little manpower to apply, requires very little skill on the part of the operator, and uses long-lasting bulbs that require very little inventory management.
Safely using UV light to disinfect hard surfaces does present some unique problems. First, UV light sources cast shadows. Areas in shadows may not get disinfected. Second, UV light bulbs, like nearly all light bulbs, are relatively fragile and present dangers if broken. Third, UV radiation is harmful to humans, especially in high-intensity applications like those used in disinfecting procedures.
As such, there is a need for a UV hard-surface disinfection system that exploits the advantages of UV light, while also addressing the aforementioned problems.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
One aspect of the present invention provides a UV hard-surface disinfection system that is able to disinfect the hard surfaces in a room, while minimizing missed areas due to shadows. In one embodiment, a system is provided that includes multiple UV light towers. These towers can be placed in several areas of a room such that nearly all shadowed areas are eliminated.
Another aspect of the present invention provides a UV light tower design that incorporates a robustly protected light bulb, thus reducing the occurrence of broken bulbs. In one embodiment, the tower comprises a vertically oriented light bulb surrounded by a plurality, preferably three, protective blades running the length thereof. The blades preferably radiate from the bulb and are spaced 120 degrees apart. This design provides significant protection to the bulb, while minimizing interference with the light being emitted from the bulb.
In another preferred embodiment, the light bulb is surrounded and protected by a clear, quartz sleeve. In addition to protecting the bulb from accidental breakage, the sleeve induces a convection effect, like a chimney. As the bulb heats, cool air is drawn through vents in the bottom of the sleeve, heated and exhausted through the top of the sleeve. This circulation cools the bulbs, extending their life and protecting users from accidental burns.
In order to further protect the bulb, another aspect of the present invention provides a tower that has a relatively wide base and a very low center of gravity. This design is a safety feature that creates stability and reduces the possibility of a tower tipping over while it is being moved.
In yet another aspect of the present invention there is provided a UV disinfection system that minimizes UV light exposure to humans during operation. In a preferred embodiment, the system is able to be controlled remotely, such that during activation of the system, no operator is present in the room.
In another preferred embodiment, one or all towers are outfitted with safety devices that cut power to all towers in the event that a person enters the room. More preferably, the safety device includes motion-detecting capability, such that the safety shutdown response is automatic. In a preferred embodiment, the motion detection capability incorporates a laser scanner, providing an extremely accurate motion detection capability that is more thorough and less prone to false positives than other motion detection scanners such as infra-red devices.
Another aspect of the present invention provides a control cart that is constructed and arranged to transport a plurality of towers. The cart is low to the ground such that the towers may be loaded and unloaded easily by a single operator. Alternatively, the towers may be linked together with the cart to form a chain. This embodiment allows the towers to support themselves continuously, while being transported by pushing or pulling the cart. This embodiment also allows the use of a hand-cart attachment, which provides a solution to moving all of the units from one room to another without requiring that they be reloaded onto the control cart, which may be left in a single location, such as a hallway, in proximity to both rooms.
One embodiment provides a cart that includes a control panel that can be used to remotely control various parameters of each of the towers, as well as provide various diagnostic data to the user.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an embodiment of a system of the present invention;
FIG. 2 is a perspective view of an embodiment of a system of the present invention;
FIG. 3 is a perspective view of an embodiment of a light tower of the present invention;
FIG. 4 is a perspective view of an embodiment of a light tower of the present invention in a first configuration;
FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the light tower of FIG. 5 in a second configuration;
FIG. 6 is a perspective view of an embodiment of a base of a light tower of the present invention;
FIG. 7 is a perspective view of an embodiment of a base of a light tower of the present invention;
FIG. 8 is a perspective view of an embodiment of a light tower of the present invention connected to two other light towers and a hand cart of the present invention;
FIG. 9 is a bottom perspective view of an embodiment of a light tower of the present invention loaded into a controller cart with two other light towers;
FIG. 10 is a partial elevation view showing an embodiment of a tower cap of a light tower of the present invention; and
FIG. 11 is a partial elevation view showing an embodiment of a tower cap of a light tower of the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
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.
Referring now to the figures and first to FIG. 1 , there is shown an embodiment of a system 10 of the present invention. System 10 generally includes a control station or cart 100 and a plurality of light assemblies or towers 200 , shown as loaded onto the cart 100 .
The cart 100 generally includes a carriage 110 supported by a plurality of casters 112 , and defining a cutout 114 shaped to receive and secure the towers 200 for transport. The distal end 116 of the cutout 114 is open such that the towers may be easily loaded onto and off of the cart 100 . The cutout 114 may include a complete floor (not shown) onto which wheels 202 of the towers 200 (see FIG. 2 ) may be rolled.
More preferably, however, the cutout 114 has an open bottom and a supporting ridge that slightly elevates the wheels 202 off the ground. This design provides a secure relationship between the cart 100 and the towers 200 . Many hospitals include ramped areas. Disabling the wheels 202 by elevating the towers 200 prevents the towers from rolling off of the cart 100 .
Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 2 , an embodiment 101 of the cart has a carriage 111 that allows the towers 200 to remain in contact with the ground, rather than being elevated. The towers in this embodiment are preferably linked together for transport, with at least one tower being linked or otherwise attached to the cart 100 .
The cart 100 or 101 may also include a pair of safety arms 120 that extend along the length of the cart 100 or 101 on other side of the towers 200 when the towers 200 are loaded onto the cart 100 or 101 . Aesthetically, the arms may match the cutout 114 of the carriage 110 or 111 . Functionally, the arms 120 provide protection against accidentally impacting the towers against objects or people as the towers 200 are being transported on the cart 100 or 101 .
In one embodiment, at a proximal end 122 of the cart 100 , there is a foot jack 126 . The foot jack 126 is usable to elevate the cart 100 enough to raise the wheels 202 off the ground. In this way, the wheels 202 of the towers 200 may be used to roll the towers 200 into the cutout 114 . Once the towers 200 are in place within the cutout 114 , the foot jack 126 is depressed, raising the towers 200 off the ground. When it is desired to deploy the towers 200 , the foot jack 126 is released and the cart 100 lowers the towers 200 such that the wheels 202 are again in contact with the ground.
Also at the proximal end 122 of the cart 100 or 101 , there is a handle 130 and a control panel 140 . The control panel 140 may include a display 142 usable to display a variety of parameters relevant to the safe operation of the towers 200 . The parameters include, but are not limited to: ambient room temperature, room dimensions, fluence level, disinfection time, input current and voltage, and maintenance information such as bulb run time. Additionally, the control panel may be used to upload, preferably wirelessly, data to a hospital information system regarding the sanitization of a given room. It is also envisioned that the control panel would have a communications ability that is compatible with the LMS (or similar) system found in many hospitals (smart scanner system to evaluate distance and occupancy) e.g. the LMS can map the room and an algorithm could calculate emitter run times.
One embodiment of a light tower 200 is shown in FIG. 3 . The light tower 200 generally includes a base 220 supported by a plurality of wheels 202 , a tower assembly 250 , and a cap 300 .
Another embodiment of a light tower 201 is shown in FIG. 4 . The light tower 201 includes a base 221 and is supported by a plurality of wheels 202 , a tower assembly 251 , and a cap 301 , but also has a push ring 400 assembly for use in moving the light tower 201 without applying pressure to the light source 270 . The push ring 400 preferably includes a handle 410 and a plurality of telescoping supports 420 . The telescoping supports 420 allow the push ring to be stowed in an active configuration, shown in FIG. 5 , when the light source 270 is activated. Because the push ring 400 is lowered in the active position, it does not interfere with the light beams emitted by the light source 270 , thereby ensuring no shadows are created by the push ring assembly.
Electronics may be utilized to prevent the activation of the light source, and/or emit a warning, if the push ring is in the up position. Alternatively, the telescoping arms 420 may be automatically activated such that they lower themselves prior to activating the light source and raise themselves upon completion.
Reference is now made to FIGS. 6-9 , which show details of embodiments 220 and 221 of the base, respectively. Notably, shared features between the two are indicated by common reference numerals. It is also understood that in these Figures, and throughout the specification, that features may be interchangeable between embodiments. The base 220 or 221 is comprised of a housing 222 or 223 that contains power circuitry for the tower 200 or 201 . Preferably, the housing 222 or 223 is round so that the tower 200 or 201 may be easily docked within the cart 100 or 101 without regard to angular orientation. The housing 222 or 223 may optionally include one or more bumpers 224 (shown associated with housing 222 ) to protect the base 220 or 221 as well as anything the base 220 or 221 may contact.
The base 220 or 221 may also include one or more power connections 226 . Providing a plurality of power connections 226 allows one of the towers 200 or 201 (designated herein as the “master” tower) to be connected into a standard outlet. The remaining towers may then be “daisy-chained” to the master such that power to all of the towers 200 or 201 may be controlled by the cart 100 or 101 . This results in a redundant safety relay in the base 220 or 221 of the master to control power to all down-stream units that are connected together. The power connections 226 are shown in the Figures as being female outlets but one skilled in the art will realize that this is merely a convention of convenience and not to be interpreted as limiting.
The tower assembly 250 generally includes a base connector assembly 260 , a light source 270 , and, optionally, a plurality of protective blades 280 . The base connector assembly 260 connects the bottom of the tower assembly 250 to the base 220 or 221 . The base connector assembly 260 includes one or more connectors 262 , shown in FIG. 6 in non-limiting example as hand screws, and in FIG. 7 in non-limiting example as bolts or machine screws, and a light socket 264 . Preferably, the connectors 262 may be secured and released without the use of tools for ease of bulb replacement and other maintenance. Most importantly, the light socket 264 securely connects the tower assembly 250 to the base 220 and is sturdy enough to withstand lateral forces placed on the tower assembly 250 .
The light source 270 may be any appropriately shaped UV light source, capable of emitting sufficient light for purposes of sanitizing a room. Non-limiting examples include a low pressure amalgam light source, preferably with a solarization-reducing coating. Foreseeably, an LED UV light source would draw less power and may be optimally suited to battery-powered towers 200 . The light source 270 preferably includes a variable output transformer 271 (see FIG. 7 ). The variable output transformer 271 controls the output power of the light source 270 .
As shown in FIG. 7 , the base 220 or 221 may also include a fluency sensor 273 . This sensor 273 monitors the power output of the light source 270 to ensure that it maintains an output over a threshold, which may be either an absolute threshold, or a range within a set power output. If the light source 270 has a power output that drops below this threshold, the sensor 273 sends a signal to the control panel 140 indicating a lower power output status of a given tower 200 or 201 . This may indicate a bad bulb or other problem that may result in compromised disinfection if the condition is not repaired.
Also shown in FIG. 7 is a lockout disconnect 275 . This is a mechanical power switch that accommodates a padlock that, when in place, prevents the power switch from being turned to an on position. This ensures a tower 200 or 201 may not be inadvertently activated.
Shown also in FIG. 7 is a mechanical linkage 277 that allows the base 221 to be mated with another base 221 . The linkage 277 is a female linkage. A corresponding male linkage 279 is on the other side of the base 201 . As discussed above, these linkages 277 and 279 provide a convenient means for transporting the towers 200 or 201 from room to room. FIG. 8 shows three towers 201 connected together with linkages 277 and 279 and a handle 281 configured to mate with a male connector 279 or a female connector 277 .
FIG. 9 shows an embodiment of a bottom of base 220 or 221 that includes one or more floor lamps 283 . The floor lamps 283 provide disinfecting light under the bases 220 or 221 to ensure there are no shadows created by the units themselves, and also that contaminants are not dragged from room to room by the towers 200 or 201 .
Though the light source 270 is shown as being vertically-oriented, it is envisioned that the light source 270 may be angled or even oscillating to further reduce shadows.
The selection of a lamp is a significant factor in determining the footprint of the system 10 . The physical layout of a patient care area will provide obstacles to the UVC emissions. These obstacles will produce shadows on surfaces and therefore reduce the effectiveness of the system in certain areas of the patient care area. The system 10 footprint is flexible so that it can be deployed in such a way to overcome these shadows. Satellite rooms such as the washroom attached to a patient care area will also pose a challenge to the system as these areas have a high probability of containing micro-organisms that could lead to a Hospital Acquired Infection. The UVC reflective properties of materials are not the same as that of visible light. The systems will be deployed in existing patient care areas so selection of materials with a high degree of UVC reflectivity is not an option. The system's repeatability will suffer if system depends on reflected UVC light to overcome shadows from obstacles in the room.
The light source 270 is preferably surrounded by a protective sleeve 272 . The protective sleeve may be constructed of any suitable clear material capable and very efficient at passing UVC as well as protecting the bulb against impact without significantly interfering with the light being emitted.
In a preferred embodiment the protective sleeve 272 comprises a quartz sleeve, synthetic quartz sleeve or similar synthetic material to provide stability to the bulb as to not restrict light and/or create shadow. It has been noted that using a quartz sleeve 272 creates a protective temperature barrier to reduce the severity and/or occurance of skin burns. Because the sleeve 272 is significantly cooler than the bulb surface, using a sleeve 272 may also reduce odors due to dust and other particulates landing on the bulb and burning.
It is known that the sleeve 272 creates a chimney effect in that heat coming off the light source 270 rises forcing cool convection air to be drawn upward through the sleeve 272 from the bottom. It may be beneficial to provide a forced cooling system, in which a fan could be provided in-line with the top or bottom of the sleeve 272 .
In most applications, the quartz sleeves 272 provide sufficient protection against accidental breakage. However, some applications may warrant a more robust design. As such, one embodiment of the present invention provides a light source 270 that further includes a plurality, preferably three, protective blades 280 radiating from the light source 270 (e.g. FIG. 3 ) or guidewires 281 (e.g. FIG. 5 ). The blades or guidewires 280 or 281 may be any acceptably light, yet strong material, such as aluminum, plexiglass, or the like. A clear material may reduce shadows but, due to the thin construction and radiating orientation of the blades 280 , they have very little effect on the light emission capabilities of the light source 270 . Shown are three blades 280 , spaced 120 degrees apart, and including a plurality of circular cutouts used to increase stiffness and reduce weight, or four guidewires 281 space 90 degrees apart.
Referring now to FIGS. 10 and 11 , there are shown two embodiments 300 and 301 of the cap assembly at the top of the tower assembly 250 . The cap assembly 300 or 301 is used to secure the various components of the tower assembly 250 together. The cap assembly 300 or 301 also preferably houses a safety sensor 302 or 303 , preferably a motion detector that senses if a person has entered a room and disables the tower. This motion detector could be an infrared motion detector, such as those found in many security systems, or it could be a dual motion detector, a door curtain or the like. Preferably, the safety sensor 302 or 303 includes a motion detector that uses lasers that scan the surrounding area. A preferred embodiment of the cap assembly 301 , shown in FIG. 11 , utilizes a safety sensor 303 that overhangs the rest of the cap assembly 301 such that the sensor can “see” virtually straight down, giving the sensor nearly 180 degrees of vertical coverage, as well as 360 degrees of coverage in a horizontal plane. As such, safety sensor 303 has nearly complete spherical coverage with exception of the area directly under the base, which would not encounter motion.
In a preferred embodiment, the cap assembly 300 or 301 , or the base assembly 220 or 221 , also includes a communications module 304 . The communications module 304 communicates via any acceptable medium such as radio, wifi, microwaves, Bluetooth®, etc., with the cart 100 or 101 , and optionally the other towers 200 or 201 . Thus, if one sensor 302 or 303 senses movement, a signal could be sent to the other towers 200 or 201 to shut down. Alternatively, a signal could be sent to the cart 100 or 101 , which would in turn shut the remaining towers 200 or 201 down.
The sensor 302 or 303 may also be used to detect and monitor the fluence level of the UV emissions (unless the base includes a fluence sensor such as the fluence sensor 273 on base 221 ) to confirm that the tower 200 or 201 is operating at a desired level. These sensors can be used in conjunction with an amplifier to transmit the data to a control device that will integrate the irradiance level to obtain the fluence level received at the sensor. Single point photosensors are sensitive to the angle of light incidence.
Preferably, the tower 200 or 201 also includes a speaker (not shown) in either the communications module 304 or the base 220 or 221 that creates an audible warning before the light source 270 is energized. It is also envisioned that the communications module 304 , may be used to electronically measure the room to determine the appropriate output necessary by the tower 200 to adequately sanitize the space. This feature ensures that energy is not wasted and bulb life and safety are maximized.
The cap assembly 301 shown in FIG. 11 also includes one or more vents 305 in fluid communication with an interior of the protective sleeve 272 to allow air heated by the lamp 270 to escape.
Although the invention has been described in terms of particular embodiments and applications, one of ordinary skill in the art, in light of this teaching, can generate additional embodiments and modifications without departing from the spirit of or exceeding the scope of the claimed invention. For example, the system of the present invention might be well-suited for applications outside of healthcare. Non-limiting examples include locker rooms and other athletic facilities, daycares, prisons etc. Accordingly, it is to be understood that the drawings and descriptions herein are proffered by way of example to facilitate comprehension of the invention and should not be construed to limit the scope thereof.
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UV hard-surface disinfection system that is able to disinfect the hard surfaces in a room, while minimizing missed areas due to shadows by providing multiple UV light towers that can be placed in several areas of a room such that shadowed areas are eliminated and that can be transported by a cart that is low to the ground such that the towers may be loaded and unloaded easily by a single operator. The system is able to be controlled remotely, such that during activation of the system, no operator is present, and to automatically cut power to all towers in the event that a person enters the room.
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PRIOR APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application bases priority on International Application No. PCT/DE02/01918, filed May 28, 2002 , which in turn bases priority on German Application No. DE 101 26 222.1, filed May 30, 2001.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] 1. Field of the Invention
[0003] This invention relates to a wind power plant having a tower, a gondola carried by the latter, at least one rotor blade and a rotor hub mounted in the gondola.
[0004] 2. Description of the Prior Art
[0005] Seawater desalination systems are known, which desalinate seawater, usually employing fossil energy sources. Even in the case of electrically operated systems working according to the reverse osmosis process, and the process involving evaporation and mechanical vapor compression, normally use electric power generated using fossil fuels.
[0006] DE 200 13 613 U1 discloses a wind power plant cooperating with a water purification system, and in whose tower is located a drinking water storage container. The water purification system supplying the storage container with drinking water is operated by means of electric power, which is generated in the conventional manner in a wind power plant.
[0007] DE 29 28 392 C2 describes a seawater desalination system with vapour compressor, in which the evaporator pipes are positioned horizontally. The vapor compressor is operated by means of an electric motor.
[0008] EP 1 182 170 A1 describes a wind power plant, whose tower contains a water evaporator system. Here again, the rotatory energy of the rotor is initially converted into electrical power, which is then used for operating the water purification system.
[0009] DE 36 13 871 C2 describes a method for operating a seawater desalination system by using wind power. Also in this case, the wind power is initially converted into electrical power, and this is then used for operating a steam compressor system.
[0010] The known wind power plants constructed for the treatment or purification of seawater suffer from the disadvantage that they convert the rotatory energy of the rotor into electrical power, and use the latter for water purification. This procedure is relatively expensive, involves high capital and operating costs, and suffers from poor efficiency due to the repeated energy conversion.
[0011] The problem of the invention is to provide a wind power plant, which is able to desalinate seawater in order to produce drinking water with high efficiency and using a simple structure.
[0012] According to the invention, this problem is solved by the features of claim 1 , while the subclaims provide advantageous developments of the invention.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0013] The essence of the invention is to directly use the essential part of the available kinematic energy of a wind power plant (i.e. without initially generating electric power) for operating the vapor compressor of a seawater desalination system.
[0014] The rotatory energy of the wind power plant rotor is transferred directly or indirectly by means of a miter gear to units of a vapor compressor system located in the tower of the wind power plant.
[0015] The invention makes it possible to use the translatory wind energy converted into rotatory energy with high efficiency for water desalination purposes, without it being initially converted into electric power.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0016] [0016]FIG. 1 shows a sectional view of the wind power plant having a seawater desalination system of the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
[0017] The wind power plant comprises a rotor, generally with three rotor blades 10 , a blade hub 12 and a blade adjusting device 14 . The rotor 10 , 12 , 14 is mounted in a gondola installed in rotary manner on a tower 72 . The gondola receives a miter gear 18 , which transfers the mechanical rotatory energy supplied by means of the essentially horizontally positioned rotor shaft 16 , and produced by the rotor by means of a coupling 22 to a vapor compressor 26 mounted in a bearing 24 . The gondola also contains a generator 20 driven by means of the gear 18 , and which supplies electric power by means of a not shown buffer battery to the not shown regulating devices and lift pump 58 .
[0018] Below the vapor compressor 26 is positioned a falling film evaporator 30 , which has a plurality of vertically standing heat exchanger tubes 34 . Below the falling film evaporator 30 is positioned a collecting tank 36 . The falling film evaporator 30 is surrounded by a heating jacket 32 , which is outwardly thermally insulated to the tower wall and to the bottom of which is connected a distillate collecting tank 38 .
[0019] Below the tanks 36 , 38 is provided a heat exchanger 42 through which is guided on one side a seawater inflow 40 leading to the falling film evaporator 30 , and on the other side the outflow from the tanks 36 , 38 .
[0020] Below the heat exchanger 42 is provided a maintenance platform 74 , below which there is a distillate tank 48 , which receives the distillate by means of a line 44 after passing through the heat exchanger 42 , and which is connected by means of a distillate line 50 to a drinking water tank located outside the tower. Below the heat exchanger 42 is provided an entrance door 64 giving access to a bottom flange 70 of tower 72 .
[0021] The seawater 52 to be desalinated passes by means of a filter 54 into a seawater reservoir 56 in the foundation part 68 of tower 72 , from which it is raised by a lift pump 58 to the level of the falling film evaporator 30 .
[0022] A tank 62 is used for chlorinating the water to be purified, and a tank 60 for supplying an antiscalant and a foam inhibiting oil for preventing foam formation.
[0023] During the operation of the system, seawater is supplied by means of filter 54 to the seawater reservoir 56 . The lift pump 58 pumps the water upwards through the water inflow, the seawater is chlorinated for disinfection purposes, while an antiscalant for preventing salt deposits and for defoaming can be added to the water.
[0024] For preheating purposes, the seawater is passed through the heat exchanger 42 , which is the subject to the action of the hot distillate, and concentrates flow from the evaporator 30 . The seawater preheated close to the evaporation temperature is passed to the level of the head of the evaporator 30 , and flows down again in the pipes of said evaporator 30 . As a result of the heat of the vapour or steam condensing on the other side of the pipes of evaporator 30 , part of the water flowing down as a film is evaporated. This vapor is sucked up by the compressor 26 and, therefore, brought to a higher pressure and, consequently, temperature level. The thus produced steam can be used as heating steam, and is, in turn, passed to the evaporator where it condenses on the pipes and gives off the latent heat to the liquid film. The distillate obtained in condensate form is collected in the distillate collecting tank 38 and passed by means of the heat exchanger 42 into the distillate tank 48 , and from there by means of line 50 to a drinking water storage container outside the system.
[0025] The concentrated seawater, i.e. the brine, is collected by the concentrate collecting tank 36 , is passed through the heat exchanger 42 so that it gives off its heat to the after-flowing seawater and is then returned to the sea.
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A wind power plant with a tower, a gondola carried by the latter so as to rotate about a horizontal axis and a rotor mounted in the gondola, the tower containing an evaporator and a vapor compressor mechanically driven by the rotor by a gear.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the manufacture of bonded non-woven fibrous mats, particularly comprised of glass fibres or mineral wool.
2. Description of the Art
Such mats can be made by forming an air-laid mat, for example, by subjecting streams of molten glass or rock to the action of hot gases in the form of steam/air jets and to mechanical attenuation, prior to collection on a foraminous receptor surface in a forming hood. They can also be made from continuous filaments or strands, either as such or after chopping into staple fibre form prior to deposition on a receptor surface. A binder is sprayed onto the mat during or after formation and is thereafter cured in situ by the action of heat to form a bonded mat. Phenolic and polyester resins are commonly used in such processes, although other binders may also be used. Hot air and/or radiant heat are generally used to set the binder, for example by curing the resin.
The binder spraying step tends to be rather haphazard. It frequently results in excessive local concentrations of binder, losses of binder into the atmosphere and consequent pollution problems. Because of the high temperature of the newly-formed fibres an the presence of the hot gases used to attenuate them, the binder has to be sprayed at a high water content (for example, 80- 90% water, 10- 20% binder), although in practice most of this water is lost by evaporation together with a significant proportion of the binder. The variations in the binder content throughout the mat may be considerable, for example, ± 5% relative to a target binder content in the finished product of 10% by weight, which means that in general the level of binder addition must be appreciably higher than would be necessary if the distribution were sensibly even.
It has been proposed to make bonded non-woven fibrous mats by a process including the steps of forming a foam from a suspension/solution of the binder and impregnating a non-woven fibrous mat with the foam. In such a process the impregnation step is carried out by applying the foam as a layer on one face of the mat, the foam being squeezed into the mat by a roller, doctor blade or an endless belt, assisted by the application of suction at the opposite face of the mat. After impregnation, the binder may be caused to set in situ, for example, by heating, as mentioned above. However, the application of this process to glass fibre and/or mineral wool mats has proved difficult due to the very high porosity of such mats and the tendency of the binder to migrate on drying/curing. Furthermore, the application of a foamed binder to a newly-formed mat of hot fibres on a production line can result in premature and/or uneven setting/curing of the binder, before proper impregnation of the mat has been accomplished.
According to the present invention, a bonded non-woven glass fibre or mineral wool mat is made by a process including the steps of forming foam from an aqueous solution or suspension of a binder, impregnating a non-woven mat with the foam and then selectively removing a major portion of the water from the mat prior to setting/curing the binder.
Preferably the water is removed by the application of high frequency dielectric heating.
Preferably, the amount of foamed binder applied to the mat is in excess of that required to give the desired binder solids content in the final dry product, the extent of the excess being of the order of 50% or more by weight, and the surplus being drawn through the impregnated mat prior to selectively removing the water. Advantageously, the surplus is thereafter collected and re-circulated. Thermosettable resins are especially preferred as binders.
It has been found that the application of binder as an aqueous foam, particularly when applied in the excess just referred to gives significantly more uniform impregnation, typically of the order of ± 1% of the target value as opposed to the relatively high variability experienced with prior art processes. This means that one can use less binder for a particular product density while maintaining substantially the same physical properties such as strength and rigidity. It also means that there can be a significant economy in binder consumption by virtue of the elimination of the conventional process step of spraying the binder into the forming hood mentioned earlier. Losses due to evaporation/binder carry-over into the mat-forming hot gas streams through the foraminous receptor surface and the hot fibres are typically of the order of 15-30% and these losses can be eliminated for all practical purposes. With more efficient binder utilization there may also be enhanced fire resistance due to the reduced total organic content of the final product. The water content of the foam is determined by a number of factors such as the temperature of the mat and the final target binder content in the product. Because the foam contains water it can safely be applied even to a hot mat on a production line, provided that the water content is high enough to cool the mat and at the same time prevent significant curing/setting of the binder. However, it should be noted that even if the foam is applied to a hot mat, the water content of the impregnated mat (prior to selective removal of the major portion of the water) will be considerably higher than the water content of a similar bonded mat made by the traditional forming hood spraying process. For example, the latter process gives typical water contents of 4- 6% (by weight), whereas the process of the present invention gives 10- 30% water content. The use of a high water content and an excess of foam contributes not only to the uniformity of impregnation but also to maintaining that uniformity. The use of high frequency heating is particularly advantageous in this context since it enables the water to be removed from the whole thickness rather than from a single surface exposed to conventional heating. Effectively, high frequency heating dries the mat from the inside outwards to the surfaces. It also enables the mat to be dried to a controlled water content.
It has also been observed that high frequency heating causes a significant increase in the bulk of the mat, i.e. an increase in the thickness of the mat on selective removal of the water. The increase can be as much as three or four times the wet thickness of the mat immediately after impregnation. Although conventional drying methods do produce an increase in bulk, it has been observed that the increase caused by high frequency heating is usually greater. One result of this is that relatively low final dry densities of the order of 16 Kg/m 3 are possible. However, it is also possible to produce final densities of the order of 320 or more Kg/m 3 by compacting the dry mat prior to curing/setting the binder. The process of the present invention therefore exhibits a considerable degree of flexibility and enables the production of products over a wide range of final, dry density.
The process of the present invention is especially applicable to the production of mats of fibrous thermal insulation made from glass fibres, mineral wool or rockwool, where the binder is used to impart a degree of resilience and cohesion to the product without significantly reducing its porosity. The invention includes such products when made by a process according to the invention.
However, high frequency heating was previously thought impracticable in glass fibre/mineral wool manufacture because conventional binder application processes produce clots of binder in the mat and these react adversely to high frequency heating.
Using the process of the invention, it is also possible to impregnate a mat off the production line, which in some circumstances adds flexibility to the overall manufacturing process. In this particular case, the water content of the binder need not be as high as would be necessary for on-line application, because the mat would not normally need cooling. The binder and the water may be individually metered to give the mixture which is foamed. This is preferred because it makes for maximum control of the binder solids present in the final dry product and makes changes in binder solids very easy to effect.
While the high frequency heating is preferably applied only for as long as is necessary to selectively remove a major portion of the water, conventional heating being then used to set/cure the resin, it is also possible to use high frequency heating to set/cure the binder, before, during or after conferring a desired configuration on the mat. For example, a 6 to 12 second treatment can substantially dry a typical foam impregnated mat without significant effect on the binder. Where the binder is a thermosettable resin, a 20 second treatment would at least initiate curing of the resin. However, at production line speeds, such a long treatment time may be impracticable, or unduly expensive, or both.
Hitherto, the aplication of binder after mat formation has been difficult, if not entirely impracticable because of the desired bulky foraminous nature of the product. Uniform impregnation is not achieved by spraying binder onto the faces of an already-formed mat and the use of a liquid binder tends to destroy the desired bulk. For these reasons, shaped products such as lengths of tubular pipe insulation have always been made from mat impregnated with a settable/curable binder during production. Because it is no longer necessary to impregnate with binder during mat formation, it is now possible to make and store completely unimpregnated mat for future use, without having to worry about binder shelf life and/or variations in binder properties from batch to batch. This unimpregnated mat can be subsequently impregnated, dried and shaped into such products as lengths of tubular pipe insulation, prior to setting/curing the binder in the usual way. The invention includes products made in this way from unimpregnated mat. The present invention thus enables impregnation to be carried out at the most convenient time or location, thereby giving an essentially two-stage process in which mat formation and binder impregnation can be separated by any desired interval, with or without the optional step of also forming a shaped product from the impregnated mat.
A further advantage of high frequency heating lies in the fact that selective removal of water can be accomplished without producing significant binder fumes. The output airstream from the high frequency heater may even be vented to atmosphere without the usual effluent problems.
Advantageously, the aqueous binder solution/suspension contains a minor amount of a surfactant to facilitate foaming; the exact level of surfactant addition and the solids content (dilution) of a particular binder being a matter for experiment in order to arrive at a desired binder content in the final product.
A further advantage of the process of the invention is that excess foamed binder and any fibres therein can be re-circulated because the binder does not have to be sprayed and because it is still neither set nor cured.
The invention also includes apparatus for carrying out the process of the invention, said apparatus including a foam generator, means for spreading an aqueous foam made thereby onto one face of a non-woven mat, means operable to urge the foam into the mat together with heating means operable to selectively remove a major portion of the water from the impregnated mat. The heating means is preferably a high frequency heater. Preferably the apparatus further includes means for collecting and recirculating excess foam from the mat during and/or after impregnation thereof.
The means for urging the foam into the mat preferably includes both a suction device operative on the opposite face of the mat to that onto which the foam is spread and means for pressing the foam into the mat towards said suction device. Because glass/mineral wool mats are very porous, the means for pressing the foam into the mat should preferably seal against at least that face of the mat to which the foam is applied. Otherwise, the suction device may simply draw air through any relatively thin or more permeably parts of the mat without thoroughly impregnating them with the foam. Particularly preferred apparatus for this purpose comprises a foraminous roller containing at least one suction head and an impermeable endless flexible belt, one run of which presses against the mat as it passes over the roller. The roller is preferably in the form of a drum with peripheral, radially-extending flanges because the use of a drum and particularly one with sidewalls has been found to give a better seal between the flexible belt and the drum, thereby utilising the suction more efficiently. Where a high frequency heater is used to selectively remove water from the impregnated mat, it is preferably a radio frequency heater. Typically, such heaters operate at a frequency of approximately 27 mHz.
In order that the invention be better understood, preferred embodiments of it will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawing in which:
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a partly schematic side view showing one apparatus for carrying out a process according to the invention, and
FIG. 2 is a partly schematic side view showing part of the apparatus of FIG. 1 in greater detail.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
Where practicable, common reference numerals are used in both figures.
Referring briefly to FIG. 1, this figure illustrates the application of the process and apparatus according to the invention to a glass mat production line.
In FIG. 1, a forming hood assembly 31 comprises a large chamber 32 into which two glass fibre streams 33 are projected from centrifugal spinning heads 34 supplied by a glass furnace (not shown). The glass fibres are received on a foraminous belt 35, the formation of a mat 3 being aided by suction heads 36 underneath the top run of the belt. The mat is compacted by a roller 37 and forwarded along an auxiliary conveyor 38, under a compacting roller 39 and fed into a foam impregnation apparatus 40 which will be described in detail later, with reference to FIG. 2.
This is followed immediately by a second FIG. 2 apparatus, designated 41, (but not fitted with a foam generator and delivery pipe, as will be discussed later). From the apparatus 41, the mat passes into a high frequency heating chamber 42 and thence into a curing oven 43, the initial portion only of which is shown. The apparatus 41 in this case serves only to remove surplus foam/liquid from the impregnated mat. The high frequency heating chamber 42 prepares the impregnated mat for the curing oven by selectively removing at least a major portion of the water from it and thereby drying the mat to a very appreciable and controlled extent, the latter depending of course on the size of the chamber, the power level applied and the speed of the conveyor, i.e. the production speed which determines the duration of the treatment applied by a particular heater.
It will be appreciated that FIG. 1 is purely illustrative and that much of the ancillary hardware has been omitted. However, for present purposes, it illustrates how a conventional mat production apparatus can be combined with foam impregnation apparatus and a high frequency heater.
The detailed construction of the apparatus 40 and 41 will now be explained with the aid of FIG. 2.
In FIG. 2, an endless belt 1 is mounted for recirculation around a pair of drive/support rollers 2. The direction of travel of the upper and lower runs of the belt are indicated by arrows and the upper run carries a glass fibre mat 3. A thermosettable resin solution tank 4 is located under the belt and resin is drawn from the tank by a pump 5 and fed to a foam generator 6, to which compressed air is also supplied by a pipe 7. The foam generator is conventional and comprises a column containing glass beads. The action of the generator is to form an intimate mixture of resin and air by constraining both to follow common, restricted paths through the medium inside the column. On leaving the column, the mixture expands into a foam. The foam outlet 8 from the column feeds a delivery pipe 9 which serves two purposes.
Firstly it delivers foam 12 to a slit nozzle 10 extending widthwise of the mat 3 and secondly it provides for the collection of unfoamed liquid in a recovery tube 11. Any liquid collected is returned to the tank for re-use, via a pump 13 and pipe 14.
The mat covered by a layer of foam, 12, is carried by the belt 1 under a doctor blade 24, towards and over a perforated drum 15, from which it passes along an auxiliary conveyor 16 to the high frequency heater of FIG. 1. The amount of foam applied is in excess of that required to give the desired binder solids content in the final, dry product, as discussed earlier. The extent of the excess is controlled by the depth of the layer of foam, 12, and this can be adjusted by, for example, changing the rate of foam production, or the speed of the belt 1, or the disposition of the doctor blade 24.
The perforated drum contains three stationary suction heads 17, respective axial outlet pipes 18a, 18b, 18c, each being connected toa vacuum source via a liquid resin trap, (none of which is shown, in the interests of simplicity). Any liquid recovered by the traps is returned to the tank through the pipes schematically illustrated at 19. The drum has radially-extending sidewalls of depth at least equal to the thickness of the mat to be impregnated, as indicated by dashed line 15a.
On the opposite side of the mat to the perforated drum an endless, impermeable flexible belt 20 is mounted for circulation around three support rollers 21, 22 and 23. The belt 20 is deliberately arranged to be somewhat slack so that its lower run can be progressively displaced under the influence of the suction applied to the underside of the mat. The result is that the belt 20 augments the suction and gradually presses the foam progressively into the mat until impregnation is completed. The belt and drum sidewalls co-operate to seal the mat against the drum surface.
It will be appreciated that the apparatus will normally be fitted with ancillary dispensing equipment for feeding liquid thermosettable resin solution an surfactant to the tank 4, although in the interests of simplicity this too has been omitted from the figure. It should also be noted that while the apparatus may form part of a complete production line including mat formation, resin curing and roll packaging operations, it may also be used to treat already-formed mats as a separate operation, as discussed earlier.
It should be noted in this latter context that while the resin will normally be cured on the production line, by means of hot air, and/or radiant heat, or by further high frequency heating, it is not essential to cure at this stage and, of course, it is not even necessary to impregnate and dry on the mat production line. The process of the invention can be applied to untreated mat at any time after production, thereby avoiding or minimizing processing problems resulting from the limited storage life of the thermosettable resins commonly used. In the particular context of a process involving a glass furnace, the ability to defer impregnation by any desired interval of time provides an at least partial solution to the problem of interruptions in production caused by the need to re-build the furnace when the refractory lining reaches the end of its useful life. Unimpregnated mat can be stored for use during such re-building.
The process may also be used to re-impregnate a mat, either with the same or a different resin, in the event that the initial impregnation was not satisfactory or a higher binder content is required.
The invention is also illustrated by the following examples.
EXAMPLE 1
An unimpregnated glass fibre mat was made by a centrifugal spinning process as described in relation to FIG. 1; the mat was one meter wide, 100 mm thick and weighed 700 gm/m 2 .
An aqueous solution of a modified phenol-formaldehyde resin was made containing about 20% by weight of resin solids and 1% by weight (based on the resin solids) of a surfactant. This solution was foamed and applied to one face of the mat as a layer 50 mm deep, using an apparatus as shown in FIG. 2. The suction applied was 500 mm of mercury and the linear speed of the mat was 6 m/minute.
The impregnated, wet mat exhibited a total average pick-up of 18.2% by weight, of which 12.6% was water.
The wet mat was then exposed to radio frequency drying for 6 seconds by passing it through a radio frequency heater. The 6 second dwell time in the heater was sufficient to dry the mat to a 2% residual water content, without having any significant effect on the cure state of the resin. The dried, impregnated mat was passed through a hot air curing oven between two endless belts set 25 mm apart to give a 25mm thick board product of a density of 32 kg/m 3 . The average cured resin solids content of the board was 5.4% by weight. The range of solids content measured was 4.8 to 5.7% by weight.
EXAMPLE 2
A similar unimpregnated mat to that of Example 1 was made and a foamed resin binder applied to it in exactly the same way, the only difference being that the initial solids content of the resin solution was 40% by weight instead of 20%.
The average pick-up of the wet mat was 45.2% by weight, of which 30.1% was water.
The radio frequency drying treatment was applied in this case for 13 seconds, which was sufficient to give virtually zero residual water content.
The dried, impregnated product was cut to size and pressed in a heated platen press into liner panels of asymmetrical thickness for automotive use, the thickness of each panel varying from 12 mm at one end to 2 mm at the other.
The temperature and duration of the pressing operation was sufficient to cure the resin, giving an average cured resin solids content of 14.6% by weight, the lower and upper departures from this average being 13.8 and 15.2% respectively. The density of the product was 68 kg/m 3 (at the 12 mm thickness) and 408 kg/m 3 (at the 2 mm thickness).
EXAMPLE 3
The procedure of Example 1 was followed, but with a mat of weight 350 gm/m 2 and thickness 50 mm. To this was applied the same foamed resin solution as in Example 1, but the linear speed of the mat was 12 m/minute and the suction was reduced to 250 mm of mercury.
The average pick-up of the wet, impregnated mat was in the range 23.1 to 25.3% by weight, with a water content of 16.1 to 16.9%.
This mat was then dried to 2% residual water content, an 8 second radio frequency heating treatment being required for this. Successive 1.5 meter lengths of the dried, impregnated mat were then formed into lengths of tubular pipe insulation prior to oven curing the resin with hot air. The final products were 915 mm long (one yard nominal length) and had a wall thickness of 25 mm at a bore size of 100 mm; they had a density of 55.4 kg/m 3 at an average cured resin solids content of 7.4%, the maximum lower and upper departures from this being 6.6 and 7.9%, respectively.
All of the foregoing Examples illustrate the application of the process of the invention to the manufacture of insulation products from already-prepared and unimpregnated mat, since no attempt was made to integrate the mat production and impregnation processes, the mat being made and stored in the unimpregnated state until it was convenient to subject it to impregnation. In fact, the storage period could have been of indefinite duration, because until the resin solution is applied to the mat there is no problem as to the shelf life of the mat. While all the Examples given above were carried out using a laboratory-type radio frequency heater rated at 11/2 KW (at a frequency of 27 mHz), the actual power needed for a particular drying operation will naturally vary according to the desired throughput and the water content of the mat. The choice of an appropriate size of heater for any particular conditions will be within the capability of those skilled in the art.
Obviously, numerous modifications and variations of the present invention are possible in light 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.
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Bonded non-woven mineral fibre mat is made by a process including the steps of forming a foam from an aqueous solution or suspension of a binder, impregnating a non-woven mat with the foam and then selectively removing a major portion of the water from the mat prior to setting and/or curing the binder.
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This application claims priority to U.S. Patent Application Ser. No. 61/236,099, filed Aug. 23, 2009.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates generally to nuclear power plants and, more specifically, to a hybrid power plant combining a nuclear power plant or a biomass fired power plant with a fossil fuel fired power plant to provide improved efficiencies and reduced emissions.
The vast majority of energy production in the world comes from one of four non-renewable sources: coal, gas, petroleum or nuclear. According to the most recent data (CY 2006) from the International Energy Agency, 85% of electricity was generated from nuclear (23.2%) and combustibles (61.8%), while hydroelectric was 13.4% and other renewables was 1.6%. Each of these sources has its strengths and weaknesses. US only data from the US Department of Energy breaks down combustibles as coal 49.7%, natural gas 18.7% and petroleum 3%. Petroleum is almost always reserved for transportation and is not normally used in electrical power generation. Natural gas is used, but because of its cost is normally only used to power peak period surge capacity. This leaves nuclear and coal fired plants to provide base load and the majority of electricity in the world.
Coal currently provides the vast majority of base load electrical generating capacity and about half of all capacity, but its use is coming under heavy attack for pollution concerns and especially the “greenhouse gas” emissions of carbon dioxide. Nuclear's use has been limited by it high costs of production, largely driven by the very low thermal efficiency of its steam cycle that requires a very large reactor relative to the amount of electricity that can be generated by its low temperature saturated steam. Biomass has been investigated, but because of the high water content and low energy density it is not possible to achieve combustions temperatures comparable to coal combustion. This results in lower efficiencies from low temperature saturated steam, much like those that limit nuclear power.
Current applications for addressing environmental and efficiency issues center around multiple use facilities. These facilities use a single source of energy to satisfy several needs, many by exploiting synergies between emissions control and unused waste energy or combustion products. This patent proposes a more effective approach to the multiple use facility by using more than one energy source in a hybrid power plant to use the strengths of the separate technologies to address the accompanying weaknesses. A hybrid plant combining the existing technologies of nuclear power plants or biomass power plants interconnected to a modified coal plant would result in a total thermal process that would have a greatly improved thermal cycle, thereby increasing electrical output to nearly double from the same sets of inputs compared to ‘stand-alone’ configurations, thereby dramatically lowering cost, pollution and carbon dioxide emissions relative to two stand alone plants of these designs.
Coal-fired fossil fuel plants generally operate at the highest levels of thermal efficiency, with electricity output to heat unit input fractions in the 30-45% range. This is accomplished through a three-step steam cycle. First, the feedwater to the boiler is pre-heated with the low temperature effluent combustion gasses extraction steam to increase the temperature from condenser temperature to approximately 450-500° F. Once the feed water is added to the boiler, it is heated and converted to saturated steam at temperatures of 500-600° F. Once the steam is formed in the boiler, it passes through superheat tubes in the hottest section of the effluent gas column where the steam is increased in temperature to 1100° F.-1200° F. This superheated steam is then passed through a series of high, intermediate and low pressure turbines where energy is extracted and electricity is produced by generators mechanically attached to the turbines. A final step in a coal-fired plant process for electricity generation is that the air being drawn into the firebox is passed through the lowest temperature effluent gasses to pre-heat the incoming air and increase the temperature of combustion.
A coal-fired plant is very efficient, but even in this type of plant most of the energy of combustion is lost. Of the 1512 BTUs required to heat a pound of ambient 140° F. (60° C.) feedwater to a pound of superheated steam at 1200° F. (650° C.), 1000 psi steam, 1014 BTUs or 67% of the input energy goes to converting the water to steam and cannot be recovered as electrical output. Approximately another 40 BTUs (about 3% of the total) are also un-recoverably lost in each cycle. The condensers downstream of turbines will operate at a vacuum, so that the steam will not reconvert to water at the normal 212° F. (100° C.) boiling point, but at a temperature of 140° F. (60° C.). However, this water will continue to cool to the temperature of the river or lake being used as the heat sink, and this heat will have to be replaced in the next cycle. Usable (available for conversion to electricity) energy can be extracted from the steam from 1200° F. (650° C.) to steam at 140° F. (60° C.). This means that less than one of every two tons of carbon dioxide that a coal powered plant emits to the atmosphere is ever used to produce electricity.
The use of biomass in place of coal in a boiler requires a configuration much like that of a pulverized coal boiler, although the operation of the plant is altered. While there is a ‘net zero’ carbon emission from these facilities, biomass has a lower energy density and flame temperature than coal when combusted under the same conditions. This reduces the amount of energy that can be imparted to the feed water, reducing the steam temperature to usually no more than 850° F. steam. Because of the lower operating temperature a lower operating pressure is used to increase cycle efficiency, so an operating pressure of 850 psi is assumed. This is a heat addition of 1317 BTUs per pound to ambient feedwater, of which about 1014 BTUs are lost due to the phase change from steam to water and other losses. This results in 77% of the energy not being available to produce electricity.
The current state of the art nuclear power plants (including pressurized light water reactors, boiling water reactors, and heavy water CANDU designs) are extremely stable, safe, and emission free. Their power output is extremely restricted, however, by the need to limit the maximum temperature in the reactor core to approximately 600° F. (boiling water reactors operate at lower core temperatures of about 540-550° F.) to prevent loss of coolant and damage to the fuel elements. This results in a vastly oversized reactor plant and the wasting of a high percentage of the BTUs generated. This results in excessive thermal pollution—the localized heating of the bodies of water that serve as heat sinks for the condensers of the steam turbine units.
The nuclear power plant has only two of the three steps of the steam cycle. Essentially no superheat is added to the steam cycle as the water in the steam generator is already in contact with the hottest water to pass through the reactor. Methods exist to preheat the feedwater entering the steam generator, but this is done solely with extraction steam, requiring a higher steam flow rate for the same electrical output. The primary coolant water in contact with the reactor core heats to 600° F. before moving to the steam generator (the same function as the boiler in the coal-fired plant) and converting secondary water to steam at about 575° F. with an operating pressure of 400 psi to increase efficiency. This results in a steam cycle where only 1199 BTUs can be added to each pound of steam, yet the same 1014 BTUs are lost in changing the water to/from steam, so that fully 85% of the heat energy input can never be used in the creation of electrical energy. By combining the higher temperatures achievable in a coal furnace with the low temperature steam from a nuclear or biomass plant, a higher efficiency can be realized with fewer emissions compared to either design alone.
A search of prior art was conducted and the following related patents were discovered. None of these patents teach or suggest any method or device matching this invention.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,575,002 by Vuia was for a design that routed the saturated steam from a standard nuclear power plant through the superheater section of a fossil fuel furnace in a conventional power plant. While a feasible solution, a majority of the energy input to the system is from coal, as this is a full scale fossil fuel power plant with a slightly larger superheater section in the furnace. This design by Vuia proposes a design with two independent power plants in which the nuclear is assisted by the coal plant. In contrast this invention proposes a single integrated hybrid power plant that uses the energy from the coal only to add superheat to the steam, decreasing the amount of coal used to generate the same amount of energy.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,530,814 to Schluderberg uses the thermal energy from a fossil fired plant to produce steam. This steam is then routed through a moisture separator/reheater unit to add superheat to steam that has already been expanded through a high pressure turbine. This design uses the fossil fuel exclusively to add superheat to the nuclear process steam, but does so indirectly and only after the steam pressure has been lowered. In this design the power plant steam flows again remain separate and the coal plant only provides a reheat assist to the nuclear power plant, no energy is made available to preheat feedwater.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,361,377 to Miller describes the use of superheaters before the high pressure turbine and in the moisture separator/reheater section between turbines. The superheater described may receive energy either from fossil fuel combustion or steam from an adjacent fossil fuel plant. The description is unclear on how the superheater would be able to use either steam or fossil fuel. The design also fails to make full use of the exhausted flue gases to preheat feed water and combustion air, indicating that it is a small burner unit and not a full size coal burning furnace. This design appears to only pertain to an externally heated superheater on a nuclear power plant.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,457,721 to Tsiklauri uses a combined cycle system with the hot exhaust gases from a natural gas fired gas turbine unit heating feedwater and producing steam. The steam from this heat recovery steam generator is then used to superheat the steam from a nuclear powered steam generator. After the steam is expanded in the high pressure turbine, the two fluid streams are mixed and augmented by more steam from the heat recovery steam generator and used in the low pressure turbine. This use of a heat recovery steam generator decreases the efficiency of the system as opposed to using all the energy to add superheat. Mixing the steam from both sources decreases this efficiency loss, but would require stricter water chemistry controls.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,244,033 to Wylie uses the exhaust from a natural gas fired gas turbine unit to directly superheat the steam from a nuclear steam generator. It also makes use of the exhaust gases to preheat the feedwater and provides a supplemental fire unit to ensure there is sufficient energy to provide the superheat and preheat. Notable in this patent is that it specifies that superheat and preheat can be added by the use of additional natural gas heat addition alone if the gas turbine unit is not in operation. There is no provision for the use of coal in this patent, only more expensive natural gas.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention, in a preferred embodiment, takes the saturated steam output from a nuclear power plant and passes it through a modified coal-fired plant boiler, and then the superheated steam output of the coal plant is sent to the turbines where the energy is extracted and converted to electricity. The nuclear power plant would be only minimally changed from existing designs, the only design revision would be to increase the size of the steam generators by about 15% relative to the size of the reactor core, as the feed water would be preheated to about 450° F. prior to entering the steam generator, so that the heat from the reactor would be used nearly exclusively in converting the water to steam rather than both heating the water and converting it to steam. In an alternative embodiment, a biomass-fueled power plant takes the place of the nuclear power plant to provide steam to the modified coal-fired plant.
While this patent is applicable to any coal fired furnace, a pulverized coal design is described here to show utility of this invention. The coal-fired unit would be more significantly modified, as the steam boiler section (the middle temperature section of the current design) would be eliminated. The superheat tube section of the unit would be greatly expanded to accept the saturated steam from the reactor and raise its temperature greatly before sending the superheated steam off to the turbines. In the firebox, the tubes passing through effluent gasses above 800° F. would be used to superheat the reactor-produced steam, while the tubes in the area where effluent gasses are below 800° F. would be used to pre-heat feedwater. Assuming that the maximum temperature in the firebox is about 2000° F., about 75% of the heat would go to superheating the 575° F. saturated steam to 1200° F. superheated steam, while the remaining 25% would go towards preheating the feedwater prior to entry into the reactor. This would result in a coal-fired plant at one-half of its original size and one-fourth of its original carbon dioxide emissions for the same electrical output. We have built our economic models around the assumption that the optimum solution will be to build the firebox to operate at around 2000° F., and use normal materials in the design of the superheat tubes. We recognize that there is an alternative approach of using more exotic, higher cost materials in the manufacture of the tubes and increasing operating efficiency through higher temperatures to offset the higher material costs. We intend this patent to cover both approaches.
When the nuclear side is taken into consideration, the electricity produced for any given reactor size would increase to at least 3 times its standalone output. This would be a result of the 15% increase in saturated steam generated as a result of the additional preheating of the feedwater in the economizer of the combustible plant as well as the addition of superheat from coal. The superheating of the steam in the coal-fired unit would add 316 recoverable BTUs to the 181 that existed when the steam left the nuclear plant, for a 175% increase. The sum of the 115% saturated steam volume times the 275% superheat addition results in 3.16 times the power output. Another factor is that turbines utilizing superheated steam are more efficient than those that operate with saturated steam, so that a further increase in power output should be obtainable.
Nuclear power plants have historically been built with multiple units at single sites. Of the 63 active sites of nuclear power stations in the United States, 37 have or had either two or three reactors while only 26 were built as single reactor sites. In Canada, there are two sites with four active reactors (each planned for eight) along with one site with two reactors and a single isolated site with one power plant. Most plants are built in close proximity a lake or river to provide a cooling source for the condensers. There would also need to be rail access to provide an economical means of providing the supply of coal for the fossil fueled portion of the plant. These needs are not restrictive as most rail lines follow river beds to avoid significant grades.
Similar benefits can be achieved in biomass fueled power plants, with an additional 194 BTUs of recoverable energy per pound of feedwater. This would be combined with higher efficiency steam turbines to give an efficiency increase of over 55%. In addition, this design would require less biomass for the generation of the same amount of electricity, allowing more of these power plants to be placed into service for a given fuel source.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 a is a schematic diagram showing the feedwater and steam temperatures of an exemplary standalone nuclear reactor, and FIG. 1 b is a schematic diagram of a hybrid power plant of the present invention wherein the reactor of FIG. 1 a has been combined with a coal-fired plant.
FIG. 2 a is a schematic diagram of the principal elements of an exemplary standalone coal-fired power plant, and FIG. 2 b is a schematic diagram of the principal elements of an exemplary standalone nuclear power plant.
FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram corresponding to FIG. 2 , wherein the power plants have been modified and interconnected to form a hybrid power plant of the present invention.
FIG. 4 is a chart of the energy content of the steam for the power plant described in this work. The enthalpy values are shown for 400 psi; energy content is increased further with the use of higher pressure systems. This figure shows the additional usable energy that can be extracted from the steam using the present invention.
FIG. 5 is a table of statistics comparing annual power output, annual costs and annual emissions of two standalone nuclear reactors and a standalone coal-fired plant versus a hybrid power plant of the present invention wherein the two nuclear plants have been interconnected to the coal-fired plant according to the present invention.
FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram of an exemplary standalone pressurized water nuclear reactor.
FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram corresponding to FIG. 6 in which the pressurized water reactor has been interconnected to a coal-fired plant in accordance with the present invention.
FIG. 8 is a chart that compares the three economic examples presented in this application and shows a surprising consistency in the efficiency improvements inherent in the present invention.
FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram combining a high temperature coal fired supercritical boiler with a biomass fired sub critical boiler to increase the amount of biomass that can be utilized in a high temperature super critical power plant.
DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Example 1
Schematic of the Hybrid Power Plant
In this example, a standalone pressurized water nuclear reactor ( FIGS. 1 a and 2 a ) is interconnected with a standalone coal-fired power plant with the boiling section replaced by an extended superheater ( FIG. 2 b ), forming the hybrid power plant depicted in FIG. 1 b and FIG. 3 .
Example 2
Rough Estimate of Cost and Emissions Reductions
A rough estimate of the cost and emissions savings can be done by examining the addition of a coal furnace to two existing nuclear power plants. Consider two 1,190 MW nuclear power plants that are interconnected to a coal-fired power plant sized to provide 1,075 MW if it had been designed as a standalone unit. Following the graph of FIG. 4 , and the assumptions provided in the figures, the statistics of annual power output, annual costs of operation, and annual emissions are set out in FIG. 5 . It can be seen that, when interconnected according to the present invention, these three units, which would have a 3,455 MW capacity if designed and operated as standalone units, would have a capacity of 5,930 MW. This results in a reduction of about 36% in the cost per kilowatt-hour of electricity produced and a reduction in carbon emissions by about 80%.
Example 3
Detailed Estimate of Cost and Emissions Reduction
To show the economic and environmental benefits of this concept, this example builds on existing facilities. For this comparison, a baseline model for a pressurized water reactor power plant was modeled to allow for comparison. Data and operating parameters from the Wolf Creek Nuclear Generating Station [Black & Veatch] are used to develop the model. This comparison can also be extended to a biomass and coal fired facility with appropriate parameters.
The Wolf Creek Nuclear Generating Station used is an 1190 MW power plant in Burlington, Kans. The design is a Westinghouse 4 loop pressurized water reactor (PWR) plant. Among other details, a moisture separator/reheater and seven closed feedwater heaters are used in the secondary steam system to increase efficiency. The plant operates as a saturated steam Rankine cycle, so there is no superheating of the steam from the steam generators.
During steady state operation, the reactor is used to heat the primary coolant, which in turn is used to heat the secondary coolant, causing it to boil. Circulation in each primary coolant loop is provided by a reactor coolant pump. The saturated steam produced in the steam generator units is delivered via piping to an intermediate-pressure turbine, where some work is produced. After exiting the intermediate-pressure turbine, the steam passes through a moisture separator to dry the steam to prevent turbine damage. The steam is then passed through a low-pressure turbine, where the remainder of the available energy is extracted. A condenser at the outlet of the low-pressure turbine condenses the steam (now called feedwater) so that it can be pumped back to the steam generator using condensate pumps and feed pumps. This condensed steam is passed through seven closed feedwater heaters (CFWH) en route to the steam generator: four between the condensate pumps and feed pumps and three between the feed pumps and the steam generator. These CFWHs are heat exchangers that use steam extracted from different stages of the turbines to preheat the feedwater before it returns to the steam generator. This redirects some of the energy back to the steam generator rather than rejecting it in the condenser, thereby increasing efficiency. The CFWHs before the feed pumps drain to the condenser, while those after the feed pumps drain to a common tank, from which they are returned to the system at the inlet of the feed pumps using a separate drain pump.
Some simplifying assumptions were made in modeling this plant. The system is modeled in a steady state condition. Condenser pressure is assumed to be 1 psia, piping pressure losses of 1% were applied through the system, and a 2% pressure loss across the moisture separator was used. In addition, 15% of the power produced was considered a loss to account for generator losses and power plant parasitic loads, such as cooling water circulation pumps, high-pressure air systems and water treatment facilities. As these assumptions are applied to both power plants, there should be little bias introduced.
Option 1—Hold Electrical Output Constant
Converted to Btus per hour, the electrical output of 1.19 MW is 4.06×10 9 Btu/hr. To generate this electrical output a reactor power output of 1.375×10 10 Btu/hr is required, which gives a plant efficiency of 29.5%. FIG. 6 gives a schematic diagram of this system. For simplicity only one loop is shown in the figure.
The model of the hybrid facility was developed from the Wolf Creek Generating Station model. The major changes were the insertion of a coal fired furnace to act as a superheater and economizer, and the deletion of the moisture separator unit. The moisture separator is unnecessary as the steam should maintain a sufficient amount of superheat through most of the steam turbines. These changes can be seen in the schematic diagram of the hybrid power plant ( FIG. 7 ).
Some changes also needed to be made in the system parameters to account for the addition of coal energy. The outlet temperature of the superheater is assumed to be 1200° F., which is comparable to modern coal furnace steam outlet temperatures. This added equipment is assumed to cause a 4% pressure decrease in the steam flow due to frictional losses. However, the increase of 600° F. in steam temperature more than makes up for this pressure drop.
The use of the economizer increases the feedwater temperature before it enters the steam generator, decreasing the amount of energy that needs to be added from the primary loop. This heat is added from combustion gases leaving the furnace that are at too low of a temperature to add superheat to the steam, and so this reuse of the energy adds to efficiency. This extra heat addition from both the superheater and the economizer necessitates a change in the operating parameters of the closed feedwater heaters, as the steam delivered to them has a higher heat content and less heat needs to be added. As a result of the economizer and changes to the CFWHs, the feedwater enters the steam generator 80° F. higher than in the traditional PWR plant. A pressure loss of 2% was added in the economizer to take into account the extra energy necessary to pump the feedwater through the heat exchanger piping.
The only change in assumptions for the hybrid plant model from the traditional plant is that three percent more of the electrical energy from the turbines is considered lost. This is a conservative estimate that accounts for the additional parasitic loads, such as induced draft fans, coal mills, and other auxiliary systems associated with the coal fuel system.
To produce the same 1.19 MW of electricity as the traditional design, the hybrid facility required 6.951×10 9 Btu/hr from the reactor, 50.5% of the power input for the baseline design. An addition of 4.591×10 9 Btu/hr from coal is also necessary to drive the superheater, for a total heat input of 1.154×10 10 Btu/hr. The plant efficiency for this system is calculated to be 35.5%. Assuming a higher heating value (energy content) of 10,000 Btu/lbm for the coal and a cost of $40 per ton delivered, the cost per kilowatt hour due to coal in a hybrid power facility is $0.00452.
Option II—Hold Reactor Output Constant, Increase Electrical Output
If the primary nuclear plant were left as-is, the rating of the facility would be increased by the addition of the coal-fired superheater. This would increase the output of the plant from the original 1190 MW to 2354 MW. By keeping the size of the reactor plant the same, the capital cost for constructing the plant and the operational costs would remain virtually the same for the reactor systems, increasing electrical production by nearly 98% by adding a coal-fired superheater and additional turbine capacity to accommodate the higher steam flow. Using the same cost assumptions would lead to a cost of $0.01011 per kWhr from the nuclear plant. Again using the previously calculated value of $0.00452 per kWhr for the energy from coal in a hybrid facility, this gives an overall cost of $0.01463 per kWhr. This savings of $0.00537 per kWhr represents a savings of over 25% for electricity production at the power plant while nearly doubling the capacity.
A detailed comparison shows that for the same electricity generation, only 84.7% of the thermal energy input of a traditional design is required for the hybrid facility. In addition, there is 25.8% less heat rejected in the condenser. These values are reflected in the increased plant efficiency.
Example 2
Referring to FIG. 9 , this hybrid power facility operates by combining a high temperature coal fired supercritical boiler with a biomass fired sub critical boiler to increase the amount of biomass that can be utilized in a high temperature super critical power plant. High pressure and temperature steam is generated in the supercritical coal boiler using a mix of biomass and coal in the furnace section. This steam is routed through a high pressure turbine set where it is used to generate electricity. In generating this electricity, the pressure and temperature of the steam is reduced as the turbine converts the kinetic and thermal energy of the steam to rotational energy that is then converted to electricity in the generator. This lower temperature steam is routed back to the supercritical boiler to add reheat.
A novel design of this example is the introduction of a biomass fired sub critical boiler. This boiler generates steam using only biomass, thereby increasing the overall fraction of biomass that may be used in the power plant. The steam produced in this biomass boiler matches the pressure of the steam exiting the high pressure turbine. This allows the two streams to be mixed either in the reheat section of the super critical boiler or before, increasing the amount of high temperature reheated steam available for energy production. It would also be possible to join the two steam flows after the reheat section, although this would likely result in a lower steam temperature after reheat, removing one of the main benefits of this design. This steam is then expanded through the remainder of the turbine set to produce electricity, condensed, and returned to the boilers to continue the steam cycle. A series of feedwater heaters are used to increase plant efficiency by decreasing the amount of energy necessary to boiler the feedwater.
By using a separate biomass fired boiler, more biomass can be used to generate steam than using a coal fired furnace alone, reducing the carbon emission of the plant while maintaining the increased efficiency of a super critical power plant
Conclusions
The hybrid facility delivers an efficiency increase to thirty-six percent, an increase of approximately 3% for biomass and 6% for nuclear plants alone. The increase in efficiency is directly related to the higher steam temperature delivered by the coal-fired superheater, increasing the Carnot (or maximum) efficiency that the system can obtain. By using coal to add superheat to the steam, a majority of the energy from the coal is converted to electricity.
As an example, the decreased amount of energy that needs to be added from the reactor system would decrease the cost of the nuclear facility. Decreasing the cost of fuel by 50% (about 15% of the total cost) and using a six-tenths rule for capital, operating, and other costs (the remaining 85%) to decrease them by 33%, the total cost decrease for electrical generation with the nuclear facility is decreased by 35.55%. While this does not include the capital cost of the coal fired furnace, the savings should offset this cost in a short amount of time. While this configuration would have carbon emissions, they would be much lower than a conventional coal facility. Assuming that no superheat was added from the nuclear portion of the plant, the only energy from the coal not converted to electricity would be losses, cutting the carbon emissions by a third. When the increased steam flow due to pre-heating of the feedwater is also taken into account, it would be possible to achieve a carbon reduction of around 75% relative to a stand-alone coal plant.
There is also the potential to add sufficient preheat to the feedwater in the economizer to make the use of feedwater heaters unnecessary. This would reduce the amount of steam flow necessary to produce the same amount of electricity and could possibly increase overall plant output.
The only potential physical limitation to this invention is how to maintain a furnace temperature that is sufficient to add superheat to the steam without damaging the superheater tubes. This should be possible by controlling the amount of oxygen introduced to the fuel during combustion or by fuel selection.
The proposed design results in both a higher plant efficiency and a lower cost per kWhr to produce electricity. Taking all of these factors into account, the models presented here show that the performance benefit of using a combination of biomass or nuclear power to produce steam and coal energy to add superheat has the potential to be economically viable as well as significantly more efficient.
While the foregoing examples have been limited to a combination of nuclear power or biomass plants with coal-fired power plants, the invention also includes a hybrid power plant where a pressurized water reactor is combined with a pebble bed reactor. As with the coal-fired embodiment, the steam from the pressurized water reactor is used as a preheated source of steam for the pebble bed reactor to realize increased efficiencies.
The foregoing description and drawings comprise illustrative embodiments of the present inventions. The foregoing embodiments and the methods described herein may vary based on the ability, experience, and preference of those skilled in the art. Merely listing the steps of the method in a certain order does not constitute any limitation on the order of the steps of the method. The foregoing description and drawings merely explain and illustrate the invention, and the invention is not limited thereto, except insofar as the claims are so limited. Those skilled in the art that have the disclosure before them will be able to make modifications and variations therein without departing from the scope of the invention.
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A hybrid power plant is described in which a pressurized water nuclear reactor or a biomass-fueled power plant, which have a relatively low operating temperature, such as, is combined with a coal or other fossil fuel power plant having a higher operating temperature. Steam from the first plant is superheated in the second power plant to provide a hybrid plant with improved efficiencies and lower emissions.
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REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
This application claims priority from European Patent Application No. 13191834 filed on Nov. 6, 2013, the entirety of which is incorporated herein by reference.
TECHNICAL FIELD AND BACKGROUND
The present disclosure relates to a foldable ladder device. In particular, this disclosure relates to a foldable ladder device which may be folded or unfolded without requiring manual effort.
In a house or commercial premises, there is frequently an upper room or area to which access is not required on a frequent basis. Because of this, it is unnecessary to have a permanent means, such as a staircase, of accessing the upper area in question. It is desirable that the area be ordinarily sealed off and with access provided by a means which is temporarily fixed in place.
Many such solutions exist to solve the aforementioned problem. However, these solutions suffer from a number of disadvantages. Solutions such as those described in US2009/0166129 and GB311390 are bulky and occupy large amounts of space in the upper area when not in use. EP 1 035 268 provides a foldable solution, wherein a ladder arrangement may be folded when not in use and unfolded to allow access to the upper area. However, EP 1 035 268 relies on a complex arrangement of bars and folding elements to achieve its folding function. Further solutions known in the art provide for a foldable action, however a manual interaction with the device is required to move the device from folded to an unfolded configuration.
A solution which overcomes the above problems would be an improvement on the state of the art.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Disclosed is a foldable ladder for providing access to an opening that includes: a first motorized drive mechanism for moving a cover for the opening between a closed position and an open position; a second motorized drive mechanism coupled to a plurality of foldable ladder portions for moving the ladder portions between a folded configuration and unfolded configuration; such that, in moving the cover between the closed and the open position, the first motorized drive mechanism triggers the second motorized drive mechanism to move the ladder portions between the folded configuration and the unfolded configuration.
This provides the advantage of a fully automated device which can move from a folded configuration, in which an opening is sealed, to an unfolded configuration in which access to the opening is provided. The dual drive mechanism arrangement provides for a smooth transition between folded and unfolded states and overcomes the need for excessive bracketing and cabling to transition between the states. Furthermore, the invention provides that no manual interaction with the ladder is required on the part of a user to transition between the states, unlike other solutions in which the cover must be manually opened or the ladder manually extracted.
In moving the ladder portions between the unfolded and the folded configuration, the second motorized drive mechanism may trigger the first motorized drive mechanism to move the cover between an open position and a closed position. This provides for a smooth transition between unfolded and folded states and further provides that no manual interaction with the ladder is required on the part of a user to transition between the states.
The first and second drive mechanisms may include electrical actuators. This provides for reliable automation of the first and second drive mechanisms.
The second drive mechanism may be positioned to the cover. This allows the second drive mechanism to unfold the ladder once triggered by the motion of the first drive mechanism and resultant opening of the cover. This further provides for a compact design which occupies space on the opening cover rather than occupying space within the upper area to which access is provided by the ladder.
The second drive mechanism may drive a gear arrangement. The gear arrangement may include a rack and pinion arrangement. This allows for a very smooth motion between folded and unfolded states to be achieved. It allows for control and adjustment of the motion of the ladder, if required, to suit the particular location in which the ladder is to be fitted and the space into which it is to extend.
The plurality of foldable ladder portions may include a first portion fixed to the cover; a second portion hingedly connected to the first portion; a third portion hingedly connected to the second portion. Hinging the second portion to the first portion allows the motorized motion of the first portion to control the second portion. Likewise, hinging the third portion to the second portion allows the motion of the second portion to control the third portion.
In the folded configuration, the first, second and third portions may rest atop each other. This further provides for a compact design which minimizes the space occupied by the folded ladder in the upper area to which access is provided by the ladder.
In the unfolded configuration, the first, second and third portions may abut each other. This has the advantage of providing a continuous set of rungs to allow for ease of access to the opening.
The third portion may further include an extendible end piece. This allows the third portion to be adjusted to fit a range of floor to ceiling heights when the ladder is in an unfolded configuration.
The extendible end piece may include a wheel. The wheel provides the advantage of preventing scraping or dragging on a floor surface when the ladder is moved between configurations.
The first and second drive mechanisms may be activatable by remote control. This allows the ladder to be fully automated and requiring no manual intervention by a user, save for pushing of a button on a remote control device to move the ladder between a folded and unfolded configuration and vice versa.
The first and second drive mechanisms may include a secondary power source in case of failure of a primary power source. As such, in case of power failure, the ladder may still be operated.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Embodiments of the present disclosure will be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:
FIG. 1 shows the ladder according to one embodiment in the closed or folded configuration;
FIG. 2 shows the ladder in a partially unfolded configuration;
FIG. 3 shows the ladder in an open or unfolded configuration;
FIG. 4 shows an exploded view of the rack and pinion mechanism of the device; and
FIG. 5 shows a further embodiment of the rack and pinion mechanism of the device.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
The invention will now be described more fully with reference to the accompanying figures in which exemplary embodiments of the invention are shown. However, the invention may be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the representative embodiments described below. The exemplary embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be both thorough and complete and will fully convey the scope of the invention and enable one of ordinary skill in the art to make, use, and practice the invention.
FIG. 1 shows the ladder 1 in a folded configuration. The ladder includes a first portion 2 , a second portion 3 and a third portion 4 which rest atop each other. The first portion is further fixed to a cover 5 such as a door. The cover 5 serves to seal the opening to which the ladder 1 provides access, when the ladder is in the folded configuration. Further components of the ladder can be seen in FIG. 2 in which the ladder is in a partially unfolded configuration. A first drive mechanism 6 is coupled to the first portion 2 of the ladder by a pair of arm elements 7 , 7 ′. The arm elements may be foldable along their length into upper pieces 8 , 8 ′ which are pivotably connected to the drive mechanism 6 and lower pieces 9 , 9 ′ which are pivotably connected to the cover 5 . The lower pieces may also be pivotably connected to the first portion 2 of the ladder 1 . The first drive mechanism comprises a pair ( 20 , 21 ) of electrical actuators.
A second drive mechanism 10 is attached to the cover 5 and to the first portion 2 of the ladder 1 . The second drive mechanism comprises a pair ( 27 , 28 ) of electrical actuators ( FIG. 3 ). The second drive mechanism drives a gear arrangement 11 which controls the separation of the second portion 3 of the ladder from atop the first portion 2 of the ladder when the ladder is moved from the folded to the unfolded configuration. Likewise, the second drive mechanism drives the gear arrangement 11 to control the movement of the second portion 3 of the ladder to atop the first portion 2 of the ladder when the ladder is moved from the unfolded to the folded configuration. The gear arrangement is a rack 22 and pinion 23 type arrangement. The second portion 3 is coupled to the first portion by means of a hinge 12 .
The third portion 4 is coupled to the second portion by means of a hinge 12 ′. The third portion 4 is further coupled to the first portion 2 by means of a cable 13 . A guidepiece 14 for the cable 13 is provided on the second portion 3 so that when moving between the folded and unfolded configurations, the movement of the cable 13 may be controlled.
The third portion further comprises an end piece 30 . The end piece comprises a wheel 15 which prevents scraping or dragging on a floor surface when the ladder is moved between configurations. The end piece may be extendible such that the third portion 4 can be adjusted to fit a range of floor to ceiling heights when in an unfolded configuration.
FIG. 3 shows the ladder 1 in a fully unfolded configuration. The lower end 16 of first portion 2 abuts the upper end 16 ′ of the second portion 3 , the lower end 17 of the second portion abuts the upper end 17 ′ of the third portion 4 . In this manner, a continuous set of rungs 18 is provided to allow a user access the opening 19 .
FIG. 4 shows an exploded view of the rack 22 and pinion 23 mechanism of the device. A pinion piece 23 is fixed to a pinion bracket 31 which is positioned on the lower end of each side of the first portion 2 . The pinion 23 consists of a circular piece 32 with a toothed circumference 33 . The pinion 23 rotates around a central axis point 34 . The pinion bracket 31 is integrated into the hinge 12 which couples the second portion 3 to the first portion 2 . A rack is positioned on each side of the lower end of the first portion 2 and is held to the first portion by means of a bracket 29 . Each rack 22 consists of a toothed track 35 with a series of teeth 36 dimensioned to engage with the toothed circumference 33 of the pinion. Each rack 22 is fixed to an arm 37 of the each of the actuators ( 27 , 28 ). The arm 37 is moveable in an out of a sleeve piece 38 , such that when the actuator extends, the arm 37 extends from the sleeve piece and when the actuator retracts, the arm 37 is drawn into the sleeve piece 38 . The rack 22 and pinion 23 are positioned such that when the arm 37 of the actuator extends or retracts, the pinion 23 rotates over the toothed track of the rack 22 . The rack and pinion may be made from plastic or a similar durable material. The bracket 29 may be made from plastic or aluminium while the ladder portions may be made from wood, plastic or aluminium. The bracket 29 and hinge 12 may be fixed to the ladder portions by fastening means 41 , for example by nails or by screws.
The ladder 1 will now be described in use. With the ladder 1 in its folded configuration, the cover 5 is closed. The pair of actuators 20 , 21 of the first drive mechanism are in a fully extended position. The actuators 20 , 21 may be activated by means of a remote control. When activated, the actuators retract to allow the arm elements 7 , 7 ′ to drop the cover 5 to an open position. The actuators may pull a cable, drive a lever or drive a gear arrangement in order to drop the cover 5 to an open position. The upper pieces 8 , 8 ′ of the arms are attached to a fixed frame 24 surrounding the opening 19 and are operated by the actuators. There is a joint 25 in the upper pieces 8 , 8 ′ coupled to a bracket 26 on the fixed frame 24 . Adjustment of the position of the bracket 26 on the frame 24 ensures that the actuators ( 20 , 21 ) can fully close the cover 5 when the ladder 1 is in the folded configuration. The lower pieces 9 , 9 ′ of the arm elements 7 , 7 ′ are attached to the cover 5 . The upper and lower pieces are joined by a nut and bolt to create an elbow type joint.
When the arm elements are almost fully extended and the cover 5 is in a partially open configuration, the actuators 27 , 28 of the second drive mechanism are activated by a switch mounted on the actuators 20 , 21 of the first drive mechanism. The second drive mechanism is triggered when the actuators 20 , 21 of the first drive mechanism have almost fully retracted. The actuators 27 , 28 of the second drive mechanism are in a fully extended position when the ladder 1 is in the folded configuration and the cover 5 is closed. When the second drive mechanism is activated, the actuators 27 , 28 retract. The actuator arm 37 is thus drawn into the sleeve piece 38 which has the effect of pulling the rack 22 beneath the pinion 23 . The pinion 23 rotates upon the rack surface and as it does so, the second ladder portion 3 is unfolded from the first portion 2 . The actuators 27 , 28 are each joined to a rack 22 which slides within a channel 39 on the base of the bracket 29 . The pinion 23 is mounted on the side of the hinge 12 . As the rack 22 is engaged with the pinion 23 it unfolds the second portion 3 of the ladder 1 . As the second portion 3 unfolds, the third portion 4 begins to unfold under the force of gravity and its movement is controlled by the cable 13 . The cable 13 is attached from the hinge 12 ′ at the upper end of the third portion through the guidepiece 14 on the second portion 3 to the bracket 29 on the first portion 2 . The cable 13 it is attached to a spring or elastic means on the first portion 2 . This arrangement keeps the cable 13 taut when the ladder 1 is in the folded configuration.
When the actuators 27 , 28 are fully retracted, the ladder 1 is in the unfolded configuration and access to the opening 19 is provided. The end piece 30 of the third portion may be extended such that the third portion 4 can be adjusted to fit a range of floor to ceiling heights when in an unfolded configuration. An adjustment of plus or minus 100 mm (4 inches) may be provided on a given ceiling height.
In an alternative embodiment of the invention ( FIG. 5 ), placement of another pinion gear 40 between the rack 22 and the existing pinion gear 23 allows the opposite motion to that described above to be achieved. As such, when the actuators 27 , 28 are in a retracted position, the ladder is in the folded configuration. This allows for a shorter ladder frame and a smaller overall unit size.
Closing the stairs is again triggered by the remote control. The actuators 27 , 28 start to extend and thus the arm 37 extends from the sleeve piece 38 , which has the effect of pushing the rack 22 beneath the pinion 23 . The pinion 23 rotates upon the rack surface and as it does so, the second ladder portion 3 is folded up towards the first portion 2 . Thus, the ladder 1 begins to move to the folded configuration. The cable 13 further controls the closing of the third portion 4 . The third portion 4 is drawn towards its folded position atop the second portion 3 . As the ladder moves towards its folded configuration, the motion of the actuators 27 , 28 of the second drive mechanism activates a switch which triggers the actuators 20 , 21 of the first drive mechanism. The actuators 20 , 21 of the first drive mechanism act on the arm elements 7 , 7 ′ to close the cover 5 and move the ladder 1 to its folded configuration.
The ladder is fully automated, in that with the touch of a button the cover 5 opens and the ladder 1 unfolds to the floor. No manual intervention by a user is required to either open the cover or move and adjust the ladder mechanism.
The actuators 20 , 21 , 27 , 28 are mains powered. They further comprise a built in battery backup. As such, in case of power failure, the ladder may still be operated for a limited amount of times. When power is restored, the battery goes into a charging mode.
Although the foregoing description provides embodiments of the invention by way of example, it is envisioned that other embodiments may perform similar functions and/or achieve similar results. Any and all such equivalent embodiments and examples are within the scope of the present invention. It is appreciated that certain features of the invention, which are, for clarity, described in the context of separate embodiments, may also be provided in combination in a single embodiment. Conversely, various features of the invention which are, for brevity, described in the context of a single embodiment, may also be provided separately or in any suitable sub-combination.
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A foldable ladder for providing access to an opening including: a first motorized drive mechanism for moving a cover for the opening between a closed position and an open position; a second motorized drive mechanism coupled to a plurality of foldable ladder portions for moving the ladder portions between a folded configuration and an unfolded configuration; such that, in moving the cover between the closed and an open position, the first motorized drive mechanism triggers the second motorized drive mechanism to move the ladder portions between the folded configuration and unfolded configuration.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] 1. Field of the Invention
[0002] The present invention relates to a plastic glazing panel for use as an automotive window. More specifically, the invention relates to a self-illuminating glazing panel that integrates a layer of luminescent ink comprising a phosphorescent or a fluorescent pigment with a polymeric substrate.
[0003] 2. Background of the Invention
[0004] Plastic materials are used for manufacturing various automotive parts and components such as B-Pillars, headlamps, and various panels. Some plastic materials, such as polycarbonate, offer superior resistance to fracture and/or dislodgement in case of accidents and hence may be used as glazing panels for the windows and sunroofs of automotive vehicles. Plastic materials give more freedom in the style and shape of the glazing panel which in effect provides significant freedom in regards to the design of an automotive window. Furthermore, plastic materials may be combined with coating systems to add different functionalities to the glazing panels.
[0005] It currently has become popular with the end-user to use colored and illuminating bands in conjunction with glass window panels for both styling and safety purposes. A bright band on a vehicle's window helps increase the visibility of the vehicle to other motorists and pedestrians. The enhanced visibility of such vehicles assists in significantly reducing side and rear-end collisions. Vehicles with bright-banded windows may play a crucial role in avoiding accidents during the evening and night hours.
[0006] The illuminated bands or strips that may be attached to a car's window or body for decorative or safety purposes are essentially an after-market product. These illuminating bands are typically neither integrated as part of the car body or in the window glazing system. Aftermarket products, such as these illuminating bands, are usually expensive and not tested to meet or maintain the stringent performance conditions required for automotive original equipment.
[0007] Therefore, there is a need for an integrated colored and/or illuminated band into the automotive glazing system in order to insure that there are no detrimental performance effects and to minimize the cost of such a component to the end-user.
SUMMARY
[0008] The present invention is directed to a self-illuminating glazing panel suitable for use in an automotive vehicle that provides aesthetic acceptance and better visibility during the night for safety purposes. In one embodiment of the present invention, the self-illuminating glazing panel comprises a plastic substrate, a luminescent layer disposed on the plastic substrate, a weatherable layer affixed to the luminescent layer for reducing the amount of infrared and ultraviolet radiation penetrating into the underlying plastic substrate, and an abrasion resistant layer capable of resisting abrasion upon exposure to external elements.
[0009] Another embodiment of the present invention provides a method for manufacturing a self-illuminating glazing panel. The method comprises forming a self-illuminating glazing panel by molding a plastic substrate from a polymeric resin and printing a layer of luminescent material on the molded plastic substrate. The method further comprises depositing at least one weatherable layer onto the surface of the plastic panel; and depositing at least one abrasion layer onto the weathering layer(s), the abrasion layer providing abrasion resistance to the outwardly facing surfaces of the glazing panel.
[0010] The luminescent layer is integrated with the glazing panel so that the glazing panel glows due to excitation from external light sources during the night, such as head lamps from another vehicle. The glazing panel is preferably self-illuminating and is capable of producing luminescence without requiring any external electrical power source, as is required for electroluminescent materials.
[0011] Automotive safety is one advantage that a self-illuminating glazing panel of the present invention provides by increasing the visibility of the vehicle to other motorists and pedestrians. This in turn may play a crucial role in avoiding accidents during the evening and night hours. A second advantage of the present invention is that a luminescent layer, when integrated with the glazing panel, may give a brighter appearance to the windows or sunroofs during the daylight hours. This effect may enhance the aesthetic appearance of the vehicle to the end-user.
[0012] These and other features, aspects, and advantages of the present invention will become better understood with reference to the following description and appended claims.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0013] In the drawings, the same or similar reference numbers identify similar elements.
[0014] FIG. 1 is a partial perspective view of an automotive vehicle incorporating a self-illuminating glazing panel according to the principles of the present invention.
[0015] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional schematic illustration of a self-illuminating glazing panel according to the present invention wherein a luminescent layer is printed on a plastic substrate.
[0016] FIGS. 3A and 3B are cross-sectional schematic illustrations of alternative embodiments of the present invention wherein the self-illuminating glazing panel includes a plastic film integrated with the self-illuminating glazing panel using a film insert molding (FIM) technique.
[0017] FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing a process for manufacturing the self-illuminating glazing panel according to another aspect of the present invention.
[0018] FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing an alternative embodiment for the process of manufacturing the self-illuminating glazing panel according to the principles of the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0019] FIG. 1 shows a portion of an automotive vehicle 10 comprising a body 12 having portions 14 , 16 defining a rear quarter window opening in which a self-illuminating glazing panel 18 , according to the present invention, is fixed in the conventional fashion, such as with adhesive bonding. A masking body 20 is preferably provided to conceal the adhesive joint.
[0020] FIG. 2 diagrammatically illustrates a cross-sectional view of one embodiment of the self-illuminating glazing panel 18 of the present invention. As shown, the glazing panel 18 comprises multiple layers integrally formed with a plastic substrate 22 , which is a transparent plastic panel having good optical clarity. The plastic substrate 22 forms the base layer for glazing panel 18 . A luminescent layer 24 , printed on plastic substrate 22 , provides a self-illuminating characteristic to the glazing panel 18 . Additionally, an optional functional layer 26 may be printed or deposited on the luminescent layer 24 using any standard technique known to those skilled in the art. The optional functional layer 26 may be comprised of a single layer or multiple sub-layers 25 , with each sub-layer providing a different functionality. For example, one sub-layer 25 may comprise a decorative border (such as the masking body 20 mentioned previously), while a second sub-layer 25 may comprise a heater grid for defrosting the window. The luminescent layer 24 and the optional functional layer 26 are placed on the interior surface of the plastic substrate, which is the surface located to the inside of the automotive vehicle 10 . Overlaid on the exterior side of the plastic substrate 22 , is a weatherable layer 28 that blocks the transmission of ultraviolet radiation, thereby preventing any harmful effects of the radiation on the underlying layers. A second weatherable layer 28 ′ may be optionally provided on the interior of the vehicle. This layer 28 ′ is optional because the interior surface of the glazing panel interacts with substantially less sunlight than the exterior surface of the glazing panel. An abrasion resistant layer 28 forms the outermost layer of the self-illuminating glazing panel, over the weatherable layer 29 , and provides an additional degree of protection for the self-illuminating glazing panel from abrasion, moisture, and other external elements. As with the second weatherable layer 28 ′, a second abrasion layer 29 ′ may be provided on the interior of the glazing panel 18 .
[0021] Preferably, the plastic substrate 22 is transparent. However, it may in some instances be translucent, opaque or a combination of these. The plastic substrate 22 can be formed of a variety of different thermoplastic or thermoset polymeric resins known to those skilled in the art. These polymeric resins include, but are not limited to, polycarbonate, acrylic, polyacrylate, polyester, polysulfone, polyurethane, silicone, epoxy, polyamide, polyalkylenes, acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene (ABS) as well has copolymers, blends, and mixtures thereof. The plastic substrate 22 may further include various additives such as colorants, Theological control agents, mold release agent, antioxidants, ultraviolet absorbing (UVA) molecules, and infrared (IR) absorbing or reflecting pigments, among others.
[0022] The luminescent layer 24 comprises a phosphorescent or fluorescent ink that is capable of producing luminescence after absorbing radiant energy or other type of energy. The luminescent layer 24 may be a band, strip, border, or decorative pattern applied by screen printing, inkjet printing, mask & spray, or any other technique known to those skilled in the art. The luminescent layer 24 may be cured by air drying, UV absorption, thermal absorption, condensation addition, thermally driven entanglement, or cross-linking induced by cationic or anionic species.
[0023] The phosphorescent or fluorescent ink is preferably formed of a polymeric binder or resin and a phosphorescent pigment, a fluorescent dye, a fluorescent pigment, or a mixture of both, dispersed in a carrier liquid. The carrier liquid may comprise a single solvent or a mixture of solvents. Other additives, such as rheological control agents, antioxidants, surfactants, and biocides, among others, may also be present in the ink.
[0024] The polymeric binder of the phosphorescent or fluorescent ink may be any polymer suitable for adhering to the plastic substrate (base layer) 22 or a plastic film (further discussed below) used in the formation of the self-illuminating glazing panel. Examples of polymeric binders or resins include, but are not limited to polycarbonate, acrylic, polyacrylate, polyester, polysulfone, polyurethane, silicone, epoxy, polyamide, polyalkylenes, acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene (ABS) as well has copolymers, blends, and mixtures thereof. Preferably, the polymeric binder in the phosphorescent or fluorescent ink is substantially similar to the polymeric resin present in any ink or coating used to form an optional functional layer in the self-illuminating glazing panel, as discussed below.
[0025] Phosphorescent pigments include, but are not limited to strontium oxide aluminates, sulphides of calcium, strontium, zinc, or barium doped with copper, bismuth, or manganese, and radioisotopes, such as Radium or Tritium. A specific example of a phosphorescent pigment is strontium oxide aluminate available as LumiNova® from Nemoto & Co. Ltd. (Tokyo, Japan).
[0026] Suitable fluorescent dyes include, but are not limited to, sodium fluorescein, rhodamine, fluoresceine, resorcinolphthalein, and conjugated derivatives of stilbene and benzimidazole. Fluorescent pigments include, but are not limited to, organic pigments and minerals that absorb short wavelengths and long wavelengths of light. Examples of long wavelength absorbing fluorescent minerals include agate (white-blue), magnesite (white-blue), calcite (red), fluorite (yellow), and scapolite (pink). Examples of short wavelength absorbing fluorescent minerals include ruby (red), halite (red), gypsum (yellow), diamond, and adamite (green). A specific example of an organic fluorescent pigment is the aldazine pigment (yellow) available as Lumogen® Yellow S 0790 from BASF (Germany).
[0027] Phosphorescence is a form of photoluminescence stimulated by the absorption of light in the UV-Vis-NIR spectral region. Phosphorescent pigments absorb light at wavelengths represented by this spectral region, which is then remitted slowly over time, typically as photons of longer wavelengths of light. Phosphorescent pigments are known to “glow in the dark” releasing the absorbed light over minutes or hours after the light source has been removed. When phosphorescent pigments are integrated with a self-illuminating glazing panel of a vehicle, the excitation light source may typically be the headlights of other vehicles, as well as streetlights and other light sources external to the vehicle.
[0028] The phosphorescent effect is highly dependent upon the selection of the pigments, the light absorption properties of the self-illuminating glazing panel, and the intensity of the light absorbed. The type of pigment selected, preferably, absorbs light in a portion of the spectral region that is substantially different than the portion of the region being effectively filtered or absorbed by the plastic substrate, plastic film, or weatherable layer. For example, polycarbonate is an effective filter of any UV radiation having a wavelength below about 380 nanometers. In addition, the photolytic degradation of polycarbonate upon exposure to UV radiation exhibiting a wavelength of 290 to 340 nanometers, requires the weatherable layer to absorb or reflect these wavelengths of light, thereby, protecting the underlying plastic panel and plastic film. Thus, in this specific case, it would be preferred that the phosphorescent pigments present in the luminescent layer absorb a wavelength of light that is greater than about 380 nanometers.
[0029] The luminescent layer may be comprised of a mixture of phosphorescent and fluorescent pigments. In this embodiment, the light absorbed and re-emitted by the fluorescent pigments occurs over a very rapid time frame with respect to the time frame over which light is re-emitted by the phosphorescent pigments. This rapid re-emission of fluorescent light causes the self-illuminating glazing panel to “glow”.
[0030] Fluorescence is a form of photoluminescence that occurs on a substantially faster time scale than phosphorescence. In fluorescence, the emitted light is always of a longer wavelength than the excitation or incident light. The emission of fluorescent light continues to occur as long as the external light source is present. If the exciting radiation is stopped, then the occurrence of fluorescence ceases. A more thorough molecular treatment of both phosphorescence and fluorescence is available to those skilled in the art in the form of a Jablonski Energy Diagram. Similar to phosphorescence, the fluorescent effect is highly dependent upon the selection of the pigments, the light absorption properties of the self-illuminating glazing panel, and the intensity of the light absorbed. The fluorescent pigment utilized in the luminescent layer of a self-illuminating panel preferably absorbs light in a portion of the spectral region different from the portion of the region that is filtered or absorbed by the plastic substrate, plastic film, or the weatherable layer.
[0031] The use of phosphorescent pigments is preferable over the use of fluorescent pigments due to the associated longer timeframe for emitting light.
[0032] An optional functional layer 26 may be placed onto the surface of the luminescent layer 24 . This optional functional layer 26 may provide multiple functionality to the self-illuminating glazing panel 18 . For example, the functional layer 26 may comprise a decorative layer, such as a black-out or fade-out layer in order to hide the bonding system used to adhere the panel to the vehicle. Other functionalities provided by the optional functional layer 26 may include, but are not be limited to, logos, defrosters or heater grids, antennas, solar control, electroluminescence, conductive films, photochromic films, or electrochromic films. The optional functional layer 26 may cure by air drying, UV absorption, thermal absorption, condensation addition, thermally driven entanglement, or cross-linking induced by cationic or anionic species.
[0033] The weatherable layer 28 , which protects the self-illuminating glazing panel from environmental elements, such as UV radiation and moisture, may comprise silicones, polyurethanes, acrylics, polyesters, epoxies, and mixtures or copolymers thereof. It will be apparent to one skilled in the art that the weatherable layer 28 may include other suitable materials that impart weatherability to the self-illuminating glazing panel. Weatherable layer 28 may be extruded, cast as thin films, or applied as a discrete coating. The weatherable layer 28 may be a single layer or a combination of multiple sub-layers 27 . A specific example of a weatherable layer 28 comprising multiple sub-layers 27 includes a combination of an acrylic primer (SHP401, GE Silicones, Waterford, N.Y.) and a silicone hard-coat (AS4000, GE Silicones). The weatherable layer 28 may further comprise additional additives including colorants (tints), rheological control agents, antioxidants, ultraviolet absorbing (UVA) molecules, and IR absorbing or reflecting pigments, among others. Due to the decreased amount of UV radiation impinging on the surface of the window facing the interior of the car, the weatherable layer 28 ′ present on the interior side of the self-illuminating glazing panel is optional.
[0034] The weatherable layer 28 may be applied by dip coating, flow coating, spray coating, curtain coating, or any other techniques known to those skilled in the art. The thickness of the weatherable layer 28 may range from about 2 micrometers to several mils (1 mil=25.4 micrometers), with about 6 micrometers to 1 mil being preferred. The weatherable layer 28 may cure by air drying, UV absorption, thermal absorption, condensation addition, thermally driven entanglement, or cross-linking induced by cationic or anionic species.
[0035] The abrasion resistant layer 29 may comprise a single layer or multiple sub-layers 30 . The abrasion resistant layer 29 may be comprised of aluminum oxide, barium fluoride, boron nitride, hafnium oxide, lanthanum fluoride, magnesium fluoride, magnesium oxide, scandium oxide, silicon monoxide, silicon dioxide, silicon nitride, silicon oxy-nitride, silicon oxy-carbide, hydrogenated silicon oxy-carbide, silicon carbide, tantalum oxide, titanium oxide, tin oxide, indium tin oxide, yttrium oxide, zinc oxide, zinc selenide, zinc sulfide, zirconium oxide, zirconium titanate, or a mixture or blend thereof. Preferably, the abrasion resistant layer 29 is comprised of a composition of SiO x or SiO x C y H z depending upon the amount of carbon and hydrogen atoms that remain in the deposited layer. In this regard, the abrasion resistant layer 29 resembles a “glass-like” coating.
[0036] The abrasion resistant layer 29 may be applied by any suitable technique known to those skilled in the art including techniques involving the deposition of a film from reactive species, such as but not limited to those employed in vacuum-assisted deposition processes. Examples of suitable coating processes include, but are not limited to, plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD), expanding thermal plasma PECVD, plasma polymerization. photochemical vapor deposition, ion beam deposition, ion plating deposition, cathodic arc deposition, sputtering, evaporation, hollow-cathode activated deposition, magnetron activated deposition, activated reactive evaporation, thermal chemical vapor deposition, and any known sol-gel coating process. The thickness of the abrasion layer 29 may range from about 1 micrometer to 1 mil with about 3 micrometers to 10 micrometers being preferred. Optionally, a similar abrasion layer 29 ′ may be applied to the interior of the glazing panel.
[0037] The weatherable layer 28 and abrasion resistant layer 29 may be combined to form a layered glazing system. Examples of layered glazing systems, include but are not limited to the acrylic/silicone/“glass-like” systems offered by Exatec LLC (Wixom, Mich.) as Exatec® 500, Exatec® 900, and Exatec® 900vt glazing systems.
[0038] Another embodiment of the present invention includes the incorporation of a decorative film as part of the various layers in the self-illuminating glazing panel using film insert molding (FIM) techniques. This decorated film may comprise a plastic film along with the luminescent layer and any optional functional layers. In forming the panel, the decorated film is placed onto tooling of an injection mold with the luminescent and optional functional layers facing away from the surface of the tooling and toward the cavity defined by the mold. A plastic resin is then injected into the mold to encapsulate the luminescent layer and any optional functional layer between the plastic resin and the film.
[0039] FIG. 3A illustrates a diagrammatic cross sectional view of another embodiment of a self-illuminating glazing panel 18 as provided by the present invention and that incorporates the use of a decorated film. In this embodiment, the self-illuminating glazing panel 18 comprises a plastic film layer 31 and a luminescent layer 24 printed on the plastic film layer 31 . An optional functional layer 26 may be printed or deposited on the luminescent layer 24 by any standard technique known to skilled in the art. The plastic substrate 22 is then back molded onto the plastic film. In this embodiment the plastic film is located, relative to the substrate 22 , toward the exterior of the vehicle. The subsequent application of a weatherable layer 28 to the plastic film is preferable in order to block the transmission of ultraviolet radiation to the plastic film. The abrasion resistant layer 29 provides an additional degree of surface-hardening, as well as protection from abrasion, moisture, and other external elements. As with the prior embodiments, an additional weatherable layer 28 ′ and abrasion resistant layer 29 ′ may be applied to the interior side of the substrate 22 .
[0040] FIG. 3B illustrates a cross-sectional view of a further embodiment of a self-illuminating glazing panel 18 as provided by the present invention. This embodiment is similar to the embodiment described in FIG. 3A except that in this embodiment the plastic film 30 is located toward the interior of the vehicle 10 . In order not to obscure the luminescent layer 24 , any optional functional layers 26 are preferably applied to the plastic film 30 prior to the application of the luminescent layer 24 to the film. In this respect, the position of the luminescent layer 24 and any functional layer 26 have been reversed for this embodiment as compared to the embodiment previously described in FIG. 3A . In substantially all other aspects, the embodiment of FIG. 3B is constructed the same as the embodiment of FIG. 3A .
[0041] FIG. 4 is a block diagram representation of a process for manufacturing a self illuminating glazing panel 18 according to one embodiment of the present invention. At step 41 , a plastic substrate 22 is formed via injection molding of a transparent plastic resin, such as a polycarbonate or acrylic resin. Plastic substrate 22 forms the base layer for the self-illuminating glazing panel 18 . At step 42 , the plastic substrate 22 is removed from the mold, inspected, and any preliminary processing is carried out such as cleaning, which includes the elimination of any static electrical charges. At step 43 , the luminescent layer 24 is printed onto the plastic substrate 22 .
[0042] In a preferred embodiment, the luminescent layer 24 is printed by a screen printing process. In the screen printing process, a fine mesh screen equipped with a stencil according to the desired shape of the luminescent layer 24 , is placed parallel with the plastic substrate 22 . The screen is then deposited with luminescent ink, followed by forcing of the luminescent ink through the openings of the stencil on the screen using a squeegee that is drawn across the surface of the screen. After the squeegee passes the stencil region, the tension of the stretched screen along with the off-contact distance between the screen and the plastic substrate 22 allows the screen to separate from the surface of the substrate leaving the luminescent layer 24 deposited onto the surface of the substrate. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that other techniques such as inkjet printing or mask and spray may also be used for providing the luminescent layer 24 onto the plastic substrate 22 .
[0043] At step 44 , any optional functional layers 26 are applied over the luminescent layer 24 . A functional layer 28 can be applied by screen printing, inkjet printing, mask & spray, spray coating, or any other techniques known to those skilled in the art. At step 45 , the weatherable layer 28 is applied to the glazing panel. The weatherable layer 28 may be applied by dip coating, flow coating, spray coating, curtain coating, or any other techniques known to those skilled in the art. At step 46 , the abrasion layer 29 is applied to the glazing panel. The abrasion layer 29 is applied by any suitable technique known to those skilled in the art, including techniques involving the deposition of a film from a reactive species, e.g., vacuum-assisted deposition processes. At step 47 , both a final inspection and finishing of the self-illuminating glazing panel 18 are carried out. The finishing of the self-illuminating glazing panel may include, but need not be limited to, such operations as the sanding or milling of panel edges, the attachment of positioning clips, spacers, or fasteners, the application of an adhesive primer and adhesive, or the cutting of holes for attachments, such as wipers.
[0044] FIG. 5 is a block diagram representation of a process for preparing a self-illuminating glazing panel 18 according to another embodiment of the present invention. At step 51 , the luminescent layer 24 is printed onto a plastic film. In a preferred embodiment, the luminescent layer 24 is printed via a screen printing process. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that other techniques, such as inkjet printing or mask and spray, may also be used for printing the luminescent layer 24 onto the plastic film. At step 52 , an optional functional layer 26 is applied over the luminescent layer 24 . The optional functional layer 26 can be applied by screen printing, inkjet printing, mask & spray, spray coating, or other techniques known to those skilled in the art. Steps 51 and 52 may be reversed in sequence depending upon if the plastic film faces the exterior of the vehicle as depicted in FIG. 3A or interior of the vehicle as depicted in FIG. 3B .
[0045] At step 53 , the decorated, plastic film is placed into the cavity of a mold and the plastic substrate 22 is back molded onto the film, thereby encapsulating the luminescent layer 24 and any optional functional layers 36 . This molding process is known to those skilled in the art as film insert molding (FIM). At step 54 , the molded plastic substrate 22 is removed from the mold, inspected, and any preliminary processing is carried out such as cleaning, which includes the elimination of static electrical charges. At step 55 , the weatherable layer 28 is applied to the glazing panel. The weatherable layer 28 may be applied by dip coating, flow coating, spray coating, curtain coating, or any other technique known to those skilled in the art. At step 56 , the abrasion resistant layer 29 is applied to the glazing panel. The abrasion resistant layer 29 may be applied by any suitable technique known to those skilled in the art including but not limited to techniques involving the deposition of a film from a reactive species, e.g., a vacuum-assisted deposition process. At step 57 , both a final inspection and finishing of the self-illuminating glazing panel 18 are carried out.
[0046] In as much as the foregoing disclosure is intended to enable one skilled in the pertinent art to practice the present invention, it should not be construed to be limited thereby, but should be construed to include such aforementioned obvious variations and be limited only by the spirit and scope of the following claims.
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A self-illuminating glazing panel suitable for use in an automotive vehicle is provided for better night and dusk visibility for safety purposes and for brighter appearance during the day. The self-illuminating glazing panel integrates a luminescent layer, containing phosphorescent or fluorescent pigments or dyes, with a plastic substrate. The luminescent layer allows the panel to glow during the evening and night hours upon excitation by external light sources, such as headlamps and streetlights.
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FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to proximity sensing systems and methods. Such systems and methods are useful for managing power consumption in an electronic device, as well as for other purposes.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Power management is becoming increasingly important as electronic devices place greater reliance on battery power. Portable computers, personal data assistants (PDAs), tablet computers, cellular phones, pagers, and wireless computer peripherals are only a few examples. While components of such devices are becoming increasingly power hungry, the demand for longer intervals between battery replacement or recharging has increased. Indeed, many devices are often turned on for ready usability but left idle for significant periods of time. Accordingly, there is an increasing need for systems and methods that reduce or slow battery depletion.
Wireless peripheral devices intended for use with a host computer are becoming more common. In particular, cursor control (pointing) devices such as a computer mouse can be made wireless by inclusion of a battery power source within the device and providing a wireless data link to a personal computer or other device via, e.g., an infrared or RF transmitter/receiver pair. Without effective power management, however, continuously operating a wireless peripheral can rapidly deplete the device's battery power, thereby requiring frequent battery replacement or recharging.
A common method of minimizing power consumption is to configure a device to “sleep” when it is not being used. In other words, a device may turn off many of its components during periods of non-use, and turn those components back on when the device is used. In a wireless computer mouse employing mechanical encoder wheels moved by a roller ball, sleep can occur by powering down the mouse's transmitter and receiver components, as well as other components not currently needed. The mouse can then periodically sample the encoder wheels for movement. When a change is detected in encoder wheel position between sampling intervals, the device “wakes up” and reactivates any powered-down components. This sampling occurs at a rate that is fast in comparison to human response time (on the order of 50 millisecond (msec) intervals); moving the mouse thus “wakes” the device without a perceptible delay. After experiencing a designated period of no motion, the mouse can then go back to sleep. The inactive intervals between sampling allow the average power use during “sleep” to be very small.
In another line of technological development, cursor control devices utilize optical surface tracking systems in lieu of conventional encoder wheel arrangements. Exemplary optical tracking systems, and associated signal processing techniques, include those disclosed in commonly owned U.S. Pat. No. 6,172,354 (Adan et al.) and copending applications Ser. No. 09/692,120, filed Oct. 19, 2000, and Ser. No. 09/273,899, filed Mar. 22, 1999. Optical tracking can provide more reliable and accurate tracking by eliminating moving parts (e.g., a ball and associated encoder wheels) which are prone to malfunction from the pick-up of dirt, oils, etc. from the tracked support surface and/or a user's hand. On the other hand, optical tracking requires considerable power for driving the circuitry used to illuminate a trackable surface and to receive and process light (image information) reflected from the trackable surface.
Although optical mice and other cursor control devices are an improvement over devices relying upon mechanical encoder wheels, sampling mouse motion as a method of “waking” a sleeping optical mouse is problematic. To determine motion, the imager must be powered and compare at least two successive images to determine motion. This requires a motion detector's illuminating LED to be turned on for a significant amount of time. The resultant power use is thus greater than that of a sleeping mechanical mouse. There is thus a need for alternative methods and systems that sense when a mouse (or other input device) is needed and wake the device. Proximity detection is one such alternative. Instead of sampling the mouse's (or device's) motion detector elements for movement, detection of a user's approaching hand can be used as an indicator that the mouse must wake up.
Various types of user proximity detectors are known and used in power management systems and other applications. For example, Mese et al. U.S. Pat. No. 5,396,443 discloses power saving control arrangements for an information processing apparatus. More specifically, the Mese et al. patent describes various systems for (1) detecting the approach (or contact) of a user associated medium to (or with) the apparatus; (2) placing a controlled object of the apparatus in a non-power saving state when such contact or approach is detected; and (3) placing the controlled object in a power saving state when the presence of the user associated medium (i.e., a stylus pen or part of a user's body) is not detected for a predetermined period of time. The '443 patent describes various types of approach/contact sensors. Among these, various “tablet” type sensor systems are described, including electromagnetic, capacitance, and electrostatic coupling tablets. In one embodiment, a contact or approach detecting tablet, and a flat display panel, may be integrally formed with a housing of the information processing apparatus.
Sellers U.S. Pat. No. 5,669,004 discloses a system for reducing power usage in a personal computer. More specifically, a power control circuit is disclosed for powering down portions of a personal computer in response to user inactivity, and for delivering full power to these portions once user activity is detected via one or more sensors. The components to which power is reduced (or removed) are components which can respond almost immediately to being turned on. On the other hand, components which require a period of time to come up to full operation (e.g., disk drive motors, monitor, main processor) are driven to full power. In the primary embodiment that is disclosed, the sensor is a piezoelectric sensor fitted into a keyboard. Sellers discloses that sensors may be positioned at other locations on the computer (a monitor, mouse, trackball, touch pad or touch screen) and that various other kinds of sensors (capacity, stress, temperature, light) could be used instead of piezoelectric sensors.
Commonly owned U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/948,099, filed Sep. 7, 2001, discloses capacitive sensing and data input device power management systems and methods. In the disclosed embodiments, capacitive proximity sensing is carried out by detecting a relative change in the capacitance of a “scoop” capacitor formed by a conductor and surrounding ground plane. The conductor may be a plate provided in the form of an adhesive label printed with conductive ink. Charge is transferred between the scoop capacitor and a relatively large “bucket” capacitor, and a voltage of the bucket capacitor is applied to an input threshold switch. A state transition from low to high (or high to low) of the input threshold is detected, and a value indicative of the number of cycles of charge transfer required to reach the state transition is determined. The presence or absence of an object or body portion in close proximity to or in contact with a device can be determined by comparing the value with a predetermined threshold. The predetermined threshold can be adjusted to take into account environmentally induced changes in capacitance of the scoop capacitor.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention provides a simple system and method for proximity detection representing an alternative to the capacitive sensing systems and methods described in Ser. No. 09/948,099. The invention is described by way of a particular implementation in a wireless computer mouse using optical tracking, but can be implemented in other forms and in other contexts. The invention detects proximity of a hand, other body part or other object by measuring output from a phototransistor or other device that generates, in response to an electromagnetic illumination, a voltage or other output that varies with time of illumination. When electromagnetic radiation from an adjacent illuminating source is reflected by an object into the receptor, the output of the receptor rises more quickly than the output would rise in response to ambient conditions alone. The output is sampled at multiple points during a sampling period, and an indication of the relation of each sample to a threshold value is recorded. To compensate for detector output rise over time that would occur in ambient conditions (i.e., with no reflected energy from the adjacent illumination source), two series of samples are recorded. The first series is taken in ambient conditions (the illuminating source off), and the second series is taken with the illuminating source activated. The sequence of recorded output indications from the “on” series is compared to the sequence of recorded output indications from the “off” series, and if the change is above a designated level, an object is determined to be near.
In one embodiment of the invention, a phototransistor (PTR) is used as a receptor, and an infrared light emitting diode (IR LED) is used as an illumination source. A series of bits is recorded with the IR LED off, with a “0” bit stored for each sample where the PTR voltage is below a threshold voltage and a “1” stored for each sample where the PTR voltage is at or above the threshold voltage. A second series of bits is recorded with the IR LED on, and the results compared. If the difference in “1” bits is above a designated level, an “object-near” condition has occurred (i.e., object is recognized to be near).
According to another aspect of the invention, a second sensor (e.g., a second receptor/illuminating source pair) is added, and an object-near condition is not recognized unless both sensors detect the object. In this manner, false detections can be avoided when a user device (e.g., a computer mouse) is positioned next to a stationary object (e.g., a coffee cup or other desktop object). According to another aspect of the invention, the voltage sample series can be tested for noise or other anomalous results, and the series discarded if corrupted.
These and other aspects of the invention will be apparent from the following description of the invention, taken in conjunction with the attached drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic perspective view showing location of components in one embodiment of the invention.
FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of the detection circuitry in one embodiment of the invention.
FIG. 3 is a graph illustrating differences in the voltage rise time for a PTR when an object is near and when an object is far.
FIG. 4A is a graph showing voltage rise over time for a PTR in a condition of low ambient light with no hand in proximity, and with the IR LED inactive.
FIG. 4B is a graph showing voltage rise over time for a PTR in a condition of low ambient light with no hand in proximity, and with the IR LED active.
FIG. 5A is a graph showing voltage rise over time for a PTR in a condition of low ambient light with a hand in proximity, and with the IR LED inactive.
FIG. 5B is a graph showing voltage rise over time for a PTR in a condition of low ambient light with a hand in proximity, and with the IR LED active.
FIG. 6A is a graph showing voltage rise over time for a PTR in a condition of high ambient light with no hand in proximity, and with the IR LED inactive.
FIG. 6B is a graph showing voltage rise over time for a PTR in a condition of high ambient light with no hand in proximity, and with the IR LED active.
FIG. 7A is a graph showing voltage rise over time for a PTR in a condition of high ambient light with a hand in proximity, and with the IR LED inactive.
FIG. 7B is a graph showing voltage rise over time for a PTR in a condition of high ambient light with a hand in proximity, and with the IR LED active.
FIG. 8 is a flow chart of the operation of one embodiment of the invention.
FIG. 9 is a continuation of the flow-chart shown in FIG. 8 .
FIG. 10 is a continuation of the flow chart shown in FIG. 9 from one branching point.
FIG. 11 is a continuation of the flow chart shown in FIG. 9 from another branching point.
FIG. 12 is a continuation of the flow charts of FIGS. 10 and 11 .
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
An exemplary application of the invention within a computer input device is presented. Specifically, a wireless, optically tracking computer mouse is described by way of example. However, the invention has much wider-ranging application, and can be used in numerous devices wherein it would be advantageous to conserve battery power during periods of non-use. The invention also has a useful application in other data input devices—portable and non-portable, wireless and wired, self-contained and peripheral (e.g., to a host computer). The invention finds particularly useful application (but is not limited to) battery powered devices which are intermittently used and generally left on over extended periods of time so as to provide ready usability when demand so requires. Such devices include (but are not limited to) portable computers, personal data assistants (PDAs), tablet computers, cellular phones, pagers and wireless computer peripherals, e.g., mice and keyboards. Moreover, the proximity sensing aspects of the present invention are not limited to power management, and can be implemented in virtually any device (data input device or otherwise) where it is desired to determine the presence or non-presence of an object or body portion in close proximity to another object. By way of example and not limitation, this includes many applications where other types of proximity sensors have been used: water valve actuation in toilets; faucets and drinking fountains; automatic door control systems; alarm systems; security lock systems and safety interlock systems, etc.
FIG. 1 is a block diagram of one embodiment of the invention implemented in a wireless optical mouse 10 . Although not shown, mouse 10 includes circuitry for communication with a personal computer (PC), optical movement detection means, a battery, and other structures, the details of which are unnecessary for a full understanding of the invention. As is known in the art, mouse 10 is configured to be grasped by a user's hand and moved on a generally flat surface. In order to detect the approach of a user's hand, mouse 10 includes one or more detector pairs, each of which comprises an infrared light emitting diode (IR LED) and a phototransistor (PTR), the operation of which is described in more detail below. A first detector pair 20 , shown in block form, is located on a side of mouse 10 . A second detector pair 30 , also shown in block form, is located on the top of mouse 10 . In order for mouse 10 to wake up, both detector pairs must detect the approach of a user's hand. Requiring detection of approach to the side and to the top of mouse 10 prevents mouse 10 from remaining awake if mouse 10 is “parked” next to a coffee cup or other desktop object that might trigger detector pair 20 located on the side. Detector pairs 20 and 30 are connected to and communicate with electronic circuitry located on circuit board 50 . Although shown as a separate circuit board in FIG. 1, the detection circuitry of the invention could also be located on (or incorporated into) a circuit board having other components and functions. A “tail light” 40 , which illuminates to indicate that the mouse is awake, may also be included. Detector pairs 20 and 30 , tail light 40 and electronic components of circuit board 50 are powered by a battery (not shown).
FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of detector pairs 20 and 30 , tail light 40 and the electronic components of circuit board 50 . Microcontroller 51 can be a PIC16F84-04/P, available from Microchip Technology Inc. of Chandler, Ariz., operating at 4 MHz, with power supplied by voltage source Vdd. In an exemplary embodiment, Vdd=3.5 volts. Microcontroller 51 includes tri-state ports 52 and 53 . The type of microcontroller is not critical to the invention, and indeed, a dedicated controller is not required. Firmware for the invention can be incorporated into the code of a more complex system, and the tri-state ports can be any standard pins on a generic controller or ASIC. The clock for microcontroller 51 is set using resonator 61 , which can be a generic ceramic resonator with internal capacitive loading. Detector pairs 20 and 30 can be IR reflective sensor modules such as the QRD1114 module available from Fairchild Semiconductor Optoelectronics Group (formerly from QT Optoelectronics) of South Portland, Me. Module 20 comprises IR LED 21 and phototransistor (PTR) 22 . Similarly, module 30 comprises IR LED 31 and phototransistor (PTR) 32 . Port 54 (through 2N3904 transistor 62 ) activates tail light 40 (which can be a visible LED) during wake-up mode. Although not needed for operation of the invention, 1 mega ohm resistors 23 and 33 loading phototransistors 22 and 32 can be included so as to provide a convenient location to set an oscilloscope probe for testing. These loads have no effect on the circuit since they are in parallel with tri-state port 52 and 53 input impedances, which are in the range of 20 kilo ohms. Ports 52 and 53 connected to phototransistors 22 and 32 are switched between this 20K impedance input mode and a low impedance output mode which grounds the microcontroller pin. Ports 55 and 56 are drive pins for IR LEDs 21 and 31 , and are toggled high and low to create current pulses in IR LEDs 21 and 31 . This drive current is internally limited at 50 mA by the microcontroller. Resistors (not shown) can be placed in series with IR LEDs 21 and 31 to slow down the rise time of the phototransistors when the IR LEDs are active. This permits the invention to span a wide range of LED efficiencies and PTR sensitivities by matching LED/PTR pair gain to added series resistance. In the described embodiment with no added series resistance, LED pulses last for approximately 50 μsec and are repeated approximately every 50 msec. The rise time characteristics of the QRD1114 are compatible with the timing requirements of a human user interface. The on-time for the sampling time is 50 μsec, and during this period, the voltage ramp for each PTR should cross the threshold voltage for microcontroller 51 when the target (the user's hand) is within 2 inches of the module/sensor and the peak LED current is 50 mA.
As is known in the art, illumination causes charging of a PTR's internal capacitance. This charging results in a ramping voltage across the PTR as the illumination continues. The rate of charging a PTR's internal capacitance, which corresponds to the slope of the voltage ramp, varies with the intensity of the electromagnetic illumination of the PTR (whether infrared or visible light). In order to reset a PTR's voltage to zero, the PTR is “clamped” by grounding the PTR. When a PTR is “unclamped” and exposed to illumination, it will begin generating a voltage ramp which can be sampled and measured. Referring to FIG. 2, as PTR 22 is unclamped and illuminated, the output voltage of PTR 22 can be incrementally measured at port 52 during a sampling period. For all measured voltages below a threshold voltage V threshold , microcontroller 51 can be configured to store a “0”. For all measured voltages above V threshold , microcontroller 51 can be configured to store a “1”. PTR 32 operates in a similar manner, and its output voltage is measured at port 53 . FIG. 3 is a graph illustrating this operation. For each of measurements 1-5 on the line labeled “object far,” the voltage is below V threshold when sampled at port 52 (or 53 ), and a “0” is stored. For each of measurements 6-8, the voltage is equal to or above V threshold when sampled, and a “1” is stored. If the illumination is more intense, such as may occur when IR radiation is reflected from a nearby object (such as a hand), the voltage rises more quickly, resulting in a steeper ramp. Referring again to FIG. 3, the steeper ramp labeled “object near” describes the voltage rise when a nearby object reflects IR radiation into the PTR, causing more intense illumination. In this case, measuring the voltage at the same time increments results in a “0” stored for measurements 1-3, and a “1” stored for measurements 4-8. If each series of measurements is stored as a sequence of bits, with the first measurement as the most significant bit (MSB) and the last measurement as the least significant bit (LSB), the first series would be “00000111” and the last would be “00011111”. Interpreting these series as 8-bit binary numbers and converting to decimal numbers, the “object near” event produced a sensor response of 31, and the “object far” event produced a sensor response of 7. As seen in this example, placing the first measurement bit in the MSB position and the last bit in the LSB position, the sensor response maps increasing illumination levels to numbers with increasing value stored in memory.
This change in voltage rise time can be used to indicate the proximity of an approaching object. If an object is nearby, the voltage rises more quickly, and a stored bit pattern will have more 1's. Because the steepness of a PTR voltage ramp is dependent upon illumination intensity, however, ambient light level can affect the rate at which the PTR's output voltage rises. Referring to FIG. 3, both the “object near” and “object far” ramps could be different if the ambient light were varied. Both ramps would be steeper in higher ambient light and less steep in lower ambient light. If the time increments over which the voltage is measured do not change, the stored bit pattern could vary depending on ambient lighting conditions. Accordingly, the effect of ambient light must be accounted for when using a PTR to detect proximity of an approaching object.
The invention compensates for the effect of ambient light by measuring PTR voltage during a first interval with the IR LED off, and then measuring PTR voltage during a second interval with the IR LED on. These series of measurements are then compared to determine if there is an object in proximity. This is shown in more detail with reference to FIGS. 4A-7B. FIG. 4A is a graph showing a series of PTR voltage measurements during a condition of low ambient light, with the IR LED off and no hand (or other object) present. The 8 samples in FIG. 4A are taken over 50 μsec, although other sampling periods could be used. As shown in FIG. 4A, all samples under V threshold result in storage of a “0”, and all voltages over V threshold result in storage of a “1.” It should be appreciated that the graph of FIG. 4A (as well as each following graph) is for purposes of explanation, and that no graph is necessarily generated as part of the operation of the invention. Instead, microcontroller 51 records the sampling series as a bit sequence in a register. An example of such a register's contents is shown at the bottom of FIG. 4A, with the first measurement in the MSB and the last in measurement in the LSB. FIG. 4B shows a graph illustrating a second sampling series. Like the series of FIG. 4A, FIG. 4B describes a series of 8 samples taken over a 50 μsec period, in low ambient light and with no hand in proximity. The IR LED is on during the series of FIG. 4B, but because no hand (or other reflective object) is in proximity, no (or virtually no) light from the IR LED is reflected into to the PTR. Accordingly, the graph of FIG. 4B is substantially identical to that of FIG. 4A, and the sampling series bit sequence is also “00000000.”
FIG. 5A is a graph showing a series of 8 voltage samples across the same PTR taken over a 50 μsec period in low ambient light, with the LED off and with a hand present. Because a hand in proximity does not appreciably alter the ambient light level, the graph of FIG. 5A is substantially the same to that of FIG. 4A, and the sampling series bit sequence remains “00000000.” FIG. 5B shows a graph illustrating a second sampling series taken over a 50 μsec period shortly after the series of FIG. 5A, but with the IR LED activated. In this case, light from the IR LED is reflected from a nearby hand into the PTR, causing a faster voltage rise rate and steeper ramp. Unlike the series of FIG. 5A, where all samples were below V threshold , only the first 5 samples are below V threshold . The remaining 3 samples are above V threshold , resulting in a sampling series bit sequence (after rotating the sequence of bits from LSB to MSB to place to first sampling bit in the MSB and the last sampling bit in the LSB)=“00000111.”
FIG. 6A is a graph reflecting a series of 8 voltage samples across the PTR taken over a 50 μsec period during a condition of high ambient light, with the IR LED off and no hand present. Here, because of the higher ambient light, together with the increased gain common to phototransistors when illumination intensity is increased, the voltage ramp is steeper, and the last 3 samples are above V threshold . Accordingly, a sampling series bit sequence (rotated LSB to MSB) is “00000111.” FIG. 6B is a graph illustrating a second 8 sampling series taken over a 50 μsec period soon after the series of FIG. 6A, but with the IR LED on. Although the IR LED is on during the series of FIG. 6B, no hand (or other reflective object) is in proximity, and no (or virtually no) light from the IR LED is reflected into the PTR. Accordingly, the graph and sampling series bit sequence of FIG. 6B are substantially identical to FIG. 6 A.
FIG. 7A is a graph reflecting a series of 8 voltage samples across the PTR taken over a 50 μsec period during a condition of high ambient light, with the IR LED off and with a hand nearby. Because a hand in proximity does not appreciably alter the ambient light level, the graph and sampling series bit sequence of FIG. 7A are substantially the same as those of FIG. 6 A. FIG. 7B shows a graph illustrating a second 8 sample series taken over a 50 μsec period shortly after the series of FIG. 7A, but with the IR LED activated. In this case, light from the IR LED is reflected from a nearby hand into the PTR, causing a faster voltage rise rate and steeper voltage ramp. Unlike the series of FIG. 7A, where 5 samples were below V threshold , only the first 2 samples in FIG. 7B are below V threshold . The remaining 6 samples are above V threshold , resulting in a sampling series bit sequence (rotated LSB to MSB) of “00111111.”
As seen by comparing the example of FIG. 5B with the example of FIG. 6B, a bit sequence with a hand present in low ambient light can potentially be similar or identical to a bit sequence with no hand present in high ambient light. Without compensating for the ambient light level, a processor could not determine whether a hand-near condition existed. By comparing the IR LED off and IR LED on measurements, however, it is possible to compensate for the effect of ambient light. Proper spacing of the “on” and “off” sampling intervals prevents time varying ambient light (such as may occur with fluorescent lights, with incandescent light operating at 60 hz household current, etc.) from affecting operation of the invention. These time varying ambient light sources are slow compared to a 50 μsec sampling interval of one embodiment of the invention, so the effect on both the IR LED off measurement and the IR LED on measurement is effectively a constant amount which will be canceled when the two measurements are compared. As one example of system timing, each sampling cycle comprises a “LED off” series taken over a 50 μsec interval, separated by 200 μsec, followed by a “LED on” series taken over a 50 μsec interval. Sampling cycles are repeated at 50 millisecond intervals. This would result in microcontroller 51 being on for 100 μsec out of every 50,000 μsec (0.002), and the LED being on for 50 μsec out of every 50,000 μsec (0.001). The resultant power drain when the mouse is “asleep” is thereby much less than when “awake.”
Microcontroller 51 can also be configured to disregard spurious signals. If noise or other defect corrupts the signal received by microcontroller 51 , the resultant bit sequence will likely be a non-thermometer code. In other words, instead of any “1” bits being in a contiguous block (e.g., “00001111,” “00111111,” etc.), the bit series may have interleaved “0” and “1” bits (e.g., “00101011”). Microcontroller 51 can be configured to recognize such a series as invalid, and to disregard the results.
Another aspect of the invention allows a controllable amount of hysteresis, i.e., the system can wake up and go to sleep at different thresholds of illumination. This could be desirable for multiple reasons. A characteristic of LED-PTR pairs is that, as a reflective object approaches, the voltage across the PTR reaches a peak at a certain distance, and then decreases for further approach. Without differing wake and sleep thresholds, the voltage across the PTR could be lower when the user grasps a mouse than when the user's hand approaches, causing the mouse to resume sleep mode. To prevent this from occurring, microcontroller 51 is configured to wake the mouse at a first threshold, and to allow the mouse to sleep at a second threshold. As shown in FIG. 7A, a user's hand approaches the mouse in high ambient light. For the LED-off part of the sampling cycle, the sampling series bit sequence is 00000111. For the LED-on part of the cycle (FIG. 7 B), the sampling series bit sequence is 00111111. Comparing these two sequences results in a 3 bit difference. Microcontroller 51 can be configured to recognize a difference of 3 or more 1-bits as a wake event, and thus microprocessor issues a wake signal. For this particular IR LED/PTR pair, however, reflection from objects closer than 1 cm could result in a voltage ramp decreased from what it might be for objects that are not as near. If, for example, a hand in contact with the mouse resulted in a sampling series bit sequence of 00011111, there may only be a 2 bit difference by comparison to an LED-off sequence, and the device would undesirably go to sleep. However, microcontroller 51 can be further configured so that, once in wake mode, it does not go to sleep until the bit difference between LED-off and LED-on is 1 bit or less.
One algorithm incorporating the invention is described in the flowcharts of FIGS. 8-12. Although the example algorithm is described with reference to the PICBasic Pro™ language (available from microEngineering Labs, Inc. of Colorado Springs, Colo.) compiled for the Microchip PIC16F84-04/P microcontroller using the PICBasic Pro™ compiler (also available from microEngineering Labs, Inc.), persons skilled in the art will appreciate that this algorithm can be implemented in other hardware and software environments. Accordingly, the invention is not limited by the example provided.
As part of the exemplary algorithm, microcontroller 51 stores 0 if the voltage is below V threshold when measuring a PTR voltage ramp at port 52 or 53 . Microcontroller 51 stores a “1” bit if the voltage is equal to or above V threshold . The 1-bit samples of the PTR voltage ramp are stored in a 16-bit variable named Temp, with the bits rotated LSB to MSB. Referring again to the shallower curve of FIG. 3, where samples 1-5 are below V threshold and sample 6-8 are above V threshold , the 16-bit variable Temp would hold the binary sequence “0000000000000111”. With the microcontroller of the example circuit, only 8 samples will fit within a 50 μsec sampling interval. The sampling results are stored in a 16 bit register because the below-described PICBasic Pro™ language functions used to process the data require 16 bit arguments, in this case the register Temp. If the sampling bits were not rotated LSB to MSB, the resulting value of Temp would be “0000000011100000.” In other embodiments, a lesser or greater number of samples may be taken, and positions of the sampling values might not be rotated.
Values of Temp with an IR LED off can be compared with values for Temp with the IR LED on in various ways. For example, the sampling series bit sequence from the LED-off interval can be exclusive-or (XOR) compared with the sequence from the LED-on interval. The result of such an XOR operation would be a bit sequence with the number of “1” bits equal to the difference between the two sequences. In the exemplary algorithm, the “ncd( )” encode function together with the “dcd( )” decode function of the PICBasic Pro™ language are used to process the PTR ramp sampling sequence loaded in the input buffer Temp. The ncd( ) function returns a value equal to the highest order bit that is set to 1. For TEMP=0000000000000111, ncd(Temp)=3. In other environments, the ncd( ) function can be implemented as a function that returns 0 for arguments x equaling 0, and returning 1 plus the integer portion of log 2 (x) for all other values of x [i.e., int(log 2 (x))+1]. A variable B 0 is then used to store the ncd(Temp) result.
A set of samples from a PTR ramp should yield a “thermometer code,” i.e., either all 0's or a series of 0's followed by a series of 1's, with no interleaved 0's and 1's.
Sometimes, because of electrical noise or other problem, the PTR voltage might cross V threshold more than once during a single sample series. In one embodiment of this invention, a corrupted sequence could be detected. If the sequence is corrupted, it could be rejected. In the example, the dcd( ) decode function can be used. The dcd( ) function converts an argument, representing a bit number between 0 and 15, into a binary number with only the argument bit number set to “1.” For example, dcd(4)=0000000000010000 [2 4 =16 in decimal notation]. In other environments, the dcd( ) function could be implemented as a function returning 2 x for an argument x. The dcd( ) function is then computed using the just-computed value of B 0 as an argument. The combined result of dcd(B 0 ) [i.e., dcd(ncd(Temp))] is a binary number having a decimal value of 2 N , where N is the highest order 1-bit in Temp. If the measured value of Temp is a block of 1-bits with the largest 1-bit equaling 2 (N−1) , adding 1 to Temp yields a binary number having a decimal value of 2 N . The following example illustrates this:
Temp =
0000000000000111 [N=3, largest 1-bit = 0000000000000100 = 2 N−1 ]
ncd(Temp) =
3
dcd(ncd(Temp)) =
0000000000001000
=
8 = 2 N
Temp + 1 =
0000000000000111 + 1 = 0000000000001000
=
8 = 2 N
=
dcd(ncd(Temp))
Conversely, if any 0's corrupt the value of Temp (i.e., Temp is not a thermometer code), adding 1 to Temp will have a different result:
Temp =
0000000000000101 [N = 3, largest 1-bit = 0000000000000100 = 2 N−1 ]
ncd(Temp) =
3
dcd(ncd(Temp)) =
0000000000001000
=
8 = 2 N
Temp + 1 =
0000000000000101 + 1 = 0000000000000110
=
6
≠
dcd(ncd(Temp))
Accordingly, in the exemplary embodiment, a test for a corrupted sequence can be implemented as a test for a non-zero result of dcd(ncd(Temp))−(Temp+1). If this test confirms a good (i.e., non-corrupt) sequence for Temp with the IR LED off, ncd(Temp) is stored in Temp off . Samples are then taken with the IR LED on and similarly tested.
After uncorrupted sequences are obtained with the IR LED off and with the IR LED on, the value of B 0 with the IR LED on is compared to Temp off . Specifically, the difference between B 0 (which represents the number of the highest bit set to “1” during an IR LED-on sampling) and Temp off (which represents the number of the highest bit set to “1” during an IR LED-off sampling) is calculated, and if the difference is above a designated level, a hand (or other object) is considered “near.” Using the high ambient light sampling series of FIGS. 7A & 7B as an example, B 0 =6 [int(log 2 (63))+1] and Temp off =3 [int(log 2 (7))+1]. If the “wake up” level is 3 or more, B 0 −Temp off =3, which is above the level and treated as a “hand-near” condition. Using the low ambient light sampling series of FIGS. 5A & 5B as an example, B 0 =3 [int(log 2 (7))+1] and Temp off =0 [0]. Again, B 0 −Temp off =3, which is above the level and treated as a “hand-near” condition. By using Temp off as a reference point for comparison with an IR LED-on sampling series, and by resetting the reference point before each IR LED-on sampling, the level that will wake the device is adaptive to changing ambient light conditions, as well as to changing opto-electronic parameters caused by aging of a PTR/IR LED pair. Since the comparison is made using log 2 values of the readings, the threshold levels adjust as the reading with LED off moves up and down.
In addition to determining when a “far” to “near” change has occurred, a B 0 −Temp off difference can be used to determine whether the state of a proximity sensor has changed from “near” to “far.” Absent signal noise, malfunction or other abnormal condition, B 0 (representing LED “on”) is always greater than or equal to Temp off (representing LED “off”). If B 0 is greater than Temp off , then no change is made to the system, and a new measurement sequence is started. Moreover, the level for changing state can be made to depend on whether the reflective surface being sensed is approaching or moving away from the sensor. In the example, B 0 −Temp off must be greater than or equal to 3 counts for the sensor state to change from “far” to “near”. However, B 0 −Temp off must be less than or equal to 1 count for the sensor state to change from “near” to “far”.
Referring to FIG. 8, the exemplary algorithm according to one embodiment of the invention begins at start point 100 . Proceeding to step 110 , numerous variables are declared and initialized. Those variables and their purposes are described in Table 1.
TABLE 1
Variable
Purpose
Initial State
B0
no. of “1” bits in sampled ramp
0
[ = ncd(Temp) ]
B1
noise test variable
0
[ = dcd(ncd(Temp)) − (Temp + 1) ]
Temp
register for temporary storage of PTR ramp
0
measurements
Temp off
buffer for B0 with LED off
0
i
loop counter
0
palmstate
state of palm sensor 30
0 (far)
[ 0 = far, 1 = near ]
sidestate
state of side sensor 20
0 (far)
[ 0 = far, 1 = near ]
position
sensor in operation
0 (palm)
[ 0 = palm, 1 = side]
tail
indicates if tail light on (and mouse “awake”)
0 (off)
[ 0 = off/asleep, 1 = on/awake]
Proceeding to step 120 , microcontroller 51 pauses for approximately 48 msec in order to cause the total sampling time between a series of IR LED off and IR LED measurements to be approximately 50 msec. The duration of this pause can be varied. The total time between initiation of LED-off measurement and completion of LED-on measurement should be brief enough so that operation of the invention is imperceptible by comparison to human response time. At the other extreme, there should be sufficient pause between the LED-off and LED-on measurements to compensate for any latencies in the sensors or other system components. In the described example, one of the sensor pairs is active approximately every 50 msec. However, because the sensor pairs alternate, each individual sensor pair is only active approximately every 100 msec. The timing of the activation of the sensor pairs with respect to each other can be varied, trading faster total response time for additional power use (and thus shorter battery life).
Prior to sampling the PTR, LEDs 21 and 31 are turned off (by setting ports 55 and 56 to high), and PTRs 22 and 32 are “clamped” by grounding ports 52 and 53 . Ports 55 and 56 are further configured as output, and ports 52 and 53 are configured as input. At step 125 , Temp is again set to 0 prior to loading with sampling data bits. At step 130 , the algorithm branches based upon whether the side sensor 20 (position=1) or palm sensor 30 (position=0) is active. If position=0, PTR 32 (part of palm sensor 30 ) is read by microcontroller 51 with LED 31 off. Using a looping algorithm known to those skilled in the art, the first eight bit positions of Temp are loaded by sampling port 53 for successive increments of looping variable i:
for i=0 to 6
load LSB of Temp from port 53
left shift the contents of Temp by 1 bit
increment i by 1
For the eighth sample, the LSB of Temp is loaded from port 53 without rotation to the MSB. Because of the clock speed set by oscillator 61 , the LED-off sampling interval spans approximately 50 μsec. If instead position=1, PTR 22 (part of side sensor 20 ) is read by microcontroller 51 with LED 21 off. The same looping algorithm could be used, but with Temp instead loaded from port 52 .
After Temp is loaded, the PTRs are again clamped. At step 140 , the stored bit sequence is tested for noise. The formula described above can be used for this purpose:
B 0 =ncd(Temp)
B 1 =dcd(B 0 )−(Temp+1)
If B 1 ≠0, there is noise or other problem with the sampling, the sample is discarded, and the program at step 150 returns to “passive” step 115 to begin again. If B 1 =0, then the sample is good (no noise), and B 0 is stored as Temp off at step 160 . Microcontroller 51 then pauses again for approximately 300 μsec at step 165 , and at step 170 (“go to active”), the program proceeds to test the PTR with the LED on.
Referring to FIG. 9, the program proceeds from step 200 (“active”) to step 205 (“position?”). If position=0 (palm sensor 30 active), execution proceeds to step 210 , where LED 31 is activated, PTR 32 is clamped by grounding port 53 , port 56 is configured as output, and port 53 is configured as input. At step 212 , Temp is then set to 0, and at step 214 the first 8 bits of Temp are loaded using the same algorithm set forth above. If instead position=1 (side sensor 20 active), execution proceeds to step 220 , where LED 21 is activated, PTR 22 is clamped by grounding port 52 , port 55 is configured as output, and port 52 is configured as input. At step 222 , Temp is then set to 0, and at step 224 the first 8 bits of Temp are loaded using the same algorithm set forth above. At step 230 , the activated LED is turned off. At step 235 , Temp is again tested for noise using the formula described above. If B 1 ≠0, the sampling series is rejected, and at step 237 the program returns to “passive” step 115 (FIG. 8 ). If B 1 =0, the sampling result is again tested at step 240 by comparing Temp off (which represents the ramp sampling with the LED off) to B 0 (which now represents the ramp sampling with the LED on). Because B 0 should always be equal to or greater than Temp off , the sampling is rejected if Temp off >B 0 , and the program returns at step 245 to “passive” step 115 . If Temp off is not greater than B 0 , the program proceeds to step 250 .
At step 250 , the sampling results with the LED on and off are compared by setting Temp equal to the difference between B 0 and Temp off . If position=0 (palm sensor active), the program proceeds from step 252 (“position?”) to step 254 (“A”) to step 300 (FIG. 10 ). Referring to FIG. 10, execution proceeds from step 300 to decision step 310 (“current state=near or far?”). If palmstate=0, the palm sensor 30 was last set to a “far” condition. The program then proceeds to step 320 (“Temp<3”). If Temp (now set to the difference between the LED-off and LED-on sampling sequences) is less than the activation level of 3, there is no change in state (i.e., a hand or other object is not near palm sensor 30 ), and the program proceeds at step 340 to “restart” (step 540 , FIG. 12 ). If, however, Temp is at or above the activation level of 3, Temp is not less than 3, indicating there is a change in state (i.e., a hand or other object is near palm sensor 30 ). Execution proceeds to step 350 and the state is changed. If at step 310 palmstate=1, the palm sensor 30 was last set to a “near” condition. The program would then proceed to step 330 (“Temp>1”). Because the deactivation level requires that the difference between LED-off and LED-on sampling be less than or equal to 1, there is no change in state unless Temp is not greater than 1. If Temp>1, the program proceeds at step 340 to “restart” (step 540 , FIG. 12 ). Otherwise, a change in state has occurred (i.e., a hand or other object is no longer near), and the state is changed at step 350 .
If, after step 250 (FIG. 9 ), position=1 (side sensor active), the program would have instead proceeded from step 252 (“position?”) to step 256 (“B”) to step 400 (FIG. 1 ). As shown in FIG. 11, however, the steps followed if the side sensor is active are similar to those of FIG. 10 . “Palm sensor active” steps 300 , 310 , 320 , 330 , 340 , 350 and 355 are respectively analogous to “side sensor active” steps 400 , 410 , 420 , 430 , 440 , 450 and 455 .
If the state of palm sensor 30 is changed at step 350 (or the state of side sensor 20 is changed at step 450 ), the program proceeds from point 500 to decision point 510 (FIG. 12 ). If both palm and side sensors are in a “near” state (palmstate=1 and sidestate=1), execution proceeds to step 530 . The mouse is “awake,” the tail light 40 is illuminated (or left illuminated if already on), and other mouse circuitry is activated (or left on). If both sensors are not in a near state (either or both palmstate and sidestate=0), execution proceeds to step 520 . The tail light 40 is not activated (or is deactivated if active), and the mouse is “asleep” (or put to sleep if previously awake). After either condition, the program then proceeds through “restart” point 540 to step 550 , where the active sensor changes from palm to side (position=0 to position=1) or from side to palm (position=1 to position=0), and the program returns to “passive” step 115 (FIG. 8) to commence again.
During each cycle of the embodiment described above, the program samples and compares either the side or the palm sensor in LED-off and LED-on conditions. Although the program of this embodiment completes two cycles before the mouse wakes or goes to sleep, the time is still short by comparison to human response time, and therefore imperceptible to a user.
Although a single example of carrying out the invention has been described, those skilled in the art will appreciate that there are numerous variations and permutations of the above described system and technique that fall within the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claims. As but one example, the values chosen for activation and deactivation thresholds, as well as other criteria within the above-described algorithm, can be varied. As another example, comparing PTR readings with the LED off and PTR readings with the LED on need not be based on determining the difference in readings above V threshold ; the invention also embraces determining the difference in readings below a threshold. Similarly, the invention also embraces comparing readings by subtracting a larger number (e.g., the number of “1” bits representing samples above V threshold with an LED on) from a smaller number (the number of “1” bits with the LED off), resulting in a negative number, and using another negative number as the “wake-up” level. Multiple hardware variations are also possible. As but one example, a single LED could be used with two PTRS, and energy from the LED transmitted to the vicinity of the PTRs by fiber optic connections or other wave guides. Instead of a microcontroller or microprocessor as described above, the invention could be implemented on other types of processors or hardware platforms capable of automatically carrying out the sampling and comparison features described. As but one example, the invention could be implemented using a state machine of an Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC). These and other modifications are within the scope of the invention, which is only to be limited by the attached claims.
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A proximity sensor measures receptor output with an energy source deactivated. The sensor then measures receptor output with the energy source activated. The measurements with the energy source activated are compared to the measurements with the energy source deactivated to compensate for the effect of ambient conditions. A near condition is recognized if the change between the two groups of measurements exceeds a designated value. To compensate for receptor output that may decrease after reaching a peak value during approach of an object, a near condition can be maintained until the change between the two groups of measurements no longer exceeds a different designated value. Multiple sensors can be used to avoid false near conditions caused by, e.g., placing a device equipped with the sensors next to a stationary object. In one embodiment, a sensor comprises an infrared light emitting diode and a phototransistor.
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TECHNICAL FIELD
[0001] This invention relates to a method of realigning a node in a label switched network and to a node for use in a label switched network.
BACKGROUND
[0002] A telecommunications network is typically made up of a plurality of nodes which are interconnected. Routes are created through the network by choosing a set of links between the nodes so that a route can enter the network at an ingress node, traverse the network by hopping between nodes via the links and exit the network at an egress node. Typically each node has knowledge of the routes traversing that node.
[0003] Periodically, it is necessary for nodes to be restarted. Prior to the restart, it is likely that one or more route will traverse the node and thus after a restart it is necessary for the node to recover the state information about routes traversing the node in order to successfully allow the one or more routes to be resurrected after the restart. This recovery of state is typically termed “realignment” of the node.
[0004] In the prior art, two approaches typically have been used to realign nodes following a restart. In the first approach, nodes carry out periodic backups of their state to some form of non-volatile memory and are then able to restore that state following a restart. In a traditional circuit-based domain this approach is called “hard state”. In such a network (typically a time division multiplex (TDM) or dense wavelength division multiplex (DWDM) network) the circuit paths are generally quite static and do not vary over short periods of time. Thus periodic snapshots taken in the form of backups, generally work quite well because the routes in the network are unlikely to have changed in any significant way between backups. However, if significant changes to the network have been made, a very large manual effort is required to reconcile the local circuit status with the actual network status following a restart.
[0005] In other types of networks such as packet switched networks, for example Internet protocol (IP) or multi-protocol label switched (MPLS) networks, the routes change much more quickly than in traditional circuit-based networks. Accordingly a second approach to node restart has been made for this type of network, which involves a restarted node talking to neighbouring nodes in the network, i.e. nodes which are interconnected with the restarted node to gain state information about the routes in place before the restart. In the context of such networks this type of restart is known as a “graceful restart” and is described in Internet Request for Comments (RFC) 5063. This prior art graceful restart procedure assumes that only one node restarts at a time. However, if multiple restarts occur, the information available from neighbouring nodes as postulated in RFC 5063, is likely to be incomplete and the resurrection of previous routes will fail. Furthermore, if the network has fast changing routes, a backup and restore method will also fail because route changes since the last backup will often be too great and thus the restarted node will have an unacceptably outdated restarted state.
[0006] Thus there is a need for recovery of node state information to be possible in the event of multiple node restarts in a network having relatively rapid changes in routing.
[0007] It is an object of the present invention to overcome at least some of the problems of the prior art node restart approaches described above.
SUMMARY
[0008] The present invention provides a method of realigning a node in a label switched network
[0009] Typically the network will have a plurality of nodes and the method includes periodically maintaining backup path status information for the node. In response to restarting the node, the label switched paths are re-established with the other nodes in the network using the backup status information. This is achieved by communicating with an adjacent node in order to establish a path reliability value for each path recorded in the backup status information using a reliability value from an adjacent node, in order to establish node realignment.
[0010] Advantageously, during restart, the node maintains a path reliability value for a path traversing the node. These path reliability values may be exchanged with adjacent nodes for a path traversing the adjacent nodes to establish a cumulative path reliability value for the path. In this way, the probability of the path being a valid path may be increased since the existence of the path is based upon multiple stored backups in the network rather than just the backup status information of the single node being restarted.
[0011] Preferably the cumulative path reliability value is compared with a path reliability threshold to determine whether the related path is reliable and thus may be considered to be a path which was in existence before the node restart. Advantageously the path reliability threshold is a function of the number of Hops in the related path.
[0012] The invention also provides a node for use in a label switched network comprising a plurality of nodes. The node includes a processor which is operable periodically to create a backup status record for the nodes. The node also includes a memory arranged to store the backup status record and a processor arranged to restart the node on command and the restore the node to a state defined by the backup status record. The processor is also arranged to calculate a path reliability value. The node has a network interface which is operable to receive path status information and path reliability values from adjacent nodes.
[0013] Following a restart, the node may receive a path reliability value from an adjacent node and the processor may modify the received path reliability value dependent on an internally held path reliability value for the same path. This modified path reliability value may then be passed to another adjacent node. The processor may be arranged to modify the path reliability value to establish a cumulative path reliability value for the path. The processor may further be arranged to compare the cumulative path reliability value with a path reliability threshold to determine whether the related path is reliable and thus may be properly set up following the restart. Preferably the processor is arranged to calculate the path reliability threshold as a function of the number of Hops in the related path.
[0014] The invention also provides a computer program product which, when executed on a computer, causes the computer to carry out the method of the invention.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0015] Embodiments of the invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the drawings, in which:
[0016] FIG. 1 is a schematic block diagram of several nodes in a network;
[0017] FIG. 2 is a schematic block diagram of a node;
[0018] FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing the process for establishing a route after node restart;
[0019] FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of the process for deleting a route after node restart; and
[0020] FIG. 5 is a flow chart of a restart procedure.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0021] The invention is described below in connection with generalised multi-protocol label switching (GMPLS) but the technique is applicable to any network having multiple nodes and routes set up through those nodes and in particular, to label-switched nodes.
[0022] Typically in such a network, a node or “network element” (NE) may be restarted due to a software problem or normal maintenance. The restart of the control unit in the NE causes re-initialisation of the control plane meaning that the control plane information about the label switched paths (LSPs) in the Network Element (NE) may be lost. Typically the data plane is unaffected.
[0023] Briefly, the NE stores periodic backup files the of path status, restores itself according to this backup file and then communicates with adjacent nodes to test the validity and currency of the backup file. This is described in more detail below.
[0024] In general terms, a particular LSP is considered to be valid when a significant number of the NEs traversed by that LSP also have the same information relating to that LSP. Hence, the more NEs that have recorded the existence of an LSP immediately before the NE restart, the more likely it is that the LSP was indeed current before the restart and had not been removed.
[0025] Thus with reference to FIG. 1 , NE 1 , NE 2 and NE 3 , 2 - 1 , 2 - 2 and 2 - 3 are located in a GMPLS network and are able to communicate path status and reliability information between themselves. With reference also to FIG. 2 , each NE 2 has a processor 4 , a memory 6 and a network interface 10 . The processor is able to cooperate with the memory 6 to create a backup status record 8 and to communicate with the other NEs via the network interface 10 .
[0026] During a restart, link management protocol (LMP) information is used in order to determine if an neighbouring node which is typically a node a single Hop away, is UP or DOWN. When the first control channel with an adjacent NE is up then the adjacency with that NE is considered to be UP and when the last control channel of an adjacent NE goes down, the adjacency with that NE is considered to be DOWN and it is likely that the neighbouring, or adjacent, NE has restarted.
[0027] In order to realign a neighbour, different Notify messages are used as explained below in connection with FIGS. 3 and 4 .
[0028] The realignment procedure uses three new Notify messages:
Notify_Add; Notify_Upgrade and Notify_Delete.
[0030] The new realignment procedure also uses the concept of an LSP Degree of Reliability which is explained in detail below.
[0031] LSP Degree of Reliability
[0032] An adjacent NE i.e. any NE which is traversed by a particular LSP, can be in two different states; namely Aligned or Restarted. Also information about an LSP can be Reliable or Not_Reliable and with a certain degree of reliability.
[0033] An adjacency is considered to be Aligned when if viewed from a particular NE, the adjacent NE has information about LSPs which is entirely consistent between the NEs.
[0034] When an adjacent NE is considered to be in the Restarted state, it will instead hold information about LSPs which do not have an adequate or consistent degree of reliability compared with an adjacent NE. In the preferred embodiment, the degree of reliability for an LSP which is Reliable is zero whilst a Not_Reliable LSP can have a degree of reliability assuming any value between 1 and 2 8 .
[0035] When the two sides of an adjacency, i.e. two NEs linked along an LSP, exchange the same
[0036] LSP information and the state of the LSP has a degree of reliability indicated as reliable, then the state of that adjacency moves to Aligned.
[0037] In order to show how the procedure may be implemented, we define the following parameters:
LSP degree of reliability (DR); Received DR (R_DR): is the DR that a NE has received at its interface 10 ; Propagated DR (PDR): is the DR that a NE has propagated at its interface 10 ; #_NE_Unaware: is the number of the NE belonging to the same LSP that is not able to rebuild the LSP using its backup status record 8 ; In order to decide when LSP information becomes Reliable, a threshold (Th) is also defined. The threshold preferably depends on the number of hops in the LSP, i.e. the number of links between NEs it must traverse, and on a configurable value. To have an adjacency in the Aligned state all its LSP must have DR=0.
[0043] At restart, the NE 2 rebuilds its database retrieving LSP's information from .rpp files from its persistent storage 6 or restored from a backup 8 . Because this information is not reliable (it may be out-of-date) the degree of reliability for each LSP is assigned the value DR=1.
[0044] When the DR reaches a threshold (Th) value the reliability for an LSP is moved to 0 (Reliable).
[0045] Assuming an LSP traverse #_Hops, the rule is
[0046] If DR>=Th then DR==0
[0047] Where Th=#_Hops/X
[0048] X is a configurable value defined on network base.
[0049] As explained below, since the DR value gradually increments as the P_DR values propagate through a network, the division by the number of hops helps normalise the threshold value for different sized network. The value X, allows adjustment of the weighting given to the threshold value, Th; a lower value allowing an LSP to be considered Reliable with a larger number of NEs having information about the LSP in their backup data. The relevance of this will become more apparent later.
[0050] This procedure is repeated for each LSP in the rebuilt database. Every time there is an LSP “unknown” by an adjacent NE its DR, P_DR and R_DR are considered ‘null’. Null values are considered less then 1 but higher then 0; so somewhere between Not_Reliable and Reliable.
[0051] Thus is pseudo-code we have:
[0052] Procedure
[0053] NE Restarted (start):
When a NE restarts, it tries to recover information about all LSPs from .rrp. and sets DR for each LSP to 1 (Not_Reliable). After this operation the NE tries to bring up the control channels with its neighbours. For each neighbour with a running control channel the restarted node produces and sends a Notify_Update message with the indication that it is restarted and the list of LSPs it has been able to rebuild with the indication of their DR (DR=1). P_DR is set to 1.
[0058] Each Aligned neighbouring NE (i.e. neighbours that haven't been re-started so have a completely reliable LSP database) receives a Notify_Update from the restarted NE
With respect to the adjacency from where the message is received the NE (Aligned) performs the following checks: LSP not present locally (DR=null) but reported into the Notify_Update message (R_DR>0): Notify_Delete message is sent to the restarted node for this LSP because NE(Restarted) has an old LSP in its backup. LSP present locally (DR=0) but not reported in the Notify_Update message received (R_DR=null): Notify_Add message is sent for this LSP with full info needed to rebuild the LSP because NE(Restarted) is missing a valid LSP in its backup. LSP present locally (DR=0) and also in the Notify_Update message (R_DR>0): Notify_Update message sent with DR=0 (Reliable) for this LSP i.e. NE Restarted has consistent information with NE(Aligned) for this LSP. When all the LSPs locally present in the NE (Aligned) and reported into the Notify_Update message from its neighbour, have been checked, an indication of “ending procedure” is added to the last Notify message sent.
[0064] The NE (Restarted) must process the information received from its Aligned neighbouring NEs.
[0065] Thus:
[0066] NE Restarted (realigning):
All its LSPs are Not_Reliable and have DR>0 (P_DR as well. DR is considered null for LSPs that it is not aware). The NE Restarted starts to receive Notify message from its neighbours, and manages these messages in the following way: Notify_Add received: create the LSP reported (DR=0) Notify_Delete received: remove the LSP reported (DR=null) Notify_Update received: set DR in the following way: If the information about the an LSP with [(R_DR>P_DR) or (P_DR is null and DR is null)] then: If the NE is Egress/Ingress for the LSP then: DR==R_DR If the NE is Transit for the LSP then: DR=R_DR a Notify_Update message containing information about the LSP with P_DR =DR is propagated Downstream/Upstream PDR==DR If (P_DR is null and DR is null) then: #_NE_Unaware ++ If the information about the LSP with (P_DR is null and DR=1) then If the NE is Egress/Ingress for the LSP then: DR==R_DR+DR a Notify_Update message containing information about the LSP with P_DR=DR is propagated Downstream/Upstream If the NE is Transit for the LSP then: DR=R_DR+DR a Notify_Update message containing information about the LSP with P_DR=DR is propagated on both Downstream and Upstream PDR==DR When DR>=Th then If the LSP traverses the Upstream NE then includes in the Notify_Add message the FullInfo about the LSP with DR=0 If the LSP traverses the Downstream NE then includes in the Notify_Add message the FullInfo about the LSP with DR=0
[0091] The state of the LSPs is the same for both the Upstream and Downstream side of the adjacency while the state of the adjacency depends on the state of all circuits it shares with the neighbour.
[0092] This is explained in more detail with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4 which show examples of the process in action.
[0093] Firstly, with reference to FIG. 3 , all the NEs 2 ′- 2 to 2 ′- 7 , have restarted and thus there are no Aligned nodes on which to rely. NEs 2 ′- 2 , 2 ′- 4 and 2 ′- 7 recover via .rpp, information about circuit a.
[0094] The DR values 50 are shown being incremented as messages pass between the NEs in the direction of the arrows. The R_DR values are labeled 52 and the P_DR values are labeled 54 . In this case, Th is set at 3.
[0095] It will be seen that at restart, NE 2 ′- 7 only has DR=1 for route a. But NE 2 ′- 2 and NE 2 ′- 4 also have route a in their backup information and thus the cumulative DR increases as it propagates through these NEs.
[0096] When P_DR reaches NE 7 , 2 ′- 7 the DR for route a at NE 7 is finally incremented up to the Th threshold and thus this NE is able to issue a Notify_Add message with full setup information and thus allow all the other NEs in the LSP, to set the LSP as reliable (DR=0) and set the route up.
[0097] In the discussion above, it has been assumed that DR for an LSP reaches the Th threshold. However, it is necessary to deal with the case in which the Th threshold is not reached for an LSP.
[0098] With reference to FIG. 4 , an example of the case of all the NEs of an LSP span being restarted but Th not being reached in which case a decision must be made whether to keep or delete an LSP.
[0099] The rule used by the NE in order to decide whether to keep or delete the LSP is the following:
[0100] If (LSP_Length−#_NE_Unaware)+DR <Th then the LSP can be removed
[0101] Where:
LSP_Length is the length of the LSP in hops, known a priori #_NE_Unaware: is the number of the NEs belonging to the same LSP that are not able to rebuild the LSP thanks to the .rpp. When a NE restarted receives a Notify_Update about an LSP unknown, the #_NE_Unaware is incremented by one; DR is the degree of reliability of the LSP Th is the threshold
[0106] All the NEs have restarted; NE 1 , 2 ″- 1 and NE 6 2 ″- 6 recovers via .rpp, information about circuit a.
[0107] The first number on each arrow between NEs is the DR while the second one is the #_NE_Unaware
[0108] The boxes 56 represent the cumulative #_NE_Unaware.
[0109] The Th is again 3.
[0110] When the Notify_Update with DR=1 and #_NE_Aware reach the NE 6 2 ″- 6 we have:
LSP_Length: 6 #_NE_Aware: 5 DR: 1 Th: 3
[0115] So: (6-5)+1<3 and thus it is possible to delete the LSP.
[0116] The realignment procedure is closed when all the LSPs a NE shares with a neighbour are in the reliable state, that is, are all with DR=0.
[0117] FIG. 5 summarises the process in Flow-chart form.
[0118] The process starts, step 100 and the NE creates a backup, step 102 . When the NE restarts, step 104 , the NE maintains a path reliability value for each path in the backup, step 105 and begins to re-establish paths, step 106 , by exchanging path reliability values with adjacent nodes and deriving a cumulative reliability value for each path, step 108 . The cumulative path reliability value is compared with a threshold, step 110 and a decision made whether to create or delete the path, step 112 . When all the paths are deemed in a reliable state, the process stops, step 114 .
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A method of realigning a node in a label switched network comprising a plurality of nodes and a node with a processor, a memory, and a network interface, for carrying out the method. The method includes periodically maintaining backup path status information for the node., restarting the node, and re-establishing label switched paths with the plurality of nodes using the backup status information. Communication with adjacent nodes is carried out in order to reconcile the path status information with respective path status information in the adjacent nodes in order to establish node realignment preferably judged against a threshold value for path reliability.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The invention pertains to vibration absorbers of the bifilar centrifugal pendulum vibration absorbing type wherein the centers of mass of the absorber masses are restricted to move along prescribed paths relative to the rotating machine element whose oscillatory torques are to be absorbed.
2. Description of the Related Art
The invention pertains to a general class of vibration absorbers known as centrifugal pendulum vibration absorbers (CPVA) wherein centers of mass of the absorber masses, called pendulums, are restricted to move along prescribed paths relative to the rotating machine component whose vibrations are to be absorbed. Such masses, when properly designed, move in such a manner so as to remove torsional oscillations in the rotating machinery element by counteracting the applied torques which cause torsional oscillations. Such devices are used to dampen vibrations of internal combustion engine crankshafts, and helicopter rotors, and are typified by U.S. Pat. No. 3,372,758; 3,540,809; 3,874,818; 3,932,060; 4,057,363; 4,083,654; 4,218,187; 4,739,679 and 5,044,333.
In CPVA devices of the type previously developed, and as shown in the above mentioned patents, each pendulum or mass is tuned to counteract a torque component which is at a particular order of the rotation speed of the rotating element. For example, in an in-line four cylinder, four cycle automobile engine, the inertia of the pistons and the connecting rods and in-cylinder gas pressures produce dominant oscillatory torques which pulse with a frequency that is twice the engine's nominal rotational speed, which is a second order torque. Similarly, in a helicopter rotor application for a rotor having N number of blades, the rotor receives N torque pulses per rotation, for example as the rotor passes over the aircraft fuselage, and one order of the torque disturbance is therefore N. In order to use a CPVA to counteract an order N torque component, the CPVA is tuned so that its frequency of small amplitude oscillation is N Q, wherein Q is the nominal rate of rotation of the rotating element in radians per second. In this manner, the motion of the pendulums of the CPVA counteract the torque pulses. However, existing CPVA designs have several significant shortcomings.
First, with known CPVAs the actual frequency of oscillation of the CPVA generally shifts as the amplitude of pendulum oscillation increases, and this leads to serious problems and deficiencies of vibration absorption for certain ranges of torque amplitude and rotational speed. Modifications have been made to CPVA devices for modifying the absorber path to help this mistuning problems, such as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,218,187, however, such existing approaches to the problem have not completely overcome these deficiencies. Also, another correction tactic often employed is to intentionally mistune the absorber so that it comes into tune at some desired amplitude, but this procedure causes the absorber to be mistuned at all other amplitudes.
Secondly, even when frequency shifts are endeavored to be overcome by modifications of pendulum movement, such conventional approaches to the problem cause the CPVA to generate higher harmonics in the torque, especially in the 2N component, which reduces its effectiveness, and such approaches, while reducing the Nth harmonic amplitude by as much as 92% may only reduce the overall or net disturbance torque amplitude by 60%.
To our knowledge, no previous CPVA construction has been capable of the elimination of 100% of a torque harmonic over a wide range of operating conditions without inducing higher order harmonics.
OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the invention to provide a bifilar centrifugal pendulum vibration absorber utilizing one or more pairs of vibration absorbing pendulums which are tuned so that the frequency of small oscillation is NQ/2 producing half-order absorber pairs capable of total elimination of a torque harmonic in a rotating element wherein N is the number of torque pulses per rotation and Q is the nominal rate of rotation.
Another object of the invention is to provide a centrifugal pendulum vibration absorber wherein the absorber constitutes one or more pairs of pendulums tuned so that the frequency of small oscillation is NQ/2 producing a half-order absorber pair wherein the absorber masses move out-of-phase with respect to one another such that the order N/2 components of the torques individually generated by the two absorber masses exactly cancel out, but their order N torque components add directly to give the desired result.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In the practice of the invention, the apparatus utilizing the concepts, in initial appearance, is very similar to centrifugal pendulum vibration absorbers (CPVA) of the type used to dampen and absorb vibrations in internal combustion engine crankshafts, and in helicopter rotors. Such apparatus may include pendulum masses attached to the rotating element by means of a pair of roller pins rolling along concave surfaces defined on the rotating element and the pendulum mass. As the oscillatory torques existing within the rotating element are transferred to the pendulum masses through the concave surfaces and the roller pins, the relative movement between the pendulum masses and the rotating element produce the desired vibration absorption.
In accord with the invention, one or more pairs of absorber masses are mounted upon the rotating machinery element having identical paths of movements. The absorbers of each pair are identical in mass, and the paths of movement are identical, but it is not necessary that the absorber pendulums be disposed in direct opposition with respect to each other and the axis of the rotating element whose vibrations are being absorbed. The unique characteristics of the invention wherein each absorber pair constitutes a half-order absorber pair results from the dimensional relationships of the distance between the center of rotation of the rotating machinery element, the center of movement of the pendulum masses, the diameter of the roller pins and the radial distance between the center of the roller pins and the center of gravity of the pendulum mass, as well as the configuration of the concave surfaces engaged by the roller pins.
The configuration of a CPVA in accord with the inventive concepts causes each absorber pair to respond at a frequency that is one-half that of the applied torque, i.e. with twice the period, and the absorber masses of each pair move out-of-phase with respect to one another rotating in opposite directions relative to the rotating frame of reference.
The concept of the invention relies on the non-linear aspects of the response, as the desired motion of the system corresponds to a subharmonic response of order two in which the two absorbers of a pair, riding on circular or epicycloidal paths or similar paths tuned to order N/2, move out-of-phase with respect to one another. Epicycloidal paths are preferred as they provide a constant period of oscillation independent of amplitude. In the basic concept of the invention, for an order N torque disturbance, the absorbers are assumed to have a constant period of oscillation independent of amplitude, but of order N/2, regardless of whether N is even or odd. The order N/2 harmonic torque components provided by the individual masses of the absorber pairs exactly cancel with each other, but their order N harmonic components, generated through quadratic terms, add so as to exactly balance the order N harmonic applied torque thus eliminating the torsional oscillations of the rotating inertia. This subharmonic solution exists up to a torque amplitude at which the absorber paths become singular, thus providing a maximum range of operation.
In practice, the above theory to provide half-order absorbers is achieved by using centrifugal pendulum vibration absorber designs similar to those already in existence, wherein pendulum masses are supported upon rotating members by cylindrical roller pins rolling upon concave circular or epicycloidal surfaces defined upon the rotating member and the pendulum masses. The above concepts and desired half-order tuning are achieved by locating the concave surfaces within the rotating member and the pendulum masses upon which the roller engages to the center of the rotating member, and using a roller diameter such that the ratio of the distance between the center of the rotating member and the center of the base circle about which the pendulum moves, for small amplitudes, as divided by the distance between the center of gravity of the pendulum and the center of pendulum movement equals (N/2) 2 . Accordingly, such half-order tuning can be readily achieved by dimensioning the openings within the rotating member and the pendulum and the diameter of the rollers to achieve the desired half-order tuning.
In the concept of the invention, each absorber mass responds at a frequency that is one-half that of the applied torque, i.e. twice the period, and the absorber masses move out of phase with respect to each other, actually rotating in opposite directions relative to the frame of reference which rotates with the machine component. The resulting torque produced by each absorber mass contains several components including those of frequency NQ/2 and NQ. When added together, the NQ/2 components and all others but one, in fact, cancel completely, while the NQ components add, resulting in the net absorber torque of frequency NQ. This net torque is a pure harmonic and exactly cancels the applied torque, resulting in zero residual torque.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The aforementioned objects and advantages of the invention will be appreciated from the following description and accompanying drawings wherein:
FIG. 1 is a sectional, somewhat schematic, view of an internal combustion engine crankshaft utilizing a bifilar pendulum vibration absorber pair in accord with the inventive concept,
FIG. 2 is an enlarged sectional view of the apparatus of FIG. 1 as taken along Section 2--2 thereof,
FIG. 3 is a view identical to FIG. 1 wherein significant relationships and movement of the pendulum masses are indicated,
FIG. 4 is a plan view of a basic arrangement utilizing the inventive concepts in a helicopter rotor, the rotors not being illustrated, and significant relationships being identified and
FIG. 5 is a sectional elevational view as taken through an internal combustion engine crankshaft portion utilizing the inventive concepts as employed with internally located pendulum masses and the significant relationships are identified.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
The basic concept of the invention wherein the half-order vibration absorber system is used with a bifilar pendulum system may be used with a variety of embodiments of bifilar pendulum vibration absorbers, and in the following description, three different types of versions of the vibration absorber in accord with the invention are shown in the drawings and described.
In FIG. 1, a typical half-order centrifugal pendulum vibration absorber in accord with the invention using "exterior" pendulum masses is illustrated in a simplified semi-schematic manner as used with the crankshaft of an internal combustion engine normally rotating counterclockwise as indicated by the arrows. In FIG. 1, a crankshaft main bearing is illustrated at 10 in the form of a circle, the center of the bearing 10 constituting the axis of rotation of the crankshaft. Offset from the axis of the main bearing 10 is a connecting rod bearing 12, and the crankshaft will include the usual counterweights 14.
In order to utilize the inventive concepts, the crankshaft includes radially extending flanges 16 which extend from the crankshaft material forming and adjacent to the counterweight 14. The flanges 16 are in diametrically opposed relationship to each other, and each flange 16 includes a pair of identical holes 18. In FIG. 1, the holes 18 are illustrated of a "D" configuration, but these holes may constitute circles, ellipses, or other configurations. The significant portion of the holes 18 is the outer configuration of the holes as represented at 20, such hole portions 20 being of a concave configuration constituting a portion of a circle or an epicycloid. Preferably, the holes' arcuate portions 20 are of an epicycloid configuration as they provide the absorber with a constant period of oscillation independent of amplitude, similar to that described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,218,187.
The vibrations are absorbed by pendulum masses 22, two being shown in the embodiment of FIG. 1, and the pendulums 22 are of the configuration which will be appreciated from FIGS. 1 and 2, each pendulum including spaced parallel walls 24 interconnected by a base 26 having an outer convex configuration which is substantially circular having a center at the center of the crankshaft main bearing 10.
The pendulum walls 24 are each provided with a pair of aligned holes 28, preferably of a configuration identical to the flange holes 18. The pendulum holes 28 each include an inner concave surface 30 which is identical in configuration to the flange surfaces 20, and is preferably of an epicycloid configuration.
The pendulums 22 are each mounted upon a flange 16 by a pair of cylindrical rollers 32, a roller being mounted within aligned pendulum holes 28 and a flange hole 18, as will be appreciated from FIG. 2. The ends of the rollers 32 are each provided with a retainer 34 of a larger diameter than the main roller body to prevent axial displacement of the rollers 32 when assembled to the flanges and pendulums as shown in the drawing.
As the crankshaft rotates, centrifugal force acting upon the pendulums 22 will force the pendulums radially outward causing the roller 32 to engage the concave surfaces 20 of the flange holes 18, and also cause the rollers 32 to engage the concave surfaces 30 of the pendulum holes 28. Accordingly, it will be appreciated that the rollers 32 maintain the pendulums 22 upon the crankshaft in a manner which permits the pendulums to be angularly displaced about the crankshaft axis of rotation due to the rolling movement of the rollers 32 against the hole surfaces 20 and 30. The path of movement of the pendulums 22 is determined by the configuration of the surfaces 20 and 30, and the pendulums will oscillate in an arc as determined by the shape of the surfaces 20 and 30.
Vibration absorbing or damping is achieved by the absorption of torques by the pendulums 22 which permit angular displacement of the pendulums relative to the axis of the crankshaft. By controlling the radial distance between the crankshaft axis of rotation and the center of pendulum movement by positioning the surfaces 20 and 30, and utilizing a pre-determined radius for rollers 32, the desired half-order absorber pair concept of the invention is achieved.
In FIG. 3, coordinates have been added to the structure illustrated in FIG. 1, the horizontal coordinate for the axis of crankshaft rotation being represented at X, while the vertical coordinate through the crankshaft axis of rotation is shown at Y. The center of rotation of the crankshaft is represented by letter O, and the center of gravity of the upper pendulum 22 of FIG. 3 is represented at G, while C represents the center of the movement of the associated pendulum. Because both pendulums 22 are identical, the aforedescribed locations are only indicated relative to the upper pendulum.
In FIG. 3, the distance R represents the radial distance between the crankshaft center of rotation O and the center of pendulum movement C, while the distance L represents the radial distance between the point C and the pendulum center of gravity G.
Below is an explanation of symbols appearing on the drawings, and utilized in the following description:
The X-Y coordinate system is centered at O and rotates with the crankshaft;
O=the crankshaft center of rotation;
C=the center of pendulum movement for small motions;
G=the pendulum center of gravity;
r=radius of rollers 32 (2r=roller diameter);
R=distance from O to C;
L=distance from C to G, and also represents the radius of curvature of the path of G at its vertex;
R o =R+L;
D=perpendicular distance from the X axis to the roller center point;
H=perpendicular distance from the Y axis to the roller center point;
w=tangent angle to the path of G (this variable will be used to parameterize the path);
S=arclength parameter along the path of G;
k=pointwise curvature of the path;
p=pointwise radius of curvature of the path=1/k, where p 2 =L 2 -z 2 S 2 is the form used here;
z=path parameter.
For example, traditional tuning has z 1 2 =N 2 /[N 2 +1] for an epicycloid tuned for order N with a base circle of radius z 1 R o centered at O, and a generating circle of radius 1/2(1-z 1 )R o . In contrast, for half-order tuning, z 2 2 =[(N/2) 2 /[(N/2) 2 +1] for an epicycloid tuned for order N/2 with a base circle of radius z 2 R o centered at O, and a generating circle of radius 1/2(1-z 2 )R o ; this is the preferred case.
With respect to reference information for the variables, w=0 corresponds to the configuration shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, that is, in which G lies at its vertex on the Y axis. Also at this point, S=0 and (X,Y)=(0, (R+L))=(0, R o ) is the position of G. In all cases w is taken to vary over the range -π/(2z)<w<π/(2z).
The following path is followed by the by the c.g. of the upper absorber mass 22 of FIG. 3 at G. For the lower mass 22, the path is simply inverted about the X axis. An example of such a path is shown in FIG. 3, which is mathematically set forth below:
x.sub.CG =L[sin (w) cos (zw)-z cos (w) sin (zw)]/(1-z.sup.2)
y.sub.CG =R.sub.o +L[1-cos (w) cos (zw)-z sin (w) sin (zw)]/(1-z.sup.2)
The following path is followed by the center of the upper right roller 32 of FIG. 3.
x.sub.RC =H+L[sin (w) cos (zw)-z cos (w) sin (zw)]/[2(1-z.sup.2)]
y.sub.RC =D-L[1-cos (w) cos (zw)-z sin (w) sin (zw)]/[2(1-z.sup.2)]
The paths for the centers of the other rollers is obtained by straightforward inversions about the X axis and translations.
The preferred curve for the surface 20 of the hole 18 is set forth below. The curves for all of the crankshaft surfaces 20, and the pendulum surfaces 30, are obtained by straightforward translations and inversions of the following relationships.
x.sub.co =x.sub.RC +r sin (w)
y.sub.co =y.sub.RC +r cos (w)
The half-order tuning which is achieved by the invention works for identical pairs of absorber masses, and performs best if the paths are taken to be epicycloids tuned to order N/2, that is, z=(N/2) 2 /[(N/2) 2 +1], for an order N torque. However, other half-order paths will also give out-of-phase absorber motion with good performance. The ratios between the various dimensions to achieve the desired result are critical, in particular, R/L=(N/2) 2 .
For the case of circular paths, z=0, hole surfaces 20 and 30 are circular of radius r 1 .
In a dimensional sample of the embodiment of FIG. 3, the radius r of rollers 32 is 0.21", the distance R is 2.0", the distance R+L is 2.89" and the distance D-r equals 2.43".
Equations Governing the System Motion
Following is an explanation of the mathematics which govern the system motion as dampened in accord with the inventive concepts. The effects of friction are not included in these formulas.
The notation and definition of terms are as set forth below:
q=angular orientation of crankshaft;
S 1 =the displacement of absorber upper mass 22;
S 2 =the displacement of absorber lower mass 22;
Z'=velocity of Z (Z=S1, S2, or q);
Z"=acceleration of Z (Z=S1, S2 or q);
t=time;
Q=nominal rotational speed of the crankshat, equal to the time average of q';
J o =sum of the moments of inertia of the rotating crankshaft about point O and of the two absorbers about their respective c.g.'s;
m 1 =mass of upper absorber 22;
m 2 =mass of lower absorber 22;
R 1 (S 1 )=radial distance from point O to the c.g. of upper absorber 22, when absorber is at position S 1 ;
R 2 (S 2 )=radial distance from point O to the c.g. of lower absorber 22, when absorber is at position S 2 ;
F 1 (S 1 )=R 1 (S 1 ) {1-(d[R 1 (S 1 )]/d[S 1 ]) 2 } 1/2 ;
F 2 (S 2 )=R 2 (S 2 ) {1-(d[R 2 (S 2 )]/d[S 2 ]) 2 } 1/2 ;
R o =radial distance from point O to absorber c.g. when S=0, that is, at its furthermost position, i.e., at its vertex;
T=applied vibratory torque;
d[y]/d[x]=derivative of y with respect to x, for any function y(x).
The dynamics of this system are governed by Newton's Second Law and can be derived using Lagrange's method. When applied to the present system, it provides the following three differential equations which describe the dynamics of the rotating element and the two absorber masses:
______________________________________(1) m.sub.1 {S.sub.1 " + q"F.sub.1 (S.sub.1) - 1/2q'.sup.2 d[R.sub.1.sup.2 (S.sub.1)]/d[S.sub.1 ]} = 0(2) m.sub.2 {S.sub.2 " + q"F.sub.2 (S.sub.2) - 1/2q'.sup.2 d[R.sub.2.sup.2 (S.sub.2)]/d[S.sub.2 ]} = 0(3) J.sub.0 q" + m.sub.1 {R.sub.1 .sup.2 (S.sub.1)q" + S.sub.1 q'd[R.sub.1 .sup.2 (S.sub.1)]/d[S.sub.1 ] +F.sub.1 (S.sub.1)S.sub.1 " + S.sub.1 '.sup.2 d[F.sub.1 (S.sub.1)]/d[S.sub.1 ] +m2{R.sub.2 .sup.2 (S.sub.2)q" + S.sub.2 'q'd[R.sub.2 .sup.2 (S.sub.2)]/d[S.sub.2 ] +F.sub.2 (S.sub.2)S.sub.2 " + S.sub.2 '.sup.2 d[F.sub.2 (S.sub.2)]/d[S.sub.2 ]} = T______________________________________
The first two equations describe the motions of the two absorber masses while the third equation describes the response of the crankshaft to the applied vibratory torque T and the torques supplied by the movement of the absorbers.
The Half-order Absorber Motion
The following is an application of absorbers for counteracting a harmonic torque of order N:
Harmonic torque: T=-T N sin (NQt) or T=-T N sin (Nq) (Note, the minus sign is not crucial, but provides convenient phasing);
Identical absorber masses: m 1 =m 2 =m;
Epicycloidal absorber paths, tuned to order N/2:
R 1 (S 1 )={R o 2 -N 2 S 1 2 /4} 1/2 ,
R 2 (S 2 )={R o 2 -N 2 S 2 2 /4} 1/2 .
In this case there is a motion of the system in which the applied torque T is completely and exactly counteracted by the torques applied to the crankshaft by the absorbers' movements, resulting in zero torsional vibration. This motion is achieved when the absorbers move in an out-of-phase manner, specifically:
S.sub.2 =-S.sub.1 (4)
results in a motion of the crankshaft of
q=Qt (5)
implying q'=Q and q"=0, that is zero torsional vibration. Employing conditions (4) and (5) into equations (1), (2) and (3) results in the following:
m{S"+SQ.sup.2 N.sup.2 /4}=0 for the absorbers; S=S.sub.1 =-S.sub.2(6)
m{-N.sup.2 QS.sub.1 S.sub.1 '}=-T.sub.N sin (NQt) for the crankshaft.(7)
Due to the epicycloidal path, the relationship between the absorber movements, and the steady rotation, equations (1) and (2) become a simple harmonic oscillator with frequency NQ/2, given by equation (6), and equation (3) simplifies to equation (7) since most of the absorber torque terms cancel out due to the anti-symmetry of the absorber dynamics.
There is an exact solution of equations (6) and (7), of the form:
S.sub.1 =-S.sub.2 =A sin (NQt/2); (so that S.sub.1 '=-S.sub.2 '={ANQ/2} cos (NQt/2)). (8)
The amplitude of the absorbers' motion is then obtained by using solution (8) in equation (7), yielding
A={4T.sub.N /(N.sup.3 Q.sup.2 m)}.sup.1/2. (9)
One needs to use the trigonometric identity, sin (NQt/2) cos (NQt/2)=1/2 sin (NQt), in order to obtain this result.
The important features of this motion are:
The motion of the absorbers is at frequency NQ/2, while the applied torque has frequency NQ, hence the "half-order absorber pair" designation.
The crankshaft rotates at a constant speed, q'=Q.
The absorbers move in an out-of-phase manner relative to one another, so that they oscillate in opposite directions relative to the crankshaft i.e. as shown at A and B in FIG. 3. In other words, while one is moving clockwise relative to the crankshaft, the other is moving counterclockwise, and vice-versa.
All components of the torques generated by the motion of the absorbers cancel except the Coriolis term in the left hand side of the equation (7), and this exactly cancels the applied torque. Note that the torque from the absorbers is nonlinear, as it involves the product term S 1 S 1 '.
The absorber amplitude is limited to be less than or equal to
S.sub.maximum =4R.sub.o /(N{N.sup.2 +4}.sup.1/2) (10)
at which point the absorber masses reach cusp points in the epicycloidal paths (these occur where F(S maximum )=0). This limits the torque amplitude to a value, obtained by solving equations (9) and (10) for T N with A=S maximum , yielding.
T.sub.N,maximum =mR.sub.o.sup.2 Q.sup.2 4N/(N.sup.2 +4). (11)
Therefore, the absorber motion is valid for large amplitudes, and is restricted only by A<S maximum . Equation (11) is very useful for locating and sizing the absorber masses.
Realization of the Absorber C.G. Path
In order to realize the above mathematical solution, it is necessary to design appropriate rollers 32, curves 20 in holes 18 in the crank flanges 16, and curves 30 in holes 28 of the absorber masses 22. There exists a procedure for doing this for general paths, and it can be found, for example in the paper of H. H. Denman (Appendix B, Journal of Sound and Vibration, Volume 159, pages 251-277, 1992). Denman's paper gives the required mathematical formulas for several paths, including circles, cycloids and epicycloids, each tuned to an order of M. In all previous applications, M is chosen to be the order of the torque, designated here as N. For the present half-order tuning, the novel step is taken of selecting paths tuned to order M=N/2 for an order N torque.
The desired tuning can be achieved by proper selection of the size, shape and location of the various holes, and the size of the rollers. The tuning can be done by considering small amplitude movements of the absorber masses, after which the epicycloidal path shape will lock in that tuning for large amplitudes.
The following is standard tuning for small amplitude motion of absorbers in a bifilar arrangement; details can be found in Volume IV, Chapter XXX of the treatise by KerWilson, Practical Solution of Torsional Vibration Problems, Chapman and Hall Ltd, 3rd edition, London, 1968. For small amplitudes (specifically, for S much smaller than R o ), the movement of the absorber mass c.g., point G, is very nearly a circle of radius L centered at point C as shown at 23 for the upper mass 22 and at 25 for the lower mass, FIG. 3. Point C is referred to here as the "center of movement". The distance between points C and G is L, as shown in FIG. 3. The distance from point C to point O is labeled as R (again, see FIG. 3). Note that R+L=R o . For tuning to order M, the ratio of R/L is set equal to M 2 . For the usual tuning, therefore, (R/L)=N 2 , and for half-order tuning, (R/L)=(N/2) 2 , which lead to very different geometrical ratios. (For the example shown in FIG. 3, N=3, so that R/L=(3/2) 2 =2.25 to achieve half-order tuning).
The effective length L can be determined by the radius of curvature, r 1 , of holes 18 and 28 at their vertex points, and the roller radius, r. For small amplitudes, then, L=2(r 1 -r) (see KerWilson's book for the geometrical details).
Note that when circles are used for holes 18, and thus for paths 20, for all amplitudes of pendulum movement the path of G is a circle of radius L centered at point C. In that case, C is the center of curvature for the path of G for all absorber amplitudes. However, for noncircular paths, only for small amplitude motions is the center of curvature located at point C and the radius of curvature of the path of point G equal to L. As the absorber c.g. G moves along its path away from the vertex point, the radius of curvature varies from L and the center of curvature moves away from point C. Since point C represents the center of curvature at small amplitudes, at which point the basic tuning is set, we designate point C as the "center of movement".
Other Embodiments
As indicated above, the inventive concepts may be utilized with a variety of rotating machinery components, including helicopter rotors wherein bifilar pendulum vibration absorbers are commonly used, as indicated in U.S. Pat. No. 4,218,187. A simplified arrangement of apparatus for the utilization of the inventive concepts with a helicopter rotor is shown in FIG. 4.
In FIG. 4, which is a simplified plan view of a helicopter rotor hub 36, the helicopter blades may be attached to the shaft structure, not shown, supporting the hub 36. Please see U.S. Pat. No. 4,218,187 as illustrating a typical relationship between helicopter blades and a bifilar pendulum vibration absorber mounted upon the blade rotor.
The rotor hub 36 includes four radial extensions 38 located at 90° with respect to adjacent extensions. Each of the extensions 38 includes a pair of holes 40 which may be identical in configuration to the holes 18 formed in the crankshaft embodiment of FIG. 1. A pendulum 42 is mounted upon each extension 38 by means of pendulum holes 44 and rollers 46, and it will be appreciated that the helicopter rotor structure of FIG. 4 will function in a manner to absorb torque vibrations identical to that of the crankshaft embodiment of FIG. 1.
In FIG. 4, the center of rotation of the rotor hub 36 is indicated by letters identical to those employed with reference to FIG. 3, and O represents the center of rotor rotation, C represents the center of movement of the associated pendulum 42, and G represents the center of gravity of the associated pendulum. The distance R indicates the radial distance between the center of rotor rotation and the center of pendulum movement, while the distance L represents the radial spacing between the pendulums center of gravity and center of movement.
In FIG. 4, the significant relationships between the components of the system are identified by identical letters and symbols as used in conjunction with the crankshaft embodiment of FIGS. 1-3. The critical relationships previously described apply to the helicopter rotor embodiment of FIG. 4 and the inventive concepts and theory are identical to that described above.
FIG. 5 illustrates another embodiment of bifilar pendulum vibration absorber utilizing the concepts of the invention which may be used with an internal combustion engine crankshaft. This embodiment utilizes internal pendulums similar to that shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,739,679.
In the embodiment of FIG. 5, a portion of the crankshaft is indicated at 48, and may be a portion of a counterweight cheek. A generally circular assembly 50 is mounted upon the crankshaft 48 by fasteners 52, and the assembly 50 includes diametrically opposed roller support portions 54. A pair of concave surfaces 56 are defined upon each roller support 54, and preferably, the configuration of the surfaces 56 is epicycloid, but may be circular or of other acceptable concave configuration.
The pendulums 58 are located radially inward of the roller supports 54, and each of the pendulums 58 includes a pair of concave surfaces 60 disposed in opposed relationship to the surfaces 56. The configuration of the surfaces 60 will be identical to that of the surfaces 56.
Cylindrical rollers 62 are interposed between opposed surfaces 56 and 60, and centrifugal forces acting upon the pendulums 58 will maintain the pendulum surfaces 60 against the rollers 62, and maintain the rollers 62 against the surfaces 56. In this manner, the pendulums 58 will be supported upon the rollers 62 and the surfaces 56 and 60.
The center of crankshaft rotation is indicated at O, and the center of gravity of the pendulums 58 is indicated at G. The center of the path of movement of the pendulums is indicated at point C. The distance R is the radial distance between the center of crankshaft rotation and the center of pendulum movement, while the distance L represents the radial distance between the pendulum center of gravity and center of movement.
As with the helicopter rotor embodiment of FIG. 4, the crankshaft variation illustrated in FIG. 5 utilizes identical half-order vibration absorption, and in FIG. 5, the significant relationships between the components are illustrated by the use of identical letters and symbols employed in the description of the inventive concept as set forth with respect to FIGS. 1-3. The internal placement of the pendulum masses 58 does not affect the concepts and theory of the invention, and with the embodiments of FIG. 5, it is readily possible to achieve those relationships between the components required to achieve the half-order vibration absorption.
It is appreciated that various modifications to the inventive concepts may be apparent to those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.
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A dynamic vibration absorber for a rotating machinery element preferably of the bifilar pendulum vibration absorber type wherein the absorber system includes one or more pair(s) of masses having identical paths of movement relative to the axis of the rotating element whose vibrations are being absorbed, the individual absorber masses of a given pair moving out-of-phase with respect to one another relative to the rotating element wherein a disturbance torque with a frequency that is a multiple of the rotation rate of the rotating element is absorbed by a one-half relative frequency motion of the corresponding half-order absorber pair. The half-order absorber pairs are driven primarily by centrifugal forces, move with a frequency one-half that of the disturbance torque and use non-linear Coriolis forces as the source of the counteracting torque.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] This non-provisional application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119(a) on Korean Patent Application No. 2003-84932 filed on Nov. 27, 2003, which is herein incorporated by reference.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0002] The present invention relates to a novel liquid crystalline compound and a liquid crystalline composition comprising the same, and more particularly to a liquid crystalline compound for vertical alignment containing a laterally substituted aromatic cyclic moiety and a liquid crystalline composition comprising the liquid crystalline compound.
DESCRIPTION OF THE RELATED ART
[0003] A variety of flat panel displays, including liquid crystal displays (LCDs), field emission displays (FEDs), plasma display panels (PDPs) and electroluminescent display (ELDs), are very slim and lightweight, and can be fabricated to have a large area. Based on these advantages, flat panel displays are increasingly used in a wide variety of applications, such as notebook monitors and display devices for use in aircraft cockpit compartments, medical devices, navigational instruments, measuring instruments, and the like.
[0004] Liquid crystalline displays (LCDs) have the highest market share of the flat panel display products because of their easy portability and low power consumption. Liquid crystalline displays can be classified into projection type LCDs and direct view type LCDs. The direct view type LCDs are devices where a viewer can directly view light generated from the LCDs, and they are sub-classified into transmissive and reflective LCDs. The former is a device wherein the intensity of light produced from a backlight is regulated by an LCD panel, and the latter is a device wherein natural light and ambient light are reflected from the LCD panel to form desired images. In particular, a noticeable display device, LCOS (Liquid Crystal on Silicon) microdisplay comprises a silicon back plate and a cover glass, both of which are conductors and have mirror-like surfaces as a pixel array, and a liquid crystalline material is introduced between the two components. Although the LCOS microdisplay has a diagonal length of 1 inch or below, high-resolution images can be obtained. Since the LCOS microdisplay generally has small-sized pixels, it is composed of about 1 μm thick thin cells. In view of d·Δn values, liquid crystalline media used in the LCOS microdisplay are required to have a high optical anisotropy of more than 0.1, unlike a general transmissive liquid crystalline display having an optical anisotropy (i.e., refractive index anisotropy (Δn)) of 0.1 or less. For this purpose, it is contemplated that a biphenyl or terphenyl group is introduced into a liquid crystalline compound to increase the number of conjugation sites, thereby improving the polar anisotropy in a long axial direction of the liquid crystalline compound. But, this method increases π-π stacking interaction and thus causes the liquid crystalline compound to be crystallized at room temperature, leading to a serious problem of poor reliability not allowable for liquid crystalline displays.
[0005] Liquid crystalline compounds applied to a vertical alignment (VA) technology should exhibit a relatively high negative dielectric anisotropy. In addition, these liquid crystalline compounds for VA are required to have the following properties: (1) a particular optical anisotropy in their liquid crystalline phase; (2) a low K33/K11 ratio and a low rotation viscosity so as to ensure a high response speed; (3) a chemical stability against external factors such as UV rays, heat, infrared rays, air, electric fields, etc.; and a liquid crystalline phase over a broad temperature range.
[0006] There has been no report regarding a single liquid crystalline compound simultaneously having a high optical anisotropy and a high negative dielectric anisotropy sufficient to be fabricated into VA mode thin liquid crystalline cells, until now. Accordingly, liquid crystalline compositions comprising about 5 to 25 liquid crystalline compounds are currently used to exhibit intended liquid crystalline properties, but they fail to satisfy the above-mentioned requirements for an ideal VA liquid crystalline composition. Thus, there is a need for a novel liquid crystalline compound having a high optical anisotropy, a high negative dielectric anisotropy, a low rotation viscosity and a broad liquid crystalline temperature range.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0007] According to the present invention it has been found that a liquid crystalline compound containing a particular aromatic cyclic moiety laterally substituted with an alkyl, alkenyl, alkoxy group or a derivative thereof has a high negative dielectric anisotropy, a high optical anisotropy, a low rotation viscosity, a low K33/K11 ratio and a broad liquid crystalline temperature range.
[0008] Therefore, a feature of the present invention is to provide a novel liquid crystalline compound which can be applied to VA mode thin liquid crystalline cells and has a high response speed while ensuring good image quality.
[0009] In accordance with a feature of the present invention, there is provided a liquid crystalline compound represented by Formula 1 below:
wherein R 1 and R 2 are each independently C 1-20 alkyl, C 1-20 alkenyl, C 1-20 alkoxy, C 1-20 alkenyloxy, C 3-20 cycloalkyl or C 6-20 aryl group in which at least one hydrogen atom may be substituted with a halogen atom; X 1 and X 2 are each independently a hydrogen atom, a halogen atom, or C 1-10 alkyl, alkoxy, alkenyl or alkenyloxy group in which at least one hydrogen atom may be substituted with a halogen atom, with the proviso that both of X 1 and X 2 are not simultaneously a hydrogen atom or a halogen atom; L 1 , L 2 and L 3 are each independently a single bond, C 1-7 alkylene, C 2-7 divalent unsaturated hydrocarbon group containing at least one double or triple bond, —COO—, —OCO—, —CH 2 O—, —CF 2 O—, —OCF 2 —, —OCH 2 —, —NHCH 2 —, —CH 2 NH—, —CH 2 CO—, —COCH 2 —, —N═N— or —NON—; p, q, and r are each independently an integer of 0 to 2, with the proviso that all of p, q, and r are not simultaneously zero; and
are each independently a 1,4-cyclohexylene, 1,4-phenylene or cyclohexene-1,4-diyl group, in which at least one hydrogen atom may be substituted with a halogen atom.
[0011] In accordance with another feature of the present invention, there is provided a liquid crystalline composition comprising the liquid crystalline compound of Formula 1.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0012] The above and other objects, features and other advantages of the present invention will be more clearly understood from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:
[0013] FIGS. 1 a and 1 b are images showing phase change of liquid crystalline compositions.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
[0014] Hereinafter, the present invention will be explained in more detail.
[0015] The liquid crystalline compound of Formula 1 contains a phenylene moiety laterally substituted with an alkyl, alkenyl or alkoxy group and the polar anisotropy in the long axial direction of the liquid crystalline compound is improved, thereby showing a high optical anisotropy without crystallization due to π-π stacking interaction. This can be confirmed from FIGS. 1 a and 1 b . FIGS. 1 a and 1 b are images showing the phase change of liquid crystalline compositions respectively containing the laterally substituted liquid crystalline compound shown in FIG. 1 a and the laterally non-substituted liquid crystalline compound shown in FIG. 1 b . The laterally substituted or non-substituted compound is mixed with a liquid crystalline material of Table 1 below. The images were taken from a test cell containing the liquid crystalline mixture without impressed voltage at room temperature. As seen in FIG. 1 b , crystallization occurred, even at room temperature, when the laterally non-substituted liquid crystalline compound is mixed.
TABLE 1 N Compounds Content (%) 1 2 2 2 3 2 4 15 5 15 6 24 7 8 8 32
[0016] Further, the liquid crystalline compound of Formula 1 contains a fluoro-substituted phenylene moiety and shows a high negative dielectric anisotropy.
[0017] Preferred embodiments of the liquid crystalline compound according to the present invention are those wherein R 1 is a C 2-10 alkyl group, R 2 is a C 2-10 alkoxy group; one of X 1 and X 2 is a hydrogen atom, and the other is methyl, ethyl, ethenyl, propyl, allyl, methoxy, ethoxy or propoxy group in which at least one hydrogen may be substituted with a halogen atom; and L 1 and L 2 are each independently a single bond, methylene, ethylene, —CH═CH—, —C≡C—, —COO—, —OCO—, —CH 2 O—, —CF 2 O—, —OCF 2 — or —OCH 2 —.
[0018] Preferred embodiments of the liquid crystalline compounds according to the present invention are those represented by Formulae 2 to 7 below:
[0019] The compound of the present invention can be prepared through appropriate synthetic paths. For example, an alkyl terphenyl or alkyl quaterphenyl compound containing a phenylene moiety laterally substituted with an alkyl group as in Formula 2 is prepared in accordance with the following procedure. First, alkylated magnesium iodide is reacted with 3,6-disubstituted cyclohexanone to yield a diene compound. Thereafter, the diene compound is aromatized to the target compound (See, Reaction Schemes 1 and 2).
[0020] The present invention also provides a liquid crystalline composition comprising the compound of Formula 1. The liquid crystalline compounds of Formula 1 may be used alone or in combination. Alternatively, a previously known liquid crystalline compound may be further added in order to appropriately control the physical properties and various optical parameters of the liquid crystalline composition. Examples of such known liquid crystalline compounds include, but are not limited to, liquid crystalline compounds containing a cyclohexylphenyl group for viscosity reduction. Specific examples of known liquid crystalline compounds are as follows (see, e.g., V. Reiffenrath et al., Liq. Cryst., 5(1) 159(1989): M. Klasen-Memmer et. al., IDW (international display workshop) 2002, 93 (Hiroshima, Japan): M. Heckmeier et al., U.S. Pat. No. 6,515,580 (2003): K. Miyazawa et al., U.S. Pat. No. 6,348,244(2002)):
wherein n is an integer of from 1 to 10 and n+m is in the range of 5˜10, but n and m are not specifically limited to these ranges.
[0022] The content of the liquid crystalline compound according to the present invention in the liquid crystalline composition is not especially limited, but is preferably in the range of 5˜60% by weight, based on the total weight of the composition. The liquid crystalline composition of the present invention has preferably an optical anisotropy as high as 0.05˜0.30, and more preferably 0.15˜0.25. The liquid crystalline composition of the present invention has an absolute value of 3 or more (i.e., −3.0 or less) in negative dielectric anisotropy and is appropriate for the use in VA mode thin liquid crystalline cells.
[0023] Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to the following preferred examples. However, these examples are given for the purpose of illustration and are not to be construed as limiting the scope of the invention.
EXAMPLES
Synthetic Example 1
4-Pentyl-3″-methyl-2′″, 3 ′″-difluoro-4′″-methoxyquaterphenyl
[0024]
[0025] 2-cyclohexenone compound (1) is prepared according to a method disclosed in Liquid Crystals, 2001, Vol. 28, No. 12, 1775-1760, Liquid Crystals: Proc. SPIE Vol. 4759. 0.1 mole of the 2-cyclohexenone compound (1) above is dissolved in 150 ml of dry THF. To the solution is added a solution of 0.12 moles of methylmagnesium iodide in 100 ml of dry ether. The reaction mixture is stirred at room temperature overnight. After 100 ml of 10% hydrochloric acid is added to the reaction mixture and stirred, the resulting mixture is left for phase separation. The obtained organic layer is washed with water several times, and dried over anhydrous magnesium sulfate. The remaining solvents are evaporated and the mixtures is loaded onto a silica gel packed column and then filtered. The ether is removed from the filtrate and the concentrate is dissolved in 100 ml of toluene. Then, 0.1 mole of p-Toluenesulfonic acid is added and the solution is refluxed for 24 hours. After 100 ml of sat. sodium hydrogen carbonate solution is added to the reaction mixture and stirred, the resulting mixture is left for phase separation. The obtained organic layer is washed with water several times, and dried over anhydrous magnesium sulfate. The magnesium sulfate is removed from the filtrate and the remaining solvents are evaporated to yield the target compound of Formula 3 as a white solid (see, the above Reaction Scheme 1). The compound is recrystallized in isopropyl alcohol (yield: 41%).
[0026] The molecular mass of the compound is determined by GC mass, showing the following result:
GC mass data: m/z 456 (>99%).
[0028] In addition, 1 H NMR data was measured showing the following result:
[0029] 1 H NMR data: 7.7 ppm(m, 5H), 7.6 ppm(m, 4H), 7.4 ppm(d, 1H), 7.2 ppm(m, 1H), 7.0 ppm(t, 1H), 6.8 ppm(t, 1H), 4.0 ppm(s, 3H), 2.7 ppm(t, 2H), 1.7 ppm(m, 2H), 1.5 ppm(s, 3H), 1.3 ppm(m, 4H), 0.9 ppm(t, 3H)
Synthetic Examples 2 and 3
[0030] Cyclohexenone compounds (2) and (3) below are prepared according to a method disclosed in Liquid Crystals, 2001, Vol. 28, No. 12, 1775-1760, Liquid Crystals: Proc. SPIE Vol. 4759.
[0031] Then, compounds of Formulae 2 and 4 are prepared in the same manner as in Synthetic Example 1, except that 0.1 mole of the 2-cyclohexenone compound (2) (Synthetic Example 2) and 0.1 mole of the 2-cyclohexene compound (3) (Synthetic Example 3) are used, respectively. The yields of the compounds of Formulae 2 and 4 are 52% and 60%, respectively.
[0032] The molecular mass of the liquid crystalline compounds thus prepared is determined by GC mass, showing the following results:
GC mass data: m/z 356 (>99%) GC mass data: m/z 452 (>99%)
Synthetic Example 4
[0035] The compound of Formula 5 is prepared in the same manner as in Synthetic Example 1, except that 0.12 moles of ethylmagnesium iodide are used (yield: 50%).
[0036] The molecular mass of the liquid crystalline compound thus prepared is determined by GC mass, showing the following result:
GC mass data: m/z 470 (>99%)
Synthetic Example 5
[0038]
[0039] 2-cyclohexenone compound (5) is prepared according to a method disclosed in Liquid Crystals, 2001, Vol. 28, No. 12, 1775-1760, Liquid Crystals: Proc. SPIE Vol. 4759. Then, 0.1 moles of the 2-cyclohexenone compound (5) is dissolved in 150 ml of ethanol, and 1 g of iodine is added thereto. After the reaction mixture is refluxed at 100° C. for 24 hours, it is allowed to cool to room temperature and then water and ether are added thereto. The obtained organic layer is washed with sodium sulfite and water several times, and is subsequently dried over anhydrous magnesium sulfate. The remaining solvents are evaporated and the concentrate is dissolved in ether. The ether solution is loaded onto a silica gel packed column and then filtered. The ether is removed from the filtrate to yield the target compound of Formula 7 as a white solid (see the above Reaction Scheme 2). The compound is recrystallized in isopropyl alcohol (yield: 48%).
[0040] The molecular mass of the compound is determined by GC mass, showing the following result:
GC mass data: m/z 478 (>99%).
[0042] In addition, 1 H NMR data was measured showing the following result:
[0043] 1 H NMR data: 7.8 ppm(d, 2H), 7.5˜7.2 ppm(m, 5H), 7.0 ppm(t, 1H), 6.8 ppm(t, 1H), 4.1 ppm(q, 2H), 3.9 ppm(s, 3H), 2.5 ppm(m, 1H), 2.5 ppm(m, 4H), 1.9 ppm(m, 5H), 1.3 ppm(m, 10H), 1.0 ppm(m, 2H), 0.9 ppm(t, 3H)
[0044] The phase transition temperature, the optical anisotropy (Δn) and the dielectric anisotropy (Δε) of the liquid crystalline compounds of formulae 2-5 and 7 are measured, and the results are shown in Table 2 below. Specifically, the respective liquid crystalline properties are measured in accordance with the following procedures. The prepared liquid crystalline compound is mixed with a liquid crystalline composition of Table 1 above. After the liquid crystalline composition containing the prepared liquid crystalline compound is injected into a vertically aligned liquid crystalline cell, the dielectric anisotropy (Δε) is measured using a measurement system (Model 6254, Toyo Company) at 20° C. and 0.1 Hz. The optical anisotropy (Δn) is obtained by measuring the refractive index to normal light and abnormal light at 20° C. using an interference filter of an Abbe refractometer (589 nm). The phase transition temperature is measured using a polarization microscope equipped with a hot stage while maintaining a heating/cooling speed of +2° C./min. Parameters in connection with the electro-optical properties are as follows:
Tni (° C.): Nematic-isotropy transition temperature Δn: Optical anisotropy vale at 20° C. (measured at 589 nm)
[0047] Δε: Dielectric anisotropy at 20° C. (measured at 0.1 Hz)
TABLE 2 Phase transition Structure temperature Δn Δε 1 Cr(41) N87 I 0.210 −6.1 2 Cr(41) N87 I 0.342 −5.8 3 Cr(41) N87 I 0.239 −5.9 4 Cr(41) N87 I 0.304 −4.8 5 Cr(41) N87 I 0.219 −3.7
[0048] As can be seen from the results shown in Table 2, the liquid crystalline compounds have an optical anisotropy as high as 0.2 or more, and a relatively high dielectric anisotropy. In addition, the liquid crystalline compounds advantageously have an increased phase transition temperature.
[0000] Liquid Crystalline Compositions
[0049] Liquid crystalline compositions 1 to 6 comprising the liquid crystalline compounds prepared in the Synthetic Examples are prepared. The optical anisotropy (Δn), Tni and the dielectric anisotropy (Δε) of the liquid crystalline compositions are measured, and the results are shown in the tables below.
[0050] 1) Liquid Crystalline Composition 1
Liquid crystalline Content clearing n,m compound % temp. (° C.) Δn Δε 1 10 2 5 3 2 4 m + n = 7 m + n = 8 6 8 68 0.094 −4.13 5 n = 3 n = 5 5 7 6 n = 2 n = 3 9 10 7 n = 3 n = 5 18 20
[0051] 2) Liquid Crystalline Composition 2
Liquid crystalline Content clearing n,m compound % temp. (° C.) Δn Δε 1 10 2 2 3 n = 3 1 4 n = 3 2 5 11 99 0.177 −4.08 6 11 7 22 8 n = 2 n = 3 4 4 9 n = 2 n = 3 17 16
[0052] 3) Liquid Crystalline Composition 3
Liquid crystalline Content clearing temp. n,m compound % (° C.) Δn Δε 1 10 2 2 3 n = 3 1 4 n = 3 2 5 11 86 0.104 −4.01 6 11 7 22 8 n = 2 n = 3 4 4 9 n = 2 n = 3 17 16
[0053] 4) Liquid Crystalline Composition 4
Liquid crystalline Content clearing n compound % temp. (° C.) Δn Δε 1 10 2 5 3 2 4 m + n = 7 m + n = 8 6 8 86 0.096 −4.01 5 n = 3 n = 5 5 7 6 n = 2 n = 3 9 10 7 n = 3 n = 5 18 20
[0054] 5) Liquid Crystalline Composition 5
Liquid crystalline Content clearing n,m compound % temp. (° C.) Δn Δε 1 5 5 2 2 3 n = 3 1 4 n = 3 2 5 11 107 0.189 −4.2 6 11 7 22 8 n = 2 n = 3 4 4 9 n = 2 n = 3 17 16
[0055] 6) Liquid Crystalline Composition 6
Liquid crystalline Content clearing n, m compound % temp. (° C.) Δn Δε 1 5 5 2 2 3 n = 3 1 4 n = 3 2 5 11 99 0.164 −4.72 6 11 7 22 8 n = 2 n = 3 4 4 9 n = 2 n = 3 17 16
[0056] As is evident from the above results, the liquid crystalline compositions comprising the liquid crystalline compound of the present invention have a clearing temperature ranging from 68 to 107° C., a high optical anisotropy ranging from 0.09 to 0.18 and a high negative dielectric anisotropy. Therefore, the liquid crystalline compositions can be very usefully applied to VA mode LCoS microdisplays.
[0057] Although the preferred 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 spirit and scope of the invention as disclosed in the accompanying claims.
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A vertical alignment liquid crystalline compound containing a laterally substituted aromatic cyclic moiety. The liquid crystalline compound has a wide temperature range of the nematic phase, a high optical anisotropy and a high negative dielectric anisotropy. In addition, since the rotation viscosity and the K33/K11 ratio of the liquid crystalline compound are maintained at a low level, the liquid crystalline compound can be effectively used as a liquid crystalline medium having good image quality and a high response speed even when applied to thin liquid crystalline cells.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to rotary regenerative air preheaters which employ radial seals and more particularly to a novel radial seal that reduces the leakage gaps between the air preheater rotor and the sector sealing surface.
A rotary regenerative air preheater transfers sensible heat from the flue gas leaving a boiler to the entering combustion air through regenerative heat transfer surface in a rotor which turns continuously through the gas and air streams. The rotor, which is packed with the heat transfer surface, is supported through a lower bearing at the lower end of the air preheater and guided through a bearing assembly located at the top end for most vertical flow air preheaters. Some vertical flow air preheaters use a top support bearing and a lower guide bearing. Horizontal flow air preheaters utilize support bearings on each end. The rotor is divided into compartments by a number of radially extending plates referred to as diaphragms. These compartments are adapted to hold modular baskets in which the heat transfer surface is contained.
The air preheater is divided into a flue gas side or sector and one or more combustion air sides or sectors by sector plates. Flexible radial seals on the rotor, usually mounted on the top and bottom edges of the diaphragms, are in close proximity to these sector plates and minimize leakage of gas and air between sectors. Likewise, axial seal plates can be mounted on the housing between the housing and the periphery of the rotor between the air and gas sectors when used. These axial seal plates cooperate with flexible axial seals mounted on the outer ends of the diaphragms. These axial seals and seal plates together with the radial seals and sector plates effectively separate the air and flue gas streams from each other.
In a typical rotary regenerative heat exchanger, the hot flue gas and the combustion air enter the rotor shell from opposite ends and pass in opposite directions over the heat exchange material housed within the rotor. Consequently, the cold air inlet and the cooled gas outlet are at one end of the heat exchanger, referred to as the cold end, and the hot gas inlet and the heated air outlet are at the opposite end of the heat exchanger, referred to as the hot end. As a result, an axial temperature gradient exists from the hot end of the rotor to the cold end of the rotor. In response to this temperature gradient, the rotor tends to distort and to assume a shape similar to that of an inverted dish (commonly referred to as rotor turndown). As a result, the radial seals mounted on the hot end of the diaphragms are pulled away from the sector plates of the housing with the greater separation occurring at the outer radius of the rotor. This opens a gap which allows flow and results in an undesired intermingling of the gas and the air.
Various schemes have been developed to reestablish contact or close proximity between the seal leaves mounted to the diaphragms and the sector plates. It is well known to utilize a flexible sealing member that extends across the gap between the diaphragms and the sector plates. As the rotor transitions from a non-operating condition to an operating condition, the temperature gradient along the rotor increases, and the gap between the hot end diaphragms and the sector plates increases. However, the flexible sealing member is designed to always maintain contact with the sector plate. Such seal designs are classified as "soft touch seals".
Soft touch seals are subject to a number of problems. It has been experienced that the continuous contact between the sealing member and the sector plates results in wear to both the sealing member and the sealing surface of the sector plates. Special liners are sometimes utilized to reduce sealing surface wear. However, use of such liners results in higher capital and labor costs. In addition, deflection of soft touch seals due to pressure differentials between the gas and air sectors is generally not taken into consideration and cause gaps or an increase in gaps. Further, soft touch seals are subject to premature failure due to edge fracturing. Finally, the design of many soft touch seals contain one or both of the following limitations: 1) the amount of gap that may be closed is limited; and 2) each sealing member comprises multiple seal leaves that butt together and leakage may occur at these butt joints.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention provides an arrangement of means in an air preheater for maintaining a controlled gap between the flexible sealing member and the sector plate at full load operating conditions. This reduces leakage and sealing surface wear. The present invention also provides means in an air preheater to eliminate gapping between the sealing surface and the flexible sealing member due to deflection caused by gas pressure differentials, means for preventing premature failure due to edge fracturing of the flexible sealing member, and means for eliminating gaps between adjacent segments of the flexible sealing member.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a general perspective view of a conventional rotary regenerative air preheater.
FIG. 2 is a simplified representation of a rotor of the air preheater and housing of FIG. 1.
FIG. 3 is a diagrammatic representation of a rotary regenerative heat exchange apparatus experiencing rotor turndown.
FIG. 4 is an enlarged end elevational view showing a first embodiment of the radial seal assembly of the present invention.
FIG. 5 is an enlarged end elevational view showing a second embodiment of the radial seal assembly of the present invention.
FIG. 6A is an enlarged side elevational view showing the radial seal assembly of FIG. 5 and a portion of the sector plate in a cold condition; FIG. 6B is a cross section view of the radial seal assembly and portion of the sector plate of FIG. 6A taken through line 1--1; and
FIG. 6C is a cross section view of the radial seal assembly and portion of the sector plate of FIG. 6A taken through line 2--2.
FIG. 7A is an enlarged side elevational view showing the radial seal assembly of FIG. 5 and a portion of the sector plate in a hot condition and FIG. 7B is a cross section view of the radial seal assembly and portion of the sector plate of FIG. 7A taken through line 3--3.
FIG. 8 is an enlarged end elevational view showing a third embodiment of the radial seal assembly of the present invention.
FIG. 9 is an enlarged end elevational view showing a fourth embodiment of the radial seal assembly of the present invention.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
FIG. 1 of the drawings is a partially cut-away perspective view of a typical bi-sector air preheater 10 showing a housing 12 in which the rotor 14 is mounted on a drive shaft or post 16 for rotation as indicated by the arrow 18. The housing is divided by means of the flow impervious sector plates 20, 22 into a flue gas side 26 and an air side 28. Corresponding sector plates are also located on the bottom of the unit. The hot flue gases enter the air preheater 10 through the gas inlet duct 32, flows through the sector where heat is transferred to the heat transfer surface in the rotor 14 and then exits through gas outlet duct 34. As this hot heat transfer surface then rotates through the air sector 28 the heat is transferred to the air flowing through the rotor from the air inlet duct connector 36. The heated air stream forms a hot air stream and leaves the air preheater 10 through the duct connector section 40. Consequently, the cold air inlet and the cooled gas outlet 34 define a cold end of the heat exchanger and the hot gas inlet 32 and the heated air outlet define a hot end of the heat exchanger.
In a trisector air preheater, the rotor housing 12 is divided into three sectors by the sector plates 20, 22, 24. The sectors are the flue gas sector 26, the primary air sector 28', and the secondary air sector 30. FIG. 2 is a plan view representation of a trisector air preheater rotor 14 and housing 12 illustrating the sector plates 20, 22, 24 in relation to the rotor 14 and radial seals 42. This figure illustrates the sector plates in cross-section. The rotor 14 is composed of a plurality of sectors 26, 28', 30 with each sector containing a number of basket modules 44 and with each sector being defined by the diaphragms 46. The basket modules 44 contain the heat exchange surface. Attached to the top and bottom edges of these diaphragms 46 are the radial seals 42. When the air preheater 10 is put into service, an axial temperature gradient develops from the hot end 48 of the rotor 14 to the cold end 50 of the rotor 14 as the preheater progresses from a cold non-operating condition to a hot operating condition. This axial temperature gradient causes the rotor 14 to distort. As a result, the radial seals 42 mounted on the hot end 48 of the diaphragms 46 are pulled away from the sector plates of the housing with the greater separation occurring at the outboard end 52 of the rotor 14. This opens a gap 56 (FIG. 3) which if not closed would allow flow, resulting in an undesired intermingling of the gas and the air.
As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, each radial sealing assembly (42, 42') of the present invention comprises a rigid back support leaf 58 having a base portion 60 and an extended portion 62 extending outwardly from the base portion 60 to a distal edge 64. A rigid forward support leaf 66, 66' has a base portion 68, 68' and an extended portion 70, 70' extending outwardly from the base portion 68, 68' to a distal edge 72, 72'. A flexible sealing strip 74 made of flow impervious resilient material has a base portion 76 and an extended portion 78 extending outwardly from the base portion 76 to a distal edge 80. The base portion 60 of the back support leaf 58 and the base portion 68, 68' of the forward support leaf 66, 66' are disposed substantially collaterally in closely spaced relationship. The base portion 76 of the flexible sealing strip 74 is fixedly sandwiched, or clamped, between the base portions 60, 68, 68' of the back support leaf 58 and the forward support leaf 66, 66'. The base portions 60, 68, 68', 76 of the back and forward support leaves 58, 66, 66' and the flexible sealing strip 74 may be mounted together by any of a number of well known means. The back and forward support leaves 58, 66, 66' and the flexible sealing strip 74 radially extend from an outboard end 82 of the diaphragm 46 to an inboard end 84 of the diaphragm 46.
The extended portion 62 of the back support leaf 58 extends outwardly from the base portion 60 thereof and defines a height H B that is uniform from the outboard end 82 of the diaphragm 46 to the inboard end 84 of the diaphragm 46. The height H B has a predetermined value such that distal edge 64 of the back support leaf 58 and the sealing surface of a sector plate 20, 22, 24 define a gap 86 when the preheater 10 is in the cold condition (FIG. 6A). As an example, this gap 86 may have a width of about 0.03125 inches. The extended portion 62 of the back support leaf 58 extends outwardly from the base portion 60 at an acute angle, to a direct radial extension of the base portion 60 in a direction counter to the direction of rotation of the rotor 14. The angle will have a value selected for the specific application. It is expected that an angle from 5° to 25° will provide the proper pretension on the flexible sealing strip for any particular application. The extended portion 62 of the back support leaf 58 engages the extended portion 78 of the flexible sealing strip 74 and biases the sealing strip 74 in a direction counter to the direction of rotation. This bias imposes a pretension on the sealing strip 74 such that the sealing strip 74 resists deflection caused by air to gas differential pressures, thereby eliminating a source of gaps that commonly occur in conventional air preheaters.
In the embodiment 42' shown in FIG. 5, the extended portion 70' of the rigid forward support leaf 66' extends outwardly from the base portion 68' and is directed away from the extended portion 62 of the back support leaf 58 to provide a gap 88 therebetween. The extended portion 78 of the flexible sealing strip 74 extends outwardly from its base portion 76 between the extended portions 70', 62 of the forward and back support leaves 66', 58 into the gap 88 therebetween with a tipped portion and the distal edge 80 extending outwardly beyond the distal edges 72', 64 of the forward support leaf 66' and the back support leaf 58. As disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,593,750, assigned to the assignee of the subject application, the outward portion of the back support leaf serves to limit the backward movement of the distal edge of the flexible sealing strip.
In the embodiment shown in FIG. 4, the extended portion 70 of the rigid forward support leaf 66 extends outwardly from the base portion 68 at a right angle. The enclosed gap 88 formed by the forward and back support leaves 66', 58 of the embodiment 42' shown in FIG. 5 is eliminated in this design to prevent ash and other particulate matter from collecting in the radial seal assembly. The bend 90 formed between the base portion 68 and the extended portion 70 of the forward support leaf 66 is radiused to facilitate flexure of the resilient sealing strip 74.
The flexible sealing strip comprises 74 a flow impervious resilient material. Preferably, the flexible sealing strip 74 is composed of 15-5 or 17-4 stainless steel that has been heat treated to give a yield strength of 170 Ksi, minimum, at 75° F. The higher yield strength allows the sealing strip 74 to be flexed to a greater degree without permanent deformation and provides a longer life to the sealing strip 74. The distal edge 80 of the sealing strip 74 defines the height H s of the extended portion 78 of the sealing strip 74. As viewed in FIG. 7A, the sealing strip tapers radially such that the height H s ' of the sealing strip 74 at the outboard end 82 of the diaphragm 46 is greater than the height H s " of the sealing strip 74 at the inboard end 84 of the diaphragm 46. As an example, the height H s ' of the sealing strip 74 at the outboard end 82 may be as much as (but not limited to) 1.250 inches greater than the height H s " of the sealing strip 74 at the inboard end 84.
The maximum width of the gap 86 between the distal edge 64 of the back support leaf 58 and the sealing surface of the sector plate 20, 22, 24 that may be bridged by the sealing strip 74 is limited by the arcuate shape imposed on the sealing strip 74 by the back support leaf bias. A second, or more, sealing strip 98 may be added to the radial seal assembly 94, 96 (FIGS. 8 and 9) to impose a counter bias on the first sealing strip 74, thereby allowing the first sealing strip 74 to bridge a wider gap. Calculations have shown that the maximum gap that may be bridged by a single sealing strip 74 is approximately 0.5 inches and that this maximum gap may be increased up to (but not limited to) 1.25 inches by adding sealing strip(s) 98 to the assembly. Preferably, the height H s2 of the extended portion 100 of each additional sealing strip 98 is less than the height Hs of the extended portion 78 of the first sealing strip 74. The additional sealing strips may have a constant height from inboard end to outboard end or taper in the same manner as the first sealing strip 74.
Preferably, the sealing strip 74 is composed of a plurality of sealing strip segments 102, FIGS. 6A and 7A. The use of sealing strip segments 102 reduces the effect of the twisting force imposed on the sealing strip 74 when the sealing strip 74 is flexed by the sector plate 20, 22, 24. As shown in FIG. 7A, the edges 104 of the sealing strip segments 102 may overlap to provide mutual support and eliminate gaps between the sealing strip segments. The distal edge 80 of the sealing strip 74 may be enclosed in a protective tip cover 106 to prevent premature failure due to edge fracturing, FIGS. 4, 5, 8 and 9. Preferably, the tip cover 106 is composed of 400 stainless steel and is mounted to the sealing strip 74 by spot welds.
As shown in FIG. 6A, the distal edge 64 of the back support leaf extended portion 62 and the distal edge 72' of the forward support leaf extended portion 70' are substantially parallel to the sealing surface of the sector plate 20, 22, 24 when the air preheater is in the cold condition. For example, the gap 86 between the distal edges 64, 72' of the back support leaf extended portion 62 and the forward support leaf extended portion 70' and the sealing surface of the sector plate 20, 22, 24 may be approximately 0.03125 inches in width. At least a portion of the distal edge 80 of the sealing strip 74 engages the sealing surface of the sector plate 20, 22, 24 whereby the sealing strip is flexed by this engagement. Generally, the outboard portion of the sealing strip 74 is highly flexed and the inboard portion of the sealing strip 74 is lightly flexed, or not at all, due to the taper of the sealing strip 74, as shown in FIGS. 6B and 6C.
As the air preheater 10 progresses from a cold condition to a hot condition on startup, the resulting rotor turndown causes the gap 86' between the outboard end of the distal edges 64, 72' of the back support leaf 58 and the forward support leaf 66' to increase (FIGS. 7A, 7B). As the width of this portion of the gap 86' increases, the flexure of the portion of the sealing strip 74 located in the portion of the gap 86' is decreased. When the air preheater is in the hot condition, the gap 86 between the distal edges 64, 72' of the back support leaf extended portion 62 and the forward support leaf extended portion 70' has a tapered shape wherein the width of the gap 86' is greatest at the outboard end, as shown in FIG. 7A. The tapered shape of the sealing strip 74 allows the sealing strip 74 to partially bridge the gap 86 wherein a gap 92 remains between the distal edge 80 of the sealing strip extended portion 78 and the sector plate 20, 22, 24. For example, the gap 92 may have a value of approximately 0.03125 inches when feasible at specified operating temperatures. At temperatures lower than the specified operating temperatures an interference condition may occur.
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A rotary regenerative air preheater having a rotor mounted to a central rotor post for rotation within a surrounding housing whereby heat absorbent material carried in the rotor is alternately exposed to a flow of heating gas and a gas to be heated. A radial seal assembly including a flexible sealing strip is mounted to the hot end edge of each radially extending partition of the rotor to establish a seal between the partitions and the confronting face of the sector plate of the housing as the rotor is rotated. The flexible sealing strip has a tapered configuration such that the distal edge of the sealing strip and the confronting face of the sector plate define a controlled radially extending gap when the air preheater is in a hot-operating condition. A protective tip is mounted on the distal edge of the flexible sealing strip to prevent premature failure due to edge fracturing. The rigid back support leaf biases the flexible sealing strip, pretensioning the flexible sealing strip to eliminate gapping due to gas-air pressure differentials.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an apparatus for detecting a direction of visual axis of an eye of an observer, and more particularly to an apparatus which can effectively obtain data for calculating the visual axis The present apparatus is applicable, for example, to a single lens reflex type camera or a video camera.
2. Description of the Related Art
An apparatus for detecting a visual axis has been developed as a means for studying a physiological function of an eye or checking an effect of an advertisement, and it has recently been proposed to use it as a means for inputting a photographing condition of a camera to a controller. Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application No. 1-274736 discloses a single lens reflex camera having a visual axis detector equipped therein
An example of a prior art visual axis detector is shown in FIG. 8 to explain problems in the prior art.
A light beam is irradiated to an eyeball of an observer (photographer) to form a first Purkinje image (cornea reflected image) based on a reflected light from the eyeball and a front eye part image on an image sensor plane in order to detect a visual axis of the eyeball by using positional coordinates of images on the image sensor plane.
Numeral 81 denotes a microprocessing unit (MPU) which carries out various arithmetic operations such as the calculation of the visual axis by using the positional information of the first Purkinje image and the front eye part. Numeral 82 denotes a memory and numeral 83 denotes an interface circuit having an A/D conversion function. Numeral 87 denotes a light projection means which projects an infrared light, which is not visually detectable by to an observer, emitted by an infrared light emitting diode 87a to an eyeball (not shown) of the observer through a projection lens 87b. Numeral 85 denotes a light emission control circuit which controls the light emission of the infrared light emitting diode 87a. Numeral 86 denotes a position sensor which detects a vertical/horizontal position of a camera when the visual axis detector is mounted on the camera.
Numeral 84 denotes detection means having an image sensor 84a, a driver 84b and a lens 84c. It focuses a first Purkinje image based on a reflected light from the eyeball and a front eye part image on a plane of the image sensor 84a through the lens 84c.
A method for detecting a visual axis of an eye has been proposed in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application No. 2-209125 or Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application No. 2-264632. In the prior art, the visual axis is detected by using information corresponding to two positions, namely the position of first Purkinje image (corneal reflect image of the light source) and the center of the pupil calculated by plural portions surrounding the pupil.
The infrared ray is irradiated to the eyeball of the observer from the light projection means and a position at which a virtual image of the infrared light emitting diode 87a created by the reflection by the front part of the cornea, that is, the first Purkinje image, is formed is detected by the image sensor 84a. The position at which the first Purkinje image is formed corresponds to the position of the pupil center when a rotation angle of the eyeball is zero (the visual axis of the eyeball) and the position deviates from the pupil center as the eyeball rotates.
The deviation (distance) between the first Purkinje image and the pupil center is substantially proportional to sine of the rotation angle of the eyeball. Thus, the distance is determined based on the positional information of the first Purkinje image and the pupil center. The rotation angle of the eyeball and the correction of the visual axis, (that is, compensation for an error of the visual axis relative to the optical axis) are calculated to determine the visual axis of the photographer.
An integration time of the image sensor when it senses the light beam is set by taking into consideration various conditions such as a light emission intensity of the infrared light emitting diode, a sensitivity of the image sensor, an S/N ratio, and a usually anticipated external light in photographing. Thus, the image sensor integrates the light beam for the preset integration time period.
As a result, various problems may arise depending on the illumination intensity of the front eye part of the eyeball. For example, if the illumination intensity is low, a contrast (a difference between output values) between the pupil and an iris is small and it is difficult to detect a contour of the pupil. On the other hand, if the illumination intensity is very high, the image sensor saturates and a difference between the output signals of the first Purkinje image and the iris image, which inherently has a difference, is lost, and it is impossible or difficult to detect the first Purkinje image.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the present invention to detect a visual axis with a high precision without regard to an illumination intensity of a front eye part.
It is another object of the present invention to properly control an integration time of an image sensor when it senses a light beam so that a signal having a sufficient contrast to detect either the first Purkinje image or the front eye part image is produced within a dynamic range of the image sensor in order to permit the high precision visual axis detection.
It is other object of the present invention to correctly set a photographing condition of a camera by an output of a visual axis detector.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 shows an electrical block diagram of Embodiment 1 of the present invention,
FIG. 2A shows an optical sectional view when the present invention is applied to a single lens reflex type camera,
FIG. 2B shows a partial perspective view of FIG. 2A,
FIG. 3 shows a flow chart of Embodiment 1 of the present invention,
FIG. 4 shows an integration time control circuit of Embodiment 1 of the present invention,
FIG. 5 shows a timing chart of the integration time control circuit of FIG. 4,
FIG. 6 shows a flow chart of Embodiment 2 of the present invention,
FIG. 7 shows a block diagram of a main portion of the Embodiment 2 of present invention, and
FIG. 8 shows an electrical block diagram of a prior art visual axis detector.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
In FIG. 1, numeral 1 denotes a microprocessing unit (MPU) which carries out various arithmetic operations such as calculation of the visual axis by using the positional information of the first Purkinje image and the front eye part image. Numeral 2 denotes a memory and numeral 3 denotes an interface circuit which has an A/D conversion function. Numeral 7 denotes light projection means which projects an infrared ray, which is invisible to an observer, emitted by an infrared light emitting diode 7a to an eyeball of the observer through a projection lens 7b. Numeral 5 denotes a light emission control circuit which controls the light emission of the infrared light emitting diode 7a. Numeral 6 denotes a position sensor which detects a vertical/horizontal position of a camera when the visual axis detector is mounted on the camera.
Numeral 4 denotes detection means which has an image sensor 4a such as a CCD, a driver 4b and a lens 4c. It focuses the first Purkinje image based on the reflected light from the eyeball and the front eye part image on a plane of the image sensor 4a through the lens 4c.
Numeral 8 denotes a photo-sensor which senses an illumination intensity of the front eye part. Numeral 9 denotes an integration time control circuit (integration time control means) which controls an integration time (an accumulation time) of the image sensor 4a based on a signal from the photo-sensor 8 when the image sensor 4a senses the light beams from the first Purkinje image and the front eye part.
A configuration of the present invention when it is applied to a single-lens reflex type camera is now explained with reference to FIGS. 2A and 2B.
Numeral 21 denotes an eye-piece lens in which a dichroic mirror 21a, which transmits a visible light and reflects an infrared ray is obliquely mounted to share a function of a light path divider. Numeral 4a denotes an image sensor, numeral 4c denotes a lens, and numerals 7a1 and 7a2 denote light sources such as light emitting diodes which are components of the light projection means 7.
The image sensor 4a comprises a two-dimensional array of photo-conductive elements and is arranged in a conjugate relation to a vicinity of the pupil of the eye which is at a predetermined position (a normal eye point of a photographer who does not wear eyeglasses) with respect to the lens 4c and the eye lens 21. Numeral 8 denotes a photo-sensor which is arranged in the vicinity of the eye lens 21.
Numeral 29 denotes a processing unit which has functions of calculating the visual axis correction, storing visual axis correction data and calculating the visual axis and includes the MPU 1, the integration time control circuit 9, the light emission control circuit 5, the memory 2 and the interface circuit 3 shown in FIG. 1.
Numeral 201 denotes a fixed or removable photographing lens, numeral 202 denotes a quick return (QR) mirror, numeral 203 denotes a display element, numeral 204 denotes a focusing plate, numeral 205 denotes a condenser lens, numeral 206 denotes a pentagonal prism, numeral 207 denotes a sub-mirror, numeral 208 denotes a multi-point focus detector which detects focuses of a plurality of selected areas in a photographing screen in a known manner, and numeral 209 denotes a camera controller which has the functions of driving the display element in a finder, detecting the focus, and driving the lens.
In the present embodiment, a portion of an object light which is transmitted through the photographing lens 201 is reflected by the QR mirror 202 to focus an object image in the vicinity of the focusing plate 204. The object light diffused by a diffusion plane of the focusing plate 204 is directed to the eye point E through the condenser lens 205, the pentagonal prism 206 and the eye lens 21.
The display element 203 is a two-layer guest-host type liquid crystal element without a polarization plate and it displays a metering range (a focus detection position) in a view field of the finder.
A portion of the object light which is transmitted through the photographing lens 201 passes through the QR mirror 202, is reflected by the sub-mirror 207 and is directed to the multi-point focus detector 208 arranged at the bottom of the camera body. The photographing lens 201 is driven by the photographing lens driver (not shown) in accordance with the focus detection information at a position on the object plane selected by the multi-point focus detector 208 to adjust the focus.
The visual axis detection method may be one of those disclosed in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application No. 2-209125 or 2-264632, and the explanation thereof is omitted.
In FIG. 2A, the infrared rays emitted from the infrared light emitting diodes 7a1 and 7a2 are directed to the eye-piece 21 from above, are reflected by the dichroic mirror 21a and illuminate the eyeball 211 of the observer located in the vicinity of the eye point E. The infrared ray reflected by the eyeball 211 is reflected by the dichroic mirror 21a, converged by the lens 4c and forms an image on the image sensor 4a.
In the present embodiment, the visual axis of the eyeball is determined by the positions of the first Purkinje image formed on the image sensor 4a and the position of pupil center. The MPU 1 (FIG. 1) reads, through the interface circuit 3, the image of the front eye part at which the first Purkinje image to be read by the image sensor 4a is formed, and determines the coordinates of the first Purkinje image and coordinates of the pupil center obtained by the coordinates of a plurality of areas of the pupil contour. It further determines the rotation angle and the relative shift to the camera of the eyeball of the observer to obtain the visual point on the view field of the finder.
In the present embodiment, the integration time of the image sensor 4i a is appropriately set by the integration time control circuit 9 so that the image sensor 4a produces a signal appropriate for the arithmetic operation.
In the present embodiment, the light intensity in the vicinity of the front eye part is measured by the photo-sensor 8 and the integration time of the image sensor 4a is changed by the signal from the photo-sensor 8. Since the signal intensity of the first Purkinje image and the signal intensity of the iris are significantly different from each other, the first Purkinje image may saturate depending on the integration time with the dynamic range of the presently available image sensor so that the signal waveform may be distorted or the contrast between the pupil and the iris is not sufficiently large to permit the detection of the pupil.
In the present embodiment, the integration time is changed by the integration time control circuit 9 in accordance with the output of the photo-sensor 8, and different integration times are set for the detection of the first Purkinje image and the detection of the pupil so that a sensor output which is appropriate for the arithmetic operation is produced in any case.
FIG. 3 shows a flow chart of an operation of Embodiment 1. When a visual axis detection request is issued such as by depressing a visual axis detection switch (not shown), the control by the MPU 1 goes into a visual axis detection routine. In the visual axis detection routine, the MPU 1 reads the output of the photo-sensor 8 through the interface circuit 3 and calculates an integration time T 1 to be used for producing the signal to detect the first Purkinje image, in accordance with the output of the photo-sensor 8.
It is determined based on the intensities of the infrared light emitting diodes 7a1 and 7a2, the F number of the lens 4c and the brightness of the external light. It is set to be sufficiently shorter than an integration time T 2 to be explained later.
A light emission command for the infrared light emission diodes (iRED's) 7a1 and 7a2 is issued to the light emission control circuit 5 to cause the iRED's 7a1 and 7a2 to emit lights. When the integration time T 1 calculated above has elapsed, the integration is stopped and the iRED's 7a1 and 7a2 are deactivated. The integration time T 1 is counted by an internal timer of the MPU 1, which starts the counting at the light emission by the iRED's 7a1 and 7a2 and is reset when the iRED's are deactivated.
In this manner, an image which is appropriate to detect the first Purkinje image is produced on the image sensor 4a. The output signal is read to calculate the position of the first Purkinje image (after a resume command for the integration). When the integration time T 2 has elapsed, the MPU 1 reads a signal which is appropriate to detect the pupil image formed on the image sensor 4a through the interface circuit 3 to determine the positions of the pupil contours and the position of the pupil center based on the signal.
Then, the MPU 1 calculates the rotation angle of the eyeball based on the distance between the first Purkinje image and the pupil center, corrects the visual axis and calculates the visual axis position of the photographer. It stores those values in the memory 2 when necessary. The integration time T 2 is for producing the signal to detect the pupil image and it is set by hardware as will be explained later.
FIG. 4 shows a circuit diagram of the integration time control circuit 9 of FIG. 1 and FIG. 5 shows a timing chart of the integration time control circuit 9 of FIG. 5.
Numeral 100 denotes an OR gate, numerals 101 and 103 denote counters, numerals 102 and 104 denote AND gates, numeral 105 denotes a count-of-N counter having a preset function, numeral 106 denotes an inverter, numeral 107 denotes a resistor for stabilizing an input to the counter 105, numeral 108 denotes an A/D converter and numeral 109 denotes a dividing resistor to import a minimum voltage of the A/D conversion.
When a main switch of the camera is turned on and a reference clock is generated, one input to the OR gate 100 is low and the reference clock is applied to the counter 101 from the output of the OR gate 100. When (2 a +2 b ) clock pulses have been applied to the counter 101, the output of the AND gate 102, that is, the integration signal is high and one input to the 0R gate 100 is also high. Thus, the output of the OR gate 100 is high and the supply of the reference clock to the counter 101 is stopped. The integration signal is maintained high until a reset voltage is applied to a reset terminal of the counter 101.
The reference clock is also applied to the counter 103. When (2 c +2 d ) clock pulses have been applied to the counter the output of the AND gate 104 is high and the reset voltage is applied to the reset terminal of the counter 103 and the output of the AND gate 104 changes to low.
Since the reference clock is always applied to the counter 103, a pulse of a narrow width is produced at the output terminal of the AND gate 104 each time (2 c +2 d ) clock pulses are applied to the counter 103. The narrow width pulse is applied to the count-of-N counter 105 having the preset function.
When (N-M+1) narrow width pulses are applied to the count-of-N counter 105, the output at the carry terminal changes from high to low, where M is the number preset at the preset terminal (J 1 -J 4 in FIG. 4). When the output at the carry terminal is inverted, the reset voltage is applied to the reset terminal of the counter 101 through the inverter 106, so that the output of the AND gate 102, that is, the integration signal changes to low. Since one input to the OR gate 100 also changes to low, the reference clock is again applied to the counter 101. The above operation is then repeated.
As described above, the integration signal is high when (2 a +2 b ) reference clock pulses are applied to counter 101, and low when (2 c +2 d )×(N-M+1) reference clock pulses are applied to counter 103. Thus, the integration time T is given by
T={(2.sup.c +2.sup.d) (N-M+1)-(2.sup.a +2.sup.b)}/f.sub.ck (3)
where f ck is the frequency of the reference clock.
In the present embodiment, a, b, c, d, N, M and f ck are set as desired to change the integration time.
The change of the integration time in accordance with the output of the photo-sensor 8 (the brightness in the vicinity of the eyeball front eye part) is now explained.
The output of the photo-sensor 8 is applied to the A/D converter 108 through the amplifier 110. The A/D converted output is applied to the preset terminals of the count-of-N counter 105. The larger the output of the photo-sensor 8 is, that is, the brighter the vicinity of the eyeball front eye part is, the larger is the digital output of the A/D converter 108, the larger is the preset value M of the count-of-N counter 105, and the shorter is the integration time given by the formula (3).
On the other hand, the zero level V L of the A/D conversion and the maximum level V H are determined by the dividing resistor 109 and the constant voltage V H . When the input voltage to the A/D converter 108 is below the voltage V L given by the dividing resistor 109, all preset terminals of the count-of-N counter 105 are set to low (that is, M=0).
As seen from the formula (3), the integration time is maximum when M=0. Thus, a, b, c, d, N and f ck in the formula (3) are determined and the maximum integration time is determined, and the zero level voltage V L is determined to determine the corresponding photo-sensor output. In this manner, the maximum integration time is set when the brightness of the vicinity of the eyeball eye front part is lower than the predetermined level, and the integration time is decreased as the brightness increases.
In the present embodiment, the AND gate 102, 104 have two inputs and the count-of-N counter having the preset function is a hexadecimal (4 bits) counter as shown in FIG. 4 although they are not restrictive. For example, when the AND gate 102 has eleven inputs, the integration time is given by ##EQU1## A photo-sensor for controlling the exposure of the camera may be used as the photo-sensor 8. There may be some difference between outputs due to a difference between the position of the photographer and the position of the object, but this does not raise a problem because such a difference is usually within an allowable error range. The signal of the image sensor 4a may be regarded as the output of the photo-sensor.
The driver 4b of the image sensor 4a drives the image sensor 4a by both the integration control signal which is produced by the integration time control circuit 9 and the integration command which is sent from the MPU 1. Both signals are ANDed and when the output of the AND gate is high, the integration is carried out.
In the second signal read, in reading the signal for detecting the pupil image, only the area around the point at which the Purkinje image was detected may be read to reduce the read time.
FIG. 6 shows a flow chart of Embodiment 2 of the present invention, and FIG. 7 shows a block diagram of a main portion of the Embodiment 2 of the present invention.
In the present embodiment, the MPU 1 calculates and sets the integration time T 1 to detect the first Purkinje image and the integration time T 2 for detecting the pupil image based on the output from the photo-sensor 8.
In the present embodiment, the MPU 1 reads the output of the photo-sensor 8 through the interface circuit 3. It first determines the integration time T 1 based on the output of the photo-sensor 8. It is set sufficiently shorter than the integration time T 2 in accordance with the intensity of the infrared light emitting diode 7a, the F number of the lens 4c and the brightness of the external light, as it is in the Embodiment 1.
Then, the integration time T 2 is calculated and set. The value M corresponding to the integration time T 2 is set to the count-of-N counter 105 having the preset function shown in FIG. 7, where M=(V-V L )/(V H -V L )*N and M=0 if M is negative, and a maximum value of M is equal to N, and V is a constant determined to set the respective integration times to the output voltages V H and V L of the photo-sensor 8. It corresponds to a maximum value and a minimum value of the anticipated output from the photo-sensor 8. When M is set in the count-of-N counter 105, the integration time T 2 is given by ##EQU2## M is determined to produce a desired integration time T 2 . After M has been determined, the MPU 1 sets M to the preset terminals J 1 -J 4 of the count-of-N counter 105.
If the camera subsequently requests the visual axis detection, the visual axis detection routine is started. In the visual axis detection routine, the MPU 1 first commands the light emission by the iRED 7a and starts to count the integration time T 1 by the internal timer of the MPU 1. After the integration time T 1 has elapsed, the integration is stopped and the iRED 7a is deactivated. The timer which has been used to count the integration time T 1 reset. The output signal from the image sensor 4a is read and then the integration is resumed. The position of the first Purkinje image is calculated based on the output signal of the image sensor 4a. When the integration time T 2 has elapsed, the MPU 1 reads the output signal from the image sensor 4a to determine the position of the pupil center. Then, the MPU 1 calculates the rotation angle of the eyeball and the visual axis position of the photographer based on the distance between the first Purkinje image and the pupil center and stores it in the memory 2 when necessary.
In Embodiment 2, the AND gates 102 and 104 may have other than two inputs and the count-of-N counter 105 may be of any type, as they are in the Embodiment 1. The photo-sensor 8 may be shared by the sensor for controlling the exposure of the camera, and the output signal from the image sensor 4a may be used as the output of the photo-sensor.
In accordance with the embodiments of the present invention, the integration time of the image sensor when it senses the light beam is appropriately controlled so that the signal having sufficient contrast for the detection of the first Purkinje image and the detection of the pupil or the iris contour is produced within the dynamic range of the image sensor. Thus, the visual axis detector having the integration time control means which enables the high precision detection of the visual axis is provided.
More particularly, the integration time of the image sensor is set differently for the signal to detect the first Purkinje image and the signal to detect the pupil center in order to produce high quality images of the first Purkinje image and the eyeball front eye part image.
Namely, the first Purkinje image is detected from the image formed by the relatively short integration time and the pupil image is detected by the image formed by the longer integration time so that the first Purkinje image is not saturated and a sufficient contrast is given to the iris contour. In this manner, high precision visual axis detection is attained.
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A visual axis detector includes an illumination device for illuminating an eye; an optical device for guiding light from the eye; the light being in a form of a light intensity distribution having first and second portions; a photo-sensing device, having an array of photo-cells, for receiving the light guided by the optical device, and for generating an electrical signal corresponding to the light intensity distribution; an arithmetic operation device for calculating a visual axis of the eye in accordance with the electrical signal generated by the photo-sensing device; and a control device for controlling the photo-sensing device to have different sensitivities for sensing the first and second portions of the light intensity distribution.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a solid state drive assembly and an assembly method for solid state drives, and, more specifically, to a solid state drive assembly and an assembly method for solid state drives that does not require screws.
Discussion of the Related Art
A solid-state drive (SSD) is a data storage device that utilizes solid-state memory (e.g., non-volatile memory or synchronous dynamic access memory (SDRAM) volatile memory) to store data. A SSD is also known as a solid-state drive, even though it does not contain an electromechanical magnetic ‘disk’ or motors to ‘drive’ disks like a conventional hard disk drive (HDD).
As the conventional HDDs have mechanical moving parts, the conventional HDDs have slower memory data access. In contrast, SSDs have no moving mechanical components. Compared to the conventional HDDs, SSDs typically are more resistant to physical shock, run more quietly, have lower access time, have improved electro-magnetic-interference (EMI), and have less latency.
A SSD generally includes a printed circuit board assembly (PCBA) within a metallic housing. FIG. 1 is an exploded illustration of a SSD according to the related art. In FIG. 1 , a SSD 10 according to the related art includes a PCBA 12 , which is inside a housing. The housing comprises an upper cover 14 a and a lower cover 14 b . The upper cover 14 a , the bottom cover 14 b and the PCBA 12 respectively have a first set of corresponding through-holes 15 a . Further, the lower cover 14 b and the PCBA 12 respectively have a second set of corresponding through-holes 15 b.
Memories 16 are provided on the PCBA 12 . The PCBA 12 is affixed onto the lower cover 14 b by tightening screws 18 a into the second set of through-holes 15 b . With the PCBA 12 affixed onto the lower cover 14 b , the housing is then closed by affixing together the upper and lower covers 14 a and 14 b by tightening screws 18 b into the first set of through-holes 15 a . Therefore, the assembly of the SSD according to the related art requires a large number of screws and labors for tightening the screws.
Moreover, the screws inside the SSD housing according to the related art occupy space. The resulting SSD according to the related art therefore is not thin. Thus, there exists a need for an assembly method that avoids the use of screws and remains simple, effective and efficient to securely hold the PCBA within a housing.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, embodiments of the invention are directed to an assembly method for solid state drives that can substantially obviate one or more of the problems due to limitations and disadvantages of the related art.
An object of embodiments of the invention is to provide an assembly method for solid state drives that does not require screws for tightening the housing.
Additional features and advantages of embodiments of the invention will be set forth in the description which follows, and in part will be apparent from the description, or may be learned by practice of embodiments of the invention. The objectives and other advantages of the embodiments of the invention will be realized and attained by the structure particularly pointed out in the written description and claims hereof as well as the appended drawings.
To achieve these and other advantages and in accordance with the purpose of embodiments of the invention, as embodied and broadly described, a method according to an embodiment of the present invention includes installing standoffs protruding from an inner surface of a first cover, aligning a printed circuit board with the first cover and a second cover, the printed circuit board and the second cover respectively having a first set of through-holes, and the first set of through-holes correspond to the standoffs, placing the printed circuit board between the first and second covers, thereby exposing an end portion of each of the standoffs in the through-holes of the second cover, and deforming the exposed portion of each of the standoffs about the through-holes, thereby fastening the first and second covers with one another and securing the printed circuit board therein.
A method according to another embodiment of the present invention includes aligning a printed circuit board with a first cover and a second cover, the first cover having standoffs on an inner surface thereof, the printed circuit board and the second cover respectively having a first set of through-holes, and the first set of through-holes correspond to the standoffs, placing the printed circuit board between the first and second covers, thereby exposing an end portion of each of the standoffs in the through-holes of the second cover, and deforming the end portion of each of the standoffs about the through-holes, thereby fastening the first and second covers with one another.
A hardware assembly according to another embodiment of the present invention includes a housing, and a non-volatile solid state drive having an Input/Output interface within the housing, wherein the housing is affixed together by rivets.
It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory, which are intended to provide further explanation of embodiments of the invention as claimed.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide a further understanding of embodiments of the invention and are incorporated herein constituting a part of this specification, illustrate embodiments of the invention and together with the description serve to explain the principles of embodiments of the invention.
FIG. 1 is an exploded illustration of a SSD according to the related art.
FIG. 2 is an exploded illustration of a SSD according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 3 is an illustration of the lower cover and standoffs shown in FIG. 2 .
FIG. 4 a is an exploded cross-sectional illustration of one of the standoff's protruding through the through-hole in the upper cover shown in FIG. 2 .
FIG. 4 b is a detailed illustration of standoffs used in an assembly method for a SSD according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 4 c is a detailed illustration of deformed standoffs in an assembly method for a SSD according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 5 is a flow chart illustrating the steps of an assembly method for a SSD according to an embodiment of the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
Reference will now be made in detail to the preferred embodiments of the invention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
FIG. 2 is an exploded illustration of a SSD according to an embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 2 , a SSD 100 includes a PCBA 112 and a housing. The housing includes an upper cover 114 a and a lower cover 114 b . The upper cover 114 a and the PCBA 112 respectively have a set of corresponding through-holes 115 a and 115 b . The through-holes 115 b in the PCBA 112 may be flush or uniform through-holes. On the other hand, the through-holes 115 a in the upper cover 114 a preferably are not flush or uniform through-holes but rather step-down ridges on the exterior surface of the upper cover 114 a.
The lower cover 114 b includes a set of standoffs 116 at locations corresponding to the set of through-holes 115 a and 115 b in the upper cover 114 a and the PCBA 112 . The height of the standoffs 116 is high enough to protrude through the through-holes 115 a and 115 b in the upper cover 114 a and the PCBA 112 . Further, the height of the standoffs 116 preferably to substantially align with the middle ridge of the through-hole 115 a in the upper cover 114 a and not be higher than or extend beyond the exterior surface of the upper cover 114 a.
The upper cover 114 a may include SPCC (cold rolled steel), SECC (steel, electrogalvanized, cold-rolled, coil) or aluminum and have the same material as the lower cover 114 b . For example, the material of the upper cover 114 a has density range of about 2.68-8 g/cc and has an electrical resistivity between about 0.00000499˜0.000170 ohm-cm. The upper cover 114 a may be formed using a stamping processing.
Alternatively, the upper cover 114 a may include acylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) plastic or polycarbonate (PC) plastic. The plastic material of the upper cover 114 a has density range of about 0.35-1.54 g/cc and has an electrical resistivity between about 1.00e+5˜1.0e+1.8 ohm-cm. The upper cover 114 a may be formed using a molding processing.
The lower cover 114 b may include SPCC (cold rolled steel), SECC (steel, electrogalvanized, cold-rolled, coil) or aluminum. Preferably, the material of the lower cover 114 b has density range of about 2.68-8 glee and has an electrical resistivity between about 0.00000499˜0.000170 ohm-cm. The lower cover 114 b may be formed using a stamping processing.
The standoffs 116 may include a malleable metallic material, such as steel, aluminum, iron, titanium or an alloy thereof. Preferably, the material of the standoffs 116 has the same or substantially the same density range and electric resistivity as the lower cover 114 b . For example, the material of the standoffs 116 may have density range of about 2.68-8 g/cc and has an electrical resistivity between 0.00000499˜0.000170 ohm-cm. The standoffs 116 may have varying diameters and the smallest diameter may be about 0.5 mm.
The standoffs 116 may be pre-installed onto the lower cover 114 b . As shown in FIG. 3 , prior to the standoffs 116 installed onto the lower cover 114 b , the lower cover 114 b may include through-holes 117 . The standoffs 116 are formed separately from the lower cover 114 b . The standoffs 116 may have spiked surfaces in its base. With the exterior surface of the lower cover 114 b facing up, the standoffs 116 are aligned to the through-holes 117 and pushed into the through-holes 117 . For example, the lower cover 114 b may be placed onto a stamping or punching station and the standoffs 116 may be loosely placed in the through-holes 117 . Subsequently, the stamping or punching station can push even the widest portion of the standoffs 116 into the through-holes 117 . In particular, due to the force and speed of the stamping punching station and the spiked surface of the standoffs 116 base, the lower cover 114 b may be forced to be deformed and the spiked surface of the standoffs 116 base are wedged around the through-holes 117 .
As shown in FIG. 2 , the PCBA 112 further has a set of cut-away 118 . The cut-away 118 may be along edges of the PCBA 112 . The cut-away 118 correspond to a set of holes 120 in the lower cover 114 b . During operation, the assembled SSD 100 may be mounted onto a host platform. The cut-away 118 and the holes 120 in the lower cover 114 b provide the clearance for mounting means to be mounted onto a host platform. Some of the holes 120 may be on the side surface of the lower cover 114 b.
One or more memory modules and other electronic components 122 are on the PCBA 112 . Also, an input/output (I/O) interface 124 for ultimately interfacing with a host device (not shown) is on the PCBA 112 . The I/O interface 124 may be a SATA connector, another standardized connector, or a propriety connector designed for a particular host device (not shown).
To assemble the SSD 100 , the PCBA 112 is placed inside the upper and lower covers 114 a and 114 b . The PCBA 112 is positioned so that the through-holes 115 a and 115 b in the upper cover 114 a and the PCBA 112 are aligned and the standoffs 116 protrude through the through-holes 115 a and 115 b . Also, the cut-away 118 and the holes 120 in the lower cover 114 b are aligned. By doing so, the standoffs 116 would protrude through the through-holes 115 a and 115 b in the upper cover 114 a and the PCBA 112 , and over the exterior surface of the upper cover 114 a.
After the PCBA 112 is properly placed inside the upper and lower covers 114 a and 114 b , it may be placed with the upper cover 114 a facing up on a punching station. The punching station (not shown) includes a number of punching posts. The number of the punching posts preferably matches the number of the standoffs 116 . The ends of the punching posts are tiered. During operation, the punching station lowers the punching posts with certain predetermined force to punch and deform the standoffs 116 . The pressure or force range of the punching onto the standoffs 116 preferably is about 200-300 kg per punch. Further, the punching may be rotational or include a torque.
Due to the tiered ends of the punching posts and/or the torque in the punching, the previously protruded portion of the standoffs 116 deforms around the ridges of the through-hole 115 a in the upper cover 114 a . The deformed standoffs 116 ′ therefore function as rivets. Alternatively, the punching of the standoffs 116 may be performed manually.
FIG. 4 a is an exploded cross-sectional illustration of the standoff protruding through the through-hole in the upper cover shown in FIG. 2 . FIG. 41 ) is a detailed illustration of standoffs used in an assembly method for a SSD according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 4 c is a detailed illustration of deformed standoffs in an assembly method for a SSD according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIGS. 4 a and 4 b , the standoffs 116 protrude through the through-holes 115 a in the upper cover 114 a . More specifically, the height of the standoffs 116 preferably to substantially align with the middle ridge of the through-hole 115 a in the upper cover 114 a and not be higher than or extend beyond the exterior surface of the upper cover 114 a.
As shown in FIG. 4 c , after punching, the previously protruded portion of the standoffs 116 deforms around the ridges of the through-hole 115 a in the upper cover 114 a . The deformed standoffs 116 ′ therefore function as rivets.
FIG. 5 is a flow chart illustrating the steps of an assembly method for a SSD according to an embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 5 , an assembly method for SSDs includes forming or pre-installing standoffs on an inner surface of a first cover. The assembly method further includes the step of aligning through-holes in a printed circuit board over the standoffs. One or more non-volatile memory modules and other electronic components may be on the printed circuit board. Subsequently, the assembly method includes the step of aligning through-holes in a second cover over the standoffs. Then, the method includes the step of deforming an exposed portion of the standoffs around the through-holes in the second cover. The step of deforming may include applying uniaxial compression onto an end surface of each of the standoffs while torquing the pressing posts.
It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made in the SSD assembly and an assembly method for SSDs of embodiments of the invention without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention. Thus, it is intended that embodiments of the invention cover the modifications and variations of this invention provided they come within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents.
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A solid state drive (SSD) assembly and an assembly method for solid state drives, which does not require using screws. The assembly method includes aligning a printed circuit board with a first cover and a second cover, the first cover having pre-installed standoffs on an inner surface thereof. The printed circuit board and the second cover respectively having a first set of through-holes, and the first set of through-holes correspond to the standoffs. The assembly method further includes placing the printed circuit board between the first and second covers, thereby exposing an end portion of each of the standoffs in the through-holes of the second cover, and deforming the end portion of each of the standoffs about the through-holes, thereby fastening the first and second covers with one another.
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TECHNICAL FIELD
[0001] The present invention relates to an inner storage device for a motor vehicle.
BACKGROUND
[0002] An inner storage device for a motor vehicle may comprise a storage body, delimiting a storage area accessible through an opening, and a cover movable between an open position, in which the storage area is accessible, and a closed position, in which the cover closes off the opening. The device may also include a locking mechanism movable between a locked position, in which the locking mechanism keeps the cover in the closed position, and an unlocked position, in which the locking mechanism allows the cover to go from its closed position to its open position, an actuating member making it possible to bring said locking mechanism from its locked position to its unlocked position when the actuating member is actuated, and at least one elastic return member being arranged to return the locking mechanism to the locked position when the actuating member is not actuated. The device may also include at least one push-piece arranged between the cover and the storage body, the piece being movable between a retracted position and an extracted position in which the push-piece keeps the cover in a partially open position.
[0003] Such a storage device may be, for example, a motor vehicle glove box.
[0004] Such a storage device is generally provided with a cover closing off the storage area and kept in the closed position by the locking mechanism. An actuating member, generally in the form of a pushbutton or handle, makes it possible to deactivate the locking mechanism so as to allow opening of the cover.
[0005] Document FR 2 935 320 describes such a storage device that also comprises thrust mechanism designed to maneuver the cover from its closed position to a partially open position.
[0006] Such a thrust mechanism make it possible to lend the storage device a high “perceived quality” by offering opening assistance making it possible to have a particularly precise opening path for the cover. Furthermore, such thrust mechanism makes it possible to indicate to the user whether the cover is closed correctly reliably simply by observing the position thereof
[0007] However, such a device is complex to implement, since the thrust mechanism may comprise several parts separate from the locking and actuating mechanisms, which increases the number of elements to be managed during assembly of the storage device.
[0008] Furthermore, in this device, the thrust mechanism is arranged across from the edge of the cover, which makes it visible when the cover is in the open position. This arrangement is detrimental to the esthetics of the storage device.
SUMMARY
[0009] One of the aims of the invention is to offset these drawbacks by proposing a storage device comprising opening assistance done more simply and with fewer parts, while preserving a high “perceived quality” and satisfactory esthetics.
[0010] To that end, in accordance with at least one embodiment of the invention, there is provided a storage device of the aforementioned type, wherein the elastic return member is also arranged to push said push-piece toward its extracted position when the locking mechanism is in the unlocked position.
[0011] The push-piece is therefore actuated by the same elastic return member that allows the locking mechanism to go to the locked position. Thus, it is not necessary to provide a different return member for the push-piece, which reduces the number of parts necessary to produce the device, while preserving the opening assistance function and the high “perceived quality.” Furthermore, in this device, the push-piece is arranged close to the locking mechanism, which is not immediately visible when the cover is opened. The esthetics of the storage device are therefore improved.
[0012] According to other features of the storage device:
[0013] the locking mechanism comprises at least one retaining element secured to the storage body and a locking element rotatably mounted on the cover, said locking element cooperating with the retaining element in the locked position and being spaced away from said retaining element in the unlocked position;
[0014] the elastic return member is mounted around the axis of rotation of the locking element and comprises a first end part bearing on a surface of the cover so as to return the locking element to the locked position and a second end part bearing on the push-piece so as to push it toward its extracted position;
[0015] the actuating member is rotatably mounted on the cover and comprises a tongue bearing on the locking element so as to cause it to go to an unlocked position against the return force of the return member when the actuating member is actuated, said tongue being returned to its initial position by the locking element when the actuating member is not actuated;
[0016] the retaining element comprises a bolt and the locking element comprises a strike;
[0017] the locking mechanism comprises two retaining elements arranged on either side of a storage body in a transverse direction, the locking element comprising a shaft extending transversely and comprising a strike at each of its end portions, said strikes each cooperating with an element for retaining the locking position;
[0018] the retaining element is hook-shaped, the cover comprising a shoulder arranged across from the retaining element, the retaining element cooperating with said shoulder in case of deformation of the storage device causing a relative longitudinal movement of the cover relative to the storage body bringing the shoulder closer to the retaining element;
[0019] the push-piece comprises a body secured to a cover and a head translatable relative to the body along an axis substantially perpendicular to the cover, the return member exerting a thrust on said head so as to push it toward its extracted position;
[0020] a compression spring is mounted between the body and the head, said spring pushing the head toward its extracted position;
[0021] the storage device comprises two push-pieces arranged on either side of the cover in a transverse direction, two return members being arranged each to push a push-piece toward its extracted position and to return the locking mechanism to the locked position when the actuating member is not actuated; and
[0022] the cover is rotatably mounted relative to the storage body around a transverse axis of rotation extending near a front transverse edge of said storage body, the locking mechanism, the actuating member, the push-piece and the return member being arranged near the opposite rear transverse edge of the storage body.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0023] Other features and advantages of the invention will appear upon reading the following description, provided as an example and done in reference to the appended drawings, in which:
[0024] FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic cross-sectional illustration of a storage device according to one embodiment of the invention,
[0025] FIG. 2 is a diagrammatic perspective illustration of the cover of the storage device according to an embodiment of the invention, seen from below,
[0026] FIG. 3 is a diagrammatic perspective illustration of FIG. 2 , seen from above, the trim element of the cover having been removed,
[0027] FIG. 4 is a diagrammatic cross-sectional illustration of part of the storage device, the cover being in the closed position,
[0028] FIG. 5 is a diagrammatic cross-sectional illustration of the part of the storage device of FIG. 4 , the cover being in the partially open position, the push-piece being made according to an alternative embodiment.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0029] In the description, the terms “front” and “rear” are defined in the usual directions of an assembled motor vehicle. The term “longitudinal” is defined along the length of the vehicle, i.e., in a front-to-back direction, and the term “transverse” is defined along the width of the vehicle, i.e., in a horizontal direction substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal direction.
[0030] In reference to FIG. 1 , an inner storage device 1 for a motor vehicle is described, for example of the glove box type, comprising a storage body 2 , delimiting a storage area 4 accessible through an opening 6 , closed by a cover 8 . The storage device 1 is for example designed to be incorporated into a dashboard (not shown) of a motor vehicle. The storage device 1 shown in the figures is particularly well suited to be arranged above and in front of the speedometer and other indicators of the dashboard.
[0031] The storage body 2 is delimited by a front transverse edge 10 and a rear transverse edge 12 , connected to each other by two longitudinal walls 14 spaced apart from one another in the transverse direction and connected by a bottom 16 . The transverse edges 10 and 12 , the longitudinal walls 14 and the bottom 16 delimit the storage space 4 , as shown in FIG. 1 .
[0032] The cover 8 is rotatably mounted on the storage body 2 around a transverse axis A extending in the vicinity of the front transverse edge 10 of said body 2 . The cover 8 is thus movable between a closed position, in which it covers the storage body 2 so as to close off the opening 6 and close the storage space 4 , and an open position, shown in FIG. 1 , in which the storage space 4 is accessible through the opening 6 . The cover 8 comprises an inner wall 18 extending opposite the bottom 16 and an outer trim wall 20 designed to extend in the passenger compartment of the motor vehicle, for example in the continuation of the dashboard. The inner 18 and outer 20 walls extend between a front edge 22 , arranged opposite the front transverse edge 10 of the body 2 , a rear transverse edge 24 , arranged opposite the rear edge 12 of the body 2 , and two longitudinal edges 26 , extending opposite the longitudinal walls 14 of the body 2 . The cover 2 is rotatably mounted on the body 2 by two tabs 28 extending perpendicular to the inner wall 18 under the rear edge 12 and in the vicinity of the longitudinal edges 26 , as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 .
[0033] The storage device 1 comprises locking mechanism 30 locking the cover 8 in the closed position. The locking mechanism 30 comprises at least one retaining element 32 secured to the storage body 2 , in the vicinity of the rear transverse edge 12 and a longitudinal wall 14 thereof. The retaining element 32 forms a hook protruding from the bottom 16 of the storage body 2 and has a recess 34 extending toward the back, substantially parallel to the bottom 16 in the storage space 4 . A bolt 36 is supported by the recess 34 . According to the embodiment shown in the figures, the locking mechanism 30 comprises two retaining elements 32 , positioned on either side of the storage body 2 in a transverse direction, i.e. each retaining element 32 is located in the vicinity of one of the longitudinal walls 14 of the body 2 .
[0034] The locking mechanism 30 also comprises a locking element 38 rotatably mounted around a transverse axis B in the cover 8 . The locking member 38 is rotatable between a locked position, in which it cooperates with the retaining element 32 ( FIG. 4 ) so as to keep the cover 8 in the closed position, and an unlocked position, in which the locking element 38 is spaced away from the retaining element 32 ( FIG. 5 ) so as to allow the cover 8 to go from its closed position to its open position. According to the embodiment shown in the figures, the locking element 38 is formed by a shaft 40 extending substantially transversely between the retaining elements 32 , opposite them and between the inner wall 18 and the outer wall 20 of the cover 8 , in the vicinity of the rear edge 24 thereof. At both of its ends, the shaft 40 bears a strike 42 protruding from the inner wall 18 of the cover 8 , substantially perpendicular thereto and able to cooperate with the bolt 36 of the retaining element 32 arranged opposite the closed position of the cover 8 , as shown in FIG. 4 . Thus, in the closed position of the cover 6 , the locking mechanism 30 is in the locked position, in which the strikes 42 cooperate with the bolts 36 to keep the cover 6 in the closed position and prevent it from opening, as shown in FIG. 4 . During the transition to the unlocked position, the shaft 40 rotates around the transverse axis B, which results in moving the strike 42 of the corresponding bolt 36 away in the forward direction, as shown in FIG. 5 .
[0035] The strike 42 extends in a housing 44 provided in the inner wall 18 of the cover and in which the retaining element 32 places itself when the cover 8 is in the closed position. This housing 44 comprises a shoulder 46 extending substantially parallel to the bottom 16 toward the front, so as to be opposite the recess 34 of the retaining element 32 when the cover 8 is in the closed position, as shown in FIG. 4 . During normal operation, the recess 34 is spaced away from the shoulder 46 in the longitudinal direction so as to allow the cover 6 to move toward its open position. In the event of an impact, for example against the front of the motor vehicle, longitudinal deformation of the storage device causes a relative movement of the retaining element 32 with respect to the cover 8 . The retaining element 32 then comes closer to the shoulder 46 , which results in causing the recess 34 of the retaining element 32 to cooperate with the shoulder 46 . In this way, the cover 8 is firmly maintained relative to the storage body 2 and cannot move into the open position. Such an arrangement offers great security, while preventing the cover from forming an obstacle in the passenger compartment of the motor vehicle if the impact were to move it into the open position.
[0036] An actuating member 48 allows the user to move the locking mechanism 30 from the locked position to the unlocked position. The actuating member 48 is for example made up of a tongue 50 rotatably mounted on the cover 8 and extending under the rear edge 24 thereof, as shown in FIG. 2 . Part of the tongue 50 extends between the inner wall 18 and the outer wall 20 of the cover and can bear on a complementary tongue 52 of the shaft 40 to rotate the latter toward its unlocked position. Thus, to open the storage device 1 , the user presses on the tongue 50 and lifts the cover 8 in the same movement, as shown in FIG. 1 .
[0037] At least one return member 54 is arranged around the shaft 40 to return the locking element 38 to the locked position when the actuating member 48 is not actuated. This return member 54 is formed by a spring wound around the shaft 40 in the vicinity of a strike 42 and comprises a first end portion 56 bearing on a surface 57 of the cover 8 so as to return the locking element 38 to the locked position. The rotation of the actuating member 48 is therefore done against the return force of the return member 54 and the latter returns the locking element 38 to the locked position and the tongue 50 of the actuating member 48 to its initial position when said tongue 50 is not actuated by a user, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 . According to the embodiment shown in the figures, and as more particularly shown in FIG. 3 , the storage device comprises two return members 54 each arranged at an end portion of the shaft 40 in the vicinity of a strike 42 .
[0038] The storage device 1 also comprises at least one push-piece 58 , arranged between the cover 8 and the storage body 2 , formed from a body 60 extending substantially perpendicular to the inner surface 18 of the cover 8 towards the storage space 4 and a head 62 translatably mounted in the body 60 along an axis substantially perpendicular to the inner wall 18 of the cover 8 . The head 62 is movable between a retracted position ( FIG. 4 ), in which the head 62 is retracted in the body 60 and allows locking of the locking mechanism 30 , and an extracted position ( FIG. 5 ), in which the head 62 exits the body 60 and bears against the bottom 16 of the storage body 2 , such that when the cover 8 is folded down against the storage body 2 , the cover 8 is kept in a partially open position. The head 62 is stressed into its extracted position by the return member 54 , which returns the locking element 38 to the locked position. To that end, the return member 54 comprises a second end portion 64 that bears on the head 62 so as to push the latter toward its extracted position, as shown in dotted lines in FIG. 5 . The advantage of the presence of such a push-piece 58 is described in document FR- 2 935 320 . The push-piece 58 in particular makes it possible to indicate to the user whether the cover 8 is closed correctly. In fact, in the extracted position, the push-piece 58 creates a space between the rear edge 24 of the cover 8 and the rear edge 12 of the storage body 2 . If the user observes the presence of that space, this indicates to said user that the locking mechanism 30 is not correctly engaged and that the closed position of the cover 8 is not locked. Furthermore, the push-piece 58 offers opening assistance.
[0039] According to the embodiment shown in the figures, the storage device 1 comprises two push-pieces 58 arranged on either side of the cover in a transverse direction in the vicinity of the strikes 42 , such that the two return members 54 make it possible to push the heads 62 of said push-pieces 58 .
[0040] Thus, a single return member 54 makes it possible both to return the locking mechanism 30 to the locked position and to push the push-piece 58 toward its extracted position, which simplifies the storage device 1 and limits the number of component parts thereof, thereby facilitating assembly.
[0041] Furthermore, the push-piece 58 extends under the cover and is not directly visible during opening of said cover 8 , which improves the esthetics of the storage device.
[0042] According to one embodiment shown in FIG. 5 , the push-piece 58 also comprises a compression spring 66 provided between the head 62 and the body 60 of the push-piece 58 . The spring 66 is arranged to push the head 62 toward its extracted position. Such a compression spring 66 makes it possible to increase the thrust force of the push-piece 58 against the storage body 2 without requiring that the force from the return member 54 be increased, i.e. modifying the force exerted on the strike 42 to lock the cover. Such a compression spring 66 therefore makes it possible to improve the opening assistance of the push-piece 58 .
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A storage device, including a storage body and a cover that is movable between an open position and a closed position. The device includes a locking mechanism that is movable between a locking position and an unlocking position, an elastic return member being arranged so as to move the locking mechanism back into the locking position. The device includes at least one pusher part that is movable between a refracted position and an extracted position in which the pusher part keeps the cover in a partially open position. The elastic return member is arranged so as to push the pusher part into the extracted position thereof when the locking mechanism is in the unlocking position.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to the field of variable displacement hydraulic units, such as hydrostatic pumps and motors. More particularly, this invention relates to an extended male slipper servo pad pivotally mounted to the swashplate of such units so as to provide sliding surface area contact with the positioning mechanism. The invention results in a unique swashplate assembly that has few parts and is economical to produce.
Various arrangements are known for connecting the swashplate of a variable displacement hydraulic unit, such as a pump or motor, to a positioning means or mechanism such as a servo piston or a bias piston. In one such arrangement a cammed button is press fitted into the swashplate. This provides a sliding line contact on the servo piston or bias piston. A second arrangement involves a domed servo piston or bias piston running against the swashplate. This provides a sliding point contact. Pin and link connections have also been tried. Another known arrangement involves attaching a female slipper to a male piston in a crimping or swedging operation. The male piston end of this piston-slipper assembly is then pressed into a cylindrical hole in the swashplate. With this arrangement, multiple operations are required to provide a swashplate assembly that is ready for connection with the positioning mechanism. Therefore, there is a need for an improved connection of the swashplate to the positioning mechanism in a variable displacement hydraulic unit.
A primary objective of the present invention is the provision of an improved connection between the swashplate and swashplate positioning mechanism of a variable displacement hydraulic unit.
Another objective of the present invention is the provision of an extended male slipper having a ball end pivotally attached to the swashplate and a pad end adapted to provide surface area contact with the positioning mechanism.
A further objective of the present invention is the provision of a connection between the swashplate and the swashplate positioning mechanism that is economical to produce and reliable in use.
These and other objectives will be apparent from the drawings, as well as from the description and claims that follow.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an extended male slipper servo pad pivotally mounted to the swashplate of variable displacement hydraulic units so as to provide sliding surface area contact with the swashplate positioning mechanism. The extended male slipper servo pad is pivotally secured in a socket formed in the swashplate. The slipper servo pad has a substantially spherical ball end with a major diameter disposed in the socket, an elongated neck portion, and a pad end having a substantially flat planar surface thereon directed away from the ball end. The substantially flat planar surface of the pad end provides surface area contact with a mating planar surface on the swashplate positioning means, which can include a servo piston and/or a biased piston.
In the first embodiment of the invention, the swashplate socket has a reduced diameter portion adjacent the entrance of the socket and an enlarged diameter portion adjacent to the reduced diameter portion so as to form a shoulder therebetween for retaining the ball end of the slipper servo pad, which can be press fitted into the socket. In another embodiment, a sleeve or bushing having a malleable ramped skirt portion is interposed between the ball end of the male slipper servo pad and the socket during installation. The ramped skirt portion, which has an outer diameter slightly greater than the diameter of the socket, bends or deforms inwardly to automatically crimp the sleeve on the ball end of the slipper servo pad and retain the same in the socket. Both embodiments provide quick and easy ways to connect the swashplate with a piston member of a positioning mechanism.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of portions of a hydraulic unit equipped with the present invention in a zero displacement position.
FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view similar to FIG. 1, but shows the swashplate pivoted to its maximum displacement or full stroke position.
FIG. 3 is an enlarged cross-sectional view that shows in greater detail the extended male slipper servo pad arrangement of this invention for positioning the swashplate. The slipper servo pad provides surface area contact with the servo piston.
FIG. 4 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the area 4 — 4 in FIG. 3 and shows in even greater detail the means and method for pivotally attaching the male slipper servo pad to the swashplate.
FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view similar to FIG. 1 but shows another embodiment of this invention.
FIG. 6 is an enlarged cross-sectional view illustrating how the self-crimping bushing receives the male slipper servo pad and is automatically crimped thereonto as the bushing is driven into the swashplate socket by the slipper servo pad.
FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view that shows the male slipper servo pad pivotally attached to the swashplate by the self-crimping bushing. The slipper servo pad provides substantial surface area contact with the servo piston.
FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view of the self-crimping bushing of the embodiment of FIG. 5 .
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
In the drawings and the description that follows, similar components are designated with similar reference numerals. Portions of a variable displacement axial piston unit, 10 constructed according to the present invention are shown in FIG. 1 . Although the invention is shown and described as being applied to a variable displacement open circuit pump, one skilled in the art will appreciate that the invention is applicable to variable displacement hydraulic motors. The invention is also applicable to closed circuit pumps or motors.
The hydraulic unit 10 has a housing 12 and an end cap 14 detachably mounted thereto by conventional fasteners (not shown). The major rotating components of the hydraulic unit 10 are conventional and are not particularly relevant to the invention. Thus, the following conventional components have been omitted from the drawings to simplify them: a shaft, a cylinder block assembly including a cylinder block housing a plurality of axially reciprocating pistons, and a valve plate for controlling the flow of the working fluid. The fluid displacement or consumption of the hydraulic unit 10 is determined or controlled by a swashplate 16 that movably mounts in the housing 12 so as to pivot along a tilt axis 18 in a well known conventional manner. Positioning means forcibly position or pivot the swashplate 16 about the tilt axis 18 . Generally, the positioning means includes one or more hydraulically operated servo pistons 20 . In the examples shown in the drawings and described below, the positioning means includes a servo piston 20 and a spring-loaded bias piston 22 . The bias piston 22 urges the swashplate 16 to pivot to its maximum angle and the servo piston 20 located on the opposite side of the tilt axis 18 destrokes the open circuit pump to modulate its displacement.
The swashplate 16 has a bottom surface 24 that is generally directed toward the bottom of the housing 12 and a substantially planar top surface 26 that is generally directed toward the end cap 14 . A substantially cylindrical socket 28 A extends into the swashplate 16 , preferably perpendicularly from its top surface 26 . The socket 28 A registers with the servo piston 20 . A second socket 28 B registers with the bias piston 22 . Since sockets 28 A and 28 B are preferably identical, only socket 28 A is described in detail below.
As best seen in FIGS. 3 and 4, the socket 28 A has a reduced diameter portion 30 adjacent its entrance. An enlarged diameter portion 32 resides inwardly adjacent the reduced diameter portion 30 , so that a shoulder 34 resides therebetween. The bottom wall 36 of the socket 28 preferably is a frustoconical surface having an included angle of approximately 60 degrees. This is approximately the same angle as the point on a standard drill bit. A fluid passageway 38 extends into the socket 28 A from the bottom surface 24 of the swashplate 16 . The entrance of the socket 28 A at the top surface 26 of the swashplate 16 preferably has a lead-in chamfer 40 formed thereon. The chamfer 40 preferably forms an angle of approximately 30 to 60 degrees, and more preferably approximately 45 degrees, with respect to a central longitudinal axis 42 of the socket 28 . Preferably the socket 28 A is perpendicular to the top surface 26 of the swashplate 16 . The socket 28 A is offset from the tilt axis 18 of the swashplate 16 .
The socket 28 A or 28 B constitutes one element of the unique means and methods for connecting the positioning means to the swashplate 16 in this invention. The other element is a male slipper servo pad 44 (hereinafter “slipper”). The slipper 44 has a pad end 46 and a generally spherical ball end 48 connected by an intermediate elongated neck portion 50 . The slipper 44 has a central longitudinal axis 52 . The ball end 48 of the slipper 44 has a major diameter D 1 in a plane perpendicular to the central longitudinal axis 52 . The ball end 48 of the slipper 44 has an undercut radius at its trailing end, which blends into the intermediate neck portion 50 . The pad end 46 is preferably a circular or annular disk that has an outside diameter larger than the diameter D 1 of the ball end 48 . The pad end 46 has a substantially planar surface 54 thereon that engages the substantially planar forward surface 56 of the servo piston 20 . Thus, the positioning force transmitted by the servo piston 20 on the swashplate 16 is advantageously distributed over a substantial surface area of contact.
The enlarged diameter portion 32 of the socket 28 A has a diameter D 2 that is greater than the major diameter D 1 of the ball end 48 of the male slipper 44 . On the other hand, the reduced diameter portion 30 of the socket 28 A has a diameter D 3 that is slightly smaller than the major diameter D 1 of the ball end 48 .
To pivotally attach the slipper 44 to the swashplate 16 , the assembler positions the slipper 44 with its ball end 48 at the entrance of the socket 28 A. The chamfer 40 provides guidance into the socket 28 A. Then an axial force is applied to the pad end 46 of the slipper 44 to push the ball end 48 through the reduced diameter portion 30 of the socket 28 A. Once the major diameter D 1 is forward of the shoulder 34 and disposed in the enlarged diameter portion 32 of the socket 28 A, the shoulder 34 retains the ball end 48 of the slipper 44 in the socket 28 A and the pad end 46 is free to pivot about the central longitudinal axis 52 . The sizes of the diameters D 2 and D 3 can be adjusted relative to the diameter D 1 of the ball end 48 so as to arrive at a reasonable press-in force and a desired pull-off strength for the joint. For example, the following dimensions have been found to work well in a 100 cc per revolution open circuit pump:
D 1 =12.137 mm;
D 2 =12.23 mm; and
D 3 =12.1 mm.
A second socket 28 B and slipper 44 are provided on the opposite side of the tilt axis 18 adjacent the piston member 58 of the bias piston 22 . A passageway 38 B intersects the socket 28 B. The surface 54 on the slipper 44 engages the substantially planar surface 60 on the bias piston 22 , as best seen in FIG. 2 . Again, surface area contact is provided between the piston 22 and the slipper pad end 46 .
FIGS. 5-8 illustrate another embodiment of this invention. In this embodiment, the swashplate 16 has one or more sockets 28 C, 28 D formed therein. Fluid passageways 38 C, 38 D extend from the bottom surface 24 of the swashplate 16 A so as to be in fluid communication with the sockets 28 C, 28 D respectively. Since the sockets 28 C and 28 D are identical except for their location on the swashplate 16 A, only the first socket 28 C will be described in detail below. As best seen in FIGS. 6 and 7, the socket 28 C has a substantially cylindrical shape. A main diameter portion 62 extends inwardly from the top face 26 of the swashplate 16 A. The main diameter portion 62 has a diameter D 8 . The entrance of the socket 28 C has a lead-in chamfer 64 thereon. The chamfer 64 has an included angle of approximately 60 degrees to 120 degrees, more preferably approximately 60 degrees to 90 degrees. The main diameter portion 62 terminates in a bottom wall 66 .
Referring to FIG. 8, this embodiment includes a bushing or sleeve 70 formed of a suitably malleable material, including but not limited to brass. The bushing 70 has a first end 72 and a second end 74 . The bushing 70 includes a main diameter portion 76 generally adjacent the first end 72 and a ramped skirt portion 78 generally adjacent the second end 74 . The bushing 70 has a central longitudinal axis 80 and a fluid passageway 82 that extends through the bushing 70 along its central longitudinal axis 80 . A cavity 83 for receiving the ball end 48 of the male slipper 44 extends into the second end 74 of the bushing 70 . The cavity 83 includes a semi-spherical concave hollow 84 and a counterbore 86 . The semi-spherical hollow has a diameter D 4 , while the counterbore 86 has a diameter D 5 . The main diameter portion 76 of the bushing 70 is designated by reference numeral D 6 . The ramped skirt 78 has an outer diameter designated by the reference numeral D 7 .
The use of the bushing 70 to pivotally attach the male slipper 44 to the swashplate 16 A can best be understood in view of FIGS. 6-8. The ball end 48 of the slipper 44 is loosely inserted into the cavity 83 of the bushing 70 . This loose subassembly is then positioned at the entrance of the socket 28 C. An axial force F is applied to the pad end 46 of the slipper 44 to press the subassembly into the socket 28 C. The lead-in chamfer 64 assists in guiding the bushing 70 into the main diameter portion 62 of the socket 28 C. The diameter D 8 of the main diameter portion 62 is large enough to slidably receive the diameter D 6 of the bushing 70 . However, once the major diameter D 1 of the ball end of the slipper 44 passes the lead-in chamfer 64 , the main diameter D 8 engages the ramped skirt portion 78 of the malleable bushing 70 . Thus, the malleable ramped skirt portion 78 is automatically crimped, deformed, or bent inwardly around the back of the ball end 48 of the slipper 44 as the subassembly is pressed into the socket 28 C. The ramped skirt portion 78 also provides a light press fit between the subassembly and the socket 28 C.
The ramped skirt portion 78 has a substantially frustoconical leading edge 79 . The ramped skirt portion 78 extends outwardly at an angle of approximately 15 to 45 degrees, more preferably approximately 20 to 30 degrees, and most preferably approximately 25 degrees, with respect to the main diameter portion 76 . Although the entire bushing 70 is malleable in the preferred embodiment described, one skilled in the art would appreciate that only the skirt portion 78 needs to be malleable.
Thus, it can be seen that the present invention at least achieves its stated objectives.
In the drawings and specifications, there has been set forth a preferred embodiment invention, and although specific terms are employed, these are used in a generic and descriptive sense only and not for purposes of limitation. Changes in the form and proportion of parts as well as in the substitution of equivalents are contemplated as circumstances may suggest or render expedient without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the following claims.
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An extended male slipper servo pad provides an improved connection between the swashplate and a positioning mechanism in a variable displacement hydraulic unit. The swashplate assembly includes a swashplate having a socket formed therein and a male slipper servo pad pivotally attached to the swashplate at the socket. The male slipper servo pad has a ball end secured in the socket and a pad end having a substantially flat planar surface thereon directed away from the ball end.
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TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The present disclosure belongs to the field of fire fighting technology, and particularly relating to a portable fire extinguisher.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] At present, existing portable fire extinguishers are generally divided into stored-pressure dry powder fire extinguishers and portable aerosol fire extinguishers, wherein the stored-pressure dry powder fire extinguisher mainly have the following disadvantages: firstly, the stored-pressure dry powder fire extinguisher causes serious pollution to the environment and serious damage to articles; secondly, the stored-pressure dry powder fire extinguisher, which needs to store high pressure gases, is large in volume and heavy in weight; thirdly, the stored-pressure dry powder fire extinguisher, which is a high pressure container, has potential safety hazards and is more dangerous in a high temperature environment of a fire; fourthly, the stored-pressure dry powder fire extinguisher, which needs to go through regular inspection and verification, is high in routine maintenance costs etc. By contrast, the portable aerosol fire extinguisher has obvious advantages and mainly includes: a cartridge, a cartridge cover arranged on the cartridge, and a pyrotechnic composition, an ignition head, a coolant and a ceramic chip etc. arranged in the cartridge in turn and coated by a heat insulation material. Normally, after the pyrotechnic composition is ignited by the ignition head, a great deal of aerosol smog will be generated by the grain through rapid stratified combustion, and after being cooled by a coolant layer, these high temperature aerosols will be ejected from the cartridge cover of the cartridge to act on a fire source directly, thus extinguishing the fire. However, there are also some disadvantages. A coating defect, a pyrotechnic composition crack or a serious blockage of a gas channel may lead to a sudden rise of the pressure in the cartridge to deflagrate the grain. As a result, a high pressure gas will thrust the cartridge cover forwards and will be vented rapidly to throw the cartridge cover and other things in the cartridge forwards at an extremely high speed, thus causing a very large recoil force. The powerful recoil force drives the cartridge to move backwards rapidly, which is easy to cause an injury to an operator. At the same time, after explosion venting, the cartridge cover etc. of the fire extinguisher will also break away from the cartridge and fly outwards for a relatively long distance, which may cause other accidents. In addition, the cartridge of the fire extinguisher is easy to be loosened in an outer housing and is fixed by filling silicone in the cartridge body currently. However, the method generally needs to wait for silicone solidification by standing for seven to eight hours after silicone injection, thus a relatively large production site is required and the production efficiency is relatively low. Therefore, the problem of fixation of the cartridge of the fire extinguisher is a subject to be solved.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0003] To solve disadvantages existing in a portable fire extinguisher in the prior art, the present disclosure provides a simple and convenient portable fire extinguisher capable of greatly reducing a production site and effectively preventing explosion and releasing pressure, and reducing a recoil force.
[0004] The technical solution adopted by the present disclosure to solve the technical problem above is:
[0005] A portable fire extinguisher includes a housing and a cartridge arranged within the housing; the top of the cartridge is provided with a cartridge cover, wherein a bottom of the cartridge is fixedly connected to the housing via a fastening device. This on the one hand facilitates shifting, and on the other hand allows the cartridge to be fixed appropriately in the housing, thus not easily rotated or loosened, also, the need of a production site for waiting for silicone solidification by standing for seven to eight hours is avoided when silicone injection for fixing is used, thus improving production efficiency.
[0006] The fastening device of the present disclosure mainly includes a screw provided at the bottom of the cartridge, a nut matched with the screw and a rotation-stopping body provided at the bottom of the housing and capable of preventing the screw from rotating.
[0007] The fastening device of the present disclosure may be also a screw running through the bottom of the housing to fixedly connect the housing with the bottom of the cartridge.
[0008] A top end of the cartridge of the present disclosure is provided with an explosion venting device; the explosion venting device includes a frictional layer, a connection rod, a connection rod guiding unit and a connection rod limiting device, wherein the connection rod is connected with the cartridge cover; the frictional layer is provided between the connection rod and an outer wall of the cartridge; when the connection rod is guided by the connection rod guiding unit to displace along a direction of a hot air stream ejected by the cartridge, the frictional layer provides a frictional resistance and a buffering force for the connection rod; the connection rod guiding unit is a device capable of providing a guiding function for the connection rod when the same is moving; the connection rod limiting device is a device capable of limiting the connection rod when an extremity of the connection rod reaches an spout of the cartridge. By consuming, in a shifting and limiting process of the explosion-venting device, kinetic energy generated by deflagration, a recoil force or a forward impact force generated after deflagration of an explosive can be consumed or reduced to vent explosion safely and effectively and avoid injuries or damages caused after deflagration of the cartridge.
[0009] The connection rod guiding unit is a guiding ring fixedly connected with the connection rod, or is a guiding groove provided on the outer wall of the cartridge and capable of enabling the connection rod to move axially along the guiding groove; the connection rod limiting device includes a flanging fixedly connected with a jet end of the cartridge and a clamping claw for fixing the connection rod; an elastic body is arranged between the flanging and the connection rod guiding unit, or is arranged on a side surface of the flanging.
[0010] The housing of the present disclosure includes a top cover; the top cover includes a top cover body and a clamping wall fixedly connected thereto; the clamping wall is arranged at an inner side of the top cover body and an extremity of the clamping wall is provided with a clamping hook, and a cavity is reserved between the clamping hook and the top cover body; a fixture block is arranged in the cavity between the clamping wall and the top cover body; the cartridge and the fixture block are respectively clamped at two sides of the clamping wall to effectively prevent deformation thereof and prevent the cartridge from being loosened by the deformation of the clamping wall of the top cover.
[0011] The bottom of the housing of the present disclosure is provided with a base with a handle and an extension and retraction control device provided thereon; extension and retraction of the handle are implemented through the extension and retraction control device, thus further saving storage space to facilitate operation and facilitating transportation and storage.
[0012] The extension and retraction control device mainly includes a locating groove arranged on the base and capable of enabling the handle to slide along the locating groove, and a limiting device capable of limiting the sliding of the handle. Limited by the locating groove, offsetting and locking during an extension and retraction process are prevented, and the limiting device performs limiting control for extension and retraction of the handle.
[0013] The limiting device mainly includes a limiting elastic sheet, a limiting screw and a limiting groove; the limiting elastic sheet is arranged in the locating groove; one side surface of the handle is provided with the limiting screw clamped with the base and the other side surface of the handle ( 10 ) is provided with the limiting groove for making the limiting elastic sheet locked; a bottom cover of the base is provided thereon with a chute capable of enabling the limiting screw to slide along the chute and capable of limiting the limiting screw.
[0014] The handle includes a curved bar and a holder; the curved bar is arranged in the locating groove and capable of sliding along the locating groove; the holder is arranged at an extremity of the curved bar.
[0015] A cavity may be arranged on both the curved bar and the holder; a push button and piezoelectric ceramics are arranged in the holder in turn; one end of the push button extends outside the holder and the other end is provided with a pin hole; an elastic clamping claw and a convex ring are arranged on the pin hole; the outer wall of the handle is provided with a safety pin; a side wall of one end of the safety pin is provided with a concave ring locked with the convex ring and an extremity of the safety pin extends into the pin hole to be locked and tightly clamped with the convex ring through the elastic clamping claw and the concave ring to fasten the safety pin; the other end of the safety pin is provided with a pull ring so that the pull ring can be pulled out.
[0016] The curved bar and the holder are hollow structures; a push button and a piezoelectric ceramics are arranged in the holder in turn; one end of the push button ( 33 ) extends outside the holder ( 32 ) and the other end is provided with a pin hole; a limiting ring is arranged outside the pin hole; an outer wall of the holder is provided with a safety pin; the safety pin includes a connection part and a clamping head connected to the lower end of the connection part; the clamping head includes one or more first elastic sheets and a second elastic sheet connected to extremity of the first elastic sheet and forming included angle with the first elastic sheets; the first elastic sheet and the second elastic sheet are respectively provided with degrees of freedom; an extremity of the second elastic sheet extends outside the pin hole and is limited through the limiting ring; the upper end of the connection part is provided with a pull ring.
[0017] The portable fire extinguisher of the present disclosure mainly has the following advantages:
[0018] 1. the cartridge of the present disclosure is fixed in the housing through the fastening device, which on the one hand facilitates installation, and on the other hand allows the cartridge to be fixed properly in the housing, thus not easily being rotated or loosened; and the need of a production site for waiting for silicone solidification by standing for seven to eight hours is avoided when silicone injection for fixing is used, thus improving production efficiency.
[0019] 2. the fire extinguisher of the present disclosure is provided with the explosion venting device on the cartridge, thus consuming or reducing a recoil force or a forward impact force generated by deflagration of an explosive to vent explosion safely and effectively and avoid injuries and damages caused after deflagration of the cartridge mainly through consuming kinetic energy generated by the deflagration in a shifting and limiting process of the explosion venting device; the aim of a forward movement is to release pressure while the aim of limited displacement and final limiting are to reduce the recoil force.
[0020] 3. the connection rod of the present disclosure is connected with the cartridge cover of the cartridge, and adopts a structure of a flanging and a clamping claw, thus effectively controlling a motion of the connection rod, and the structure can effectively prevent a powerful impact force from acting on the cartridge cover of the cartridge to thrust the cartridge cover apart from the cartridge so as to prevent accidental injuries caused after the cartridge cover flies outwards;
[0021] 4. the present disclosure mainly adopts filling the fixture block in the cavity between the clamping wall of the top cover and the top cover body so that the inner and outer sides of the clamping wall are fully filled; the cartridge is provided at the inner side and the fixture block is provided at the outer side, thus ensuring that the clamping wall will not deform, so that a relatively large extrusion force and axial tensioning force can be born so as to ensure that the cartridge can be clamped tightly; in addition, the present disclosure is simple in structure and convenient in installation.
[0022] 5. the present disclosure is provided with a telescopic handle, which is convenient in packaging and transportation and saves storage space; more specifically, by the locating groove and the limiting elastic sheet arranged on the base and the limiting screw on the handle and so on, it can be ensured that the handle can be fixed and will not be separated from the housing after being pulled out, and problems of offsetting and locking dead can be also avoided;
[0023] 6. the safety pin of the present disclosure is clamped tightly through the concave ring provided on the side wall of the safety pin and the elastic clamping claw on the pin hole, or is locked safely through a connection head provided on an extremity of the safety pin and capable of being limited by the limiting ring on the pin hole, thus the safety pin will not fall off easily so as to avoid the danger of error starting; in addition, the safety pin may be utilized repeatedly.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0024] FIG. 1 is a structural diagram of a fire extinguisher of the present disclosure;
[0025] FIG. 2 is a sectional view of a structure of a fire extinguisher of the present disclosure;
[0026] FIG. 3 is a partial enlarged drawing of FIG. 2 ;
[0027] FIG. 4 is a structural diagram of a cartridge of the present disclosure;
[0028] FIG. 5 is a sectional view of a structure of a cartridge of the present disclosure;
[0029] FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram of an embodiment of a fastening device of the present disclosure;
[0030] FIG. 7 is a structural diagram of a screw of the present disclosure;
[0031] FIG. 8 is a structural diagram of a rotation-stopping body of the present disclosure;
[0032] FIG. 9 is a sectional view of a structure of a handle of the present disclosure;
[0033] FIG. 10 is a structural diagram of a holder of the present disclosure;
[0034] FIG. 11 is a structural diagram of a base of the present disclosure;
[0035] FIG. 12 is a structural diagram of a bottom cover of the present disclosure; and
[0036] FIG. 13 is a structural diagram of an optimal embodiment of a safety pin of the present disclosure.
[0037] In the drawings: 1 —fire extinguisher, 2 —explosion venting device, 3 —housing, 4 —cartridge, 5 —cartridge cover, 6 —top cover, 7 —base, 8 —base body, 9 —bottom cover, 10 —handle, 11 —frictional layer, 12 —connection rod, 13 —connection rod guiding unit, 14 —connection rod limiting device, 15 —guiding ring, 16 —flanging, 17 —clamping claw, 18 —elastic body, 19 —top cover body, 20 —clamping wall, 21 —clamping hook, 22 —fixture block, 23 —clamping point, 24 —extension and retraction control device, 25 —locating groove, 26 —limiting elastic sheet, 27 —limiting screw, 28 —limiting groove, 29 —limiting device, 30 —starting device, 31 —curved bar, 32 —holder, 33 —push button, 34 —piezoelectric ceramics, 35 —pin hole, 36 —elastic clamping claw, 37 —safety pin, 38 —pull ring, 39 —chute, 40 —fastening device, 41 —screw, 42 —rotation-stopping body, 43 —bump, 44 —connection part, 45 —clamping head, 46 —first elastic sheet, 48 —concave ring.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS
[0038] The present disclosure provides a portable fire extinguisher, and preferred embodiments of the present disclosure will be further described in combination with the accompanying drawings.
[0039] Referring to FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 , the fire extinguisher 1 mainly consists of a housing 3 , a base 7 and a top cover 6 of the housing 3 , a cartridge 4 , a cartridge cover 5 , an explosion venting device 2 and a handle 10 , wherein the housing 3 is a columnar structure, such as a cylindrical structure, a square columnar structure or an irregular columnar structure etc. and adopts a extruded aluminium material with good cooling effect; the top cover 6 and the base 7 of the housing 3 are arranged at two ends of the housing 3 , respectively, and connection parts with the housing 3 can extend into a cavity of the housing 3 .
[0040] Referring to FIG. 3 , the top cover 6 mainly consists of a clamping wall 20 and a top cover body 19 , wherein the clamping wall 20 is fixedly connected with the top cover body 19 and is arranged between an inner side of the top cover body 19 and the top cover body 19 to form a cavity; an extremity of the clamping wall 20 is provided with a clamping hook 21 capable of clamping the cartridge cover 5 of the cartridge 4 tightly to prevent axial detachment of the cartridge cover; the top cover body 19 is connected with the wall of the housing 3 ; a cavity between the clamping wall 20 and the top cover body 19 is provided therein with a fixture block 22 having a structure matched with the cavity to fully fill the cavity, and one or more clamping points 23 capable of clamping the fixture block 22 and capable of preventing the fixture block 22 from being detached may be provided on the clamping wall 20 and the top cover body 19 .
[0041] During installation, the cartridge 4 is clamped on the top cover 6 first, and the fixture block 22 is then stuck into the cavity between the clamping wall 20 and the top cover body 19 and the fixture block 22 is tightly clamped by convex points; an extremity of the cartridge 4 is then put into the housing 3 and the top cover 6 is secured to complete the installation.
[0042] Referring to FIG. 4 and FIG. 5 , a top end of the cartridge 4 is further provided with the cartridge cover 5 of the cartridge 4 ; a ceramic cellular cooling layer, a coolant, gain and an ignition head arranged on the section of the front end of the gain are arranged in the cartridge 4 in turn; generally, the cartridge 4 and the cartridge cover 5 of the cartridge 4 are connected hermetically by a sealing ring, wherein the section of the sealing ring may be square, or may be also circular or in other shapes; the cartridge cover 5 of the cartridge 4 includes a spout and a trumpet nozzle, and the center of the spout faces the center of the trumpet nozzle; the spout may be sealed by a rubber plug or an aluminium foil; in addition, the ceramic cellular cooling layer can on one hand fix the coolant to prevent the coolant from dropping out, and on the other hand have a physical cooling effect to reduce the temperature of a high temperature hot aerosol; generally, the ceramic cellular cooling layer may be arranged at the front end of the coolant, or may be provided in the middle of the coolant, or may be also provided at both the front end and the middle section of the coolant, and the positions and quantity of ceramic cellular cooling layers are determined according to actual application conditions; one end of the trumpet nozzle with a relatively large diameter of the present disclosure may be connected with the cellular cooling layer, thus guiding an aerosol to be ejected from the spout, and the trumpet nozzle may be integrated with the cartridge cover 5 ; a heat insulation layer may be further added between the grain and the inner wall of the cartridge 4 to have a heat insulation effect and prevent people or materials from being burnt by heat generated after ignition of the aerosol.
[0043] The explosion venting device of the present disclosure mainly includes a frictional layer 11 , a connection rod 12 , a connection rod guiding unit 13 , a connection rod limiting device 14 and an elastic body 18 , wherein the connection rod 12 is connected on the cartridge cover 5 of the cartridge 4 , and may be fixedly connected with the cartridge cover 5 through welding and pivoting etc., or may be also integrated directly with the cartridge cover 5 , thus the structural strength is higher; the frictional layer 11 may be one or more rubber rings or silicone layers or other materials capable of providing enough frictional resistance for axial sliding of the connection rod 12 ; the frictional layer 11 may be arranged between the connection rod 12 and the cartridge 4 , or may be directly fixed at an inner side of the connection rod 12 ; when the connection rod 12 is guided by the connection rod guiding unit 13 to displace along an axial direction of the cartridge 4 , the frictional layer 11 provides a frictional resistance and a buffering force for the connection rod; the connection rod guiding unit 13 is a device capable of providing a guiding function for the connection rod 12 when the connection rod 12 is moving, and may be a guiding ring 15 fixedly connected with the connection rod 12 , or may be also a guiding groove provided on an outer wall of the cartridge 4 and capable of enabling the connection rod 12 to move axially along the guiding groove, or other structures having a guiding function; this guiding structure can prevent the connection rod 12 from being offset or clamped during a moving process of the cartridge 4 ; when the guiding ring 15 is applied to guiding, the guiding ring 15 may be fixedly connected or directly integrated with an extremity of the connection rod 12 ; the connection rod limiting device 14 of the present disclosure is fixedly connected with the cartridge cover 5 of the cartridge 4 and the connection rod 12 ; when the extremity of the connection rod 12 reaches a position as illustrated of the cartridge cover 5 of the cartridge 4 , the connection rod is limited by the connection rod limiting device 14 ; the connection rod limiting device 14 mainly includes a flanging 16 and a clamping claw 17 , wherein the flanging 16 is fixedly connected with the cartridge 4 , or may be also integrated directly with the cartridge 4 , and one end of the clamping claw 17 is fixed on the connection rod 12 while the other end of the clamping claw 17 is clamped with the cartridge 4 to mainly fix the connection rod 12 ; the connection rod 12 may be also integrated with the clamping claw 17 , or the connection rod limiting device 14 of the present disclosure may be also other structures, as long as the connection rod 12 can be fixed on one hand, and the connection rod 12 can be blocked and prevented from being detached from the cartridge 4 on the other hand. The elastic body 18 may be further arranged between the flanging 16 of the present disclosure and the connection rod guiding unit 13 , or may be arranged on a side surface of the flanging 16 to mainly buffer a collision force between the extremity of the connection rod 12 and the cartridge 4 or between the extremity of the connection rod 12 and the flanging 16 , prolong collision time and release, by using the elastic property of the elastic body, a part of kinetic energy generated after deflagration.
[0044] The displacement of the connection rod 12 of the present disclosure is preferably controlled within a range of 50 to 60 mm, because excessive displacement will fail to reduce a recoil force; however, the kinetic energy cannot be consumed thoroughly by little displacement, and the cartridge cover 5 of the cartridge 4 is very likely to get rid of the blockage of the connection rod limiting device 14 ; once the cartridge cover 5 of the cartridge 4 is separated from the cartridge 4 , a powerful recoil force will be generated; however, the displacement of the connection rod 12 may be adjusted appropriately according to a specific application environment, as long as an optimal explosion venting effect can be realized.
[0045] When the gain 7 of an inner cartridge is ignited and released normally, hot air is released from the spout of the cartridge cover 5 of the cartridge 4 , and an oversize air stream will not be generated, thus the explosion venting device 2 will not be started; the connection rod 12 , which is fixed on the cartridge 4 by the clamping claw 17 , will not move to generate displacement along an axial direction of the cartridge 4 ; only when the cartridge cover 5 of the cartridge 4 and the connection rod 12 are pushed by a powerful hot air stream generated by unexpected explosive deflagration to move in a direction towards which the hot air stream is ejected, the clamping claw 17 of the connection rod limiting device 14 slips off under the action of a powerful impact force on one hand to consume a part of the impact kinetic energy. Pushed by the hot air stream, the connection rod 12 drives the guiding ring 15 to slide axially along the outer wall of the cartridge 4 to generate displacement, and the frictional layer 11 generates frictional resistance to the connection rod during the moving process to consume a part of the impact kinetic energy. When the extremity of the connection rod 12 reaches the spout of the cartridge 4 , the flanging 16 of the connection rod limiting device 14 fixed on the cartridge 4 stops the extremity of the connection rod 12 from being separated from the cartridge 4 ; at the moment, the elastic body 18 arranged between the flanging 16 and the guiding ring 15 functions to consume a part of the impact kinetic energy by its elasticity, and buffers the powerful impact force between the extremity of the connection rod 12 and the flanging 16 additionally. When the final kinetic energy acts on the flanging 16 in the form of collision, the flanging 16 is deformed elastically or plastically, which will consume all remaining kinetic energy. Thus the powerful impact kinetic energy generated by deflagration of the grain 7 may be well consumed or dispersed in the whole process to avoid injuries or damages brought thereby.
[0046] Referring to FIG. 6 , FIG. 7 and FIG. 8 , a bottom of the cartridge 4 of the present disclosure is fixedly connected with the housing 3 through a fastening device 40 ; the base 7 of the present disclosure mainly includes a base body 8 and a bottom cover 9 arranged outside the base body 8 . The fastening device 40 may be implemented in various ways; in the present embodiment, the fastening device mainly includes a screw 41 , a nut matched with the screw 41 and a rotation-stopping body 42 capable of preventing the screw 41 from rotating. The rotation-stopping body 42 may be directly integrated with the base body 8 or may be provided separately and fixed on the base body 8 . A bump 43 is arranged on the rotation-stopping body 42 , and is directly arranged on the base body 8 and locked with a groove on the screw 41 when integrated with the base body 8 . The screw 41 is fixedly connected with the bottom of the cartridge 4 , and may be fixed on the bottom of the cartridge 4 through welding, or may also run through and be fixed with the bottom of the cartridge 4 from inside to outside, and is axially provided with a through groove to be fitted with the bump 43 . A threaded hole corresponding with the screw 41 is provided on the base 7 of the housing 3 of the present disclosure; the bump 43 is provided on the threaded hole and matched with the structure of the screw 41 so that the bump 43 may be embedded into the through groove of the screw 41 , while the screw 41 runs through the rotation-stopping body 42 and extends outside the threaded hole, and assembly can be finished after the nut is tightened. When the nut is tightened, the threaded hole locks the rotation-stopping body 42 to prevent the rotation-stopping body 42 from rotating, while the bump 43 embedded into the through groove of the screw 41 is limited by the rotation-stopping body 42 , namely the base body 8 in the present embodiment and will not rotate, thus blocking the screw 41 from rotating. The nut is tightened, and the cartridge 4 is fixed with the housing 3 . A bump may be also provided on the side wall of the screw 41 and a groove may be provided on the side wall of the rotation-stopping body 42 , and so on, and any structure may be applied as long as the rotation-stopping body 42 is enabled to stop the screw 41 from rotating.
[0047] A handle 10 is further arranged on the base 7 of the present disclosure; the handle 10 may have a structure of a handle 10 in the prior art, or may be also a handle 10 with another structure, mainly aiming at facilitating carrying and operation. Referring to FIG. 9 , FIG. 11 and FIG. 12 , the handle 10 of the present embodiment may adopt a telescopic handle 10 , wherein the handle 10 mainly consists of a curved bar 31 and a holder 32 , and is fixedly connected through a screw, sleeving, clamping or other ways. The curved bar 31 may adopt a metal material, may be moulded through injection, or may be manufactured through other processes. The holder 32 may be a plastic material, and the plastic material may be also replaced by other material, and the material is not limited thereto and may be determined according to a specific application environment. When extending and retracting, it is mainly that one end of the curved bar 31 extends into the base body 8 , and extends and retracts on the base body 8 , i.e. the handle 10 extends and retracts on the base 7 mainly through an extension and retraction control device. The extension and retraction control device mainly includes a locating groove 25 and a limiting device 29 . The locating groove 25 is arranged on the base body 8 so that the curved bar 31 can slide along the locating groove. The limiting device 29 mainly consists of a limiting elastic sheet 26 , a limiting screw 27 and a limiting groove 28 , and mainly aims at having a limiting and controlling function during an extension and retraction process of the curved bar 31 . The limiting elastic sheet 26 , which is arranged in the locating groove 25 , may be integrated with the locating groove 25 , or may be also an independent detachable component, and mainly needs to provide certain elasticity. The limiting elastic sheet will not limit the sliding of the curved bar 31 when the curved bar 31 is sliding. However, when the curved bar 31 slides to a certain position and needs to be located, the limiting elastic sheet is reset by the elasticity thereof so as to be locked with the limiting groove 28 provided on a corresponding position on the curved bar 31 to limit the curved bar 31 . The limiting screw 27 is provided on a side surface of the curved bar 31 opposite to the limiting groove 28 ; the limiting screw 27 is matched with a chute 39 arranged on the bottom cover 9 of the base 7 . When the curved bar 31 slides, the limiting screw 27 will slide along the chute 39 and will not generate offsetting. When the curved bar 31 slides to a predetermined displacement, the limiting screw 27 will be jammed in the chute 39 to prevent the curved bar 31 from being separated from the base body 8 . In this way, both sides of the curved bar 31 are limited, so that the curved bar is located precisely and will not be detached or offset and so on.
[0048] The curved bar 31 and the holder 32 of the present disclosure are arranged with cavities, so it is beautiful in appearance and saves wiring space. However, grooves or U-shaped grooves and so on may be also provided therewith.
[0049] Referring to FIG. 10 , a starting device 30 is arranged in the holder 32 of the present disclosure, i.e. a push button 33 and piezoelectric ceramics 34 arranged in turn. One end of the push button 33 extends outside the holder 32 and the other end thereof faces a trigger end of the piezoelectric ceramics 34 . One end of the push button 33 facing the piezoelectric ceramics 34 is further provided with a pin hole 35 to install a safety pin 37 so as to prevent the push button 33 from being started by mistake. At the same time, the pin hole 35 further needs to limit the safety pin 37 to prevent the safety pin from being easily loosened or detached. The safety pin 37 of the present disclosure is arranged on the holder 32 ; one end of the safety pin is provided with a pull ring 38 and exposed out of the holder 32 , and the other end extends into the pin hole 35 ; in addition. The side wall of the other end is provided with a concave ring 48 , and a convex ring is provided at a corresponding position of the pin hole 35 , and the concave ring and the convex ring are locked with each other. In addition, an elastic clamping claw 36 is arranged at the opening of the pin hole 35 , and right clamps an extremity of the safety pin 37 so that the safety pin 37 inserted into the pin hole 35 can be well secured and will not be detached easily. The safety pin 37 can be pulled out only with an external force that is large enough.
[0050] The safety pin 37 of the present disclosure may be also of a structure as shown in FIG. 13 , and mainly includes a connection part 44 , a clamping head 45 , and the pull ring 38 , wherein the pull ring 38 is provided at the upper end of the connection part 44 . The pull ring 38 may be fixedly connected and integrated with the connection part 44 , or run through a through hole provided on the connection part 4 . The main function of the pull ring 38 is that, when detachment is required, the pull ring 38 is pulled to transmit a force to the connection part 44 and the clamping head 45 to implement detachment. If detachment is not required, it is unnecessary to provide pull ring 38 . A middle section of the connection part 44 is provided with a reducing hole so that the wall thickness thereof is uniform and shrinkage can be prevented. The clamping head 45 is provided at the lower end of the connection part 44 , and they may be manufactured separately and finally combined through methods including injection and filling, adhesion, interference fit, screw fastening, connection with a connection pin, ultrasonic welding, clamping with plastic clamping hook etc., or may be directly integrated. The clamping head 45 of the present disclosure includes a first elastic sheet 46 and a second elastic sheet 47 connected to an extremity of the first elastic sheet 46 , wherein there is a certain included angle between the first elastic sheet 46 and the second elastic sheet 47 , i.e. the first elastic sheet and the second elastic sheet are connected in a cross manner to form a “V” shape, an “L” shape or a “J” shape etc. The included angle therebetween needs to be adjusted according to actual application conditions. The first elastic sheet 46 and the second elastic sheet 47 are provided with a degree of freedom, respectively, and may be deformed according to directions of their respective degrees of freedom when an external force is too large. A structure formed by the first elastic sheet 46 and the second elastic sheet 47 is applicable to implement two degrees of freedom as long as a certain tensile force can be overcome to implement a “clamping” function on one hand, and on the other hand, the structure can be stretched and straightened when the tensile force is too large and exceeds the endurance thereof. The wall thickness of the upper end of the first elastic sheet 46 is larger than the wall thickness of the lower end, while the second elastic sheet 47 may be also adjusted according to use conditions and the thickness thereof is not unique. There may be one or two or more clamping heads 45 . When there is a plurality of clamping heads, the clamping heads are optimally distributed at the lower end of the connection part 44 in a uniform manner. When there is an even number of clamping heads, the clamping heads are provided symmetrically and may be arranged into a matrix, arranged circumferentially or arranged into a curve, which needs to be determined according to an application environment. A limiting ring is provided out of the opening of the pin hole 35 . After the safety pin 37 is inserted, the extremity of the second elastic sheet 47 is right clamped at the opening of the pin hole 35 and limited by the limiting ring so that it is not easily deformed or offset when pulled out.
[0051] In order to improve the durability of the clamping head 45 , the clamping head 45 is optimally made of an injection material, i.e. a Polyamide material (PA66), PE, PP, ABS, PC or a PC alloy etc., preferably the Polyamide 66 material (PA66). The connection part 44 and the clamping head 45 may adopt the same material, i.e. both of them adopt the injection material Polyamide 66 material (PA66), thus improving the abrasive resistance, the tensile resistance and the number of recycling times thereof.
[0052] In normal conditions of the portable fire extinguisher of the present disclosure, the safety pin 37 should be clamped in the pin hole 35 , tightly; the push button 33 is fixed by the pin hole 35 and cannot move;. Therefore, the piezoelectric ceramics 34 cannot be started to start a fire extinguishing agent, and the limiting screw of the handle 10 is clamped in the chute 39 while the limiting elastic sheet is clamped in the limiting groove of the handle 10 . In use, the handle 10 is pulled out first for operation; subsequently, the safety pin 37 is pulled out and the push button 33 is pressed so that the piezoelectric ceramics 34 is started by the push button 33 to ignite an explosive in the cartridge. A generated hot aerosol is cooled by a chemical coolant and a cellular ceramic body, and simultaneously, the coolant undergoes some chemical and physical changes, and the hot aerosol is ejected through the spout of the grain to extinguish a fire.
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A portable fire extinguisher includes a housing ( 3 ) and a cartridge ( 4 ) arranged within the housing ( 3 ). The cartridge ( 4 ) is fixedly connected at a bottom thereof to the housing ( 3 ) via a fastening device ( 40 ). This on the one hand facilitates shifting, and on the other hand allows the cartridge ( 4 ) to be fixed appropriately in the housing ( 3 ), thus not easily rotated or loosened, also, the need of a production site for waiting for silicone solidification by standing for seven to eight hours is avoided when silicone injection for fixing is used, thus improving production efficiency.
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CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
This application claims priority to and the benefit of Korean Patent Application No. 10-2008-0049709, filed on May 28, 2008, in the Korean Intellectual Property Office, the entire content of which is incorporated herein by reference.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an organic light emitting display and a method of driving the same.
2. Description of Related Art
Recently, there have been various types of flat panel display devices with reduced weight and volume in comparison to cathode ray tube display devices. The flat panel display devices can be categorized as a liquid crystal display, a field emission display, a plasma display panel, an organic light emitting display, and the like.
Among these flat panel display devices, the organic light emitting display displays images using organic light emitting diodes (OLEDs) that emit light through the recombination of electrons and holes. The organic light emitting display device has a fast response speed and a low power consumption.
Generally, pixels of an organic light emitting display device display images by charging a predetermined voltage in a storage capacitor included in each of the pixels and supplying a current corresponding to the charged voltage to an OLED (an analog driving manner). However, in such a driving method (or manner), there is a limit to the number of gray levels because expressing a large number of gray levels requires the use of a large number of different voltages stored in the storage capacitor. Further, it is difficult to display a uniform image due to variations on the threshold voltage and mobility of a driving transistor included in each of the pixels.
In order to solve these problems, there has been proposed a digital driving manner. In the digital driving manner, a data signal corresponding to turn-on or turn-off is supplied to each pixel, and turn-on times of the pixels are controlled during a plurality of sub-frame periods included in one frame, thereby expressing a gray level. However, in the digital driving manner, a gray level is expressed according to a light emitting time of the pixels. For this reason, false contour noise is generated while a moving image is displayed.
In order to reduce such false contour noise, a method of driving even-numbered and odd-numbered scan lines at a time difference of ½ frame has been proposed in Korean Patent Application No. 2006-0110571. In Korean Patent Application No. 2006-0110571, when pixels coupled to the even-numbered scan lines are driven, pixels coupled to the odd-numbered scan lines are then driven after ½ frame. As such, if the pixels coupled to the even-numbered and odd-numbered scan lines are driven at a time difference of ½ frame, images having different weight values are displayed between adjacent lines. Accordingly, false contour noise can be reduced without an increase in number of sub-frames.
However, when the pixels coupled to the even-numbered and odd-numbered scan lines are driven at a time difference of ½ frame, line-shaped noise may be additionally generated.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, it is an aspect of the present invention to provide an organic light emitting display and a method of driving the same that reduces false contour noise and the occurrence of a stripe generated in a digital driving manner.
According to an embodiment of the present invention, an organic light emitting display includes: a scan driver for supplying a scan signal to scan lines; a data driver for supplying a data signal to data lines; and pixels coupled to the scan lines and the data lines. Each of the pixels has corresponding organic light emitting diodes. The organic light emitting diodes of first pixels and second pixels of said pixels coupled to a scan line of the scan lines are alternately positioned in a first horizontal line and a second horizontal line adjacent to the first horizontal line, respectively.
The data driver may be configured to supply the data signal corresponding to the first horizontal line to corresponding data lines of the data lines coupled to the first pixels, and may supply the data signal corresponding to the second horizontal line to corresponding data lines of the data lines coupled to the second pixels when the scan signal is supplied to the scan line. The data signal may be a first data signal with which the pixels emit light or a second data signal with which the pixels do not emit light. A source/drain metal of a driving transistor included in each of the first pixels for supplying a current to a corresponding one of the organic light emitting diodes may be electrically coupled to an anode electrode of the organic light emitting diode positioned on the first horizontal line through a contact hole. The organic light emitting display may further include a timing controller for rearranging received data and supplying the rearranged data to the data driver so that the data signal corresponding to the first horizontal line and the data signal corresponding to the second horizontal line are supplied from the data driver in accordance with the rearranged data. The scan lines may include odd-numbered scan lines and even-numbered scan lines, which are driven at a time difference of ½ frame.
According to another embodiment of the present invention, a driving method of an organic light emitting display is provided. The display has pixels coupled to data lines and scan lines, and each of the pixels includes at least one organic light emitting diode. The method includes: while supplying a scan signal to a scan line of the scan lines, supplying a data signal to first pixels of the pixels that are coupled to the scan line and have their organic light emitting diodes positioned on a first horizontal line; and while supplying the scan signal to the scan line, supplying another data signal to second pixels of the pixels that are coupled to the scan line and have their organic light emitting diodes positioned on a second horizontal line.
The organic light emitting diodes of the first pixels and the organic light emitting diodes of the second pixels may be alternately arranged between the first horizontal line and the second horizontal line. The data signal may be a first data signal with which the pixels emit light or a second data signal with which the pixels do not emit light. One frame may be divided into a plurality of sub-frames, and the scan lines may include odd-numbered scan lines and even-numbered scan lines, which are driven at a time difference of ½ frame.
According to an embodiment of the present invention, an organic light emitting display includes: a plurality of scan lines having odd-numbered scan lines and even-numbered scan lines configured to be driven at a time difference of ½ frame; and a plurality of pixels coupled to a scan line of the plurality of scan lines, first pixels of the plurality of pixels having first organic light emitting diodes positioned on a first horizontal line and second pixels of the plurality of pixels having second organic light emitting diodes positioned on a second horizontal line adjacent to the first horizontal line.
The first organic light emitting diodes and the second organic light emitting diodes may be alternately arranged between the first horizontal line and the second horizontal line. A pixel of the plurality of pixels may include sub-pixels, and each of the sub-pixels may have an organic light emitting diode positioned on a same horizontal line.
According to an embodiment of the present invention, a method is provided for driving an organic light emitting display having a plurality of pixels coupled to a scan line and a data line. The method includes: supplying a scan signal to the scan line; supplying a first data signal to a first pixel of the pixels, the first pixel having an organic light emitting diode positioned on a first horizontal line; and supplying a second data signal to a second pixel of the pixels, the second pixel having another organic light emitting diode positioned on a second horizontal line adjacent to the first horizontal line. A pixel of the plurality of pixels may include sub-pixels, and each of the sub-pixels may have an organic light emitting diode positioned on a same horizontal line.
In an organic light emitting display and a driving method thereof according to embodiments of the present invention, when even-numbered and odd-numbered scan lines are driven at a time difference of ½ frame, pixels emit light in a mosaic form, and therefore, line-shaped noise can be prevented or reduced. Further, if the pixels emit light in a mosaic form, false contour noise can be reduced.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The accompanying drawings, together with the specification, illustrate exemplary embodiments of the present invention, and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the present invention.
FIG. 1 shows a schematic block diagram of an organic light emitting display according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 shows a schematic circuit diagram of pixels shown in FIG. 1 in detail.
FIGS. 3A and 3B are waveform diagrams illustrating a method of driving the organic light emitting display of FIG. 1 .
FIGS. 4A and 4B are drawings that show pixels emitting light in a mosaic form by the driving waveforms of FIGS. 3A and 3B , respectively.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS
Hereinafter, certain exemplary embodiments according to the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. Here, when a first element is described as being coupled to a second element, the first element may be directly coupled to the second element or may be indirectly coupled to the second element via a third element. Further, some of the elements that are not essential to a complete understanding of the present invention are omitted for clarity. Also, like reference numerals refer to like elements throughout.
FIG. 1 shows an organic light emitting display according to an embodiment of the present invention.
Referring to FIG. 1 , the organic light emitting display according to the embodiment of the present invention includes a display unit 30 including pixels 40 positioned at crossing portions of scan lines S 0 to Sn and data lines D 1 to Dm; a scan driver 10 for driving the scan lines S 0 to Sn; a data driver 20 for driving the data lines D 1 to Dm; and a timing controller 50 for controlling the scan driver 10 and the data driver 20 .
The display unit 30 supplies a first power ELVDD and a second power ELVSS, supplied from the outside, to the pixels 40 . The pixels 40 , to which the first power ELVDD and the second power ELVSS are supplied, display an image (e.g., a predetermined image) while emitting or not emitting light in response to a data signal.
Here, each of the pixels 40 includes a red sub-pixel R, a green sub-pixel G and a blue sub-pixel B. The red sub-pixel R includes a red organic light emitting diode OLED(R) for emitting red light and a pixel circuit 42 for controlling whether or not a current is supplied to the red organic light emitting diode OLED(R). The green sub-pixel G includes a green organic light emitting diode OLED(G) for emitting green light and a pixel circuit 42 for controlling whether or not a current is supplied to the green organic light emitting diode OLED(G). The blue sub-pixel B includes a blue organic light emitting diode OLED(B) for emitting blue light and a pixel circuit 42 for controlling whether or not a current is supplied to the blue organic light emitting diode OLED(B).
In an embodiment of the present invention, pixels 40 coupled to the same scan line S (e.g., S 0 to Sn) are arranged so that their organic light emitting diodes OLEDs are alternately positioned on different horizontal lines. More specifically, organic light emitting diodes OLEDs of some pixels 40 coupled to an i-th (i is a natural number) scan line Si are arranged in an (i+1)-th horizontal line, and organic light emitting diodes OLEDs of the other pixels 40 alternately arranged with the some pixels 40 are arranged in an i-th horizontal line.
For example, in FIG. 1 , organic light emitting diodes OLED(R), OLED(G) and OLED(B) of sub-pixels R, G and B included in a pixel 40 coupled to the first scan line S 1 and the first to third data lines D 1 to D 3 are positioned on the (i+1)-th horizontal line. Organic light emitting diodes OLED(R), OLED(G) and OLED(B) of sub-pixels R, G and B included in a pixel 40 coupled to the first scan line S 1 and the fourth to sixth data lines D 4 to D 6 are positioned on the i-th horizontal line.
The scan driver 10 supplies a scan signal of a low level to the scan lines S 1 to Sn during a plurality of sub-frame periods included in one frame. Here, even-numbered scan lines and odd-numbered scan lines are driven at a time difference of ½ frame. Therefore, the scan driver 10 sequentially supplies a scan signal to the even-numbered scan lines S 2 , S 4 , etc. or the odd-numbered scan lines S 1 , S 3 , etc. during a scan period of each of the sub-frames.
The data driver 20 generates data signals using data supplied from the timing controller 50 . The data driver 20 supplies the generated data signals to the data lines D 1 to Dm whenever a scan signal is supplied. Here, the data signals can be categorized into a first data signal with which pixels emit light and a second data signal with which pixels do not emit light.
The data driver 20 supplies corresponding data signals to organic light emitting diodes OLEDs positioned on different horizontal lines for each of the pixels 40 . For example, the data driver 20 supplies a data signal corresponding to the (i+1)-th horizontal line to pixels 40 which are coupled to an i-th scan line Si and have organic light emitting diodes OLEDs positioned in the (i+1)-th horizontal line. The data driver 20 supplies a data signal corresponding to the i-th horizontal line to pixels 40 which are coupled to the i-th scan line Si and have organic light emitting diodes OLED positioned in the i-th horizontal line.
For example, when a scan signal is supplied to the first scan line S 1 , the data driver 20 supplies a data signal corresponding to a second horizontal line to the first to third data lines D 1 to D 3 , and supplies a data signal corresponding to a first horizontal line to the fourth to sixth data lines D 4 to D 6 .
The timing controller 50 generates a data driving control signal DCS and a scan driving control signal SCS corresponding to synchronization signals supplied from the outside. The data driving control signal DCS generated from the timing controller 50 is supplied to the data driver 20 , and the scan driving control signal SCS generated from the timing controller 50 is supplied to the scan driver 10 . The timing controller 50 rearranges data and supplies the rearranged data to the data driver 20 so that data signals corresponding to different horizontal lines are supplied from the data driver 20 .
FIG. 2 shows an embodiment of the pixel circuits 42 shown in FIG. 1 . Hereinafter, one of the pixel circuits 42 will be described using sub-pixels coupled to the first scan line S 1 and the third data line D 3 .
Referring to FIG. 2 , the pixel circuit 42 included in each of the sub-pixels includes a first transistor M 1 that is turned on when a scan signal is supplied to the scan line S 1 to provide a data signal supplied from the data line D 3 , a storage capacitor Cst for charging a voltage corresponding to the data signal, and a second transistor M 2 for supplying a current to an organic light emitting diode OLED(B) and being turned on or off corresponding to the voltage charged into the storage capacitor Cst.
A gate electrode of the first transistor M 1 is coupled to the scan line S 1 , and a first electrode of the first transistor M 1 is coupled to the data line D 3 . A second electrode of the first transistor M 1 is coupled to one terminal of the storage capacitor Cst. Here, the first electrode of the first transistor M 1 is set as any one of source and drain electrodes, and the second electrode of the first transistor M 1 is set as the other electrode different from the first electrode. For example, when the first electrode is set as a source electrode, the second electrode is set as a drain electrode. When a scan signal (e.g., a low level signal) is supplied from the scan line S 1 , the first transistor M 1 coupled to the scan line S 1 and the data line D 3 is turned on to supply a data signal supplied from the data line D 3 to the storage capacitor Cst. At this time, a voltage corresponding to the data signal is charged into the storage capacitor Cst.
A gate electrode of the second transistor M 2 is coupled to one terminal of the storage capacitor Cst, and a first electrode of the second transistor M 2 is coupled to the other terminal of the storage capacitor Cst and the first power ELVDD. A second electrode of the second transistor M 2 is coupled to an anode electrode of the organic light emitting diode OLED(B). The second transistor M 2 controls whether or not a current is supplied to the second power ELVSS via the organic light emitting diode OLED(B) from the first power ELVDD, and being turned on or off corresponding to a voltage value stored in the storage capacitor Cst.
FIGS. 3A and 3B are waveform diagrams showing scan signals supplied to scan lines.
Referring to FIGS. 3A and 3B , a scan signal is sequentially supplied to the odd-numbered scan lines S 1 , S 3 , etc. during a scan period of a sub-frame. When a scan signal is supplied to the odd-numbered scan lines S 1 , S 3 , etc., a data signal is supplied to pixels 40 coupled to the odd-numbered scan lines S 1 , S 3 , etc., and therefore, the pixels 40 coupled to the odd-numbered scan lines S 1 , S 3 , etc. emit or do not emit light in response to the data signal.
For example, when a first data signal is supplied to all the odd-numbered scan lines S 1 , S 3 , etc., light is emitted in a mosaic form as shown in FIG. 4A . In other words, since organic light emitting diodes OLEDs of the pixels 40 coupled to the odd-numbered scan lines S 1 , S 3 , etc. are alternately positioned on different horizontal lines for pixels coupled to a same scan line, light is emitted in a mosaic form in the display unit 30 .
Thereafter, a scan signal is sequentially supplied to the even-numbered scan lines S 2 , S 4 , . . . during a scan period of a sub-frame after a time interval of about ½ frame. When a scan signal is supplied to the even-numbered scan lines S 2 , S 4 , etc., a data signal is supplied to pixels 40 coupled to the even-numbered scan lines S 2 , S 4 , etc., and therefore, the pixels 40 coupled to the even-numbered scan lines S 2 , S 4 , etc. emit or do not emit light in response to the data signal.
For example, when the first data signal is supplied to all the even-numbered scan lines S 2 , S 4 , etc., light is emitted in a mosaic form as shown in FIG. 4B . In other words, since organic light emitting diodes OLEDs of the pixels 40 coupled to the even-numbered scan lines S 2 , S 4 , etc. are positioned on different horizontal lines for pixels coupled to a same scan line, light is emitted in a mosaic form in the display unit 30 .
As described above, in the present invention, organic light emitting diodes OLED of a specific pixel 40 and a pixel 40 adjacent to the left/right of the specific pixel 40 are arranged to be positioned on different horizontal lines, so that light is emitted in a mosaic form. If light is emitted in such a mosaic form, it is possible to prevent or reduce line-shaped noise from being generated.
According to embodiments of the present invention, various methods may be used to provide a display unit 30 such that a pixel circuit 42 coupled to the i-th scan line Si is coupled to an organic light emitting diode OLED positioned in the (i+1)-th horizontal line. For example, a source/drain metal of the pixel circuit 42 coupled to the i-th scan line Si may be electrically coupled (e.g., via a contact hole) to an anode electrode of the organic light emitting diode OLED positioned in the (i+1)-th horizontal line.
While the present invention has been described in connection with certain exemplary embodiments, it is to be 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, and equivalents thereof.
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An organic light emitting display and a driving method thereof that reduces false contour noise and the occurrence of a stripe pattern generated in a digital driving manner. The organic light emitting display includes a scan driver for supplying a scan signal to scan lines, a data driver for supplying a data signal to data lines, and pixels coupled to the scan lines and the data lines. Each of the pixels includes an organic light emitting diode. The organic light emitting diodes of the pixels coupled to a scan line are alternately positioned in a first horizontal line and a second horizontal line adjacent to the first horizontal line, respectively.
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CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application is a divisional of U.S. application Ser. No. 10/532,459 filed Nov. 2, 2005, which is based on International Application Serial No. PCT/KR2003/002212 filed Oct. 21, 2003, which claims priority of Korean Patent Application No. 10-2002-0064511 filed Oct. 22, 2002, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entireties.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] (a) Field of the Invention
[0003] The present invention relates to a method of polycrystallization, a method of manufacturing a thin film transistor, and a laser irradiation device therefor.
[0004] (b) Description of the Related Art
[0005] In general, a liquid crystal display (“LCD”) includes two panels with electrodes and a liquid crystal layer interposed therebetween. The two panels are combined with a sealant for sealing the liquid crystal layer, which is printed around the edges of the panels. The panels are supported by spacers distributed therebetween.
[0006] This LCD displays desired images by applying electric field using the electrodes to the liquid crystal layer with dielectric anisotropy and adjusting the strength of the electric field to control the amount of light passing through the panels. In this case, thin film transistors (TFTs) are used for controlling signals transmitted to the electrodes.
[0007] The most commonly used TFTs for an LCD adapts amorphous silicon as a semiconductor layer.
[0008] An amorphous silicon TFT has mobility of about 0.5 to 1 cm 2 /Vsec, which is suitable for a switching element of an LCD. However, it is not sufficient for directly forming a driving circuit on an LCD panel.
[0009] In order to overcome such a problem, a TFT LCD including polysilicon with electron mobility of 20 to 150 cm 2 /Vsec has been developed. The relatively high electron mobility polysilicon TFT enables to implement a chip in glass technique that a display panel embeds its driving circuits.
[0010] Techniques for obtaining polycrystalline silicon thin film include a deposition technique depositing polycrystalline silicon directly on a substrate at high temperature, a solid phase crystallization technique depositing amorphous silicon and crystallizing at high temperature of about 600° C., a technique depositing amorphous silicon and crystallizing by laser, and so forth. However, since those techniques require a high temperature process, it is not proper for application of glass substrates for LCDs. Also, they have a disadvantage that electrical characteristics are not uniform between TFTs due to non-uniform grain boundaries.
[0011] To solve these problems, a sequential lateral solidification process capable of adjusting the distribution of the grain boundaries has been developed. The process is based on the fact that the grains of polysilicon at the boundary between a liquid phase region exposed to laser beam and a solid phase region not exposed to laser beam grow in a direction perpendicular to the boundary surface. A mask having a slit pattern is provided, and a laser beam passes through transmittance areas of the mask to completely melt amorphous silicon, thereby producing liquid phase regions arranged in a slit pattern. Thereafter, the melted amorphous silicon cools down to be crystallized, and the crystal growth starts from the boundaries of the solid phase regions not exposed to the laser beam, and proceeds in the directions perpendicular to the boundary surface. The grains stop growing when they encounter each other at the center of the liquid phase region. The sequential lateral solidification process is performed with moving a die, which mounts a panel including the amorphous silicon film thereon, in a horizontal direction when irradiating the laser beam and such a scanning step is repeated along the horizontal direction to cover all areas of the panel.
[0012] The laser beam irradiation in the sequential lateral solidification process is made through a projection lens. At this time, the laser beam may be precisely focused on desired locations.
[0013] However, the focus of the laser beam varies depending on the temperature of the projection lens such that the crystallization of the polysilicon layer for the thin film transistor is non-uniform. In order to solve such a problem, it is most important to develop a technique of keeping the temperature of the projection lens constant when irradiating the laser beam.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0014] It is a motivation of the present invention to provide a laser irradiation device capable of precisely controlling the focus of a laser beam during the sequential lateral solidification process, and a method of manufacturing a thin film transistor using the same.
[0015] According to an aspect of the present invention, a device for irradiating a laser beam onto an amorphous silicon thin film formed on a substrate is provided, which includes: a stage mounting the substrate; a laser oscillator for generating a laser beam; a projection lens for focusing and guiding the laser beam onto the thin film; a reflector for reflecting the laser beam guided onto the thin film; a controller for controlling a position of the reflector; and an absorber for absorbing the laser beam reflected by the reflector.
[0016] A method of manufacturing a thin film transistor using a laser irradiation device including a projection lens is also provided, which includes: depositing an amorphous silicon thin film on a substrate; irradiating a laser beam from the laser irradiation device onto the thin film through an exposure mask having a slit pattern to form a polysilicon layer after preheating the projection lens; patterning the polysilicon layer to form a semiconductor layer; depositing a first insulating layer on the semiconductor layer; forming a gate electrode on the first insulating layer; implanting impurities into the semiconductor layer to form source and drain regions; depositing a second insulating layer on the gate electrode; forming contact holes exposing the source and the drain regions in the first and the second insulating layers; and forming source and drain electrodes respectively connected to the source and the drain regions through the contact holes.
[0017] The polysilicon layer is preferably formed by lateral sequential solidification.
[0018] A pixel electrode, preferably made of a transparent conductive material or a reflective conductive material, connected to the drain electrode may be additionally formed.
[0019] A method of polycrystallization of an amorphous silicon thin film using a laser irradiation device including a projection lens is provided, which includes: depositing an amorphous silicon thin film on a substrate; preheating the projection lens without irradiating a laser beam from the laser irradiation device onto the thin film; and irradiating a laser beam from the laser irradiation device onto the thin film to form a polysilicon layer after the preheating.
[0020] The laser beam from the laser irradiation device is preferably reflected away from the thin film during the preheating.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0021] The present invention will become more apparent by describing preferred embodiments thereof in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:
[0022] FIG. 1A is a schematic diagram showing a sequential lateral solidification process for crystallizing amorphous silicon into polysilicon by irradiating laser beam;
[0023] FIG. 1B schematically shows a detailed structure of a polycrystalline silicon thin film during crystallization from amorphous silicon to polycrystalline silicon in the sequential lateral solidification process;
[0024] FIG. 1C schematically shows a scanning step in a sequential lateral solidification process for crystallizing amorphous silicon into polysilicon;
[0025] FIGS. 2A and 2B illustrate schematic diagrams of a laser irradiation device for polycrystallization according to an embodiment of the present invention;
[0026] FIG. 3 is a sectional view of a polysilicon thin film transistor; and
[0027] FIGS. 4A to 4 E are sectional views of the polysilicon thin film transistor shown in FIG. 3 in intermediates steps of a manufacturing method thereof.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0028] The present invention now will be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which preferred embodiments of the invention are shown. The present invention may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein.
[0029] In the drawings, the thickness of layers, films, panels, regions, etc. are exaggerated for clarity. Like numerals refer to like elements throughout. It will be understood that when an element such as a layer, film, region or substrate is referred to as being “on” another element, it can be directly on the other element or intervening elements may also be present. In contrast, when an element is referred to as being “directly on” another element, there are no intervening elements present.
[0030] A laser irradiation device and a method of manufacturing a thin film transistor using a laser irradiation device according to an embodiment of the present invention will be now described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.
[0031] FIG. 1A is a schematic diagram showing a sequential lateral solidification process for crystallizing amorphous silicon into polysilicon by irradiating laser beam, FIG. 1B schematically shows a detailed structure of a polycrystalline silicon thin film during crystallization from amorphous silicon to polycrystalline silicon in the sequential lateral solidification process, and FIG. 1C schematically shows a scanning step in a sequential lateral solidification process for crystallizing amorphous silicon into polysilicon.
[0032] As shown in FIG. 1A , according to the sequential lateral solidification process, a laser beam is applied to a plurality of local regions of an amorphous silicon layer 200 formed on an insulating substrate using a mask 300 having a transmission area 310 with a slit pattern to completely melt the amorphous silicon in the local regions such that a plurality of liquid phase regions are formed in an area of the amorphous silicon layer 200 corresponding to the transmission area 310 .
[0033] At this time, a grain of polycrystalline silicon grows from a boundary surface between the liquid phase region 210 exposed to the laser beam and a solid phase region 220 where the laser beam is not applied along a direction perpendicular to the boundary surface as shown in FIG. 1B . The grains stop growing when they meet at the center of the liquid phase region. They are grown to have a various size of a desired degree by performing the step along the growing direction of the grains to continue the lateral growth of the grains.
[0034] For instance, the sequential lateral solidification process illustrated in FIG. 1C uses a mask 300 including a plurality of transmissive areas 301 and 302 having slits. Each slit in the transmissive areas 301 and 302 is elongated in a transverse direction, and the transmissive areas 301 and 302 form a plurality of columns. The transmissive areas 301 and 302 in each column are arranged with a predetermined pitch, and the transmissive areas 301 and 302 in adjacent two columns are offset by about half of the pitch. The sequential lateral solidification moves the substrate by a width of the column in the transverse direction (i.e., x direction) with respect to the mask 300 after irradiating laser beams through the mask (referred to as a shot). Since the transmissive areas 301 and 302 are elongated in the x direction, the grain growth proceeds in the y direction by a width of the transmissive areas 301 and 302 as shown in FIG. 1B .
[0035] The movement of the substrate is performed by a stage mounting the substrate while a laser irradiation device is fixed.
[0036] FIGS. 2A and 2B illustrate schematic diagrams of a laser irradiation device for polycrystallization according to an embodiment of the present invention.
[0037] A laser irradiation device according to an embodiment of the present invention generates a laser beam by frequency oscillation and irradiates the laser beam onto an amorphous silicon thin film formed on an insulating substrate 100 such as glass. Referring to FIGS. 2A and 2B , the laser irradiation device includes a stage 400 for fixing and supporting the substrate 100 , a laser oscillator 500 for generating a uniform laser beam with a predetermined frequency, an optical unit 600 , a projection lens 700 , a reflector 820 , an absorber 830 , and a controller 810 .
[0038] The optical unit 600 imparts a desired energy to the generated laser beam, removes the afterimage of the laser beam, and makes the frequency of the laser beam uniform. The projection lens 700 condenses the laser beam such that the laser beam is correctly focused onto the amorphous silicon thin film on the substrate 100 .
[0039] The reflector 820 reflects the laser beam irradiated from the optical unit 600 through the projection lens 700 toward the absorber 830 , which absorbs the reflected laser beam, under the control of the controller 810 so that the amorphous silicon layer of the substrate 100 is not exposed to the laser beam during the preheating of the protection lens 700 with a predetermined temperature as shown in FIG. 2A and it moves away from the substrate 100 under the control of the controller 810 such that the amorphous silicon layer is timely exposed to the laser beam when the temperature of the projection lens 700 is stabilized and the focusing of the projection lens 700 is completed as shown in FIG. 2B .
[0040] The laser irradiation device according to the embodiment of the present invention enables to perform uniform polycrystallization by irradiating the laser beam onto the amorphous silicon layer when the projection lens reaches a predetermined temperature to make the laser beam be exactly and uniformly focused on the amorphous silicon thin film.
[0041] A thin film transistor and a manufacturing method thereof using the laser irradiation device according to embodiments of the present invention will be now described in detail.
[0042] FIG. 3 is a sectional view of a polysilicon thin film transistor according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIGS. 4A to 4 E are sectional views of the polysilicon thin film transistor shown in FIG. 3 in intermediates steps of a manufacturing method thereof according to an embodiment of the present invention. Although the figures and the description thereof illustrates a thin film transistor for a pixel electrode, a thin film transistor for driving circuits on the substrate is also formed by the similar method.
[0043] As shown in FIG. 3 , a semiconductor layer 20 made of polysilicon is formed on an insulating substrate 10 . The semiconductor layer 20 includes a channel region 21 and source and drain regions 22 and 23 opposite each other with respect to the channel region 21 . Here, the source and the drain regions 22 and 23 are doped with n type or p type impurity and may include a silicide layer.
[0044] A gate insulating layer preferably made of Si02 or SiN x and covering the semiconductor layer 20 is formed on the substrate 10 , and a gate electrode 40 is formed on the gate insulating layer 30 opposite the channel region 21 .
[0045] An interlayer insulating layer 50 covering the gate electrode 40 is formed on the gate insulating layer 30 , and the gate insulating layer 30 and the interlayer insulating layer 50 have contact holes 52 and 53 exposing the source and the drain regions 22 and 23 .
[0046] A source electrode 62 and a drain electrode 63 are formed on the interlayer insulating layer 50 . The source electrode 62 is connected to the source region 22 via the contact hole 52 , and a drain electrode 63 is opposite the source electrode 62 with respect to the gate electrode 40 and connected to the drain region 23 via the contact hole 53 .
[0047] The interlayer insulating layer is covered with a protective layer 70 having a contact hole 73 exposing the drain electrode 63 . A pixel electrode 80 is formed on the protective layer 70 . The pixel electrode 80 is made of a transparent conductive material such as indium tin oxide (ITO) and indium zinc oxide (IZO), or a reflective conductive material, and it is connected to the drain electrode 63 through the contact hole 73 .
[0048] In a method of manufacturing a thin film transistor according to an embodiment of the present invention, as shown in FIG. 4A , an amorphous silicon thin film 25 is formed on an insulating substrate 10 by depositing amorphous silicon on the substrate 10 using low pressure chemical vapor deposition, plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition or sputtering.
[0049] Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 1C , a polysilicon thin film 25 is formed by a sequential lateral solidification process using a mask with a slit pattern shown in FIG. 1C and a laser irradiation device shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B . In detail, a projection lens 700 of the irradiation device is preheated until the temperature of the projection lens 700 reaches a predetermined temperature. During the preheating of the projection lens 700 , the controller 810 controls the reflector 820 such that the reflector 820 reflects the laser beam into the absorber 830 for preventing the laser beam from being irradiated onto the amorphous silicon thin film 25 . The laser beam is focused and irradiated onto the amorphous silicon thin film 25 to start crystallizing the amorphous silicon by moving away the reflector 820 from the substrate 100 after the temperature of the projection lens 700 is kept uniform. The grains of the polysilicon layer 25 formed in this way can be uniform formed to make the performance characteristic of the thin film transistors be uniform.
[0050] As shown in FIG. 4B , the polycrystalline silicon layer 25 is patterned by a photo-etching with a mask to form a polycrystalline silicon semiconductor layer 20 .
[0051] As shown in FIG. 4C , silicon oxide or silicon nitride is deposited to form a gate insulating layer 30 . Subsequently, a conductive material for a gate wire is deposited and patterned to form a gate electrode 40 . As shown in FIG. 4C , n or p-type impurities are then ion-implanted into the semiconductor layer 20 using the gate electrode 40 as a mask, and activated to form source and drain regions 22 and 23 . The region between the source and the drain regions 22 and 23 is defined as a channel region 21 .
[0052] As shown in FIG. 4D , an interlayer insulating layer 50 covering the gate electrode 40 is formed on the gate insulating layer 30 , and then, the interlayer insulating layer 50 as well as the gate insulating layer 30 and the planarization layer 90 is patterned to form contact holes 52 and 53 exposing the source and the drain regions 22 and 23 of the semiconductor layer 20 .
[0053] As shown in FIG. 4E , a metal for a data wire is deposited on the insulating substrate 10 and patterned to form a source electrode 62 and a drain electrode 63 connected to the source region 22 and the drain region 23 via the contact holes 52 and 53 , respectively.
[0054] Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 3 , a protective layer 70 is deposited thereon, and patterned to form a contact hole 73 exposing the drain electrode 63 . A transparent conductive material such as ITO or IZO, or a reflective conductive material is deposited and patterned to form a pixel electrode 80 .
[0055] As described above, the laser irradiation device according to the embodiment of the present invention enables to perform uniform polycrystallization by irradiating the laser beam onto the amorphous silicon layer when the projection lens reaches a predetermined temperature to make the laser beam be exactly and uniformly focused on the amorphous silicon thin film.
[0056] While the present invention has been described in detail with reference to the preferred embodiments, those skilled in the art will appreciate that various modifications and substitutions can be made thereto without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention as set forth in the appended claims.
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A device for irradiating a laser beam onto an amorphous silicon thin film formed on a substrate. The device includes: a stage mounting the substrate; a laser oscillator for generating a laser beam; a projection lens for focusing and guiding the laser beam onto the thin film; a reflector for reflecting the laser beam guided onto the thin film; a controller for controlling a position of the reflector; and an absorber for absorbing the laser beam reflected by the reflector.
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CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
[0001] This application claims the benefit of Provisional Application No. 60/403,771, filed Aug. 15, 2002, entitled “Flexible Weir Style Pinch Valve”.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] 1. Field of the Invention
[0003] The present invention relates generally to pinch valves and, in particular, to flow control valves for large diameter storm water or sewage pipelines.
[0004] 2. Description of Related Art
[0005] Sewage processing plants can be overloaded or flooded by high flow inputs caused, for example, by a short duration of heavy rainfall. Therefore, it is necessary to limit the amount of flow into the plant to prevent flooding or discharging of untreated (or undertreated) sewage. Currently, thousands of dollars are spent on the failure of valves for use with combined storm and sanitary sewers.
[0006] Conventional methods of controlling storm water include influent flow valves that back up the flow into the upstream piping, which are temporary, limited capacity storage facilities, and frequently diverting the flow to retaining basins, which are longer term, higher capacity storage facilities. These conventional valves are typically pinch valves which close from the top only, the top and bottom on a centerline, or side to side.
[0007] By closing the valve, either partially or fully, this limits the flow into the processing plant and backs up the water in the upstream piping or retaining basin. After the heavy rainfall subsides, this stored water is released under controlled conditions by adjusting the valve to achieve the desired flow.
[0008] There are several disadvantages to using conventional pinch valves to control the influent flow. Since these pipes are usually less than full, the water flows only in the lower portion of the pipe, which is called an open channel flow. If the valve closes from the top only, there is no flow restriction until the upper closing portion of the valve reaches the water level. This results in less than optimum control since much of the valve stroke is ineffective (stroking through air) and not controlling flow.
[0009] With valves that close from both top and bottom simultaneously, the bottom portion of the stroke is effective, but the top portion of the stroke is ineffective until the upper closing portion of the valve reaches the water level. Again, this results in less than optimum control since part of the valve's top stroke is ineffective (stroking through air) and not controlling flow.
[0010] For valves closing side to side, the flow cannot be shut off completely unless the valve is closed completely. This requires stroking the valve through its entire open/shut range to stop the flow completely, even if there is just three inches of water in a forty-eight inch diameter pipeline.
[0011] It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide improved flow control, by having valves capable of stroking or pinching action only from the bottom of the valve to the top of the valve, which eliminates the problems described above for conventional methods of controlling flow. Currently, there are no known direct air operated pinch valves, electric pinch valves, weir type closure valves, or mechanical pinch bar type pinch valves that close from only the bottom up. Thus, it is further the object of the present invention to provide more accurate control of flow, primarily in large diameter pipes, and to facilitate using the pipe as a temporary storage facility.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0012] The present invention provides, in the preferred embodiment, a pinch valve for connecting an upstream pipeline and a downstream pipeline. The pinch valve includes a body having a fixed upper pinch bar and a moveable lower pinch bar and an elastomeric sleeve having a throughbore, wherein the elastomeric sleeve is situated between the fixed upper pinch bar and the moveable lower pinch bar. The pinch valve also includes a means to raise and lower the moveable lower pinch bar in order to flex a lower portion of the elastomeric sleeve into and out of the throughbore, so as to regulate the flow of liquids therethrough.
[0013] The elastomeric sleeve may be directed inward and outward by utilizing either the moveable lower pinch bar or compressed fluid selectively pumped into and removed from a space adjacent to the lower portion of the elastomeric sleeve. The elastomeric sleeve may be of varying densities and may include reinforcing material built into the elastomeric sleeve. Additionally, stops may be provided on the upper pinch bar to prevent total closure of the elastomeric sleeve.
[0014] The foregoing and other features of the method and apparatus of the present invention will be further apparent from the description which follows.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0015] [0015]FIG. 1 a is a sectional side view of a first embodiment of the present invention using an electric motor actuator;
[0016] [0016]FIG. 1 b is a sectional end view of the first embodiment of the present invention with the sleeve in a fully open position;
[0017] [0017]FIG. 1 c is a sectional side view of the first embodiment of the present invention about a quarter of the way closed;
[0018] [0018]FIG. 1 d is a sectional end view of the first embodiment of the present invention about a quarter of the way closed;
[0019] [0019]FIG. 1 e is a sectional view of a sleeve according to the present invention with an imbedded reinforcing material;
[0020] [0020]FIG. 1 f is a sectional view of a sleeve according to the present invention with reinforcing material secured to an inner surface of the sleeve;
[0021] [0021]FIG. 1 g is a perspective view of the first embodiment of the present invention in a partially closed position;
[0022] [0022]FIG. 2 a is a schematic side view of a second embodiment of the present invention showing water in the valve, with the valve about a quarter of the way closed;
[0023] [0023]FIG. 2 b is an end view of the device shown in FIG. 2 a;
[0024] [0024]FIG. 3 a is a partial side view of a third embodiment of the present invention with the valve about a quarter of the way closed;
[0025] [0025]FIG. 3 b is an end view of the device shown in FIG. 3 a;
[0026] [0026]FIG. 4 a is a sectional side view of a fourth embodiment of the present invention showing stops on the pinch bar;
[0027] [0027]FIG. 4 b is a partial end view of the fourth embodiment of the present invention showing stops on the pinch bar; and
[0028] [0028]FIG. 5 is a schematic sectional side view of the valve at two different closure points.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0029] The flexible weir style pinch valve assembly of the present invention is useful in many specialized applications, but particularly for use in large diameter (typically 24 inches to 84 inches in diameter) storm water or sewage water pipelines.
[0030] A flexible weir style pinch valve 10 , according to the first embodiment of the present invention is shown in FIGS. 1 a and 1 b. This embodiment of the flexible weir style pinch valve 10 includes a body 12 , an upper pinch bar 14 , an elastomeric sleeve 16 forming a throughbore, and a lower pinch bar 18 . The upper pinch bar 14 is “fixed” in position relative to elastomeric sleeve 16 , whereas the lower pinch bar 18 is movable from bottom to top. The upper pinch bar 14 should be welded to the body 12 of the flexible weir style pinch valve 10 , which is generally made of a steel body or some similar material. The lower pinch bar 18 may be moved by electric motor actuators 20 as illustrated in FIGS. 1 a and 1 c, hand wheels 21 (with and without gear reduction mechanisms) as illustrated in FIG. 1 g, pneumatic or hydraulic cylinders, or any other suitable mechanism.
[0031] The flexible weir style pinch valve 10 , according to the first embodiment, closes from the bottom of the valve only. A conventional type of pinch bar operated pinch valve closes from the top only, or from the top and bottom simultaneously closing on the centerline. The closure of the first embodiment of the present invention is obtained by moving only the lower pinch bar 18 to close the elastomeric sleeve 16 , as shown in FIG. 1 b. The lower moving pinch bar 18 is on the bottom of the elastomeric sleeve 16 and strokes upward pushing the elastomeric sleeve 16 against the fixed upper pinch bar 14 . As illustrated in FIG. 1 c, this operation raises the bottom of the elastomeric sleeve 16 , providing, in effect, a weir or high spot 22 that the water must flow over to pass the flexible weir style pinch valve 10 .
[0032] When the flexible weir style pinch valve 10 is open, the elastomeric sleeve 16 is fully round, providing no restriction to the water flow as shown in FIG. 1 b. As the lower pinch bar 18 moves upward, it generates a weir or high spot 22 , that the water must flow over as shown in FIG. 1 c. This action begins immediately as the flexible weir style pinch valve 10 begins to stroke and works even if there is little water in the pipe. There is no wasted motion stroking the lower pinch bar 18 through the air space above the water, as in the case of conventional top closing, or top and bottom closing valves, as mentioned above.
[0033] The elastomeric sleeve 16 in some applications may be fastened to the upper pinch bar 14 and the length of the elastomeric sleeve 16 is of a longer length, for example, a three to one ratio since closure is from only one side. Additionally, as illustrated in FIG. 1 e, a stiffener or reinforcing material 24 , such as a band of steel, may be inserted in the top of the pinch valve sleeve 16 to hold it rigidly against the top of the upper pinch bar 14 . This reinforcing material 24 , such as a band of steel, may be curved and may be approximately 10 to 15 percent of the circumference of the sleeve. Preferably, as illustrated in FIG. 1 f, the reinforcing material 24 may also be mounted on the inner portion of the elastomeric sleeve 16 . This may require the use of a plate 26 , to protect the reinforcing material 24 and hold it in place. The plate 26 may be approximately 90 percent the length of the flexible weir style pinch valve 10 , and may be held in place with fasteners 28 to the body 12 of the flexible weir style pinch valve 10 .
[0034] The flexible weir style pinch valve 10 , according to a second embodiment of the present invention is shown in FIGS. 2 a and 2 b, and is operated by fluid (such as air). A conventional type of fluid operated pinch valve closes simultaneously from two or more sides inward, or in a triangular form. The flexible weir style pinch valve 10 , described by the second embodiment of the present invention, closes from only one side, the valve bottom 36 . The valve top 34 is relatively fixed against collapsing inward.
[0035] The operation of the second embodiment of the present invention is similar to that described for the first embodiment of the flexible weir style pinch valve 10 described above. The only significant difference is that in the case of this embodiment, the valve bottom 36 moves in a curved line profile as shown in FIG. 2 b, rather than a more straight line profile when using lower pinch bar 18 . Valve bottom 36 is moved with compressed fluid (such as air), which may be electrically controlled and pumped into and withdrawn from the lower portion of the valve body 12 by means well known to those skilled in the art. Water may be seen gathering in the upstream pipeline above raised valve bottom 36 .
[0036] As illustrated in FIG. 2 a, the top portion of the sleeve 34 is manufactured to be stiffer or more rigid than the lower portion of the sleeve 36 . This may be accomplished by using high durometer elastomer, for example, Shore A 90 durometer, additional layers of reinforcing fabric, or embedding reinforcing material 24 in the top portion (for example, top ⅜ th ) of the sleeve 34 . (NOTE: The typical range for elastomeric sleeve material is Shore A 35 to 60.) The bottom portion (for example, bottom ⅝ th ) would be more flexible rubber, such as Shore A 30. Additionally, the length of the elastomeric sleeve 16 is longer, for example, a three to one ratio since closure is from only one side. Thus, when fluid (such as air) is pumped into the valve body 12 , only the more flexible lower portion 36 of the sleeve collapses inward.
[0037] Some suitable reinforcing materials 24 include solid steel plate, perforated steel plate, heavy steel mesh, steel wire, and other suitable materials. The comers and edges of the reinforcing materials 24 are rounded so they do not cut into the elastomer (and fabric reinforcing material, when used). Preferably, perforated plates and mesh are used since the elastomer flows into the openings and provides a superior bond to the reinforcing material 24 .
[0038] The flexible weir style pinch valve 10 according to a third embodiment of the present invention is shown in FIGS. 3 a and 3 b. In this embodiment, the flexible weir style pinch valve 10 is similar to the second embodiment flexible weir style pinch valve 10 , with like reference numerals indicating similar parts. The third embodiment flexible weir style pinch valve 10 , as an alternative, includes a standard non-stiffened elastomeric sleeve 16 , which must be fastened to the inside top of the body 12 . This may be done in many ways, for example, by using adhesives or, mechanically by using bolts 38 penetrating through the elastomeric sleeve 16 , and through the body 12 and then holding the bolts 38 in place using nuts 40 . Although not shown in FIG. 3 b, a rounded plate (for example 130 degrees by approximately ⅓ rd length of the valve) may be used to secure elastomeric sleeve 16 to the valve body 12 with bolts 38 . Since this method penetrates two or three pressure boundaries (through the elastomeric sleeve 16 and through the valve body 12 ), great care must be taken to adequately seal these penetrations.
[0039] The flexible weir style pinch valve 10 , according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention, is shown in FIGS. 4 a and 4 b. In this embodiment, the flexible weir style pinch valve 10 is similar to the first embodiment flexible weir style pinch valve 10 , with like reference numerals indicating similar parts. The fourth embodiment flexible weir style pinch valve 10 , as an alternative, includes stops 42 to prevent a 100% closure of the flexible weir style pinch valve 10 . Specifically, the stops 42 prevent the lower pinch bar 18 from contacting the upper pinch bar 14 .
[0040] With reference to FIG. 5 and with continuing reference to FIG. 1 g, a typical environmental setting in which the flexible weir style pinch valve 10 may be utilized is that of an urban area, in which it would be advantageous to control the flow of storm water, especially the flow of storm water during any initial storm water surge, which may normally result in flooding. To this end, multiple flexible weir style pinch valves 10 of various sizes are installed in appropriate areas of a storm water network to form a valve system. Each flexible weir style pinch valve 10 includes various closure points, as determined by the movement of the lower pinch bar 18 in relation to the elastomeric sleeve 16 . Thus, an operator of the flexible weir style pinch valve 10 may select different closure points of the flexible weir style pinch valve 10 in response to various storm water conditions. For example, a reduced flow closure 44 may be selected for normal storm water conditions, whereas a highly reduced flow closure 46 may be selected to control the flow of storm water at the peak of a major storm. Each closure 44 , 46 forms a dam of a certain height, which either partially or fully reduces the flow of the storm water at certain areas within the valve system. Each flexible weir style pinch valve 10 may include a flow meter that measures the volume of storm water that is contained by the flexible weir style pinch valve 10 . Thus, the operator overseeing the operation of the valve system will be aware of the total volume of storm water that is stored within the valve system.
[0041] This invention has been described with reference to the preferred embodiments. Obvious modifications and alterations will occur to others upon reading and understanding the preceding detailed description. There are, of course, other methods for operating a pinch valve from the bottom up, any of which may be used to achieve the improved operation described in this invention disclosure. It is intended that the invention be construed to include all such modifications and alterations.
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A pinch valve for connection between an upstream pipeline and a downstream pipeline, the pinch valve including a body having a fixed upper pinch bar and a moveable lower pinch bar, an elastomeric sleeve, wherein the elastomeric sleeve is situated between the fixed upper pinch bar and the moveable lower pinch bar, and means to raise and lower the moveable lower pinch bar. A method of regulating fluid flow is also disclosed.
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TECHNICAL FIELD
The technical field generally relates to the handling of gas turbine engines during their packaging in a container.
BACKGROUND
Oftentimes, small gas turbine engines are individually put in containers at a manufacturing or maintenance plant before being shipped elsewhere or stored. The gas turbine engines are moved within the plant on engine transport devices. They are then transferred to a fixed structure sometimes referred to as a “shipping post”. The shipping post holds the engine while one or more technicians perform some tasks on the engine. This procedure, however, often require numerous transfers from the shipping post to other supporting devices in order for the various packaging tasks to be accomplished. These transfers are time-consuming and accordingly, often result in a loss of productivity. Room for improvements exists.
SUMMARY
In one aspect, the present concept provides a method for handing a gas turbine engine during packaging, the method comprising: receiving the engine at a handling apparatus pivotally secured to the floor; removably connecting the engine to the handling apparatus; pivoting the engine while supported on the handling apparatus; lowering the engine into a container; and then removably connecting the engine to the container.
In another aspect, the present concept provides a method for handing a gas turbine engine prior from being set in a container, the method comprising: removably connecting the engine to a rigid support of a handling apparatus, the apparatus being rotatable around a substantially vertical axis; disconnecting the engine from a structure holding the engine immediately before the handling apparatus; rotating the engine around the vertical axis of the apparatus; and then lowering the engine into the container.
In a further aspect, the present concept provides a method of packaging a gas turbine engine into a container, the method comprising: receiving the engine at a handling apparatus pivotally secured to the floor; transferring the engine to the handling apparatus; performing at least one packaging task on the engine and raising the engine at least once while the engine is continuously supported by the handling apparatus; and then transferring the engine directly into the container.
Further details of these and other aspects of the improvements will be apparent from the detailed description and figures included below.
DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES
Reference is now made to the accompanying figures depicting aspects of the improved method, in which:
FIG. 1 is a semi-schematic side view of an example of an apparatus for handling a gas turbine engine in accordance with the improved method;
FIG. 2 is a schematic side view of an example of an engine being transferred from an engine transport device to an handling apparatus;
FIG. 3 is a view similar to FIG. 2 , showing the engine being moved vertically on the handling apparatus;
FIG. 4 is a view similar to FIG. 2 , showing the engine being pivoted so as to be right above a corresponding container; and
FIG. 5 is a view similar to FIG. 4 , showing the engine being lowered into the container.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
FIG. 1 shows an example of an apparatus 10 for handling a gas turbine engine during packaging. The gas turbine engines to be used with this apparatus 10 are relatively small in size. However, it could be designed to handle larger engines as well. The illustrated apparatus 10 is only one of many possible designs and accordingly, the method described herein is not limited for use with the handling apparatus 10 as shown.
It should be noted that the word “packaging” is a generic word designating the various tasks required to put an engine in a container, and may include the transfer of the engine from an engine transport device to the handling apparatus 10 . These tasks can include, for example, draining fluids used in the engine during a bench test, installing plugs to cover openings, securing wires together, etc. A wide range of other tasks can be done as well. Once in the container, the engine can be, for instance, shipped elsewhere or stored while in the container. The engine in the container can be a fully-assembled engine or an engine in which some parts will be assembled later. Also, the word “handling” is a generic word designating the various steps of moving the engine during packaging.
The apparatus 10 shown as an example in FIG. 1 has a base 12 secured to the floor or to a similar solid structure. The base 12 can be in the form of a plate bolted to the floor. It holds a turntable 14 having a substantially vertical pivot axis. The turntable 14 has one end secured to the base 12 and other end that is attached to the bottom end 16 a of a substantially vertical post 16 by means of a sleeve 18 . The post 16 is rotatable around the vertical pivot axis. The apparatus 10 also comprises a substantially horizontal side arm 20 projecting from the post 16 . In the illustrated embodiment, the side arm 20 projects from the upper end of the post 16 . The connection between the post 16 and the side arm 20 can be made in a number of ways. In the illustrated example, the connection includes a sleeve 22 rigidly attached over the upper end 16 b of the post 16 . The side arm 20 is welded or otherwise attached to the sleeve 22 .
A hoist 24 is provided on the side arm 20 . The hoist 24 can include, for instance, a pneumatic motor mechanically connected to a reel supporting a chain or a sling. The illustrated example includes a sling 26 .
Gas turbine engines often have two opposite integrated side plates by which the engine can be connected to another structure. The handling apparatus 10 comprises a rigid side support 30 having one end in sliding engagement with the post 16 and an opposite end that can be removably connected to one of the side plates of the engine through an engine mount. The support 30 is said to be rigid, which means that the support 30 is normally rigidly holding the engine in the same position. This facilitates the tasks of the technician or technicians. This does not exclude the possibility of having an adjustable support in which the orientation of the engine can be changed in accordance with one or more degrees of freedom. The connection of the side support 30 with the post 16 can include a flange 32 or another element that is operatively connected to the post 16 . In the illustrated example, the flange 32 of the side support 30 is slidably connected to a vertically-extending slot (not shown) on the side of the post 16 . The slot, the side arm 20 and the support 30 are in registry with each other. The support 30 is held by the sling 26 of the hoist 24 , which sling has a free end attached to a hook or a hole provided on the support 30 .
If desired, the post 16 can be provided with a plurality of spaced-apart horizontal holes 40 crossing the vertically-extending slot on the post 16 . One or more pins can then be inserted below the support 30 to prevent the engine when one is connected to the support 30 , from falling towards the floor in case of a failure of the hoist 24 or any of the parts to which it is connected.
A brake 42 can be used next to the base 12 to prevent the turntable 14 , and thus all the other elements connected thereto, from rotating when that is not required. In the illustrated example, the brake 42 includes an actuator with a piston having an end engaging the bottom side of a disk 14 a on the pivotable side of the turntable 14 . The actuator of the brake 42 can be electric, pneumatic, hydraulic, etc.
FIGS. 2 to 5 show an example of a gas turbine engine being handled in accordance with the improved method. FIG. 2 shows an engine 50 being brought to an handling apparatus 10 using an engine transport device 52 . The side of the engine 50 is removably connected to the support 30 , using bolts for instance or another removable connector. Once connected to the apparatus 10 , the engine 50 can be disconnected from the engine transport device 52 and the engine transport device 52 is moved away from the vicinity of the apparatus 10 . The technician or technicians can then perform the tasks required to prepare the engine 50 . The height of the engine 50 with reference to the floor can be changed, if and whenever required, as shown in FIG. 3 .
FIG. 4 shows the engine 50 immediately before being lowered into a corresponding container 60 opened at the top thereof. The container 60 is essentially a box designed to facilitate the handling of the engine 50 during shipping and prevent damage thereto, including during storage. The internal frame 62 of the container 60 can be designed to hold the engine 50 so as to prevent any movement thereof. It should be noted that the container 60 is only schematically illustrated in the figures and that a container may be designed with movable lids allowing the engine 50 to be completely encased in the container 60 .
The container 60 is positioned on a side of the apparatus 10 , such as that slide that is opposite the workspace provided for technician or technicians. The post 16 is then pivoted around the axis of the turntable 14 until the engine 50 be right above the desired location in the container 60 .
FIG. 5 shows the engine 50 after being lowered into the container 60 . The engine 50 can then be bolted or otherwise secured to the frame 62 inside the container 60 . The engine 50 is detached from the support 30 afterwards.
As can be appreciated, the new method of handling an engine minimises the transfer of the engine 50 to a bear minimum. The handling of the engine 50 is then more easy and efficient.
The above description is meant to be exemplary only, and one skilled in the art will recognize that changes can be made to what is described above without departing from the scope of the appended claims. For example, the hoist can be manually powered or powered using an electric or hydraulic motor. The hoist motor, if any, and its reel do not necessarily need to be provided on a side arm. It can be provided on the post itself, for instance, and the sling or chain can then reach the proper location on the side arm using one or more pulleys. Alternatively, the hoist can be in the form of a screw inside the post and engaged to a follower designed to move the support up or down. A side arm can then be omitted. The slot along the post and which receives the edge of the support can be replaced by an equivalent system, such as a slot in the support and which engages a vertical flange projecting on the side of the post, a carriage with rolls engaged around the post, etc. The brake at the bottom of the apparatus can include pins or similar fasteners to be inserted in corresponding holes so as to prevent the apparatus from rotating. Although it has been suggested in the detailed description that the engine be connected inside the container before disconnecting it from the support of the apparatus, thereby maintaining a constant attachment with a rigid structure at all time, it is possible to design the container so as to temporally support the engine while it is disconnected from the support and prior to connecting it to the container. Although the post is said to be vertical or substantially vertical, it can define a certain angle with the vertical. Similarly, a side arm connected to the post must not necessarily be horizontal and can define a certain angle with the horizontal. It is possible to have a portion of the support of the apparatus being detachable from the rest of the apparatus. This way, the detachable portion can remain with the engine in the container. The engine transport device may be different than that shown in FIG. 2 . Still other modifications will be apparent to those skilled in the art, in light of a review of this disclosure, and such modifications are intended to fall within the appended claims.
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The method is used for handing a gas turbine engine during packaging. The method comprises receiving the engine at a handling apparatus pivotally secured to the floor, removably connecting the engine to the handling apparatus, pivoting the engine while supported on the handling apparatus, lowering the engine into a container, and then removably connecting the engine to the container.
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CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
This application is the U.S. national stage of International Application No. PCT/EP2010/052697, filed Mar. 3, 2010 and claims the benefit thereof. The International Application claims the benefits of German Application No. 10 2009 012 108.0, filed on Mar. 6, 2009, both applications are incorporated by reference herein in their entirety.
BACKGROUND
The embodiments relate to a device and a method for concentrating and detecting cells in flowing media, in particular, marked cells in complex media such as for example blood.
Until now, there has been no non-optical solution for carrying out reliable individual cell detection with a magnetic flow cytometer in laminar flow.
The currently known technical solutions for individual cell detection are predominantly optical methods for detecting cells with fluorescent markers or by scattered light from a suspension in flow channels. Magnetic methods are mainly restricted to concentrating magnetically marked cells, and to biosensors comprising magnetoresistive transducers.
The following magnetic methods are known:
1) Applying an external magnetic field perpendicularly to the flow direction. In a gradient field, it is also possible to a limited extent to sort analytes according to size and magnetic moment, cf. N. Pamme and A. Manz, Anal. Chem., 2004, 76, 7250. 2) Installing a ferromagnetic conductor at the bottom of the separating chamber. Owing to the local field gradient, magnetizable cells are concentrated at the bottom along the ferromagnetic conductor and separated at flow rates of <1 mm/s of unmarked cells, in this respect, see D. W. Inglis, R. Riehn, R. H. Austin and J. C. Sturm, Appl. Phys. Lett., 2004, 85, 5093. 3) A current conductor is fitted at the bottom of the separating chamber. The flow current flow induces a magnetic field which in turn—as mentioned in point 2—can be used to concentrate cells (flow rate: 6 nl/min in microfluidic channels) Pekas, N., Granger, M., Tondra, M., Popple, A. and Porter, M. D, Journal of Magnetism and Magnetic Materials, 293, pp. 584-588, (2005). c) M. Tondra, M. Granger, R. Fuerst, M. Porter, C. Nordman, J. Taylor, and S. Akou, IEEE Transactions on Magnetics 37, (2001), pp. 2621-2623.
The detection of marked cells with embedded GMR sensors can to date be carried out only statically in analogy with an assay, and not dynamically i.e. for example in laminar flow. Cf: J. Schotter, P. B. Kamp, A. Becker, A. Puhler, G. Reiss and H. Brückl, Biosens. Bioelectron., 2004, 19, 1149.
Commercial manufacturers of sensors having magnetoresistive elements only offer assays for DNA and protein analysis for in vitro diagnosis. In this regard, reference may for example be made to the Internet addresses of magnabiosciences.com, diagnsticbiosensors.com, seahawkbio.com and san.rr.com/magnesensors.
In known magnetic flow cytometers, cells which are marked with magnetic markers, for example superparamagnetic labels, are transported in a flow chamber near the surface over a magnetoresistive sensor (for example a GMR (giant magnetoresistance sensor), as described for example by N. Pekas, M. D. Porter, M. Tondra, A. Popple and A. Jander, Appl. Phys. Lett., 2004, 85, 4783.
A problem with this is that the required proximity of the marked cell to the sensor is not achieved, as the leakage magnetic scattered field due to the magnetic markers decays with the third power of the distance from the sensor. With the previously known methods, it is therefore generally far from possible to detect all the marked cells.
SUMMARY
It is therefore an aspect of the embodiments to overcome the disadvantages of the prior art and to provide a device and a method for individual cell detection in a flowing medium.
This aspect is achieved by the subject matter as disclosed in the claims, the description and the figures.
Accordingly, the embodiments provide a device for concentrating and detecting cells, where at least one magnetoresistor is arranged in an external magnetic field surrounding it below a channel, in which a laminar flow of a medium having magnetically marked cells flows. The embodiments also provide a method for concentrating and detecting magnetically marked cells in a laminarly flowing medium, wherein cells are concentrated on a magnetoresistor by an external magnetic field.
The embodiments thus for the first time disclose the technique by which concentration of marked cells can be achieved directly on the magnetoresistors by using an external magnetic field, so that almost 100% detection of the marked cells is achievable.
These are precisely cells such as occur in living beings, for example animals/humans.
By the flow cytometry presented here, it is almost possible for individual marked cells to be counted dynamically in the flowing medium with an acquisition rate of close to 100% when flowing over the GMR component.
In particular for diseases which are hard to detect, such as cancer, it is sometimes necessary for from 1 to 100 cells to be quantifiable in about 10 ml of whole blood.
According to an advantageous embodiment,
a. Individual marked cells in a complex matrix such as blood or partially purified (typically 1:1000 to 1:1,000,000) are conveyed past the substrate surface (as close as possible to the GMR sensor) while they are contained in the flowing medium b. On the surface, they are aligned with respect to the GMR sensor in the laminar flow (cells must not flow stochastically distributed over the substrate with the sensor/sensors) c. Cells are detected individually (“counted”; thus magnetic flow cytometry); to this end, a substantially high signal-to-noise ratio is advantageous.
According to an advantageous embodiment of the method, the magnetic field is applied in such a way that amplification of the gradient of the magnetic field takes place directly below the GMR sensors, so that the point of entry of the magnetic field lines into the sample space lies as close as possible to the GMR sensors.
To this end, according to an advantageous embodiment of the device, the magnet is arranged directly below the GMR sensors.
The embodiment in which the magnet for the external magnetic field surrounding the magnetoresistors is chamfered on one or both sides, so that flux concentration and an increase in the magnetic field gradient results therefrom, is advantageous in particular.
The cell detection with magnetoresistors is carried out most simply with technically advanced sensors such as anisotropic magnetoresistance (AMR), GMR and/or tunneling magnetoresistance (TMR) sensors, the latter two advantageously being configured as so-called spin valves.
The effect of the laminar flow is that the cells are transported in the liquid flow without turbulence. However, cells which come in contact with the surface are caused to rotate owing to shear forces which occur and the flow profile. According to the embodiments, the effect is utilized on the one hand to guide as many of the marked cells as possible to the magnetoresistors, and on the other hand to bring the statistically distributed immunomagnetic markers on the cell surface close to the GMR sensors by “rolling”.
The concentration of cells in a magnetic field gradient, which in the present case is used only for the cell separation, is suitable for concentrating the marked cells from the laminar flow onto the substrate surface with the magnetoresistors in a controlled way as a function of the flow rate and number of magnetic labels per cell. Furthermore the magnetic force, and therefore the shear force or holding force on the concentrated cells, can be varied via the flow speed and the strength of the gradient without preventing transport of unmarked cells along the microfluidic channel.
Preferably, this measurement object is achieved by a combination of the following components of a measurement system:
d. A GMR sensor has a dimension which corresponds to the diameter of an individual cell (typically 5-40 μm), in order to achieve a high signal-to-noise ratio and detect a signal from just one cell e. In order to be able to measure individual cells in a large sample volume, they are conveyed in a flowing medium f. An external magnetic gradient field is preferably used in order to convey stochastically distributed and marked cells in a microfluidic channel onto the substrate surface (typically, the distance from the cell to the GMR sensor is 0-1 μm); the signal-to-noise ratio can then be increased g. The flowing medium is advantageously laminar, since turbulence can lead to a reduction in the acquisition rate of marked cells. Typical channels have a cross section with a width of 100-1000 μm and a height of 100-1000 μm. This means that a GMR sensor with cell dimensions is substantially smaller than the channel size.
The individual marked cells are conveyed in a controlled way into the immediate vicinity of the substrate in the flowing medium. Stochastic distribution of marked cells on the substrate surface leads to counting losses (for example, ˜90% loss with a 10 μm GMR in a 100 μm channel). Cells are therefore conveyed along e.g. ferromagnetic strips directly onto a sensor. This measurement arrangement also has the advantage that, in the ideal case, only one single GMR sensor is necessary in order to count all the marked cells.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
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:
FIG. 1 shows channel cell concentration.
FIG. 2 shows a cross section of FIG. 2 .
FIG. 3 shows magnetic field strength over time.
FIG. 4 shows another channel cross section.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
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.
FIG. 1 shows two cross sections through an embodiment of a microfluidic channel according to the embodiments: on the left a cross section along the flow direction and on the right a cross section perpendicular to the flow direction.
FIG. 1 schematically shows the process of cell concentration on the substrate surface 8 with the GMR sensors.
A lengthwise side cross section of a microfluidic channel 4 in which a laminar flow flows, as indicated by the arrow 5 , can be seen on the left-hand part of the figure.
In the vicinity of the arrow 5 , there are marked cells 1 and unmarked cells 2 , which move uniformly distributed in the laminar flow. A magnet 7 is arranged somewhat to the right thereof and below the microfluidic channel 4 ; the concentration of the marked cells on the bottom/substrate 8 of the channel inside the magnetic field gradient 7 can be seen immediately. The GMR sensors, like all magnetoresistors, may in this case also be arranged on the side walls of the channel wall and/or at the top of the channel. In turn somewhat further to the right, i.e. in the flow direction, there are a plurality of GMR sensors 3 on the bottom/substrate 8 of the channel. Owing to the “cell rolling” on the channel bottom and the concentration of the marked cells by the external magnetic field, it is also possible for as many of the marked cells as possible to be actually detected by the GMR sensors.
Here, the concentration of cells with superparamagnetic markers 1 from a complex medium in a magnetic field 9 is shown. The laminar flow 5 prevents turbulence of the cells 1 and 2 . By adjustment of the magnetic field strength, the cells 1 , 2 can roll along the substrate surface 8 and thus come in closest contact with the GMR sensors 3 . The strength of the magnetic field should not however hinder the transport of the marked cells in the microfluidic channel; this may be achieved for example by suitable pulsed operation as well as by the symmetry of the gradient field.
On the right and at a distance from the left-hand part of FIG. 1 , the microfluidic channel 4 can be seen in cross section through the flow direction. The field lines 9 of the magnetic field are visible, having their origin at the GMR sensors 3 and therefore causing gradient amplification of the magnetic field. This is crucially attributable to the fact that the magnet 7 has at least one chamfer 6 in the direction of the GMR sensors, and preferably 2 chamfers 6 as shown.
FIG. 2 shows the same image as FIG. 1 in longitudinal cross section, and illustrates the cell rolling inside the laminar flow 5 . The three phases of the cell rolling can be seen: first (A) the concentration of the marked cells 1 on the substrate surface of the bottom 8 of the microfluidic channel 4 in the magnetic field 9 then (B) the cell rolling over the sensor surface while (C) the cell detection takes place.
According to an advantageous embodiment, in order to carry out cell detection with the GMR sensor (for example, as a Wheatstone bridge circuit), for example for continuous concentration of the cells, the gradient magnetic field (˜100 mT with dB/dx equal to a few 10-100 T/m; depending on the loading of the cells with superparamagnetic particles) is pulsed. The detection of the marked cells is carried out in a weak measurement magnetic field of ˜1 mT.
FIG. 3 shows in chronological sequence the strength of the magnetic field for the cell concentration, cell detection and the GMR measurement. The time is plotted on the X axis, so that it can be seen that two magnetic field strengths are always applied in chronological alternation. A method for continuous cell concentration and cell detection can thus be carried out by a sequence of pulsed magnetic fields.
The cyclic sequence of (1) concentration, (2)+(3) measurement for a continuous measurement, which is graphically represented in pictorial fashion, can be seen in FIG. 3 . The measurement and concentration of the cells can therefore be preformed or controlled independently of one another in the kHz range. FIG. 3 shows the way in which, at the very top, cell concentration inside the microfluidic channel takes place with a “strong magnetic field and long pulse times”. Below this, there is a graph which shows that a weaker magnetic field with a shorter pulse time is used for the cell detection. Lastly, the bottom graph shows how the GMR measurement is accomplished with a weak magnetic field and a short pulse time.
FIG. 4 in turn shows a microfluidic channel, again in a cross section perpendicular to the flow direction, as on the right-hand side in FIG. 1 .
For the GMR measurement, the measurement magnetic field may be applied perpendicularly to or in the same plane as the GMR sensors ( FIG. 4 ). In this case, the magnet (magnet yoke) of the gradient magnetic field may be used to adjust a gradient in the measurement magnetic field, in order to achieve local detuning of the bridge arms of the GMR measurement bridge. This detuning represents the measurement signal for the concentration of the magnetic particles in the sensor region. In one possible form of configuration, the measurement magnetic field may additionally be modulated as a function of time as well, for example, in order to be able to measure by means of a lock-in technique and suppress the low-frequency noise components (1/f noise), so as to improve the signal-to-noise ratio.
According to an advantageous embodiment, concentration and detection are carried out with pulsed magnetic fields as shown in FIG. 3 . FIG. 4 shows the schematic arrangement of the magnets or coils 7 , 10 and 11 for concentration and detection around the microfluidic channel 4 . For example, the magnet 7 for the strong magnetic field for the concentration is applied below the GMR sensors and the coils 10 and 11 for the weak magnetic field for the detection are applied perpendicularly to the GMR sensor. The two fields can be controlled separately with 2 magnets, the weak magnetic field preferably being applied in the plane of the sensor.
The essential advantages of the device according to the embodiments and the method according to the embodiments are as follows:
1) Continuous measurement method in order to concentrate magnetically marked cells and detect them in continuous flow. 2) The concentration of the cells, or the shear force exerted on the cells, can be controlled by the magnetic field strength and the flow speed. 3) Marked cells are close to the surface and can be detected sensitively with magnetoresistive components. 4) The proposed method allows use over a large area for multiplexing (for example an array of GMR sensors). 5) The “cell rolling” can be adapted to the application with the aid of surface-functionalized microfluidic channels. The functionalization may for example be carried out with receptors (selectins), biological components (proteins, polysaccharides), by SAMs (self-assembled monolayers) or by silanization. 6) Concentration of marked cells, such as infrequent cancer cells (CTCs; circulating tumor cells), tumor stem cells, inflammation cells, stem cells, bacteria or yeasts, can precede the actual detection in the flowing medium. 7) The magnetic detection can be combined with optical methods (FACS, fluorescence, absorption) and electrical methods (impedance, dielectrophoresis). 8) Applications in the human field are, inter alia:
oncology, regenerative medicine, infectology, clinical diagnosis, clinical chemistry, imaging.
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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The embodiments relate to a device and to a method for concentrating and detecting cells in flowing media, in particular magnetically marked cells in complex media such as blood. For this purpose, at least one magnet is used, said magnet being coupled to at least one magnetoresistance. In the method the cells are concentrated on a magnetoresistor by the least one external magnetic field having a pulsed operation.
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CROSS-REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application claims the priority of German Patent Application, Serial No. 10 2011 016 229.1, filed Apr. 6, 2011, pursuant to 35 U.S.C. 119(a)-(d), the content of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety as if fully set forth herein.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] The present invention relates to a motor vehicle, which includes at least one driving safety system which is relevant for safety with regard to driving and a control device.
[0003] The following discussion of related art is provided to safety the reader in understanding the advantages of the invention, and is not to be construed as an admission that this related art is prior art to this invention.
[0004] As is known, modern motor vehicles have diverse driving safety systems, which offer a high level of driving safety and driving dynamic. Among those are for example, a driving dynamic control or an electronic stability program (ESP), an anti blocking system (ABS), an anti slip regulation (ASR), a so called active steering or the like. Generally, driving safety systems allow a stable driving state of the motor vehicle and regularly support the driver in complicated driving maneuvers.
[0005] Correspondingly, the driving safety is compromised immediately when one or more of these driving safety systems malfunction or fail, because modern driving safety systems usually actively influence the driving dynamic by sensors which are assigned to the driving safety systems. When a dangerous situation such as a collision of the motor vehicle with a collision object, arises under these conditions, the driver or maybe also at least one passenger is not optimally positioned in his seat, which is why the full protective effect of certain passive restraining devices such airbags is not realized.
[0006] It would therefore be desirable and advantageous to provide an improved motor vehicle in particular with regard to the protection of occupants in case of a malfunctioning of at least one driving safety system.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0007] According to one aspect of the present invention, a motor vehicle includes a driving safety system providing a safety feature during travel, an adjustment device for adjusting a seat position and/or a belt tensioner, and a control device for determining a first information commensurate with a proper operation of the driving safety system, wherein the control device can be configured to actuate the adjustment device, when determining a malfunction of the driving safety system.
[0008] According to another aspect of the present invention, a method for adjusting a position of a seat and/or a driver-side belt tensioner of a motor vehicle, includes the steps of determining a first information commensurate with a proper operation of a driving safety system of the motor vehicle with a control device of the motor vehicle, adjusting the position of the seat and/or the belt tensioner by actuating an actuation device of the motor vehicle with the control device when the first information indicates a malfunction of the driving safety system.
[0009] The present invention proposes to regularly test the functioning of the at least one driver safety system preferably continuously i.e. always or in time intervals and to correspondingly determine a first information relating to the functioning of the at least one driving safety system. With the first information, i.e. if the latter indicates that at least one driver safety system malfunctions or is not operational, at least one driver side device for adjusting the seat position and/or at least one driver side belt tensioner (in the following only referred to as “device”) is actuated so that in case of an actual dangerous situation such as in particular a collision of the vehicle with a collision object, at least the driver is positioned in his seat so that the full protective effect of corresponding passive retaining devices, such as in particular airbags which protect at least the driver, can be realized. A driver safety system can for example be an anti blocking system, an electronic stability program or an active steering. This enumeration is not complete.
[0010] Of course, the actuation of the device for adjusting the driver side seat position and in particular of the driver side belt tensioner does not cause the driver to lose control over the vehicle or to be unable to properly drive the vehicle. Analogous considerations apply of course to the passenger as well as passengers which are present in the rear of the motor vehicle, i.e. also on the passenger side or the rear side a corresponding actuation of a device for adjusting the seat position and/or at least one belt tensioner can preferably occur in case of malfunction of at least one driver safety system of the motor vehicle. Thus, passengers which are present beside the driver are correspondingly also positioned in their seats, so that the full protective effect of certain retaining systems can be realized.
[0011] The duration and/or the intensity in particular of the actuation of the belt tensioner can vary and depend on different factors such as in particular the current speed of the motor vehicle, so that for example the actuation of the belt tensioner is interrupted as soon as the speed falls below a minimal speed or the motor vehicle is stationary.
[0012] In principle, vehicle occupant specific parameters as for example weight or size can be included in the first information and taken into consideration when actuating the device for adjusting the seat position and the belt tensioner. The vehicle occupant specific parameters can be determined via vehicle side installed sensors as for example seat occupancy sensors, weight sensors, cameras which sense the interior of the vehicle for recognizing the vehicle occupants and/or their dimensions, sensors for detecting the length of a belt or the like, so that a geometrical as well as physical image of the occupants which are present in the motor vehicle can be determined as accurately as possible, with which a corresponding occupant specific and individual actuation of the device for adjusting the seat position or the belt occurs.
[0013] The control device can assign different priorities to the driving safety systems which are associated with the motor vehicle, so that a failure of a certain driver safety system does not necessarily lead to an actuation of at least the driver side device for adjusting the seat position and/or at least the driver side belt tensioner. Thus, in a case where for example only a single driver safety system fails, the device for adjusting the seat position and/or the belt tensioner is only actuated when at least one other driving safety system fails.
[0014] According to another advantageous feature of the present invention, the control device can be configured to determine a second information indicating the presence of an engaged gear or engaged transmission stage and to actuate the adjustment device by additionally considering the second information.
[0015] According to another advantageous feature of the present invention, the control device can be configured to actuate the adjustment device in response to the first information indicating a malfunction of the driving safety system and to the second information indicating that a gear or transmission stage is engaged.
[0016] Thus, it is possible to couple the actuation of at least the driver side device for adjusting the seat position and/or at least of the driver side belt tensioner to engagement of a gear stage or a transmission stage, to exclude the possibility of an unnecessary actuation of at least the driver side device for adjusting the seat position and/or at least the driver side belt tensioner in situations where the motor vehicle is immobile because no gear or no transmission stage is engaged.
[0017] Correspondingly, the actuation of at least the driver side device for adjusting the seat position and/or at least the driver side belt tensioner better matches the particular need, because the actuation of the device occurs preferably when in addition to the malfunction of the at least one driving safety system indicated by the first information the second information indicates that a gear or a transmission stage which enables the driving operation is engaged.
[0018] According to another advantageous feature of the present invention, the control device can be configured to determine a third information indicating a driving state of the motor vehicle and to actuate the adjustment device by additionally considering the third information.
[0019] The third information includes for example direct or indirect information relating to the current speed of the motor vehicle which is for example derived from the engine speed, acceleration and/or deceleration values of the motor vehicle etc.
[0020] Optionally, certain threshold values which in particular relate to the speed and are for example stored in a memory which is connected to the control device, can be taken into account in the sense of minimal speeds, so that the actuation of the device only occurs when one of the predetermined or predeterminable minimal speeds is exceeded.
[0021] According to another advantageous feature of the present invention, the driving state can involve forward driving.
[0022] According to another advantageous feature of the present invention, the control device can be configured to actuate the adjustment device in response to the first information indicating a malfunction of the driving safety system and to the third information indicating the driving state.
[0023] Thus, the actuation of the device occurs advantageously when in addition to at least the malfunctioning of the at least one driving safety system which is indicated by the first information, the third information indicates in particular a forward drive of the motor vehicle.
[0024] According to another advantageous feature of the present invention, the control device can be configured to determine a fourth information indicating the presence of a possible obstacle in vicinity of the motor vehicle and to actuate the adjustment device by additionally considering the fourth information.
[0025] In this embodiment, the control device is connected for example to sensors which are installed vehicle side and sense the vicinity of the vehicle which includes a near and distant area, and establishes a fourth information based on the data provided by the sensors which indicate the presence of a possible collision object in the surrounding area of the vehicle in particular in the area ahead of the vehicle. The sensors for sensing the surrounding area of the vehicle can be constructed as near range radar, long distance radar, Lidar-sensor, ultrasound sensor etc.
[0026] It is also conceivable, to detect obstacles in the vicinity of the vehicle via a navigation device or a connection of the control device to a device which provides up to date traffic information, with which the control device is connected, so that by taking the current position of the vehicle on the road on which the motor vehicle drives into account, a dangerous situation which lies ahead for example a traffic jam which behind a curve, a collision of other traffic participants, an object on the roadway etc. can be detected in the course of determining the fourth information and be taken into account.
[0027] According to another advantageous feature of the present invention, the control device can be configured to actuate the adjustment device in response to the first information indicating a malfunction of the driving safety system and to the fourth information indicating the presence of a possible obstacle. Similarly, in this way an actuation which better matches the particular need is possible.
[0028] According to another advantageous feature of the present invention, the control device can be configured to determine a fifth information indicating the presence of a current or prospective potentially hazardous climatic condition with regard to the current position of the motor vehicle and to actuate the adjustment device by additionally considering the fifth information.
[0029] According to another advantageous feature of the present invention, the climatic condition can involve slippery road surface, snowfall, rain in relation to an actual position of the motor vehicle
[0030] Thus, the climatic conditions in the area of the current position of the motor vehicle can be determined via sensors such as temperature, and/or precipitation and/or brightness sensors which are installed in the vehicle, from which for climatic conditions for example slippery road surface can be concluded, when a temperature of below 0° C. with precipitation is given. Also information with regard to slippery roads from an information device which provides up to date weather information can be accessed, if the control device is connected to such an information device. This is particularly expedient since such prospective changes of climatic conditions or such climatic changes which lie ahead can be detected and correspondingly taken into account.
[0031] According to another advantageous feature of the present invention, the control device can be configured to actuate the adjustment device in response to the first information indicating a malfunction of the driving safety system and to the fifth information indicating the potential of a hazardous climatic condition. Similarly, in this way, an actuation which matches the particular need is possible.
[0032] According to another advantageous feature of the present invention, the driving safety system can include an antilock device, electronic stability program, and active steering.
[0033] If the control device takes a further information in addition to the first information into account, the further information can be given different weights or given different priorities, respectively, so that for example the aforementioned fourth information is treated preferentially compared to the third information.
[0034] In an exemplary situation, in which the motor vehicle moves toward a collision object which is taken into account by the fourth information, with a speed which is lower than a threshold speed which is taken into account by the third information, the control device when only depending on the third information would accordingly not carry out an actuation of the at least one driver side device for adjusting the seat position and/or at least the driver side belt tensioner. By affording the fourth information more weight or greater priority relative to the third information a corresponding actuation of the device can nevertheless occur, because the fourth information hierarchically ranks above the third information in the structure of information taken into account by the control device.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING
[0035] Other features and advantages of the present invention will be more readily apparent upon reading the following description of currently preferred exemplified embodiments of the invention with reference to the accompanying drawing, in which the single FIGURE shows a schematic diagram of a motor vehicle according to the invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0036] Throughout all the figures, same or corresponding elements may generally be indicated by same reference numerals. These depicted embodiments are to be understood as illustrative of the invention and not as limiting in any way. It should also be understood that the figures are not necessarily to scale and that the embodiments are sometimes illustrated by graphic symbols, phantom lines, diagrammatic representations and fragmentary views. In certain instances, details which are not necessary for an understanding of the present invention or which render other details difficult to perceive may have been omitted.
[0037] The motor vehicle 1 shown in the Figure includes multiple driving safety systems which are safety relevant for driving of which only the two driving safety systems 2 , 3 are exemplary shown. The driving safety system 2 is for example an electronic stability system (ESP), and the driving safety system 3 is for example an active steering.
[0038] The driving safety systems 2 , 3 are connected to a steering device 4 , which is configured for determining a first information relating to the proper functioning of the driving safety systems 2 , 3 . Thus, the control device continuously or in regular intervals checks the proper functioning of the driving safety systems 2 , 3 and reports the functioning in the form of the first information I 1 . If the first information I 1 indicates an malfunctioning of at least one of the driving safety systems 2 , 3 , at least one of the driver side devices 5 for the adjustment of the seat position and/or at least one driver side belt tensioner 6 is actuated. Correspondingly, the driver which occupies the driver seat 7 is positioned or conditioned in his seat position so that the full protective effect of a passive retaining device 9 such as for example an airbag can be realized. Similar considerations apply of course also for further occupants (not shown) present in the motor vehicle 1 , i.e., these may also be conditioned via corresponding devices which are assigned to their seats for adjusting the seat position and/or belt tensioner 6 .
[0039] As mentioned above, when actuating the device 5 , vehicle occupant specific parameters such as weight, size etc. which are determined by appropriate vehicle side installed sensors or cameras, can be taken into account. In particular, the conditioning of the driver does not take place in a manner so that the latter is rendered unable to control the motor vehicle 1 , so that the intensity in particular of the actuation of the belt tensioner can be reduced or adjusted via corresponding actuators.
[0040] The control device 4 can further be configured for determining further information I 1 , I 2 , I 3 , I 4 , I 5 , which can be taken into account individually or in groups or altogether, before actuating at least the driver side device 5 for adjusting the seat position and/or at least the driver side belt tensioner 6 .
[0041] Thus, it is possible for example, that the control device 4 is configured for determining a second information I 2 relating to an engaged gear or a engaged transmission stage. Thus, the control device 4 is also connected to a transmission 10 which is arranged in the drive train of the motor vehicle 1 . Preferably, the actuation of the device 5 occurs, when in addition to the first information the second information indicates that a gear or a transmission stage which enables a driving operation in particular a forward driving operation is engaged.
[0042] In addition, it is possible that the control device 4 is configured for determining a third information I 3 relating to the driving status of the motor vehicle 1 . For this, the control device 4 is connected to the drive assembly 11 which is also arranged in the drive train of the motor vehicle 1 , from which drive assembly 11 an engine speed can be determined for example via an appropriate sensor (not shown). Of course, the control device 4 can also be connected to a speed measuring device such as a speedometer or the like (not shown). Here, it is preferred that the actuation of the device 5 occurs when in addition to the first information I 1 the third information I 3 indicates a driving, in particular a forward driving of the motor vehicle 1 . Optionally, predetermined or predeterminable minimal speeds for example 15 km/h can be taken into account, below which the third information I 3 does not indicate the need for actuation of the device 5 .
[0043] The control device 4 can further be configured for determining a fourth information I 4 relating to the presence of possible obstacles in the vicinity of the vehicle, in particular the area ahead of the vehicle. For this, the control device 4 is connected to an appropriate sensor which senses the vicinity of the vehicle in particular the area ahead of the vehicle, for instance in the form of a radar and/or ultrasound sensors. For this, the control device 4 can also be connected to a navigation device 13 which detects a potential dangerous situation in the vicinity of the vehicle for example a tail end of a traffic jam in the region behind a curve of a road on which the motor vehicle currently drives. Advantageously, the actuation of the device 5 occurs when in addition to at least the first information I 1 the fourth information I 4 indicates a possible obstacle in the vicinity of the vehicle.
[0044] It is further preferred that the control device 4 is configured for determining a fifth information I 5 relating to current and/or prospective potentially dangerous climatic conditions with regard to the current position of the motor vehicle 1 , such as in particular slippery roads, snowfall, or rain. For this, the control device 4 is connected to sensors 14 for sensing climatic conditions, which sensors in particular include temperature sensors, precipitation sensors, i.e. moisture or wetness sensor as well as brightness sensors etc. Advantageously, the actuation of the device 5 occurs when in addition to the first information I 1 the fifth information I 5 indicates current or prospective dangerous climatic conditions, i.e. climatic conditions which involve potential dangerous situations for the motor vehicle 1 , in particular slippery roads, snowfall, rain or freezing rain etc.
[0045] The information I 2 -I 5 which is determined by the control device 4 can be given different weight or priority respectively. Thus, it is conceivable that in case of a danger of slippery roads indicated by the fifth information I 5 , but a current speed of lower than 15 km/h indicated by the third information I 3 , the actuation of at least the driver side device 5 for adjusting the seat position and/or at least the driver side belt tensioner 6 does not yet occur but only at a current speed exceeding 50 km/h which is also indicated by the third information I 3 . Of course, a fundamental prerequisite for the actuation of at least the driver side device 5 for adjusting the seat position and/or at least the driver side belt tensioner 6 is the malfunctioning of at least one driver safety system 2 , 3 .
[0046] The device 5 for adjusting the seat position includes various actuation means (not shown) which are connected to the seat 7 , and which enable an adjustment of the components of the seat 7 , i.e. in particular the seat surface, backrest, headrest, in different directions (upwards, downwards, sideways etc.) or degrees of freedom respectively, and to change or condition the seat position of the driver 8 in this manner.
[0047] The belt tensioner 6 includes at least one adjustment means for tightening or tensioning a belt which causes a tightening of the belt in dependence on occupant parameters such as size, weight, volume a, in particular by reducing the roll off length of the belt, with the effect that the driver 8 is changed or conditioned in his seat position.
[0048] The motor vehicle 1 according to the invention thus allows optimizing the seat position of at least the driver after failure of at least one driving safety system 2 , 3 , so that the driver is protected more effectively in the case of a dangerous situation, which also reduces the severity of injuries of at least the driver.
[0049] While the invention has been illustrated and described in connection with currently preferred embodiments shown and described in detail, it is not intended to be limited to the details shown since various modifications and structural changes may be made without departing in any way from the spirit and scope of the present invention. The embodiments were chosen and described in order to explain the principles of the invention and practical application to thereby enable a person skilled in the art to best utilize the invention and various embodiments with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated.
[0050] What is claimed as new and desired to be protected by Letters Patent is set forth in the appended claims and includes equivalents of the elements recited therein:
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A motor vehicle including at least one driving safety system which provides a safety feature during travel, and a control device, wherein the control device is configured to determine a first information commensurate with the proper functioning of the at least one driving safety system and to actuate at least a driver side device for adjusting the seat position and/or at least a driver side belt tensioner when the at least one driving safety system malfunctions.
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CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] The present invention is related to U.S. patent application publication No. 2004/0066028, which is herein incorporated by reference in entirety.
BACKGROUND
[0002] 1. Field of the Invention
[0003] The present invention relates to splashguards used to prevent objects, such as water, mud, rocks, sand, and debris, which may be scattered from a vehicle's tires, from impacting other objects, such as windshields of following vehicles.
[0004] 2. Description of the Related Art
[0005] As a vehicle travels down a road, the vehicle's tires may scatter or disperse water, mud, rocks, sand, debris, and other objects. The faster the vehicle is moving, the faster these objects may be scattered. If these objects impact other vehicles or people, they can cause a significant amount of damage and inconvenience. Therefore, devices have been developed to prevent vehicle tires from scattering objects beyond a vehicle.
[0006] Some vehicle owners use splashguards to prevent tire splashes from muddying their vehicles. Typical splashguards cover one wheel on one side of a vehicle. Thus, most vehicles have a pair of splashguards to cover both rear wheels. Examples of these splashguards include those disclosed in Larkin et al. (U.S. Pat. No. 6,179,311), Knoer (U.S. Pat. No. 6,076,842), Burnstein (U.S. application Ser. No. 09/792,713), and Simon (U.S. Pat. No. 6,394,475). Some trucks may have four rear wheels, so they may have four splashguards, such as the splashguards disclosed in Conner (U.S. Pat. No. 3,877,722). The splashguards discussed above are positioned perpendicular to the vehicle's undercarriage, and they define a partial surface between the undercarriage and the road. These splashguards are further positioned adjacent to a tire to cover the front of the tire so that when the tire rotates on moving road elements, such as water, mud, or dirt (hereinafter referred to as “tire splash”), the splashguards prevent tire splashes from moving, dirtying, or damaging objects, such as vehicle portions adjacent to the tire or windshields of following vehicles.
[0007] One problem with these known splashguards is that they allow some tire splash to escape, particularly through the area between the vehicle's left and right tires. It is desired that splashguards cover this area.
[0008] Splashguards disclosed in Knowles (U.S. Design Patent Des. 192,684) and Podall (Des. 209,044) appear to be made of rectangular material that extends throughout the rear side of the vehicle. While these splashguards appear to be able to control tire splashes being dispersed from the area between the vehicle's tires, they are unable to control tire splashes being dispersed from the area between the road and the bottom edge of the splashguard. It is desired that splashguards cover both the area between the road and the edge of the splashguard and the area between the vehicle's tires.
[0009] Splashguards disclosed in Larkin et al. (U.S. Pat. No. 6,179,311), Knoer (U.S. Pat. No. 6,076,842), Burnstein (U.S. application Ser. No. 09/792,713), Simon (U.S. Pat. No. 6,394,475) further appear to be rigidly mounted to a bar. The splashguard disclosed in Rogers (U.S. Design Patent Des. 417,422) appears to be rigidly mounted to a vehicle's bumper. Another problem with these splashguards is that when the surface level of the road the vehicle travels on changes, the splashguards are susceptible to being damaged. When the road level changes, the splashguards may hit the road, and either the splashguards will eventually be detached from their attachment points, or they will physically be damaged due to the impact with the road. It is desirable to add flexibility to these splashguards to allow them to accommodate changing road levels thereby minimizing their exposure to potentially damaging impact.
[0010] Another problem with known splashguards described above is that they are subject to wear and damage if they come into contact with a road surface. This can happen if the vehicle is overloaded or if the vehicle travels over an uneven roadway. Typically, the bottom of the splashguard may rub and abrade against the road surface. It is further desired that a splashguard have a way of being protected from abrasive damage from road contact.
SUMMARY
[0011] Advantages of One or More Embodiments of the Present Invention
[0012] The various embodiments of the present invention may, but do not necessarily, achieve one or more of the following advantages:
[0013] control tire splashes better than conventional splashguards;
[0014] the ability to substantially cover the area between the vehicle's bumper and the road;
[0015] provide a durable splashguard;
[0016] provide an aesthetically appealing splashguard;
[0017] provide a splashguard that has a replaceable wear surface;
[0018] provide a splashguard that is protected from road abrasion;
[0019] the ability to allow users to customize their splashguard;
[0020] provide a splashguard for use with various vehicle types.
[0021] These and other advantages may be realized by reference to the remaining portions of the specification, claims, and abstract.
[0022] Brief Description
[0023] The present invention comprises a splashguard for use in controlling tire splashes of a vehicle. The splashguard comprises a first plate that is attachable to a vehicle. The first plate being substantially as wide as the distance between the vehicle's rear tires. The first plate can be configured to substantially control tire splashes from a vehicle tire. The first plate has a top and a bottom. An insert is removeably attached to the bottom of the first plate. The insert is adapted to protect the first plate. At least one hanger is mounted to the top of the first plate. The hanger is configured to be attachable to the vehicle.
[0024] The present invention further comprises a method of creating a splashguard. The method comprises providing a hanger and molding a first plate around a portion of the hanger. An insert is attached to the first plate. The insert and the first plate form a splashguard assembly that is attached to the vehicle through the hanger.
[0025] The above description sets forth, rather broadly, a summary of one embodiment of the present invention so that the detailed description that follows may be better understood and contributions of the present invention to the art may be better appreciated. Some of the embodiments of the present invention may not include all of the features or characteristics listed in the above summary. There are, of course, additional features of the invention that will be described below and will form the subject matter of claims. 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 the construction and to the arrangement of the components set forth in the following description or as illustrated in the drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced and carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology employed herein are for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0026] The embodiments of the present invention are shown in the drawings, wherein:
[0027] FIG. 1 is substantially a front view of an embodiment of the splashguard of the present invention mounted on a vehicle. A portion of the bumper in FIG. 1 is cut away to show the mounting of the splashguard to the vehicle.
[0028] FIG. 2 is substantially a front view of an embodiment of a splashguard of the present invention.
[0029] FIG. 3 is substantially a rear view of FIG. 2 .
[0030] FIG. 4 is substantially an exploded front perspective view of FIG. 2
[0031] FIG. 5 is substantially an assembled front perspective view of FIG. 2 .
[0032] FIG. 6 is substantially a rear perspective view of FIG. 2 .
[0033] FIG. 7 is substantially a cross-sectional view of the splashguard of FIG. 2 showing in detail the attachment of the insert and the molded hanger.
[0034] FIG. 8 is substantially a front view of a hanger of the present invention.
DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0035] In the following detailed description, reference is made to the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this application. The drawings show, by way of illustration, specific embodiments in which the invention may be practiced. It is to be understood that other embodiments may be utilized and structural changes may be made without departing from the scope of the present invention.
[0036] The present invention comprises a splashguard, generally indicated by reference number 20 . Referring to FIG. 1 , splashguard 20 has a main plate 22 . As used herein, the term “plate” generally refers to a substantially flat piece of material. Main plate 22 has a width that is substantially as wide as the width of a vehicle 15 . Alternatively, plate 22 may be wide enough to cover one rear wheel (not shown) of vehicle 15 . Plate 22 may be made of roto-molded plastic. Other types of plastic molding may also be used such as injection molding, sheet molding and thermoforming. Plate 22 may of course be made of other materials known in the art, such as rubber or steel.
[0037] An insert 50 can be positioned and attached at the bottom 34 of plate 22 . In this embodiment, insert 50 has a width that is substantially as wide as plate 22 . When attached together, plate 22 and insert 50 may form a substantially rectangular shape with a long axis being substantially horizontal (longitudinal) and the short axis (lateral) being substantially vertical. Insert 50 may have a substantially straight lower edge (not shown), or the lower edge may have a variety of curves and fluctuations, an example of which is shown in FIG. 1 . Of course, the shapes and dimensions of plate 22 and insert 50 may vary. This specification uses spatially orienting terms such as top, bottom, front, back, rearward, horizontal, etc. It is to be understood these types of terms are for ease of description of various components with respect to one another and do not define absolute orientations in space.
[0038] Splashguard 20 has a height that allows splashguard 20 to substantially cover an area 94 between a vehicle bumper 16 and a road 90 . Bumper 16 is partially cut away in FIG. 1 to show how splashguard 20 is mounted to vehicle 15 . Splashguard 20 may leave a gap 92 between insert 50 and road 90 to keep splashguard 20 away from constant contact with road 30 . Splashguard 20 can be mounted at the rear 18 of vehicle 15 . Vehicle 15 can have a frame 17 . Splashguard 20 may be attached to frame 17 by a fastening mechanism 78 . Fastening mechanism 78 can be attached to frame 17 and to hanger 70 .
[0039] Referring now to FIGS. 2-7 , plate 22 can have a hollow interior cavity 21 . The hollow interior is a result of the roto-molding process. Plate 22 can have a front side 24 , a back side 26 , ends 28 , 30 , a top 32 and a bottom 34 . A rib 35 may extend along the top 32 . Rib 35 can reinforce plate 22 . A slot 36 may be located along bottom 34 . The slot may have the same length as plate 22 . Slot 36 can define slot walls 37 and 38 . Plate 22 has a hanger mounting area 42 .
[0040] Several reinforcement members 39 may be located in back side 26 . Reinforcement members 39 can define a rectangular cavity 40 . Reinforcement members 39 are molded into plate 22 during the manufacturing process. The purpose of reinforcement members 39 is to provide structural integrity to plate 22 and to prevent plate 22 from deforming. The number, shapes, orientation, and positions of reinforcement member 39 may vary.
[0041] A recess 44 can be located in front side 24 . Recess 44 may be molded into plate 22 during the manufacturing process. Holes 46 are located in recess 44 . A decorative plate 80 can be mounted in recess 44 . Decorative plate 80 has a front side 82 and a back side 84 . Back side 84 can be mounted against front side 24 . Holes 85 are located in plate 80 . Fasteners 88 can be used to attach decorative plate 80 to plate 22 . Fasteners 88 can be any suitable fastener such as screws, rivets or bolts and nuts. Decorative plate 80 may contain a symbol 86 such as a name, a mark, a logo, designs, and the like. Decorative plate 80 can be made from a variety of materials such as plastic, rubber, and steel.
[0042] Splashguard 20 may have an insert 50 attached to the bottom 34 of plate 22 . Insert 50 can have a wide section 52 , a thin section 54 , a bottom 56 and a top 58 . Insert 50 has a width that is substantially as wide as top plate 22 . Insert 50 may be mounted in slot 36 . The top 58 of insert 50 is located in slot 36 between walls 37 and 38 . Apertures 60 are located in insert 50 . Fasteners 62 can be used to attach insert 50 to plate 22 . Fasteners 62 pass through apertures 48 and 60 . Fasteners 62 can be any suitable fastener such as screws, rivets or bolts and nuts. Insert 50 may be made from a variety of materials such as plastic, rubber and steel.
[0043] Insert 50 protects plate 22 from wear and damage in the case of splashguard 20 coming into contact with a road surface. Splashguard 20 can contact the road surface if the vehicle is overloaded or if the vehicle travels over an uneven roadway. The bottom 56 of insert 50 would preferentially rub and abrade against the road surface. Since insert 50 can be attached to plate 22 with fasteners, insert 50 is replaceable if it becomes worn or is damaged. Replacing insert 50 is significantly less costly than replacing the entire plate 22 . Insert 50 may be formed from a material that resists abrasion or that is robust enough withstand a significant amount of abrasion. A dense rubber material may be suitable for this purpose.
[0044] Referring now to FIG. 8 , an embodiment of a hanger 70 is shown. Hanger 70 may have a T-shape and includes a mounting member 72 and a pair of retaining members 76 . Hanger 70 may have an aperture 76 located in mounting member 72 . Hanger 70 may have other shapes than that which was shown.
[0045] Referring now to FIGS. 2 and 3 , hanger 70 may be mounted partially within plate 22 in the hanger mounting area 42 . Hanger 70 can be insert molded into plate 22 during the roto-molding process. Hanger 70 may be partially placed into a mold (not shown) for plate 22 . The retaining members 74 may be located in the mold and mounting member 72 is located outside of the mold (see FIG. 8 ). After the mold is filled with liquid plastic and rotated, it is cooled. The liquid plastic solidifies around retaining members 74 , integrally connecting the hanger 70 to plate 22 . The hanger 70 is integrally mounted within plate 22 . Mounting member 72 can extend away from the top 32 of plate 22 .
[0046] Turning to FIG. 1 , fastening mechanism 78 hingably attaches plate 22 to a frame 17 or undercarriage of a vehicle. Fastening mechanism 78 can be a chain or may be one of many other types of fastening mechanisms such as hinges or bushings. In the case where fastening mechanism 78 is a chain, the chain can be attached to hanger 70 by various methods such as welding, crimping, using U-bolts or using a device such as a carabiner.
[0047] It is noted that with fastening mechanism 78 , the height of splashguard 20 is flexible to changing road levels, as plate 22 may swing forward and backward thereby adjusting the height of splashguard 20 relative to the road level. The height of splashguard 20 is generally defined by plate 22 and insert 50 . In one embodiment, the height of splashguard 20 allows a gap (not shown) in between splashguard 20 and the road. When the road level increases and closes the gap, the road will contact insert 50 and will set plate 22 in motion to partially rotate. As plate 22 rotates, the height of splashguard 20 is shortened.
[0048] It can be realized that certain embodiments of the present invention provide a splashguard that is able to protect the splashguard from abrasion and wear thereby allowing the splashguard to handle any potentially damaging impact it may receive when it comes in contact with the road. It can further be realized that in situations when a vehicle pulls forward or backs up on surface that provides low ground clearance, certain embodiments of the present invention provide a vehicle splashguard that is less likely to be damaged or deformed than conventional splashguards. The present invention also provides a splashguard that has a replaceable wear insert. Thus, certain embodiments of the present invention provide both a splashguard that is less susceptible to being damaged and a splashguard that has a replaceable wear insert.
[0049] It is noted that splashguards 20 are not limited for use with recreational vehicles. Splashguards 20 may be used with a variety of vehicles, including motorized vehicles, such as sport-utility vehicles, sedans, limousines, trucks, non-motorized vehicles, such as bicycles and trailers, commercial vehicles, non-commercial vehicles, vehicles designed for transporting passengers, vehicles designed for carrying loads, and other vehicles known in the art.
CONCLUSION
[0050] It can thus be realized that the certain embodiments of the present invention have better ability to control tire splashes than conventional splashguards. Certain embodiments also have the ability to substantially cover the area between the vehicle's bumper and the road. Certain embodiments are able to provide a splashguard with a replaceable wear surface. Certain embodiments also provide a durable and aesthetically appealing splashguard. Certain embodiments further provide the ability to allow users to customize their splashguard, and certain embodiments of the present invention provide a splashguard that has a replaceable insert that protects the main body of the splashguard from abrasion.
[0051] Although the description above contains many specifications, these should not be construed as limiting the scope of the invention but as merely providing illustrations of some of presently embodiments of this invention. Thus, the scope of the invention should be determined by the appended claims and their legal equivalents rather than by the examples given.
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Certain embodiments of the present invention comprises a splashguard for use in controlling tire splashes of a vehicle. The splashguard comprises a main plate that is attachable to a vehicle. The main plate has a top and bottom. An insert is attached to the bottom of the main plate. The insert is adapted to protect the plate from abrasion and wear. A hanger is mounted to the top of the first plate. The splashguard further comprises a method of creating a splashguard that comprises providing a hanger and molding a plate around a portion of the hanger. An insert is attached to the plate. The insert and the plate form a splashguard assembly that is attached to the vehicle through the hanger.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] 1. Field of the Invention
[0002] The present invention is concerned with new polymers which can be used to form new anti-reflective or fill compositions for use in the manufacture of microelectronic devices. The polymers comprise an alicyclic moiety, with this moiety preferably forming the backbone of the polymer.
[0003] 2. Description of the Prior Art
[0004] The damascene process, or the process of forming inlaid metal patterning in preformed grooves, is generally a preferred method of fabricating interconnections for integrated circuits. In its simplest form, the dual damascene process starts with an insulating layer which is first formed on a substrate and then planarized. Horizontal trenches and vertical holes (i.e., the contact and via holes) are then etched into the insulating layer corresponding to the required metal line pattern and hole locations, respectively, that will descend down through the insulating layer to the device regions (if through the first insulating layer, i.e., a contact hole) or to the next metal layer down (if through an upper insulating layer in the substrate structure, i.e., a via hole). Metal is next deposited over the substrate thereby filling the trenches and the holes, and thus forming the metal lines and the interconnect holes simultaneously. As a final step, the resulting surface is planarized using the known chemical-mechanical polish (CMP) technique, and readied to accept another dual damascene structure.
[0005] During the dual damascene process, the contact and via holes are typically etched to completion prior to the trench etching. Thus, the step of trench etching exposes the bottom and sidewalls (which are formed of the insulating or dielectric layer) of the contact or via holes to over-etch which can deteriorate the contact with the base layer. An organic material is therefore used to partially or completely fill the via or contact holes and to protect the bottom and sidewalls from further etch attack. These organic fill materials can also serve as a bottom anti-reflective coating to reduce or eliminate pattern degradation and linewidth variation in the patterning of the trench layer, provided the fill material covers the surface of the dielectric layer.
[0006] Fill materials have been used for the past several years which have high optical density at the typical exposure wavelengths. However, most prior art materials have limited fill properties. For example, when the prior art compositions are applied to the via or contact holes formed within the substrate and to the substrate surface, the films formed by the compositions tend to be quite thin on the substrate surface immediately adjacent the holes, thus leading to undesirable light reflection during subsequent exposure steps. Also, because the prior art compositions etch more slowly than the dielectric layer, the unetched fill compositions provide a wall on which the etch polymer will deposit. This etch polymer build-up then creates undesirable resistance within the metal interconnects of the final circuit.
[0007] There is a need in the art for contact or via hole fill materials which provide complete coverage at the top of via and contact holes. Furthermore, this material should provide adequate protection to the base of the via and contact holes during etching to prevent degradation of the barrier layer and damage to the underlying metal conductors.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0008] The present invention is broadly concerned with new polymers for use in preparing anti-reflective or fill compositions and methods of using those compositions to protect substrates, and particularly contact and via holes formed therein, during circuit manufacturing.
[0009] In more detail, the polymers comprise a moiety according to the formula
[0010] wherein R comprises a light attenuating compound. Preferred light attenuating compounds are those selected from the group consisting of
[0011] wherein each X is individually selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, —OR 1 , —N(R 1 ) 2 , and —SR 1 , and each R 1 is individually selected from the group consisting of hydrogen and branched and unbranched alkyl groups (preferably C 1 -C 20 , and more preferably C 1 -C 10 ).
[0012] Preferably, the polymer further comprises monomers according to the formulas
[0013] wherein each Y is individually selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, —OH, —CH 3 , —Cl, —Br, —CN, and —COOR 2 , wherein each R 2 is individually selected from the group consisting of hydrogen and branched and unbranched alkyl groups (preferably C 1 -C 20 , and more preferably C 1 -C 10 ). The polymer should comprise less than about 50% by weight, and preferably from about 1-30% by weight of these two monomers.
[0014] Even more preferably, the polymer comprises a moiety according to the formula
[0015] The polymer should comprise at least about 10% by weight, preferably from about 30-95% by weight, and more preferably from about 30-65% by weight of this moiety, based upon the total weight of the polymer taken as 100% by weight.
[0016] The weight average molecular weight of the polymer is preferably less than about 100,000 Daltons, more preferably from about 100-30,000 Daltons, and more preferably from about 1,000-5,000 Daltons. The molar ratio of x:y:z should be from about 0:0:0.2 to about 0.8:0.8:1, and more preferably from about 0.01:0.01:0.5 to about 0.5:0.5:1.
[0017] Optionally, the above-described monomers can be polymerized with other monomers to alter the properties (e.g., dry etching speed, reflectivity, etc.) of the polymer and of the final anti-reflective or fill composition including the polymer. Examples of such monomers include those set forth in Table 1.
TABLE 1 Monomer Type Specific Example acrylic acid esters C 1 -C 10 alkyl acrylates methacrylic acid C 1 -C 10 alkyl methyacrylates esters acrylamides N-alkylacrylamides, N-arylacrylamides, N,N- dialkylacrylamides, N,N-arylacrylamides, N-methyl-N- phenylacrylamide, N-hydroxyethyl-N- methylacrylamide, N-2-acetamideethyl-N- acetylacrylamide methacrylamides N-akylmethacrylamides, N-arylmethacrylamides, N,N- dialkylmethacrylamides, N,N-diarylmethacrylamides, N-hydroxyethyl-N-methylmethacrylamides, N-methyl- N-phenylmethacrylamides, N-ethyl-N- phenylmethacrylamides vinyl ethers alkyl vinyl ethers, vinyl aryl ethers vinyl esters vinyl butyrate, vinyl isobutyrate, vinyl trimethylacetate styrenes styrene, alkylstyrenes, alkoxystyrenes, halostyrenes, hydroxystyrenes, carboxystyrenes crotonic acid alkyl crotonates (e.g., butyl crotonate, hexyl crotonate, esters glycerine monocrotonate) allylic compounds allyl acetates, allyl alcohols, allyl amides
[0018] The inventive polymers can be used to prepare anti-reflective and fill compositions by dissolving the polymer in a suitable solvent system. The solvent system should have a boiling point of from about 60-250° C., and preferably from about 100-200° C. The amount of polymer dissolved in the solvent system is from about 0.1-50% by weight polymer, preferably from about 0.1-20% by weight polymer, and more preferably from about 0.1-20% by weight polymer, based upon the total weight of the composition taken as 100% by weight. The solvent system should be utilized at a level of from about 50-99.9% by weight, preferably from about 80-99.9% by weight, and more preferably from about 90-99.9% by weight, based upon the total weight of the composition taken as 100% by weight.
[0019] Preferred solvent systems include a solvent selected from the group consisting of ethylene glycol monomethyl ether, ethylene glycol monoethyl ether, methyl cellulose acetate, ethyl cellulose acetate, diethylene glycol monomethyl ether, diethylene glycol monoethyl ether, propylene glycol, propylene glycol monomethyl ether, propylene glycol monomethyl ether acetate, propylene glycol propyl ether acetate, toluene, xylene, methyl ethyl ketone, cyclopentanone, cyclohexanone, ethyl 2-hydroxypropionate, ethyl 2-hydroxy-2-methylpropianate, ethyl ethoxyacetate, ethyl hydroxyacetate, methyl 2-hydroxy-3-methylbutanoate, methyl 3-methoxypropionate, ethyl 3-methoxypropionate, ethyl 3-ethoxypropionate, methyl 3-ethoxypropionate, methyl pyruvate, ethyl pyruvate, ethyl acetate, butyl acetate, ethyl lactate, butyl lactate, and mixtures thereof.
[0020] Preferably, the inventive compositions further comprise a crosslinking agent. This can be accomplished by the use of a crosslinking agent separate from the polymer or, alternately, the polymer can include “built-in” crosslinking moieties. Preferred crosslinking agents include those selected from the group consisting of methoxymethyl, methylol, and imino crosslinking agents. The crosslinking agent or moieties should be present in the fill composition at a level of from about 0.1-20% by weight, and preferably from about 0.5-5% by weight, based upon the total weight of all ingredients in the composition taken as 100% by weight. Thus, the fill compositions of the invention should crosslink at a temperature of from about 60-200° C., and more preferably from about 60-150° C.
[0021] It will be appreciated that numerous other optional compounds can be incorporated into the inventive anti-reflective or fill compositions if desired. For example, a light attenuating compound separate from the polymer can be utilized in the composition. Furthermore, a flow promoting agent can be incorporated to increase the flowability of the composition. If a flow promoting agent is utilized, it should be present in the composition at a level of from about 0-30% by weight, and preferably from about 0-10% by weight, based upon the total weight of the composition taken as 100% by weight. Examples of suitable flow promoting agents include phthalic acid derivatives (e.g., dimethyl phthalate, butyl isodecyl phthalate, diethyl phthalate, diisobutyl phthalate, dihexyl phthalate), maleic acid derivatives (e.g., di-n-butyl maleate, diethyl maleate, dinonyl maleate), oleic acid derivatives (e.g., methyl oleate, butyl oleate, tetrahydrofurfuryl oleate), and stearic acid derivatives (e.g., n-butyl stearate, glyceryl stearate).
[0022] Also, an adhesion promoter can be added to improve the adhesion between the substrate or photoresist layer and a layer of the inventive composition. If an adhesion promoter is utilized, it should be present in the composition at a level of from about 0.1-5% by weight, and preferably from about 0.1-2% by weight, based upon the total weight of the composition taken as 100% by weight. Examples of such agents include chlorosilanes (e.g., trimethylchlorosilane, dimethylvinylchlorosilane, methyldiphenylchlorosilane, chloromethyldimethylchlorosilane), alkoxysilanes (e.g., trimethylmethoxysilane, dimethyldiethoxysilane, methyldimethoxysilane, dimethylvinylethoxysilane, diphenyldimethoxysilane, phenyltriethoxysilane), silazanes (e.g., hexamethyldisilazane, N,N′-bis(trimethylsiline)urea, dimethyltrimethylsilylamine, trimethylsilylimidazole), silanes (e.g., vinyltrichlorosilane, γ-chloropropyltrimethoxysilane, γ-aminopropyltriethoxysilane, γ-glycidoxypropyltrimethoxysilane), heterocyclic compounds (e.g., benzotriazole, benzimidazole, indazole, imidazole, 2-mercaptobenzimidazole, 2-mercaptobenzothiazole, 2-mercaptobenzoxazole, urazolethiouracyl, mercaptoimidazole, mercaptopyrimidine), thioureas, and ureas (e.g., 1,1-dimethylurea, 1,3-dimethylurea).
[0023] One or more surfactants may be included in the composition to assist in preventing pinholes or striations. If a surfactant is utilized, it should be present in the composition at a level of from about 0.01-1% by weight, and preferably from about 0.1-0.2% by weight, based upon the total weight of the composition taken as 100% by weight. Suitable surfactants include non-ionic surfactants (e.g., polyoxyethylene alkyl (preferably C 8 -C 20 ) ethers), polyoxyethylene alkyl (preferably C 8 -C 20 ) allyl ethers, sorbitan fatty acid esters, polyoxyethylene sorbitan fatty acid esters, and fluorinated surfactants.
[0024] The method of applying the fill compositions to a substrate having a contact or via hole simply comprises applying a quantity of a composition hereof to the substrate surfaces forming the hole by any conventional application method (including spincoating). After the composition is applied to the hole, it is preferably heated to its reflow temperature (e.g., from about 60-120° C.) during a first stage bake process so as to cause the composition to flow into the contact or via hole(s), thus achieving the desired hole and substrate surface coverage. After the desired coverage is achieved, the resulting fill composition layer should then be heated to at least about the crosslinking temperature of the composition so as to cure the layer.
[0025] The degree of leveling (as defined herein) of the cured material in the contact or via holes should be at least about 90%, preferably at least about 92%, and more preferably at least about 95%. The thickness of the cured fill material layer on the surface of the substrate adjacent the edge of the contact or via hole should be at least about 50%, preferably at least about 55%, and more preferably at least about 65% of the thickness of the film on the substrate surface a distance away from the edge of the contact or via hole approximately equal to the diameter of the hole. Finally, the percent of solids in the compositions should be formulated so that the thickness of the film formed on the substrate surface is from about 220-240 nm. Following the methods of the invention will yield precursor structures for the dual damascene process having the foregoing desirable properties.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
Examples
[0026] The following examples set forth preferred methods in accordance with the invention. It is to be understood, however, that these examples are provided by way of illustration and nothing therein should be taken as a limitation upon the overall scope of the invention.
Example 1
[0027] An alicyclic solid epoxy resin (40 g, available under the trade name EHPE from Daicel Chemical Industries, Ltd.) having a weight average molecular weight of 2100 was dissolved in 116 g of propylene glycol monomethyl ether. The alicyclic epoxy resin comprised monomers of the structure depicted in Formula I.
[0028] After dissolution, 44 g of distilled water and 4 g of benzyltriethylammonium chloride were added, and the mixture was reacted at 90° C. for 20 hours. The reaction product was recovered as a powder by reprecipitation in 500 mL of distilled water. The obtained polymer was subjected to GPC analysis, and its weight average molecular weight in terms of polystyrene was determined to be 2200. The obtained polymer comprised recurring monomers of the two structures shown in Formula II.
[0029] The total molar ratio of x:y in the polymer was 78:22.
Example 2
[0030] In this procedure, 37 g of the reaction product obtained in Example 1 was dissolved in 138 g of propylene glycol monomethyl ether, and then 26 g of 9-anthracenecarboxylic and 1 g of benzyltriethylammonium chloride were added thereto. The resulting mixture was reacted at 110° C. for 10 hours, and GPC analysis of the obtained polymer in terms of standard polystyrene was 2400. The polymer comprised monomers having the structure shown in Formula III.
[0031] The molar ratio of x:y:z in the total polymer was 18:22:60.
Example 3
[0032] Cresol novolak resin (10 g, available from Asahi Chiba Company, Ltd., under the trade name ECN1299) having a weight average molecular weight of 3900 was dissolved in 80 g of propylene glycol monomethyl ether. The novolak resin comprised monomers of the structure depicted in Formula IV.
[0033] After dissolution, 9.7 g of 9-anthracenecarboxylic acid and 0.26 g of benzyltriethylammonium chloride were added, and the mixture was reacted at 105° C. for 24 hours. The reaction product was subjected to GPC analysis, and its weight average molecular weight in terms of polystyrene was determined to be 5600. The obtained polymer comprised recurring monomers of the structure shown in Formula V.
Example 4
[0034] Methacrylic acid glycidyl ester monomers (26 g, obtained from Junsei Kagaku Company, Ltd.) and 57 g of hydroxypropyl methacrylate (obtained from Junsei Kagaku Company, Ltd.) were dissolved in 331 g of propylene glycol monomethyl ether. The mixture was allowed to react for 30 minutes under nitrogen flow. Next, the reaction mixture was maintained at 70° C. while 0.8 g of azobisisobutyronitrile (AIBN, obtained from Junsei Kagaku Company, Ltd.) as a polymerization initiator and 0.3 g of 1-dodecanethiol (obtained from Kanto Kagaku Company, Ltd.) as a chain transfer agent were added, and the mixture was stirred under nitrogen. After 24 hours of stirring, 0.1 g of 4-methoxyphenol (obtained from Tokyo Kasei Company, Ltd.) as a polymerization terminator was added. GPC analysis of the obtained polymer indicated a weight average molecular weight in terms of polystyrene of 36,400. The solids content in the solution was 20%.
[0035] The resulting polymer comprised monomers of the structure shown in Formula VI, with the molar ratio of x:y being 35:65.
Example 5
[0036] In this procedure, 6.8 g of 9-anthracenecarboxylic acid and 0.19 g of benzyltriethylammonium chloride were added to 12.8 g of the polymer prepared in Example 4, and the resulting mixture was reacted at 105° C. for 24 hours. GPC analysis of the obtained polymer indicated a weight average molecular weight in terms of polystyrene of 53,000. The resulting polymer comprised monomers of the structure shown in Formula VII (where x=35 and y=65).
Example 6
[0037] A 30% polymer solids solution containing 3 g of the polymer obtained in Example 2 (see Formula III) above in PGME was prepared. Next, 9 g of the solution was mixed with 0.4 g of hexamethoxymethylolmelamine as a crosslinking agent and 0.4 g of p-toluenesulfonic acid as a hardening agent. The resulting mixture was dissolved in 26 g of ethyl lactate, 13 g of propylene glycol monomethyl ether, and 8 g of cyclohexanone as solvents to form a 7% solution. This solution was then filtered through microfilters made of polyethylene and having a pore diameter of 0.10 μm, followed by further filtering through polyethylene microfilters having a pore diameter of 0.05 μm to prepare an anti-reflective coating composition.
[0038] The composition was then spin-coated on a silicon wafer, and the wafer was heated at 205° C. for 1 minute on a hotplate to form an anti-reflective coating having a film thickness of 0.25 μm. Measurements of the anti-reflective coating by a spectral ellipsometer indicated a refractive index n of 1.5 and an optical extension coefficient k of 0.48 at 248 nm.
Example 7
Comparative Example
[0039] A 20% polymer solids solution containing 2 g of the polymer obtained in Example 3 (see Formula V) above in PGME was prepared. Next, 10 g of the solution was mixed with 0.26 g of tetramethoxymethyl glycoluryl as a crosslinking agent and 0.04 g of pyridinium p-toluenesulfonate as a hardening agent. The resulting mixture was dissolved in 12.8 g of ethyl lactate, 0.13 g of propylene glycol monomethyl ether, and 2.3 g of cyclohexanone as solvents to form a 9% solution. This solution was then filtered through microfilters made of polyethylene and having a pore diameter of 0.10 μm, followed by further filtering through polyethylene microfilters having a pore diameter of 0.05 μm to prepare an anti-reflective coating composition.
[0040] The composition was then spin-coated on a silicon wafer, and the wafer was heated at 205° C. for 1 minute on a hotplate to form an anti-reflective coating having a film thickness of 0.25 μm. Measurements of the anti-reflective coating by a spectral ellipsometer indicated a refractive index n of 1.55 and an optical extension coefficient k of 0.60 at 248 nm.
Example 8
Comparative Example
[0041] A 20% polymer solids solution containing 10 g of the polymer obtained in Example 3 (see Formula V) above in PGME was prepared. Next, 10 g of the solution was mixed with 0.53 g of hexamethoxymethylolmelamine as a crosslinking agent and 0.05 g of p-toluenesulfonic acid as a hardening agent. The resulting mixture was dissolved in 14.3 g of ethyl lactate, 1.13 g of propylene glycol monomethyl ether, and 2.61 g of cyclohexanone as solvents to form a 9% solution. This solution was then filtered through microfilters made of polyethylene and having a pore diameter of 0.10 μm, followed by further filtering through polyethylene microfilters having a pore diameter of 0.05 μm to prepare an anti-reflective coating composition.
[0042] The composition was spin-coated on a silicon wafer, and the wafer was heated at 205° C. for 1 minute on a hotplate to form an anti-reflective coating having a film thickness of 0.25 μm. Measurements of the anti-reflective coating by a spectral ellipsometer indicated a refractive index n of 1.58 and an optical extension coefficient k of 0.58 at 248 nm.
Example 9
Comparative Example
[0043] A 20% polymer solids solution containing 2 g of the polymer obtained in Example 5 (see Formula VII) above in PGME was prepared. Next, 10 g of the solution was mixed with 0.48 g of tetramethoxymethyl glycoluryl as a crosslinking agent and 0.01 g of p-toluenesulfonic acid as a hardening agent. The resulting mixture was dissolved in 9.24 g of propylene glycol monomethyl ether acetate and 13.55 g of propylene glycol monomethyl ether as solvents to form a 7.5% solution. This solution was then filtered through microfilters made of polyethylene and having a pore diameter of 0.10 μm, followed by further filtering through polyethylene microfilters having a pore diameter of 0.05 μm to prepare an anti-reflective coating composition.
[0044] The composition was then spin-coated on a silicon wafer, and the wafer was heated at 205° C. for 1 minute on a hotplate to form an anti-reflective coating having a film thickness of 0.25 μm. Measurements of the anti-reflective coating by a spectral ellipsometer indicated a refractive index n of 1.48 and an optical extension coefficient k of 0.47 at 248 nm.
Example 10
Comparative Example
[0045] A 20% polymer solids solution containing 2 g of the polymer obtained in Example 5 (see Formula VII) above in PGME was prepared. Next, 10 g of the solution was mixed with 0.26 g of hexamethoxymethylolmelamine as a crosslinking agent and 0.01 g of p-toluenesulfonic acid as a hardening agent. The resulting mixture was dissolved in 8.41 g of propylene glycol monomethyl ether acetate and 11.62 g of propylene glycol monomethyl ether as solvents to form a 7.5% solution. This solution was then filtered through microfilters made of polyethylene and having a pore diameter of 0.10 μm, followed by further filtering through polyethylene microfilters having a pore diameter of 0.05 μm to prepare an anti-reflective coating composition.
[0046] The composition was then spin-coated on a silicon wafer, and the wafer was heated at 205° C. for 1 minute on a hotplate to form an anti-reflective coating having a film thickness of 0.25 μm. Measurements of the anti-reflective coating by a spectral ellipsometer indicated a refractive index n of 1.50 and an optical extension coefficient k of 0.48 at 248 nm.
Example 11
[0047] The solutions prepared in Examples 6-10 were spin-coated onto respective silicon wafers. The coated wafers were then heated on a hotplate for one minute at 205° C. to form an anti-reflective coating have a film thickness of 0.22 μm. The samples were dipped into a photoresist solvent (either ethyl lactate or propylene glycol monomethyl ether) to test resistance to the solvents. Each of the coatings was insoluble in the solvent.
Example 12
[0048] The solutions prepared in Examples 6-10 were spin-coated onto respective silicon wafers. The coated wafers were heated on a hotplate for one minute at 205° C. to form an anti-reflective coating. The respective thicknesses of each anti-reflective coating was measured and recorded. Each of the anti-reflective coatings was spin-coated with a photoresist solution (APEX-E, obtained from Shipley Company). The coated wafers were then heated on a hotplate for one minute at 90° C. The resulting photoresist layer was exposed to light having a wavelength of 248 nm after which the exposed photoresist was baked at 90° C. for 1.5 minutes. The photoresist layers were then developed, and the film thicknesses of the anti-reflective coatings were again measured and recorded. This confirmed that no intermixing occurred between the anti-reflective coatings and the photoresist layer.
Example 13
[0049] The solutions prepared in Examples 6-10 were spin-coated onto respective silicon wafers having holes (diameter: 0.25 μm; depth: 0.9 μm) formed therein. The silicon wafer had both Iso and Dense patterns of holes. An Iso pattern is a pattern in which the distance between the center of a first hole and the center of an adjacent hole is at least three times the diameter of the first hole. A Dense pattern is a pattern in which the distance between the center of a first hole and the center of an adjacent hole is equal to or less than the diameter of the first hole.
[0050] The coated wafers were then heated on a hotplate for one minute at 205° C. to form an anti-reflective coating have a film thickness of 0.25 μm. The degree of leveling of the anti-reflective coating was determined by observing (under a scanning electron microscope) the cross-sectional surface of the silicon wafer substrate. The degree of leveling was calculated. This can be better understood by referring to FIG. 1. A starting damascene structure 10 includes a dielectric material 12 applied to a substrate 14 and interspersed with a pattern of gate or metal conductors 16 . A protective barrier layer 18 preferably covers and thus protects dielectric material 12 and conductor 16 during further etching. A dielectric material 20 is applied immediately adjacent barrier layer 18 , and a photoresist (not shown) is applied to the dielectric material 20 followed by exposure and developing of the resist contact or via hole patterns onto the dielectric material 20 and subsequent etching to form the contact or via holes 22 . A fill material 24 is applied to holes 22 to fill the holes, after which the material 24 is cured.
[0051] Thus, the degree of leveling was determined as follows (where 100% means that complete leveling was achieved):
Degree of leveling = ( 1 - ( height of meniscus '' M '' ) height '' H '' of the hole ) × 100
[0052] wherein “M” and “H” are as shown in FIG. 1.
[0053] The degree of leveling for each of these layers is reported in Table 2. The degree of leveling of the inventive anti-reflective coating of Example 6 was higher than the prior art anti-reflective coatings of Examples 7-10. The anti-reflective coating of Example 6 had a particularly impressive degree of leveling in the dense pattern which is a highly problematic pattern. It was also noted that the difference in the film thicknesses between the Iso patterns and the Dense patterns (i.e., the Bias) was small. This is due to the fact that the inventive anti-reflective coating composition is highly and smoothly flowable, thus allowing a large number of holes to be filled smoothly, resulting in a substantially constant film thickness.
TABLE 2 Film Thickness (nm) Degree of Leveling (%) Iso Dense Bias Iso Dense Bias Example 6 210 120 90 98 97 1 Example 7 190 70 120 96 91 5 Example 8 200 80 120 96 86 10 Example 9 230 110 120 93 71 22 Example 10 220 80 160 98 90 8
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New polymers and anti-reflective or fill compositions including those polymers are provided. The polymer comprises recurring monomers according to the formula
wherein R comprises a light attenuating compound. The inventive compositions can be used to protect contact or via holes from degradation during subsequent etching in the dual damascene process.
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CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application is the U.S. National Phase application of PCT/FR2009/052341 filed Nov. 30, 2009, which claims priority to French Application No. 0858167 filed Dec. 1, 2008, which applications are incorporated herein by reference and made a part hereof.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] 1. Field of the Invention
[0003] The invention relates to the field of treating materials derived from recycling motor vehicles.
[0004] 2. Description of the Related Art
[0005] Numerous motor vehicle parts are made out of plastics materials. At the end of life, such parts can be recovered and recycled so as to be used in other applications.
[0006] For this purpose, a first step consists in sorting scrap vehicle parts as a function of their respective main materials. Thereafter, the parts are shredded, and non-ferrous metals are recovered by magnetization and by eddy currents. The remaining shredded material is referred to as auto shredder residue (ASR) or “fluff”. This fluff generally contains a mixture of various plastics materials, such as, for example, polypropylene (PP) and polyethylene (PE), together with various other materials such as wood, various foams, fabrics, etc.
[0007] In order to be suitable for recycling and reuse, it is preferable for the fluff to be as pure as possible, i.e., for it to contain a large majority of a single type of plastics material. The presence of several plastics materials in the residue generally gives rise to physical and mechanical properties that are not as good as those of a material that is almost pure.
[0008] In particular, the presence of polyethylene mixed in the polypropylene spoils the mechanical properties of polypropylene such as impact strength or breaking elongation.
[0009] That is why it is necessary to have an additional step of treating the fluff in order to reduce the quantity of polyethylene relative to the quantity of polypropylene. It is generally desirable to obtain a mixture having less than 5% polyethylene.
[0010] At present, such treatment is relatively complex and expensive to implement since it consists either in setting up high-performance sorting systems seeking to separate the polyethylene from the polypropylene, or else in diluting mixtures of polypropylene and polyethylene with virgin polypropylene, which is expensive.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0011] A particular object of the invention is to provide a method of treating a material derived from recycling that comprises a mixture of polypropylene and polyethylene, which method is simpler and less expensive than known methods.
[0012] To this end, one embodiment of the invention provides a method of treating a material derived from recovery and shredding, the material comprising a mixture of polypropylene and of polyethylene, wherein the material is mixed with 1% to 5% by weight of copolymer of the ethylene-α-olefin type.
[0013] Tests have shown that adding a small amount (lying in the range 1% to 5%) of ethylene-α-olefin type copolymer to a mixture of polypropylene and polyethylene makes it possible to obtain a material having mechanical performance that is substantially identical to that of virgin polypropylene. The copolymer has a compatibilizing effect on the mixture of polypropylene and polyethylene.
[0014] This treatment operation is found to be particularly simple and inexpensive compared with treatment methods known in the state of the art, and it makes it possible to obtain a material that has practically the same properties as a virgin polypropylene. Furthermore, the method of the invention enables materials to be treated in which the polyethylene content may be as high as 30%.
[0015] The quantity of copolymer to be added to the mixture has no need to be very great, and it may be limited to 5%.
[0016] Because the material is derived from recovery and shredding, it includes a small proportion of in situ elastomer derived from the polypropylene being polymerized while it was being synthesized. These traces of elastomer in the mixture facilitate the compatibilizing effect of the copolymer, even when only a small quantity is mixed in.
[0017] If the mixture of polypropylene and polyethylene were to be made from a virgin polypropylene, i.e., a polypropylene not derived from recovery and shredding, then a larger quantity of copolymer (e.g., greater than 20%) would be necessary in order to restore to the polypropylene the mechanical properties that it lost on being mixed with polyethylene. In the absence of traces of elastomer resulting from polymerization of the polypropylene reduces the compatibilizing effect of the copolymer.
[0018] Thus, this method of treating a mixture of polypropylene and polyethylene is particularly adapted to treating materials derived from recovery and shredding, since the quantity of ethylene-α-olefin type copolymer that needs to be added under such circumstances is relatively small.
[0019] Once the material derived from shredding has been treated by the method of the invention, the product that results from the treatment method may be used for fabricating various parts, such as new bumpers, or other applications in which the mechanical performance of the material plays an important role.
[0020] A method of the invention may also include one or more of the following characteristics.
[0021] The material is derived from auto shredding residue or from any other source of polypropylene polluted with polyethylene, such as electrical and electronic equipment waste, for example. As mentioned in the introduction, numerous motor vehicle parts may be recycled. For example, bodywork parts such as bumpers and fuel tanks are made from the most part out of polypropylene and polyethylene, and the result of shredding them to provide pieces having an area of a few square centimeters can be treated by the method of the invention.
[0022] The copolymer of ethylene-α-olefin type is selected from any of the items of the group constituted by ethylene-octene and ethylene-butene. These two materials are particularly well adapted to implementing the method for compatibilizing a mixture of polypropylene and polyethylene.
[0023] The polypropylene is a homopolymer or copolymer polypropylene.
[0024] The polyethylene is a low, medium, or high density polyethylene.
[0025] The invention also provides a motor vehicle part made of a material comprising: polypropylene; polyethylene; and 1% to 5% by weight of copolymer of ethylene-α-olefin type.
[0026] In other words, the invention provides a motor vehicle part made of a material derived from the treatment method of the invention.
[0027] A motor vehicle part of the invention may advantageously be made with polypropylene and polyethylene derived from auto shredder residue.
[0028] Furthermore, the motor vehicle part may be a bodywork part.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0029] The invention can be better understood on reading the following description given solely by way of example.
[0030] Polypropylene is a material that is commonly used for fabricating motor vehicle parts. This material is particularly advantageous because its mechanical strength characteristics are high. For a conventional virgin polypropylene, breaking stress is of the order of 19 megapascals (MPa) and breaking deformation is of the order of 500%.
[0031] When the same breaking and elongation strength tests are performed with polypropylene derived from auto shredding residue, i.e., from polypropylene mixed with a large quantity of polyethylene, it is found that breaking stress is about 16 MPa and breaking deformation is about 115%.
[0032] The presence of polyethylene in a polypropylene, in particular in auto shredding residue, therefore considerably degrades the mechanical properties of the polypropylene.
[0033] The invention proposes mixing in the range 1% to 5% of copolymer of the ethylene-α-olefin type in a material derived from auto shredding residue that comprises a mixture of polypropylene and polyethylene in order to obtain a material having mechanical properties that are close to those of a virgin polypropylene.
[0034] The copolymer of the ethylene-α-olefin type that is used may be ethylene-octene or ethylene-butene, for example.
[0035] Tests have been performed by mixing auto shredding residue with 5% of ethylene-α-olefin. The results of those tests show that the material derived from that treatment possesses breaking stress of about 20 MPa and breaking deformation of about 600%.
[0036] Consequently, it can be seen that by adding 5% of copolymer in a mixture derived from auto shredding residue, a material is obtained having mechanical properties that are substantially identical to those of a virgin polypropylene, or indeed better.
[0037] Thus, the treatment method of the invention makes it possible to recycle effectively and in simple manner polypropylene that is derived from auto shredding residue, shredding residue derived from electrical and electronic equipment waste (EEEW), or from any other source of polypropylene having mechanical properties that are degraded by the polyethylene mixed therewith.
[0038] The invention is described above with reference to the automobile industry field. Naturally, the invention is applicable to other technical fields in which there is a need to recycle parts made of polypropylene and of polyethylene for applications that require mechanical performance similar to that of a virgin polypropylene.
[0039] While the process and product herein described constitute preferred embodiments of this invention, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to this precise process and product, and that changes may be made therein without departing from the scope of the invention which is defined in the appended claims.
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A method of treating a material derived from recovery and shredding, the material comprising a mixture of polypropylene and polyethylene, wherein the material is mixed with 1% to 5% by weight of copolymer of ethylene-α-olefin type.
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FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is related generally to coating pigment-containing materials on substrates. More specifically, the present invention is related to the high speed coating of pigment-containing liquid coating materials on webs or liners. Even more specifically, the present invention is related to high speed coating of such pigmented coating materials so as to avoid visible pigment separation. The present invention finds one use in coating liquid organosol pigment materials onto webs or liners.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Films, tapes, and other substrates have long been coated with colored pigment-containing liquid coating materials. Thin, flexible substrates such as, for example, films, webs or liners have been coated using roll coating techniques which often include rolls for feeding, coating, and taking up the finished, coated product. Roll coating methods have included applying a coating material using a rotating applicator roll that transfers the coating material from a feed pan to a moving substrate. The substrate is usually positioned over a feed roll so that when the feed roll is rotated the substrate is moved longitudinally past the applicator roll. The feed and applicator rolls are positioned so that the coating material is at least partially transferred from the applicator roll to form a coated layer on the moving substrate. Die coating techniques have also been used to apply such liquid coating materials to a substrate. In a typical die coating process, the coating material is applied to the surface of the moving substrate through a die.
Colored coating materials typically include pigments that are generally dispersed or suspended evenly throughout a liquid so as to provide an even color to the coating material. When the pigmented coating is applied to a substrate, an even color appearance is preferable for most applications, and is required by many others.
Colored coatings made using conventional methods have been known to exhibit an uneven color appearance during some production runs. The uneven color appearance can take the form of streaks, swirls or other shapes having a color intensity that is different than that of the surrounding coated layer. The streaking is typically oriented in the machine or longitudinal direction and visible with normal unaided human eyesight. The uneven color appearance has been found on the interface surface or underside of the coated layer (i.e., the surface of the coated layer that is formed on the moving substrate) and, therefore, can go unnoticed until after the coated layer has been formed and cured. In addition, the appearance of such streaking problems increase with the use of higher line speeds (i.e., the speed at which the substrate is moving). This problem has, thus, resulted in the use of lower than desired production rates. Such uneven color problems have been experienced for decades without the cause being identified.
Accordingly, there is a need for a solution to this uneven color problem.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention provides a solution to the problems associated with the uneven color appearance, at least in part, by providing a method of high speed coating a pigment-containing liquid coating material onto a moving substrate so as to avoid visible pigment separation in the coating material in its as coated state, at least on the surface of the coated layer to be viewed.
It has been found that the uneven color appearance experienced in prior art is the result of pigment separation that is visible, with normal unaided human eyesight, on a surface of the coated layer, typically its interface surface. As used herein, pigment separation is a non-uniform distribution or localized concentration of the pigment used in the liquid coating material. It has also been found that the use of a substantially straight wetting line when applying the coating material onto a moving substrate can significantly reduce, if not completely eliminate, this pigment separation and, thereby, the uneven color appearance problem. It has further been found that organosol coatings in general, and especially organosol coatings containing metallic or other flake-shaped pigments, are particularly prone to such pigment separation problems. Such pigment separation problems can be seen in coatings where pigments of different sizes and/or types, such as small particles and larger flakes, are both present in the coating material. Such pigment separation problems can also be problematic for translucent films designed to be displayed with backlighting when pigments of different sizes and/or types, such as smaller transparent pigments and larger opaque or flake pigments, are both present in the coating material. It has also been found that pigment separation problems are most noticeable on the interface surface or underside of the coated layer (i.e., the surface of the coated layer that once contacted the moving substrate). When a transparent coating (e.g., a convention clear coat) is positioned over the underside of the coated layer, pigment separation can be seen through the transparent coating.
In one aspect of the present invention, a method is provided that comprises providing a first substrate (e.g., a film, web or liner) having a coating surface to be coated and providing a pigment-containing liquid coating material. The coating material is applied to the surface of the first substrate along a substantially straight wetting line to form a coated layer having an interface surface in contact with the coating surface of the first substrate. The coating material is applied while the first substrate is moving at a high line speed of at least about 50 ft./min. (15.24 m/min.). The pigment-containing coating material is of the type that, without the use of a substantially straight wetting line, will exhibit visible (i.e., visible with normal unaided human eyesight) pigment separation on its interface surface when the coating material is coated onto the coating surface of the first substrate at the high line speed. For the purposes of the present invention, a wetting line is substantially straight when visible pigment separation does not occur at the high line speed being used. With regard to the present invention, a high line speed is when the first substrate is coated while moving at a rate of at least about 50 ft./min. (15.24 m/min.). It can be desirable for the wetting line to be sufficiently straight to permit line speeds of at least about 60 ft./min. (18.29 m/min.), without producing visible pigment separation on the surface of the coated material. It can also be desirable for the wetting line to be sufficiently straight to permit line speeds of at least about 70 ft./min. (21.34 m/min.), 80 ft./min. (24.38 m/min.), 90 ft./min. (27.43 m/min.) or 100 ft./min. (30.48 m/min.). It can further be desirable for the wetting line to be sufficiently straight to permit line speeds of greater than 100 ft./min. (30.48 m/min.).
This method can include removing the coated layer from the coating surface of the first substrate to expose the interface surface of the coated layer. A second substrate can then be provided and adhered to the adhering surface of the coated layer. The adhering surface of the coated layer is opposite its interface surface.
In another aspect of the present invention a method of making an article is provided. The method comprises making a coated layer by high speed coating a pigment-containing liquid coating material onto a substrate as described above. An article is then made using the coated layer. The article being so made can be a color coated article, where the method further comprises removing the coated layer from the coating surface of the first substrate to expose the interface surface of the coated layer. The article is then made, at least in part, by adhering the coated layer (e.g., with a pressure sensitive adhesive) to another substrate, with the interface surface exposed. This other substrate can form part (e.g., body part, trim, etc.) of a vehicle such as, for example, an automobile, aircraft or watercraft. The other substrate can also be an intermediate substrate, like a release liner, or a separate film or other part of an article made using the coated layer.
One method for applying coating material along a substantially straight wetting includes reverse roll application of the coating material. Reverse roll application can additionally provide quick changeover relative to die or slot feed coating methods. Reverse roll application includes rotating an applicator roll in a direction opposite to the direction of substrate movement at the point of contact between the liquid coating material and the applicator roll. This may include looping the web substrate backside surface around a feed roller rotating in a direction opposite to the direction of the applicator roll. The reverse roll application may be followed by wiping excess coating material from the coated substrate with a metering device or knife. The metering knife can be a notch bar. The metering function can also be provided by another roll, for example, a reverse rotating roll.
Reverse roll application can include providing a first feed roll rotating in a first direction and a second applicator roll rotating in a second direction opposite the first roll rotation direction, with the first and second rolls forming a roll gap therebetween. The two rolls reach a point of minimum clearance at the roll gap. The substrate to be coated, or first substrate, such as a web or liner, can be passed around the first roll under tension, and through the roll gap, with the first roll rotating at a speed and direction matching the speed and direction of the first substrate. The second roll may have liquid coating material deposited on the roll using many devices, including flow bars. The second roll may at least partially be disposed in a pan of liquid coating material, with the second roll rotation carrying the coating material into the roll gap and into contact with the first substrate coating surface moving in an the opposite direction to the second roll carrying the coating material. The coating material contacts the web or liner coating surface along a substantially straight wetting line near the roll gap. The straight wetting line reduces pigment agglomeration and resulting uneven color appearance in the finished product. The coated first substrate may have excess coating material wiped or metered by passing under and near a notch bar, knife, or a third rotating roll, with the web being disposed at a controlled notch bar gap distance from the notch bar.
Another method for providing a substantially straight dynamic wetting line can include die or curtain coating the first substrate with a pigment-containing coating material. The first substrate may be passed around a feed roller under tension and a die disposed near the first substrate driven by the first roller surface. Coating material may be applied through a die orifice to the first substrate surface. The die orifice may be oriented substantially parallel to the first substrate surface, and substantially orthogonal to the machine direction or direction of first substrate movement.
After applying the coating material to the first substrate along a substantially straight wetting line, the coating layer can be separated or stripped from the first substrate. In one method, a second substrate is applied and adhered to the coated first substrate. The second substrate and adhered coating layer may be removed together, peeling the coating layer away from the first substrate, exposing the side of the coating layer that previously adhered to the first substrate. The exposed coating layer surface has a substantially even color appearance due to the application of the coating material to the first substrate along the substantially straight wetting line.
In one use of the present invention, a paper or polyester web or liner is used as a first substrate. A metallic organosol is applied along a straight wetting line to the web. A second substrate including a pressure-sensitive adhesive and release liner is applied and adhered to the metallic organosol coated web. The release liner and pressure-sensitive adhesive are peeled off of the web, taking the adhered metallic organosol layer off with the release liner and pressure-sensitive adhesive. The underside of the metallic organosol layer, previously adhered to the web, forms the coated surface of the second substrate. The exposed surface has an even color appearance. In particular, the exposed surface is substantially free of longitudinal streaks in the machine direction.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic, side view of a web being coated with a forward dip roll coating device with notch bar;
FIG. 2 is a transverse, cross-sectional view of a coated web, after further laminating and partial removal or peeling off to expose the web or roll side surface;
FIG. 3A is a diagrammatic top view of a web being coated, including a dynamic, straight wetting line observed at low speeds using specialized equipment similar to the equipment of FIG. 1;
FIG. 3B is a diagrammatic top view of a web being coated, including a dynamic, irregular wetting line and streaking observed at high speeds using specialized equipment similar to the equipment of FIG. 1;
FIG. 4 is a diagrammatic side view of a web being coated with a reverse application dip roll coating device with notch bar;
FIG. 5 is a diagrammatic side view of a web being coated with a die coating device; and
FIG. 6 is a plan view of the interface surface of an exemplary coated layer exhibiting an uneven color appearance resulting from pigment separation.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
FIG. 1 illustrates a prior art method used to coat substrates such as webs, belts or films, with a colored, pigment-containing liquid. Some coating liquids may be referred to as color dispersions. As used herein, “color dispersion” means a liquid having a homogenous distribution of pigment particles therein. The pigment particles can be colloidal particles, metal particles (typically in the form of flakes) and opaque pigment particles. A coating machine 20 is illustrated, having a first, feed roll 22 , and a second, applicator roll 24 , forming a roll gap 25 therebetween and having a casting web, belt, or liner 26 passing through roll gap 25 and disposed against first feed roll 22 along a web backside surface. Web 26 is often formed of paper or polyester. Second roll 24 is disposed within a coating material 32 contained within a feed pan 30 . First roll 22 has a central axis 34 , a surface 35 , and is rotating in a first direction indicated at 38 . Second roll 24 has a central axis 36 , a surface 37 , and is rotating in a second direction as indicated at 43 . Coating machine 20 may also be seen to have a metering device, which can be a metering knife. In the embodiment illustrated, the metering knife is a notch bar 28 . Notch bar 28 serves to meter or limit the thickness of coating material allowed to adhere to the web.
In use, coating material 32 is entrained by moving second roll surface 37 , and is carried through an upstream meniscus region 42 , into roll gap 25 , through a downstream meniscus region, and back to feed pan 30 . The amount of coating material that passes through roll gap 25 is determined by the gap between the rolls, viscosity behavior, speeds of the feed and applicator rolls, and the roll diameters. Often, coating material is rejected from the roll gap and flows down towards feed pan 30 . Sometimes a rolling bank is formed in upstream meniscus region 42 . The coating material carried by second roll 24 into roll gap 25 contacts web 26 along a dynamic wetting line, indicated at 46 , where the coating material first wets the web on the web coating surface. Some of the coating material adheres to web 26 and is carried along by web 26 to notch bar 28 . At the downstream side of the roll gap, a film split separates coating material into a stream that re-enters feed pan 30 , and a stream that continues along the web toward notch bar 28 .
A bar gap 29 is formed between notch bar 28 and web 26 , with the bar gap controlling the coating thickness by metering the amount of coating material allowed to pass between web 26 and notch bar 28 , forming a coated web 27 . Notch bar 28 wipes off excess coating material, leaving a layer on the web surface. The thickness of the coating formed downstream of the notchbar depends on bar gap 29 , viscosity behavior, speed of feed roll 22 , diameter the notch bar 28 , and the diameter of feed roll 22 . Excess coating material, wiped by notch bar 28 , may be seen as rainfall 44 . Rainfall 44 may be discontinuous or continuous across the coating width. A viewpoint is indicated at 48 , illustrating the orientation of a camera point of view, used by applicants in a specially adapted, transparent first feed roll 22 in order to view wetting line 46 .
FIG. 2 illustrates an intermediate laminate product 60 , including coated web or liner 26 . The laminate machine direction is indicated at 61 . Web 26 includes a roll side or back side 76 which was formerly carried against feed roll 22 . Laminate 60 includes a decorative film layer 68 which can be the result of coating onto web 26 along a web-coating material interface or coating surface 77 . Decorative film or coating layer 68 includes a dynamic wetting line side or roll side surface 66 and a notch bar side or air side 70 . Dynamic wetting line side 66 is the coating layer surface that was in contact with web 26 , while notch bar side 70 is the coating layer side that was wiped by the knife or notch bar. After coating material layer 68 has been adhered to web 26 , a pressure-sensitive adhesive layer 72 may be deposited along coating layer notch bar side 70 . A release layer 74 may be further formed against pressure-sensitive adhesive layer 72 .
After forming laminate product 60 , coating layer 68 may be removed or peeled off of web 26 along web-coating layer interface 77 , as indicated at 64 , thus exposing coating layer roll side surface 66 as the surface exposed to view. In general, web 26 may be viewed as a first substrate, and pressure-sensitive adhesive 72 , or pressure-sensitive adhesive 72 in combination with release liner 74 , viewed as a second substrate. The second substrate may be used to peel off the coating layer from the first substrate after the second substrate has been adhered to the coating layer. Imperfections in the coating layer roll side surface 66 may be very visible, as the surface is now directly exposed to view. In laminates where the coating material is opaque, coating layer surface 66 would be invisible under coating layer 68 , if not for the subsequent peel off and exposure. In laminates where the coating material is transparent, pigment separation in coating layer surface 66 may be visible without peel off, but is much more noticeable after the subsequent peel off and exposure.
Applicants believe that one reason for the difficulty in creating the present invention is that the interface between web 26 and coating material layer 68 is not visible during manufacture, and, as the peel off step is not common to most coating processes, interface 77 is not visible after manufacture either. Even where coating layer surface 66 is visible, imperfections such as pigment separation are not commonly visible until after the drying of coating layer 68 and after the peel off. The pigment separation is not commonly visible in time to control the process differently, or even take timely note of process differences that might be responsible.
Coating Materials
Exemplary coating materials that can exhibit visible pigment separation, when not processed using a substantially straight wetting line, include organosols such as, for example, a vinyl organosol. An organosol is defined as a colloidal dispersion of polymer particles in a diluent, which provides reasonable coating viscosity at high solids concentrations. A blend of solvents and plasticizers allows fusion of the polymer particles as the coating is cured. An admixture of other resins and fillers may be used for functional enhancements. Pigments are added to provide a desired color. Other coating materials that can exhibit visible pigment separation include those disclosed in WO 88/07416 (Spain et al.) to Avery Intl Corp, EP 0266109B1 (Ellison et al.) to Rexham Industries Corp., and WO 89/04218 (Hayward et al.) to Eastman Kodak Co., all of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.
Exemplary coating materials that can exhibit visible pigment separation include those having 100 parts by weight of vinyl chloride resin, with 20 to 50 parts plasticizer. Pigment is added as necessary up to 100 parts, but for the typical translucent or metallic coating a more common maximum is 20 parts pigment. To this is added 20 to 40 parts by weight volatile organic compounds, choosing a blend of ketone and aromatic compounds with an aliphatic diluent. All materials are subjected to high shear milling as is experienced in a media mill, except that flake pigments are stirred in after the milling operation.
An exemplary coating material that can exhibit the visible pigment separation phenomenon contains for 100 parts by weigh vinyl chloride resin, 20 to 50 parts plasticizer, 1 part phthaloddcyanine blue pigment, 1 part quinacridone gold pigment, ½ part carbon black pigment, and 30 parts of the blended volatile compounds diisobutylketone and xylene. During the milling operation, there may be added up to 10 parts aliphatic hydrocarbon to control viscosity within the range 1,000-3,000 centipoise. Two parts aluminum flake is stirred in, with the flakes having a mean particle size of 30-40 microns. It is believed that the characteristics of the preceding example that make it prone to visible pigment separation are the fine particle size distribution of typical carbon black and transparent dispersions of phthalocyanine blue pigment, as well as a transparent quinacridone. These fine particle dispersions are in contrast to the coarse aluminum flake.
It has been found that, in general, coating materials that are prone to pigment separation have pigment particles with significantly different sizes. It is believed that a difference in pigment particle size and/or shape can result in a variation in the mobility of the different size or shaped particles in the coating material liquid. It is further believed that the difference in mobility can affect whether the coating material is prone to pigment separation. In particular, when the pigment particles include two or more different types having different sizes, it is believed that a difference between the particle types of at least about 10 times their respective largest major linear dimensions can affect whether the coating material is prone to visible pigment separation.
Coating Material Test Method
It has been found that pigment separation can occur at or near the wetting line when applying liquid coating materials. The pigment separation phenomenon is similar to the paint flow defects known as floating and silking, except that the pigment separation defects are typically visible at the interface surface of the coated layer, rather than the exposed surface. The following is an exemplary test method for determining pigment separation prone liquid coating materials. This test method provides a demonstration of how prone a particular coating material is to exhibiting pigment separation. This test method also provides a means of predicting which coating materials are susceptible to pigment separation defects.
The materials and equipment that can be used to perform this test method are a transparent polyester film, e.g., 50 microns thick, 25-30 cm wide and 100 cm long, and an application device or fixture such as, for example, a conventional film casting knife. Satisfactory results have been obtained using a transparent polyester film manufactured by Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company under the product number 41-4400-1092-8 and a BYK-Gardner Film Casting Knife, having a product designation PAG-4343, made by BYK-Gardner USA, Columbia, Md. Other transparent films and applicators may also be used.
First, position the transparent film on a smooth flat surface, like the top surface of a flat table. Tape the polyester film down on the smooth flat surface. Place the application device near one end of the transparent film. Adjust the applicator to provide a 100 micron (4 mils) gap between the surface of the applicator (e.g., the knife edge) and the transparent film. Place approximately 10 milliliters of coating material in a generally circular area near the front edge of one end of the polyester film. Allow the coating material to spread to an approximate diameter of about 3-4 cm. The applied coating material can be spread by keeping the polyester film stationary and drawing down the applicator lengthwise across the length of the polyester film at a speed of, for example, about 30 centimeters (1 ft.) per second. It is not necessary for the test, but for ease of handling, the prepared sample may be dried for 5 minutes at 100° C. Look at the interface surface of the sample coated layer (i.e. the surface in contact with the transparent film) through the backside of the transparent film. A coating material prone to pigment separation will show visible streaks, swirls or other shapes having a color intensity that is darker than that of the surrounding coated layer. Examples of actual pigment separation defects (e.g., streaking) can be seen on the interface surface of the coated layer shown in FIG. 6 .
In an attempt to determine the cause of pigment separation at high line speeds, a camera was installed within feed roll 22 , at point of view 48 . A special roll was created, Is formed of a clear glass material, to be used as feed roll 22 . A relatively clear web material, a polyester, was also used. In this way, wetting line 46 could be viewed from within feed roll 22 . An attempt was then made to observe the coating process in regimes where pigment separation did and not occur.
FIG. 3A is a top view of a web such as web 26 being coated. Included in this figure is a substantially straight, dynamic wetting line 100 . The web 26 is moving in direction 102 using the specialized roll and camera equipment previously discussed with a roll machine similar to that of FIG. 1 . At low roll speeds, no pigment separation was visible. In particular, no pigment separation or agglomeration of pigment was observed in real time.
FIG. 3B is a top view of a web as in FIG. 3A, but at a higher line speed in direction 122 . At a higher speed, a large number of streaks 140 were visible in real time. An uneven wetting line 124 was also observed. Applicants believe that streaks 140 result from the agglomeration of pigment particles sticking together, forming a smaller number of larger pigment particles from larger numbers of smaller pigment particles. Applicants believe the agglomeration of pigment particles, and the resulting loss of coverage, is responsible for the eventual pigment separation defects observed after peel off and exposure of the coated surface. In particular, Applicants noticed the correlation between locations having changes in wetting line direction and locations having streaks. Changes in wetting line directions 126 and 128 , were, for example, observed to correlate with streaks 136 and 138 , respectively. As a result of experiments, including the results highlighted in FIGS. 3A and 3B, Applicants believe that pigment separation may be prevented or greatly reduced by coating along a straight dynamic wetting line.
FIG. 4 illustrates a coating machine 200 that Applicants have devised to coat along a straight dynamic wetting line at relatively high line speeds. Coating machine 200 allows for web coating without pigment separation at speeds significantly greater than possible with previous coating machines, such as coating machine 20 of FIG. 1 . Coating machine 200 shares some similar components with coating machine 20 of FIG. 1, with these components being similarly numbered. Web 26 may be seen to have a back side looped around first or feed roller 22 , and passing under knife or notch bar 28 through bar gap 29 . A second or applicator roll 224 may be seen to rotate in a direction opposite to that of first roll 22 , as indicated at 240 . Applicator roll 224 has a roll surface 237 and a roll central axis 236 . Applicator roll 224 entrains the coating material 32 along surface 237 , forming an upstream meniscus 242 , before the coating material 32 passes into a roll gap 225 between feed roll 22 and applicator roll 224 . The coating material 32 contacts the coating surface of the web 26 along a dynamic wetting line 246 , with material not coating web 26 passing to a downstream meniscus region 243 . Downstream meniscus region 243 is located on the “back side” of applicator roll 224 , the roll side downstream of roll gap 225 . Dynamic wetting line 246 is disposed further into roll gap 225 than dynamic wetting line 46 is disposed into roll gap 25 of FIG. 1 .
In operation, applicator roll 224 should be rotated at a higher speed than feed roll 22 . Feed roll 22 typically paces or matches the speed of web 26 . Applicator roll 224 preferably is rotated at a speed greater than about three times the speed of feed roll 22 . Applicator roll 224 is more preferably rotated between about three and five times the speed of feed roll 22 . Most preferably, applicator roll 224 is rotated between about four and about five times the roll speed of feed roll 22 . As used herein, “roll speed” refers to the surface speed of the roll at the roll gap. In particular, larger diameter rolls will have higher roll speeds than smaller diameter rolls at the same rotation rate.
In operating coating machine 200 , the back side of applicator roll 224 may be inspected, and the inspection used to advantage in running the coating machine to reduce or eliminate pigment separation. The coating material on the applicator roll back side region has a thickness and a surface appearance. Applicants have discovered that pigment separation is associated with the uneven appearance of the roll back side. The uneven appearance of the roll back side correlates with uneven distribution of coating material over the roll back side, having thin layer regions and thick layer regions. The even appearance is a smooth, glossy surface appearance, rather than mottled, spotted, or striped as when the appearance is uneven. When the back side roll surface is uneven, pigment separation may very well be occurring, unknown and invisible to the operators. The resulting pigment separation may not be known until a much later removal of the coated material layer.
The uneven applicator roll back side appearance may be observed using human or machine visual inspection. Some methods use machine measurement of coating material thickness over the roll back side to measure the evenness. When the uneven applicator roll back side is observed, the operation of coating machine 200 may be altered to make the back side appearance even again. Operating parameters such as roll speeds, roll speed ratios, roll gap and coating material properties may be adjusted until the roll back side has an even thickness over the back side.
Applicants have used coating machine 200 to coat at line or liner speeds faster than possible with a machine such as coating machine 20 of FIG. 1 . In particular, at a roll gap of about 15 mils, and a bar gap of about 5 mils, a coating material viscosity of about 1000-3000 centipoise, and a resulting coating thickness of about 3 mils, forward roll coating machine 20 was able to run at a line speed of about 50 feet per minute without pigment separation. The aforementioned line speed was about the highest line speed that could be used without having pigment separation at the above conditions. Using the same coating thickness and viscosity, reverse roll coating machine 200 was able to be run at speeds of 100, and even 130 feet per minute, without pigment separation.
FIG. 5 illustrates a die coating machine 300 which Applicants believe will also provide a straight dynamic wetting line according to the present invention. Die coating machine 300 includes a first feed roll 22 and web 26 as previously described. A die head 302 may be seen to be disposed against web 26 , separated by a gap 304 . A coating material channel 306 is disposed within die head 302 , terminating in an orifice 308 . In one embodiment, orifice 308 is formed of a single slit disposed substantially parallel to the surface of web 26 . In another embodiment, orifice 308 is formed as a series of orifices aligned along an axis substantially parallel to the surface of web 26 . Coating material may be provided to die head channel 306 using conventional pumps and apparatus well known to those skilled in the art.
Numerous advantages of the invention covered by this document have been set forth in the foregoing description. It will be understood, however, that this disclosure is, in many respects, only illustrative. Changes may be made in details, particularly in matters of shape, size, and arrangement of parts without exceeding the scope of the invention. The invention's scope should, therefore, only limited to the scope of the appended claims and the equivalents thereof.
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Methods of high speed coating a pigment-containing liquid coating material onto a substrate so as to avoid visible pigment separation in the coating material in its as coated state. In the method, a pigment-containing liquid coating material is applied to a substrate, while the substrate is moving at a high line speed of at least about 15.24 m/min., to form a coated layer. The coating material is applied to the substrate along a substantially straight, dynamic wetting line where the coating material first contacts the moving substrate. The coating material is of the type that will exhibit visible pigment separation on its interface surface when the coating material is coated onto the fast moving substrate, without the use of a substantially straight wetting line. The wetting line is substantially straight when a significant amount of visible pigment separation does not occur at the chosen high line speed.
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This application is a divisional of Ser. No. 09/915,061; filed on Jul. 25, 2001now U.S. Pat. No. 6,646,305.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to the field of semiconductor memory devices; more specifically, it relates to a static random access memory (SRAM) formed on a silicon-on-insulator (SOI) substrate and the method of fabricating the SRAM.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
NFET and PFET devices fabricated in SOI technology offer advantages over bulk devices. The advantages include reduced junction capacitance, reduced junction leakage current, and for fully depleted devices, reduced short channel effect, increased transconductance and reduced threshold voltage (V T ) sensitivity. However, SOI FETs have a “floating body.” The body or channel region of the FET is formed in an insulated pocket of silicon and is therefore not electrically connected to a fixed potential. One effect of the “floating body” is to lower the V T of the device when the body “floats up”. This is a particular problem in a SRAM cell as lowering the V T of the devices can cause the relative strengths of devices to change such that the cell flips when the state of the latch is read.
FIG. 1 is a schematic circuit diagram of a CMOS SOI SRAM cell. In FIG. 1 , an SRAM cell 100 comprises a first input/output (I/O) NFET 105 and a second I/O NFET 110 . SRAM cell 100 further comprises a first latch NFET 115 , a second latch NFET 120 , a first latch PFET 125 and a second latch PFET 130 . The gate of first I/O NFET 105 is coupled to a wordline 135 , the source of the first I/O NFET to a bitline 140 and the drain of the first I/O NFET to a first common node 145 . The gate of second I/O NFET 110 is coupled to a wordline 135 , the source of the second I/O NFET to a bitline-not 155 and the drain of the second I/O NFET to a second common node 160 . The gates of first latch NFET 115 and first latch PFET 125 are coupled to second node 160 . The gates of second latch NFET 120 and second latch PFET 130 are coupled to first node 145 . The source of first latch NFET 115 is coupled to ground (GND) and the drain of the first latch NFET is coupled to first node 145 . The source of second latch NFET 120 is coupled to GND and the drain of the first latch NFET is coupled to second node 160 . Similarly, the source of first latch PFET 125 is coupled to V DD and the drain of the first latch PFET is coupled to first node 145 . The source of second latch PFET 130 is coupled to V DD and the drain of the first latch PFET is coupled to second node 160 . The bodies of all four NFETs 105 , 110 , 115 , and 120 and both PFETs 125 and 130 are floating.
SRAM cell 100 is written to by writing bitline 140 high and bitline-not 155 low (or vice versa). SRAM cell 100 is read by activating either first I/O NFET 105 (or second I/O NFET 110 ) and sensing the current flow from bitline 140 (or bitline-not 155 ) to GND. If first I/O NFET 105 “floats up” such that the V T of the first I/O NFET becomes lower than the V T of first latch NFET 115 (or second I/O NFET 110 “floats up” such that the V T of the second I/O NFET becomes lower than the V T of second latch NFET 120 ) SRAM cell 100 will become unstable and liable to flip states when read. A device with a low V T is a strong device.
In FIG. 1 , first NFET 105 is designated as T 1 , second I/O NFET 110 as T 2 , first latch NFET 115 as T 3 , second latch NFET 120 as T 4 , first latch PFET 125 as T 5 and second latch PFET 130 as T 6 . This convention is used in all subsequent figures as an aid to reading and comparing the drawings.
FIG. 2 is a partial cross sectional view of a portion of the SRAM cell of FIG. 1 . FIG. 2 specifically shows the structure and wiring of second I/O NFET 110 and second latch NFET 120 . Formed in a substrate 165 is a buried oxide layer 170 Formed on top of buried oxide layer 170 is a thin silicon layer 175 . Formed in thin silicon layer 175 is an STI 180 . STI 180 extends from a top surface 185 of thin silicon layer 175 , through the thin silicon layer, to buried oxide layer 170 . Formed in thin silicon layer is a source 190 of second latch NFET 120 , a source 195 of second I/O NFET 110 and a common drain 200 . Both second latch NFET 120 and second I/O NFET 110 share common drain 200 . In silicon layer 175 and under a gate 205 of second latch NFET 120 is a second latch NFET body 210 . In silicon layer 175 and under a gate 215 of second I/O NFET 110 is a second I/O NFET body 220 . Source 190 of second latch NFET 120 is coupled to GND and gate 205 is coupled to first node 145 . Source 195 of second I/O NFET 110 is coupled to bitline-not 155 and gate 215 is coupled to wordline 135 . Common drain 200 is coupled to second node 160 .
In FIG. 2 , second I/O NFET 110 and second latch NFET 120 are illustrated as fully depleted devices. Thus, second latch NFET body 210 and second I/O NFET body 220 are co-extensive with what might otherwise be termed the channel regions of the respective devices. The actual channels themselves are formed in the respective bodies under their respective gates near top surface 185 of thin silicon layer 175 .
FIG. 3 is a plan view of STI, gate, source/drain, contact and first wiring levels of a unit cell of the SRAM cell of FIG. 1 . In FIG. 3 , the shallow trench isolation (STI) level of SRAM cell 100 is defined by a first thin silicon region 225 A and a second thin silicon region 225 B. The extents of the silicon portions and the STI portions of SRAM cell 100 are set by first and second silicon regions 225 A and 225 B. The gate level is defined by a first gate conductor 240 A, a second gate conductor 240 B, a third gate conductor 240 C and a fourth gate conductor 240 D. First silicon region 225 A is doped N+ where overlapped by an N+ region 250 except where first, second, third and fourth gate conductors 240 A, 240 B, 240 C and 240 D also overlap the first silicon region. The overlap of first silicon region 225 A by first, second, third and fourth gate conductors 240 A, 240 B, 240 C and 240 D defines a first body region 250 A, a second body region 250 B, a third body region 250 C and a fourth body region 250 D respectively. Body regions 250 A, 250 B, 250 C and 250 D are doped P. First body region 250 A divides first silicon region 225 A into a first source region 255 A and a first drain region 255 B. Second body region 250 B divides first silicon region 225 A into a second source region 255 C and a second drain region 255 D. Third and fourth body region 250 C and 250 D further divide first silicon region 225 A into a third source region 255 E.
Second silicon region 225 B is doped P+ where overlapped by a P+ region 260 except where third and fourth gate conductors 240 C and 240 D overlap the second silicon region. The overlap of second silicon region 225 B by third and fourth gate conductors 240 C and 240 D defines a fifth body region 250 E and a sixth body region 250 F respectively. Body regions 250 E and 250 F are doped N. Fifth body region 250 E divides second silicon region 225 B into a third drain region 255 F and a fourth source region 255 G. Sixth body region 250 F further divides second silicon region 225 B into an fourth drain region 255 H.
With reference to FIG. 1 , first I/O NFET 105 comprises first source region 255 A, first body region 250 A, and first drain region 255 B. Second I/O NFET 110 comprises second source region 255 C, second body region 250 B, and second drain region 255 D. First latch NFET 115 comprises second source region 255 C, third body region 250 C, and third source region 255 E. Second latch NFET 120 comprises third source region 255 E, fourth body region 250 D, and second drain region 255 D. First latch PFET 125 comprises third drain region 255 F, fifth body region 250 E, and fourth source region 255 G. Second latch PFET 130 comprises fourth source region 255 G, sixth body region 250 F, and fourth drain region 255 H.
Also illustrated in FIG. 3 are a bitline contact 265 contacting first source region 255 A, a ground contact 270 contacting third source region 255 E, a bitline-not contact 275 contacting second source region 255 C, a V DD contact 280 , a first wordline contact 285 A and a second wordline contact 285 B. Wordline contacts 285 A and 285 B connect first gate conductor 240 A and second gate conductor 240 B, respectively, to a wordline 290 . V DD contact 280 connects fourth source region 255 G to a V DD power rail 295 . A first node contact 300 A connects first drain region 255 B to first node conductor 305 A. A second node contact 300 B connects third drain region 255 F to first node conductor 305 A. A third node contact 300 C connects gate conductor 240 C to first node conductor 305 A. A fourth node contact 300 D connects second drain region 255 D to second node conductor 305 B. A fifth node contact 300 E connects fourth drain region 255 H to second node conductor 305 B. A sixth node contact 300 F connects gate conductor 240 D to second node conductor 305 B.
Because first body region 250 A, second body region 250 B, third body region 250 C and fourth body region 250 D, fifth body region 250 E and sixth body region 250 F are floating in FIG. 3 , SRAM cell 100 is subject to random flips of state. Therefore, a technique of electrically connecting the bodies of SRAM FETs to a fixed potential, especially connecting all the NFETs to one fixed potential and all the PFETs to another, different potential, is needed to retain the advantages of SRAMs fabricated in SOI technology.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
A first aspect of the present invention is a semiconductor memory device comprising: an SOI substrate having a thin silicon layer on top of a buried insulator; and an SRAM comprising four NFETs and two PFETs located in the thin silicon layer, each the NFET and PFET having a body region between a source region and a drain region, wherein the bodies of two of the NFETs are electrically connected to ground.
A second aspect of the present invention is a semiconductor memory device comprising: an SOI substrate having a thin silicon layer on top of a buried insulator; an SRAM comprising two I/O NFETs, two latch NFETs and two latch PFETs located in the thin silicon layer, each the I/O NFET, latch NFET and latch PFET having a body region between a source region and a drain region; and a first connecting region in the thin silicon layer abutting the body regions of the I/O NFETS, the first connecting region electrically connected to ground.
A third aspect of the present invention is a semiconductor memory device comprising: an SOI substrate having a thin silicon layer on top of a buried insulator; an SRAM comprising two I/O NFETs, two latch NFETs and two latch PFETs located in the thin silicon layer, each the I/O NFET, latch NFET and latch PFET having a body region between a source region and a drain region; a first connecting region in the thin silicon layer, the first connecting region electrically connected to ground; and a pair of second connecting regions in the thin silicon layer, each second connecting region co-extensive with one of the body regions of the I/O NFETs and between the body regions and the first connecting region.
A fourth aspect of the present invention is a method of fabricating a semiconductor memory device comprising: providing an SOI substrate having a thin silicon layer on top of a buried insulator; forming an SRAM comprising two I/O NFETs, two latch NFETs and two latch PFETs in the thin silicon layer, each the I/O NFET, latch NFET and latch PFET having a body region between source region and a drain region; forming a P+ doped first connecting region in the thin silicon layer abutting the body regions of the I/O NFETS; and forming a ground contact to the first connecting region.
A fifth aspect of the present invention is a method of fabricating a semiconductor memory device comprising: providing an SOI substrate having a thin silicon layer on top of a buried insulator; forming an SRAM comprising two I/O NFETs, two latch NFETs and two latch PFETs located in the thin silicon layer, each the I/O NFET, latch NFET and latch PFET having a body region between a source region and a drain region; forming a P+ doped first connecting region in the thin silicon layer; forming a pair of second connecting regions in the thin silicon layer, each second connecting region co-extensive with one of the body regions of the I/O NFETs and between the body regions and the first connecting region; and forming a ground contact to the first connecting region.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
The features of the invention are set forth in the appended claims. The invention itself, however, will be best 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 schematic circuit diagram of a CMOS SOI SRAM cell;
FIG. 2 is a partial cross sectional view of a portion of the SRAM cell of FIG. 1 ;
FIG. 3 is a plan view of STI, gate, source/drain, contact and first metal levels of a unit cell of the SRAM cell of FIG. 1 ;
FIG. 4 is a plan view of STI, gate, source/drain, contact and first metal levels of a unit cell of the SRAM cell according to a first embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 5 is a plan view of STI, gate, source/drain, contact and first metal levels of a unit cell of the SRAM cell according to a second embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 6 is a plan view of STI, gate, source/drain, contact and first metal levels of a unit cell of the SRAM cell according to a third embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 7 is a schematic circuit diagram of the SRAM cell of FIG. 4 according to the present invention;
FIG. 8 is a schematic circuit diagram of the SRAM cell of FIG. 5 according to the present invention;
FIG. 9 is a schematic circuit diagram of the SRAM cell of FIG. 6 according to the present invention;
FIGS. 10A through 10E are partial cross sectional views illustrating fabrication of I/O NFETs taken along line 10 — 10 of FIG. 6 in SOI technology;
FIGS. 11A through 11E are partial cross sectional views illustrating fabrication of latch PFETs taken along line 11 — 11 of FIG. 6 in SOI technology; and
FIG. 12 is a partial cross sectional view of latch NFETs taken along line 12 — 12 of FIG. 6 fabricated in SOI technology.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
The invention will be described below, with reference to the drawings, as a series of modifications to SRAM cell 100 illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 3 and described above. In the drawings the same reference numbers indicate the same or corresponding regions.
FIG. 4 is a plan view of STI, gate, source/drain, contact and first metal levels of a unit cell of the SRAM cell according to a first embodiment of the present invention. In the first embodiment of the invention, the bodies of the I/O NFETs are tied to ground.
In FIG. 4 , the STI level of an SRAM cell 101 is defined by a first thin silicon region 310 A and second thin silicon region 225 B. The extents of the silicon portions and the STI portions of SRAM cell 101 are set by first and second silicon regions 310 A and 225 B. First silicon region 310 A differs from first silicon region 225 A of FIG. 3 . First silicon region 310 A includes a first connecting region 315 A and a second connecting region 315 B. First connecting region 315 A is co-extensive with said first body region 250 A and said second connecting region is co-extensive with said second body region 250 B. First silicon region 310 A is doped N+ where overlapped by an N+ region 320 except (1) where first, second, third and fourth gate conductors 240 A, 240 B, 240 C and 240 D overlap the first silicon region and (2) where a second P+ region 325 B overlaps the first silicon region, which overlap defines a third (P+ doped) connecting region 330 . Third connecting region 330 abuts first connecting region 315 A, second connecting region 315 B and third source region 255 E. Ground contact 270 contacts third connecting region 330 . The overlap of first silicon region 310 A by first, second, third and fourth gate conductors 240 A, 240 B, 240 C and 240 D defines first body region 250 A, second body region 250 B, third body region 250 C and fourth body region 250 D respectively.
Second silicon region 225 B is doped P+ where overlapped by a P+ region 325 A except where third and fourth gate conductors 240 C and 240 D also overlap the second silicon region. The overlap of second silicon region 225 B by third and fourth gate conductors 240 C and 240 D defines a fifth body region 250 E and a sixth body region 250 F.
First connecting region 315 A connects first body region 250 A to third connecting region 330 thereby providing a path to ground for the body of first I/O NFET 105 . Second connecting region 315 B connects second body region 250 B to third connecting region 330 thereby providing a path to ground for the body of second I/O NFET 110 .
Turning to FIG. 7 , FIG. 7 is a schematic circuit diagram of the SRAM cell of FIG. 4 according to the present invention. SRAM cell 101 of FIG. 7 differs from SRAM cell 100 of FIG. 1 in that a body 340 A of first I/O NFET 105 and a body 340 B of second I/O NFET 110 are coupled to GND.
FIG. 5 is a plan view of STI, gate, source/drain, contact and first metal levels of a unit cell of the SRAM cell according to a second embodiment of the present invention. In the second embodiment of the invention, the bodies of the I/O NFETs and the latch NFETS are tied to ground.
In FIG. 5 , the STI level of an SRAM cell 102 is defined by a first thin silicon region 335 A and second thin silicon region 225 B. The extents of the silicon portions and the STI portions of SRAM cell 102 are set by a first silicon region 335 A and second silicon region 225 B. First silicon region 335 A differs from first silicon region 225 A of FIG. 3 . First silicon region 335 A includes first connecting region 315 A and second connecting region 315 B. First silicon region 335 A is doped N+ where overlapped by N+ region 320 except (1) where first, second, third and fourth gate conductors 240 A, 240 B, 240 C and 240 D overlap the first silicon region and (2) where second P+ region 325 B overlaps the first silicon region, which overlap defines a third (P+ doped) connecting region 330 . The overlap of first silicon region 335 A by first, second, third and fourth gate conductors 240 A, 240 B, 240 C and 240 D defines first body region 250 A, second body region 250 B, third body region 250 C and fourth body region 250 D respectively.
First silicon region 335 A further differs from first silicon region 225 A of FIG. 3 in that the first silicon region boundary is adjusted to provide for a fourth connecting region 350 and a fifth connecting region 355 as indicated by the heavy dashed lines adjacent to the first silicon region. A first portion 360 A of fourth connecting region 350 is co-extensive with third connecting region 330 and a second portion 360 B of the fourth connecting region is co-extensive with third body region 250 C. First portion 360 A is doped P+. A first portion 365 A of fifth connecting region 355 is co-extensive with third connecting region 330 and a second portion 365 B of the fifth connecting region is co-extensive with fourth body region 250 D. First portion 365 A is doped P+. Third connecting region 330 abuts first connecting region 315 A, second connecting region 315 B and third source region 255 E, second portion 360 B of fourth connecting region. 350 and second portion 365 B of fifth connecting region 355 . Ground contact 270 contacts third connecting region 330 .
Second silicon region 225 B is doped P+ where overlapped by P+ region 325 A except where third and fourth gate conductors 240 C and 240 D overlap the second silicon region. The overlap of second silicon region 225 B by third and fourth gate conductors 240 C and 240 D defines fifth body region 250 E and sixth body region 250 F.
First connecting region 315 A connects first body region 250 A to third connecting region 330 thereby providing a path to ground for the body of first I/O NFET 105 . Second connecting region 315 B connects second body region 250 B to third connecting region 330 thereby providing a path to ground for the body of second I/O NFET 110 . Fourth connecting region 350 connects third body region 250 C to third connecting region 330 thereby providing a path to ground for the body of first latch NFET 115 . Fifth connecting region 355 connects fourth body region 250 D to third connecting region 330 thereby providing a path to ground for the body of second latch NFET 120 .
Turning to FIG. 8 , FIG. 8 is a schematic circuit diagram of the SRAM cell of FIG. 5 according to the present invention. SRAM cell 102 of FIG. 8 differs from SRAM cell 100 of FIG. 1 in that body 340 A of first I/O NFET 105 , body 340 B of second I/O NFET 110 , a body 370 A of first latch NFET 115 and a body 370 A of second latch NFET 120 are coupled to GND.
FIG. 6 is a plan view of STI, gate, source/drain, contact and first metal levels of a unit cell of the SRAM cell according to a third embodiment of the present invention. In the third embodiment of the invention, the bodies of the I/O NFETs and the latch NFETs are tied to ground and the bodies of the latch PFETS are tied to V DD .
In FIG. 6 , the STI level of an SRAM cell 103 is defined by first thin silicon region 335 A and a second thin silicon region 335 B. The extents of the silicon portions and the STI portions of SRAM cell 103 are set by first silicon region 335 A and second silicon region 335 B. First silicon region. 335 A differs from first silicon region 225 A of FIG. 3 . First silicon region 335 A includes first connecting region 315 A and second connecting region 315 B. First silicon region 335 A is doped N+ where overlapped by an N+ region 375 A except (1) where first, second, third and fourth gate conductors 240 A, 240 B, 240 C and 240 D also overlap the first silicon region and (2) where second P+ region 325 B overlaps the first silicon region, which overlap defines third (P+ doped) connecting region 330 . The overlap of first silicon region 335 A by first, second, third and fourth gate conductors 240 A, 240 B, 240 C and 240 D defines first body region 250 A, second body region 250 B, third body region 250 C and fourth body region 250 D respectively.
First silicon region 335 A further differs from first silicon region 225 A of FIG. 3 in that the first silicon region boundary is adjusted to provide for fourth connecting region 350 and fifth connecting region 355 as indicated by the heavy dashed lines adjacent to the first silicon region. First portion 360 A of fourth connecting region 350 is co-extensive with third connecting region 330 and second portion 360 B of the fourth connecting region abuts third body region 250 C. First portion 360 A is doped P+. First portion 365 A of fifth connecting region 355 is co-extensive with third connecting region 330 and second portion 365 B of the fifth connecting region abuts fourth body region 250 D. First portion 365 A is doped P+. Third connecting region 330 abuts first connecting region 315 A, second connecting region 315 B and third source region 255 E, second portion 360 B of fourth connecting region 350 and second portion 365 B of fifth connecting region 355 . Ground contact 270 contacts third connecting region 330 .
Second silicon region 335 B is doped P+ where overlapped by P+ region 325 A except where (1) third and fourth gate conductors 240 C and 240 D also overlap the first silicon region and (2) where a second N+ region 375 B overlaps the first silicon region, which overlap defines sixth (P+ doped) connecting region 380 . The overlap of second silicon region 375 B by third and fourth gate conductors 240 C and 240 D defines first body region 250 A, second body region 250 B, third body region 250 C and fourth body region 250 D respectively
Second silicon region 335 B differs from second silicon region 225 B of FIG. 3 in that the first silicon region boundary is adjusted to provide for a seventh connecting region 385 and an eighth connecting region 390 as indicated by the heavy dashed lines adjacent to the second silicon region. A first portion 395 A of seventh connecting region 385 is co-extensive with sixth connecting region 380 and a second portion 395 B of the seventh connecting region is co-extensive with fifth body region 250 E. First portion 395 A is doped N+. A first portion 400 A of eighth connecting region 390 is co-extensive with sixth connecting region 380 and a second portion 400 B of the eighth connecting region is co-extensive with sixth body region 250 F. Sixth connecting region 380 abuts second portion 395 B of seventh connecting region 385 , second portion 400 B of eighth connecting region 390 and fourth source region 255 G. As drawn in FIG. 6 , first portion 395 A of seventh connecting region 385 is not required for the invention to function as second portion 395 B of the seventh connecting region abuts sixth connecting region 380 . Similarly, first portion 400 A of eight connecting region 390 is not required for the invention to function as second portion 400 B of the seventh connecting region abuts sixth connecting region 380 . V DD contact 280 contacts sixth connecting region 380 .
First connecting region 315 A connects first body region 250 A to third connecting region 330 thereby providing a path to ground for the body of first I/O NFET 105 . Second connecting region 315 B connects second body region 250 B to third connecting region 330 thereby providing a path to ground for the body of second I/O NFET 110 . Fourth connecting region 350 connects third body region 250 C to third conducting channel 330 thereby providing a path to ground for the body of first latch NFET 115 . Fifth connecting region 355 connects fourth body region 250 D to third conducting channel 330 thereby providing a path to ground for the body of second latch NFET 120 . Seventh conducting channel 385 connects fifth body region 250 E to sixth connecting region 380 thereby providing a path to V DD for the body of first latch PFET 125 . Eighth conducting channel 390 connects sixth body region 250 F to sixth connecting region 380 thereby providing a path to V DD for the body of second latch PFET 130 .
Turning to FIG. 9 , FIG. 9 is a schematic circuit diagram of the SRAM cell of FIG. 6 according to the present invention. SRAM cell 103 of FIG. 9 differs from SRAM cell 100 of FIG. 1 in that body 340 A of first I/O NFET 105 , body 340 B of second I/O NFET 110 , a body 370 A of first latch NFET 115 and a body 370 A of second latch NFET 120 are coupled to GND and in that body 405 A of first latch PFET 125 and body 405 B of second latch PFET 130 are tied to V DD .
Other combinations of grounded body NFETs and V DD tied body PFETs are possible using the method described above. In a first example, bodies of the I/O NFETs 105 and 110 are tied to ground while the bodies of latch PFETs 125 and 130 are tied to V DD by replacing second silicon region 225 B in FIG. 4 with second silicon region 335 B from FIG. 6 and also adding second N+ region 375 B to FIG. 4 . In a second example, the bodies of latch NFETs 115 and 120 are tied to ground while the bodies of latch PFETs 125 and 130 are tied to V DD by eliminating the portions first and second connecting region that abut first source region 255 A and first drain region 255 B in FIG. 6 . In a third example, only the bodies of latch PFETs 125 and 130 are tied to V DD by eliminating first and second channels 315 A and 315 B, second P+ implant region 325 B and third connecting region 330 from FIG. 6 . In a fourth example, only the bodies of latch NFETs 115 and 120 are tied to V DD by eliminating the portions first and second connecting region that abut first source region 255 A and first drain region 255 B in FIG. 4 . Non-symmetrical combinations are also possible. In a fifth example, the bodies of I/O NFET 105 and latch NFET 115 are tied to ground while the body of latch PFET 125 is tied to V DD . In a sixth example, the bodies of I/O NFET 110 and latch NFET 120 are tied to ground while the body of latch PFET 130 is tied to V DD .
Turning to the fabrication of the present invention, FIGS. 10A through 10E are partial cross sectional views illustrating fabrication of I/O NFETs taken along line 10 — 10 of FIG. 6 in SOI technology and FIGS. 11A through 11E are partial cross sectional views illustrating fabrication of latch PFETs taken along line 11 — 11 of FIG. 6 in SOI technology. The operations illustrated in FIGS. 10A through 10 E may be performed simultaneously with the operations illustrated in FIGS. 11A through 11E and will so be described.
In both FIGS. 10A and 11A , formed on top of a silicon substrate 405 is a buried insulator 410 . Formed on top of buried insulator 410 is a thin silicon layer 415 . In one example, buried insulator 410 is formed simultaneously with thin silicon layer 415 by an SIMOX method in which oxygen is implanted into a bulk silicon substrate. Substrate 405 , buried insulator 410 , and thin silicon layer 415 comprise an SOI substrate. Extending from a top surface 420 of thin silicon layer 415 through the thin silicon layer to buried insulator 410 is STI 425 . In one example, STI 425 is fabricated by reactive ion etching a trench into thin silicon layer 415 down to buried insulator 410 , filling the trench with chemical-vapor-deposition (CVD) insulator, such as silicon dioxide, and chemical-mechanical-polishing (CMP) the deposited insulator co-planar with top surface 420 of the thin silicon layer.
In FIG. 10A , thin silicon layer 415 has been doped P type to form P− region 430 , while in FIG. 11A , thin silicon layer 415 has been doped N type to form—region 435 . In one example, doping of thin silicon layer 415 , either N or P type, is accomplished using an ion implantation process. In FIG. 10A , first gate conductor 240 A and second gate conductor 240 B are formed on top surface 420 of thin silicon layer 415 . In FIG. 11A , third gate conductor 240 C and fourth gate conductor 240 D are formed on top surface 420 of thin silicon layer 415 . In one example, first, second, third, and fourth gate conductors 240 A, 240 B, 240 C and 240 D are polysilicon, formed by a CVD process.
In FIGS. 10B and 11B , a first resist mask 440 is formed and an N type ion implantation performed. This N type implant may be the same implant as is used to form the source/drains all the NFETs in the SRAM cell. In FIG. 10B , the N type implantation results in formation of a first N+ doped region 445 A in first gate conductor 240 A and a second N+ doped region 445 B in second gate conductor 240 B. In FIG. 11B , the N type implantation results in formation of a third N+ doped region 445 C in third gate conductor 240 C and a fourth N+ doped region 445 D in fourth gate conductor 240 D. The N type implant also forms sixth connecting region 380 . Also shown in FIG. 11B , is second portion 395 B of seventh connecting region 395 and second portion 400 B of fifth connecting region 400 .
In FIGS. 10C and 11C , a second resist mask 450 is formed and a P type ion implantation performed. This P type implant may be the same implant as is used to form the source/drains all the PFETs in the SRAM cell. In FIG. 10C , the P type implantation results in formation of a first P+ doped region 455 A in first gate conductor 240 A and a second P+ doped region 445 B in second gate conductor 240 B. The P type implant also forms third connecting region 330 . In FIG. 11B , the P type implantation results in formation of a third P+ doped region 455 C in third gate conductor 240 C and a fourth P+ doped region 455 D in fourth gate conductor 240 D.
In FIG. 10D , a silicide layer 460 is formed on a top surface 465 A of first gate conductor 240 A, on a top surface 465 B of second gate conductor 240 B, and on top surface 420 of thin silicon layer 415 in third connecting region 330 . Silicide later 460 spans first N+ doped region 445 A and first P+ doped region 455 A of first gate conductor 240 A. Silicide layer 460 also spans second N+ doped region 445 B and second P+ doped region 455 B of second gate conductor 240 B. Third connecting region 330 must be doped P+ in order to be able to form an ohmic contact to the third connecting region. Silicide layer 460 also provides conduction paths across the diodes formed at the interfaces of first N+ doped region 445 A and first P+ doped region 455 A of first gate conductor 240 A and second N+ doped region 445 B and second P+ doped region 455 B of second gate conductor 240 B.
In FIG. 11D , a silicide layer 460 is formed on a top surface 465 C of third gate conductor 240 C, on a top surface 465 D of fourth gate conductor 240 D, and on top surface 420 of thin silicon layer 415 in sixth connecting region 380 . Silicide later 460 spans third N+ doped region 445 C and third P+ doped region 455 C of third gate conductor 240 C. Silicide layer 460 also spans fourth N+ doped region 445 D and fourth P+ doped region 455 D of fourth gate conductor 240 D. Third connecting region 380 is doped N+ in order to be able to form an improved ohmic contact to the sixth connecting region. Silicide layer 460 also provides conduction paths across the diodes formed at the interfaces of third N+ doped region 445 C and third P+ doped region 455 C of third gate conductor 240 C and fourth N+ doped region 445 D and fourth P+ doped region 455 D of fourth gate conductor 240 D.
In one example silicide layer 460 is cobalt silicide or titanium silicide formed by depositing or evaporating cobalt or titanium on exposed silicon and polysilicon surfaces and then performing a sintering process, to react the metal with silicon, followed by an etch process to remove unreacted metal. Subsequently thermal anneals may be performed. N and P doped regions will diffuse during heat cycles. Consequently, third conducting region 330 in FIG. 10D and sixth conducting region 380 in FIG. 11D are shown in positions relative to the respective gate conductors after such heat cycles.
In FIGS. 10E and 11E , interlevel dielectric 470 is deposited. In one example, interlevel dielectric 470 is silicon oxide. In FIG. 10E , ground contact 270 is shown contacting silicide layer 460 on third channel region 330 . Ground contact 270 is actually below the plane of the drawing sheet and is indicated for reference purposes. In FIG. 1E , V DD contact 280 is shown contacting silicide layer 460 on third channel region 330 . V DD contact 280 is actually above the plane of the drawing sheet and is indicated for reference purposes.
FIG. 12 is a partial cross sectional view of latch NFETs taken along line 12 — 12 of FIG. 6 fabricated in SOI technology. In thin silicon layer 415 are first drain region 255 B, second portion 360 B of fourth connecting region 350 , third channel region 330 , second portion 365 A of fifth connecting region 360 , and second drain region 255 D. Third gate conductor 240 C is divided into a fifth N+ doped region 445 E and fifth P+ doped region 455 E. Fourth gate conductor 240 D is divided into a sixth N+ doped region 445 F and sixth P+ doped region 455 F. Ground contact 270 is actually below the plane of the drawing sheet and is indicated for reference purposes.
The description of the embodiments of the present invention is given above for the understanding of the present invention. It will be understood that the invention is not limited to the particular embodiments described herein, but is capable of various modifications, rearrangements and substitutions as will now become apparent to those skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the invention. For example, SRAM cells 101 , 102 and 103 may be mirrored in the vertical and/or horizontal direction to produce a cell combinations containing 2, 4, 8 and sixteen cells.
If SRAM cell 101 is mirrored vertically through bitline contact 265 , GND contact 270 and bitline-not contact 275 a 2 cell combination is produced where the bodies of four latch NFETS are tied together through a shared ground contact. SRAM cell 101 may also be mirrored vertically through V DD contact 280 . SRAM cell 101 may also be mirrored vertically through first wordline contact 285 A or second wordline contact 285 B. Multiple mirroring may be performed as well.
If SRAM cell 102 is mirrored vertically through bitline contact 265 , GND contact 270 and bitline-not contact 275 a 2 cell combination is produced where the bodies of eight NFETs (four being latch NFETS) are tied together through a shared ground contact. SRAM cell 102 may also be mirrored vertically through V DD contact 280 . SRAM cell 102 may also be mirrored vertically through first wordline contact 285 A or second wordline contact 285 B. Multiple mirroring may be performed as well.
If SRAM cell 103 is mirrored vertically through bitline contact 265 , GND contact 270 and bitline-not contact 275 a 2 cell combination is produced where the bodies of eight NFETs (four latch NFETs) are tied together through a shared ground contact. IF SRAM cell 103 is mirrored vertically through V DD contact 280 a 2 cell combination is produced where the bodies of four latch PFETs are tied together through a shared V DD contact. SRAM cell 101 may also be mirrored vertically through first wordline contact 285 A or second wordline contact 285 B. Multiple mirroring may be performed as well.
Therefore it is intended that the following claims cover all such modifications and changes as fall within the true spirit and scope of the invention.
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A semiconductor memory device comprising: an SOI substrate having a thin silicon layer on top of a buried insulator; and an SRAM comprising four NFETs and two PFETs located in the thin silicon layer, each the NFET and PFET having a body region between a source region and a drain region, wherein the bodies of two of the NFETs are electrically connected to ground. Additionally, the bodies of the two PFETs are electrically connected to V DD .
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
In fluorocarbon processes where hydrogen fluoride (HF) is present in the process streams used to make the fluorocarbon compounds, the removal of HF from the process stream by scrubbing with water often results in an aqueous HF solution containing a substantial amount of dissolved organics. The subsequent sale of such aqueous HF solutions can be limited due to the presence of the dissolved organics. Likewise, special transportation containers may be required to accommodate both the acidic and the organic content of such solutions. In order to find wider sales outlets for such solutions, a high acid concentration, i.e., greater than 35% wt. HF is also desirable.
The present invention meets these needs by producing (1) an aqueous HF solution with low dissolved organic content, as well as (2) a highly concentrated HF solution, also with low dissolved organic content.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is directed to methods and systems used to remove HF from a fluorocarbon containing process stream, and thereby forming an isolated aqueous HF solution having both a high HF concentration and low organic content. The process stream is scrubbed with a hot aqueous HF solution, wherein the temperature is kept at or above the dewpoint of the organic materials in the process stream, thereby preventing the dissolving of the organic materials into the isolated HF solution.
As used herein, the term “low organic content” refers to the amount of organic material remaining in the isolated aqueous HF solution as processed according to the present invention. Typically the low organic content of the HF solution is less than about 500 ppm, preferably less than about 250 ppm, more preferably less than about 150 ppm, and most preferably less than about 100 ppm of organics components.
In one embodiment, the present invention provides methods and systems used for the removal of HF from organic process streams by means of a scrubber system designed to operate at a bottom temperature zone higher than the dewpoint condensing temperature of the organic mixture. In this embodiment, the scrubber system comprises two sections; where the bottom section is scrubbed with an aqueous HF solution having a preselected concentration of HF, and the top section is scrubbed with an aqueous HF solution having a lower HF concentration than the bottom section's HF solution. In addition, the bottom section is operated at a temperature that is above the dewpoint condensing temperature of the organic components in the process stream being scrubbed.
In another embodiment, the present invention comprises a method and system in which a recycled aqueous HF solution (e.g., up to about 38% wt. HF) is contacted with an HF laden liquid organic stream to extract the HF content from the organic stream. The resulting HF solution typically achieves an HF content greater than the azeotrope composition of 38% wt.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 shows a two-stage scrubber system useful in one process of the present invention.
FIG. 2 shows a liquid extraction unit operation useful in one process of the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
As illustrated in FIG. 1 , an embodiment of this invention is directed to a method and system used to remove HF from an organic product stream, using a scrubber system designed to operate at a bottom temperature zone which is higher than the dewpoint condensing temperature of the organic mixture.
The scrubber system comprises two sections; wherein the bottom section (1) is scrubbed with aqueous HF solution operating at a higher temperature than the dewpoint condensing temperature of the organic mixture, and wherein the top section (2) is operating with an aqueous HF solution having lesser concentration than the bottom section's HF solution.
This method and system provides a resulting aqueous HF solution which is substantially free of dissolved organics, while maintaining a high overall HF removal efficiency. The resulting aqueous HF solution will have a significant market outlet and it can be transported using conventional containers employed for aqueous acid service.
In a typical fluorocarbon manufacturing process where the organic stream containing less than 15% molar HF concentration, the present method and system generally will limit the resulting aqueous HF solution to no more than about 38% wt. HF, due to the formation of an HF/water azeotrope composition at about this concentration level.
As illustrated in FIG. 2 , another embodiment of this invention enhances the HF concentration, while still maintaining a low dissolved organic level. This enhanced product solution will also have a significant market outlet.
This embodiment of the invention comprises a method and system in which a recycled aqueous HF solution (e.g., up to about 38% wt. HF) is contacted with an HF laden liquid organic stream to extract the HF content from the organic stream. The resulting HF solution typically achieves an HF content greater than the azeotrope composition of 38% wt.
In this method and system, the HF is fed to multi-stage vapor-liquid equilibrium separator. This device separates the HF and water mixture into two vapor streams, a first stream having an HF content greater than the 38% wt. of the azeotrope composition of HF and water (e.g., greater than 50% wt. HF); and a second aqueous HF stream having an HF content near, but still above the 38% wt. HF azeotrope composition (e.g., greater than about 40% wt. HF).
The second aqueous HF stream (near but above the 38% wt. HF azeotrope composition) is recycled to extract more HF as described above. The first vapor stream, rich in HF content and above the azeotrope composition of 38% wt. HF (e.g., greater than 50% wt. HF), is condensed or absorbed with water or absorbed with condensing steam to form a commercially desirable, highly concentrated, aqueous HF solution, having a concentration, for example, greater than about 40% wt. HF.
The absorbing step is carried out in a multi-stage absorber where the emerging HF solution is kept hot (e.g., near or above the dewpoint of the organics) to eliminate dissolving organic in the product HF solution. The vapor leaving the multistage absorber will contain organic and a significant amount of HF. This organic stream can be recaptured and recycled to extract the HF content as described above.
This method will afford a resulting aqueous HF solution which is substantially free of dissolved organics and has a higher HF concentration, while maintaining high overall HF removal efficiency from the organic stream. The resulting aqueous HF solution will have wider market outlet and can be transported with conventional container for aqueous acid service.
Example for the First Embodiment
A 38% HF solution at about 150° F. is circulated to the top section of the second stage of the two-stage scrubber system. Most of the HF in the organic stream is removed by this hot circulating HF solution. The resulting hot HF solution contains a low level, i.e., less than about 500 ppm, preferably less than about 250 ppm, more preferably less than about 150 ppm, and most preferably less than about 100 ppm of dissolved organics. This material may be isolated from this stage of the two-stage scrubber system and is suitable for sale or other use as desired.
A 38% HF solution at about 150° F. is circulated to the top section of the second stage of the two-stage scrubber system. Most of the HF in the organic stream is removed by this hot circulating HF solution. The resulting hot HF solution contains a low level, i.e., less than about 500 ppm, preferably less than about 250 ppm, more preferably less than about 150 ppm, and most preferably less than about 100 ppm of dissolved organics. This material may be isolated from this stage of the two-stage scrubber system and is suitable for sale or other use as desired.
The organic component leaving the top section of the second stage of the two-stage scrubber, containing some residual unscrubbed HF, flows to the bottom section of the first stage of the two-stage scrubber system. In this section, water or aqueous HF solution having a lower HF concentration than the product solution is used to scrub the residual HF from the organic component. These two materials may then be isolated from this stage of the two-stage scrubber system and are suitable for sale or other use as desired.
Example for the Second Embodiment
As illustrated in FIG. 2 , about 2,000 lb/hr of liquid fluorocarbon organic mixture ( 3 ), having a dewpoint condensing temperature of 90° F. and containing 200 lb/hr HF, is combined with a small recycle stream of organics and HF ( 27 ). The resultant stream ( 20 ) is mixed with 1,500 lb/hr 39% wt. recycle HF solution ( 25 ). It is then phase separated at below 50° F. Commonly this system is known as a liquid extraction unit operation. The extraction can be conducted as a single stage as described, or it can be of multi-stage contactors to enhance the extraction efficiency.
The liquid organic mixture layer ( 22 ), having most of its HF content extracted, is sent to low pressure scrubbing (e.g., FIG. 1 ) for further purification. The aqueous HF solution layer ( 21 ), now enriched to 44% wt. HF which can still contain some dissolved organic, is heat economized with another process stream to raise the temperature and sent to a multi-stage falling film exchanger where it separates the solution to an overhead gas ( 23 ) containing 86% wt. HF and balance of water vapor and small amount of organic, and a bottom aqueous solution of 39% wt. HF ( 24 ), which is near but above the 38% wt. HF/water azeotrope composition. This solution ( 24 ) is then heat economized, cooled, and recycled ( 25 ) to extract more HF from the incoming liquid organic stream.
The overhead vapor gas ( 23 ) is sent to a multi-stage absorber with optional condenser. Water or steam ( 26 ) is introduced at various locations of the absorber to absorb or condensed HF into 50% wt. solution ( 28 ). If higher concentration is desired, then less water or steam is added. The bottom of the absorber is kept above 150° F. to strip off the organics. The resulting hot HF solution product ( 28 ) contains a low level of dissolved organic and can be sent out for sales after cooling.
The vapor ( 27 ) leaving the multistage absorber will contain organic and significant amount of HF. This organic stream ( 27 ) can be re-captured and recycled to extract its HF content.
While the present invention has been particularly shown and described with reference to preferred embodiments, it will be readily appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the art that various changes and modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the invention. It is intended that the claims be interpreted to cover the disclosed embodiment, those alternatives which have been discussed above and all equivalents thereto.
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Disclosed are methods used to remove HF from a fluorocarbon containing stream, thereby forming a final aqueous HF solution having both a high HF concentration and low dissolved organic content.
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FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to building foundations and in, particular pile foundations.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Alaska and the Northern Regions are besieged by permafrost and ice rich soils conditions that make the construction of effective and economical foundation systems very difficult and costly. Foundations constantly fail and cause extensive damage to housing and other structures. Although foundation systems have been designed to solve these problems, they are generally not economically feasible for homes, in particular, as well as many other buildings. The budgets available for the construction of housing is not adequate for the installation of elaborate piling or refrigerated systems used for large commercial structures. In fact, the majority of homeowners living in the permafrost regions of Alaska simply acquiesce to high maintenance and repair costs of their homes caused by foundation movement.
Two types of foundations are typically used for housing and light buildings constructed in areas having permafrost conditions. One is “post and pad” and the other is piling. Although the post and pad system may have many variations, it commonly consists of wood or steel posts designed and supported on treated timber footings. The houses using this system are subject to high vertical and differential movement. The annual freeze-thaw cycles and frost heaves under the pads cause movement resulting in structural stresses to the houses resulting in cracking wallboard, plumbing breaks, broken window seals and doors jamming and in some severe cases, almost total failure of the houses. Most post and pad systems are difficult to adjust once they have moved and trying to re-level the houses has been a major challenge.
Prior piling systems include wood piles, steel piles, round and H driven piles and thermopiles. Generally, these piling systems are far to expensive for housing and small projects because of high materials costs and the cost of heavy equipment such as augers and cranes to install piles at remote locations. Driven steel piles are generally the most economical of the pile systems but it has been costly to install reliable bond breakers on driven piles to prevent jacking. Jacking is characterized as a gradual uplift of the pile due to the freeze thaw action of the surrounding soil. The freeze thaw action causes the surrounding soil to grip the upper part of the pile and lifts it upward. The reason for this is that the soil near the surface has a much stronger adfreeze bond or grip on the pile than does the warmer soil at depth. Therefore, without bond breakers, steel piles can be problematic for use in foundations in permafrost regions. In these prior piling systems, when bond breakers are used, the top five to seven feet of soil around the pile has to be dug out or a large diameter hole is predrilled so the bond breaker can be attached after insertion of the pile into the soil, resulting in wasted time and expense.
In view of the foregoing it can be seen that there is a need for an effective and economical foundation system for housing and other buildings in permafrost regions.
OBJECTS AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Therefore, it is an object of the invention to provide an anti-jacking pile for use in foundation systems.
Another object of the invention is to provide a pile having an anti-jacking covering thereon to resist the effects of freeze-thaw cycles in permafrost regions.
Still another object of the invention is to provide a collar for facilitating driving of a pile into soil.
Yet another object of the invention is to provide a collar attached to a pile for preventing damage to an anti-jacking covering on the pile.
Still another object of the invention is to provide a method of installing a pile having an anti-jacking covering thereon.
Yet another object of the invention is to provide an adjustable leveling system as a long-term contingency so that the house can be re-leveled in the event of vertical movement.
These and other objects, uses and advantages will be apparent from a reading of the description which follows with reference to the accompanying drawings forming a part thereof.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is an elevation view of the method of the anti-jacking pile installed in the ground;
FIG. 2 is a top section view of the collar of the anti-jacking pile;
FIGS. 3 and 4 are fragmentary elevation section views of the connection of the adjustable leveling system and the upper portion of the anti-jacking pile;
FIG. 5 is a side view of the connection plate for connecting the adjustable leveling system to the anti-jacking pile, and;
FIG. 6 is a side view of the adjustment post.
In summary, the invention is directed to an anti-jacking pile solution particularly suited for use in permafrost and cold regions. The pile includes bond breaking material for preventing frozen soil from directly gripping a pile near the surface of the soil and pulling the pile upward. A collar is attached to the pile to prevent damage and/or displacement of the bond breaking material during driving of the pile. The pile may be attached to a structure by way of an adjustable connection system.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
FIG. 1 shows a pile 10 after it has been driven into place into the soil 12 . A connection portion 13 of the pile 10 extends above the surface 14 of the soil 12 . The diameter and thickness of a steel pile will vary according to the particular building or structure design.
A pilot hole 16 may be drilled into the soil 12 to facilitate driving of the pile 10 . A bond breaker material 18 , is applied to the pile 10 prior to driving of the pile into the soil 12 . The bond breaker material 18 , is preferably a plastic material such that marketed under the names PERMALON® or CANVEX CB12WB, both of which have good elastic qualities under subfreezing conditions. Preferably, the bond breaker material 18 comes in six and eight foot wide rolls having ten to twelve mil thickness and is fastened to pile 10 with an approximately two-inch wide tape. The bond breaker material 18 is wrapped around the pile 10 in two layers and the first layer has a ½ pipe circumference overlap. It should be understood that the width of the bond breaker material 18 could vary and other products having similar good elastic qualities under subfreezing conditions could be substituted. Seams between adjacent wraps are preferably taped full length of the wrap and the lower end 19 of the bond breaker material 18 should also be taped in a thickness necessary to provide a sufficient clamping surface. Alternatively, a layer of grease may be applied to the pile 10 prior to application of the bond breaker material to further facilitate movement of the bond breaker material 18 relative to the pile 10 during soil movement.
In regions of Alaska, the continuous permafrost 20 may extend 1800 feet below the surface 14 of the soil 12 . At the surface 14 , the soil 12 may unthaw and refreeze to a much colder temperature than the permafrost 20 . This area of the soil 12 between the surface 14 and the continuous permafrost 20 is known as the active layer 22 . This active layer 22 is the part of the soil 12 that acts to pull the pile 10 upwardly as the soil 12 expands during frost heaves. Therefore, it is the portion of the pile 10 that is to be permanently located the active layer 22 that needs to be covered by the bond breaker material 18 . The active layer 22 is generally less than five feet in depth and therefore it is preferred that the bond breaker material 18 be applied to that portion of the pile 10 and preferably extending a few inches above the surface 14 of the soil 12 to compensate for uplift of the soil during frost heaves. It should be understood by one skilled in the art that the depth of the pile 10 into the soil 12 will vary according to construction requirements, and it should be understood that the pile 10 will generally extend fifteen to twenty-five feet farther into the continuous permafrost 20 for conventional housing construction.
A collar 24 is attached to the pile 10 adjacent the lower end 19 of the bond breaker material 18 . The collar 24 is preferably constructed of steel. As shown looking at both FIGS. 1 and 2, the collar 24 extends circumferentially around the pile 10 preferably overlapping the bond breaker material 18 and tightly engaged thereto to hold the bond breaker material 18 in place during welding of the collar to the pile 10 . Prior to driving the pile 10 , the collar 24 is preferably fillet welded in place along its lower edge 25 . The collar 24 is generally constructed of ¼ inch in thickness and approximately four inches in height. Although these dimensions are preferred, they may be varied as long as the function of the collar 24 of protecting the bond breaker material 18 during driving of the pile 10 is performed. The diameter of the collar 24 will vary in accordance with the diameter of the pile 10 being driven. Piles 10 for typical housing construction are six inches to ten inches in diameter.
Now looking to FIGS. 3, 4 , 5 and 6 , the supporting beams 30 of a building (not shown) are connected to the pile 10 by an adjustable connection system 32 . The system uses a two-part telescoping sleeve 34 and post 36 which slides into pile 10 and is welded thereto. The sleeve 34 includes four plates 38 , 40 , 42 and 44 extending horizontally outwardly from the sleeve 34 to accept connection to support struts 46 , 48 , 50 and 52 . The opposite ends of support struts 46 , 48 , 50 and 52 are connected to brackets 54 , 56 , 58 and 60 which are in turn connected to the support beams 30 .
As shown in FIG. 5, a plate 62 is used to join sleeve 34 directly to support beam 30 . Plate 62 provides a larger surface to engage support beam 30 to allow for slight variations in alignment. Sleeve 34 slidably engages post 36 which slides into pile 10 and is welded thereto. The telescoping sleeve 34 and post 36 are adjustably connected by bolts. Post 36 includes a plurality of holes 64 to facilitate vertical adjustment of the telescoping sleeve 34 .
While this invention has been described as having a preferred design, it is understood that it is capable of further modifications, uses and/or adaptations of the invention following in general the principle of the invention and including such departures from the present disclosure as come within the known or customary practice in the art to which the invention pertains and as maybe applied to the central features hereinbefore set forth, and fall within the scope of the invention and the limits of the appended claims.
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An anti-jacking pile solution particularly suited for use in permafrost or cold regions. The pile includes bond breaking material for preventing frozen soil from directly gripping a pile near the surface of the soil and pulling the pile upward. A collar is attached to the pile to prevent damage and/or displacement of the bond breaking material during driving of the pile. The pile may be attached to a building by way of an adjustable connection system allowing for future adjustments in the event of vertical movement.
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RELATED APPLICATIONS
This application claims priority from U.S. provisional application number 60/100,863, filed on Sep. 17, 1998, incorporated herein by reference.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a novel method and system that uses intelligent agent for decision making, for example, during tactical aerial defensive warfare, or other real-time decision making processes.
PRIOR ART
Presently, intelligent agent functions are available in different areas, mostly related to desktop/office system functionality—e.g., automatic spelling correctors, automatic email address selectors, etc.—Presently, there is no tactical intelligent agent for decision making in the area of air combat. Further, the intelligent agents that are present in other areas do not collaborate among themselves either in a homogeneous (i.e., among intelligent agents of the same type) or heterogeneous (i.e., among intelligent agents of different types operating in a common problem space) environment.
Further, the intelligent agents that are present in other areas do not collaborate with human users. Existing intelligent agents either act in an isolated fashion, or get directions from the user and follow these directions. Such intelligent agents collect and process information from the “environment” and report back to the user. None of the existing intelligent agents accept real-time corrections to the “environment” (as it perceives it) from the user (either in delayed or in real-time fashion).
In addition, no intelligent agent today takes into consideration such factors as mental and physical state of a human user, including user degree of fatigue, stress, etc.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In the described AWACS Trainer Software (ATS), which is one exemplary application of the present invention, there is a tactical intelligent agent for decision making in the area of air combat. Other situations may also be used with the present invention as described below in more detail. The agent is tactical because it considers not only immediate certainties and near certainties (e.g., if a hostile fighter is not shot at it will shoot at us) but also longer-term possibilities (e.g., if the bulk of our fighters are committed early, they may not be available should an enemy strike force appear in the future). The agent is intelligent because it exhibits autonomous behavior and engages in human-like decision process. The agent assists in decision making in the area of air combat because the agent gives explicit advice to human AWACS Weapons Directors (WD) whose job it is to coordinate air combat. The agent is also capable of making independent decisions in the area of air combat, replacing a human WD.
The described ATS employs groups of collaborating intelligent agents for decision making. The agents are collaborating because not every agent has all the information regarding the problem at hand, and because global decisions are made that affect all agents and humans, on the basis of agents exchanging, debating and discussing information, and then making overall decisions. Thus for instance, agents assisting individual WDs exchange threat information and then coordinate their recommendations, such as what fighters to commit to what enemy assets, without resource collisions. That is, an agent A will not recommend to its WD A to borrow a fighter pair P from another WD (WD B) while WD B's agent (agent B) recommends to WD B to use the same fighter pair P to target another threat.
The described ATS supports collaboration among (a heterogeneous set of) intelligent agents and a combination of (a heterogeneous set of) intelligent agents and humans. The set of agents is heterogeneous because it includes role-playing agents (e.g., an agent that plays a WD) and adviser agents (e.g., an agent that recommends a particular fighter allocation to a WD) (as well as other agents). The set of humans is heterogeneous because it includes WDs and Senior WDs (different roles, a.k.a. SDs). Agents and humans collaborate because agents and humans jointly perform air combat tasks.
Existing intelligent agents get directions from the user and follow these directions. They collect and process information from the “environment” and report back to the user. None of the existing intelligent agents accept real-time corrections to the “environment” (as it perceives it) from the user (either in delayed or in real-time fashion).
The described ATS provides a feedback loop between an intelligent agent and a user. Agents and users (humans or other agents) exchange information throughout ATS running. As changes occur (e.g., new planes appear), agents and users exchange this information and agents, naturally adjust (as do the users). For instance, as a pair of fighters becomes available, an agent may recommend to the human WD how to assign this pair. WD's reaction results in the agent learning what happened and possibly how to (better) advise the WD in the future. In particular, the agent may also change its perception of the environment. For instance, a repeated rejection of a particular type of agent recommendation may result in the agent re-prioritizing objects and actions it perceives.
The described ATS provides intelligent agents representing multiple users (e.g., impersonating or assisting WDs, SDs, instructors). These agents collaborate, as already illustrated. However, the agents do not all perceive the environment the same way. For instance, an agent representing WD A may only be able to probe the status of the planes WD A controls. An agent representing another WD B may only be able to probe the status of the planes controlled by WD B. An agent representing an SD is able to probe the status of a plane controlled by any WD that reports to the SD. A strike WD may command a stealth bomber which does not show on AWACS radar, and thus even its position and movement are not visible to the other WDs.
The described ATS intelligent agents learn over time by accumulating knowledge about user' behavior, habits and psychological profiles. An agent may observe that a WD it advises tends to always accept recommendations to target advancing enemy with CAP'ed (engaged in Combat Air Patrol assignment) fighters but never with fighters on their way to tank (even though the agent may consider these fighters adequately fueled and otherwise ready for another dog-fight). The agent may then over time learn not to recommend the WD assign fighters on their way to tank to other tasks.
The described ATS intelligent agent may observe that a WD tends to press mouse buttons more times than it needed, to accept a recommendation. This conclusion may lead the agent to believe that a WD is overly stressed out and tired. The agent may then recommend to the SD's advising agent to recommend that SD consider rotating this WD out. Perhaps as a compromise, the two agents and the two humans (the WD and the SD) may then decide that the best course of action is for the WD to continue for a while but that no fighters be borrowed for other tasks from this WD, and that after the next air combat engagement, the WD be rotated out anyway.
Since multiple intelligent agents and humans may be involved in the ATS decision making process, it is not surprising that they may differ in opinion as to what constitutes the best course of action. The reasons for the differences include the following: non-uniform availability of information (e.g., a particular agent may be privy to detailed information on the planes that belong to its WD only), strategy preferences (e.g., a particular WD may be very risk-averse compared to others), and one group's considerations vs. another group's considerations (e.g., a WD (and its agent) may not wish to loose a pair of fighters; on the other hand, from the point of view of the entire WD team, it may be acceptable to send that same pair of fighters to divert enemy air defenses (at a great risk to themselves)away from a strike package). Given the differences in opinion, the ATS agents exchange opinions and debate options, among themselves and with humans. Standard resolution protocols may be used to ensure that an overall decision is reached after a final amount of such exchanges. Examples include standard neural networks, standard ether net collission resolution, standard packet collision resolution, standard two-phase commit in databases, and other standard negotiating techniques. Also, in an operational or training setting, the SD (or other human in charge) can ultimately force a decision, even in disagreement with agents (or humans).
According to one embodiment of the invention, an intelligent object oriented agent system, a computer implemented or user assisted method of decision making in at least one situation. The method includes the step of configuring at least one tactical agent implemented by at least one tactical agent object that includes a plurality of resources corresponding to immediate certainties, near certainties, and longer-term possibilities characterizing the at least one situation. The method also includes the steps of processing the at least one situation using the at least one tactical agent, and implementing the decision making, by at least one user or independently by at least one intelligent agent, responsive to the processing step.
A computer readable tangible medium stores instructions for implementing the user assisted or computer implemented method of decision making, which instructions are executable by a computer.
In another embodiment of the present invention, an intelligent agent system implements, a computer implemented or user assisted method of decision making in at least one aerial combat situation. The functions of the system include configuring, using a computer, at least one tactical agent that includes data corresponding to immediate certainties, near certainties, and longer-term possibilities characterizing the at least one aerial combat situation. The functions also include processing, using the computer, the at least one aerial combat situation using the at least one tactical agent, and implementing the decision making, by at least one user or independently by at least one intelligent agent, responsive to said processing step.
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 description and should not be regarded as limiting.
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.
Further, the purpose of the foregoing abstract is to enable the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and the public generally, and especially the scientists, engineers and practitioners in the art who are not familiar with patent or legal terms or phraseology, to determine quickly from a cursory inspection the nature and essence of the technical disclosure of the application. The abstract is neither intended to define the invention of the application, which is measured by the claims, nor is it intended to be limiting as to the scope of the invention in any way.
These together with other objects of the invention, along with the various features of novelty which characterize the invention, are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this disclosure. For a better understanding of the invention, its operating advantages and the specific objects attained by its uses, reference should be had to the accompanying drawings and descriptive matter in which there is illustrated preferred embodiments of the invention.
SUMMARY OF CLAIMS
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The detailed description includes preferred embodiments of the invention, together with advantages and features, by way of example with reference to the following drawings.
FIG. 1 is an overview of the system, showing important components.
FIG. 2 shows the simulation cycle of the simulator.
FIG. 3 shows the object model employed in the preferred embodiment.
FIG. 4 shows a representation of the Resource class objects.
FIG. 5 shows a representation of the MovingResource class objects.
FIG. 6 shows the process of destroying a MovingResource class object.
FIG. 7 shows the simulation tick processing of a MovingResource class object.
FIG. 8 shows the process of directing a MovingResource class object to obtain fuel at a specified fueling point.
FIG. 9 shows the process of fuel verification for a MovingResource class object.
FIG. 10 shows the process of determination and attack of targets of opportunity by a MovingResource class object.
FIG. 11 shows order processing by a MovingResource class object.
FIG. 12 shows order processing by a MovingResource class object for a Combat Air Patrol (CAP) class of orders.
FIG. 13 shows order processing by a MovingResource class object for a TANK class of orders.
FIG. 14 shows order processing by a MovingResource class object for a Return to Base (RTB) class of orders.
FIG. 15 shows order processing by a MovingResource class object for a GO (going straight) class of orders.
FIG. 16 shows order processing by a MovingResource class object for a TARGET class of orders.
FIG. 17 shows order processing by a MovingResource class object for a JOIN class of orders.
FIG. 18 shows a representation of the Plane class objects.
FIG. 19 shows a representation of the Fighter class objects.
FIG. 20 shows the process of determination of the ability of a fighter to handle a specific enemy resource.
FIG. 21 shows the process of a fighter attack of an enemy resource.
FIG. 22 shows the process of determination of the ability of a group of fighters to handle a specific enemy resource.
FIG. 23 shows the process of a group of fighters attack of an enemy resource.
FIG. 24 shows the process of splitting a resource from a group.
FIG. 25 shows the process of joining a resource to a group.
FIG. 26 shows a representation of the Director class objects.
FIG. 27 shows processing of a simulation tick by a Director class object.
FIG. 28 shows processing of recommendations from the intelligent agent or a human user by a Director class object.
FIG. 29 shows the process of transferring resources between weapons director by a senior director.
FIG. 30 shows a representation for the Recommendation class objects.
FIG. 31 shows the simulation tick processing by the intelligent agent.
FIG. 32 shows the process of building the intelligent agent view of the world.
FIG. 33 shows the process of the intelligent agent making recommendations for weapons directors.
FIG. 34 shows the process of recalling committed resources from target that no longer need to be handled.
FIG. 35 shows the process of generating recommendation for a single weapons director or a team of weapons directors.
FIG. 36 shows the process of generating team recommendations.
FIG. 37 shows the process of committing resources.
FIG. 38 shows the process of committing a specific pair of handler/handled resources.
FIG. 39 shows the process of generating a list of available resources from a weapons directory.
FIG. 40 shows the process of committing a resource.
FIG. 41 shows the process of de-committing (termed “uncommitting”) a resource.
FIG. 42 shows a general layout of the user interface.
FIG. 43 shows user interface control buttons.
FIG. 44 shows a sample resource display in the primary graphical display area.
FIG. 45 shows a sample intelligent agent recommendation display in the primary graphical display area.
FIG. 46 shows possible user actions in the primary graphical display area and their resulting effects these actions elicit.
FIG. 47 shows a sample display of detailed resource information in the primary graphical display area.
FIG. 48 shows a sample display of detailed intelligent agent recommendation information.
FIG. 49 shows possible configurations.
FIG. 50 shows a user feedback loop implementation for correction of the intelligent agent resource information.
FIG. 51 shows a user feedback loop implementation for adding information about an unidentified resource.
FIG. 52 shows a sample changed resource representation resulting from a user feedback action.
FIG. 53 shows the paths of propagation of new information among users and intelligent agents.
FIG. 54 shows the process of evaluating actions of the weapons directors.
FIG. 55 shows a data structure for accumulation of user behavioral information.
NOTATIONS AND NOMENCLATURE
The detailed descriptions which follow may be presented in terms of program procedures executed on a computer or network of computers. These procedural descriptions and representations are the means used by those skilled in the art to most effectively convey the substance of their work to others skilled in the art.
A procedure is here, and generally, conceived to be a self-consistent sequence of steps leading to a desired result. These steps are those requiring physical manipulations of physical quantities. Usually, though not necessarily, these quantities take the form of electrical or magnetic signals capable of being stored, transferred, combined, compared and otherwise manipulated. It proves convenient at times, principally for reasons of common usage, to refer to these signals as bits, values, elements, symbols, characters, terms, numbers, or the like. It should be noted, however, that all of these and similar terms are to be associated with the appropriate physical quantities and are merely convenient labels applied to these quantities.
Further, the manipulations performed are often referred to in terms, such as adding or comparing, which are commonly associated with mental operations performed by a human operator. No such capability of a human operator is necessary, or desirable in most cases, in any of the operations described herein which form part of the present invention; the operations are machine operations. Useful machines for performing the operation of the present invention include general purpose digital computers or similar devices.
The present invention also relates to apparatus for performing these operations. This apparatus may be specially constructed for the required purpose or it may comprise a general purpose computer as selectively activated or reconfigured by a computer program stored in the computer. The procedures presented herein are not inherently related to a particular computer or other apparatus. Various general purpose machines may be used with programs written in accordance with the teachings herein, or it may prove more convenient to construct more specialized apparatus to perform the required method steps. The required structure for a variety of these machines will appear from the description given.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Glossary
The following terminology is used throughout the patent embodiment:
Tick—a single iteration of the simulation cycle.
Agent—a program which automates one or more user actions or provides real-time advice to one or more users.
Weapons director—a person in charge of a group of planes. A weapons director can give orders to plane pilots and receive reports from them.
Senior director—a person in charge of a group of weapons directors. A senior director can give orders to weapons directors, receive reports from them, and may even decide to take over the resources of a particular weapons director and act in that weapons director's stead.
Weapons directory—a collection of resources a weapons director is responsible for managing.
CAP—combat air patrol.
CAP area—are patrolled by a CAP.
RTB—return to base.
TANK—refuel at a tanker.
BASIC EMBODIMENT
Overview
FIG. 1 presents an overview of the usage. Three users are present: weapons director 1 (WD 1 ) 0101 , weapons director 3 (WD 3 ) 0102 , and senior director 0103 . Weapons director 1 is using the intelligent agent 0104 . Weapons director 3 is acting without the involvement of an agent. Senior director is using the agent 6006 . The simulation 0107 contains a number of weapons directories. Weapons director 1 is responsible for resources 0108 in the weapons directory 1 , weapons director 3 is responsible for resources 0110 in the weapons directory 3 . Weapons directory 2 is responsible for resources 0109 contained therein which is also present does not have a corresponding user or weapons director; weapons directory 2 is automated solely by the intelligent agent 0105 . The enemy weapons directory (E) 60111 -? is also automated via intelligent agent 0106 .
Weapons director 1 , in the course of the simulation, gets advice from the intelligent agent 0104 , which is monitoring the events as they occur and providing advice in the form of recommendations to the weapons director 1 in real-time. Weapons director 1 may or may not follow direction(s). At each tick of the simulation, a set of all the recommendations from the agent 0104 is presented to weapons director 1 , and weapons director 1 may accept or ignore the presented recommendations. Accepting or ignoring recommendations from the agent, does not prevent weapons director 1 from entering his own orders to the resources this weapons director is responsible for managing. Should an order be entered by weapons director 1 , it becomes known to the intelligent agent helping this weapons director. On the other hand, weapons director 3 is making decisions on his own, without the assistance of the intelligent agent. Of course, weapons director 3 may alternatively have an associated intelligent agent.
It should be noted that three users are shown only as an example. An arbitrary number of weapons directors can be supported. Moreover, an arbitrary hierarchy (of command) can also be supported, including strict hierarchies (for each user, at most a single superior with an arbitrary number of subordinates) or multi-hierarchies, meaning an arbitrary number of superiors on the same level of authority that must negotiate with each other (each with an arbitrary number of subordinates) for each user.
Simulation
The simulation is driven by a standard simulator object. The simulator object is responsible for issuing time ticks, maintaining the lists of simulated resources, and invoking the objects comprising representations of simulated resources at every tick (iteration through the simulation cycle) of the simulation to allow these objects to simulate the activities of the resources they represent.
FIG. 2 describes the simulation cycle. Prior to entering the simulation cycle, the simulator initializes the simulation tick number to 0 at 0201 . The simulator then enters the simulation cycle, performing the following sequential, non-sequencial or sequence independent steps. The simulator invokes the agent tick processing 0202 . The simulator invokes the senior director tick processing 0203 . The enemy weapons directory tick processing is invoked 0204 . The simulation waits for the specified period of time (or tick size) to provide verisimilitude to the simulation 0205 . Upon expiration of the wait period, the simulator increments the tick number 0206 and repeats the simulation cycle at 0202 .
Object Model
FIG. 3 describes the object model. The base class of the object model is NamedObject 0301 . A NamedObject is an object with a name, represented by a String. The Resource class 0302 derives from a NamedObject and is the class used to represent the common properties of resources. Specific classes deriving from the Resource class are Base 0303 , representing an air-base, and SAM 325 , representing a SAM battery. A MovingResource class 0304 derives from the Resource class and embodies the common properties of all moving resources.
The Group class 0305 represents a group of moving resources and derives from the MovingResource class. The Plane class 0306 also derives from the MovingResource class and embodies the properties common for all airplanes. The classes Fighter 0307 , Bomber 0310 , Jammer 0311 , and Recon 0312 are subclasses of the Plane class and represents properties common for the corresponding types of airplanes. Specific models of fighters included in this definition include, for example, F15 0313 , F16 0314 , MIG21 0315 , and MIG23 0315 . Persons skilled in the art will understand that specific airplane model classes represent a subset of all the possible existing airplane models selected for the purposes of this embodiment, but this embodiment is in no way limited by this selection. Similarly, two specific types of reconnaissance aircraft are included: AWACS 0317 and RJ 0318 . Other subclasses of NamedObject include Recommendation 0308 , representing a recommendation from the agent, and Order 0309 , serving as a superclass for the specific orders that can be given to aircraft pilots: TARGET 0319 , RTB 0320 (return to base), GO 0321 , TANK 0322 , JOIN 0323 (a group of resources), and SPLIT 0324 (from a group). Other classes derived from the NamedObject are Director 0326 (weapons director), WeaponsDir 0327 (weapons directory), Senior 0328 (senior director), and Agent 0329 .
For the purposes of this embodiment, the object model is restricted to aircraft and ground bases and SAM batteries. Other objects can be included in an object model, yielding a more complete real-life resource coverage, such as ships, submarines, satellites, ground vehicles, and human troops. In addition, objects from other areas of application, such as manufacturing and industrial automation (robots, tooling stations, parts, consumables, etc.), telecommunications (network nodes, packets, routers, etc.), energy (power plants, power lines, concentrators, energy flows, etc.), and others may be used in the present invention.
Resource
FIG. 4 shows the representation of a resource class. Each resource has a name, which is used as a resource identifier and as a search argument while maintaining lists of resources in weapons directories. Each resource has a set of coordinates, which is a triplet of floating point numbers, the first representing the position of the resource along the X axle, the second representing the position of the resource along the Y axle, and the third representing the resource altitude. Any number of dimensions or axles may also be used. For ground resources, the third value in the triplet is always 0. Each resource has an integer allegiance value, indicating whether it is our resource (value of 1), enemy resource (value of 2), or unknown (value of 0). Other values may also be used for some or different indicator and/or meaning.
Each resource that belongs to a group of resources, has a reference, RG, to a group to which it belongs. This reference is null if the resource is not a part of a group. Each resource has a reference, WD, to a weapons directory to which it belongs. An enemy resource may have a reference, directorHandling, to a weapons director who is responsible for handling it. If a resource has been given an order, a resource includes a reference, and orders to the Order object.
If a resource is being considered by the Agent resource assignment algorithm, the resource includes a reference, and candidates to a Vector of candidate resources.—if this is our resource, this vector is a list of potential enemy resources to handle, if this is an enemy resource, this vector is a list of our resources that can potentially handle this enemy resource. If a resource has been committed to handling or being handled (depending on its allegiance), the resource includes a committedTo reference to the resource it is handling or to the resource that is handling it.
Each resource has a number of Boolean values which are used by the resource allocation and assignment algorithms to indicate resource status, including:
mustBeHandled—(an enemy) resource must be handled (by us), however, the time of the handling has not yet been determined
critical—resource must be handled immediately, delaying handling of this enemy resource may be detrimental to the fulfillment of our tactical or strategic goals
beingHandled—(an enemy) resource is being handled
committed—resource is committed to handling, i.e., if this is our resource, a target has been assigned for it, if this is an enemy resource, it has been targeted
pending—resource is pending commitment
recall—resource no longer needs to be handled
Although for the purposes of this embodiment only three resource allegiance values are considered—“ours”, “enemy”, and “unknown”—persons skilled in the art will understand that other types of resource allegiance are possible, such as “neutral”, “medical”, “civilian”, “diplomat”, “UN”, “ally”, and others applicable to the specific application context.
Depending on a particular application, other attributes may be included that would better define the Resource class to the needs of a particular field.
The simulation tick processing by a resource consists of or includes two steps: The “pending” indicator is turned off for this resource. If the “order” reference of the resource is not null (indicating that the resource has an order to perform), the order is processed by this resource.
The described object model is specific to the context of air combat. However, a person skilled in the art will realize that the object model may be augmented or replaced with another object model, e.g., with Navy ships, airplanes, carriers, submarines, etc., with satellites, with ground troupes, trains, tanks, etc., or with objects totally unrelated to military users—e.g., network packets, ground transportation fleet (e.g., taxis and/or trucks), details on a conveyor belt, and so on. Various different types of resource objects may also be used.
Moving Resource
The moving resource (MovingResource) class inherits from the Resource class, and adds the information that differentiates a moving resource from a stationary one. FIG. 5 shows the representation of the MovingResource class. Each moving resource has a maximum velocity (MaxV), cruising velocity (CruiseV), minimum velocity (MinV), and cruising altitude (CruiseZ). In addition, each moving resource has a value of fuel consumption at cruising velocity and altitude (fuelConsumption), a maximum amount of fuel a moving resource can carry (maxFuel), and the actual remaining amount of fuel (fuelRemaining). Each moving resource includes a previous set of coordinates (XYP), which is the value of the resource coordinate triplet from the previous simulation tick or time interval. Retaining the previous coordinates value permits the Agent to determine the resource movement direction and velocity at every tick of the simulation. Each moving resource may be assigned to a particular base, and it may include a reference (base) to a base this moving resource is assigned to. Each moving resource includes a number of additional Boolean indicators:
Destroyed—is set if this moving resource is destroyed,
AtBase—is set if this moving resource has landed at a base,
GettingFuel—is set if this moving resource is in process of getting fuel from a tanker
As a result of a resource engagement (e.g., when an attack of a resource is performed), a moving resource may be destroyed. FIG. 6 describes the process of destroying a moving resource. The uncommit process is invoked for this moving resource 0601 to ensure that any active or pending commitments are cleared. Then, the “destroyed” indicator is set for this moving resource 0602 . If this moving resource belongs to a group 0603 , the moving resource is removed from its group's list of resources 0604 . If the group to which this moving resource belonged has no more entries in its resource list 0605 , the group is also destroyed 0606 . To complete the process, the moving resource is removed from its weapons directory 0607 .
FIG. 7 shows the processing at each tick of the simulation by each moving resource. If the “destroyed” indicator of the moving resource is set 0701 , indicating that this moving resource has been destroyed, nothing further is done and processing is terminated. The simulation tick processing of the MovingResource superclass (i.e., Resource) is then invoked 0702 . If this moving resource is indeed a single resource and not a group of moving resources 0703 , the moving resource's “fuelRemaining” value is decreased by this moving resource's fuel consumption for the duration of the tick of the simulation at the current moving resource's velocity and altitude 0711 . Then, the attack of available targets of opportunity is performed by this moving resource 0712 . The remaining amount of fuel “fuelRemaining” of this moving resource is verified, and if a need to obtain additional fuel for this moving resource is determined, the appropriate fueling point is determined 0713 .
If a fueling point has been determined for this moving resource 0714 , indicating that the moving resource's “fuelRemaining” amount of remaining fuel is approaching its low mark, this moving resource is directed to get fuel at the previously determined fueling point 0715 . If this moving resource is actually a group of moving resources 0703 , the list of moving resources comprising this group of moving resources is obtained 0704 .
While there are unprocessed moving resources in the previously obtained list of moving resources comprising this group of moving resources 0705 , for each moving resource in the list, the following processing is performed. The moving resource's current coordinates “XYZ” are set to be the same as the coordinates “XYZ” of the group of moving resources to which this moving resource belongs 0706 . The moving resource's previous coordinates “XYP” are set to the previous coordinates “XYP” of the group of moving resources to which this moving resource belongs 0707 . Then, the moving resource's “fuelRemaining” value is decreased by this moving resource's fuel consumption for the duration of the tick of the simulation at the current moving resource's velocity and altitude 0708 . If this group of moving resources has a null or empty list of moving resources comprising this group of moving resources 0709 , this group of moving resources is destroyed 0710 , otherwise steps 0712 - 0715 are performed for this group of moving resources.
FIG. 8 describes the process of directing a moving resource to obtain fuel at a specified fueling point. If the specified fueling point is a base 0801 , a Return-to-Base (RTB) order is constructed for this moving resource, specifying this base as the base to return to 0802 . Otherwise, if the fueling point is not a base 0801 , it is a tanker, and a TANK order is constructed for this moving resource, specifying this tanker as the fueling point 0803 . The moving resource's “order” reference is then set to the previously constructed RTB or TANK order 0804 .
FIG. 9 describes the process of fuel verification for a moving resource. First, the fueling point is initialized to null 0901 . If this moving resource is indeed a single moving resource and not a group of moving resources 0902 , the amount of fuel required for this moving resource to reach its assigned base at maximum velocity is computed 0910 . If travel to this moving resource's assigned base would deplete the amount of fuel of this resource to be equal to or less than the minimum amount of fuel tolerable for this resource 0911 , the fueling point is set to the resource's assigned base 0912 . The resulting fueling point (null or non-null) is then returned to the invoker of this method. If this moving resource is actually a group of moving resources 0902 , the list of moving resources comprising this group of moving resources is obtained 0903 .
While there are unprocessed moving resources in the list of moving resources comprising this group of moving resources 0904 , for each moving resource in the list, the following processing is performed. Steps 0910 - 0912 are invoked recursively for this moving resource 0905 . If a non-null value has been returned 0906 , if this fueling point is closer to this moving resource than the fueling point returned by the previous recursive invocation 0908 , the fueling point is set to be the fueling point returned by the previous recursive invocation 0909 . Upon completion of the iterations through the list of moving resources comprising this resource group, the fueling point value (null or non-null) is returned to the invoker of this method.
FIG. 10 describes the process of determination and attack of targets of opportunity by a moving resource. If this moving resource is not a fighter or a group of fighters 1001 , this resource cannot attack targets of opportunity and processing is terminated immediately. If this moving resource's “Allegiance” value is “enemy” 1002 , a list of potential targets of opportunity is allocated 1003 , and the list of our weapons directories is obtained from the simulator 1004 . While there are unprocessed weapons directories in the list of our weapons directories obtained from the simulator 1005 , our weapons directories' contents are added to the list of potential targets of opportunity 1006 . If this moving resource's “Allegiance” value is “ours” 1003 , the list of potential targets of opportunity is set to be the same as the enemy weapons directory 1007 .
The previously built list of potential targets of opportunity is then considered 1008 . While there are unprocessed entries in the previously built list of potential targets of opportunity 1009 , for each entry in the list the following processing is performed. If the potential target of opportunity moving resource's “destroyed” indicator is set 1010 , meaning that the potential target of opportunity has already been destroyed, this potential target of opportunity is ignored. If the potential target of opportunity moving resource's “atBase” indicator is set 1011 , meaning that the potential target of opportunity is a plane landed at a base, the potential target of opportunity is ignored. The distance between this moving resource and the potential target of opportunity moving resources is then determined 1012 . If the potential target of opportunity moving resource is within the attack range of this moving resource 1013 , this is indeed a target of opportunity, and the attack of the target of opportunity is performed by this moving resource 1014 .
FIG. 11 describes order processing by a moving resource. If the “order” reference of a moving resource is null 1101 , this moving resource does not have an order to perform and processing is terminated. Otherwise, depending on the order pointed to by the “order” reference of this moving resource, appropriate order execution is performed. The moving resource's previous coordinates “XYP” are set to the values of its current coordinates “XYZ” 1102 . If the “order” reference points at a GO order 1103 , order GO is executed by this moving resource 1104 . If the “order” reference points at a TARGET order 1105 , order TARGET is executed by this moving resource 1106 . If the “order” reference points at a SPLIT order 1107 , order SPLIT is executed by this moving resource 1108 . If the “order” reference points at a JOIN order 1109 , order JOIN is executed by this moving resource 1110 . If the “order” reference points at a RTB order 1111 , order RTB is executed by this moving resource 1112 . If the “order” reference points at a TANK order 1113 , order TANK is executed by this moving resource 1114 . If the “order” reference points at a CAP order 1115 , order CAP is executed by this moving resource 1116 .
FIG. 12 describes the process of execution of order CAP (Combat Air Patrol) by a moving resource. The list of enemy planes or groups of planes is obtained from the simulator 1201 . The CLOSEST reference is set to the first enemy plane or group of planes in the previously obtained list of enemy planes or groups of planes 1202 . While there are unprocessed enemy planes or groups of planes in the previously obtained list of enemy planes or groups of planes 1203 , for each enemy plane or group of planes, if this enemy plane or group of planes is closer to this moving resource than the CLOSEST enemy plane or group of planes 1204 , the CLOSEST reference is reset to this enemy plane or group of planes 1205 . Once the CLOSEST enemy plane or group of planes is determined, if this CLOSEST enemy plane or group of planes is outside the visibility range of this moving resource 1206 , the moving resource continues to fly its CAP pattern 1207 (e.g., circle along the CAP perimeter). Otherwise, if the CLOSEST enemy plane or group of planes is visible to this moving resource 1206 , the following processing is performed by the moving resource. A report is presented to the weapons director responsible for managing this moving resource conveying the intent of this moving resource to attack the CLOSEST enemy plane or group of planes 1208 . A TARGET order is built, specifying the CLOSEST enemy plane or group of planes as the target 1209 . This moving resource is committed to the CLOSEST enemy plane or group of planes 1210 . The “order” reference of this moving resource is set to the previously built TARGET order 1211 .
FIG. 13 describes the process of execution of order TANK by a moving resource. If this moving resource is already fueling 1301 , and if fueling has not been completed by this moving resource at this time 1302 , fueling will continue, and nothing further is done. If fueling has been completed by this moving resource at this time 3802 , the tanker from which fueling is being performed is informed that fueling has been completed 1306 , a report is set to the weapons director responsible for managing this moving resource, informing this weapons director that fueling of this moving resource has been completed 1307 , the “completed” indicator is set in the TANK order this moving resource has completed execution 1308 , and the amount of fuel for this moving resource is set to the maximum for this type of moving resource 1309 . If this moving resource has not yet commenced fueling 1301 , if this moving resource has not yet reached the tanker prescribed by the TANK order this moving resource is executing 1303 , the moving resource will move for a duration of a tick of the simulation towards the prescribed tanker on the interception course 1304 . If this moving resource has reached the prescribed tanker 1303 , the tanker is informed that fueling of this moving resource is commencing 1305 .
FIG. 14 describes the process of execution of order RTB (Return-to-Base) by a moving resource. If a base has been specified by the RTB order 1401 , the BASE reference is set to the base specified by the RTB order this moving resource is executing 1402 , otherwise, the BASE reference is set to the default assigned base for this moving resource 1403 . If this moving resource has not yet reached the BASE 1404 , the moving resource will travel for the duration of a tick of the simulation towards the BASE along the most direct route 1405 . Otherwise, the “atBase” indicator of the moving resource is set to indicate that the moving resource has landed at a base 1406 , and the “completed” indicator of the RTB order this moving resource is executing is set to indicate completion of the RTB order execution 1407 .
FIG. 15 describes the process of execution of order GO by a moving resource. The next set of coordinates this moving resource would reach after travelling for the duration of a tick of the simulation towards the set of coordinates indicated by the GO order this moving resource is executing is computed 1501 . If the previously computed set of coordinates would place this moving resource beyond the set of coordinates indicated by the GO order this moving resource is executing 1502 , set the next set of coordinates for this moving resource to the set of coordinates indicated by the GO order this moving resource is executing 1503 to prevent overshooting the target position, otherwise, set the set of coordinates for this moving resource to the previously determined set of coordinates 1504 . If the destination indicated by the GO order this moving resource is executing has been reached by this moving resource 1505 , the “completed” indicator of the GO order this moving resource is execution is set 1506 to indicate completion of the order GO execution by this moving resource.
FIG. 16 describes the process of execution of order TARGET by a moving resource. If this moving resource does not have the “committed” indicator set 1601 , the “completed” indicator is set in the TARGET order for this moving resource 1605 to indicate TARGET order execution completion, and report completion of the TARGET order to the weapons director responsible for managing this moving resource 1606 . If the target moving resource specified by the TARGET order this moving resource is executing has its “destroyed” indicator set 1602 , meaning that the target moving resource specified by the TARGET order this moving resource is executing has been destroyed, the process performs the uncommit process for this moving resource from the target moving resource specified by the TARGET order 1604 and proceed to step 1605 . Otherwise, if this moving resource has no weapons 1603 , and therefore cannot perform the TARGET order, the process performs the uncommit process for this moving resource from the target moving resource specified by the TARGET order 1604 and proceeds to step 1605 .
If this moving resource possesses weapons and the target moving resource prescribed by the TARGET order this moving resource is executing has not yet been destroyed, the remainder of the processing is performed. If this moving resource is actually a group of fighters 1608 , the number of planes in the target enemy formation is determined 1609 and the number of fighters equal to the previously determined number of enemy planes is selected from within this group 1610 . The distance is then determined between this moving resource and the enemy moving resource indicated by the TARGET order 1611 . If the enemy moving resource is not yet within the attack distance of the selected fighters 1612 , this moving resource will move towards the enemy moving resource prescribed by the TARGET order on the interception course for the duration of a tick of the simulation 1620 .
Otherwise, if the enemy moving resource is within the attack distance of the selected fighters 1612 , the “completed” indicator is set in the TARGET order 1613 to indicate that the TARGET order execution is being completed by this moving resource. The previously determined list of one or more fighters is now considered 1614 . While there are unprocessed fighters in the previously determined list 1615 , for each of the fighters in the list, the following processing is performed. The attack of the enemy moving resource by the selected fighter is carried out 1616 . The report of the attack outcome is presented to the weapons director responsible for managing this moving resource 1617 . If the standing order of this moving resource was order CAP 1618 , the “order” reference of this moving resource is set to the standing order CAP 1619 .
FIG. 17 describes the process of execution of order JOIN by a moving resource. The group of resources to be joined by this moving resource is retrieved from the simulator's list of resources 1701 . If the group of resources to be joined was not obtained 1702 , the “completed” indicator of the JOIN order executed by this moving resource is set 1704 to indicate completion of the JOIN order execution, and a report to the weapons director responsible for managing this moving resource is made, informing the weapons director that JOIN order execution is not possible 1709 . Otherwise, if the group of resources to be joined has been obtained from the simulator resource list 4301 , and if the group's “destroyed” indicator is set 1703 , meaning that this group of resources has been destroyed, steps 1704 and 1709 are executed. Otherwise, if the group of resources to be joined, prescribed by the order JOIN, is indeed available for joining, and if the group of resources to be joined is in a different location from this moving resource 1705 , the moving resource will travel for the duration of a tick of the simulation on the interception course towards the group of resources to be joined that is prescribed by the order JOIN 1706 . If this moving resource has reached the group of resources prescribed by the order JOIN 1705 , the moving resource joins the group of resources it reached 1707 , and the “completed” indicator is set in the order JOIN this moving resource is executing 1708 to indicate completion of the JOIN order.
Plane
The Plane class inherits from the MovingResource class, and adds the information pertinent to planes, in addition to that generally used for all moving resources. FIG. 18 shows the representation of the Plane class. Each plane has a ceiling, or a maximum possible flying altitude (MaxZ), and a maximum possible travel range (MaxL). In addition, each plane has additional logical indicators:
Hit—the plane has been hit by a missile, from a gun, etc.
MechanicalProblem—the plane has developed a mechanical problem
Fighter
The Fighter class inherits from the Plane class, and adds the information pertinent to fighter planes. FIG. 19 shows the representation of the Fighter class. Each fighter has a reference to a list of weapons it possesses (weapons). In addition, each fighter plane contains the counter of the number of attacks it has performed, which, in conjunction with the fighter flight time, may be used to compute the degree of fatigue the fighter pilot is subject to.
Before a fighter is committed to attacking a particular enemy resource, it is necessary to determine whether this fighter possesses the ability to successfully complete the attack of this specific enemy resource. FIG. 20 describes the process of determining the ability of a fighter to successfully attack a specific enemy resource. First, the strength values of this fighter and the enemy resource under consideration are obtained 2001 , 2002 . If the strength value of this fighter is smaller than the strength value of the enemy resource under consideration 2003 , the attack will not succeed, and processing is terminated with the indication that the fighter is not deemed capable of successfully attacking this enemy resource 2007 . Otherwise, an attempt is made to determine coordinates for the point where this fighter can intercept the enemy resource under consideration 2004 , assuming the maximum possible velocity of this fighter and projected velocity of the enemy resource under consideration.
If the interception point has not been successfully determined 2005 , meaning that interception of this enemy resource by this fighter is not possible, processing is terminated with the indication that the fighter is not deemed capable of successfully attacking this enemy resource 2007 . Otherwise, if the interception point has been successfully determined, fuel verification is performed to ascertain the ability of this fighter to reach the previously determined interception point at maximum velocity and then successfully reach a base or a tanker for refueling 2006 . If it is determined that this fighter does not have sufficient fuel for the travel to the interception point at maximum velocity and subsequent travel to a base or a tanker, processing is terminated with the indication that the fighter is not deemed capable of successfully attacking this enemy resource 2007 . Otherwise, if this fighter has enough fuel for the required travel, processing is completed with the indication that this fighter is deemed capable of successfully attacking this enemy resource 2008 .
FIG. 21 describes the process of an attack being performed by a fighter. First, the counter attacks performed by this fighter is incremented 2101 . Then, a check of fighter's weapons is performed 2102 . If this fighter has no weapons, attack is impossible and processing is terminated. If this fighter has weapons, processing continues. If the target of this fighter's attack is a group of resources, rather than a single resource 2103 , a specific single resource is selected from the list of resources of the group being attacked 2104 . Then the specified weapon is launched at the selected target resource 2105 , and the selected target resource is destroyed 2106 .
While the above process assumes an unconditional success for a fighter attack of an enemy resource, other attack outcome derivation schemes are possible, e.g., a probabilistic one, where a success probability is assigned to all or particular types of attacks, and attacks are only successful with that probability. A more elaborate scheme is possible, where the attack outcome is also dependent on geometry and relative positions and speeds of the resources that are engaged. Furthermore, it is possible to have manual determination of an attack outcome, performed by a particular user. In a real-life air combat situation, the attack outcome will become known to the agent from its information gathering sources (e.g., a radar device), or by manual entry of attack outcome by a surveillance operator or another user.
Group
The Group class inherits from a MovingResource and includes a list of MovingResource objects that comprise a group.
Before a group is committed to attacking a particular enemy resource or a group of enemy resources, it is necessary to determine whether this group possesses the ability to successfully complete the attack of this specific enemy resource or a group of enemy resources. FIG. 22 describes the process of determining the ability of a group to successfully attack a particular enemy resource or a group of enemy resources. First, a determination is made of whether the enemy resource is a single resource or a group of enemy resources 2201 . If the enemy resource is actually a group of enemy resources, the number of resources in the enemy group is obtained 2202 . If the enemy group has more resources than this group, 2203 , processing is terminated with the indication that this group is deemed incapable of successfully attacking the specified enemy group. Otherwise, the strength of this group is determined 2204 , followed by determining the strength of the enemy resource or group of enemy resources 2205 . If the strength of this group is less than the strength of the enemy resource or group of enemy resources 2206 , processing is terminated with the indication that this group is deemed incapable of successfully attacking the specified enemy resource or a group of enemy resources. Otherwise, an attempt is made to determine the coordinates of the points where this group can intercept the enemy resource or a group of enemy resources 2207 , assuming the maximum possible velocity of this group and the projected velocity of the enemy resource or a group of enemy resources.
If the interception point coordinates have not been successfully determined 2208 , meaning that the interception is impossible, e.g., because the enemy resource or a group of enemy resources is travelling too fast, processing is terminated with the indication that this group is deemed incapable of successfully attacking the specified enemy resource or a group of enemy resources. If the interception point coordinates have been successfully determined, the amount of fuel this group, based on a single fighter within this group, would require to reach the previously determined interception point at the group's maximum velocity and then safely reach a base or a tanker for refueling is determined 2209 . If the previously determined amount of required fuel is greater than the actual amount of fuel possessed by any fighter in this group 2210 , processing is terminated with the indication that this group is deemed incapable of successfully attacking the specified enemy resource or a group of enemy resources. Otherwise, if this group possesses a sufficient amount of fuel for interception at maximum velocity and subsequent travel to base or a tanker for refueling, processing is terminated with the indication that this group is deemed capable of successfully attacking the specified enemy resource or a group of enemy resources.
FIG. 23 describes the process of a group attacking an enemy resource or a group of enemy resources. First, a determination is performed of whether the target enemy resource is a single resource or a group of resources 2301 . If the target enemy resource is a group of resources, the list of enemy resources is obtained from the target enemy group 2302 . While there are unprocessed enemy resources in the list of resources obtained from the target enemy group 2303 , for each enemy resource in this list, a fighter is selected from our group to attack this enemy resource 2304 . The list of fighters in our group is then obtained 2305 . While there are unprocessed fighters in our group 2306 , for each fighter in our group, the following is performed. If this fighter has a designated enemy resource for attack 2307 , the attack of this designated enemy resource by this fighter is performed 2309 .
If the target enemy resource is a single resource, rather than a group of resources 2301 , a single fighter is selected from this group for attacking the target enemy resource 2309 , and the attack of the target enemy resource by the selected fighter from this group is performed 2310 .
It may sometimes be necessary to split a particular resource from the group this resource belongs to, or to add a particular single resource to a specific group. FIG. 24 shows the process of splitting a resource from its group. The specified resource is first removed from its group's list of resources 2401 . The specified resource “order” reference is then set to a new order this resource must now perform 2402 . The resource “group” reference is set to null 2403 , indicating that this resource is no longer a part of any group or resources. This is followed by adding a reference to this resource to the weapons directory to which the group of resources previously containing this resource belongs 2404 . If the group from which the specified resource was removed now has no more resources left and its resource list is empty 2405 , the reference to this group of resources is removed from its weapons directory 2406 , from the agent's view of the world table 2407 , and from the simulator's resource list 2408 , thus effectively making this group of resources cease to exist.
FIG. 25 shows the process ofjoining a particular resource to a group of resources. First, the reference to this specified resource is removed from the resource's weapons directory 2501 . If this resource is indeed a single resource and not a group of resources 2502 , the resource's “group” reference is set to point at the group of resources this resource is joining 2503 , the resource's “order” reference is set to be the same as the “order” reference of the group of resources this resource is joining 2504 , and a reference to this resource is added to the list of resources comprising the group of resources this resource is joining 2505 . Otherwise, if this resource is actually a group of resources (GROUPJ) 2502 , the GROUPJ list of resources is obtained 2506 , and while the GROUPJ list of resources has unprocessed resources 2507 , for each resource in the GROUPJ resource list, the resource from GROUPJ list of resources is joined to the resource group the specified resource is joining 2508 , by a recursive invocation of steps 2501 - 2505 and 2509 . The resource or group of resources that has just joined the specified group of resources is then removed from the agent view of the world table 2509 .
Weapons Director
The Director class embodies the properties of a weapons director. FIG. 26 shows the representation of a weapons director by the Director class. Each weapons director may have a “Lane”, or an area of air space this weapons director is responsible for protecting. A weapons director may have a list “CAPs” of combat air patrol (CAP) zones, where it is desirable for this weapons director to assign patrolling groups of fighters. Each weapons director has a weapons directory “WD”, containing the list of resources this weapons director is responsible for managing. Each weapons director has a “Level”, represented by an integer number, and has one of the following values, depending on the responsibility level of this weapons director:
0—unknown
1—novice
2—journeyman
3—expert
4—master
Each weapons director has an “Allegiance” integer value, indicating whether this weapons director is ours, enemy, or unknown. Each weapons director representation contains a reference “SENIOR” to the senior director this weapons director reports to. A weapons director may have a list of enemy resources this weapons director is responsible for handling. In addition, each weapons director has a “Human” indicator, which is set to the “true” logical value if this weapons director object is representing a weapons director operating in manual mode, meaning that a human user is present and performing a role of this weapons director, as opposed to this weapons director actions being determined by the agent. During each tick of the simulation, each weapons director for which the agent is active may have a list of “Recommendations”, containing the current set of recommendations from the agent for this weapons director. In addition, the “RecommendationsFromHuman” list may be present, which contains any manuallyentered recommendation/order pairs from a human user acting for this weapons director. If the agent is enabled for this weapons director, the agent may inform this director of any events the agent considers of interest to this weapons director by adding these events' textual descriptions to the “Events” list of the weapons director object. In addition, the “Rationale” list contains textual explanations of the recommendations by the agent to this weapons director.
FIG. 27 describes the processing performed by the weapons director object at each tick of the simulation. The tick-related events vector is initialized 2701 . If this weapons director is managed by a human user 2702 , orders from the human user (if any) are processed 2704 . Otherwise, if this weapons director is not managed by a human user 2702 , recommendations from an agent automating the behavior of this weapons director are processed 2703 . Then the simulation tick processing of the weapons directory associated with this weapons director is invoked 2705 . To complete the process, the list of enemy resources this weapons director must handle is cleared 2706 .
FIG. 28 describes processing of recommendations from a human user or the automating agent by a weapons director. First, the list of recommendations to this weapons director from human user or automating agent is obtained 2801 . If this list is empty 2802 , processing is terminated. Otherwise, if recommendations are present in this list, while there are unprocessed recommendations in this list 2802 , for each recommendation, the following processing is performed.
If this recommendation has “recommendAfterTransfer” indicator set 2803 , the weapons director requests its senior director to permit and accomplish the transfer of the resource specified by the recommendation from the weapons director presently responsible for managing that resource to this weapons director 2804 . If the senior director has not approved and performed the resource transfer 2805 , this recommendation is ignored. Otherwise, a check of the “destroyed” indicator of the resource prescribed by this recommendation is performed 2806 to ensure that this resource is still available. If the resource prescribed by this recommendation has been destroyed, the recommendation is ignored. Otherwise, if the resource prescribed by this recommendation has “committed” indicator set 2807 , the uncommit process is performed for this resource 2808 . If the order associated with this recommendation is TARGET 2809 , the resource prescribed by this recommendation is committed to the enemy resource specified by the TARGET order associated with this recommendation 2810 . The order associated with this recommendation is then given to the resource prescribed by this recommendation by setting the “order” reference of this resource to the order associated with this recommendation 2811 .
Senior Director
The Senior class embodies the senior director to whom weapons directors report. Senior class objects contain a list of weapons directors reporting to this senior director. The senior director may be asked to approve and perform transfer of resources from one weapons director to another. FIG. 29 describes the process performed by the senior director to determine whether the resource transfer should be approved and to accomplish an approved resource transfer. The senior director confirms the eligibility of the specified resource for transfer by performing a series of checks. The senior director first verifies that the resource for which the transfer is requested does not already belong to the weapons director requesting the resource transfer 2901 . If the resource for which the transfer is requested already belongs to the weapons director requesting the transfer, the senior director terminates processing with the indication that the resource transfer is rejected. The senior director then checks whether the resource for which the transfer is being requested has its “destroyed” indicator set 2902 . If so, the senior director terminates processing with the indication that the resource transfer is rejected.
Then, the senior director checks whether the resource for which the transfer is being requested is presently in the process of getting fuel 2903 . If so, the senior director terminates processing with the indication that the resource transfer is rejected. The senior director then checks whether the resource for which the transfer is being requested has its “committed” indicator set 2904 . If so, the resource for which the transfer is being requested is otherwise engaged and not eligible for transfer, and the senior director terminates processing with the indication that the resource transfer is rejected. If the resource for which the transfer is being requested has a non-null “group” reference, meaning that the resource for which the transfer is being requested belongs to a group of resources, the senior director terminates processing with the indication that the resource transfer is rejected.
If the resource for which the transfer is being requested has a non-null “order” reference, meaning that this resource was given an order and is executing it, and if the order to which the “order” reference of the resource for which the transfer is being requested is a CAP order 2906 , the resource is important for defending the position of the weapons director presently responsible for managing this resource, and the senior director terminates processing with the indication that the resource transfer is rejected. Otherwise, the senior director enacts the resource transfer. The resource for which the transfer is being requested is removed from its weapons directory 2906 and added to the weapons director of the weapons director requesting the resource transfer 2907 , then the senior director terminates processing with the indication that the resource transfer has been approved and performed.
Recommendation
The Recommendation class embodies the recommendations passed by the agent to the weapons directors it automates, to the human users who act for particular weapons directors, and by the human users acting for particular weapons directors to the weapons directors they act for (to elicit actions or give orders to the resources they manage). FIG. 30 describes the representation of a Recommendation class object.
Each recommendation has a unique identified string “name”. Each recommendation has a reference “towhom” to the weapons director object for which the recommendation is intended.
Each recommendation contains a list of resources “R” managed by the weapons director this recommendation is intended for that are affected by this recommendation. Associated with a recommendation is “order”, the actual Order class or subclass object this recommendation prescribes to the resources in its list of affected resources. Each recommendation also contains a verbal description string “desc”. In addition, each recommendation has the following logical indicators:
“accepted”—indicating that a recommendation has been accepted by a weapons director and will be followed
“transfer”—indicating that this recommendation is only valid after the specified affected resource(s) is/are transferred from some other weapons director to the weapons director for whom this recommendation is intended, and after a permission for this transfer is given by the senior director.
Order
Each of the specific order classes (TARGET, RTB, GO, TANK, JOIN, and SPLIT) is a container for order-specific information appropriate to its order type. So, order TARGET includes the reference to the resource to be targeted, order RTB includes either a reference to the base towards which to proceed or a null base reference, indicating return to the default assigned base, order GO includes a set of destination coordinates, order TANK includes a reference to a specific tanker, order JOIN includes a reference to a group of resources to join, and order SPLIT includes no additional information (it is assumed that after a resource is split from a group, it will be provided a specific order to perform).
Agent
The overview of the agent resource allocation algorithm is as follows. For each director, the agent determines the list of enemy resources that must be handled, and for each resource determines its strength, speed, and time available for handling. The agent then builds a list of available resources, and for each available resource determines its strength, speed, pilot fatigue factor, and remaining flight time. Then, for each enemy resource, the agent builds a list of candidates for handling (i.e., our resources that could dispatch this enemy resource). Then, the agent processes the list of our resources and determines handlers for each enemy resource (starting with the shortest candidate list), and if a handler is not available, the agent adds the corresponding enemy resource to the list of resources to be handled by the team. Then resource commitment is performed, and recommendations are generated for each director. Subsequent to that, for each enemy resource which has been labeled “team responsibility”, the same processing is repeated, but this time without regard to responsibilities and resources of specific weapons directors, and then the commitment process is performed again and team recommendations are generated (note that team recommendations involve transfer of resources between weapons directors and required approval by the senior weapons director in order to be enacted). A more detailed description of the above is provided hereafter.
FIG. 31 describes processing performed by the agent at each tick of the simulation. The clients are informed that the tick has occurred 3101 . The events and rationale vectors, containing textual descriptions of events at every tick of the simulation that are of interest to the weapons directors, and the textual rationale for agent recommendations, respectively, are allocated 3102 , 3103 , and the agent view of the world table is built 3104 . The agent view of the world table is the representation of the simulated resources as seen by the agent; the agent view of the world may differ from reality with respect to recognition of some resources. In the described embodiment, it is assumed that all the resources are known to the agent. However, in an alternate embodiment, it is possible that the agent may not receive the resource information directly from the simulator, but be instead required to recognize the objects it observes based on their observable characteristics and behavior. In another alternate embodiment, the agent may be receiving the world information not from the simulator, but from a real-time device (e.g., radar), observing real-world (not simulated) objects. Any resources that are currently committed to targets that no longer need to be handled are recalled 3105 and recommendations are generated for weapons directors 3106 which will tell weapons directors what, in the opinion of the agent, is their best course of action for the current tick in order to best accomplish their strategic and tactical goals. In the described embodiment the goals are to prevent enemy from destroying our planes or attacking our bases. In an alternate embodiment, the goal may something else, e.g. to optimize the attack by our bombers of a ground enemy target.
FIG. 32 describes the process of building the agent view of the world table at each tick. The agent obtains a list of enemy resources from the simulator 3201 , and while there are enemy resources in the list 3202 , for each enemy resource in the list, the following consideration is performed by the agent. If the enemy resource has been destroyed 3203 , it is ignored. If the enemy resource is already being handled by one of our weapons directors' planes 3204 it is ignored. If the enemy resource is new 3205 (i.e., it just appeared and did not exist in the agent's view of the world during the previous tick of the simulation), an event is entered into the events vector 3206 , indicating appearance of a new enemy resource to the weapons director(s). Since the movement of the new resource is yet unknown, handling of the resource is postponed until the next tick of the simulation and the resource is temporarily ignored.
Then, movement of each resource is projected and reviewed for potential intersection with the air space of each weapons director as follows. The list of weapons directors is obtained from the senior director 3207 . While there are more unprocessed weapons directors in the obtained weapons directors list 3208 , for each weapons director, the following is performed. The agent checks whether the projected trajectory of the enemy resource under consideration by the agent will intersect the air space of this weapons director 3209 , and if so, the agent determines the intersection point coordinates and the estimated time of intersection 3210 . If the enemy resource is already in the weapons director's air space 3211 , the enemy resource object is added to the list of enemy resources this director must handle 3212 . The enemy resource is then marked as “beingHandled” 3213 .
FIG. 33 describes at the high level the processing of the agent for generating recommendations for weapons directors. At each tick of the simulation, a vector of enemy resources to be handled jointly by the team of weapons directors (rather than by a specific weapons director) is allocated and initialized to an empty vector 3301 . The agent then obtains the list of weapons directors from the senior director 3302 . While there are more unprocessed weapons directors in the previously obtained weapons directors list 3303 , for each weapons director in the list, the agent performs the following. The agent generates recommendations for this weapons director 3304 . Any enemy resources which need to be handled, but handling of which could not be recommended by the agent due to insufficient or incapable resources of this weapons director, is added to the previously allocated vector of resources to be handled jointly by the team of weapons directors 3305 . Upon completion of the weapons directors list traversal, the agent generates recommendations for the team of weapons directors against the accumulated list of enemy resources which are a team responsibility 3306 .
FIG. 34 describes the process of recalling committed resources from targets that no longer need to be attacked. The agent considers its view of the world table 3401 . While there are unprocessed entries in the agent view of the world table 3402 , for each entry in the view of the world table, the agent performs the following. If the enemy resource represented by this table entry is marked “recalled” 3403 (e.g., for some reason, it was previously determined that this enemy resource no longer poses a threat, and it was decided to free up any of our resources that were committed to handling this enemy resource), the uncommit process is performed for this enemy resource 3404 . While the commit process is a process of establishing a mapping of a pair of two resources, where one resource is the enemy and another resource is ours, assigned to destroy the aforementioned enemy resource, the uncommit process is the opposite—destroying the representation of a previously established commitment mapping thus freeing up committed resources for consideration by the agent.
FIG. 35 describes generation of recommendations by the agent for a single weapons director or team of directors. First, any unprocessed recommendations for a weapons director or a group of weapons directors that are pending, are discarded 3501 , since they originate from the previous tick and may no longer be valid. If this process has been invoked to generate recommendations for a team of weapons directors 3502 , the list of our available fighter groups (AVAIL) is built from the fighter or fighter groups managed by all the weapons directors in the team 3503 . Otherwise, if making recommendations for a single weapons director 3502 , the AVAIL list is built from the resources this weapons director is responsible for managing 3504 . Then, agent builds a prioritized list of enemy resources which need to be handled (ENEMY) 3505 . The agent then ensures that our available resources (fighters or groups of fighters) in the AVAIL list have no candidates by clearing out their candidate lists.
The agent also considers the AVAIL list 0706 . While there are unprocessed entries in the AVAIL list 3507 , for each of our fighters or groups of fighters in the AVAIL list, the candidates list reference is set to null 3508 . The candidates are then determined from the list of available resources for handling of each of the enemy resources in the previously built prioritized list. The ENEMY list is then processed 3509 . While there are unprocessed entries in the ENEMY list 3510 , for each entry in the ENEMY list the agent performs the following. The enemy resource list of candidates is cleared to be empty 3511 . The agent then loops through the AVAIL list 3512 , and while there are unprocessed entries in the AVAIL list 3513 , for each entry in the avail list, if this AVAIL list entry is a fighter or a group of fighters, 3514 , the agent determines whether this fighter or group of fighters is capable of handling this enemy resource 3515 . If this fighter or group of fighters from the AVAIL list is capable of handling this enemy resource, this fighter or group of fighters is added to the enemy resource list of candidates 3516 , and the enemy resource is added to our fighter or group of fighters list of candidates 3517 .
The selection of candidates for each of enemy resources in the previously built prioritized ENEMY list is performed as follows. The agent loops though the ENEMY list 3518 . While there are unprocessed entries in the ENEMY list 3519 , for each enemy resource, the agent determines whether the ENEMY resource candidates list is empty 3520 . If there are entries in the ENEMY list, the first element from the enemy resource candidate list is temporarily considered to be the selected candidate for handling this enemy resource. While there are more candidates in the enemy resource candidates list 3522 , for each candidate determine whether it is a better choice for handling this enemy resource than the currently selected candidate 3523 , and if so, this entry from the enemy resource list of candidates is considered to be the selected candidate for handling this enemy resource 3524 . Then the resource commitment for the selected candidate and the enemy resource under consideration is performed 3525 . If, however, the enemy resource candidates list was empty 3520 , the enemy resource is added to the list of enemy resources that were not handled by this process 3526 .
FIG. 36 describes the details of the process of generation of team recommendations by the agent (i.e., recommendations for handling of the enemy resources that cannot be handled by a single weapons director due to shortage, unavailability, or insufficient strength of resources managed by that director, and which are considered to be the responsibility of the whole weapons directors' team). In the previous processing, the agent has determined the list of resources which it considers to be weapons directors team responsibility. The agent now considers this list 3601 . While there are unprocessed enemy resources in the list 3602 , for each of the enemy resources in the list, the agent performs the following. First, critical resources (i.e. those handling of which may not be delayed until the next simulation tick, and ignoring which would result and forfeiture of some or all of the tactical or strategic goals) are selected from the list of resources that are team responsibility.
If the enemy resource is a bomber 3603 , the agent determines whether this enemy bomber can reach any of our bases or other stationary ground protected objects for attack during the time period equivalent to the duration of the tick of the simulation 3605 . If the enemy bomber can attack our base by the next tick of the simulation, the agent considers this bomber, for example, a critical resource. Otherwise, even if this enemy bomber cannot perform its attack of our resources at the next tick of the simulation, but delaying its handling will place this enemy bomber in the position where none of our fighters can handle this bomber (e.g., the bomber will be too far or travelling too fast to intercept in time before it can attack our protected ground resources), this enemy bomber is still considered critical by the agent. “Critical” in this context means “must be handled immediately”.
Of course, other definitions of critical may be used in the present invention. If the enemy bomber has not been determined to be critical, it is removed from the list of enemy resources that are the responsibility of the weapons directors' team 3609 . Similarly, if the enemy resource under consideration is a fighter or a group of fighters 3604 , a determination of its criticality is made based on whether this enemy fighter or group of fighters can get within weapon attack range of any of our planes 3607 , or whether if handling of this enemy fighter or group of fighters is postponed until the next tick, this enemy fighter or group of fighters will be in a position where it cannot be handled 3608 . If this enemy fighter or group of fighters is not deemed to be critical by the agent, it is removed from the list of enemy resources which are the responsibility of the weapons directors' team 3609 .
Once the whole list of enemy resources that are considered to be the responsibility of the weapons directors' team is processed, it only contains critical resources that must be handled immediately. The agent then considers the list of critical enemy resources 3610 . While there are unprocessed critical enemy resources 3611 , for each critical enemy resource, the agent performs the following. The agent attempts to generate a recommendation for the team of weapons directors for handling this critical enemy resource 3612 . If the recommendation has not been generated successfully 3613 , the agent informs the weapons directors and the senior director about the unhandled critical enemy resource, indicating that outside help may be required to handle this enemy resource 3614 .
The process of resource commitment initiated by the agent is described in FIG. 37 . The agent first initiates commitment for resources with a single candidate—either our resources which can only handle a single enemy resource, or enemy resources which only a single resource on our side can handle. The single resource commitment is followed by multiple resource commitment, where the agent makes a choice of a resource to commit from the list of available resources containing more then one entry. The agent considers the list of available resources 3701 . While there are more unprocessed available resources in list 3702 , the agent performs the following. If our fighter or group of fighters has a single enemy candidate in its list of candidates 3703 , the agent commits this fighter or group of fighters to target the single enemy resource this fighter or group of fighters has in its candidates list 3704 .
The agent then clears the enemy resource candidates list 3705 and the candidates list of our fighter or group of fighters for which commitment was performed 3706 . The agent then considers the list of enemy resources 3707 . While there are unprocessed enemy resources in the list of enemy resources 0808 , the agent performs the following processing. If the enemy resource has a single candidate for handling it in its candidates list 3709 , the agent retrieves the candidates list of our resource which is the candidate for this enemy resource 3710 , and if this enemy resource is the first (i.e., the most important) entry in the candidates list of our resource 3711 , the agent commits our resource to handling this enemy resource 3712 . This is followed by clearing the enemy resource candidates list 3713 and the candidates list of our resource that was committed to handling this enemy resource 3714 .
If any commitments were performed in the above steps 3701 - 3714 in step 3715 , the agent repeats these steps 3716 to attempt more single resource commitments. Once an iteration with no single resource commitment performed takes place, the agent goes on to perform multiple resource commitments. The agent once again considers the list of enemy resources 3717 . While there are unprocessed enemy resources in the list of enemy resources 3718 , the agent performs the following for each enemy resource from the list. If this enemy resource has “beingHandled” indicator set 3719 , the agent ignores it, as this enemy resource needs no additional involvement on the part of the agent. If this enemy resource has no candidates for handling it (i.e., its candidates list is empty) 3720 , the agent ignores it. Otherwise, the agent retrieves this enemy resource's list of candidates 3721 and sets the reference WEAKESTANDCLOSEST to point at the first of our fighter or group of fighters in the enemy resource's candidates list 3722 .
While there are more unprocessed entries in this enemy resource's candidates list 3723 , for each of our fighters or group of fighters in this enemy resource's candidates list, the agent performs the following. If this fighter or group of fighters is weaker or closer than the previously determined WEAKESTANDCLOSEST fighter or group of fighters 3724 , the agent resets WEAKESTANDCLOSEST reference to the current entry from this enemy resource's candidates list 3725 . Upon completing the iteration through this enemy resource's candidates list, the agent checks whether the WEAKESTANDCLOSEST fighter or group of fighters has been determined 3726 —that is our fighter or group of fighters which will be handling this enemy resource, and the agent performs the commitment of our WEAKESTANDCLOSEST fighter or group of fighters to this enemy resource 3727 . Then the agent clears this enemy resource's list of candidates 3728 .
If any commitments were initiated by the agent in the above steps 3717 - 3728 in step 3729 , the agent repeats steps 3717 - 3728 to attempt more commitments 3730 . This is repeated until an iteration with no commitments performed occurs. At the last phase of this process, the agent allocates the list of unhandled enemy resources 3731 . The agent then again considers the list of enemy resources 3732 . While there are unprocessed enemy resources in the list of enemy resources 3733 , the agent performs the following for each enemy resource in the list of enemy resources. If this enemy resource does not have the “beinghandled” indicator set 3734 , the agent adds this resource to the previously allocated list of unhandled enemy resources 3735 . Upon completion of the processing, this method returns the list of unhandled enemy resources to its invoker 3736 .
The process of committing a pair of handled/handler resources is described in FIG. 38 . Prior to actual processing of recommendations by weapons directors, “commitment” means removal of resources from consideration for resource allocation until the next tick of the simulation. Other definitions for “commitment” may also be used as appropriate. The actual commitments of resources will be performed when weapons directors consider recommendations from the agent or issue orders. If this is a team commitment 3801 , the agent determines the weapons director owning our resource, for which commitment is being attempted 3802 , and the weapons director responsible for handling the enemy resource, for which commitment is being attempted 3803 . The agent then indicates that a transfer of our resource from its owner to the weapons director responsible for handling the enemy resource needs to be approved by the senior director in order to perform this commitment 3804 , sets our resource's “pending” indicator 3805 to indicate that a commitment is pending for this resource, builds a TARGET order for our resource to target the enemy resource for which the commitment is pending 3806 , and generates the recommendation to the weapons director responsible for handling the enemy resource, attaching the previously built TARGET order 3807 (e.g., recommends that a TARGET order be issued for our resource, assigning it to target the enemy resource).
If transfer of our resource from its present owner to the weapons director responsible for handling the enemy resource is required 3808 , the agent sets “recommendAfterTransfer” indicator in the previously built recommendation 3809 , additionally recommending that the weapons director responsible for handling the enemy resource obtain permission from the senior director to transfer our resource from its present owner. The agent then adds the generated recommendation to the recommendations list of the weapons director responsible for handling this enemy resource 3810 . The agent then removes our resource from the list of available resources 3811 , and the enemy resource from the list of enemy resources that should be handled 3812 . The agent then considers the list of available resources 3813 . While there are unprocessed available resources in the list of available resources 3814 , for each our available resource, the agent removes the enemy resource for which commitment was just performed from our available resource's candidates list 3815 . Then, the agent considers the list of enemy resources 3816 . While there are unprocessed enemy resources in the enemy resources list 3817 , for each enemy resource from the enemy resources list, the agent removes our previously committed resource from this enemy resource's candidates list 3818 .
FIG. 39 describes selection of available resources from a weapons directory and generation of the list of available resources. The agent allocates the list of available resources 3901 . The agent then obtains the list of all resources in the weapons directory of the weapons director associated with this agent 3902 . While there are unprocessed resources in the weapons directory resource list 3903 , for each resource from the weapons directory resource list, the agent performs the following processing. If the resource has its “committed” indicator set 3904 (e.g., the resource is already committed to handling some enemy resource and is therefore not available), the agent ignores this resource. If the resource has its “pendingCommitment” indicator set 3905 (e.g., the resource is awaiting commitment which is yet to occur and is therefore not available), the agent ignores this resource. If the resource has its “atBase” indicator set 3906 (e.g., the resource is landed at base and is therefore not available), the agent ignores this resource. If the resource is getting fuel 3907 (e.g., the resource is fueling from a tanker and is therefore not available), the agent ignores this resource. If the agent has not previously determined that this resource is not available and should be ignored, the agent adds this resource to the previously allocated list of available resources 3908 .
FIG. 40 shows the actual process of commitment of our resource for handling an enemy resource. The process starts with setting the commitment reference (committedTo) of our resource to the enemy resource 4001 . The “committed” indicator of our resource is then set 4002 to indicate that our resource is committed to handling an enemy resource. Then, the enemy resource “beingHandled” indicator is set 4003 to indicate that this enemy resource is being handled by us and that it should be excluded from future consideration by the resource assignment algorithm of the Agent. In addition, the “directorHandling” reference of the enemy resource is set to refer to the weapons director responsible for managing our resource which is committed to this enemy resource 4004 . Then the candidates vector of the enemy resource and of our resource are cleared 4005 , 4006 , and the “pendingCommitment” indicator of our resource is turned off 4007 , since the resource is now committed.
FIG. 41 shows the process of uncommiting a resource, i.e., the substantially opposite of the process of committing a resource, described in FIG. 40 . If the resource “allegiance” value is equals to “ours” 1301 , the resource's “committed” indicator is turned off 4102 , the resource's commitment reference “committedTo” is set to null 4103 , and the resources order reference “order” is set to null 4104 . Otherwise, if this is an enemy resource, the resource's “beingHandled” indicator is turned off 4105 and the resource's “recall” indicator is turned off 4106 . Then, if the resource's “directorHandling” reference is not null 4107 , the list of all the resources managed by the weapons director to which the “directorHandling” reference of this resource points is obtained 4108 . While there are unprocessed resources in the previously obtained list of resources managed by the weapons director pointed to by the “directorHandling” reference of the resource for which the uncommit processing is being performed 4109 , for each resource in the list, the following processing is performed. If the resource's “committedTo” reference is not null and points at the enemy resource being uncommitted 4110 , uncommit processing steps 4101 - 4104 are recursively invoked to uncommit our resource 4111 .
The agent algorithms described above have been tailored towards fighter attacks. Persons skilled in the art will understand that the same algorithm may be applied for bomber attacks or for other similar resource allocation needs. Additionally, it should be clear that boundary condition checks, such as, e.g., fuel or pilot fatigue (see below) verification, would result in the agent generating different types of recommendations, containing orders RTB (to return to base), TANK (to obtain more fuel), etc. Persons skilled in the art will also understand that the same algorithm may be applied in arbitrary applications, requiring resource allocation and involving human and agent participants. Among other possibilities, humans or agents may be recommended how to best manage a network, route telephone calls, manufacture a product from parts, and so on.
User Interface
The user interface embodies the means by which the users, in this case, weapons directors and the senior director, can interact with the program. Specifically, in this embodiment, the user interface performs the following functions:
present users with the information about events occurring in the simulation and actions performed by the airplane pilots
permit users (weapons director and the senior director) to issue orders to the pilots manning the resources which the weapons directors are responsible for managing
present recommendations from the agent to the weapons director allow users to control the speed of the simulation, restart the simulation, checkpoint the simulation state, or terminate the simulation
allow each user to activate or deactivate the user's agent
allow each user to log into the simulation or log out of the simulation
allow weapons directors to communicate with the weapons directors for the purposes of resource transfer between weapons directors
The user interface is an essential feature of the program, however, persons skilled in the art will understand that numerous alterations are possible with respect to the user interface, depending on the desired functionality of the program, the types of resources that are simulated, user preferences, etc. Persons skilled in the art will also understand that, although the preferred embodiment describes a windows-based graphical user interface, other types of interface are possible, such as non-graphical command-based user interface, character-mode (non-graphical) user interface, graphical user interface enhanced with sound, touch-screen graphical user interface, or virtual reality user interface.
FIG. 42 shows an overview of the graphical user interface. The graphical user interface is a window 4401 on a computer monitor screen 4206 , containing the following graphical elements: control panel 4207 , primary graphical display area 4202 , events display area 4203 , resource status display area 4204 , and an order entry/confirmation area 4205 .
The control panel contains buttons that permit users to control the simulation as well as weapons director logon and agent activation buttons. FIG. 43 shows the details of the control panel. The simulation control section of the control panel includes the simulation start/pause button 4301 , fast-forward button 4302 , rewind button 4303 , simulation state check-point button 4304 , and exit button 4305 . The user control section of the control panel contains a series of pairs of button, each pair corresponding to a single weapons director or a senior director. In the figure, there are four weapons directors (WD-WD 4 ) with the in/out button for each weapons director 4306 , 4308 , 4310 , 4312 , and a corresponding agent activation/deactivation button for each weapons director 4307 , 4309 , 4311 , 4313 , as well as the senior director button 4314 and the associated senior director agent button 4315 .
The primary graphical display area 4202 represents a map, with optional vertical and horizontal marks, showing the scale and locations of all of the simulated resources relative to the coordinate origin point. Each resource is represented by an appropriate symbol, corresponding to the type of resource, in the primary display area. FIG. 44 provides an example of resource display for one of our resources and one enemy resource. Our resource (in this case, a pair of F16 fighter planes) is represented by a blue symbol 4401 . The enemy resource (in this case, a MIG23 fighter plane) is represented by a red symbol 4406 . In general, color corresponds to resource allegiance (blue=ours, red=enemy, etc.). Each resource symbol is accompanied by a resource label 4402 , 4407 , showing the resource identifier, the identifier of the weapons director responsible for managing the resource, resource heading, altitude, and velocity. Depending on whether this information is known (i.e., for our resources), in addition to the resource label, a graphical histogram 4405 showing the amounts of fuel 4403 and ammunition 4404 possessed by the resource may also be shown.
In addition to presenting resource locations and status for observation by the users, the primary graphical display area is also used for presentation of agent recommendations and provides the ability for the users to accept or ignore agent recommendations. FIG. 45 shows a sample recommendation from the agent. The line from 2F16A to the MIG23 symbols 4501 indicates that the agent recommends that our resource 2F16A target the enemy resource MIG23. The agent face symbol 4502 is blinking to attract the user's attention. The user can ignore the recommendation (by doing nothing) or accept it by double clicking the left mouse button in the area of the agent face (in which case the recommendation line and agent face will disappear from the screen).
In addition, the primary graphical display area is also used by the users for issuing orders to resources. A weapons director may only issue orders to the resources this director is responsible for managing. An attempt to issue an order to a resource managed by another weapons director will be interpreted as a request for the permission by the senior director to transfer this resource to the weapons director attempting to issue the order and cause the senior director button to blink. If the weapons director attempting to issue an order is indeed intending to request the senior director to permit transfer of this resource, the weapons director can depress the blinking senior director button and the resource transfer request will be presented to the senior director. If, upon consideration of this request, the senior director decides to approve the resource transfer, the senior director button will stop blinking and assume the green color. If, on the other hand, the senior director decides to reject the resource transfer request, the senior director button will stop blinking and assume the red color.
FIG. 46 shows the actions that can be performed by the weapons director on the screen and how they translate into weapons directors' orders. All the orders are issued by clicking the left mouse button on a resource and dragging the mouse pointer to another resource or particular area on the screen. Should an ambiguity be detected by the program, e.g., should there be more than one resource at the mouse click or release after drag point, the order entry/confirmation area is activated, presenting a user with the exhaustive choice of particular orders the user action could be translated and permitting the user to select one.
The primary graphical display area also permits a user to examine a resource information in more detail than is provided by the default resource symbol and associated text. A click of the right mouse button when the mouse pointer points at a resource would result in a detailed display, showing all the essential known information about a resource. An example is shown in FIG. 47, where a detailed resource information display for 2F16A 4701 is shown, including the resource identifier “2F16A”, the weapons director responsible for managing this resource “WD 1 ”, the resource heading “( 128 , 17 )”, the resource altitude “ 3 ”, the resource velocity “ 97 ”, as well as a detailed description of the resource “GROUP OF 2 F16”, the order this resource is presently executing “TARGET MIG23”, the degree of pilot fatigue “ 17 ”, the amount of fuel remaining “ 284 ”, and the remaining weapons “ 2 AIM 7 , 4 AIM 9 ”.
Similarly, detailed recommendation information can also be elicited by the weapons director from the primary graphical display area. FIG. 48 shows an example of an agent recommendation presented to weapons director 1 (WD 1 ) 4801 and a corresponding detailed description of the agent recommendation 4802 , including the recommendation identifier “ 123456 ”, the source of the recommendation “A 1 ”, the intended recipient of the recommendation “WD 1 ) “, the description of the recommendation “2F16A→MIG23”, meaning “have 2F16A target MIG 23 ”, and the rationale for this recommendation. In this case, the rationale is that “2F16A is the closest and weakest of WD 1 fighters that can successfully attack MIG23”.
Possible Configurations
A number of possible configurations may exist for employing the described techniques. FIG. 49 describes some of them, however it will be understood by persons skilled in the art that a number of variations and combinations are possible. One possible configuration has a plurality of weapons directors and senior directors managing the weapons directors 4901 using a plurality of agents 4902 , connected to a simulation engine 4903 , and engaged in training, planning missions, etc. Another possible configuration includes a plurality of weapons directors and senior directors managing the weapons directors 4904 employ a plurality of agents 4905 , connected to a real-time data gathering engine 4906 (e.g., radar detector), and performing real-time operations involving command of real aircraft.
In another possible configuration, one plurality of weapons directors and senior directors managing the weapons directors D 1 4907 employs a plurality of agents of another type A 1 4909 , while another plurality of weapons directors and senior directors managing the weapons directors D 2 4908 employs a plurality of agents of one type A 2 4910 , all of them connected to either a simulation engine or a set of real-time data gathering devices 4911 . The agents included in groups A 1 and A 2 may be heterogeneous, i.e., of different types with respect to their implementation platforms (such as Microsoft Windows, UNIX, OS/400, OS/390, or a Java virtual machine), with respect to their implementation logic, with respect to their tactical goals (e.g., defensive vs. offensive combat), and with respect to other parameters, all communicating via a network (e.g., TCP/IP), and sharing information conforming to a single object model.
EMBODIMENT ENHANCEMENT 1—ENEMY RESOURCE RECOGNITION
In an enhanced embodiment, the agent is not provided any information about the type of enemy resources that are present or suddenly appear in the simulation. In a real-life military situation, when a resource is detected, it may not always be known what this resource's allegiance is—“ours”, “enemy”, “ally”, “neutral”, etc., nor what type of resources this is—fighter, bomber, civilian aircraft, etc. Actions of a resource may need to be observed over a particular time period, and certain conclusions may be drawn heuristically, based on these actions. Additionally, an attempt to contact an unknown resource via radio or optical signals, or even a fly-by of an unknown resource by our aircraft may be recommended by the agent or ordered by a weapons director to visually identify an unknown resource. If the agent is connected to the radar feed, the agent may also examine the radar screen patterns of unknown resources and attempt to combine the information it gains from the radar with any other known information to fathom the nature of unidentified resources.
The process of recognition of unknown resources would be performed as a part of building the agent view of the world table, described above. In the context of this process, each resource representation would be enhanced with the “identified” indicator, permanently set for our resources, and not set for any of the enemy resources that have not been identified. Upon successful identification of an enemy resource, the enemy resource's “identified” indicator is set.
EMBODIMENT ENHANCEMENT 2—USER FEEDBACK OR AUGMENTATION OF INFORMATION AND ITS PROPAGATION
A weapons director may also obtain information from sources not monitored by the agent, e.g., from conversations with other weapons directors or the senior director, from intelligence sources, or from radio transmissions. In this case, it would be advantageous for a weapons director to provide additional information to the agent so that the agent could incorporate this additional information in its decision making. For this purpose, user feedback/correction is permitted by the user interface, and corrected information is conveyed to the agent.
While a single left mouse button click on a resource symbol causes a detailed resource information displayed to be presented to a user, a double left mouse button click on a resource symbol causes an edit session to be opened, permitting the user to edit specific information about the resource. FIG. 50 shows such an edit session for our resource 2F16A 5001 , and the underlined fields are the ones the user can edit. Once editing is finished, the changed information will be adjusted in the resource representation in the simulator, and the modified resource representation will be known to the agent on the next tick of the simulation, when the agent examines resources and builds the view of the world resource table.
Similarly, information about an unidentified resource can be filled in by a user. An example of filling in information for an unidentified resource is shown in FIG. 51 . An unidentified resource symbol is shown in yellow color 5101 , yellow indicating unknown resource allegiance, and its associated label is “UI 7 ” 5102 , meaning the seventh unidentified resource. When a user edits the resource information, most of the field presented by the edit session would be blank 5103 , and the user can fill any information known. The filled information is shown in lower case italics in FIG. 51 . In the example shown in FIG. 51, the user has designated a resource identified “MIG23” for this unidentified resource, has indicated that this is an enemy resource by typing “e”, and specified the resource type as “MIG23 FIGHTER”. When this information is received by the simulator and propagated to the agent, the resource display will be as shown in FIG. 52, with the resource symbol drawn in red 5201 , indicating an enemy resource, and the resource identifier reset to “MIG23” 5202 .
When new information becomes available to a particular agent, that agent is responsible for informing agents of other weapons directors and the agent of the senior director about this new information. FIG. 53 shows a sample flow of propagation of new information. Weapons director 1 (WD 1 ) 5301 has obtained some new information and informed at 5302 its agent (A 1 ) 5303 . Agent A 1 is now responsible for conveying at 5305 this information to its counterpart agent A 2 5306 , for conveying at 5308 this information to the user interface of weapons director 3 (WD 3 ) 5307 , and for conveying at 5309 this information to the agent of the senior director (AS) 5310 . Senior director (AS) is, in turn, responsible for conveying at 5312 this information to the senior director 5311 . When new information is conveyed to an agent, that agent updates its view of the world table and, if this agent is advising a human user, the agent reflects this information at the user's graphical interface.
Persons skilled in the art will understand that even though the specific feedback/augmentation of agent information by the user shown above pertains to airplanes and resource identification, information for other resources (e.g., satellites, submarines, ships, cars, etc.) as well as about environment (e.g., road blocks, traffic jams, network disruption points, etc.) can be provided to the agent in a similar fashion, as pertinent to a particular application of this technique.
EMBODIMENT ENHANCEMENT 3—PILOT FATIGUE MEASUREMENTS
Pilots' degree of stress and resulting pilot fatigue are important when making decisions about plane assignments for various missions. There exists an empirically established degree of pilot fatigue, which, when reached, causes the airplane pilot to be considered incapable of safe operation of an airplane. However, long before the critical fatigue level is reached, the ability of a pilot to safely operate an airplane in critical and demanding circumstances may be impaired. Pilot fatigue is an important factor contributing to loss of airplanes in the combat environment, and thus becomes an important consideration for tactical decision making when allocating resources for defensive, offensive, or reconnaissance purposes.
For the purpose of measuring pilot fatigue, each Plane object is enhanced with an additional floating-point field—“fatigue”. This field is set to 0 every time a plane takes off from a base, under an assumption that the pilot is completely rested. The “fatigue” field value is incremented every tick of the simulation by the Plane class objects' tick of the simulation processing, and it grows proportional to the amount of time a Plane has been in the air. The “fatigue” value is additionally incremented in proportion when a plane is under attack, is performing an attack on an enemy target (air or ground), is performing a fly-by or reconnaissance, or is performing fueling in the air from a tanker. All of the previously enumerated factors increase the normal level of stress an airplane pilot is subject to, and therefore contribute to the increase of the pilot fatigue level.
When generating recommendations to the weapons directors, the agent will take pilot fatigue into consideration. So, the agent will detect the points when pilot fatigue reaches a critical level and may severely affect a pilot's performance, and recommend to the weapons director that the plane(s) manned by highly fatigued pilots be returned to base. Additionally, the agent will consider the pilot fatigue level when deciding which plane(s) to assign to specific tasks, e.g., when selecting a fighter to target an enemy plane, the agent may choose a resource that is slightly farther away from the enemy plane, but the pilot of which is less fatigued than the pilot of the closest of our fighters.
Pilot fatigue is a factor specific to the aircraft tactical decision making. Persons skilled in the art will understand that various applications of the techniques described herein may involve various types of measurements and factors, similar or different in their nature to what has been described, but applicable to different uses of these techniques. E.g., fatigue may also be applicable to drivers in a taxi or cargo car or truck fleet, albeit the factors contributing to the driver fatigue may be different from those for the fatigue of pilots, and different measurements may need to be taken to derive driver fatigue values. Furthermore, if an intelligent agent using this technique is produced for manned space devices, then other factors, such as, e.g., degree of solar radiation and current solar activity, duration of continuous exposure to weightlessness, the number of hours in over-oxygenated atmosphere, and specific biological measurements may be applicable in addition to or instead of the fatigue computations described above.
EMBODIMENT ENHANCEMENT 4—WEAPONS DIRECTORS AND TEAM PERFORMANCE MEASURES
One of the applications of the described program is training of weapons directors. For that purpose, it is essential to have a way of evaluating the results of weapons directors' actions. Different ways of evaluating weapons directors' actions are possible. The method described here ties the weapons directors' measurements with the attainment of tactical goals set for the weapons directors. E.g., the tactical goal is to defend air space and ground resources against an onslaught of enemy fighters and bombers, while preserving as many of our fighters as possible. It is possible to keep score of weapons directors activity by assigning values to our planes, our ground resources, and enemy planes, and then by computing the sum of values of destroyed enemy vs. our resources. For that purpose, each resource is enhanced with a “value” field, such as an integer, containing the value of that resource in the framework of the measurements.
Each weapons director (Director class) object representation is enhanced with two additional fields: “score” and “maxScore”. The “score” field is initially set to 0, and the “maxScore” field is initially set to the sum of the contents of the “value” field of all of the resources this weapons director is responsible for managing and protecting. Every time an enemy resource is added to the list of enemy resources for which a weapons director is responsible for handling, the “maxScore” field is increased by the value of the “value” field of that enemy plane. Every time an enemy resource is destroyed by our fighters, the weapons director's “score” field is increased by the contents of the “value” field of the destroyed enemy resource. Every time our resource reporting to or protected by this weapons director is destroyed, the weapons directors' “score” value is decreased by the contents of the value field of this resource. Every time a resource is transferred between weapons directors, the weapons directors'“maxScore” field contents is adjusted by the value of the transferred resource. As a result, upon completion of a training session, it is possible to compare a weapons director's “score” value against this weapons director's “maxs core” value and derive conclusions about this weapons director's performance.
FIG. 54 shows the mechanism for keeping weapons directors' scores when events occurs. An event occurs 5401 , and is evaluated as follows. If an enemy resource has been added to the weapons director list of resources this weapons director is responsible for handling 5402 , this weapons director's “maxScore” field is incremented by the “value” field of this enemy resource 5403 . If an enemy resource has been removed from a weapons director list of resources this weapons director is responsible for handling 5404 , and this weapons director's “maxScore” field is decremented by the “value” field of this enemy resource 5405 . If an enemy resource in the list of enemy resources this weapons director is responsible for handling has been destroyed 5406 , this weapons director's “score” field is incremented by the “value” field of the destroyed enemy resource 5407 .
If our resource reporting to or protected by this weapons director has been destroyed 5408 , this weapons director's “score” field is decremented by the “value” field of our destroyed resource 5409 . If our resource has been transferred from this weapons director to another weapons director 5410 , this weapons director's “maxScore” field is decremented by the “value” field of the transferred resource 5411 . If our resource has been transferred from another weapons director to this weapons director 5412 , this weapons director's “maxScore” field is incremented by the ” value” field of the transferred resource 5413 .
Similarly, the overall weapons directors' team effectiveness can be measured by a pair of score fields that would account for overall preservation of resources this team of weapons directors is responsible for protecting and for destruction of all enemy resources. To motivate the team spirit between weapons directors, additional “bonus” points may be awarded whenever a resource transfer between weapons directors has been successfully accomplished and has helped to attain the tactical goals.
EMBODIMENT ENHANCEMENT 5—HEURISTIC ESTABLISHMENT OF AGENT RECOMMENDATIONS CONSTRAINTS BASED ON USER BEHAVIOR PATTERNS
Over a period of time, the agent making recommendations to a particular user may observe that certain kinds of recommendations are consistently ignored by a user, while other kinds are consistently accepted. E.g. an agent may observe that a weapons director it advises tends to always accept recommendations to target advancing enemy with CAP'ed fighters but never with fighters on their way to tank (even though the agent may consider these fighters adequately fueled and otherwise ready for another dog-fight). The agent may over time learn not to generate the recommendations that are consistently ignored. In the previous example, the agent may learn not to recommend the weapons director to assign fighters on their way to tank to other tasks.
FIG. 55 shows a data structure that the agent can use to accumulate historical recommendation disposition information for a particular weapons director. The data structure is a table with the following types of columns: “Recommendation type”, “Accepted Count” (count of accepted recommendations), “Current resource order (acc.)” (the count of order types resources had at the time of recommendation acceptance), “Resource location (acc.)” (any specific information about locations of resources at the time of recommendation acceptance), “Not accepted count” (a.k.a. Ignored or Rejected count—the count of recommendations that were not accepted), and the corresponding “Current resource order (not acc.)” and “Resource location (not acc.)” columns for not accepted recommendations. The table rows represent different types of recommendations, in this case, based on the type of order a recommendation recommends—TARGET, RTB, TANK, JOIN, SPLIT, GO, CAP.
Every time a recommendation is accepted, the “accepted” count, corresponding to the order a recommendation prescribes is incremented, and the current (i.e., prior to recommendation acceptance) order of the resource for which the recommendation is being made and its location at the time of the recommendation issuance are noted. Every time a recommendation is not accepted, the “not accepted” count, corresponding to the order a recommendation prescribes is incremented, and the current (i.e., prior to recommendation acceptance) order of the resource for which the recommendation is being made and its location at the time of the recommendation issuance are noted. In the example in this figure, 17 TARGET recommendations were accepted by the weapons director, and 5 resource instances for which those recommendations were given were executing a CAP order of CAP 1 patrol area. 5 TARGET recommendations were not accepted by the weapons director, and 5 resource instances for which those recommendations were given were executing a CAP order of CAP 2 patrol area.
From this, the agent may note that the weapons director has no problems with removing resources from the CAP 1 patrol area for the purposes of targeting enemy resources, but does not agree with agent recommendations that would remove resources from the CAP 2 patrol area for the same purpose. The agent then may conclude that recommendations to remove resources from the CAP 2 patrol area for the purpose of targeting enemy resources should not be made. This conclusion would only be reached by the agent after the number of not accepted recommendations has exceeded a pre-determined (and user-customizable) threshold of not accepted recommendations relative to the accepted ones of the same type, and subject to patterns observed in the current resource orders and locations.
Other considerations may be noted by the agent for the purpose of heuristic determination of user behavior patterns, such as proximity of resources to the enemy, resource speeds and altitudes, pilot fatigue values of the resources, etc.
EMBODIMENT ENHANCEMENT 5—WARFARE AND OTHER PROBLEM DOMAINS
Throughout this document we have observed that persons skilled in the art will know that the ideas, technology and algorithms discussed can be applied in problem domains other than the one on which the basic embodiment focuses (namely, tactical aerial warfare). Specifically, persons skilled in the art will understand that the same ideas, technology and algorithms can be applied in all conceivable areas of warfare, including but not limited to air, space, sea, land, undersea and underland. Persons skilled in the art will also understand that the same can be used for all types of warfare, including but not limited to tactical, strategic, global, limited and regional, during all stages of warfare, including but not limited to planning, logistics, combat, cease-fire, negotiation and reporting, and for all and any combination of warfare participants, including but not limited to individual and teams of humans and agents acting on behalf of enlisted personnel, non-commissioned officers, officers, general officers, civilians, diplomats and observers. Persons skilled in the art will also understand that the same can be used in great many other problem domains, including but not limited to telecommunications, business and finance, energy, manufacturing, transportation, health care, network, Internet and WWW and consumer services.
GENERAL BACKGROUND REFERENCES, INCORPORATED HEREIN BY REFERENCE
Our examination of the literature has not produced what we would consider relevant prior art. To acquaint herself or himself with general background information on agents, however, a person not skilled in the art may find much information published books and articles, such as the following, all incorporated herein by reference.
Title: “Intelligent agent systems: theoretical and practical issues: based on a workshop held at PRICAI'96, Cairns, Australia, Aug. 26-30, 1996. /Lawrence Cavedon, Anand Rao, Wayne Wobcke (eds.).
Publisher/Date: New York: Springer, 1997.
Series (Searchable by title or keyword):
Lecture notes in computer science; 1209.
Lecture notes in computer science.
Lecture notes in artificial intelligence.
Series (Searchable only by keyword):
Lecture notes in computer science; 1209.
Lecture notes in artificial intelligence
Description: p. cm.
Subjects: Intelligent agents (Computer software)—Congresses.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references.
Other Authors/Contributors: Cavedon, Lawrence, 1964—Rao, Anand, 1962—Wobcke, Wayne, 1963—Pacific Rim International Conference
on Artificial Intelligence (4th: 1996: Cairns, Qld.)
ISBN: 3540626867 (softcover: alk. paper)
Primary Material: Book
Title: Agent technology: foundations, applications, and markets
/Nicholas R. Jennings, Michael J. Wooldridge (eds.).
Publisher/Date: Berlin; New York: Springer, c1998.
Description: viii, 325 p.: ill.; 24 cm.
Subjects: Intelligent agents (Computer software)
Notes: Includes bibliographical references.
Other Authors/Contributors: Jennings, Nick.
Wooldridge, Michael J., 1966—
ISBN: 3540635912 (alk. paper)
Title: Agent technology handbook/Dimitris N. Chorafas.
Author/Contributor: Chorafas, Dimitris N.
Publisher/Date: New York: McGraw-Hill, c1998.
Series (Searchable by title or keyword):
The McGraw-Hill series on computer communications
Description: xlvii, 382 p.: ill.; 24 cm.
Subjects: Intelligent agents (Computer software)—Handbooks, manuals, etc.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references, glossary and index.
ISBN: 0070119236 (acid-free paper)
Primary Material: Book
Title: Cooperative knowledge processing: the key technology for intelligent organizations/Stefan
Kirn and Greg O'Hare (eds.).
Publisher/Date: Berlin; New York: Springer, c1997.
Series (Searchable by title or keyword):
Computer supported cooperative work Description: xxv, 296 p.: ill.; 24 cm.
Subjects: Teams in the workplace—Data processing.
Information technology—Management.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references (p. 269-288) and indexes.
Other Authors/Contributors: Kirn, Stefan.
O'Hare, G. M. P. (Greg M. P.)
ISBN: 3540199519 (alk. paper)
Title: Developing intelligent agents for distributed systems: exploring architecture, technologies, and applications/Michael
Knapik, Jay Johnson.
Author/Contributor: Knapik, Michael.
Publisher/Date: United States McGraw-Hill 1998
Description: xix/389p
Contents: Sect. 1. Introduction—Sect. 2. From Artificial
Intelligence Comes Intelligent Agents—Sect. 3. Converging Technologies that Facilitate and Enable Agents—Sect. 4. Agent-Enabling Infrastructures—Sect. 5. Agent Architectures—Sect.
6. Agent-Design Considerations—Sect. 7. Developing Intelligent Agents Now—Sect. 8. Agent Applications—Sect. 9. Agent Futures.
ISBN: 0070350116:
Primary Material: Book
Title: Intelligent agents II: agent theories, architectures, and languages
IJCAI'95 Workshop (ATAL), Montréal, Canada, August 19-20, 1995: proceedings/M. Wooldrige, J. P.
Müiller, M. Tambe, (eds).
Author/Contributor: International Workshop on Agent Theories, Architectures, and Languages (2nd: 1995: Montréal, Quebec)
Publisher/Date: Berlin; New York: Springer, c1996.
Series (Searchable by title or keyword):
Lecture notes in computer science; 1037.
Lecture notes in computer science.
Lecture notes in artificial intelligence.
Series (Searchable only by keyword): Lecture notes in computer science; 1037.
Lecture notes in artificial intelligence
Description: xviii, 437 p.: ill.; 24 cm.
Subjects: Artificial intelligence-Data processing—Congresses. Computer architecture—Congresses.
Computational linguistics—Congresses.
Notes: Second International Workshop on Agent Theories, Architectures, and Languages, held in conjunction with the International Joint Conference on Artificial Intelligence. Includes bibliographical references and index.
Other Authors/Contributors: Wooldridge, Michael J., 1966—
Müiller, Jörg P., 1965—Tambe, Milind, 1965—
International Joint Conference on Artificial Intelligence ( 1995 : Montreal, Quebec)
ISBN: 3540608052 (softcover: alk. paper)
Primary Material: Book
Title: Distributed information systems in business/W.König . . . [et al.] eds.).
Publisher/Date: Berlin; New York: Springer-Verlag, c1996.
Description: vi, 302 p.: ill.; 24 cm.
Subjects: Business—Computer networks. Electronic data processing—Distributed processing.
Management information systems. Distributed artificial intelligence.
Contents: Managing Distributed Information Systems—Income/Star: Facing the Challenges for Cooperative
Information System Development Environments—A Business Process
Oriented Approach to Data Integration—Solving Decision Problems by Distributed
Decomposition and Delegation—Foundations of a
Theory and its Application within a Normative Group Decision
Support System Framework—Distributed Cooperative Budget-planning and -control—
Decentralized Problem Solving in Logistics with Partly Intelligent Agents and Comparison with Alternative Approaches—Organizational Multi-Agent Systems: A Process Driven Approach—Development and Simulation of Methods for Scheduling and Coordinating Decentralized Job Shops Using Multi-Computer
Systems—Distributed Environments for Evolutionary Algorithms by means of Multi-Agent
Applications—Multi-Layered Developed of
Business Process Models and Distributed Business Application Systems—An Object-Oriented Approach—Computer Support for Distributed Informations
Management Tasks (CUVIMA)—The GroupFlow Framework:
Enterprise Model and Architecture of the Workflow System—ALLFIWIB: Customer Consulting in Financial
Services with Distributed Knowledge Based Systems—A Generic Approach for Computer—
Assistance of Complex Decision
Processes—Group Scheduling—Methods and Tools for
Distributed Scheduling Processes in a Corporate Environment—Modeling Knowledge about Long term IS Integration and Integration-oriented
Reengineering with KADS.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references and index.
Other Authors/Contributors: Konig, Wolfgang, 1951—
ISBN: 3540610944 (hardcover: alk. paper)
The many features and advantages of the invention are apparent from the detailed specification, and thus, it is intended by the appended claims to cover all such features and advantages of the invention which fall within the true spirit and scope of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and variations will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation illustrated and described, and accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention.
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In an intelligent object oriented agent system, a computer implemented or user assisted method of decision making in at least one situation. The method includes the step of configuring at least one tactical agent implemented by at least one tactical agent object that includes a plurality of resources corresponding to immediate certainties, near certainties, and longer-term possibilities characterizing the at least one situation. The method also includes the steps of processing the at least one situation using the at least one tactical agent, and implementing the decision making, by at least one user or independently by at least one intelligent agent responsive to the processing step. A computer readable tangible medium stores instructions for implementing the user assisted or computer implemented method of decision making, which instructions are executable by a computer. In a preferred embodiment, the situation comprises an aerial combat situation, or other situation with moving resources.
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BACKGROUND
The present invention concerns a bearing for an open-end spin rotor wherein the shaft of the spin rotor is carried on support disks, wherein a support disk is comprised of a basic body upon which a ringlike, circumferential rim is placed which forms the contact surface for the spin rotor. Common knowledge includes a bearing for an open-end spin rotor wherein a shaft is held by means of supporting disks. In this method, as a rule, two pairs of support disks are installed, in the V-notch between which the shaft of the spin rotor is so placed, that one pair of supporting disks serves as bearings in proximity to the rotor bowl, and the other pair performs a like service on the shaft end remote from said bowl. The surface of the shaft of the open-end spin rotor rotates with practically the same circumferential speed as the support disks. Likewise, the shaft of the open-end spin rotor is a driven shaft, wherein, between the two supporting pairs of disks, a tangential belt is placed which places the said shaft in rotation.
DE 37 34 545 A1 discloses a bearing for an open-end spin rotor. The support disks in this case are furnished with a cooling groove on their bearing contact surfaces, as is also proposed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,178,473 for applications of bearings for open-end spin rotors. A support disk is comprised of a basic body, upon which a contact surface rim is fitted. The said contact surface rim is comprised of plastic, whereby particularly favorable running characteristics are assured for the open-end spin rotor. This rim serves as a damping agent for the spin rotor during its operation as well as assuring a smooth run of the spinning machine. The rolling of the rotor shaft on the rim of a support disk generates heat to the extent that damage can arise. This damage is caused by the overheating of the support disk rims. To alleviate such heating, the U.S. Pat. No. 5,178,473 proposes other particular embodiments of the said rim, such as radiating ribs or a cooling groove in said rim of the supporting disk.
This cooling groove is used practically for all bearing applications for open-end rotor spinning machines, that is applications employing the support disks which are applied there.
DE 195 49 466 shows, in general, how the basic body of a support disk is constructed, so that a favorable connection can be brought about between the plastic rim of the disk and the basic disk body.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,551,226 makes known a support disk for a bearing for an open-end spin rotor, the rim of which is designed with ribbing, so that the rotor shaft rolls on a plurality of individual ribs. The outer side of the ribs, on which the rotor shaft rolls, forms essentially the contact surface for the rotor shaft of the spin rotor. The ribs are at an incline in relation to the middle line M of the rim, so that upon the rolling of the shaft of the spin rotor thereon, an axially acting force is exercised, which in turn braces itself against the reaction of a thrust bearing in the conventional manner.
Indeed, the appearance is given in this version of a support disk bearing that the removal of the heat which arises in the rim during operation of the support disk is excellent in all ways. However, the width of the rim in the area of the contact line with the rotor shaft is so weakened, that an overload of the rim is created. By means of the given conditions involved in a bearing selection for an open-end spin rotor, it is practically not possible to design a support disk wider, simply to compensate for this weakening of the carrying capacity of the support disk. The bearing shown in the U.S. Pat. No. 5,551,226 for an open-end spin rotor is only satisfactory within limits, that is, either the operational speed of rotation of the spin rotor or the tension of the drive belts must be reduced. In practice, such reduction could not be tolerated.
Open-end spinning machines run at the top speed of the open-end spin rotors, whereby rotation speeds of 150,000 RPM's are reached and this value can be considerably overstepped. The environment under which the support disks run is, in fact, very demanding. The processing of cotton, for instance, brings about a high generation of dust which surrounds the open-end spinning machine as well as the bearing for the open-end spin rotor.
This can lead to a state, in which contamination from the environment reacts in such a way with the bearings that during the running of the open-end spin rotor the said contamination accumulates on the shaft of said spin rotor in that area where the shaft contacts the support disks. This contamination is picked up from the ambient surroundings by the support disks and is then redeposited on the surface of the rotor shaft. These deposits can be so solidified that the rotation of the spin rotor can no longer be assured and operational disturbances, such as thread breakage, can come about. Field observations have led to the conclusion that the bearing disk rim, which is comprised of plastic, does not come into contact with the contamination by mechanical contact alone, but under certain circumstances develops an electrostatic charge during the operation and thereby attracts contamination onto its surface, from which this contamination spreads onto the rotor shaft.
The support disks operate between 10,000 and 20,000 RPM so that a high degree of friction develops between the rim and its surrounding air. The electrostatic loading of the rim also causes fines to collect on the surface of the support disk, which comes into contact with the rotor shaft. This contamination, as indicated above, carries over from the surface of the support disk to the rotor shaft, where, because of being subsequently constantly rolled on, the said contamination becomes a solid coating.
OBJECTS AND SUMMARY
Thus a principal purpose of the present invention is, therefore, to design a bearing for an open-end spin rotor in such a manner that the disadvantages of the state of the technology are avoided and a contamination of the rotor shaft, as well as the bearing contact rim of the support disk, is prevented. Additional objects and advantages of the invention will be set forth in the following description, or may be obvious from the description, or may be learned through practice of the invention.
The purposes will be achieved by the invention in accord with the inventive design of a bearing for an open-end spin rotor wherein the contact surface of the rim possesses at least one cleaning groove for the cleaning of the rotor shaft from accumulations of deposits and/or the shaft is provided with a cleaning groove, at least in its longitudinal section, with which said shaft coacts with the contact surface of the support disk.
The individual features of the embodiments according to the invention can be freely combined with one another and support one another in their action.
A decontamination of the rotor shaft is carried out by the design of the invented contact surface of the support disk, which surface possesses a cleaning groove. The cleaning groove causes a scraping action against the rolled-on deposit on the rotor shaft. That is to say, the cleaning groove takes care that the dirt accumulation on the rotor shaft doesn't form a cake in the first place. At the same time, the said groove provides that contaminations, which have already deposited themselves on the rotor shaft, are continuously removed without solidifying on said rotor shaft. A clean rotor shaft, at the same time, assures the cleanliness of that surface of the support disk rim with which the shaft contacts. The cleaning groove removes the contamination, especially the small dust particulate, so that a fault-free rolling of the rotor shaft on the contact rim of the support disk is possible. Thus, the bearing possesses, in an especially favorable embodiment, a support disk, the cleaning groove of which is designed to run at an angle to the middle line M of the support disk rim surface. What is achieved by this is that the edges of the cleaning groove thoroughly scrape the dirt particles away from the axial length of the rotor shaft. In a particularly advantageous embodiment, the cleaning groove is designed as a self-closing groove, so that this can be advantageously manufactured and at the same time, no impacts by the rolling over of the rotor shaft can occur. Such a closed groove has already proven itself in the case of a central cooling groove in the present state of the technology. In a particularly favorable development of the invention, the cleaning groove possesses a width between 0.2 mm and 2 mm. In a favorable development of the invention, the cleaning groove has a depth between 0.2 mm and 2 mm.
A simple scouring of contamination can be achieved by these favorable dimensions and thereby the said deposits can be removed from the rotor shaft and from the contact surface of the rim of the support disk. Further, the solidification of contamination in the cleaning groove can be prevented.
In a favorable development of the invention, a second cleaning groove is added paralleling a first groove. In this way, the entire relevant axial section of the shaft can be reliably cleaned by the cleaning grooves.
In this arrangement, it is possibly an advantage if one cleaning groove is located more in the area of the contact surface of the rim which is proximal to the spin rotor, while the other cleaning groove is found more on the side of the said contact surface, which is remote from the spin rotor. In the case of a favorable embodiment of the invention, a plurality of cleaning grooves are so placed that they are not parallel to one another, but cross each other, that is, in crisscross arrangement. Such an embodiment with two cleaning grooves is advantageous, because thereby both grooves can have a large angularity toward the middle line of the aforesaid contact surface.
In yet another development, provision is made that additionally a cooling groove is placed on the contact surface of the rim of the support disk. Thereby the achievement is made that the rim of the contact surface, in spite of a high load demand, is designed at a right angle to the axis of the groove running on the support disk rim surface and is placed advantageously centrally in the said rim surface. In another embodiment of the invention, the cooling groove is an endless groove, which is placed midway on the circumference of the support disk. In a further embodiment, the contact surface of the rim of the support disk possesses, besides the cleaning groove, additional incisions running essentially at a right angle to the support disk axis, with the advantage that large, wide rim areas are avoided. Large material accumulations on the rim can lead to storage of heat arising from the rolling of the rotor shaft on the rim surface.
In yet another advantageous embodiment of the invention, the support disk possesses on its contact surface, in the area of one or both sides, an uninterrupted run of circumferential surface. By this means, it is achieved that no impact points arise during the rolling of the rotor shaft over the contact surface. The contact surface is, in the edge area, not interrupted. In the case of a favorable development of the invention, at least one of the edges of the cleaning groove does run over the side of the contact surface of the support disk. The advantage of this is that only a small impact point upon the rolling of the rotor shaft on the contact surface occurs.
In spite of this, the cleaning groove, as seen in an axial direction of the rotor shaft, has an optimal run all the way to the edge of the support disk, so that an especially good cleaning action is achieved. Thus there is only a small portion of the rotor shaft, in its relevant area, which is not acted upon by the cleaning groove. By a further advantageous development of the invention, both sides of the cleaning groove run out over both sides of the contact surface, whereby the entire axial length of the rotor shaft, which contacts with the support disk, is scraped over and is thereby cleaned.
In another advantageous embodiment of the invention, it is provided that the contact surface of the rim of the support disk, seen in an axial direction, is interrupted by at least up to 40% by a cooling groove and/or cleaning groove. This assures that a contact line always remains between the rotor shaft and the support disk. This is particularly of advantage in order to reach a high operational life of the support disk. The surface pressure is reduced to the lowest possible level. In a favorable development of the invention, the bearing possesses a support disk which has a cleaning groove, the contact surface of which support disk, seen from an axial direction, is interrupted between 7% and at the most 25%. That is, the contact line of the rotor shaft with the contact surface is only diminished by 7% to 25% at the most. This is in comparison to a groove-free support disk. In an advantageous manner, again seen from an axial direction, the contact surface is, at the most, interrupted by three grooves.
In a favorable development of the invention, the basic body of the support disk has a recess which matches the course of the cleaning groove. This assures that the radial thickness of the rim, between the basic body and the cleaning groove, remains approximately constant. Thus, for the elastic compression of the rotor shaft into the rim of the support disk, there are always constant conditions present because the thickness of the rim is always constant at each location. In another development of the invention, the cleaning groove possesses a U-shaped profile. This takes care that the sides of the groove can be particularly of special sharpness, whereby a better cleaning action is achieved. In another embodiment of the invention, the cleaning groove possesses a V-shaped profile. This can be produced very easily.
An advantageous result is obtained through an embodiment of the invention in which the rim of the support disk is comprised of plastic and, at least in the area of the contact surface, the said surface has an electrical resistance which is less than 1.0×10 9 Ohms. Because of this, the contact surface of the support disk develops so little static electrical charge that less contamination from the surroundings is drawn to it. Beyond this, the achievement has been arrived at that the electrical charges which act upon the contamination particles have less force than the centrifugal forces which work against them. The centrifugal force which acts upon the dust particles is a result of the rotation of the support disk, hence diameter and speed of rotation of the support disk are to be taken into consideration when the electrical resistance of the rim is designed. The value of 1.0×10 9 Ohms has shown itself, on the average, as an advantageous value, which has proven itself in the conventional support disk diameters and their speed of rotation. At the same time, it is possible, in spite of the declining electrical resistance, to construct the disk rim with favorable material characteristics. Additives, which lead to a lowering of the electrical resistance of the contact surface, can, in some cases, unfavorably affect the mechanical characteristics of the rim. A complete reduction of the resistance of the rim, is, on this account, indeed theoretically very desirable. However, this could be achieved only with high costs or with a degrading of the material characteristics of the rim of the support disk. A value of less than 3.5×10 5 Ohms has shown itself as advantageous for the electrical resistance. A fortunate compromise is the design of the rim, in which this is designed with an electrical resistance between 2.0×10 8 and 1.0×10 6 . A value in this range assures that practically no contamination from the support rim is attracted and no deteriorating effect on the rim occurs. No more additive is added to the rim than what is necessary to avoid contamination of the bearing.
In a favorable development of the invention, the rim of the support disk is poly-urethane, since that can be reduced in its conductivity without damaging the material character to any great extent.
Particularly advantageous for the decreasing of the electrical resistance of the rim of the disk, is to make this from a raw material which is treated with an additive which, of itself, is electrically conductive, wherein especially favorable is an additive which is comprised of a metal powder. Particularly favorably is the use of carbon (for instance cast metal) as an additive, because this a very favorable as to price.
The design of the bearing in accord with the invention is such that the shaft of the open-end spin rotor, or at least that section thereof which rolls on the contact surface of the support disk, is provided with a cleaning groove. The achievement thereby attained is that the alternating action between rotor shaft and support disk, wherein contamination is carried from the support disk to the rotor shaft and from the support disk to the rotor shaft is interrupted in its cycle.
The cleaning groove of the rotor shaft assures that contamination from the contact surface of the support disk is immediately removed and does not remain there so long that it alters in structure to adhere as cake on the rotor shaft.
The contamination is much more likely to be removed by the cleaning groove and cast away. It is no longer possible for particles of dirt to stick for long periods on the disk rim. That previous situation finally led to the particles being spun off onto the rotor shaft. In an advantageous embodiment of the invention, the cleaning groove is helically shaped, winding itself along the shaft. The cleaning groove can, in this case, be advantageously designed in a continuous form, so that the entire axial area of the rotor shaft is regularly touched by this cleaning groove. In an advantageous embodiment of the invention, the cleaning groove can be designed in an interrupted, specified line along the appropriate longitudinal section of the rotor shaft, being continually reestablished axially on the circumferential surface of said rotor shaft. Particularly favorable is a case in which the entire axial length of the rotor shaft which touches the contact surface of the support disk is provided with the cleaning groove.
In an advantageous development of the invention, the rotor shaft is coated. This coating acts favorably on the general wear of the rotor shaft, which wear, for instance, can be caused by a belt drive or even by the contact surface of the support disks.
Favorably, the cleaning grooves will be incised into the rotor shaft after the coating of the rotor shaft is carried out, since thereby assurance is provided that the dimensions of the cleaning groove are not changed by a coating operation. In a case in reverse of the foregoing, it is of advantage to be aware that the cleaning groove cut into the rotor shaft is so dimensionally carried out that, although a coating will certainly change the said dimensions, nevertheless the desired dimensions are the final result.
In a particularly favorable embodiment of the invention, the cleaning groove possesses a depth of at least 5 μm and at the most 0.4 mm. Thereby, the goal is reached, that a reliable cleaning is effected. In a particularly advantageous embodiment, the cleaning groove has a depth between 10 μm and 0.2 mm. This depth makes sure that the contamination has sufficient room when shaft and support rim contact, and will not be rolled to cake as before. A substantial weakening of the rotor shaft is not incurred by this measure. In a further advantageous embodiment or the invention, the cleaning groove possesses a width of at least 0.1 mm and at the most, 1.0 mm. As particularly advantageous, experience showed that a range of the width of the cleaning groove would lie between 0.2 mm and 0.6 mm. An advantageous development of the of the invention is attained in that the cleaning groove has an inclination in reference to a surface line (element) of the rotor shaft. In other words, this points out that the cleaning groove is at an angle in relation to the longitudinal axis of the rotor shaft, wherein, regarded as particularly favorable, are angle values of between 10° and 70°. By the inclination of the groove, an axial thrust on the rotor shaft can be produced. This thrust can be favorably compensated for in that in the area of a first of the support disk pairs bearing the rotor shaft, the groove is inclined at an opposite angle to that in the area of a second pair of support disks. The two axial thrusts, which are respectively produced by the two bearing positions of the rotor shaft, nullify each other. In order to remove the axial thrust, it is also possible, in the area in which the rotor shaft is loaded by the support disk rim to install two cleaning grooves, which are contrarily inclined in respect to one another. Another possibility is to install a plurality of grooves, which run at right angles to the rotor axis and in the form of endless grooves, have a distance from one another of 0.1 mm to 0.5 mm.
In the following, the invention is described with the aid of drawn presentations.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES
FIG. 1 : a principle presentation of a bearing for an open-end spin rotor in accord with the invention,
FIG. 2 : the contact surface of a support disk with a cleaning groove presented as a geometric development in the plane of the drawing,
FIG. 3 : the contact surface with two cleaning grooves running in parallel,
FIG. 4 : a contact surface of a support disk with two cleaning grooves which cross one another,
FIG. 5 : a contact surface with a cleaning groove, the edge of which extends over the side of the contact surface,
FIG. 6 : a contact surface with a cleaning groove as well as a cooling groove,
FIG. 7 : a contact surface with a cleaning groove and additional indentations,
FIG. 8 : a section through a support disk for a bearing in accord with the invention, with the cleaning groove also in sectional view,
FIG. 9 : a partial sectional view of a support disk, with a cleaning groove in which the basic body, on the circumferential side, possesses an indentation, which follows the course of the cleaning groove,
FIG. 10 : an open-end spin rotor with its rotor shaft and cleaning grooves, and
FIG. 11 : an open-end spin rotor with shaft, in which the shaft possesses cleaning grooves, which exhibit a return spiral.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
Reference will now be made in detail to the presently preferred embodiments of the invention, one or more examples of which are illustrated in the drawings. Each example is provided by way of explanation of the invention, and not meant as a limitation of the invention.
FIG. 1 shows the principle view of a bearing for an open-end spin rotor, as these are found installed in many cases. The bearing is comprised essentially of a bearing block 11 which carries the support disk bearings. The support disks bearings 12 each carry a shaft 13 , each of which shafts are press fitted to a support disk 14 . The support disks form, respectively, two disk pairs, so that two V-shaped notches 141 are formed between them. The support disks 14 carry the rotor shaft 21 of the open-end spin rotor 2 .
If the open-end spin rotor, for example, is driven by a belt drive, it rolls in the said V-shaped notch 141 on the support disks 14 . This puts the support disks into rotation. The support disks 14 are provided with a cleaning groove 3 . By the rotation of the support disks 14 , the said cleaning groove 3 meanders with its edges 31 back and forth along the contact line of the rotor shaft 21 . At a still-stand of the rotor shaft 21 , and the support disks 14 in rotation (a theoretical situation) then the edges 31 of the said cleaning groove 3 would axially scrape along the rotor shaft 21 . The cleaning groove is actually installed in the rim 51 (see FIG. 8) of each said disks in the form of an endless groove, which runs from the one side 142 of the support disk 14 and back to the other side 142 (see FIG. 2 ). In this way, the same area, in which the rotor shaft 21 comes into contact with the rim 51 of the support disk 14 , is touched once by an edge 31 of the cleaning groove 3 . Since the running of the rotor shaft 21 on the support disks 14 does not proceed without slippage, this assures that the edge 31 strokes not only every position of the rotor shaft in an axial direction, but also that an axial rubbing on the rotor shaft occurs, since no perfect rolling relationships between the rotor shaft 21 and the support disks 14 happen. By means of the slippage between the support disk 14 and the rotor shaft 21 , the edge 31 of the cleaning groove scrapes also along the rotor shaft 21 in an axial direction, whereby, contaminating materials are removed. These collect in the cleaning groove and are removed therefrom finally in the area of the V-notch 141 .
The bearing arrangement of FIG. 1 possesses on all four support disks 14 , a cleaning groove 3 . One can consider, however, that per V-notch 141 only one support disk 14 carries the load of a cleaning groove 3 . Thus, it is advantageous to have that same support disk carry the lighter load of rotational relationships. By this means, the weakening of the rim 143 , which this experiences through the incision of the cleaning groove 3 , is somewhat compensated for. Advantageously, that support disk 14 , which turns outwardly from the V-notch 141 , possesses the cleaning groove 3 . As is made clear in FIG. 1, the cleaning grooves 3 of all support disks 14 , are partially inclined (see FIG. 2, angle α) in relation to the plane E, which is disposed parallel to the side 142 of the disks 14 .
This inclination of the cleaning groove 3 can induce an axial thrust on the rotating spin rotor which turns with it. This axial thrust is not necessarily desirable. Therefore, the inclinations of the cleaning groove 3 of a support disk pair, which form a V-notch, are so arranged, that their combined thrust actions are compensating. A like situation is obtained, if only, respectively, one of the support disks per V-notch 141 possesses a cleaning groove 3 . In the interest, however, of completeness, it should be said that the shafts 13 are not designed to be parallel to one another, but rather skewed, so that an axial thrust is generated by the said support disks 14 . The reaction thereof is absorbed in known fashion by an axial bearing 101 . This can be a pivot bearing or, as shown in the embodiment of FIG. 1, in the form of an aerostatic thrust bearing.
FIGS. 2 to 7 show, respectively, the contact surface of a supporting disk, as a geometrical development of a circumferential surface presented in a plane. FIG. 2 shows the development of a contact surface, wherein the contact surface 144 of the rim 143 possesses a cleaning groove 3 , which is designed as endless and partially of helical shape, running from one side 142 to the other side 142 of the support disk 14 . The cleaning groove 3 has, in relation to the mid-axis M, each in accord with the design of the support disk 14 , an angle α of inclination between 2° and 10°. In the area in which the cleaning groove 3 approaches the edge 142 of the contact surface 144 , the said angle α becomes 0°, since otherwise, a return of the cleaning groove 3 would not be possible. The return so acts, that an endless cleaning groove 3 is possible. In the area of the edge 142 , the cleaning groove is brought very close to the edge. Between the edge 31 of the cleaning groove 3 to the edge 142 of the support disk, is still found the rim 143 , so that the support disk 14 in proximity to the said edge possesses a circumferential, continuous, uninterrupted, affixed rim 143 . Thereby, impacts on the rotor shaft 21 , when this rolls over the rim 143 are avoided. The cleaning groove 3 has a width of 1.0 mm and the groove depth, likewise of 1.0 mm. This assures in the embodiment of FIG. 2, that not only a good cleaning of the rotor shaft 21 of contamination, but also a removal of dirt particles from the rotor shaft 21 . These dirt particles can then, operation leave the support disk by centrifugal force and are expelled from the area of the rotor bearing.
The depth of 1.0 mm to 2.0 mm assures at the same time, also a cooling effect on the support disk rim 143 . The width B of the contact surface 144 measures 10.0 mm, so that with a groove width of 1.0 mm, a weakening of the rim by about 10% takes place. In particular bearing practices, the cleaning groove can have a much more restricted width, so that the interruption of the contact surface 144 , observed at right angles to the edge 142 , will be much less than 10%. A favorable width is, in this case, set at a 7% interruption. Since the cleaning groove 3 in the area of the middle line M has effectively a greater width, this must be taken into consideration in the design of the cleaning groove 3 , if a minimal interruption of the contact surface is desired. The width of the cleaning groove may then possibly be designed at a smaller figure.
FIG. 3 shows a contact surface 144 of a support disk 14 for a bearing, in accord with the invention, which surface is provided with cleaning grooves 3 . In their run, the cleaning grooves 3 of FIG. 3 resemble the cleaning grooves 3 of FIG. 2 . The departure lies only in that two parallel cleaning grooves 3 are apportioned over the width of the contact surface 144 of FIG. 3 . This has the result, that the angle α is about only half as large as that shown in FIG. 2 . The inclination of each of the two cleaning grooves 3 is the same. The cleaning grooves 3 are indeed inclined with a smaller angle in relation to a circumferential line about the support disk, however, this embodiment possesses a more favorable apportionment between the areas, which areas are cut through by one groove and other areas in which no groove runs. This is made clear by reference between FIG. 2 and FIG. 3 . The cleaning grooves 3 of FIG. 3 are narrower in design than the cleaning grooves 3 in FIG. 2 . The width showed, in this case, only 0.4 mm, so that the interruption of the contact surface 144 , seen at a right angle to edge 142 , is even less than in the case of FIG. 2 . The groove edges 31 , which run by edges 142 of the support disk, run also, as shown in FIG. 2, in such a way, that a rim surface portion 143 remains between groove edge 31 and the support disk edge 142 . This assures, as illustrated in FIG. 1, a quiet run of the spin-rotor 2 on the support disk 14 . The depth of the cleaning grooves 3 measures in this embodiment only 0.3 mm.
FIG. 4 shows another embodiment of a rim 143 of a support disk, on which the contact surface 144 , similarly to FIG. 3, is separated by two cleaning grooves, these, however, being somewhat different, in that they are so designed that both cleaning grooves run back and forth from edge 142 to the other edge 142 . Each of the two cleaning grooves possesses also the same geometrical relationships as the cleaning groove 3 of FIG. 2 . The two cleaning grooves 3 of FIG. 4 are principally, in relation to the circumference of the supporting disk off set from one another by an angle of 180°. This has the result, that the two cleaning grooves 3 of FIG. 4 cross themselves on the contact surface twice. One of the crossing points is to be seen in the middle of FIG. 4 and the other crossing point is visible partially on the left side of FIG. 4 and partially on the right side. In order not too cause too great a weakening of the contact surface at the crossings, the two cleaning grooves 3 of FIG. 4 are respectively only 0.2 mm wide. For the sake of clarity, the grooves in all the figure presentations have been made wider.
FIG. 5 shows an embodiment of a cleaning groove 3 , similar to that of FIG. 2 . Principally, both groove edges 31 extend, alternately, over the edge 142 of the contact surface 144 . By means of this embodiment, the goal can be arrived at, that the angle α, other things being equal, can be designed larger than in FIG. 2 . Thereby, since always only one groove edge 31 at a time goes over the edge 142 of the support disk, a smooth rolling over this point is possible for the rotor shaft. The cleaning action of the groove edge 31 extends itself in an axial direction, over a greater length than in the example of FIG. 2 . This, then can be necessary if an especially thick and tightly bound contamination layer is to be feared during the operation. The depth of the cleaning groove 3 of FIG. 5 is 0.2 mm, since this is only slightly weakening at the critical position, where edge 31 runs over the edge 142 .
In the case of the embodiment of FIG. 6, the contact surface 144 possesses two grooves, of which one is the cleaning groove 3 , while the other is a cooling groove 4 . This cooling groove 4 , in the embodiment of FIG. 6, is arranged in the classic manner, i.e. customary in the present state of the technology, in the middle of the contact surface 144 . The cooling groove has a width of 1.0 mm and a depth equal thereto.
The cleaning groove 3 is, in regard to is shape, so designed, as to be similar to that of FIG. 2 . It crosses the cooling groove 4 at two points. The cleaning groove 3 can, in the embodiment of FIG. 6, be designed to be exceptionally narrow. That is, with a width of 0.2 mm and likewise, with a very small depth, namely, 0.2 mm, since no heat removal action is expected from the cleaning groove 3 . In addition, a small depth and width of the cleaning groove 3 brings about a reliable function, since the rolling over at the crossing point of the two grooves by the rotor shaft is made more smoothly by a lessened depth of the cleaning groove 3 . At the cross-over point, the contact surface 144 undergoes the greatest interruption in the rim 143 by the grooves. In the embodiment example in FIG. 6, the interruption is advantageously, in spite of this, still less than 40%.
FIG. 7 shows a combination of cooling groove and cleaning groove 3 in which no possibly critical cross-over point between the cooling groove and the cleaning groove is present. The cooling groove, in the embodiment in FIG. 7, is designed in the form of incisions 41 , which at their beginning 410 and at their end 411 blend without steps into the contact surface 144 . The transition area can respectively, measure between about 2.0 mm and 120 mm. Further, the incisions 41 have the dimensions of the cooling groove 4 as to depth and width. The cleaning groove 3 can be made wider than was done in the embodiment example shown in FIG. 6, since the critical crossings of the cleaning groove and the cooling groove have been avoided, as is seen in FIG. 7 . By formulating the width of the incisions 41 and the cleaning groove at respectively 1.0 mm, it can nevertheless be attained that the interruption of the contact surface 144 , at right angles to the edge 142 , is held at less than 25%.
FIG. 8 shows a cross-section through a support disk with a cleaning groove 3 in the rim 143 , which rim, on its outer circumference, forms the contact surface 144 . The support disk is comprised of a basic body 5 , which, for example, is made of pressure cast aluminum. The support disk 14 possesses in it center, a boring 51 , allowing it to be installed on the shaft 13 of a support disk bearing by means of press fit (see FIG. 1.) In accord with the section view, the cleaning groove 3 crosses from the left edge 142 to the right edge 142 of the support disk.
In the area of the transition between the basic body 5 and the rim 143 , the aluminum circumference of the basic body 5 is specially treated, so that an improved adherence can assured between the basic body 5 and the rim 143 . The known basic bodies are so designed that in the area of a centrally placed cooling groove, which is not shown here in FIG. 8, a sufficient thickness of the rim 143 material is provided. The cleaning groove 3 , which is to be installed and which runs over the entire outer circumference, that is, over the entire width of the rim 143 , must also receive attention, so that a sufficient thickness of rim material is furnished. In order to assure this, in the case of the basic body 5 of FIG. 9, provision was made that this basic body, on its circumferential side, has a recess 52 , so that, as a result of this, between the cleaning groove 3 and the basic body 5 , a sufficient material thickness remains. This recess 52 also has a very similar course to the overlaying cleaning groove 3 . In the making of such a support disk, provision is also made that, in order to facilitate the manufacture of the cleaning groove, there is placed a marking on the support disk, so that, for instance, upon cutting in the cleaning groove 3 into the rim 143 , the said cleaning groove 3 can be located exactly above the recess 42 . The same serves, where required, for an additional cooling groove.
FIG. 10 shows an open-end spin rotor 2 for a bearing design in accord with the invention. FIG. 10 shows the positioning of the rotor shaft 21 on two support disks 14 . These said disks are provided with a middle cooling groove 4 . In order to prevent dust or dirt particles from agglomerating on the rotor shaft 21 , this possesses, in the area wherein it makes contact with the support disks 14 , a cleaning groove 6 which in a winding pattern, helically surrounds the shaft. The cleaning grooves 6 are designed with an inclination to the axis 22 of the shaft 21 , which inclination is at such a pitch angle, that the grooves 6 make a complete encirclement of the shaft 21 in the area in which they touch the support disk 14 .
The said cleaning grooves 6 do not extend outside of the contact area of the support disk 14 . Beyond this zone, the said grooves are not required for cleaning or removal of contamination from the rotor shaft 21 . The cleaning groove 6 is angled, relative to the axis 22 of the rotor shaft, about 15°.
The cleaning groove 6 is inclined in a reverse direction, in the area of one support disk 14 , in comparison to the other support disk 14 . By this means, the situation is attained, in which no axial thrust is exerted on the rotor shaft 21 . The cleaning groove can, according to the design, be inclined between 10° and 70° to a line vertical to the axis of shaft 21 .
FIG. 11 shows a rotor shaft 21 , in which the cleaning groove 3 is depicted as a kind of reversely wound groove There is also, in the area of each individual support disk 14 a cleaning groove 6 inclined in one direction to the shaft axis 22 as well as one inclined in a reverse direction. That is, each single bearing position is free of axial thrust. The ends of the cleaning grooves 6 extend in in-and-out plaited fashion, so that an endless groove is obtained. The cleaning groove of FIG. 10 possesses a width of 0.3 mm. Its depth is 0.05 mm (50 μm).
In accord with one of the present embodiments of the invention, the rim is comprised of a material with an electrical resistance which is less than 1.0×10 9 Ohms. Independently of a cleaning groove, it can thus be prevented that dirt particulate on the rotor shaft cakes itself there. The rim 143 of a support disk 14 is, for this reason, made of polyurethane which, by means of additives, has a diminished electrical resistance. By the addition of more or less additives, or by adding special additives, for instance, metal powder, the electrical resistance can be brought down to a particularly favorable value between 2.0×10 8 Ohms and 1.0×10 6 Ohms. The design of the support disk rim 143 , in accord with the present invention, makes it possible to dispense with certain measures, such as, for instance, a cleaning groove in the rim or a cleaning groove in the rotor shaft. The rim in accord with the invention, with an electrical resistance of less than 1.0×10 9 Ohms can, obviously, be installed in combination with a cleaning groove or cooling groove. It is also possible, to combine a rim of that type for a support disk even with the other two inventions.
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For a bearing arrangement of an open-end spin rotor, which is rotatably set in the “V” between circumferential rims of support disks, one or more of the support disks ( 14 ), which bear the open-end spin rotor, has a circumferential cleaning groove ( 3 ). The cleaning groove ( 3 ) can be a self closing, endless groove, which runs over the contact surface of the support disk ( 14 ), wherein it generally does not run parallel to the edges of the support disk ( 14 ). Such a meandering groove formulation of the support disk circumference assures that no deposits of impurities can accumulate on the rotor shaft.
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CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
[0001] This application claims the benefit of Korean Patent Application No. 10-2007-0002806, filed on Jan. 10, 2007, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety as if fully set forth herein.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] 1. Field of the Invention
[0003] The present invention relates to a multiple laundry treating apparatus and a control method thereof, and more particularly, to a multiple laundry treating apparatus including a main laundry treating machine and an auxiliary laundry treating machine coupled to the main laundry treating machine.
[0004] 2. Discussion of the Related Art
[0005] Generally, laundry treating apparatuses are apparatuses that are capable of washing and/or drying laundry. Specifically, the respective laundry treating apparatuses perform a washing operation, a drying operation, or a washing-and-drying operation. Recently, there has been increasingly used a laundry treating apparatus, including a steam supply unit, that is capable of performing a refreshing operation to remove wrinkles, smells, and static electricity from laundry.
[0006] FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating a conventional laundry treating apparatus 1 .
[0007] As shown in FIG. 1 , the conventional laundry treating apparatus 1 includes a main body 10 forming the external appearance of the laundry treating apparatus and a control panel 11 mounted at the front or the top of the main body 10 . Here, the control panel 11 may include a control unit for controlling the operation of the laundry treating apparatus. Consequently, it is possible for a user to manipulate the control panel 11 such that the laundry treating apparatus performs a laundry treating operation, such as washing or drying.
[0008] Here, the laundry treating apparatus may be a washing machine, a drying machine, or a washing-and-drying machine.
[0009] On the other hand, the conventional laundry treating apparatus may further include a base 20 for supporting the main body 10 on the floor. The main body 10 is mounted on the base 20 .
[0010] Generally, the base 20 has a predetermined space defined therein. The space may be constructed in the form of a drawer 21 that can be withdrawn outward from the front of the base. In addition to the function for supporting the main body 10 , the base 20 serves as a storage box for storing detergent or laundry.
[0011] However, the conventional base 20 does not perform any function for laundry treatment. In other words, the conventional base 20 is utilized only to support the main body 10 . Consequently, there is a high necessity for a base 20 that has a laundry treating function as well as a main body supporting function in a spatial utilization aspect or in a washing efficiency aspect.
[0012] Meanwhile, the size of the conventional laundry treating apparatus having a drying function, such as the drying machine and the washing-and-drying machine, has been gradually increased. As a result, the large-sized laundry treating apparatus is operated to dry a relatively small amount of laundry, which is disadvantageous in an energy saving aspect.
[0013] For a drum type laundry treating apparatus, on the other hand, it is difficult to dry shoes or clothes. Of course, it is possible to mount a rack, on which shoes are located, in the drum, such that the level of the rack is maintained irrespective of the rotation of the drum, to dry the shoes in the drum. In this case, however, it is required for a user to mount and remove the rack in and from the drum when needed, which is very troublesome.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0014] Accordingly, the present invention is directed to a multiple laundry treating apparatus that substantially obviates one or more problems due to limitations and disadvantages of the related art.
[0015] An object of the present invention is to provide a multiple laundry treating apparatus that is capable of treating a small amount of laundry without operating a relatively large-sized laundry treating apparatus, thereby improving convenience of use and saving energy.
[0016] Another object of the present invention is to provide a multiple laundry treating apparatus that is capable of easily drying laundry, such as shoes or hats, which are difficult to be dried by a conventional drum type drying machine or washing-and-drying machine.
[0017] A further object of the present invention is to provide a multiple laundry treating apparatus that is capable of utilizing an auxiliary space, such as a base, of a conventional laundry treating apparatus as an auxiliary laundry treating apparatus, and, especially, drying laundry in the auxiliary space.
[0018] Additional advantages, objects, and features of the invention will be set forth in part in the description which follows and in part will become apparent to those having ordinary skill in the art upon examination of the following or may be learned from practice of the invention. The objectives and other advantages of the invention may be realized and attained by the structure particularly pointed out in the written description and claims hereof as well as the appended drawings.
[0019] To achieve these objects and other advantages and in accordance with the purpose of the invention, as embodied and broadly described herein, a multiple laundry treating apparatus includes a laundry machine body, an auxiliary body mounted at one side of the laundry machine body, the auxiliary body having a volume and height less than that of the laundry machine body, the auxiliary body being provided with a laundry receiving space, and an air supply unit for forcibly supplying air into the auxiliary body, wherein at least some components of the air supply unit are mounted in the laundry machine body.
[0020] Preferably, the multiple laundry treating apparatus further includes a coupling unit for coupling the auxiliary body to the one side of the laundry machine body.
[0021] Preferably, the air supply unit includes a blowing fan for blowing air, a heater for heating the air blown by the blowing fan, and a connection channel connected between the laundry machine body and the auxiliary body for guiding the air to the auxiliary body.
[0022] Preferably, the blowing fan and/or the heater is mounted in the laundry machine body.
[0023] Preferably, the auxiliary body is provided with an inlet port connected to the connection channel for allowing heated air to be introduced therethrough and an outlet port for allowing the air to be discharged from the laundry receiving space therethrough.
[0024] Preferably, the heater is mounted in the laundry machine body, and the blowing fan is mounted in the auxiliary body adjacent to the outlet port.
[0025] Preferably, the heater is mounted in the connection channel extending into the laundry machine body.
[0026] Preferably, the blowing fan is mounted in the laundry machine body, and the heater is mounted in the auxiliary body adjacent to the inlet port.
[0027] Preferably, the blowing fan is mounted in the connection channel extending into the laundry machine body.
[0028] Preferably, the blowing fan and the heater are mounted in the laundry machine body.
[0029] Preferably, the blowing fan and the heater are mounted in the connection channel extending into the laundry machine body.
[0030] Preferably, the laundry receiving space is constructed in the form of a drawer that can be withdrawn outward from the front of the auxiliary body.
[0031] It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description of the present invention are exemplary and explanatory and are intended to provide further explanation of the invention as claimed.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0032] The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide a further understanding of the invention and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this application, illustrate embodiment(s) of the invention and together with the description serve to explain the principle of the invention. In the drawings:
[0033] FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating a conventional laundry treating apparatus;
[0034] FIG. 2 is a perspective view illustrating a multiple laundry treating apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention;
[0035] FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view illustrating a coupling unit for coupling an auxiliary body to a laundry machine body of FIG. 2 ;
[0036] FIG. 4 is a side view illustrating a multiple laundry treating apparatus including an auxiliary body according to an embodiment of the present invention;
[0037] FIG. 5 is a side view illustrating a multiple laundry treating apparatus including an auxiliary body according to another embodiment of the present invention; and
[0038] FIG. 6 is a side view illustrating a multiple laundry treating apparatus including an auxiliary body according to a further embodiment of the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0039] Reference will now be made in detail to the preferred embodiments of the present invention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. Wherever possible, the same reference numbers will be used throughout the drawings to refer to the same or like parts. In the present invention, meanwhile, a laundry machine body may be a drying machine having a general drying function, a washing machine, or a washing-and-drying machine. Of course, most of the components mounted in the laundry machine body may be identical to those of the drying machine, the washing machine, or the washing-and-drying machine. Consequently, a detailed description of the components of the laundry machine body which are identical to those of the drying machine, the washing machine, or the washing-and-drying machine will not be given.
[0040] FIG. 2 is a perspective view illustrating a multiple laundry treating apparatus 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention.
[0041] Referring to FIG. 2 , the multiple laundry treating apparatus according to the present invention has the same external appearance as that of the conventional drying machine equipped with the base 20 . In this embodiment, however, a base of the multiple laundry treating apparatus according to the present invention performs an auxiliary laundry treating function as well as the conventional supporting function, as shown in FIG. 2 , which is distinguished from the conventional art. In addition, the multiple laundry treating apparatus according to the present invention further includes a coupling unit 130 for stably coupling the auxiliary laundry treating apparatus to the main laundry treating apparatus, which is also distinguished from the conventional art. Consequently, the multiple laundry treating apparatus according to the present invention is capable of performing an auxiliary laundry treating function as well as a function of a general drying machine.
[0042] As shown in FIG. 2 , the multiple laundry treating apparatus according to the present invention includes a laundry machine body 110 and an auxiliary body 120 mounted at one side of the laundry machine body 110 . In the auxiliary body 120 is mounted a drawer 122 that receives laundry and is constructed to be withdrawn outward from the front of the auxiliary body 120 . On the other hand, a laundry receiving part, for example, a drum 40 , is mounted in the laundry machine body 110 .
[0043] The auxiliary body 120 may be mounted at the bottom of the laundry machine body 110 or at the top of the laundry machine body 110 . Alternatively, the auxiliary body 120 may be mounted at the side of the laundry machine body 110 . Preferably, however, the auxiliary body 120 is mounted at the top or bottom of the laundry machine body 110 in consideration of a spatial utilization aspect or a design aspect.
[0044] Hereinafter, the coupling unit 130 , which couples the auxiliary body 120 to the laundry machine body 110 , will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, and then a detailed description of the auxiliary laundry treating apparatus will be given.
[0045] FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view illustrating the coupling unit 130 , which serves to couple the auxiliary body 120 to the laundry machine body 110 , according to the present invention.
[0046] Referring to FIG. 3 , the multiple laundry treating apparatus according to the present invention includes leg supporters 125 mounted at the top of the auxiliary body 120 for supporting lower legs 116 and 117 of the clothes dryer 100 .
[0047] Each leg supporter 125 includes a panel having a first fitting hole 126 , in which the corresponding leg 116 for a washing-and-drying machine is fitted, and a second fitting hole 127 , in which the corresponding leg 117 for a drying machine is fitted. The respective leg supporters 125 are fixed to the top of the auxiliary body 120 by screws. Here, the washing-and-drying machine and the drying machine are specific examples of the laundry treating machines, the drawing illustrates that the size of the washing-and-drying machine is greater than that of the drying machine.
[0048] The leg supporters 125 are fixed to the top of the auxiliary body 120 at the respective corners of the auxiliary body 120 . The first fitting holes 126 and the second fitting holes 127 formed in the two leg supporters 125 fixed to the front corners of the auxiliary body 120 are connected to each other. On the other hand, the first fitting holes 126 and the second fitting holes 127 formed in the two leg supporters 125 fixed to the rear corners of the auxiliary body 120 are separated from each other. This is to accomplish easy and convenient fitting of the legs 116 for the washing-and-drying machine in the corresponding fitting holes of the leg supporters 125 .
[0049] Also, the first fitting holes 126 are positioned outside the corresponding second fitting holes 127 on diagonal lines at the bottom of the laundry machine body 110 . This is because the size of the washing-and-drying machine is generally greater than that of the drying machine.
[0050] Meanwhile, the coupling unit 130 according to the present invention includes a plurality of coupling members 138 mounted to the side of the washing-and-drying machine or the drying machine and to the side of the auxiliary body 120 located below the washing-and-drying machine or the drying machine, and a plurality of fixing members 135 for fixing the coupling members 138 to the side of the washing-and-drying machine or the drying machine and to the side of the auxiliary body 120 .
[0051] As shown in FIG. 3 , the coupling members 138 may be provided such that two coupling members 138 fix the auxiliary body 120 and the laundry machine body 110 to each other at each lateral side of the auxiliary body 120 and the laundry machine body 110 , especially at the interface between the auxiliary body 120 , which is constructed in a hexahedral shape, and the laundry machine body 110 , which is constructed in a hexahedral shape. In addition, additional third coupling members (not shown) may be mounted to the rear of the auxiliary body 120 and the laundry machine body 110 for fixing the auxiliary body 120 and the laundry machine body 110 to each other.
[0052] Here, the coupling unit 130 may be modified depending upon the change in height of the legs 116 for the washing-and-drying machine or the legs 117 for the drying machine.
[0053] Meanwhile, each fixing member 135 includes a first fixing member 136 for fixing the upper part of the corresponding coupling member 138 to the lower part of the washing-and-drying machine or the drying machine at each lateral side of the washing-and-drying machine or the drying machine, and a second fixing member 137 for fixing the lower part of the corresponding coupling member 138 to the upper part of the auxiliary body 120 at each lateral side of the auxiliary body 120 .
[0054] Here, the first fixing member 136 and/or the second fixing member 137 may be an adhesive member having an adhesive material applied to opposite major surfaces thereof, for example, a double-sided adhesive tape. On the other hand, the first fixing member 136 and/or the second fixing member 137 may be a connection member, such as a screw. When the fixing member is the screw as described above, connection holes are preferably formed at the corresponding coupling member while the connection holes are spaced a predetermined distance from each other.
[0055] Unlike the above description, on the other hand, the means for accomplishing the coupling between the laundry machine body 110 and the auxiliary body 120 may be modified in various forms.
[0056] Hereinafter, various embodiments of the auxiliary body according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 4 to 6 .
[0057] In this case, the multiple laundry treating apparatus according to the present invention is preferably constructed in a structure in which a blowing fan and/or a heater, among components constituting an air supply unit for supplying air to the auxiliary body, is mounted in the laundry machine body to increase the laundry receiving space of the auxiliary body. With the above-described structure, the laundry receiving space is increased, and therefore, it is possible to treat a relatively large amount of laundry, as compared to when the blowing fan and the heater are mounted in the auxiliary body.
[0058] FIG. 4 illustrates a multiple laundry treating apparatus 100 constructed in a structure in which a component of an air supply unit 140 for supplying air to the interior space of the auxiliary body 120 , i.e., a heater 142 , is mounted in the laundry machine body 110 , and another component of the air supply unit 140 , i.e., a blowing fan 141 , is mounted in the auxiliary body 120 .
[0059] Referring to FIG. 4 , the auxiliary body 120 according to this embodiment is coupled to the laundry machine body 110 to constitute the multiple laundry treating apparatus 100 . In this case, laundry is received in the laundry machine body 110 such that the laundry is washed or dried.
[0060] The multiple laundry treating apparatus 100 includes a coupling unit for coupling the auxiliary body 120 to one side of the laundry machine body 110 . For convenience of description, the coupling unit is not illustrated in FIG. 4 .
[0061] The auxiliary body 120 has a laundry receiving space defined therein for performing an auxiliary laundry treating function. The laundry receiving space may be constructed in the form of a drawer that can be withdrawn outward from the front of the auxiliary body 120 .
[0062] The air supply unit 140 , which supplies air into the auxiliary body 120 , includes a heater 142 for heating air, a blowing fan 141 for blowing air, and a connection channel 143 connected between the laundry machine body 110 and the auxiliary body 120 .
[0063] The heater 142 is mounted in the laundry machine body 110 . Specifically, the heater 142 is preferably located in the connection channel 143 extending into the laundry machine body 110 . The connection channel 143 is connected to an inlet port 171 , formed at the auxiliary body 120 , for guiding air into the auxiliary body 120 . The blowing fan 141 is located adjacent to an outlet port 172 of the auxiliary body 120 . Consequently, when the blowing fan 141 is driven, external air is introduced into the auxiliary body 120 through the laundry machine body 110 and the connection channel 143 , and is then discharged outside the auxiliary body 120 . The external air is heated by the heater 142 , mounted in the laundry machine body 110 , before the external air is introduced into the auxiliary body 120 through the connection channel 143 . Consequently, it is natural that the external air introduced into the auxiliary body 120 is heated air.
[0064] However, the present invention is not limited to this embodiment. For example, the heater 142 may be located at any position in the laundry machine body 110 so long as heated air is supplied into the auxiliary body 120 through the connection channel 143 . Also, the blowing fan 141 may be located at any position in the auxiliary body 120 so long as air is discharged from the auxiliary body 120 .
[0065] As shown in FIG. 4 , meanwhile, laundry 162 is put in the drawer 122 . The inner space of the drawer 122 is divided into upper and lower spaces. In the drawer 122 is mounted a shelf 160 for allowing the upper and lower spaces to communicate with each other. The shelf 160 is provided to smoothly supply heated air to the laundry 162 and to discharge the supplied air out of the drawer 122 .
[0066] Preferably, the shelf 160 is provided with a plurality of through-holes 160 a . Consequently, air, introduced into the drawer 122 through the inlet port 171 , flows from the upper space of the drawer 122 to the lower space of the drawer 122 , and is then discharged out of the drawer 122 through the outlet port 172 .
[0067] Also, the shelf 160 may be mounted in an inclined fashion. In this case, it is preferable for the shelf 160 to be inclined downward toward the inlet port 171 , through which the heated air is introduced. As a result, the heated air is uniformly supplied to the laundry placed on the shelf 160 .
[0068] Preferably, the drawer 122 is provided at the rear wall thereof with an air guide 161 . The air guide 161 serves to guide air such that the heated air can be supplied toward the laundry in the drawer 122 , and, at the same time, to divide the air introduction channel and the air discharge channel from each other. Consequently, the collision between the introduced air and the discharged air is minimized by the provision of the air guide 161 , and therefore, the laundry drying efficiency is improved.
[0069] Hereinafter, the operation of the multiple laundry treating apparatus including the auxiliary body with the above-stated construction will be described.
[0070] First, when small-sized laundry articles, such as shoes, are to be treated, for example, dried, a user places the small-sized laundry articles on the shelf 160 in the drawer 122 .
[0071] Subsequently, the user manipulates a control panel to control the operation of the auxiliary body. The control panel may be mounted in the laundry machine body for controlling the operation of the auxiliary body. Alternatively, the control panel may be mounted in the auxiliary body.
[0072] With the manipulation of the control panel, the auxiliary body is operated, and therefore, the heater 142 and the blowing fan 172 are driven. When the blowing fan 172 is driven, air is introduced from the laundry machine body 110 into the auxiliary body 120 through the connection channel 143 . When the air flows through the connection channel 143 , the air is heated by the heater 142 , with the result that the heated air is introduced into the auxiliary body 120 .
[0073] The heated air, introduced into the auxiliary body 120 , flows toward small-sized laundry articles by the air guide 161 . The air, used to dry the small-sized laundry articles, flows to the lower space of the auxiliary body 120 , below the shelf 160 , through the through-holes 160 a of the shelf 160 , and is then discharged out of the auxiliary body 120 through the outlet port 172 .
[0074] FIG. 5 is a side view illustrating a multiple laundry treating apparatus including an auxiliary body according to another embodiment of the present invention.
[0075] This embodiment is different from the previous embodiment in that the blowing fan 141 is mounted in the laundry machine body 110 , and the heater 142 is mounted in the auxiliary body 120 . Hereinafter, the multiple laundry treating apparatus including the auxiliary body according to this embodiment will be described based on the difference between this embodiment and the previous embodiment.
[0076] Referring to FIG. 5 , the blowing fan 141 is mounted in the laundry machine body 110 . Preferably, the blowing fan 141 is located in the connection channel 143 extending into the laundry machine body 110 . Consequently, the blowing fan 141 serves to introduce air from the laundry machine body 110 into the auxiliary body 120 . The heater 142 is located in the auxiliary body 142 adjacent to the inlet port 171 for heating the air introduced into the auxiliary body 120 by the blowing fan 141 . Preferably, the heater 142 is located between the air guide 161 and the inlet port 171 for heating the air introduced through the connection channel 143 .
[0077] When the blowing fan 141 is operated, external air is introduced into the auxiliary body 120 through the connection channel 143 . The introduced air is heated by the heater 142 such that the laundry 162 can be dried by the heated air. The wet air, used to dry the laundry 162 , is discharged out of the auxiliary body 120 through the outlet port 172 .
[0078] Meanwhile, the other components of the auxiliary body according to this embodiment, such as the shelf 160 and the drawer 122 , are identical or similar to those of the previous embodiment, and therefore, a detailed description thereof will not be given.
[0079] FIG. 6 is a side view illustrating a multiple laundry treating apparatus including an auxiliary body according to a further embodiment of the present invention.
[0080] This embodiment is different from the previous embodiments in that both the blowing fan 141 and the heater 142 are mounted in the laundry machine body 110 . Hereinafter, the multiple laundry treating apparatus including the auxiliary body according to this embodiment will be described based on the difference between this embodiment and the previous embodiments.
[0081] Referring to FIG. 6 , both the blowing fan 141 and the heater 142 are mounted in the laundry machine body 110 . Preferably, the blowing fan 141 and the heater 142 are located in the connection channel 143 extending into the laundry machine body 110 .
[0082] Consequently, when air is supplied from the laundry machine body 110 into the auxiliary body 120 with the operation of the blowing fan 141 , the supplied air is heated by the heater 142 . The heated air is introduced into the auxiliary body 120 through the connection channel 143 such that the laundry 162 can be dried by the heated air. The wet air, used to dry the laundry 162 , is discharged out of the auxiliary body 120 through the outlet port 172 .
[0083] However, the positions of the blowing fan 141 and the heater 142 are not particularly restricted so long as both the blowing fan 141 and the heater 142 are mounted in the laundry machine body 110 such that the heated air can be introduced into the auxiliary body.
[0084] Meanwhile, the other components of the auxiliary body according to this embodiment, such as the shelf 160 and the drawer 122 , are identical or similar to those of the previous embodiments, and therefore, a detailed description thereof will not be given.
[0085] As apparent from the above description, the multiple laundry treating apparatus according to the present invention has the following effects.
[0086] The multiple laundry treating apparatus according to the present invention treats a small amount of laundry through the use of the auxiliary body without the operation of the relatively large-sized laundry machine body. Consequently, the present invention has the effect of improving convenience of use and saving energy.
[0087] Also, the multiple laundry treating apparatus according to the present invention easily dries laundry, such as shoes or hats, which are difficult to be dried by the conventional drum type drying machine. In addition, the auxiliary space, such as the base of the conventional laundry treating apparatus, is used as the auxiliary laundry treating apparatus according to the present invention.
[0088] Also, the multiple laundry treating apparatus according to the present invention is operated with low costs, and the spatial utilization of the multiple laundry treating apparatus is maximized. Consequently, the use of the multiple laundry treating apparatus is very convenient.
[0089] Furthermore, the multiple laundry treating apparatus according to the present invention is constructed in a structure in which the blowing fan and/or the heater, among the components of the air supply unit, which supplies air to the auxiliary body, is mounted in the laundry machine body. In this case, the laundry receiving space of the auxiliary body is increased as compared to that of the auxiliary body constructed in a structure in which both the blowing fan and the heater are mounted in the auxiliary body. Consequently, it is possible to dry a relatively large amount of laundry.
[0090] It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made in the present invention without departing from the spirit or scope of the inventions. Thus, it is intended that the present invention covers the modifications and variations of this invention provided they come within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents.
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The present invention relates to a multiple laundry treating apparatus. The multiple laundry treating apparatus includes a laundry machine body, an auxiliary body mounted at one side of the laundry machine body, the auxiliary body having a volume and height less than that of the laundry machine body, the auxiliary body being provided with a laundry receiving space, and an air supply unit for forcibly supplying air into the auxiliary body, wherein at least some components of the air supply unit are mounted in the laundry machine body.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to an apparatus for automatically laying out a stocking, collant or the like, for visual inspection and possible treatment thereof.
It is well known that knitted hose articles, particularly stockings, collants and the like, have to be stretched out after manufacture thereof in order to check for manufacturing defects and to provide for subjecting them to possible treatments, such as drying, finish treatments or the like.
At present this stocking and collant stretching out operation is manually carried out, by superimposing rigid forms into the stockings and collants, on which the latter are manually stretched out.
The stockings and collants are then removed from these rigid forms for delivery to further treatments.
The prior art suffers from substantial drawbacks, primarily that the stocking loading and stretching out operation on the supporting forms requires considerable time, thus resulting in a low hourly output of controlled stockings and a considerable increase in production costs thereof.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is the primary object of the present invention to provide an apparatus by means of which the stockings and collants can be automatically laid out and inspected and by which the stretched out stockings and collants can be possibly subjected to treatment, in a very short time and accordingly with high hourly outputs and low costs.
It is another object of the invention to provide an apparatus of the above mentioned type, which is economical to manufacture and reliable in operation.
These and still further objects are achieved by an apparatus including a rigid shaped form for supporting the inlet portion of a stocking, an elongated element movable within the rigid form between a position at which the free end of said element is substantially aligned with the free end of the form, and a position at which the end of the elongated element extends beyond the free end of the form. Also included are means for controlling the movement of the elongated element between said two positions thereof, power rollers located one at each side of said rigid form, means causing the two rollers to move near each other until contacting with said form and operating said motor for causing the rollers to be rotated in the direction of drawing and applying the stocking to the form, means for successively moving the rollers away from the form. A further device successively causes the movement of the elongated element, causing it to project from the form and stretch out the stocking. Pliers are provided for gripping the stocking tip on the end of the elongated element, on which said control device is effective to re-enter it in said form, leaving the stocking at free state and hanging from the pliers.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Various other objects, features and attendant advantages of the present invention will be more fully appreciated as the same becomes better understood from the following detailed description when considered in connection with the accompanying drawings in which like reference characters designate like or corresponding parts throughout the several views, and wherein:
FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic plan view of an apparatus mounted on a movable support at four successive operating station;
FIGS. 2A-2D separately, and view, and in front elevational view shows the mutual positions taken by the rigid shaped form and movable element housed therein at the four successive positions or stations shown in FIG. 1.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
As particularly shown by FIGS. 1 and 2A-2D, an apparatus according to the invention comprises a rigid shaped form 1 which, in the embodiment shown, is shaped with upward extending projections, intended for supporting a collant. Essentially, such a rigid form 1 comprises two rigid plates juxtaposed to each other, between which an elongated element 2 is movably positioned, such an element having two flattened rods, the two ends of which, designated both by reference numeral 3, normally project beyond the upper free end of form 1 at stations A and B, to be discussed below, and which have been shown in succession in FIGS. 2A-2D.
Said form 1 and elongated element 2 are mounted on a rigid support, simply outlined and designated by reference letter S in FIG. 1. The support intermittently rotates, causing said form to stop successively at the four stations, respectively designated by reference letters A, B, C and D (in FIG. 1, station D has been shown closer to the axis of rotation of support S only for the sake of reducing the drawing size).
While said rigid form 1 is fixed or stationary on the rotating support S, the elongated element 2 is connected to a driving motor or other member 102 (such as, for example, a cam, hydraulic or pneumatic piston, electromagnetic driving member or the like) capable of causing said element 2 to be displaced from the lowered position, taken at stations A and B, to an extended position taken on passing from station B to station C, where the free ends 3 of element 2 are entirely projecting above said form 1.
At the successive passage from station C to station D, automatic members, such as for example cams or electrical control members 103, will lower said element 2, bringing it back at station D to the same position as at station A.
Two power rollers are provided at station B, designated by reference numeral 4 and positioned one at one side and the other at the other side of said rigid form 1, as particularly shown in FIG. 1.
At such a station B, members are provided such as, for example, electrical contacts or switches operated, for example, by said form 1, for moving the two rollers 4 near each other until the rollers press on said form 1, and causing said rollers to rotate such that the roller surfaces thereof contacting said form 1 move downward on form 1.
Now, assume that the device is at station A, where said element 2 is fully lowered relative to form 1 (FIG. 2A). At this station, an operator can simply apply the inlet waist of a collant onto the upper shaped ends of said rigid form 1, which operation is a very fast and easily carried out.
At the successive passage to station B, when the rotational movement of support S is stopped for a very short period of time, the two rollers 4 are pressed in contact with the free inlet or waist of the collant and, by rotating, will entirely draw it on form 1, drawing the collant legs over the shaped projections of form 1. At the end of this operation of complete drawing of the collant on form 1, a known type of friction device 104 moves said two rollers 4 away from form 1 and causes the stopping thereof.
Then, said support S moves through a further step and, on passing of said form from station B to station C, a cam or other automatic member, 102 causes the upward lifting of said elongated element 2 and exit of ends 3 of said elongated element, upward drawing the tips of the collant legs, as particularly shown in FIG. 2C.
At the end of this lifting operation of the elongated element 2, while the apparatus is still at station C, said element 2 acts upon a microswitch causing the closure of two grippers 5, which are located just above the free ends 3 of element 2 and which accordingly grip the tips of the legs or stockings of the collant. Such grippers 5 are carried by a chain 6 shown by dashed line in the figures of the drawings.
Now, still through the action of a cam, hydraulic or pneumatic piston, or magnetic or electromagnetic member 103, on passing from station C to station D, said element 2 is lowered again (see FIG. 2D), leaving the collant, shown by dot-dashed line in FIG. 2D and designated by reference letter K, hanging from grippers 5, transferring it to a subsequent treatment, herein of no interest.
While the collant or stocking is stretched between said form 1 and element 2, which completely projects from said form, that is at the conditions of station C (and successively possibly as the collant is freely suspended at station D), such a material can be easily visually controlled or checked for any manufacturing defects.
While the collant is laid out at station C, and during its passage from station C to station D, it may be invested by a blow of hot air for complete drying thereof, or be subjected to a finish treatment or other treatment per se well known in the art.
For example, two heated movable walls (of a per se known structure) may be provided at station D, which walls move near each other, thus coming in contact with the collant and causing an automatic ironing thereof. At such a stage, the collant may be at a free state (hanging from the pliers), or may be still slipped on the forms.
In order to facilitate the separation of the collant from the rigid form 1, the latter has movably mounted thereon a kick-off or expeller member 7 which is at lowered position at stations A, B and C, and which is lifted, for example by means of a motor, cam or other members 107, as said form 1 arrives at station D (FIG. 2D), thus releasing the waist or inlet of the collant from said form 1.
The above described apparatus is of extremely simple structure and allows a fast and easy loading, stretching out, control and possible treatment of stockings, collants and the like, thus providing a considerable progress or advance with respect to the present known art.
Obviously, numerous modifications and variations of the present invention are possible in light 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.
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Apparatus for automatically laying out stockings or collants for visual control and possible treatments thereof. The apparatus comprises a rigid shaped form, having a stocking inlet applied thereto, and an elongated element movable between a position, at which it is within the form, and a position, at which is projects from the form, stretching out the stacking that can be therefore controlled. At its stretched out position, the stocking tip is automatically gripped by a pliers, while the movable element is withdrawn, thereby leaving the stocking hanging from the pliers.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to pest control compositions which contain an active compound combination of certain agonists or antagonists of the nicotinic acetylcholine receptors of insects together with fungicides, their preparation and their use for the control of plant pests.
2. Description of the Related Art
Agonists or antagonists of the nicotinic acetylcholine receptors of insects are known, for example from the following publications:
European Published Specifications No. 464 830, 428 941, 425 978, 386 565, 383 091, 375 907, 364 844, 315 826, 259 738, 254 859, 235 725, 212 600, 192 060, 163 855, 154 178, 136 636, 303 570, 302 833, 306 696, 189 972, 455 000, 135 956, 471 372, 302 389; German Published Specifications No. 3 639 877, 3 712 307; Japanese Published Specifications No. 03 220 176, 02 207 083, 63 307 857, 63 287 764, 03 246 283, 04 9371, 03 279 359, 03 255 072; U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,034,524, 4,948,798, 4,918,798, 4,918,086, 5,039,686, 5,034,404; PCT Applications No. WO 91/17 659, 91/4965; French Application No. 2 611 114; Brazilian Application No. 88 03 621.
The methods, processes, formulae and definitions described in these publications, and also the specific preparations and compounds described therein, are expressly incorporated herein.
Fungicidal active compounds, such as azole derivatives, aryl benzyl ethers, benzamides, morpholine compounds and other heterocycles are known (cf. K. H. Büchel “Pflanzenschutz and Schädlingsbekämpfung [Crop protection and pest control]”, pages 140 to 153, Georg Thieme-Verlag, Stuttgart 1977, EP-OS (European Published Specification) 0 040 345, DE-OS (German Published Specification) 3 324 010, DE-OS (German Published Specification) 2 201 063, EP-OS (European Published Specification) 0 112 284, EP-OS (European Published Specification) 0 304 758, and DD-PS (German Democratic Republic Patent Specification) 140 412).
Mixtures of certain nitromethylene derivatives with fungicidal active compounds and their use as compositions for the control of pests in crop protection are already known (U.S. Pat. No. 4,731,385; JP-OS (Japanese Published Specifications) 63-68507, 63/68505, 63/72 608, 63/72 609, 63/72 610). Mixtures of certain open-chain nitromethylenes and nitroguanidines with fungicides are already known (JP-OS (Japanese Published Specification) 30 47 106; U.S. Pat. No. 5,181,587).
Mixtures of cyclopropylcarboxamides with certain nitromethylenene or nitroguanidine derivatives are already known (JP-OS (Japanese Published Specification) 3 271 207;
Mixtures of inter alia imidacloprid and fungicidal active compounds for use in material protection and against termites, but not for use against plant-damaging pests, are already known (EP-OS (European Published Specification) (Nit 259)). Mixtures of imidacloprid and azolylmethylcycloalkanes, in particular triticonazole, are known from EP-OS (European Published Specification) 545 834.
However, nothing is yet known about nitroguanidine derivatives and fungicides other than cyclopropylcarboxamides and triticonazole influencing each other so favourably in over action that, while being well tolerated by plants, they can be used with outstanding effect as compositions for the control of plant pests.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to plant pest control compositions which contain compounds of the the general formula (I)
in which
X represents —CH═ or ═N—, E represents an electron-withdrawing radical, in particular nitro or cyano, R represents optionally substituted hetarylalkyl, A represents hydrogen, alkyl, or a bifunctional group which is linked to the radical Z, Z represents alkyl, —NH, alkyl, —N(alkyl) 2 or a bifunctional group which is linked to the radical A,
in mixtures with fungicidal active compounds, excluding cyclopropylcarboxamide derivatives and azolylmethylcycloalkanes.
Preferably, the invention relates to plant pest control compositions which contain compounds of the formula (I) in which the radicals have the following meaning:
X represents ═CH— or ═N—, E represents NO 2 or CN, R represents hetarylmethyl, hetarylethyl having up to 6 ring atoms and N, O, S, in particular N, as heteroatoms.
In particular there may be mentioned thienyl, furyl, thiazolyl, imidazolyl, pyridyl, which are optionally substituted.
Preferred examples of substituents are:
alkyl having preferably 1 to 4, in particular 1 or 2 carbon atoms, such as methyl, ethyl, n- and i-propyl and n-, i- and t-butyl; alkoxy having preferably 1 to 4, in particular 1 or 2 carbon atoms, such as methoxy, ethoxy, n- and i-propyloxy and n-, i- and t-butyloxy; alkylthio having preferably 1 to 4, in particular 1 or 2 carbon atoms, such as methylthio, ethylthio, n- and i-propylthio and n-, i- and t-butylthio; haloalkyl having preferably 1 to 4, in particular 1 or 2 carbon atoms and preferably 1 to 5, in particular 1 to 3 halogen atoms, wherein the halogen atoms are identical or different and wherein the halogen atoms are preferably fluorine, chlorine or bromine, in particular fluorine, such as trifluoromethyl; hydroxyl; halogen, preferably fluorine, chlorine, bromine and iodine, in particular fluorine, chlorine and bromine; cyano; nitro; amino; monoalkyl- and dialkylamino having preferably 1 to 4, in particular 1 or 2 carbon atoms per alkyl group, such as methylamino, methylethylamino, n- and i-propylamino and methyl-n-butylamino;
A represents hydrogen, C 1-4 alkyl, in particular methyl or ethyl, Z represents C 1-4 alkyl, in particular ethyl or methyl, —NH(C 1-4 alkyl), —N(C 1-4 alkyl) or
A and Z, form together with the atoms to which they are bonded, form a saturated or unsaturated heterocyclic ring. The heterocyclic ring may contain a further 1 or 2 identical or different heteroatoms and/or heterogroups. Preferably, heteroatoms are oxygen or nitrogen and heterogroups are N-alkyl, the alkyl of the N-alkyl group containing preferably 1 to 4, in particular 1 or 2 carbon atoms. Examples of alkyl include methyl, ethyl, n- and i-propyl and n-, i- and t-butyl. The heterocyclic ring contains 5 to 7, preferably 5 or 6 ring members.
Examples of the heterocyclic ring include pyrrolidine, piperidine, thiazolidine, piperazine, imidazolidine, hexamethyleneimine, hexahydro-1,3,5-triazine, morpholine, which may optionally be substituted, preferably by methyl.
Most preferred are compounds of the general formulae (I) and (Ib)
in which
n represents 1 or 2, Subst. represents one of the abovementioned substituents, in particular halogen, especially chlorine, A and Z have the abovementioned preferred meanings,
Specifically, the following compounds may be mentioned:
Fungicides in the novel compositions for the control of plant pests are for example:
(1) Azole derivatives of the formula
(2) Azole derivatives of the formula
(3) The azole derivative of the formula
(4) The compound
S x (V)
(5) Azole derivative of the formula
(6) Heterocycles of the formula
(7) Compound of the formula
(8) Compound of the formula
(9) Compound of the formula
(10) Compound of the formula
(11) Compound of the formula
(12) Compound of the formula
(13) Compounds of the formula
(14) Compounds of the formula
(15) Compounds of the formula
(16) Compound of the formula
(17) Compound of the formula
(18) Compound of the formula
(19) Compound of the formula
(20) Compound of the formula
(21) Compound of the formula
(22) Compound of the formula
(23) Compound of the formula
(24) Compounds of the formula
(25) Compound of the formula
(26) Compound of the formula
(27) Compound of the formula
(28) Compound of the formula
(29) Compound of the formula
(30) Compound of the formula
(31) Compound of the formula
(32) Compounds of the formula
(33) Compound of the formula
(34) Compound of the formula
(35) Compound of the formula
(36) Compound of the formula
(37) Compound of the formula
(38) Compounds of the formula
in which
R 15 and R 16 , independently of each other, represent hydrogen, halogen, methyl or phenyl, and R 17 represents hydrogen or methyl, (39) 8-'Butyl-2-(N-ethyl-N-n-propylamino)-methyl-1,4-dioxaspiro[4.5]decane of the formula
(40) Compound of the formula
(41) Compound of the formula.
(42) Compound of the formula
(43) Compound of the formula
(44) Benzimidazole of the formula
(45) Compound of the formula
(46) Compound of the formula
(47) Compound of the formula
The active compounds of the formula (I) are known for example from EP-OS (European Published Specification) 192 060.
The fungicidal active compounds are also known.
In the following publications, for example, there are described:
(1) Compounds of the formula (II)
DE-OS (German Published Specification) 2 201 063 DE-OS (German Published Specification) 2 324 010 DE-OS (German Published Specification) 2 737 489 DE-OS (German Published Specification) 3 018 866 DE-OS (German Published Specification) 2 551 560 EP 47 594 DE 2 735 872
(2) Compound of the formula (III)
EP 68 813 U.S. Pat. No. 4,496,551
(3) Compound of the formula (IV)
DE-OS (German Published Specification) 2 429 523 DE-OS (German Published Specification) 2 856 974 U.S. Pat. No. 4,108,411
(6) Compounds of the formula (VII)
DL 140 041
(7) Compound of the formula (VIII)
EP 382 375
(8) Compound of the formula (IX)
EP 515 901
(9) Compound of the formula (X)
EP 314 422
(10) Compound of the formula (XI)
EP 49 854
(11) Compound of the formula (XII)
DE-OS (German Published Specification) 1 770 288 U.S. Pat. No. 3,869,456
(13) Compounds of the formula (XIV)
DE 2 207 576 U.S. Pat. No. 3,903,090 U.S. Pat. No. 3,755,350 U.S. Pat. No. 3,823,240
(14) Compounds of the formula (XV)
EP 270 111
(19) Compound of the formula (XX)
EP 219 756
(34) Compound of the formula (XXXV)
U.S. Pat. No. 4,512,989
(38) Compounds of the formula (XXXIX)
EP 398 692
Compounds of groups (15), (16), (17), (18), (23), (34), (25), (28), (31), (32), (33) and (38) to (47) are described for example in K. H. Büchel, “Pflanzenschutz and Schädlingsbekämpfung [Crop protection and pest control]”, pages 121-153, Georg Thieme-Verlag, Stuttgart, 1977. The compound of group (39) is known from EP-OS (European Published Specification) 281 842.
Besides the active compound of the formula (I), the active compound combinations according to the invention contain at least one fungicidal active compound, selected for example from the compounds of groups (1) to (47). Additionally, they may also contain other active compounds and also customary auxiliaries and additives and diluents.
A synergistic effect is particularly apparent when the active compounds in the active compound combinations according to the invention are present in particular weight ratios. However, the weight ratios of the active compounds in the active compound combinations can be varied within a relatively wide range. In general
0.1 to 10 parts by weight, preferably 0.3 to 3 parts by weight, of at least one fungicidal active compound from the groups (1) to (48) is/are allocated to one part by weight of active compound of the formula (I).
The combinations of active compounds according to the invention possess very good fungicidal properties. They can be employed, in particular, for controlling phytopathogenic fungi, such as Plasmodiophoromycetes, Oomycetes, Chytridiomycetes, Zygomycetes, Ascomycetes, Basidiomycetes, Deuteromycetes etc.
The active compound combinations according to the invention are particularly suitable for controlling cereal diseases, such as Erysiphe, Cochliobolus, Septoria, Pyrenophora and Leptosphaeria, and for use against fungal infestations of vegetables, grapes and fruit, for example against Venturia or Podosphaera on apples, Uncinula on vine plants or Sphaeroteca on cucumbers.
The active compound combinations are also suitable for controlling animal pests, preferably anthropods, in particular insects encountered in agriculture, in forestry, in the protection of stored products and of materials, and in the hygiene field. They are active against normally sensitive and resistant species and against all or some stages of development. The abovementioned pests include:
From the order of the Isopoda, for example, Oniscus asellus, Armadillidium vulgare and Porcellio scaber.
From the order of the Diplopoda, for example, Blaniulus guttulatus.
From the order of the Chilopoda, for example, Geophilus carpophagus and Scutigera spec.
From the order of the Symphyla, for example, Scutigerella immaculata.
From the order of the Thysanura, for example, Lepisma saccharina.
From the order of the Collembola, for example, Onychiurus armatus.
From the order of the Orthoptera, for example, Blatta orientalis, Periplaneta americana, Leucophaea maderae, Blattella germancia, Acheta domesticus, Gryllotalpa spp., Locusta migratoria migratorioides, Melanoplus differentialis and Schistocerca gregaria . From the order of the Dermaptera , for example, Forficula auricularia.
From the order of the Isoptera , for example, Reticulitermes spp.
From the order of the Anoplura, for example, Pediculus humanus corporis, Haematopinus spp. and Linognathus spp.
From the order of the Mallophaga, for example, Trichodectes spp. and Damalinea spp. From the order of the Thysanoptera, for example, Hercinothrips femoralis and Thrips tabaci.
From the order of the Heteroptera, for example, Eurygaster spp., Dysdercus intermedius, Piesma quadrata, Cimex lectularius, Rhodnius prolixus and Triatoma spp.
From the order of the Homoptera , for example, Aleurodes brassicae, Bemisia tabaci, Trialeurodes vaporariorum, Aphis gossypii, Brevicoryne brassicae, Cryptomyzus ribis, Doralis fabae, Doralis pomi, Eriosoma lanigerum, Hyalopterus arundinis, Macrosiphum avenae, Myzus spp., Phorodon humuli, Rhopalosiphum padi, Phylloxera vastrix, Pemphigus spp., Empoasca spp., Euscelis bilobatus, Nephotettix cincticeps, Lecanium corn, Saissetia oleae, Laodelphax striatellus, Nilaparvata lugens, Aonidiella aurantii, Aspidiotus hederae, Pseudococcus spp. and Psylla spp.
From the order of the Lepidoptera , for example, Pectinophora gossypiella, Bupalus piniarius, Cheimatobia brumata, Lithocolletis blancardella, Hyponomeuta padella, Plutella maculipennis, Malacosoma neustria, Euproctis chrysorrhoea, Lymantria spp. Bucculatrix thurberiella, Phyllocnistis citrella, Agrotis spp., Euxoa spp., Feltia spp., Earias insulana, Heliothis spp., Laphygma exigua, Mamestra brassicae, Panolis flammea, Prodenia litura, Spodoptera spp., Trichoplusia ni, Carpocapsa pomonella, Pieris spp., Chilo spp., Pyrausta nubilalis, Ephestia kuehniella, Galleria mellonella, Tineola bisselliella, Tinea pellionella, Hofinannophila pseudospretella, Cacoecia podana, Capua reticulana, Choristoneura fiuniferana, Clysia ambiguella, Homona magnanima and Tortrix viridana.
From the order of the Coleoptera, for example, Anobium punctatum, Rhizopertha dominica, Bruchidius obtectus, Acanthoscelides obtectus, Hylotrupes bajulus, Agelastica alni, Leptinotarsa decemlineata, Phaedon cochleariae, Diabrotica spp., Psylliodes chrysocephala, Epilachna varivestis, Atomaria spp., Oryzaephilus surinamensis, Anthonomus spp., Sitophilus spp., Otiorrhynchus sulcatus, Cosmopolites sordidus, C euthorrhynchus assimilis, Hypera postica, Dermestes spp., Trogoderma spp., Anthrenus spp., Attagenus spp., Lyctus spp., Meligethes aeneus, Ptinus spp., Niptus hololeucus, Gibbium psylloides, Tribolium spp., Tenebrio molitor, Agriotes spp., Conoderus spp., Melolontha melolontha, Amphimallon solstitialis and Costelytra zealandica.
From the order of the Hymenoptera , for example, Diprion spp., Hoplocampa spp., Lasius spp., Monomorium pharaonis and Vespa spp.
From the order of the Diptera, for example, Aedes spp., Anopheles spp., Culex spp., Drosophila melanogaster, Musca spp., Fannia spp., Calliphora erythrocephala, Lucilia spp., Chrysomyia spp., Cuterebra spp., Gastrophilus spp., Hyppobosca spp., Stomoxys spp., Oestrus spp., Hypoderma spp., Tabanus spp., Tannia spp., Bibio hortulanus, Oscinella frit, Phorbia spp., Pegomyia hyoscyami, Ceratitis capitata, Dacus oleae and Tipula paludosa.
The fact that the active compound combinations are well tolerated by plants at the concentrations required for controlling plant diseases permits a treatment of aerial parts of plants, of propagation stock and seeds, and of the soil.
The active compounds of the invention can be converted to the customary formulations, such as solutions, emulsions, suspensions, powders, foams, pastes, granules, aerosols, very fine capsules in polymeric substances and in coating compositions for seed, as well as ULV formulations.
These formulations are produced in a known manner, for example by mixing the active compounds with extenders, that is, liquid solvents, liquefied gases under pressure, and/or solid carriers, optionally with the use of surface-active agents, that is emulsifying agents and/or dispersing agents, and/or foam-forming agents. In the case of the use of water as an extender, organic solvents can, for example, also be used as auxiliary solvents. As liquid solvents, there are suitable in the main: aromatics, such as xylene, toluene or alkylnaphthalenes, chlorinated aromatics or chlorinated aliphatic hydrocarbons, such as chlorobenzenes, chloroethylenes or methylene chloride, aliphatic hydrocarbons, such as cyclohexane or paraffins, for example mineral oil fractions, alcohols, such as butanol or glycol as well as their ethers and esters, ketones, such as acetone, methyl ethyl ketone, methyl isobutyl ketone or cyclohexanone, strongly polar solvents, such as dimethylformamide and dimethyl sulphoxide, as well as water; by liquefied gaseous extenders or carriers are meant liquids which are gaseous at ambient temperature and under atmospheric pressure, for example aerosol propellants, such as halogenated hydrocarbons as well as butane, propane, nitrogen and carbon dioxide; as solid carriers there are suitable: for example ground natural minerals, such as kaolins, clays, talc, chalk, quartz, attapulgite, montmorillonite or diatomaceous earth, and ground synthetic minerals, such as highly disperse silica, alumina and silicates; as solid carriers for granules there are suitable: for example crushed and fractionated natural rocks such as calcite, marble, pumice, sepiolite and dolomite; as well as synthetic granules of inorganic and organic meals, and granules of organic material such as sawdust, coconut shells, maize cobs and tobacco stalks; as emulsifying and/or foam-forming agents there are suitable: for example non-ionic and anionic emulsifiers, such as polyoxyethylene fatty acid esters, polyoxyethylene fatty alcohol ethers, for example alkylaryl polyglycol ethers, alkylsulphonates, alkyl sulphates, arylsulphonates as well as albumen hydrolysis products; as dispersing agents there are suitable: for example lignin-sulphite waste liquors and methylcellulose.
Adhesives such as carboxymethylcellulose and natural and synthetic polymers in the form of powders, granules or latices, such as gum arabic, polyvinyl alcohol and polyvinyl acetate, as well as natural phospholipids, such as cephalins and lecithins, and synthetic phospholipids, can be used in the formulations. Other additives can be mineral and vegetable oils.
It is possible to use colorants such as inorganic pigments, for example iron oxide, titanium oxide and Prussian Blue, and organic dyestuffs, such as alizarin dyestuffs, azo dyestuffs and metal phthalocyanine dyestuffs, and trace nutrients such as salts of iron, manganese, boron, copper, cobalt, molybdenum and zinc.
The formulations in general contain between 0.1 and 95 per cent by weight of active compound, preferably between 0.5 and 90%.
The active compound combinations according to the invention can be present in the formulations as mixtures with other known active compounds, such as fungicides, insecticides, acaricides and herbicides, and also as mixtures with fertilizers or plant growth regulators.
The active compound combinations can be used as such, in the form of their formulations or as the use forms prepared therefrom, such as ready-to-use solutions, emulsifiable concentrates, emulsions, suspensions, wettable powders, soluble powders and granules.
They are used in the customary manner, for example by watering, spraying, atomizing, scattering, brushing on and as a powder for dry seed treatment, a solution for seed treatment, a water-soluble powder for seed treatment, a water-soluble powder for slurry treatment, or by encrusting.
In the treatment of parts of plants, the concentrations of active compound in the use forms can be varied within a substantial range. In general, they are between 1 and 0.0001% by weight, preferably between 0.5 and 0.001%.
In the treatment of seed, amounts of 0.001 to 50 g of active compound per kilogram of seed are generally required, preferably 0.01 to 10 g.
In the treatment of the soil, active compound concentrations from 0.00001 to 0.1% by weight, preferably 0.0001 to 0.02% by weight, are required at the site of action.
The good fungicidal activity of the active compound combinations according to the invention can be seen from the examples which follow. While the individual active compounds or the known active compound combinations show weaknesses with regard to the fungicidal activity, the tables of the examples which follow show clearly that the activity found in the case of the active compound combinations according to the invention exceeds the total of the activities of individual active compounds and also exceeds the activities of the known active compound combinations.
In the examples that follow, imidacloprid is employed as active compound of the formula (I). The fungicidal active compounds also used are stated in the examples.
Example A
Drechslera Graminea Test (Barley)/Seed Treatment (syn. Helminthosporium Gramineum)
The active compounds are used as a powder for dry seed treatment. They are prepared by extending the active compound in question with rock meal to give a finely pulverulent mixture which ensures uniform distribution on the seed surface.
To carry out the seed treatment, the infected seed and the seed-dressing product are shaken for 3 minutes in a sealed glass flask.
The seed, embedded in screened, moist standard soil in sealed Petri dishes, is exposed to a temperature of 4° C. for 10 days in a refrigerator. This triggers germination of the barley and, if appropriate, of the fungal spores. 2×50 pregerminated barley kernels are subsequently sown in standard soil at a depth of 3 cm and grown in a greenhouse at a temperature of approximately 18° C. in seed boxes which are exposed to the light for 15 hours per day.
Approximately 3 weeks after sowing, the plants are evaluated for symptoms of barley leaf stripe.
Mixtures of imidacloprid with tebuconazole, captan, euparen M, bitertanol, triazoxide, thiram, fludioxonil exhibit a pronounced increase in activity as compared with treatment using the individual compounds.
Example B
Fusarium Nivale Test (Wheat)/Seed Treatment
The active compounds are used as a powder for dry seed treatment. They are prepared by extending the active compound in question with rock meal to give a finely pulverulent mixture which ensures uniform distribution on the seed surface.
To carry out the seed treatment, the infected seed and the seed-dressing product are shaken for 3 minutes in a sealed glass flask.
2×100 wheat kernels are subsequently sown in standard soil at a depth of 1 cm and grown in the greenhouse at a temperature of approximately 10° and a relative atmospheric humidity of approximately 95% in seed boxes which are exposed to the light for 15 hours per day.
Approximately 3 weeks after sowing, the plants are evaluated for snow blight symptoms.
Mixtures of imidacloprid with euparen, guazatine, triadimenol, difenconazole, fenpiclonil exhibit a pronounced increase in activity as compared with treatment using the individual compounds.
Example C
Phaedon Larvae Test
Solvent: 7 parts by weight of dimethylformamide
Emulsifier: 1 part by weight of alkylaryl polyglycol ether
To produce a suitable preparation of active compound, 1 part by weight of active compound is mixed with the stated amount of solvent and the stated amount of emulsifier, and the concentrate is diluted with water to the desired concentration.
Cabbage leaves ( Brassica oleracea ) are treated by being dipped into the preparation of the active compound of the desired concentration and are infested with mustard beetle larvae ( Phaedon cochleariae ), as long as the leaves are still moist.
After 7 days the destruction in % is determined.
Mixtures of imidacloprid with anilazine, benomyl, bitertanol, captan, diclofluanid, mancozeb, maneb, metalaxyl, prochloraz, procymidone, sulphate, tolylfluanid, triadimefon, triadimenol exhibit a pronounced increase in activity as compared with treatment using the individual compounds.
Example D
Myzus Test
Solvent: 7 parts by weight of dimethylformamide
Emulsifier: 1 part by weight of alkylaryl polyglycol ether
To produce a suitable preparation of active compound, 1 part by weight of active compound is mixed with the stated amount of solvent and the stated amount of emulsifier, and the concentrate is diluted with water to the desired concentration.
Cabbage leaves ( Brassica oleracea ) heavily infested with aphids ( Myzus persicae ) are treated by dipping in the preparation of active compound of the desired concentration.
After 6 days, the destruction in % is determined.
Mixtures of imidacloprid with bitertanol, fenpropimorph, prochloraz, tebuconazole exhibit a pronounced increase in activity as compared with treatment using the individual compounds.
Example E
Botrytis Test (Beans)/Protective
Solvent: 4.7 parts by weight of acetone
Emulsifier: 0.3 parts by weight of alkylaryl polyglycol ether
To produce a suitable preparation of active compound, 1 part by weight of active compound is mixed with the stated amount of solvent and the stated amount of emulsifier, and the concentrate is diluted with water to the desired concentration.
To test for protective activity, young plants are sprayed with the preparation of active compound until dripping wet. After the spray coating has dried on, two small pieces of agar covered with Botrytis cinerea are placed on each leaf. The inoculated plants are placed in a darkened humid chamber at 20° C. 3 days after the inoculation, the size of the infected spots on the leaves is evaluated.
Mixtures of imidacloprid with procymidone, tolyfluanid, tebuconazole exhibit a pronounced increase in activity as compared with treatment using the individual compounds.
Example F
Podosphaera Test (Apple)/Protective
Solvent: 4.7 parts by weight of acetone
Emulsifier: 0.3 parts by weight of alkylaryl polyglycol ether
To produce a suitable preparation of active compound, 1 part by weight of active compound is mixed with the stated amounts of solvent and emulsifier, and the concentrate is diluted with water to the desired concentration.
To test for protective activity, young plants are sprayed with the preparation of active compound until dripping wet. After the spray coating has dried on, the plants are inoculated by dusting with conidia of the causative organism of apple mildew ( Podosphaera leucotricha ).
The plants are then placed in a greenhouse at 23° C. and a relative atmospheric humidity of about 70%.
Evaluation is carried out 10 days after the inoculation.
Mixtures of imidacloprid with fenpropidin, triadimenol exhibit a prounced increase in activity as compared with treatment using the individual compounds.
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The present invention provides a composition comprising imidacloprid and metalaxyl. The compositions of the present invention find use as pesticides.
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BACKGROUND
[0001] Although they can be found in various forms, a tractor, generally stated, is an engineering vehicle designed to deliver a high tractive effort (or torque) at slow speeds, and may be configured with mechanisms used in agriculture, landscaping, or construction. Often, the mechanisms may be removable and replaced with other mechanisms that serve specific purposes (i.e., tillers, mowers, planters, reapers, and earth movers). One such mechanism is a dirt scoop.
[0002] A dirt scoop apparatus is a tractor attachment that can be driven by the tractor to move items such as dirt (e.g. soil, rocks, mulch, garbage, debris, and the like). The tractor drives the dirt scoop against the dirt that is to be removed until it is within the volume of a shovel-like element known as a dirt scoop. Once within the volume, the dirt is lifted and moved to a dumping location.
[0003] At the dumping location, the dirt is dumped from the dirt scoop. Typically, dumping occurs during a manual operation in which a rope is pulled by the tractor operator. This operation can be physically taxing on individuals, particularly if they must operate the dirt scoop for long periods of time, or if they have a physical impairment that limits their ability to execute the manual operation. It is desirable to have a dirt scoop apparatus that is effectively and easily operated by a wide range of users in a wide range of circumstances.
SUMMARY
[0004] One general aspect is directed to a dirt scooping, moving, and dumping apparatus for attachment to a tractor, the apparatus including: a dirt scoop defining a volume; a frame pivotably supporting the dirt scoop for rotation of the dirt scoop between a scooping angle and a dumping angle; and an interconnection assembly cooperative with the dirt scoop and the frame, where, when the dirt scoop is at a scooping elevation, the interconnection assembly is configured to maintain the dirt scoop at the scooping angle while the tractor moves to scoop a material into the volume of the dirt scoop, and where the interconnection assembly is further configured to automatically release the dirt scoop to allow the dirt scoop to pivot from the scooping angle to the dumping angle when the frame reaches a dumping elevation, thereby automatically dumping the material from the volume upon reaching the dumping elevation.
[0005] Implementations may include one or more of the following features. The apparatus where the interconnection assembly includes: a pivot joint pivotably connecting the dirt scoop with the frame; a latch mechanism disposed between the dirt scoop and the frame; and a spring-loaded pulley assembly fixed with the frame, where the spring-loaded pulley assembly has a first end connected to operate the latch mechanism, and a second end configured for attachment to a fixed portion of the tractor, where tension on the spring-loaded pulley assembly as the frame is lifted by the tractor automatically unlatches the latch mechanism when the frame reaches the dumping elevation, thereby allowing the dirt scoop to pivot with respect to the frame and dump dirt from the volume of the dirt scoop. The apparatus where the latch mechanism includes: a projection extending from a rear portion of the dirt scoop; and a lever arm having a fulcrum in fixed relationship with the frame, the lever arm having a first end connected with the spring-loaded pulley assembly, the lever arm further having a second end configured to releasably engage the projection. The apparatus where the dumping elevation at which the dirt scoop pivots with respect to the frame to dump the dirt occurs when tension on the spring-loaded pulley assembly reaches a given tension threshold. The apparatus where the interconnection assembly includes an adjustment mechanism to adjust the given tension threshold. The apparatus where the dumping elevation at which the latch mechanism is unlatched occurs when tension on the spring-loaded pulley assembly reaches a given tension threshold. The apparatus where the spring-loaded pulley assembly includes an adjustment mechanism to adjust the given tension threshold. The apparatus where the spring-loaded pulley assembly includes: a pulley wheel fixed to an upper portion of the frame; and a cable assembly disposed in operational relationship with the pulley wheel, the cable assembly including a tension spring disposed between the latch mechanism and the pulley wheel. The apparatus where the dumping elevation at which the latch mechanism is automatically unlatched occurs when tension on the spring-loaded pulley assembly reaches a given tension threshold, and where the cable assembly further includes a turnbuckle configured to adjust the given tension threshold. The apparatus further including: a counterbalance mechanism configured to bias the latch mechanism to a latched state. The apparatus where the latch mechanism further includes: a projection extending from a rear portion of the dirt scoop; and a lever arm having a fulcrum in fixed relationship with the frame, where the lever arm has a first end connected with the spring-loaded pulley assembly, the lever arm further having a second end configured to releasably engage the projection. The apparatus further including: a counterbalance mechanism connected at the second end of the lever arm to act against the spring-loaded pulley assembly so as to bias the latch mechanism to a latched state. The apparatus where the frame supports the dirt scoop at a pivot connection, and where unlatching the latch mechanism causes the dirt scoop to pivot about the pivot connection so as to dump the material from the volume. The apparatus where the given elevation at which the latch mechanism is automatically unlatched occurs when tension on the spring-loaded pulley assembly reaches a given tension threshold. The apparatus where the spring-loaded pulley assembly includes an adjustment mechanism to adjust the given tension threshold. The apparatus where the spring-loaded pulley assembly includes: a pulley wheel fixed to the upper member of the frame; and a cable assembly disposed in operational relationship with the pulley wheel, the cable assembly including a tension spring disposed between the latch mechanism and the pulley wheel, and where the cable assembly further includes a turnbuckle configured to adjust the given tension threshold. A cable assembly disposed in operational relationship with the pulley wheel, the cable assembly including a tension spring disposed between the latch mechanism and the pulley wheel, and where the cable assembly further includes a turnbuckle configured to adjust the given tension threshold. The apparatus where the latch mechanism includes: a projection extending from a rear portion of the dirt scoop; and a lever arm having a fulcrum in fixed relationship with the frame, the lever arm having a first end connected with the spring-loaded pulley assembly, the lever arm further having a second end configured to releasably engage the projection.
[0006] Another general aspect is directed to a dirt scooping, moving, and dumping apparatus for attachment to an tractor, the apparatus including: a dirt scoop having a volume and an open front portion for scooping material into the volume; a frame pivotably supporting the dirt scoop; a latch mechanism disposed between the dirt scoop and the frame; and a spring-loaded pulley assembly attached to the frame, where the spring-loaded pulley assembly has a first end connected to operate the latch mechanism, and a second end configured for attachment to a fixed portion of the tractor, where, as the frame is lifted tension increases along the spring-loaded pulley assembly so as to unlatch the latch mechanism when the frame reaches a dumping elevation, thereby allowing the dirt scoop to pivot with respect to the frame so as to dump dirt in the volume of the dirt scoop out the open front portion.
[0007] Implementations of this other general aspect may include one or more of the following features. The apparatus where the dumping elevation at which the latch mechanism is unlatched occurs when tension on the spring-loaded pulley assembly reaches a given tension threshold. The apparatus where the spring-loaded pulley assembly includes an adjustment mechanism to adjust the given tension threshold. The apparatus where the spring-loaded pulley assembly includes: a pulley wheel fixed to an upper portion of the frame; and a cable assembly disposed in operational relationship with the pulley wheel, the cable assembly including a tension spring disposed between the latch mechanism and the pulley wheel. The apparatus where the dumping elevation at which the latch mechanism is automatically unlatched occurs when tension on the spring-loaded pulley assembly reaches a given tension threshold, and where the cable assembly further includes a turnbuckle configured to adjust the given tension threshold. The apparatus further including: a counterbalance mechanism configured to bias the latch mechanism to a latched state. The apparatus where the latch mechanism further includes: a projection extending from a rear portion of the dirt scoop; and a lever arm having a fulcrum in fixed relationship with the frame, where the lever arm has a first end connected with the spring-loaded pulley assembly, the lever arm further having a second end configured to releasably engage the projection. The apparatus further including: a counterbalance mechanism connected at the second end of the lever arm to act against the spring-loaded pulley assembly so as to bias the latch mechanism to a latched state. The apparatus where the frame supports the dirt scoop at a pivot connection, and where unlatching the latch mechanism causes the dirt scoop to pivot about the pivot connection so as to dump the material from the volume. The apparatus where the given elevation at which the latch mechanism is automatically unlatched occurs when tension on the spring-loaded pulley assembly reaches a given tension threshold. The apparatus where the spring-loaded pulley assembly includes an adjustment mechanism to adjust the given tension threshold. The apparatus where the spring-loaded pulley assembly includes: a pulley wheel fixed to the upper member of the frame; and a cable assembly disposed in operational relationship with the pulley wheel, the cable assembly including a tension spring disposed between the latch mechanism and the pulley wheel, and where the cable assembly further includes a turnbuckle configured to adjust the given tension threshold. A cable assembly disposed in operational relationship with the pulley wheel, the cable assembly including a tension spring disposed between the latch mechanism and the pulley wheel, and where the cable assembly further includes a turnbuckle configured to adjust the given tension threshold. The apparatus where the latch mechanism includes: a projection extending from a rear portion of the dirt scoop; and a lever arm having a fulcrum in fixed relationship with the frame, the lever arm having a first end connected with the spring-loaded pulley assembly, the lever arm further having a second end configured to releasably engage the projection.
[0008] A further general aspect is directed to a dirt scooping, moving, and dumping apparatus for attachment to a tractor, the apparatus including: a dirt scoop having a volume defined by a plurality of walls, the dirt scoop having an open front portion for scooping material into the volume, and a rear wall opposite the open front portion; a frame having an upper member supporting the dirt scoop at a pivot connection, where the frame has a first end configured for attachment to a lift drive of the tractor so that operation of the lift drive results in a generally vertical movement of the frame while maintaining the frame in a generally level state; a latch mechanism disposed between the rear wall of the dirt scoop and the frame; and a spring-loaded pulley assembly having a pulley wheel in fixed relationship with the upper member of the frame, where the spring-loaded pulley assembly has a first end connected to operate the latch mechanism, and a second end configured for attachment to a fixed portion of the tractor, where operation of the lift drive increases tension on the spring-loaded pulley assembly as the frame is raised so as to automatically unlatch the latch mechanism when the frame reaches a given elevation, thereby allowing the dirt scoop to rotate about the pivot connection and dump material in the volume of the dirt scoop out the open front portion.
[0009] Implementations of this further general aspect may include one or more of the following features. The apparatus where the given elevation at which the latch mechanism is automatically unlatched occurs when tension on the spring-loaded pulley assembly reaches a given tension threshold. The apparatus where the spring-loaded pulley assembly includes an adjustment mechanism to adjust the given tension threshold. The apparatus where the spring-loaded pulley assembly includes: a pulley wheel fixed to the upper member of the frame; and a cable assembly disposed in operational relationship with the pulley wheel, the cable assembly including a tension spring disposed between the latch mechanism and the pulley wheel, and where the cable assembly further includes a turnbuckle configured to adjust the given tension threshold. A cable assembly disposed in operational relationship with the pulley wheel, the cable assembly including a tension spring disposed between the latch mechanism and the pulley wheel, and where the cable assembly further includes a turnbuckle configured to adjust the given tension threshold. The apparatus where the latch mechanism includes: a projection extending from a rear portion of the dirt scoop; and a lever arm having a fulcrum in fixed relationship with the frame, the lever arm having a first end connected with the spring-loaded pulley assembly, the lever arm further having a second end configured to releasably engage the projection.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0010] FIG. 1 is a side elevation view of one embodiment of a dirt scooping apparatus.
[0011] FIG. 2 is a partial cross-sectional view of the dirt scooping apparatus with the dirt scoop positioned at a scooping elevation.
[0012] FIG. 3 is a partial cross-sectional view of the dirt scooping apparatus with the dirt scoop raised to an intermediate elevation for transport of its contents.
[0013] FIG. 4 is a partial cross-sectional view of the dirt scooping apparatus with the dirt scoop apparatus raised to a dumping elevation.
[0014] FIG. 5 is a perspective view of an embodiment of the dirt scooping apparatus.
[0015] FIG. 6 is a partial cross-sectional view showing the components and operation of one embodiment of the latch mechanism.
[0016] FIG. 7 is a side elevation view showing an alternative manner in which the dirt scooping apparatus may be attached to the tractor.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0017] FIG. 1 is a side elevation view of one embodiment of a dirt scooping apparatus 10 that is configured for attachment to a lift mechanism 20 of a vehicle, such as a tractor 30 . The dirt scooping apparatus 10 includes a dirt scoop 40 defining a volume. The dirt scoop 40 is pivotally supported at pivot connection 45 by a frame 50 . This allows the dirt scoop 40 to pivot on the frame 50 between a scooping angle and a dumping angle.
[0018] The dirt scooping apparatus 10 also includes an interconnection assembly 60 . The interconnection assembly 60 includes a spring-loaded pulley assembly 65 and a latch mechanism 70 . The spring-loaded pulley assembly 65 extends between a rear portion 80 of the frame 50 and is attached, for example, to a fixed portion of the body 85 of the tractor 30 . The latch mechanism 70 extends from the rear portion 80 of the frame 50 and is releasably connected to a rear portion 100 of the dirt scoop 40 . A counterbalance spring 110 is used to bias the latch mechanism 70 toward a closed position in which the dirt scoop 40 is retained at the scooping angle. In this embodiment, the counterbalance spring 110 extends from latch mechanism 702 a projection 53 extending from the rear of the frame 50 .
[0019] FIG. 2 is a partial cross-sectional view of the dirt scooping apparatus 10 with the dirt scoop 40 driven by the lift mechanism 20 in the direction of arrow 75 to a scooping elevation. At the scooping elevation, the tension on the spring-loaded pulley assembly 65 is below a given threshold thereby allowing the latch mechanism 70 to engage the rear portion 100 and retain the dirt scoop 40 at the scooping angle. As the tractor 30 is driven in the direction shown by arrow 115 , dirt is scooped into the volume of the dirt scoop 40 .
[0020] FIG. 3 is a partial cross-sectional view of the dirt scooping apparatus 10 with the dirt scoop 40 raised by the lift mechanism 20 to an intermediate elevation. As the lift mechanism 20 elevates the dirt scoop 40 in the direction of arrow 77 , the tension on the spring-loaded pulley assembly 65 increases. However, at the intermediate elevation shown in FIG. 3 , the tension on the spring-loaded poorly assembly is still below the given threshold, and the latch mechanism 70 remains engaged with the rear portion 100 of the dirt scoop 40 . At this intermediate elevation, the tractor 30 may be driven to a location at which the contents of the dirt scoop 40 is to be dumped.
[0021] FIG. 4 is a partial cross-sectional view of the dirt scooping apparatus 10 where it has been raised by the lift mechanism 20 to a dumping elevation. As the lift mechanism 20 raises the dirt scoop 40 from the intermediate elevation to the dumping elevation, the tension on the spring-loaded pulley assembly 65 increases.
[0022] When the dirt scoop apparatus 10 reaches the dumping elevation, the tension on the spring-loaded pulley assembly 65 gets to a point at which it exceeds the given threshold. When the given threshold is exceeded, the latch mechanism 70 releases the rear portion 100 of the dirt scoop 40 to allow the dirt scoop 40 to pivot between the scooping angle and the dumping angle.
[0023] FIG. 5 is a perspective view of one embodiment of the dirt scooping apparatus 10 . In this embodiment, the dirt scoop 40 includes a volume defined by a pan 120 , a plurality of sidewalls 130 , and a rear wall 140 . The sidewalls 130 slant toward an open front 133 of the dirt scoop 40 to define a digging edge with the front portion of the pan 120 . This digging edge configuration allows the dirt scoop 40 to cut into the dirt as it is moved by the tractor 30 at the scooping elevation.
[0024] The frame 50 includes frame elements used to support the dirt scoop 40 and the latch mechanism 70 , as well as to connect the dirt scooping apparatus 10 to the lift mechanism 20 of the tractor 30 . In this embodiment, the frame 50 includes arch supports 150 connected at their lower ends by a pair of lower crossbar supports 160 and at their upper ends by a pair of upper crossbar supports 170 . Each of the lower crossbar supports 160 is connected to the dirt scoop 40 at a respective pivot joint 180 to allow the dirt scoop 40 to rotate on the frame 50 between the scooping angle and the dumping angle.
[0025] The frame 50 of the dirt scooping apparatus 10 is configured to engage the arms of the lift mechanism 20 of the tractor 30 . Here, the lift mechanism 20 includes an active arm 190 connected to the upper crossbar supports 170 at a pivot joint 200 , and a pair of passive arms 210 connected to the lower crossbar supports 160 at respective pivot joints 220 . The active arm 190 may include, for example, a pneumatic drive, a hydraulic drive, etc., that operates to lengthen and retract the arm with respect to the tractor 30 . The frame 50 is raised and lowered using the active arm 190 and passive arms 210 while maintaining the frame 50 in a generally level state.
[0026] As shown in FIG. 1 through FIG. 5 , the interconnection assembly 60 may include a spring-loaded pulley assembly 65 . In the illustrated embodiment, the spring-loaded poorly assembly 65 includes a pulley cable 230 extending over a pulley wheel 240 , where the pulley wheel 240 is in fixed relationship with the upper crossbar supports 170 . A first end of the pulley cable 230 is configured to engage a first end of a tension adjustment mechanism 250 , shown here as a turnbuckle. A second end of the pulley cable 230 is configured to engage a first end of a tension spring 260 . The tension spring 260 is secured (i.e., welded) at its second end to the latch mechanism 70 . A further cable 270 extends from a second end of the tension adjustment mechanism 250 and is affixed to the body 85 of the tractor 30 .
[0027] FIG. 6 is a partial cross-sectional view showing the components and operation of the latch mechanism 70 . In this embodiment, the latch mechanism 70 includes a lever arm 290 having a fulcrum 300 in fixed relationship with the frame 50 . An opening 310 is used to connect the tension spring 260 and counterbalance spring 110 to a first end 315 of the lever arm 290 . A second end 320 of the lever arm 290 is configured to releasably engage a projection 325 extending from a rear portion of the dirt scoop 40 .
[0028] In operation, the total force applied to the first end 315 of the lever arm 290 depends on the tension on the spring-loaded pulley assembly 65 and the tension on the counterbalance spring 110 . More particularly, the spring-loaded pulley assembly 65 applies a force in the direction of arrow 330 , while the counterbalance spring 110 applies a force the direction of arrow 340 . There also may be frictional forces between the projection 325 and the second end 320 of the lever arm 290 . For this discussion, such frictional forces have been ignored.
[0029] Referring to FIG. 4 and FIG. 6 , the force in the direction of arrow 340 applied by the counterbalance spring 110 is greater than the force in the direction of arrow 330 applied by the spring-loaded pulley assembly 65 . As such, the second end 320 is engaged with the projection 325 (dotted outline) so that the dirt scoop 40 is retained at the scooping angle.
[0030] Referring to FIG. 3 and FIG. 6 , the dirt scooping apparatus 10 has been raised to an intermediate elevation to transport the material in the dirt scoop 40 to another location for dumping. At this elevation, the tension on the spring-loaded pulley assembly 65 is increased, and the corresponding force in the direction of arrow 330 is likewise increased. However, the force in the direction of arrow 340 applied by the counterbalance spring 110 remains greater than the force in the direction of arrow 330 applied by the spring-loaded pulley assembly 65 . Therefore, the second end 320 is engaged with the projection 325 so that the dirt scoop 40 is still maintained at the scooping angle.
[0031] Referring to FIG. 4 and FIG. 6 , the dirt scooping apparatus 10 has been raised to the dumping elevation. At the dumping elevation, the tension on the spring-loaded pulley assembly 225 has increased further, and the force in the direction of arrow 330 is greater than the force in the direction of arrow 340 applied by the counterbalance spring 110 . Therefore, the second end 320 disengages from the projection 325 so that the dirt scoop 40 may pivot about the frame 50 at pivot joint 45 to the dumping angle.
[0032] The dumping elevation may be adjusted by increasing and decreasing the resting tension of the spring-loaded pulley assembly 65 . In the illustrated embodiment, the tension adjustment mechanism 250 , in the form of a turnbuckle, is adjusted effectively to alter the length of the spring-loaded pulley assembly 65 . To raise the dumping elevation, the tension adjustment mechanism 250 is loosened to lengthen the spring-loaded pulley assembly 65 . To lower the dumping elevation, the tension adjustment mechanism 250 is tightened to shorten the spring-loaded pulley assembly 65 .
[0033] FIG. 7 is a side elevation view of an alternative manner in which the dirt scooping apparatus 10 may be attached to the tractor 30 . Unlike the embodiment shown in FIG. 1 where the tractor 30 drives the dirt scoop apparatus 10 in the direction shown at arrow 350 to scoop dirt into the dirt scoop 40 , the tractor 30 drives the dirt scoop apparatus 10 in the direction shown at arrow 360 to scoop the dirt. Here, the active arm 190 is connected to the upper crossbar supports 170 at a pivot joint 370 , and the pair of passive arms 210 are connected to the lower crossbar supports 160 at respective pivot joints 380 . In this arrangement, the spring-loaded pulley assembly 65 is connected in a different manner than that shown in FIG. 1 . In FIG. 1 , both ends of the pulley cable 230 extend away from one another over the pulley wheel 240 . However, in the embodiment of FIG. 7 , both ends of the pulley cable 230 extend in the same general direction (i.e., toward the tractor 30 ) over the pulley wheel 240 . In other respects, the operation of the embodiment of FIG. 7 is similar to the operation of the other embodiments discussed above.
[0034] In one embodiment of the dirt scooping apparatus 10 , both the front and the rear portion of the frame 50 are provided with projections for connection to the active arm 190 and passive arms 210 of the lift mechanism 20 . As such, a single dirt scooping apparatus 10 may be connected in either the configuration shown in FIG. 1 or the configuration shown in FIG. 7 .
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A dirt scooping, moving, and dumping apparatus for attachment to a tractor, is disclosed. The apparatus includes a dirt scoop defining a volume, a frame pivotably supporting the dirt scoop for rotation of the dirt scoop between a scooping angle and a dumping angle, and an interconnection assembly cooperative with the dirt scoop and the frame. When the dirt scoop is at a scooping elevation, the interconnection assembly is configured to maintain the dirt scoop at the scooping angle while the tractor moves to scoop a material into the volume of the dirt scoop. The interconnection assembly is further configured to automatically release the dirt scoop to allow the dirt scoop to pivot from the scooping angle to the dumping angle when the frame reaches a dumping elevation, thereby automatically dumping the material from the volume upon reaching the dumping elevation.
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RELATED APPLICATION
This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/366,204 filed Dec. 28, 2001.
TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention relates generally to the fabrication of silicon gate structures and more specifically to improvements in fabricating a narrow gate structure on a high-K dielectric, for a high density gate array on a silicon integrated circuit.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Many silicon devices used in modern integrated circuits utilize a field effect transistor structure that comprises a polysilicon gate positioned over a channel region within a silicon wafer. For example, a typical field effect transistor cell comprises such a structure with a insulating layer separating the polysilicon gate from the channel region. As another example, a typical floating gate flash memory cell includes additional layers between the polysilicon gate and the channel region that comprise a tunnel oxide layer, a floating gate layer, and an oxide-nitride-oxide (ONO) layer. In addition to these examples, cell structures for read only memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM), SONOS type flash memory, and other planar silicon integrated circuit structures all utilize a polysilicon gate positioned over a channel region.
The typical process for fabricating a polysilicon gate is to first grow an oxide on the surface of a wafer followed by applying a polysilicon layer. An anti-reflective coating and a photoresist layer are then deposited over the polysilicon layer, patterned, and developed to mask the polysilicon gate. An anisotropic etch is then used to remove the un-masked polysilicon such that the polysilicon gate is formed.
It is a generally recognized goal to decrease the size of the polysilicon gate. First, decreasing the gate size permits decreasing the size of each individual silicon device. Decreasing the size of each devices provides the ability to increase the density of a device array fabricated on a wafer which, provides the ability to fabricate a more complex circuit with a faster operating speed on a wafer of a given size. Secondly, a smaller channel region beneath a smaller gate reduces capacitance across the channel/source junction and the channel drain junction which provides for faster operating speed and reduced power consumption.
One problem with reducing the gate size is that these exists a minimum physical thickness of the gate oxide at which the oxide no longer isolates the gate from the channel region. Because smaller gate sizes require better capacitive coupling between the gate and the channel region and because the gate oxide can not be scaled below the minimum thickness, other dielectrics with dielectric constants greater than silicon dioxide (e.g high K dielectrics) may be used to replace the conventional gate oxide to improve capacitive coupling. However, high K dielectrics react to various etching chemistries differently than silicon dioxide and therefore the use of a high K gate dielectric requires different fabrication methods than a similar structure with a conventional gate oxide.
Another problem with reducing gate size is that limitations on the masking and etching processes limit gate size. For example, the resolution of the photoresist masking processes provides a limit on the minimum gate size and etching processes for etching vertical surfaces perpendicular to the horizontal mask further limit the minimum gate size due to erosion and other effects that degrade the etch profile.
Accordingly there is a strong need in the art for a method of fabricating a narrow polysilicon gate that provides for reduced gate size and improved side wall tolerance. There is also a strong need in the art for such method to provide for improved capacitive coupling and improved isolation between the channel region and the gate to support a narrower polysilicon gate.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
A first aspect of the present invention is to provide an efficient method of small geometry gate formation on the surface of a high-K gate dielectric. The method provides for processing steps that include gate pattern trimming, gate stack etching, and the removal or exposed regions of the high-K dielectric to be performed efficiently in a single etch chamber. Such method of performing in-situ resist trim, gate etch, and high-K gate dielectric removal provides for a simplified process over known fabrication methods along with improving throughput. The method also reduces wafer handling and opportunities for contamination. The method comprises fabricating a gate dielectric etch stop layer above a polysilicon substrate. The gate dielectric etch stop layer comprising a material that has a dielectric constant greater than the dielectric constant of silicon dioxide and forms the gate dielectric in a region of the wafer that becomes the gate and forms a barrier to prevent polysilicon etching chemistries from damaging the polysilicon silicon substrate in regions along side the gate. The method further comprises sequentially: a) fabricating a polysilicon layer above the gate dielectric etch stop layer; b) fabricating a bottom anti reflective coating (BARC) above the polysilicon layer; and c) fabricating a photoresist layer over the BARC. The photoresist layer is then patterned and developed to form a mask over a gate region and to expose an erosion region about the periphery of the gate region.
The wafer is placed in an enclosed etching environment with a high density plasma and, optionally an inert gas. The inert gas may be argon. While in such an etching environment the following etch processes are in-situ performed: a) a portion of the mask is etched to form a trimmed mask over a narrow gate region and to increase the size of the erosion region using an etch chemistry selective between the photoresist and the anti reflective coating, the trimmed mask dimension is beyond the capability of either 248 nm or 193 nm lithography; b) the anti reflective coating is etched within the erosion region; c) the polysilicon layer is etched using an etch chemistry selective between the polysilicon and each of the trimmed mask and the gate dielectric etch stop layer; and d) the gate dielectric etch stop layer is removed using an etch chemistry selective between the gate dielectric etch stop layer and polysilicon.
The gate dielectric etch stop layer may comprise a high K material selected from the group of HfO 2 , ZrO 2 , CeO 2 , Al 2 O 3 , TiO 2 , Y 2 O 3 . Within the environment, the step of trimming or etching a portion of the mask may comprise use of at least one of HBr, CL 2 , N 2 , He and O 2 and the step of etching the anti reflective coating may comprises use of CF 4 or CHF 3 . The step of etching the polysilicon layer may comprise use of HBr, Cl 2 , CF 4 , and HeO 2 (a combination of Oxygen diluted with a large amount of Helium provided to the etch chamber through a single mass flow controller), in a bias field to improve a vertical side profile between the gate region and the erosion region of the polysilicon. The HeO 2 increases the selectivity between the polysilicon and the gate dielectric etch stop layer. Other etch parameters may also be used to improve the selectivity between the polysilicon and the gate dielectric etch stop layer. The step of removing the gate dielectric etch stop layer comprises use of HBr and, He with the addition of fluorine gas.
A second aspect of the present invention is to provide a similar method for fabricating a non volatile memory device on the surface of a polysilicon wafer utilizing in-situ resist trim, control gate etch, interpoly dielectric etch, polysilicon etch, and tunnel dielectric removal. The method comprises fabricating a tunnel dielectric etch stop layer above a polysilicon substrate. The tunnel dielectric etch stop layer comprises a material that has a dielectric constant greater than the dielectric constant of silicon dioxide and forms the tunnel dielectric in a region of the wafer that becomes the memory cell and forms a barrier to prevent polysilicon etching chemistries from damaging the polysilicon silicon substrate in regions along side the memory cell. The method further comprises sequentially: a) fabricating a polysilicon layer above the tunnel dielectric etch stop layer; b) fabricating an interpoly dielectric layer above the polysilicon layer; c) fabricating a polysilicon control gate layer above the interpoly dielectric layer; d) fabricating an anti reflective coating above the polysilicon layer; and e) fabricating a photoresist layer over the anti reflective coating layer. The photoresist layer is then patterned and developed to form a mask over a memory cell region and to expose an erosion region about the periphery of the memory cell region.
The wafer is placed in an enclosed etching environment with a high density plasma and, optionally an inert gas. The inert gas may be argon. While in such an etching environment the following etch processes are performed in-situ. First, a portion of the mask is etched to form a trimmed mask over a narrow memory cell region and to increase the size of the erosion region using an etch chemistry selective between the photoresist and the anti reflective coating. The trimmed mask has a mask dimension smaller than the capability of the lithography process (248 nm or 193 nm). Secondly, the anti reflective coating is etched within the erosion region. Thirdly, the polysilicon gate is etched using an etch chemistry selective between the polysilicon and the trimmed mask. Fourthly, the interpoly dielectric layer is etched using an etch chemistry selective between the interpoly dielectric and the trimmed mask. Fifthly, the polysilicon layer is etched using an etch chemistry selective between the polysilicon and each of the trimmed mask and the tunnel dielectric etch stop layer. And, sixthly, the tunnel dielectric etch stop layer is removed using an etch chemistry selective between the tunnel dielectric etch stop layer and polysilicon.
The tunnel dielectric etch stop layer may comprise a high K material selected from the group of HfO 2 , ZrO 2 , CeO 2 , Al 2 O 3 , TiO 2 , Y 2 O 3 . The inert gas may be argon. Within the environment, the step of trimming or etching a portion of the mask may comprise use of at least one of HBr, CL 2 , N 2 , He and O 2 and the step of etching the anti reflective coating may comprises use of CF 4 or CHF 3 . The step of etching each of the polysilicon gate dielectric layer and the interpoly dielectric layer may comprise the use of HBr, Cl 2 , CF 4 , and HeO 2 , in a bias field to improve a vertical side profile between the gate region and the erosion region. Further, etching the polysilicon layer may comprise use of HBr, Cl 2 , CF 4 , and HeO 2 in combination with HeO 2 to increase the selectivity between the polysilicon and the tunnel dielectric etch stop layer. Other etch parameters may also be used to improve the selectivity between the polysilicon and the tunnel dielectric etch stop layer. The step of etching the tunnel dielectric etch stop layer comprises use of HBr and, He with the addition of fluorine gas.
For a better understanding of the present invention, together with other and further aspects thereof, reference is made to the following description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, and its scope will be pointed out in the appended claims.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a schematic, cross sectional view of a narrow gate field effect transistor silicon device in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 2 is a schematic, cross sectional view of a narrow floating gate memory cell silicon device in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 3 is a flow chart showing exemplary steps for fabricating a narrow gate silicon device in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 4 a is a schematic cross sectional view of a processing step in the fabrication of a narrow gate silicon device in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 4 b is a schematic cross sectional view of a processing step in the fabrication of a narrow gate silicon device in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 4 c is a schematic cross sectional view of a processing step in the fabrication of a narrow gate silicon device in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 4 d is a schematic cross sectional view of a processing step in the fabrication of a narrow gate silicon device in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 4 e is a schematic cross sectional view of a processing step in the fabrication of a narrow gate silicon device in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 4 f is a schematic cross sectional view of a processing step in the fabrication of a narrow gate silicon device in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 4 g is a schematic cross sectional view of a processing step in the fabrication of a narrow gate silicon device in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 5 is a flow chart showing exemplary steps for fabricating a narrow non volatile memory device in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 6 a is a schematic cross sectional view of a processing step in the fabrication of a non volatile memory device in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 6 b is a schematic cross sectional view of a processing step in the fabrication of a non volatile memory device in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 6 c is a schematic cross sectional view of a processing step in the fabrication of a non volatile memory device in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 6 d is a schematic cross sectional view of a processing step in the fabrication of a non volatile memory device in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 6 e is a schematic cross sectional view of a processing step in the fabrication of a non volatile memory device in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 6 f is a schematic cross sectional view of a processing step in the fabrication of a non volatile memory device in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention; and
FIG. 6 g is a schematic cross sectional view of a processing step in the as fabrication of a non volatile memory device in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
The present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the drawings. The diagrams are not drawn to scale and the dimensions of some features are intentionally drawn larger than scale for purposes of showing clarity.
Referring to FIG. 1, an exemplary field effect transistor (FET) 10 in accordance with the present invention is shown. The FET 10 comprises a lightly doped p-type crystalline silicon substrate 12 and an implanted n-type source region 14 and drain region 16 . However, it should be appreciated that the lightly doped silicon substrate may be n-type and the source region 12 and the drain region 16 may be implanted p-type. Between the source region 14 and the drain region 16 is a central channel region 15 . Above the central channel region 15 is a mesa 21 comprising a gate dielectric layer 18 and a polysilicon gate 20 . Side wall spacers 22 isolate the mesa 21 . In the exemplary embodiment, the gate dielectric layer 18 comprises a material with a dielectric constant greater than that of silicon dioxide which is typically used for a gate oxide layer.
The benefit of a gate dielectric layer 18 with a dielectric constant greater than that of silicon dioxide is that the physical thickness of the gate dielectric layer 18 may be greater without reduced capacitive coupling between the polysilicon gate 20 and the channel region 15 . Or, stated in the alternative, a gate dielectric layer 18 with a dielectric constant greater than silicon dioxide provides greater capacitive coupling between the polysilicon gate 20 and the channel region 15 than would a dielectric layer comprising silicon dioxide of the same physical thickness. Because greater capacitive coupling between the polysilicon gate 20 and the channel region 15 is required when the length of the channel region 15 (the distance between the source region 14 and the drain region 16 ) is reduced, the gate dielectric layer 18 with a dielectric constant greater than that of silicon dioxide permits the FET 10 to have a channel length below the minimum length that would be required to properly couple the polysilicon gate 20 to the channel region 15 through the minimum physical thickness of silicon dioxide required to prevent electron tunneling between the polysilicon gate 20 and the channel region 15 .
In the exemplary embodiment, the gate dielectric layer 18 comprises a material selected from the group of HfO 2 , ZrO 2 , CeO 2 , Al 2 O 3 , TiO 2 , Y 2 O 3 , and other binary and tertiary metal oxides and ferroelectric material having a dielectric constant greater than 20. The selected material is referred to herein as a “high K material” because it has a dielectric constant greater than silicon dioxide and therefore provides capacitive coupling equivalent to an oxide thickness of one nanometer or less while maintaining an adequate physical thickness to prevent charge tunneling. Because some of the materials in the group may form an incompatible boundary with crystalline silicon, a barrier interface layer may exist both above and below the high-K gate dielectric layer 18 to provide a buffer interface between the high K material and the polysilicon gate 20 and a buffer interface between the high K material and the polysilicon channel region 15 . Each buffer interface layer may be silicon dioxide having a thickness of about 0.5 nm to about 0.7 nm.
Because the high K material has a dielectric constant approximately 3 times that of silicon dioxide, the thickness of the gate dielectric layer 18 may be approximately 3 times greater than that of silicon dioxide and yet there will be the same capacitive coupling between the polysilicon gate 20 and the channel region 15 . Comparing a FET with a silicon dioxide gate dielectric layer with FET 10 with the high K material underlying layer of approximately the same thickness, the other dimensions of FET 10 may be approximately three times smaller than those of the FET with the silicon dioxide gate layer.
Turning to FIG. 2, an exemplary non volatile memory cell 24 in accordance with the present invention is shown. The memory cell 24 comprises a lightly doped p-type crystalline silicon substrate 26 and an implanted n-type source region 30 and drain region 28 . Again, it should be appreciated that the lightly doped silicon substrate may be n-type and the source region 30 and the drain region 28 may be implanted p-type. A central channel region 29 is positioned between the source region 30 and the drain region 28 . Positioned above the central channel region 29 is a mesa 31 comprising a tunnel dielectric layer 34 , a polysilicon floating gate 36 , and an interpoly dielectric layer 38 (which may be an oxide-nitride-oxide (ONO) stack), and a polysilicon control gate 32 . Side wall spacers 40 isolate the mesa 31 . In the exemplary embodiment, the tunnel dielectric layer 34 comprises a material with a dielectric constant greater than that of silicon dioxide which is typically used for a tunnel oxide layer. The tunnel dielectric layer 34 includes a material with a dielectric constant greater than that of silicon dioxide such that the length of the channel region 29 to be scaled to a smaller dimension without scaling the thickness of the tunnel dielectric layer 34 to a dimension where unwanted tunneling occurs between the floating gate 36 and the channel region 29 . The tunnel dielectric layer 34 may comprise a high K material selected from the group of HfO 2 , ZrO 2 , CeO 2 , Al 2 O 3 , TiO 2 , Y 2 O 3 , and other binary and tertiary metal oxides and ferroelectric material having a dielectric constant greater than 20.
Turning to the flowchart of FIG. 3 in conjunction with the schematic cross section diagrams of FIGS. 4 a - 4 g , an exemplary process for fabricating the gate 20 of FIG. 1 is shown.
Step 42 represents depositing a gate dielectric etch stop layer 62 on the surface of a silicon substrate 60 . The gate dielectric etch stop layer 62 will become the gate dielectric layer 18 of the mesa 21 . In the exemplary embodiment, the gate dielectric etch stop layer 62 comprises the high K material. More specifically, step 42 may represent first depositing a buffer interface layer of silicon dioxide on the surface of the silicon substrate using low temperature thermal oxidation, a remote plasma deposition process, an atomic layer deposition process, or a similar process for fabricating silicon dioxide on silicon to an approximate thickness of 0.5 nm-0.7 nm. Secondly, the high k material may be deposited on the buffer interface layer using low pressure chemical vapor deposition to a thickness selected to provide adequate capacitive coupling appropriate for the selected channel length. And thirdly, another buffer interface layer of silicon dioxide is fabricated, on the surface of the high K material, again to a thickness of approximately 0.5 nm-0.7 nm using the techniques discussed above.
Step 44 represents deposing a polysilicon layer 64 on the surface of the gate dielectric etch stop layer 62 (or the buffer interface layer if used). This polysilicon layer 64 will become the polysilicon gate 20 . In the exemplary process the polysilicon layer 64 is deposited using a low pressure chemical vapor deposition process.
Step 46 represents depositing a bottom anti-reflective coating (BARC) 66 on the surface of the surface of the polysilicon layer 64 . The BARG 66 may be an organic or inorganic compound that provides for an interface with the polysilicon layer 64 that is substantially non-reflective. The thickness of the BARC 66 is dependent upon the optical properties of the BARC and the interface between the BARC 66 and the polysilicon layer 64 such that illumination incident on the surface of the BARC 66 is generally not reflected back through the surface of the BARC 66 . Low pressure chemical vapor deposition or plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition may be used to deposit the BARC 66 .
Step 48 represents depositing a mask layer 67 of a photoresist material on the surface of the BARC layer 66 as is shown in FIG. 4 a . In the exemplary embodiment, the photoresist material is a 193 nm or a 248 nm photoresist material, which supports patterning of a developed image critical dimension (DICD) ×1 on the order of 90 nm to 180 nm for a typical 0.18 micron technology node. The thickness of the mask layer 67 is dependent upon the optical properties of the photoresist material and the target DICD. In an exemplary embodiment, a 248 nm photoresist would be deposited to a thickness of between 1500 A and 5000 A or, for a more narrow range, a thickness of between 2000 A and 4000 A. In the exemplary embodiment, a 193 nm photoresist would be deposited to a thickness of between 1000 A and 4500 A, or, for a more narrow range, a thickness of between 2000 A and 3500 A.
Step 50 represents patterning the photoresist using conventional stepper or scanner photolithography technologies to form a mask 68 on the surface of the ARC layer 66 that defines and masks a gate region 68 and defines and exposes an erosion region 69 as is shown in FIG. 4 b.
More specifically, a UV or a 193 nm wave length light source and a reticle provides collimated illumination of a wavelength that corresponds to the selected photoresist material to expose and pattern the photoresist layer 67 . A developer solution preserves the unexposed areas of the photoresist layer 67 and washes the photoresist away in the exposed portions thereby leaving the unexposed portions as a photoresist mask on the surface of the BARC layer 66 within the gate region 68 . It should be appreciated that the photolithography processes have a resolution limit that limits the minimum size of the photoresist mask. Therefore, because one of the objectives of this invention is to provide a narrow gate that is smaller than the limits of resolution of the photolithography processes, in the exemplary embodiment, the photolithography processes are used to make the minimum sized photoresist mask in accordance with known methods. Known photolithography processes can be used to form a gate mask with a DIDC ×1 of approximately 90 nm to 180 nm.
Step 52 represents the first etching step in a series of etching steps that are to be performed utilizing etch chemistries that are compatible with each other and can be performed in a single etch environment without breaking the vacuum seal between etch steps. The environment may include high density plasma and may also include an inert gas such as argon. As such, step 52 represents sealing the wafer in an etch chamber and etching the photoresist to trim the photoresist from the DIDC dimension to a final image critical dimension ×2 to less than 50 nm, or for a more narrow range, to less than 30 nm. More specifically, the mask is eroded or trimmed to form a narrow gate mask that masks a narrow gate region 68 ′ within the gate region 68 as is shown in FIG. 4 c at step 52 . In the exemplary embodiment, at least one of HBr, Cl 2 , He, N 2 , and O 2 is used to etch the mask such that the narrow mask region 68 ′ remains while the portion 65 is removed.
Step 54 represents etching or eroding the BARC layer 66 and the polysilicon layer 64 in the erosion region 69 to form the polysilicon gate 20 as is shown in FIG. 4 d . Erosion of the BARC layer 66 may include an etch chemistry such as CF 4 or CHF 3 in the inert gas environment. Erosion of the polysilicon layer 64 may include an ion bombardment etch using HBr, CF 4 , CL 2 in combination with HeO 2 to increase the selectivity between the polysilicon and the high K material in the gate dielectric etch stop layer 62 . Other etch parameters may also be adjusted to assure that the polysilicon etch is generally un-reactive with underlying high-K material. Increasing the selectivity enables the etch to be performed with an increased bias power and a reduced pressure (than would be enabled without the HeO 2 ) without causing the etch to penetrate the gate dielectric etch stop layer 62 . This increased bias power and reduced pressure improves the vertical tolerance of the gate 20 side wall profile.
At step 56 , the gate dielectric etch stop layer 62 within the erosion region 69 is removed using an etch chemistry of HBr, He, or CF 4 in the environment which is selective between the high K material and polysilicon. As such, the erosion at step 56 does not significantly effect the sidewall profile of the gate 20 and does not significantly penetrate into the polysilicon layer 64 beneath the gate dielectric etch stop layer 62 .
It should be appreciated that the above described etch chemistries are compatible chemistries and may performed sequentially within the etch chamber without the breaking the vacuum seal.
Step 58 represents fabricating side wall spacers by depositing a nitride layer over the entire surface of the device as is shown in FIG. 4 f , and represents use of an anisotropic etch to remove the nitride from the horizontal surfaces leaving side wall spacers 22 as shown in FIG. 4 g.
The flowchart of FIG. 5 represents exemplary steps in the fabrication of the mesa 31 for a non volatile memory cell 24 of FIG. 2 . Turning to the flowchart of FIG. 5 in conjunction with the schematic cross section diagrams of FIGS. 6 a - 6 g , an exemplary process for fabricating a mesa 31 is shown.
Step 100 represents depositing a tunnel dielectric etch stop layer 72 on the surface of a silicon substrate 70 . The tunnel dielectric etch stop layer 72 will become the tunnel dielectric layer 34 of mesa 31 (FIG. 2 ). In the exemplary embodiment, the tunnel dielectric etch stop layer comprises the high K material. More specifically, step 100 may represent first depositing a buffer interface layer of silicon dioxide on the surface of the silicon substrate using low temperature thermal oxidation, a remote plasma deposition process, an atomic layer deposition process, or a similar process for fabricating silicon dioxide on silicon to an approximate thickness of 0.5 nm-0.7 nm. Secondly, the high k material may be deposited on the buffer interface layer using low pressure chemical vapor deposition to a thickness selected to provide adequate capacitive coupling appropriate for the selected channel length. And thirdly, another buffer interface layer of silicon dioxide is fabricated, on the surface of the high K material, again to a thickness of approximately 0.5 nm-0.7 nm using the techniques discussed above.
Step 102 represents deposing a polysilicon layer 74 on the surface of the tunnel dielectric etch stop layer 72 (or the buffer interface layer if used). This polysilicon layer 74 will become the polysilicon floating gate 36 of mesa 31 (FIG. 2) In the exemplary process the polysilicon layer 64 is deposited using LPCVD.
Step 104 represents depositing an interpoly dielectric layer 76 on the surface of the polysilicon layer 74 . More specifically, depositing the interpoly dielectric layer 76 may comprise: a) depositing a buffer interface layer of silicon dioxide on the surface of the polysilicon layer 74 using low temperature thermal oxidation (˜500C), a remote plasma deposition process, an atomic layer deposition process, or a similar process for fabricating silicon dioxide on silicon to an approximate thickness of 0.5 nm-0.7 nm; b) depositing a nitride layer on the buffer interface layer using low pressure chemical vapor deposition; and c) depositing another buffer interface layer of silicon dioxide between 0.5 nm and 0.7 nm in thickness on the surface of the nitride.
Step 106 represents depositing a polysilicon control gate layer 78 on the surface of the interpoly dielectric layer 76 . Depositing the polysilicon control gate layer 78 may include depositing polysilicon using a chemical vapor deposition process.
Step 108 represents depositing a BARC layer 80 on the surface of the polysilicon control gate layer 78 . The BARC layer 80 may be an organic or inorganic compound that provides for an interface with the polysilicon control gate layer 78 that is substantially non-reflective. The thickness of the BARC layer 80 is dependent upon the optical properties of the BARC and the interface between the BARC layer 80 and the polysilicon control gate layer 78 such that illumination incident on the surface of the BARC layer 80 is generally not reflected back through the surface of the BARC layer 80 . Low pressure chemical vapor deposition or plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition may be used to deposit the BARC layer 80 .
Step 110 represents depositing a mask layer 82 of a photoresist material on the surface of the BARC layer 80 as is shown in FIG. 6 a . In the exemplary embodiment, the photoresist material is a 193 nm or a 248 nm photoresist material, which supports patterning of a developed image critical dimension (DICD) ×1 on the order of 90 nm to 180 nm for a typical 0.18 micron technology node. The thickness of the mask layer 82 is dependent upon the optical properties of the photoresist material and a DICD target. In an exemplary embodiment, a 248 nm photoresist would be deposited to a thickness of between 1500 A and 5000 A or, for a more narrow range, a thickness of between 2000 A and 4000 A. In the exemplary embodiment, a 193 nm photoresist would be deposited to a thickness of between 1000 A and 4500 A, or, for a more narrow range, a thickness of between 2000 A and 3500 A.
Step 112 represents patterning the photoresist using conventional stepper or scanner photolithography technologies to form a mask 84 on the surface of the BARC layer 80 that defines and masks a memory cell region 84 and defines and exposes an erosion region 86 as is shown in FIG. 4 b.
More specifically, a UV or a 193 nm wave length light source and a reticle provides collimated illumination of a wavelength that corresponds to the selected photoresist material to expose and pattern the photoresist mask layer 82 . A developer solution preserves the unexposed areas of the photoresist mask layer 82 and washes the photoresist away in the exposed portions thereby leaving the unexposed portions as a photoresist mask on the surface of the BARC layer 80 within the memory cell region 84 . It should be appreciated that the photolithography processes have a resolution limit that limits the minimum size of the photoresist mask. Therefore, because one of the objectives of this invention is to provide a narrow gate that is smaller than the limits of resolution of the photolithography processes, in the exemplary embodiment, the photolithography processes are used to make the minimum sized photoresist mask in accordance with known methods. Known photolithography processes can be used to form a gate mask with a DIDC ×1 of approximately 90 nm to 180 nm.
Step 114 represents a first etching step in a series of etching steps that are to be performed utilizing etch chemistries that are compatible with each other and can be performed in a single etch chamber environment without breaking the vacuum seal between etch steps. The environment may include high density plasma and may also include an inert gas such as argon. As such, step 114 represents sealing the wafer in an etch chamber and etching the photoresist to trim the photoresist from the DIDC dimension to a final image critical dimension ×2 to less than 50 nm, or for a more narrow range, to less than 30 nm.
More specifically, the mask is eroded or trimmed to form a narrow memory cell mask that masks a narrow memory cell region 84 ′ within the memory cell region 84 as is shown in FIG. 6 c . In the exemplary embodiment, at least one of HBr, Cl2, He, N2, and O 2 is used to etch the mask such that the region 84 ′ remains while the portion 88 is removed.
Step 116 represents etching or eroding the BARC layer 80 , polysilicon control gate layer 78 , the interpoly dielectric layer 76 , and the polysilicon layer 74 to form the mesa 31 as shown in FIG. 6 d . Erosion of the BARC layer 80 may include an etch chemistry such as CF4 or CHF 3 . Erosion of the polysilicon control gate layer 78 , and the interpoly dielectric layer 76 may include an ion bombardment etch using HBr,CL2, and fluorinated gases. And, after the interpoly dielectric layer 76 is removed, erosion of the polysilicon layer 74 , may also include an ion bombardment etch using HBr and CL2 with HeO 2 added to increase the selectivity between the polysilicon and the high K material in the tunnel dielectric etch stop layer 72 .
In the exemplary embodiment, erosion of the polysilicon control gate layer 78 , the interpoly dielectric layer 76 , and the polysilicon layer 74 will be performed in a single etch process using the HBr and the CL. The HeO2 will be introduced during a final portion of the etch process when the depth of the etch in the erosion region 86 approaches the tunnel dielectric etch stop layer 72 . As such, the increased bias power and reduced pressure that provide for an improved vertical side wall tolerance may be used during the entire etch process.
At step 118 , the tunnel dielectric etch stop layer 72 within the erosion region 86 is removed using an etch chemistry of HBr, He, or CF 4 in the environment which is selective between the high K material and polysilicon. As such, the erosion at step 118 does not significantly effect the vertical sidewall tolerance of the mesa 31 and does not significantly penetrate into the polysilicon 70 beneath the tunnel dielectric etch stop layer 72 .
Step 120 represents fabricating side wall spacers by depositing a nitride layer 90 over the entire surface of the device as is shown in FIG. 6 f , and represents use of an anisotropic etch to remove the nitride from the horizontal surfaces leaving side wall spacers 40 as shown in FIG. 6 g.
In summary, the processes for fabricating a narrow mesa structure of this invention provides for fabrication of a smaller cell with improved sidewall tolerance. Although the methods have been shown and described with respect to certain preferred embodiments, it is obvious that equivalents and modifications will occur to others skilled in the art upon the reading and understanding of the specification. The present invention includes all such equivalents and modifications, and is limited only by the scope of the following claims.
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The invention provides a method of small geometry gate formation on the surface of a high-K gate dielectric. The method provides for processing steps that include gate pattern trimming, gate stack etch, and removal of exposed regions of the high-K dielectric to be performed efficiently in a single etch chamber. As such, process complexity and processing costs are reduced while throughput and overall process efficiency is improved. The method includes fabricating a high-K gate dielectric etch stop dielectric layer on the surface of a silicon substrate to protect the silicon substrate from erosion during an etch step and to prove a gate dielectric. A polysilicon layer is fabricated above the high-K dielectric layer. An anti-reflective coating layer above the polysilicon layer, and a mask is fabricated above the anti-reflective coating layer to define a gate region and an erosion region. The sequence of etching steps discussed above are performed in-situ in an enclosed high density plasma etching chamber environment.
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BACKGROUND
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to orthopedic devices, and more particularly, to those orthopedic devices known variously as casts, splints, braces, etc. which are especially adapted for immobilizing and/or protecting injured limbs or other parts of the anatomy.
2. Description of Related Art
In the management of certain injuries to the lower extremities such as fractures of the tibia and fibula, malleolar fractures, or severe ankle sprains, it is common to immobilize the lower extremity completely by use of the well-known molded plaster or resin cast. Once the injured extremity has become stable, however, it has been found that recovery may be effected more rapidly by gradually and progressively permitting the extremity to bear weight and undergo other permitted exercises.
For example, an orthopedic brace, such as that disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,955,565, which is assigned to the assignee herein and incorporated herein by reference in its entirety, may be used. This brace features one or more rigid outer shell members having associated therewith an inflatable liner or air cell for engaging a body part or limb. Commercial embodiments of the brace incorporating the invention disclosed in this prior patent are adapted to be fixed about the lower leg and typically comprise a rear outer shell member, a frontal outer shell member, and air cells disposed within the liner of the shell members. Strap fastening means maintain the shell members in engagement with confronting portions of the lower leg whereby each air cell serves as a firm supporting cushion of pressurized air between the irregular contours of the lower leg and the member sidewalls.
This brace construction is capable of stabilizing the ankle and leg while allowing the wearer to walk. Thus, ambulatory functionality and permitted exercises are feasible thereby encouraging more rapid recovery from various injuries to the lower extremity than otherwise would be possible. Moreover, studies have indicated that a pressurized brace yields a stronger fracture than a conventional cast. Dale, P. A. et al., "A New Concept in Fracture Immobilization," Clinical Orthopedics and Related Research, 264-269 (1993).
Prior art devices containing air cells required an external pump or oral inflation tube to inflate the air cells. External pumps must be carried by the patient and are necessary to inflate the air cells properly. Oral inflation tubes can be difficult or awkward for some patients to use. Because of the difficulty in reinflating the air cells, some patients may not deflate the air cells as often as they would like or may deflate the air cells and then not reinflate them as soon as desirable for optimum healing.
Unlike the prior art, the present invention provides an apparatus that is easy to inflate without inflation equipment, so that the patient can deflate the air cells when necessary for comfort, and easily reinflate the apparatus later for further therapeutic benefit. For example, on an airplane, the pressure on the patient's leg will increase as the pressure in the cabin decreases. To relieve the discomfort of this additional pressure, the patient can release some air from the air cells to reduce the pressure to a comfortable level during the airplane flight. Then, the patient can easily reinflate the air cells when normal ambient pressure conditions resume.
The present invention allows the patient to reinflate the air cells quickly and without additional inflation equipment, saving both time and the difficulty of carrying such additional equipment.
Thus, one object of the present invention is to provide a walking brace having an effective, inexpensive and manageable means of providing focal compression to the injured portion of the ankle to promote fracture healing and edema management.
It is another object of this invention to provide a removable walking brace containing air cells that provide a comfortable fit with the proper pressure applied to the leg.
It is yet another object of this invention to provide a walking brace containing air cells that the patient can inflate or adjust without an external pump, oral inflating tube or other equipment.
It is also the object of this invention to provide a walking brace that will allow the wearer to change the pressure in the air cells as swelling in the leg varies or as the pressure in the brace changes, such as due to altitude or climate changes.
SUMMARY
The present invention comprises a walking brace having self-inflating air cells which conform to the unique contours of the patient's leg, and provide graduated pressure on the patient's leg to promote the healing process.
The walking brace of this instant invention comprises a hard outer shell. The shell may comprise two mating portions, such as a rear portion and a forward portion. These portions are held around the injured limb in a mating relationship by securing means such as adjustable straps. Each shell portion is padded on its inner surface with a foam liner. Embedded in the foam liner near the patient's ankle are at least one but preferably a pair of self-inflating distal air cells. These air cells cushion and compress the medial and lateral aspects of the ankle. The remainder of the leg is cushioned by the foam liner.
The combination of the foam liner and air cells provide graduated pressure up the patient's leg. For example, the pressure on the ankle from the air cells is higher than the pressure on the calf from the foam liner. Studies have found that graduated pressure promotes the healing process.
Each air cell contains a resilient passive reinflation means, preferably a piece of compressible foam, that in its uncompressed condition is thicker than typical space between the ankle and the shell. A closable connection means extends between each air cell and the exterior of the shell which allows air to enter or leave the air cell when the connection means is open and which prevents movement of air when the connection means is closed.
For a customized fit, the patient's lower leg and ankle are placed in the walking brace with the connection means open. Because the compressible foam and the air cell are thicker than the typical space between the shell and the leg, when the straps are fastened, the leg and ankle compress the air cells and force excess air out of the air cells through the connection means. The patient then closes the connection means, preventing further air from leaving the air cells to provide a constant pressure in the air cell.
If the patient desires greater pressure on his or her ankle, the patient places his or her leg and ankle in the walking brace with the connection means open and presses the ankle towards one side. This allows the air cell on the other side to expand, bringing in additional air. The connection means for this side is then closed. The ankle is then pressed against the closed side, allowing the air cell on the other side to expand, bringing in additional air. The connection means on this second side is then closed. This technique results in more air in each air cell, greater volume in the air cells, and thus greater pressure on the patient's ankle.
One advantage to the present invention is that no external equipment or oral inflation tube is needed to inflate the air cells in the walking brace. By using the natural resilience of foam, air comes in through the external connection means when the foam within the air cell expands. The uncompressed size of the foam is made slightly larger than the typical space between the patient's leg and the shell. Thus, when it is allowed to expand to its uncompressed state, the air cell foam will bring enough air into the air cell to make the air cell larger than needed, which allows the patient to adjust the air cell pressure to an appropriate level.
This simple and inexpensive technique provides custom inflation of the air cells without pumps or oral inflating tubes. Moreover, the resulting walking brace provides graduated compression with the ankle receiving higher pressure and the calf lower pressure.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a view of the exterior of a preferred embodiment the walking brace.
FIG. 2 is a front view of the walking brace of FIG. 1 with the front shell portion off and the foam liner open and with a cut away view of the air cells.
FIG. 3 is a front view of the walking brace of FIG. 1 with the front shell portion off and the foam liner closed.
FIG. 4 is a cut away view of the brace of FIG. 1.
FIG. 5 is a plan view of the air cell and the connection means.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
This invention comprises a walking brace 25 containing at least one inflatable air cell to provide compression along a limb and without using additional equipment to inflate.
Referring to FIGS. 1 and 4, a preferred embodiment of the walking brace 25 of the instant invention includes a rigid exterior shell 33 comprising a front shell portion 35, a rear shell portion 37, an interior resilient foam liner 50, a lateral inflatable air cell 30 and a medial inflatable air cell 32. The foam liner 50 advantageously may comprise a lateral foam liner portion 49 and a medial foam liner portion 48. The front shell portion 35 and rear shell portion 37 protect and support the injured leg while the air cells 30, 32 and the foam liners portions 48, 49 cushion the leg against the shell portions 35, 37 and provide pressure on the leg to speed healing and provide greater comfort.
Referring to FIG. 2, the medial air cell 32 and the lateral air cell 30 are gaseously independent, allowing the pressure in each to be adjusted separately. Both air cells 30, 32 are located in the foam liner portions 48, 49 attached to the rear shell portion 37, with the lateral air cell 30 in the lateral foam liner portion 49 and the medial air cell 32 in the medial foam liner portion 48.
The inflatable air cells can be constructed of two sheets of flexible plastic sealed around their perimeter to make a gas impermeable packet. Each air cell 30, 32 contains therein a resilient passive reinflation means, preferably a piece of foam 40, 42. In the fully expanded state, the foam pieces 40, 42 are larger than the typical space between the patient's ankle and the corresponding shell portion.
Referring to FIG. 5, each air cell 30, 32 has a connection means 54 extending from the air cell to the exterior of the shell 33 and terminating in a closable air cell port 44. The connection means 54 links the interior of each air cell 30, 32 with the atmosphere. While the drawings show only the lateral air cell port 44, the medial air cell has a structurally similar connection means and air cell port located on the medial side of the brace 25. The connection means 54 is preferably made of flexible plastic tubing. Preferably both air cell ports 44 extend outside the rear shell portion 37.
Each air cell port 44 is provided with a closable sealing means 45 to trap air in the air cell and maintain the air cell at a constant volume. Sealing means 45 may comprise, for example, a hinged stopper or a rotatable valve. When the sealing means 45 is opened, the foam piece 40, 42, which is larger than the typical space between the patient's ankle and the shell portion 37, within the air cell 30, 32 expands, causing the air cell 30, 32 to expand by bringing air in from its associated air cell port 44.
When the patient puts his or her leg in the walking brace 25 with the air cell ports 44 open, the air cell 30, 32 and the foam piece 40, 42 are compressed by the patient's leg, forcing air out of the air cell 30, 32. The patient then closes the air cell ports 44, sealing the air cell 30, 32 and setting its volume. Once the air cell ports 44 are closed, no more air can escape or enter, thus, when the patient's leg presses against the air cell 30, 32, the air cell 30, 32 resists, putting pressure on the leg.
Before putting his or her leg in the walking brace 25, a patient unseals the sealing means 45 on the lateral and medial air cell ports 44. Referring to FIGS. 2 and 3, the patient then removes the front shell portion 35, opens the lateral foam liner portion 49 and the medial foam liner portion 48 and places his or her lower leg in the rear shell portion 37, heel first. Once the heel is firmly pressed against the rear shell portion 37, the patient closes the lateral and medial air cell ports 44 using the sealing means 45.
Once the air cell ports are closed, the patient wraps the lateral foam liner portion 49 and the medial foam liner portion 48 around his or her leg and foot. The patient then applies the front shell portion 35 over the foam liners 48, 49. Once the front shell portion 35 is in place, the patient wraps the adjustable securing means 53 around the front and rear shell portions 35, 37 to secure them firmly in place. The adjustable securing means 53 preferably comprises flexible straps with hook and loop type fastening means such as VELCRO®.
If the patient desires greater pressure on his or her ankle, the patient first loosens the securing means 53 and opens both air cell ports 44, by opening the sealing means 45. The patient then shifts his or her ankle away from the lateral side, allowing the lateral air cell 30 to expand. The patient then uses the sealing means 45 to close the lateral air cell port 44, trapping the larger amount of air in the lateral air cell 30. Optionally, the patient can repeat this procedure on the opposite side to increase the pressure on the medial cell as well. Since the amount of air in and the volume of one or both the lateral 30 and the medial 32 air cells has increased, the pressure on the patient's ankle is increased.
This invention provides a new walking brace apparatus 25 having self-inflatable air cells. By providing the proper pressure to the air cells of walking brace 25, the patient is ensured a tight yet comfortable fit. By allowing the patient to set the volume of the air cells, the invention enables the patient to fill the air cells with the proper initial pressure. Because the air cells maintain the same volume, they put pressure on the patient's leg as the patient walks, which also increases the internal pressure in the air cells. The foam liner also puts pressure on the patient's leg, although at a lower pressure than the air cells. Thus, the arrangement of the air cells within the walking brace 25 provides graduated pressure to the patient's leg whereby the pressure on the ankle from the air cells is greater than the pressure on the calf from the foam liner portions. The arrangement of air cells in the invention provides higher pressure at the ankle for stability with lower pressures at the calf. This pressure has been found to increase the speed and quality of the healing process and to provide the therapeutic advantages of edema management.
While the invention has been shown and described with respect to a particular embodiment, this is for the purpose of illustration rather than limitation. The inventor envisions, and it will be apparent to those skilled in the art, that other variations and modifications of the embodiment shown and described herein are all within the intended spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, the patent is not to be limited in scope and effect to the specific embodiment shown and described nor in any other way that is inconsistent with the extent to which the progress and the art has been advanced by the invention.
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A walking brace is disclosed having inflatable air cells to provide therapeutic pressure to the patient's leg and which requires no external equipment or oral inflation tube for reinflation. Each air cell contains a piece of resilient foam, which allows air to come in through an external connection to inflate the air cell when the foam within the air cell expands and the external connection is open. Similarly, when the external connection is open, air leaves the air cell through the external connection in response to pressure on the air cell. However, once the external connection is closed, the air cell maintains its volume of air.
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CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This is a continuation of PCT application No. PCT/EP2007/064290, entitled “METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR DRYING A FIBROUS WEB”, filed Dec. 20, 2007, which is incorporated herein by reference.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] 1. Field of the Invention
[0003] The invention relates to a method for drying a fibrous web, especially a paper, cardboard or tissue web, whereby the moving fibrous web is treated with hot air in the area of a pre-definable drying zone. It further relates to a corresponding drying apparatus as well as to a machine for the production of a tissue web with such a drying apparatus.
[0004] 2. Description of the Related Art
[0005] A method which serves to produce a voluminous tissue web and in which a so-called belt press in conjunction with a hot air hood or, alternatively a steam hood is utilized to dewater a fibrous web to a certain dry content is already known from WO 2005/075737 A1. With tissue machines it is important to reduce the energy consumption especially during the drying process in order to achieve a pre-determinable dry content. There is also a requirement to increase the dry content at reduced energy consumption.
[0006] What is needed in the art is an improved method, as well as an improved apparatus for the drying process for the production of a tissue web, which is optimized, especially in consideration of the energy requirement for dewatering the tissue web.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0007] Regarding the method of the present invention, the fibrous web is treated, at least in some areas, with steam inside the drying zone. Accordingly, hot air and steam are used in combination together for drying the fibrous web, preferably a tissue web. The fibrous web is advantageously treated with steam within the first half of the total drying zone length, when viewed in the direction of web travel. In this arrangement the fibrous web is treated with steam, at least at the beginning of the drying zone, when viewed in the direction of web travel.
[0008] Viewed in the direction of web travel, the fibrous web can initially be treated with steam and subsequently with hot air. According to an alternative practical arrangement it is also possible to treat the fibrous web, when viewed in direction of web travel, initially with hot air, subsequently with steam and then again with hot air.
[0009] In certain instances it is advantageous if the fibrous web, viewed in the direction of web travel, is treated at least essentially over the entire length of the drying zone with steam.
[0010] According to an alternative practical arrangement of the inventive method it is also possible to treat the fibrous web with steam, at least essentially only within the first half of the total length of the drying zone when viewed in direction of web travel. In this case the fibrous web is treated with steam, preferably at least essentially over only the first half of the total length of the drying zone, viewed in the direction of web travel.
[0011] According to an additional advantageous arrangement the fibrous web is treated with steam, at least essentially only within the first third of the total length of the drying zone, and moreover preferably at least essentially over this first third, viewed in the direction of web travel.
[0012] In certain cases it is also advantageous if the fibrous web is treated with steam, at least essentially only within the first quarter of the total length of the drying zone, and moreover hereby preferably at least essentially over this first quarter, viewed in the direction of web travel.
[0013] According to an additional alternative arrangement of the inventive method the fibrous web is treated with steam only at the beginning of the drying zone, viewed in the direction of web travel.
[0014] In another embodiment of the present invention the fibrous web is treated with hot air over the pre-determinable drying zone. At least in this instance the drying zone can be defined, at least essentially through the area in which the fibrous web is treated with hot air. In this case the fibrous web may be treated with steam, particularly inside and/or prior to this drying zone.
[0015] The fibrous web is advantageously treated at least in some areas simultaneously with hot air, as well as with steam, viewed in the direction of web travel. Under simultaneous treatment it is to be understood that a respective area of the fibrous web is treated with hot air, as well as also with steam.
[0016] According to a useful practical arrangement of the present invention the fibrous web can be carried through the drying zone together with a permeable fabric, especially a structured fabric or a TAD-fabric (TAD=Through Air Drying). In this case, hot air or steam, which has not condensed in the web, flow initially through the fibrous web, and subsequently through the permeable fabric. The inventive combined hot air and steam treatment can therefore also be used, in a TAD drying process.
[0017] Another embodiment of the present invention distinguishes itself in that the fibrous web, together with at least one permeable fabric, especially a structured fabric is guided through the drying zone, whereby hot air or steam flow initially through the permeable fabric and subsequently through the fibrous web.
[0018] In the drying zone the fibrous web can be covered advantageously by at least one additional permeable fabric, especially a press belt, whereby in this case hot air or steam flow initially through the additional permeable fabric or press belt, subsequently through the first permeable fabric or structured fabric and finally through the fibrous web. Moreover, in the use of a press belt a type of belt press is created through which, in addition to the mechanical pressure, the inventive combined hot air and steam drying process is applied.
[0019] A dewatering fabric, especially a felt can additionally be run through the drying zone together with the fibrous web, whereby hot air or steam, as far as this has not condensed on the web, as previously mentioned, initially flow through the additional permeable fabric or press belt, subsequently through the first permeable fabric or structured fabric and the fibrous web and finally through the additional dewatering fabric.
[0020] It is also conceivable to subject the fibrous web in the drying zone, at least in some areas, to impingement drying. In this scenario the inventive combined hot air and steam application is used within the scope of such an impingement drying. The fibrous web may be subjected, at least in some areas, also to through-air drying.
[0021] An objective of the invention is not inventively by an apparatus for drying a fibrous web, especially a paper, cardboard or tissue web, including a drying zone where the moving fibrous web is treated with hot air and whereby this apparatus is characterized in that the fibrous web can be treated with steam, in at least some areas inside the drying zone.
[0022] For the treatment of the fibrous web with hot air, at least one hot air hood is provided. In this arrangement the drying zone can be defined particularly through the dimensions of the hot air hood. A steam treatment of the fibrous web is advantageously contemplated inside and/or especially before the drying zone.
[0023] At least one steam blow device, especially a steam blow pipe or steam blow box, is advantageously provided for the treatment of the fibrous web with steam.
[0024] The steam blow device extends advantageously at least essentially over the entire width of the hot air hood as measured across the direction of web travel. It is also especially advantageous if the steam blow device is located, at least partially, inside the hot air hood. According to one embodiment of the present invention the steam blow device may also be located directly before the hot air hood, viewed in the direction of web travel.
[0025] The steam blow device can moreover be arranged, designed and/or controlled so that the fibrous web, viewed in the direction of web travel, is treated simultaneously with hot air as well as with steam over only a part of the total length of the drying zone or over the entire drying zone.
[0026] If the steam blow device includes a steam blow pipe, then the diameter of the orifice of this steam blow pipe is in a range of approximately 5 to approximately 1 mm, and preferably in a range of approximately 4 to approximately 2.5 mm. The diameter preferably has an upper limit, since a certain speed is necessary for the steam jet.
[0027] If the fibrous web is covered by at least one permeable fabric, for example a permeable press belt in the area of the drying zone, then the distance between the steam blow device and the outer permeable fabric, for example a press belt, covering the fibrous web is <30 mm, especially <20 mm, particularly <15 mm and preferably ≦10 mm.
[0028] If the steam blow device includes a steam blow pipe its orifices can be advantageously located from each other at a distance of <20 mm, particularly <10 mm and preferably <7.5 mm.
[0029] If the steam blow device includes at least one steam blow box, the moisture profile of the fibrous web can advantageously be adjusted and/or regulated through it.
[0030] If the steam blow device includes at least one steam blow pipe, the dry content of the fibrous web can be influenced or adjusted and/or regulated at least essentially through this steam blow pipe.
[0031] In principle the steam blow device may include only at least one steam blow box or only at least one steam blow pipe, or at least one steam blow box as well as at least one steam blow pipe.
[0032] If the fibrous web is covered by at least one permeable fabric in the area of the drying zone, a device such as a doctor blade or similar devices are advantageously provided in order to remove the boundary layer of air that is carried along by the outer permeable fabric which covers the fibrous web before the fabric enters the drying area.
[0033] The hot air for the hot air hood in the drying zone can be taken, at least partially, from the hood allocated to a drying cylinder, especially a Yankee-Cylinder. Energy recovery of this type is possible since the temperature of the exhaust air of such a hood allocated to a Yankee-Cylinder is very much higher than the temperature that is necessary for the hot air to supply the hot air hood in the drying zone. The temperature of the hot air taken from the hood of a drying cylinder, specifically a Yankee-Cylinder can, for example, be approximately 300° C.
[0034] The hot air hood in the dryer zone is supplied, at least partially, with hot air whose temperature is in a range of <250° C., especially <200° C. and preferably in a range of approximately 150° C. to approximately 200° C.
[0035] The temperature of the hot air for the supply of the hot air hood can be accordingly adjustable and/or controllable for optimization of the operating point with regard to the energy consumption. As a rule, a higher temperature does not result in a more efficient drying.
[0036] According to another embodiment of the present invention at least one suction equipped device, especially a suction box and/or suction roll, is located in the area of the drying zone, on the side of the fibrous web or the additional dewatering fabric facing away from the hot air hood. Moreover, the suction equipped device may include a suction roll with a suction box that defines a suction zone.
[0037] As already mentioned, a belt press is created by an additional permeable fabric in the form of a press belt that is under tension. To this end the press belt is subjected to a high tension in the range of approximately 40 to approximately 60 kN/m, in order to exert a pressing pressure in the range of approximately 0.5 to approximately 1.5 bar in a press zone. It is also especially advantageous if the length of the press zone, viewed in the direction of web travel, which is formed by the permeable press belt 80 , is defined by the area of the wrap over which the press belt wraps around the suction roll.
[0038] The length of the press zone, viewed in direction of web travel, which is formed by the permeable press belt, can correspond also to the length of the suction zone or respectively the suction box of the suction roll.
[0039] The drying zone viewed in direction of web travel can be shorter than the press zone. In certain instances it is however also advantageous if the drying zone, viewed in direction of web travel, is the same length as, or longer than the press zone.
[0040] The throughput volume (l/min.) of steam is preferably less than the throughput volume (l/min.) of hot air. Moreover, at atmospheric pressure the throughput volume of steam can advantageously be less than 0.5 times, especially less than 0.3 times and preferably less than 0.2 times the throughput volume of hot air.
[0041] The steam causes an increase in the temperature of the fibrous web in order to reduce the viscosity of the water in the fibrous web. To that end the steam in the fibrous web, especially the tissue web must condense so that the appropriate temperature increase can be achieved. This temperature increase may, for example, be adjusted through an appropriate selection of the correct temperature level for the hot air. Preferably the temperature of the hot air treating the fibrous web is adjustable, especially for the purpose of influencing the condensation of the steam in the fibrous web.
[0042] If the temperature is too low the steam condenses immediately prior to entering the fibrous web. This is due to the fact that the steam is cooled by the housing of the hot air hood and by the incoming colder fabrics. This could occur especially when using a so-called belt press, since the steam in this case must penetrate two outer fabrics, the outer permeable fabric, in particular the press belt and possibly a permeable structured fabric, before it enters the fibrous web.
[0043] If the fibrous web is covered by a permeable press belt in the drying zone, then this arrangement advantageously has a permeability of >100 cfm, especially >300 cfm, particularly >500 cfm and preferably >700 cfm.
[0044] If the fibrous web is carried through the drying zone together with a permeable structured fabric, then this arrangement preferably has a permeability of >100 cfm, especially 300 cfm, particularly 500 cfm and preferably >700 cfm.
[0045] It is also especially advantageous if the fibrous web is covered in the drying zone by a permeable press belt which consists at least essentially of a synthetic material, especially polyamide, polyethylene, polyurethane, etc.
[0046] According to another embodiment of the present invention the fibrous web can also be covered in the drying zone by a permeable press belt which is formed be a metal fabric. Preferably at least one fabric, which runs through the drying zone together with the fibrous web, is pre-heated before the drying zone, viewed in the direction of web travel. This is especially advantageous in the case where a press belt consisting of metal is used.
[0047] For pre-heating a steam heating device, an IR heating device and/or a hot water heating device may used. A hot water heating device is advantageous for an inner fabric, such as an additional dewatering fabric that runs through the drying zone together with the fibrous web.
[0048] As already mentioned the boundary layer of air that is carried along on the surface of the outer fabric can advantageously be removed by a doctor blade which is located before the hot air hood and which extends across the width of the hot air hood. This also causes an accordingly higher temperature since the cooling of the steam is avoided prior to entering the fibrous web. Therefore, a lower hot air temperature can be selected.
[0049] The current invention also relates to a machine for the production of a tissue web which is characterized in that it includes an inventive drying apparatus.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0050] 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 drawings, wherein:
[0051] FIG. 1 is a schematic depiction of a conventional drying apparatus which operates with steam only, as well as of the corresponding dry content increase and the corresponding temperature progression;
[0052] FIG. 2 is a schematic depiction of a conventional drying apparatus which operates only with hot air, as well as of the corresponding dry content increase and the corresponding temperature progression;
[0053] FIG. 3 is a schematic depiction of an embodiment of a machine for the production of a tissue web, including a drying apparatus of the present invention; and
[0054] FIG. 4 is a simplified schematic depiction of a drying apparatus, as well as of the corresponding dry content increase and the corresponding temperature progression of the present invention.
[0055] Corresponding reference characters indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views. The exemplifications set out herein illustrate embodiments of the invention and such exemplifications are not to be construed as limiting the scope of the invention in any manner.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0056] Referring now to the drawings, and more particularly to FIG. 1 , there is shown a schematic depiction of a conventional drying apparatus which operates with steam only and includes one suction roll 12 with a suction zone 10 , and one steam blow box 14 in the initial area, opposite suction zone 10 . The tissue web 16 is carried over suction roll 12 between an inside dewatering fabric 18 or felt and a structured fabric 20 , together with an outside press belt 22 which, in this example is metal. Fabrics 18 through 20 respectively are permeable. Press belt 22 is carried over guide rolls 24 and in the area of suction zone 10 , presses fabrics 18 through 22 , as well as tissue web 16 against suction roll 12 .
[0057] The temperature T increases in the area of steam blow box 14 . Subsequently tissue web 16 cools off drastically inside suction zone 10 , with the taken in ambient air. As seen in FIG. 1 , a dry content increase of approximately 0.2% occurs, however only in the area of steam blow box 14 .
[0058] Now, additionally referring to FIG. 2 there is shown a schematic depiction of a conventional drying apparatus which operates with hot air only. This drying apparatus includes a suction roll 12 with a suction zone 10 and a hot air hood 26 opposite suction zone 10 , which extents across its entire width when viewed in the direction of web travel L. Tissue web 16 is again carried over suction zone 10 of suction roll 12 between a permeable dewatering fabric 18 or felt and a permeable structured fabric 20 , together with an outside permeable metal press belt 22 . With this drying apparatus in which tissue web 16 is dried by hot air flowing through it the dry content increase D amounts to approximately 1.5%. The temperature T increases only insignificantly in the area of the suction zone 10 and hot air hood 26 .
[0059] Now, additionally referring to FIG. 3 there is shown a schematic depiction of an embodiment of the present invention in the form of machine 28 for the production of a fibrous web, in this case, for example, a tissue web, with an apparatus 30 . Drying apparatus 30 includes a suction roll 32 with a suction zone 34 , which is defined by an integrated suction box, and a hot air hood 36 , which is allocated to suction roll 32 .
[0060] Fibrous web 38 is carried over suction roll 32 together with a permeable structured fabric 40 , whereby fibrous web 38 is located between permeable structured fabric 40 and suction roll 32 . A permeable press belt 80 , which is under high pressure, is wrapped around suction roll 32 on the outside in the area of suction zone 34 , thereby creating a belt press 80 . Press belt 80 which is merely indicated in FIG. 1 is more clearly recognizable in FIG. 4 . The hot air flows from hot air hood 36 successively through permeable press belt 80 , permeable structured fabric 40 and fibrous web 38 into suction zone 34 of suction roll 32 .
[0061] In addition, dewatering fabric 42 , for example felt which is located between suction roll 32 and permeable structured fabric 40 and through which the hot air flows into suction zone 34 of suction roll 32 , can be guided around suction roll 32 . In the present example therefore the hot air flows successively through permeable press belt 80 , permeable structured fabric 40 , fibrous web 38 and dewatering fabric 42 .
[0062] Moving fibrous web 38 is treated with hot air by a drying zone, whereby this drying zone can be defined by a hot air hood 36 . Moreover, this drying zone can extend, at least essentially over suction zone 34 of suction roll 32 , or for example also beyond it, viewed in the direction of web travel L.
[0063] According to the present invention fibrous web 38 is now treated with hot air in the area of this drying zone, and at least in some areas with steam.
[0064] To this end fibrous web 38 may be treated with steam at least at the beginning of the drying zone, viewed in direction of web travel L. In the present example according to FIG. 3 and viewed in direction of web travel L, fibrous web 38 is treated only at the beginning of this drying section with steam. Viewed in direction of web travel it is initially treated with steam and subsequently with hot air.
[0065] At least one steam blow pipe or steam blow device 44 , such as a steam blow pipe or steam blow box is provided for treatment of fibrous web 38 with steam. In the present example this steam blow device 44 includes a steam blow pipe, located preferably at the beginning of the drying zone.
[0066] The steam blow device 44 can extend across the entire width of hot air hood 36 , measured across the direction of web travel L. Advantageously it is located at least partially inside hot air hood 36 .
[0067] As can be seen in the example depicted in FIG. 4 , steam blow device 44 may also include, at least one steam blow box 44 . In this case too steam blow box 44 is located again at the beginning of the drying zone which is defined by hot air hood 36 and is located inside hot air hood 36 . Therefore, in this arrangement too, fibrous web 38 is initially treated with steam and subsequently with hot air.
[0068] As can be seen in FIG. 3 , a device such as a doctor blade 46 or similar devices can be provided in order to remove the boundary layer of air which is carried along by outer permeable structured fabric 40 covering fibrous web 38 , before fabric 40 enters into the drying zone.
[0069] In addition machine 28 includes a former with two dewatering fabrics 40 and 48 running together, whereby in the existing example the inside fabric is the permeable structured fabric 40 . The two dewatering fabrics 40 and 48 run together, thereby forming a stock infeed nip 50 and are carried over a forming element 52 , especially a forming roll 52 .
[0070] In the existing example permeable structured fabric 40 is in the embodiment of the inside dewatering fabric of the former, which is in contact with forming element 52 . Outside dewatering fabric 48 which is not in contact with forming element 52 is separated again from fibrous web 38 subsequent to forming element 52 .
[0071] The fibrous stock suspension is fed into the stock infeed nip 50 by way of a headbox 54 .
[0072] A suction element 56 is provided between forming element 52 and drying apparatus 30 , through which fibrous web 38 is held on permeable structured fabric 40 or, respectively is pressed against permeable structured fabric 40 .
[0073] After drying apparatus 30 , dewatering fabric 42 is again separated from permeable structured fabric 40 . Moreover, a pickup or separation element 58 is provided after drying apparatus 30 through which fibrous web 38 is held to permeable structured fabric 40 during the separation from dewatering fabric 42 .
[0074] Subsequent to this fibrous web 38 , together with permeable structured fabric 40 , is run through a press nip 64 which is formed preferably by a drying cylinder 60 in the embodiment of a Yankee-Cylinder 60 and a press element 62 , for example a press roll 62 . In the present arrangement press element 62 is for example a shoe press roll 62 . Following press nip 64 permeable structured fabric 40 is separated again from drying cylinder 60 while fibrous web 38 remains on drying cylinder 60 . A hood 66 is allocated to drying cylinder 60 .
[0075] A vacuum box with a hot air hood 68 or similar device can optionally be provided between suction roll 32 and drying cylinder 60 , in order to increase the sheet rigidity.
[0076] The hot air for hot air hood 36 which is allocated to suction roll 32 can be taken at least partially from hood 66 which is allocated to drying cylinder 60 . The hot air taken from hood 66 has a temperature in the range of approximately 300° C. which, as a rule is higher than is required for the hot air of hot air hood 36 .
[0077] As can be seen in FIG. 3 the hot air taken from hood 66 which is allocated to drying cylinder 60 can be supplied to hot air hood 36 via a supply line 70 in which at least one valve 72 , especially a control valve can be located. In addition a filter 74 may also be provided, if required, in this supply line 70 for the removal specifically of short fibers, dust or similar substances. Finally, a ventilator may also be located in supply line 70 .
[0078] The hot air taken from hood 66 which is allocated to cylinder 60 can also be mixed with cold air that is supplied through a line 76 . Also in line 76 a valve 78 , especially a control valve, can be provided for the cold air that is to be supplied. The temperature of the air supplied to hot air hood 36 can therefore be adjusted through the mixing ratio of the hot air taken from hood 66 and the cold air.
[0079] FIG. 4 shows a simplified depiction of a modified design variation of the inventive drying apparatus 30 . As already mentioned, in this arrangement steam blow device 44 includes a steam blow box 44 located at least essentially inside hot air hood 36 , in place of the steam blow pipe. Viewed in direction of web travel L steam blow box 44 is located at the beginning of the drying zone which is defined here at least essentially by hot air hood 36 .
[0080] The present example distinguishes itself from that in FIG. 3 moreover in that in addition to the permeable structured fabric 40 and the dewatering fabric 42 or felt a permeable press belt 80 is routed through the drying zone together with the fibrous web 38 , by way of which permeable structured fabric 40 , fibrous web 38 and permeable dewatering fabric 42 are pressed against the suction roll in the area of suction zone 34 .
[0081] Viewed in direction of web travel L press belt 80 is routed around a guide roll 82 before and after the drying zone respectively through which the appropriate tension for press belt 80 is produced.
[0082] As can be seen in FIG. 4 , a relatively high temperature T results opposite the entire suction zone which in this arrangement, also defines the drying zone. Correspondingly, a relatively high dry content increase also occurs—in this instance approximately 3%.
[0083] While this invention has been described with respect to at least one embodiment, the present invention can be further modified within the spirit and scope of this disclosure. This application is therefore intended to cover any variations, uses, or adaptations of the invention using its general principles. Further, this application is intended to cover such departures from the present disclosure as come within known or customary practice in the art to which this invention pertains and which fall within the limits of the appended claims.
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A method for drying a fibrous web, particularly a paper, cardboard or tissue web whereby the moving fibrous web is treated with got air in the area of a pre-definable drying zone the fibrous web is treated, at leas in some areas inside the drying zone with steam.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to guidebar shogging linkage arrangements, and in particular, to a guidebar shogging linkage arrangement which permits the use of one shogging guide for a plurality of needle spacings and is capable of compensating for the arcuate movement of the shogging lever.
2. Discussion of the Relevant Art
Numerous shogging guide devices are known in the art. Some of these devices utilize a pair of slider bars connected to a changeover drive mechanism which selects either one slider bar or the other slider bar to determine the position of the shogging lever. Generally, these steerable elements are equipped with a return spring so that the spring energy must be overcome to set the desired displacement of the slider bar. One of these devices is disclosed in the German Offenlegungsschrift No. 2,056,325 dated May 25, 1972. Disclosed therein is a keying element formed as a roller which rolls on the steering surface provided at one end of both of the slider bars. The keying roller is affixed to the shogging lever and is pressed against the steering surface by a return spring attached to the guidebar. In order to alternate the keying roller with one or the other steering surface, the shogging lever may either be fixedly pivoted and the guide for the slider made movable upwardly or downwardly, or the lever itself may be mounted on an axis which is movable upwardly or downwardly. The shogging guide or steering arrangement includes multi-position cylinders having adjustable stops. A coupling linkage connects one end of the slider bar and is pressed against the adjustable stops by means of a return spring. In addition, ratchet teeth are provided which hook into a ratchet detent in the slider bar in order to alternately stop or release the slider bars for a new setting.
Utilizing a two-position shogging guide arrangement permits a much higher rate of speed to be accomplished for a given pattern selection and thus is vastly superior to shogging pattern drives which have only one guide arrangement. The double guide arrangement permits one slider bar to be adjusted to a new setting while the other slider bar is operatively connected to the guidebar for the displacement thereof. Unfortunately, however, there is a substantial mechanical loss which must be overcome because of the required locking arrangement needed for the slider bars and the fact that the driving force for the guiding arrangement requires overcoming the return force of the return springs which act upon the slider bars. Having to overcome the return springs introduces a limitation in the speed of operation and requires additional energy to overcome the spring forces.
Other types of shogging guide mechanisms have been utilized for warp knitting machines such as that disclosed in a textbook entitled, "Warp Knitting Technology" by D. F. Paling first published in 1952 and reprinted in 1970 by the Columbine Press (Publishers Limited). Another improved shogging or steering guide apparatus is disclosed in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 165,040, filed on July 1, 1980 and entitled "Guidebar Shogging Guide Apparatus for Warp Knitting Machines."
The present invention overcomes the shortcomings found in the prior art by utilizing a simplified guide apparatus which utilizes a pair of slider bars coupled to a keying element fixedly positioned on a shogging lever to control the displacement of the guidebar. The keying element's position is alternately selected from one or the other of the slider bars. The keying element may be positioned at different settings on the shogging lever thereby permitting the guidebar to be moved different incremental distances for the same incremental distance moved by the slider bar. A simple means for providing a changeover from the position of one slider bar to the other slider bar is disclosed. The instant apparatus does not operate against the forces of return springs and therefore is capable of much higher speeds of operation.
SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT INVENTION
Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to provide a guidebar shogging linkage arrangement for use on warp knitting machines that is reliable and capable of operating at high speeds.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a guidebar shogging linkage arrangement which is capable of compensating for the non-linear movement of the shogging lever. It is yet a further object of the present invention to provide a shogging linkage arrangement that is capable of providing different proportional increments for the same shogging guide setting.
The guidebar shogging linkage arrangement, according to the principles of the present invention, for warp knitting machines having a guidebar, a needle bar with a plurality of equally spaced needles disposed thereon, a shogging guide apparatus for shogging the guidebar in predetermined increments parallel to the needle bar, and a power driving source operatively coupled thereto, comprises in combination a pair of guide means, each of the guide means has a means for providing a predetermined incremental distance in a longitudinal direction. A pair of slider bars are included, each of the slider bars are movable in the longitudinal direction and operatively coupled to one of the pair of guide means. The position of each of the slider bars in the longitudinal direction is determined by the guide means being set to a particular distance according to a predetermined program. Shogging lever means is operatively coupled to the guidebar for moving the guidebar in a direction parallel to the needle bar. First and second elongated lever means are included. One end of the first lever means is pivotably connected to one of said slider bars. One end of said second lever means is pivotably connected to the other of the slider bars. A keying element means is positioned in intimate contact with the shogging lever means and has a pivot hinge adapted to pivotably retain the other ends of the first and second lever means about a common axis. The shogging lever means is driven by the power driving source with its position alternately related to the longitudinal position of the first and second slider bar.
The foregoing and other objects and advantages will appear from the description to follow. In the description reference is made to the accompanying drawing which forms a part hereof, and in which is shown by way of illustration a specific embodiment in which the invention may be practiced. This embodiment will be 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 changes may be made without departing from the scope of the invention. The following detailed description is, therefore, not to be taken in a limiting sense, and the scope of the present invention is best defined by the appended claims.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
In order that the invention may be more fully understood, it will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawing in which:
FIG. 1 is a schematic side view of the linkages coupling the guide apparatus to the guidebar, according to the principles of the present invention; and
FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a pair of guide apparatuses utilized with two slider bars of the present invention.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
Referring now to the figures, and in particular to FIG. 1, which is a partial schematic side view of a warp knitting machine having a guidebar shogging guide apparatus 10 operatively coupled to a guidebar 12 that is caused to be displaced in fixed incremental units in accordance with a predetermined program. The guidebar 12 is of conventional design and is similar to that disclosed in the text entitled: "Warp Knitting Technology" by D. F. Paling which is incorporated herein in its entirety. The warp knitting machine, not shown, includes a needle bar 14 which has a plurality of needles 16 affixed therein in a conventional manner. The pattern drive or guidebar shogging guide apparatus 10 controls the displacement of the guidebar 12 relative to the needles 16. Guidebar 12 is connected, via a steering rod 18, which is flexibly coupled to a shaft 20 that moves back and forth in a lateral or transverse direction, as shown by arrow 22, in a fixed housing 24. This arrangement is biased to a zero or set position by a return spring 26. The shaft 20 is connected to shogging lever 28, via a connecting rod 30 acting upon a ball joint 32 which is rotatable about a pivot axis or shaft 34. Pivot axis 34 is connected, via a connecting rod 36, to pivot point 38 which is disposed at the opposite end thereof. Pivot point 38 has support lever 40 affixed thereto. Support lever 40 is pivotable about axis 42 at its opposite end.
An alternating drive means 44 that includes an eccentric cam disc 46 and a guide lever 48 coupled thereto is also coupled, via pushrod 50, to connecting rod 36. The far end of guide lever 48 is pivotally connected to pivot point 52 thereby providing motion to the pivot axis 34 in the direction of arrow 53. The alternating drive means is coupled, in a conventional manner to the power driving source, not shown.
A compensating drive means 54 that includes an eccentric cam 56 coupled thereto and a guide lever 58 is similarly coupled to connecting rod 36, via a pushrod 60. The far end of guide lever 58 is pivotable around an axis 62. Eccentric cam 56 rotates about axis 64 and eccentric cam 46 rotates about axis 66. The compensating drive means 54 is also coupled to the power driving source, in a conventional manner, not shown.
The shogging lever 28 is provided with a plurality of notches 68, 70 and 72 which are adapted to receive keying element 74 therein. Keying element 74 is preferably in the form of a small block and rests within the notches 68, 70 or 72. Keying element 74 is provided with a pivot axis 76 which has one end of rods 78 and 80 pivotable thereabout. The other end of rods 78 and 80 are provided with pivoting axis 82 and 84, respectively which has coupled therein slider bars 86 and 88, respectively, which extend into channels 90 and 92 provided in the housing 94 of the guidebar shogging guide apparatus 10. Slider bars 86 and 88 are provided with a direction of motion indicated by arrows 96. Pivot point 76 lies on a straight line connecting the central point of pivot axis 34 and is central point of ball joint 32.
The shogging guide apparatus is illustrated in more detail in FIG. 2 and is shown to include two channels 90 and 92 which slidable receive slider bars 86 and 88 respectively therein, for movement in a longitudinal direction as indicated by arrows 96 and 98.
The housing 94 preferably includes a first vertically transverse wall 100 which is provided with an opening 102 that is adapted to receive stop block 104 that functions as a striker plate or impact surface for the slider bar 86. A second transverse wall 106 is provided at the rear of housing 94 and includes an opening 108 adapted to receive stop block 110 therein. Stop block 110 includes flat surface 112, which functions as a fixed stop or impact surface for slider bar 88, as will be explained hereinafter. Stop block 110 functions in the same manner as stop block 104 and its associated impact surface 114. The stop block 110 further includes an adjustment screw 116 which may be used to position the impact surface 112 and align its position with respect to slider 88 so that it is in the same position as impact surface 114 with respect to slider 86, thereby positioning keying element 74 in the exact same position for the corresponding identical positions of the setting elements 118, that cooperate with slider bar 86, with the setting elements 120 that cooperate with slider bar 88.
The top or cover 122 of housing 94 is provided with a plurality of apertures 124 to permit the passage therethrough of a plurality of harness strings 126 and 128 from a conventional jacquard mechanism, not shown. Harness strings 126 are connected to setting elements 118 and are utilized to move the setting elements out of their normal rest position which is accomplished by the use of return springs 130. Harness strings 128 are affixed to setting elements 120, in a conventional manner, and are utilized to position setting elements 120 out of their rest position which is maintained by the use of return springs 132 affixed to the opposite ends of the setting elements 120 in exactly the same manner as springs 130 are affixed to the opposite ends of setting elements 118. The springs 130 and 132 are preferably maintained in position by having their far ends affixed to pegs 134 and 136, respectively, fixed to a vertical longitudinal rear wall 138. Intermediate or stationary setting element 140 is adapted to cooperate with slider bar 86 and is provided with its own return spring 134 but is not provided with a harness string coupled to the jacquard mechanism so that it is always maintained in a fixed position in line with the impact surface and the end 142 of slider bar 86. A similar stationery element 144 is provided in line with impact surface 112, is maintained in position by its own return spring 132 and is kept in line with the end 146 of slider bar 88. Stationery element 144 is not provided with a harness string since it is always maintained in the same position.
As disclosed, the guidebar shogging guide apparatus appearing in the housing 94 is repeated twice permitting the utilization of either slider bar 86 or slider bar 88. Thus, since slider bar 86 alternates with slider bar 88 to position key element 74 it permits the resetting of one group of shogging guide setting elements 118 while the other group of shogging guide setting elements 120 is being utilized to control the position of the slider bar, thereby permitting the warp knitting machine to operate at much faster speeds, since no time is lost in waiting for the resetting of the shogging guide elements.
Each of the setting elements 118 is provided with its own harness string 126 and its own return spring 130 except the stationery setting element 140, so that any program set in the jacquard mechanism which activates harness strings 126 can, in accordance with the predetermined program set into the jacquard mechanism, adjust the incremental spacing for deflection of the guidebar by positioning the setting elements 118 from its normal rest or return position to its activated position which would remove them from coming into the impact path of the slider bar, stationery element 140, and impact surface 114. The same operation would follow for slider bar 88 and setting elements 120 utilized with stationery element 144 at contact surface 112.
For further information relating to the operation of the setting elements 118 and 120 and their operation, reference may be had to U.S. patent application Ser. No. 165,040, filed on July 1, 1980, entitled: "Guidebar Shogging Guide Apparatus for Warp Knitting Machines."
In operation, the present invention provides for overcoming shortcomings found in the prior art by providing a keying element 74 in intimate contact with the shogging lever 28. The other end of the keying element 74 is pivotally connected by means of levers 78 and 80 to slider bars 86 and 88, respectively. With this construction, when the alternating drive mechanism 14 brings the keying element 74 into contact with the extension of the slider, because of the eccentric movement of cam 46 and pushrod 50 acting on connecting rod 36, the appropriate lever, 78 or 80 is stretched in the longitudinal direction so that the other end of the slider bar 86 or 88 is pressed against the adjustable stop surface 112 or 114. At the same time as this is occurring, the other lever is positioned at such an angle that the other slider bar must be pulled away from its adjustable stop. The position of the slider bars reverse when the keying element finds itself with the slider having its associated lever fully extended. This arrangement has the definite advantage that the slider bars need not be required to overcome a spring return force, therefore, no locking mechanism is necessary and no drive force is necessary for guiding the slider elements. Thus, the present construction is greatly simplified over those known heretofore. The guide or steering mechanism carries substantially no load and may very readily be readjusted to its new position by the jacquard mechanism. In order to transfer from one keyed position to the next, the entire energy of the alternating drive means 44 is available since no spring control devices must be overcome. Moreover, the inevitable oscillations associated with the rolling contact as described in the prior art device, are eliminated. Therefore, with the present construction of the guidebar shogging linkages, it is possible to operate the warp knitting machine at much higher speeds than heretofore possible.
As mentioned earlier, in the adjustment from one keying setting to another along the length of the shogging lever 28, in addition to the displacement caused by the adjustable setting elements, a further small, superimposed displacement occurs because of the swinging movements of the levers. Generally, because of the minimal movement involved, it can be ignored. However, in high speed warp knitting machines even the smallest displacements can be harmful. Therefore, it is desirable to make the pivoting axis 34 of the shogging lever movable backwards and forwards by means of a compensating drive mechanism 54. Utilizing this type of compensating drive mechanism, the additional displacement can be almost completely eliminated.
Heretofore has been disclosed a reliable, simple guidebar shogging linkage arrangement that is capable of compensating for variation in the needle spacing on a needle bar and a means for correcting the small displacement which is introduced by the swinging movement of the levers. The linkage is adaptable for use with units of varying needle spacings on the needle bar with a minimal amount of adjustment to the apparatus. It will be understood that various changes to the details, materials, arrangement of parts and operating conditions which have been herein described and illustrated in order to explain the nature of the invention may be made by those skilled in the art within the principles and scope of the present invention.
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A guidebar shogging linkage arrangement for warp knitting machines includes a pair of shogging guides, each having slider bars movable in a longitudinal direction pivotably connected to a common keying element by means of a pair of elongated levers. A shogging lever has its position determined alternately by the position of the first slider bar and then the second slider bar which position is programmed into the shogging guide by means of a predetermined program fed to a jacquard mechanism. The shogging lever is capable of moving the guidebar in fixed increments parallel to the needle bar. The shogging lever also includes a means for adjusting the amount of incremental shogging distance for the same incremental setting of the guide apparatus. A compensating drive means may also be coupled to the shogging lever to compensate for arcuate movements of the shogging lever. Alternating driving means are coupled to the shogging lever to enable alternate selection of the slider bar positions to effect the amount of movement of the shogging lever.
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FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates generally to pipe handling systems, and in particular to an apparatus for providing drill pipe to, and receiving drill pipe from, the work floor of a derrick or rig.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Drill strings of pipe for oil and gas wells are assembled or disassembled vertically on a derrick one joint at a time, and are stored horizontally on pipe racks situated on the ground adjacent the rig. The work floor of the rig is typically elevated substantially above the pipe rack such that transferring sections of pipe to and from the racks and the work floor is necessary, and further requires careful handling of the heavy pipe to protect the workers and the pipe.
Conventional systems based on a boom having a pipe receiving trough in which pipe may be placed typically also include some way to assist with moving heavy sections of pipe along and out of such trough.
A variety of pipe cars, skates, bumpers, conveyors, stops and other devices (e.g. U.S. Pat. No. 4,371,302) have been described to control the motion of sections of pipe between a rig and ground.
For example, the applicant's Canadian application CA 2224638 relies on a spring loaded bumper mounted on the proximal end of a telescoping rod to push sections of pipe along the trough as well as to absorb the impact of pipe sliding down the trough toward the distal end thereof.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,533,519 to Tolmon (‘519’) issued 18 Mar. 2003 teaches a carriage member separate from a pusher member, both driven on a single axis aligned with the center of a pipe receiving groove. Disadvantageously, '519 and similar “ram based” designs that push a carriage member up the center of a trough require heavy, bulky hydraulic cylinders that are often restricted along the trough they can move a carriage, and further have limited response times such that the average speed of the carriage is low, causing pipe handling operations to take significant time.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,143,221 to Blacken (‘221’) issued 4 Aug. 1964 teaches a pipe car pulled and released by a cable, having 2 sets of side-mounted wheels each set having a common axle, the wheels running in a channel in a fixed track. Importantly, the track along which the pipe car is designed to roll is stationary and does not move vertically or longitudinally like the boom of most modern pipe handling systems. Disadvantageously, this wheeled pipe car design and other similar pipe car designs that are pulled by a single cable along a center line, although capable of running substantially the full length of the boom, are unstable and the wheels and axles tend to wear prematurely with the wheels binding in their guide tracks. A further disadvantage of the discrete wheel & track based design is that the coupling of the pipe car to the pipe handling system takes place at only four discrete points on the tracks, at any given moment. Very significantly the stability of the 221 design is problematic when the track in which the wheeled pipe car rides must move between the ground and work floor levels such that a reinforced track and a braking assembly become necessary. No pipe car design incorporating such features and which provides a relatively inexpensive addition to a raiseable pipe-handling apparatus is known.
The prior art in the oil field services industry has concentrated on teaching variations on center-line pushing devices covering only a portion of the boom length. Designs based on pipe cars having discrete wheels situated in tracks provide a limited coupling of the pipe carrying device (“car”) to a relatively fragile set of members, resulting in a design that is less reliable, less stable and less safe than might be achieved using similar components. Moreover, none of the prior art reviewed teaches a device that is driven in both directions on both sides, failing to address the risk of runaway pipe cars.
Accordingly, there exists a real need for a pipe handling apparatus which provides such features as braking and ability to propel a pipe car in two mutually opposite directions, so as to improve modern pipe handling apparatus.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In one broad aspect of the invention there is provided a pipe handling apparatus for presenting sections of pipe to a raised derrick work floor, comprising: a longitudinally extending base having a proximal end and a distal end, operable in a generally horizontal position, having a longitudinal cavity between the proximal and distal ends; a longitudinally extending boom adapted for nestable positioning in the cavity, further having a longitudinally extending trough extending laterally within the boom for receiving at least one section of pipe therein; an arm coupled to the boom for raising a proximal end of the boom out of the cavity to a position proximate the floor for the purpose of presenting at least one section of pipe to the floor; and a carriage slidably coupled to the boom and moveable longitudinally along the boom for moving pipe longitudinally along the trough. The longitudinally extending base typically comprises a framework, having a catwalk around the longitudinal cavity to permit access to the trough, together with a suitable power supply and controls.
In a refinement of the above aspect, the trough further has first and second opposite sides, and the carriage comprises: a base member, having a distal end and a proximal end and laterally extending across the trough between first and second opposite sides and slidably coupled to the boom for longitudinal movement along the boom; and a pipe engaging device for engaging at least one pipe to assist movement of the pipe longitudinally along the trough. The carriage apparatus further comprises, in a preferred embodiment, a carriage drive assembly for longitudinally moving the carriage along the boom, including brakes for controlling and arresting the motion of the carriage along the boom.
In a further refinement, the carriage drive assembly comprises a motor adapted for turning gears, or sprockets and chains, or pullies and belts, or spindles and cables each to facilitate movement of the carriage along the boom, such may further include an idler or other assembly for tensioning the chains, or belts, or cables.
In a further refinement of the invention, the boom has a first side and a second opposite side; and the base member has a first edge and a second edge each outwardly extending to surround respectively a portion of each of the first and second sides of the boom so as to permit slidable securement of the base member to the boom. Further wherein the pipe engaging device comprises a rigid plate member secured to the base member in proximity to the distal end thereof for contacting pipe. Further wherein the rigid plate member includes means for reducing damage to the pipe, which may comprise elastomeric or other material applied to the rigid plate member to assist in preventing damage to pipe that is transported in the carriage.
In yet a further refinement of the invention, the carriage has means for releasably engaging the boom so as to prevent: undesired longitudinal movement of the carriage along the boom and/or undesired lateral movement of the carriage off the boom. The carriage further includes means for securing at least one section of pipe to the carriage during the movement of the base member along the boom.
In a further embodiment of the invention there is further provided an idler carriage member, longitudinally separated along the boom from said carriage, and slidably coupled to the boom and moveable longitudinally along the boom for assisting movement of pipe longitudinally along the trough when pipe is engaged with the drive carriage.
Each carriage member further, in a preferred embodiment, comprises means for reducing friction and facilitating movement of the base member along the boom, which in a preferred embodiment comprises a plurality of rollers situate between the base member and the trough. Examples of alternate means for reducing friction include: liquid lubricants such as oil, gases such as air or an inert gas under pressure, and opposing electro-magnetic fields.
In a further aspect, the carriage apparatus of the present invention, contemplates a wide-track, double-edge surround guide pair, with a low-profile base that is slideably coupled to a reinforced boom that also operates as a track, and a single or dual drive-line for bi-directional motion under power. Advantageously, by moving in the pipe trough the apparatus of the present invention achieves a full range of longitudinal motion while eliminating the cavity of older pipe car designs and reducing the pressure applied to the surface on which the apparatus glides. Further, a significant advantage results over the slower moving hydraulic pusher assemblies in that the average speed of the carriage of the present invention is higher permitting pipe handling operations to be accelerated.
According to a preferred dual drive-line implementation, the apparatus of the present invention is made more reliable and further stabilized since either drive-line may propel the carriage. Each drive-line adds to the mass of the entire assembly, creating an inertial or runaway dampening effect in the event that power is lost to either the drive motor or to the braking assembly. Advantageously, overhanging channel members are provided which prevent disengagement of the carriage with the trough thereby overcoming the problem of the limited coupling achieved in designs having only four discrete points on tracks, by substantially fully encompassing both sides of a reinforced boom along the entire length of the carriage being coupled thereto, resulting in more extensive coupling to the trough. Further, the positioning of the drive-lines on both sides of the carriage results in additional force securing the carriage to the boom at the same time as resisting the twisting action to which a single center-point attachment is more prone.
The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate preferred embodiments of the method, system, and apparatus according to the invention and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the invention.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The present invention, in order to be easily understood and practised, is set out in the following non-limiting examples shown in the accompanying drawings, in which:
FIG. 1 is an illustration of one embodiment of the system of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is an illustration of some elements of the apparatus of the present invention.
FIG. 3 is an illustration of one embodiment of the apparatus of the present invention shown together with elements of one embodiment of the drive assembly therefore.
FIG. 4 is a close-up perspective view of one embodiment of the apparatus of the present invention together with some elements of a drive assembly therefore.
FIG. 5 is an end-view of one embodiment of the apparatus of the present invention seated on rollers in a trough together with some elements of a drive assembly therefore.
FIG. 6 is an illustration of an alternate embodiment to that of FIG. 2 .
FIG. 7 is a side view of the alternate embodiment shown in FIG. 6 .
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
Reference is to be had to FIGS. 1–7 in which identical reference numbers identify similar components.
Referring to FIG. 1 there is illustrated a pipe handling system, denoted generally as 100 shown having base 110 mounted on undercarriage assembly 105 stabilized by legs 112 when in operation. Boom 120 is shown with proximal end 121 in a raised position moving toward a derrick work floor (not shown) with distal end 122 gliding along cavity 115 guided by track means (not shown), as actuating means 130 raises boom 120 out of cavity 115 . Trough 140 , having pipe 148 therein, extends longitudinally along boom 120 and may be formed therein or fastened thereon, but in either case trough 140 is adapted for receiving carriage assembly 150 adapted to be driven bi-directionally between the distal end 122 and the proximal end 121 of boom 120 .
As shown in FIG. 1 , carriage assembly 150 carries the distal end of pipe 148 . The proximal end 121 of boom 120 is raised by any suitable actuating means 130 , one embodiment of which comprises pivoting arm 131 and suitable linkage 132 actuated by hydraulic ram 133 , for the purpose of presenting pipe 148 together with collars, or the like (not shown) laying in trough 140 , to the rig floor for further handling, which process is commonly referred to as the “pick up” sequence. To return from the rig floor to ground, pipe 148 is lowered into proximal end 121 of boom 120 at the level of the rig floor and glides down trough 140 until it comes to rest against plate member 216 or pipe engaging member 220 (see FIG. 2 ) on carriage assembly 150 suitably positioned along boom 120 . Actuating means 130 then lowers boom 120 with pipe 148 therein, such that in its fully lowered or “laid down” position boom 120 nests inside base 110 . Although base 110 is illustrated in a mobile embodiment having any suitable undercarriage assembly 105 , a person of skill in the art would understand that base 110 may also be of the stationary variety.
Referring to FIG. 2 there is illustrated an embodiment of carriage assembly 150 , showing base member 210 having formed therein a pipe receiving area 215 that conforms to trough 140 in boom 120 . At one end of base member 210 , one embodiment of pipe engaging member 220 is shown fastened to base member 210 in any suitable manner (e.g. bolted or welded) for the purpose of engaging one end of pipe 148 placed in receiving area 215 .
Although pipe engaging member 220 has been illustrated as a simple “butt plate” at the distal end of base member 210 , which plate is used for pushing or catching sections of pipe 148 respectively sitting or arriving into receiving area 215 , it will be apparent to a person of skill in the art that by modifying pipe engaging member 220 to have a suitable passage there through combined with means for securing pipe 148 to receiving area 215 (e.g. electromagnets that could engage or release by remote control) would permit pipe engaging member 220 to be situated at different longitudinal positions along base member 210 . Also illustrated formed in or coupled to base member 210 is one embodiment of catch 230 (shown in FIG. 2 as a double-edge surround guide pair) for slidable coupling to and releasable engagement of base member 210 with boom 120 .
According to a preferred embodiment, base member 210 of carriage assembly 150 includes an auto-centering trough design and an elastomeric lining 218 that each advantageously significantly enhance the safety of pipe handling. Trough 140 has a substantially v-shaped cross-section that tolerates a “pitch and roll” of approximately 30 degrees (whereas 10 degrees is the industry standard at which off-shore drilling rigs shut down operations because of the risk that conventional trough designs will release pipe) at the same time as facilitating pipe 148 “finding center” and resting stably in trough 140 rather than rocking back and forth before coming to rest as it would in a substantially circular cross-sectional trough. By further adding to pipe receiving area 215 of base member 210 a coating, layer, matting or other lining 218 of elastomeric material having a corrugated or similar surface to absorb kinetic energy and resist having pipe 148 rock or otherwise move once in trough 140 two advantages result. First, the safety of operation of system 100 is enhanced. Second, carriage assembly 150 may be used to pull pipe 148 away from the derrick as pipe 148 is lowered from the drill rig's “blocks” into trough 140 . Advantageously, the ability to drag pipe with the full-travel range, high-speed carriage assembly 150 permits system 100 to remove pipe 148 from the derrick sufficiently quickly to allow the blocks to move free and true thereby avoiding having the blocks hit the derrick causing damage thereto necessitating the repair thereof.
Lining 218 may be applied to pipe receiving area 215 in a number of different ways (e.g. adhesive, spray-on, bolts, press fit) in a number of different orientations that depend on the particular form of lining 218 in use. According to a preferred embodiment lining 218 has a corrugated surface of ridges and is applied with those ridges oriented parallel to the direction of travel of carriage assembly 150 along boom 120 .
According to an alternate embodiment of pipe engaging member 220 (shown in FIG. 6 ) spring-loaded, hinged, safety hood means may operate to semi-securely maintain an end of pipe 148 in receiving area 215 while the rest of pipe 148 is being lowered into trough 140 . As the blocks are used to lower pipe 148 into carriage assembly 150 an end of pipe 148 contacts pipe engaging member 220 prior to the rest of the tube making contact with trough 140 during the interstitial period between which contacts being made pipe 148 may not be aligned with trough 140 such that it rocks longitudinally on boom 120 causing said end of pipe 148 to bounce upward in and possibly to exit receiving area 215 . Advantageously as pipe 148 is lowered into receiving area 215 of carriage assembly 150 an end of pipe 148 contacts back plate 221 causing it to pivot about connection 222 triggering spring 223 to close hood member 224 over the distal end of pipe 148 thereby to semi-securely restrict the movement of said end of pipe 148 within receiving area 215 . As the blocks lower pipe 148 fully into trough 140 the distal end of pipe 148 pushes carriage assembly 150 towards the distal end 122 of boom 120 , and with pipe engaging member 220 having been triggered, if the weight of the blocks causes the distal end of pipe 148 to attempt to pop out of receiving area 215 , then pipe 148 is less likely to escape such that system operational safety is enhanced.
Referring to FIG. 3 there is illustrated pipe handling system 100 including carriage drive assembly 300 comprising: motor 310 , brakes 315 , sprockets 320 , chain 325 , chain guides 330 , and tensioning idler 340 . Base member 210 connects to chain 325 at coupling points 350 proximate catch 230 . As motor 310 drives chain 325 about sprockets 320 , chain 325 causes carriage assembly 150 to move along boom 120 incrementally between proximal end 121 and distal end 122 either causing or allowing pipe 148 (not shown) to move along trough 140 . According to one embodiment of the apparatus of the present invention motor 310 is fastened to boom 120 and then coupled to carriage assembly 150 by any suitable combination of elements. For example, but not in limitation, motor 310 may be coupled by any of: sprocket and chain, pulley and belt, or spindle and cable to base member 210 permitting the propulsion of carriage assembly 150 along boom 120 . Similarly, any suitable control system (manual or automatic) may be used to cause motor 310 to engage or disengage, accelerate or decelerate carriage assembly 150 at suitable times and in a safe manner.
Motor 310 of carriage drive assembly 300 may be any rotating: hydraulic, electric, pneumatic, gasoline, diesel, propane, steam or other motive source capable of developing sufficient power to move the subject pipe. Further, motor 310 may be mounted to boom 120 at either the proximal end 121 or the distal end 122 , however according to a preferred embodiment motor 310 is mounted inside boom 120 at proximal end 121 thereof in order to permit easy service of motor 310 when the distal end 122 of boom 120 is nested in cavity 115 and the proximal end 121 of boom 120 is only slightly raised out of cavity 115 for safe and easy access from base 110 . Motor 310 may be reversible (permitting “engine braking”) or it may “free-wheel” permitting carriage assembly 150 to return to the distal end of boom 120 under the weight of pipe in the trough, but it would in that embodiment typically be accompanied by a form of brake or clutch adapted to limit the acceleration of carriage assembly 150 as it returns to the distal end of boom 120 .
According to another embodiment of the apparatus of the present invention, motor 310 may be fastened to the carriage base member 210 , rather than to boom 120 , in which case at least one motor 310 may be direct-drive coupled to boom 120 by an assembly of interacting gears (not shown) driving carriage assembly 150 along boom 120 against a toothed track fastened to boom 120 and substituted for guide 330 . Either rotating or linear motors having suitable directional control and power supply switching means would be applicable to such embodiment.
In coupling base member 210 to motor 310 any suitable clutch, gear reduction, or other power transfer assembly (not shown) together with suitable activation control means may also be used to smooth out the motion and adjust the (weight carrying) capacity of carriage assembly 150 . Similarly any suitable frictional or electromagnetic braking system applied at any suitable point (e.g. the motor hub or the chain, cable, or belt) whether in disc brake or drum brake format and having suitable means to control the activation and release thereof may be used to prevent runaway action by carriage assembly 150 .
Suitable guides 330 and tensioning idler 340 may be operated with or without adjuster 360 (e.g. a hydraulic ram or worm gear shaft) to ensure that sufficient tension is applied to chain 325 (or suitable cable or belt) permitting the smooth, predictable motion of carriage assembly 150 . Further, to facilitate operator ease of use stopping carriage assembly 150 at an appropriate (depending upon the presence of an idler carriage) location relative to proximal end 121 any suitable trip switch, electric-eye, or marker flag or combination thereof may be connected to boom 120 or trough 140 according to whether manual or automatic control is available with the subject embodiment of system 100 .
By omitting pipe engaging member 220 from the embodiment of carriage assembly 150 illustrated in FIG. 2 , an idler carriage 380 having substantially the same profile results. Typically the idler carriage 380 is not connected to the drive assembly ( FIGS. 3–5 ) permitting it to free-wheel on boom 120 relative to carriage assembly 150 . How the carriages are positioned relative to one another depends on whether or not pipe engaging member 220 permits pipe to pass through carriage assembly 150 or to terminate against pipe engaging member 220 , but the idler carriage would typically be situated proximally relative to carriage assembly 150 . According to an alternate embodiment idler carriage 380 may be connected a fixed distance from carriage assembly 150 , permitting the reduction of friction (of a range of known pipe lengths transported in the resulting dual carriage assembly) by keeping both ends of any pipe or other material or equipment away from the surface of trough 140 .
Referring to FIG. 4 there is illustrated an embodiment of elements of drive assembly 300 of carriage assembly 150 situate in trough 140 on boom 120 , according to which a belt member 325 has been used in place of chain 325 of FIG. 3 . A person of skill in the art of machine design would understand that any suitable belt 325 (e.g. toothed or smooth) together with a compatible set of transfer elements 320 (e.g. sprockets or pulleys) may be used according to the capacity of carriage assembly 150 required for the weight of pipe 148 being handled by the subject embodiment of system 100 . As carriage assembly 150 moves along boom 120 belt 325 attached thereto at coupling points 350 is stabilized and directed by guides 330 keeping the moving belt 325 proximate boom 120 to avoid interference with base 110 or arm 131 as boom 120 moves vertically relative to cavity 115 and longitudinally relative to base 110 . According to a preferred embodiment of the system of the present invention guides 330 are coated or lined with strips of plastic, vinyl or other non-metallic material having suitable wear-resistance advantageously causing chain 325 (or belt or cable) to operate more quietly and wear less quickly.
Referring to FIG. 5 there is illustrated an end-view of one embodiment of select elements of drive assembly 300 for base member 210 situate in trough 140 on boom 120 . Pipe engaging member 220 is shown as a solid “butt plate” embodiment used for pushing or stopping and terminating pipe 148 in receiving area 215 . Base member 210 is isolated from trough 140 by any suitably positioned plurality of rollers 515 thereby advantageously reducing operating friction and wear. Base member 210 may also be isolated from trough 140 by any suitable cushion of fluid (e.g. air or oil) or field effect. Catch 230 is illustrated as a pair of channels attached to or formed in the sides of base member 210 in order to surround each edge 145 of trough 140 fastened to boom 120 for the purpose of both maintaining belt 325 adjacent boom 120 and preventing base member 210 being pulled too far away from trough 140 and unintentionally decoupling boom 120 , advantageously stabilizing the operation of drive assembly 300 and enhancing safety. Coupling points 350 may be implemented below (as shown in FIG. 5 ), through, or above belt 325 . According to a preferred embodiment of the system of the present invention each pair of edges 145 is carefully sized, aligned and mated to each pair of catches 230 to ensure that carriage assembly 150 advantageously runs free and true along boom 120 to avoid binding, jerky operation, and premature wear.
A dumping assembly (not shown) may be integrated into base 110 for receiving and ejecting, from base 110 , pipe 148 ejected from trough 140 onto base 110 . Further, an operator enclosure (not shown) that is weatherproof or chemical safe may be added to base 110 to permit workers to continue to handle pipe in hostile conditions. And, boom 120 may further comprise a telescoping “stinger” for extending the effective reach of boom 110 beyond proximal end 121 .
Undercarriage assembly 105 having stabilizing legs 112 may comprise: a suitable wheel assembly 106 , frame means integrated with or coupleable to base 110 , at least one axle, suspension means, and towing or self-propulsion means, whereby wheel assembly 106 is coupled to the frame by the suspension connected to at least one axle, and the towing means is adapted for moving apparatus 100 .
The terms and expressions employed in this specification are used as terms of description and not of limitation, and there is no intention in the use of such terms and expressions to exclude any equivalents of the features shown and described or portions thereof, and it is recognized that various modifications are possible within the scope of the invention claimed. Although the disclosure describes and illustrates various embodiments of the invention, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to these particular embodiments. Many variations and modifications will now occur to those skilled in the art of machine design and drill pipe handling. For full definition of the scope of the invention, reference is to be made to the appended claims.
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A pipe handling apparatus for raising and lowering pipe to and from a raised derrick work floor. The apparatus comprises a longitudinally-extending base, with a longitudinally-extending cavity therein. An elongate, longitudinally-extending boom member is provided, which is adapted for raising out of and nestable positioning in such cavity. The boom member has a longitudinally-extending trough therein on an upperside surface thereof, adapted to receive at least one section of pipe. At least one arm member is coupled to the boom member for raising a proximal end of such boom member. A carriage member, slidably coupled to the boom member, is moveable longitudinally along the boom in the trough. The carriage member is adapted to engage and slidably transport one end of the pipe along the trough. Motive means are provided to permit powered movement of the carriage member along the boom.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The present invention relates to dispensers for sanitizing/deodorant surfactant liquids, particularly for toilet bowls.
[0002] As it is known, several types of dispensers for sanitizing/deodorant liquids are currently commercially available, in which the fluid is dispensed according to the most disparate criteria.
[0003] In particular, it was observed that the systems currently used for dispensing the sanitizing/deodorant liquid are extremely complicated and difficult to assemble.
[0004] They consist in fact of a number of components which have to be assembled properly. Moreover they suffer problems both regarding delivery of the liquid to be dispensed and positioning of the dispenser in the toilet bowl.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0005] The aim of the present invention is therefore to eliminate the above mentioned drawbacks encountered in the prior art dispensers and to provide a dispenser which is easy to assemble.
[0006] Within this aim, an object of the invention is to provide a dispenser which has a simple structure, is relatively easy to manufacture, safe in use and effective in operation, and has a relatively low cost.
[0007] This aim and this and other objects which will become better apparent from the following description, are achieved by the present dispenser for sanitizing/deodorant surfactant liquids, particularly for toilet bowls, characterized in that it comprises a container having at an end thereof a tray element provided internally with at least one cavity, in continuous communication with said container, said cavity being provided with at least one outlet for the controlled dispensing of said surfactant liquid.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0008] Further characteristics and advantages of the invention will be better understood from the following detailed description of a preferred but not exclusive embodiment of a dispenser for sanitizing/deodorant surfactant liquids according to the invention, illustrated only by way of an illustrative but not limitative example in the accompanying drawings, wherein:
[0009] [0009]FIG. 1 is a side elevation partially cut away view of a first embodiment of the dispenser according to the invention;
[0010] [0010]FIG. 2 is a top view thereof;
[0011] [0011]FIG. 3 is a side elevation cross-sectional view of a different embodiment of the coupling means for coupling the dispenser on the rim of a toilet bowl;
[0012] [0012]FIG. 4 is a top view of an embodiment of the outlet which is different from that of FIG. 1;
[0013] [0013]FIG. 5 shows still another embodiment of said outlet;
[0014] [0014]FIG. 6 illustrates the removal of the closing cap for allowing the liquid to be dispensed;
[0015] [0015]FIG. 7 is a side elevation cross-sectional view of a second embodiment of the dispenser; and
[0016] [0016]FIG. 8 is a top view of the dispenser in the embodiment shown in FIG. 7.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0017] With reference to the above mentioned drawings 1 - 6 , reference numeral 1 generally indicates a dispenser according to the invention.
[0018] The dispenser 1 comprises a container 2 for liquids produced by thermoformation. The container 2 is provided at a lower end 3 thereof with a tray element 4 having internally a cavity 5 in continuous communication with the inside of the liquid container 2 . Said cavity 5 is defined by a first wall 6 and a second wall 7 facing each other and gradually tapering to a neck 8 . Tray element 4 has also an outer lip 9 in which weakening lines 10 define one or more tearing strips 12 . By removing one or more of the tearing strips 12 , with the dispenser 1 placed in the toilet bowl, it is possible to adjust the distance of the tray 4 to the walls of the toilet bowl itself.
[0019] Downwardly from the neck 8 , the tray 4 has an outlet 14 closed by an adhesive type cap, not shown in the drawings, to be removed before use. The outlet 14 allows the liquid to flow outwards from the inside of the container 2 and is designed, as specified hereinafter, so as to be located substantially below the rim of the toilet bowl and thus be impinged upon by the flushing water of the toilet bowl.
[0020] The first wall 6 is made monolithic with the container 2 and peripherally defines an edge 15 to which the second wall 7 , made of a film of plastic material is thermosealed. Thermosealing of the second wall 7 to the edge 15 allows to close the container 2 after filling it with liquid, so as to obtain a monolithic dispenser 1 .
[0021] With reference to FIGS. 1 to 4 , in a first embodiment, the outlet 14 is placed at an indentation or recess 16 which is formed on the first wall 6 .
[0022] As shown in FIG. 2, the indentation 16 forms diffusion grooves or races 17 , preferably facing upwards, which extend in a radial pattern or web from the central area of the first wall 6 . In this embodiment, the outlet 14 is at the center of the web in order to allow a uniform diffusion of the fluid coming from inside the container.
[0023] In another embodiment, as shown in FIG. 4, the indentation 16 forms a cup 19 for collecting the liquid coming from the inside. The cup 19 preferably faces upwards and has, at the center thereof, at least one outlet 14 and, adjacent thereto, spacers 20 which are provided during the thermoformation. Said spacers have the function of keeping constant the section of the cavity 5 , during operation.
[0024] The dispenser 1 is provided with a hanger 22 associated with the container 2 for allowing the vertical positioning of said container in the toilet bowl, so that the cup 19 or the diffusion grooves face upwards. A hook 23 is connected to the hanger 22 , which interlockingly engages the rim of the toilet bowl. Finally, the positioning of the dispenser 1 inside the toilet bowl is facilitated by the tearing strips 12 which, by being properly removed, allow to adjust the distance between the tray 4 and the wall of the toilet bowl.
[0025] In operation, upon removing the adhesive cap and upon placing the dispenser 1 in the toilet bowl, the liquid inside it flows outwards filling the grooves 17 or cup 19 , due to the potential energy or static head of the liquid column in the container with respect to the liquid column inside the cup 19 . In fact, after a generic mechanic transient state in which the cup or grooves are filled up, the potential energy transforms into kinetic energy, thus imparting to the liquid flow a velocity for moving from inside the container 2 to the cup 19 . Said liquid flow transfer velocity depends on the resistance opposed to the fluid flow by the cavity section and by the neck. In fact, by changing said resistance, the flow transfer velocity and consequently the time required for filling the cup 19 and the grooves 17 is changed accordingly. The liquid flow stops when the surface tension in the cup or the grooves balances the liquid pressure inside the container. From the above, it can be inferred that by changing the section of the cavity and of the outlet it is possible to adjust the dispensing capacity of the dispenser. Once the liquid is deposited in the cup or the grooves, it will be washed away by part of the water flow for flushing the toilet bowl.
[0026] In a second embodiment, the outlet 14 is formed at the edge 15 of the tray 4 , as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6. Exit ports 24 thermoformed in the tearing strips 12 communicate the outlet 14 with the cavity 5 . Said cavity 5 has a circular cross section gradually tapering to the neck 8 whereat the exit port 24 begins which leads to the outlet 14 . The outlet 14 defines flarings 25 and is closed by a tamper-proof cap 26 made by the outermost tearing strip 12 . In this embodiment, the outlet 14 substantially faces the walls of the toilet bowl and the container 2 is arranged in such a way that the tray element lies in a horizontal or a slanted plane.
[0027] In operation, upon removal of the outer tearing strip 12 for opening the outlet 14 , and after placing the dispenser 1 in the toilet bowl, the mass of liquid inside the container 2 pushes, under gravity, some of the liquid outwards, through the cavity 5 . Such pushing action ends when the liquid bubble which forms at the outlet 14 and the flaring 25 , builds up such a surface tension to balance the thrust of the fluid inside the container. Also in this case, by changing the section of the cavity 5 and neck 8 it is possible to vary the formation moment of the bubble at the outlet 14 , whereas in order to change the quantity of liquid to be dispensed, the size of the outlet 14 has to be changed.
[0028] It is important to stress the fact that for a proper operation of the dispenser, a fluid should be selected having a viscosity such as to meet the requirements of both a warm and a cold environments, since the viscosity notoriously varies with temperature.
[0029] Moreover, it is fully equivalent to place the outlet 14 for dispensing the fluid on the second wall 7 ; in fact in this case it is sufficient to arrange the container such that the tray element is slanted.
[0030] A second embodiment of the dispenser 1 is illustrated in the FIGS. 7 and 8. The dispenser 1 comprises a container 30 , which is provided, at an end 31 thereof, with a coupling 32 , sealingly and interlockingly engageable with an opening 33 , formed on a tray element 34 , separate from the container 30 . The container 30 is manufactured by moulding, whereas the tray 34 could be manufactured by thermoformation or moulding. The tray 34 is internally provided with a cavity 35 which is communicated with the inside of the container 30 by inserting the coupling 32 in the opening 33 . The cavity 35 is defined by a first wall 36 and a second wall 37 facing each other, and gradually tapering to a neck, as shown in the first embodiment. The tray 34 further comprises an outer lip 39 , in which weakening lines 40 define one or more tearing strips 42 . By removing one or more of the tearing strips 42 , with the dispenser 1 placed in the toilet bowl, it is possible to adjust the distance of the tray 34 to the walls of toilet bowl itself.
[0031] Downwardly from the neck, the tray 34 has an outlet 44 closed by an adhesive cap, not shown in the drawings, to be removed before use. The outlet 44 allows the liquid to flow outwards from the inside of the container 2 and is designed, as specified hereinafter, so as to be located substantially below the rim of the toilet bowl, and thus be washed by part of the flushing water of the toilet bowl.
[0032] The first wall 36 peripherally defines an edge 34 a, to which the second wall 37 made of a film of plastic material is thermosealed. Thermosealing of the second wall 37 to the edge 34 a allows to close the tray 34 so as to make it suitable to dispense the liquid once it is coupled to is the container 30 .
[0033] The outlet 44 is placed, as shown in FIG. 8, at an indentation 46 formed on the first wall 36 . The indentation 46 forms diffusion grooves 47 , preferably facing upwards, which extend in a radial pattern or web from the central area of the first wall 36 . In this embodiment, the outlet 44 is at the center of the web, in order to allow a uniform diffusion of the liquid flowing from inside the container.
[0034] The dispenser 1 is provided with a hanger 45 associated with the container 30 for allowing the vertical positioning of said container in the toilet bowl, in such a way that the diffusion grooves 47 face upwards. To the hanger 45 , a hook 46 is connected which interlockingly engages the rim of the toilet bowl. Finally, the positioning of the dispenser 1 inside the toilet bowl is eased by the tearing strips 42 , which by being removed properly allow to adjust the distance between the tray 34 and the wall of the toilet bowl.
[0035] Finally, other embodiments could be devised for the tray 34 and the outlet 44 , in addition to what is already disclosed above with reference to FIGS. 4 to 6 .
[0036] It has thus been observed that the disclosed invention achieves the intended aim and objects.
[0037] In particular, it should be noted that in the invention thus conceived, it is the container itself that works as a dispenser for the sanitizing deodorant liquid.
[0038] In addition, the container by acting as a dispenser allows an optimum hygiene of the toilet bowl, in that it is periodically substituted with a new one, thus allowing to always have a hygienically-efficient dispenser.
[0039] The invention thus conceived is susceptible to numerous modifications and variations all of which fall within the scope of the appended claims.
[0040] All the details may further be substituted with other technically is equivalent.
[0041] In practice, the materials employed as well as the shapes and dimensions may be any according to requirements without thereby abandoning the scope of protection of the appended claims.
[0042] The disclosures in Italian Patent Application No. BO99A000677 from which this application claims priority are incorporated herein by reference.
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A dispenser for sanitizing/deodorant surfactant liquids, particularly for toilet bowls, including a container, which is provided at an end thereof with a tray element having at least one cavity in continuous communication with the container; the cavity is provided with at least one outlet for the controlled dispensing of a surfactant liquid.
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FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] This invention relates to structural members and in particular adjustable connections for use with structural members made from light steel.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] The light steel framing market has been improving its floor and wall system products significantly during the past several years. Floor and wall systems have improved to provide better structural performance that allow for simplified installation and provisions for follow up trades. Light Steel Framed walls are sensitive to point loads caused by floor joists, so the connection between the floor system and the wall system is an area where designers often coordinate floor joists to align with the wall studs to accommodate the floor joist end reactions. Coordinating the joists with the studs causes an added complexity for drawing and assembling a structure. Alternatively there are many special shapes that are typically expensive to supply or expensive to install that provide distribution of high floor joist end reactions by distributing the load to multiple studs. A load distribution element allows a designer to place joists between the wall studs so that the joists do not have to be coordinated and located only at wall studs.
[0003] Given the provision of structurally sound methods for distributing loads from the floor joists to the walls, to be viable it is desirable that the solution meet the requirements incumbent of a complete building system such as acoustic rating, fire stopping, and fire rating. A joist system that is intended for the framing market would be substantially bottom chord bearing or substantially web bearing in order to suit traditional framing protocols. The connection between the floor and the wall entails many design details that should be accommodated to provide a complete floor and wall framing system. The complete floor to wall connection should include as a minimum the following: (1) load distribution capability, (2) a connection that provides flexibility for onsite construction tolerances, (3) fire stopping capabilities, (4) acoustic performance capabilities, (5) provisions for rated sheathing membrane installation, (6) provisions for directly transferring floor diaphragm to the walls, and (7) ease of fabrication, shipping and installation. This invention includes various methods to provide a complete building system approach for a joist system for web and bottom chord framing.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0004] In one aspect of the invention there is provided a joist system, comprising: a joist, including: a generally planar steel web having a web face; and at least one elongate chord member extending from the web; a connector, substantially L-shaped in cross-section, including: a connector web portion having a generally planar connector web face, a first end, and a second end; a first connector lip extending from the first end of the connector web that is generally orthogonal to the connector web face; at least one opening in the first connector lip; at least one opening in the connector web, wherein at least one of the at least one opening in the connector web and the at least one opening in the first connector lip is at least one generally elongate opening; wherein the connector is fastened to the joist via at least one fastener inserted into the at least one opening in the connector web.
[0005] In another aspect of the invention there is provided a A connector for use with joist systems, comprising: a connector web portion having a generally planar connector web face, a first end, and a second end; a first connector lip extending from the first end of the connector web that is generally orthogonal to the connector web face; at least one opening in the connector lip; and at least one opening in the connector web, wherein at least one of the at least one opening in the connector web is at least one generally elongate opening.
[0006] A further understanding of the functional and advantageous aspects of the present invention can be realized by reference to the following detailed description and drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0007] Preferred embodiments of the invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the drawings, in which:
[0008] FIG. 1 illustrates a prior art floor joist aligned with a stud;
[0009] FIG. 2 illustrates a prior art floor joist aligned between two studs;
[0010] FIG. 3 illustrates a prior art balloon framing using track sections;
[0011] FIG. 4 illustrates three prior art arrangements for distribution of joist loads into wall systems;
[0012] FIG. 5 is the end of joist resting on bottom chord on a wall;
[0013] FIG. 6 is the end of joist resting on bottom chord on a beam;
[0014] FIG. 7 is a web of joist connected to flat plate distribution member;
[0015] FIG. 8 is a joist framed to a wall via flat plate distribution member from one side;
[0016] FIG. 9 is a joist framed to a wall from two sides;
[0017] FIG. 10 is a floor joist attached to a flat plate distribution member, aligned with a stud;
[0018] FIG. 11 is a floor joist attached to a flat plate distribution member, aligned between two studs;
[0019] FIG. 12 is a floor joist attached to a flat plate distribution member and a planar gypsum board attached via an angle member with leg down;
[0020] FIG. 13 is a floor joist attached to a flat plate distribution member and a planar gypsum board attached via a U-shaped member;
[0021] FIG. 14 is FIG. 12 with an additional wall board;
[0022] FIG. 15 is FIG. 13 with an additional wall board;
[0023] FIG. 16 is a joist framed to a wall via flat plate distribution member with floor sheathing and an angle at bottom with leg up;
[0024] FIG. 17 is a joist framed to a wall via flat plate distribution member with floor sheathing, an angle at bottom, gypsum board and extension, and fire protection/acoustic material placed between joists;
[0025] FIG. 18 is a connector attached to an iSPAN™ joist (see U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/974,964)
[0026] FIG. 19 is a connector attached to a C-shape joist;
[0027] FIG. 20 is the connector;
[0028] FIG. 21 illustrates adjustment capabilities of slotted connectors, wherein the connector (a) allows for sloped conditions, (b) fully extends, and (c) fully retracts; and
[0029] FIG. 22 illustrates alternative slotted connectors.
SUMMARY OF THE PRIOR ART
[0030] Typical light steel frame (LSF) construction is based on a number of alternative sized C-Shape members. As shown in FIG. 1 , wall studs are typically framed into a track section. FIG. 1( a ) shows a floor joist 204 aligned with a stud 206 and FIG. 1( b ) shows a floor joist 204 aligned at the midpoint between two studs 206 . A problem arises using typical LSF parts because the top track section 202 on a wall cannot support typical joist end reactions. The floor joists 204 are therefore typically framed such that every joist is sufficiently aligned with a wall stud 206 (as shown in FIG. 1( a )). FIG. 1( b ) illustrates a floor joist 204 positioned between two wall studs 206 . Further, web crippling of the joist member 204 , i.e. failure at the end of a joist due to concentrated loads from bearing, is prevented using bearing stiffeners 208 . The joist is connected to the rim track 210 ; this can be accomplished using a C-Shape bearing stiffener 208 or by additional clips that are installed in situ to accommodate site tolerances, resulting in difficulties with installation and/or increased labor costs.
[0031] As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 , typical LSF parts can be used to provide appropriate distribution, however there are difficulties presented when trying to provide total building system coordination. A balloon framing system can be provided using a track 218 fastened to the wall studs 224 but this presents difficulty for diaphragm transfer and fire stopping installation methods.
[0032] Applying diaphragm loads at an interior point within the wall height in FIG. 2 , as introduced in balloon framing, subjects the studs 224 to bending stresses 216 in their weak axis. This requires either (1) the addition of new parts to resist the diaphragm loads at the location of load application or (2) a significant increase in stud weight in order to accommodate the combined action of axial load and weak axis bending (or the combined action of axial load, weak axis bending, and strong axis bending in the case of an exterior load bearing wall). Instead, it is ideal if the diaphragm element, in this case the sheathing 212 , is fastened directly to the vertical shear wall 218 without introducing additional stresses to the studs 224 . As shown in FIG. 3 , Using a typical LSF track section 218 results in interference 214 (material bunch-up) with the top track 220 of the supporting wall as well as the screws used to fastened the track to the studs (not shown).
[0033] As shown in FIG. 4 , various special distribution shapes have been used but highly specialized shapes require large roll formers and present difficulty with coordinating the many alternative floor depths that are used to keep the floor system economical for alternative spans.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0034] Without limitation, the majority of the systems described herein are directed to adjustable connectors for bottom chord and web bearing joist framing. As required, embodiments of the present invention are disclosed herein. However, the disclosed embodiments are merely exemplary, and it should be understood that the invention may be embodied in many various and alternative forms.
[0035] The Figures are not to scale and some features may be exaggerated or minimized to show details of particular elements while related elements may have been eliminated to prevent obscuring novel aspects. 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. For purposes of teaching and not limitation, the illustrated embodiments are directed to an imaging probe.
[0036] To simplify the installation of bottom chord weight-bearing joists in order to suit site tolerances, this invention features an adjustable end connector 10 shown in FIGS. 5 and 6 . Adjustment allows one to install end connectors 10 on the joists 30 prior to joist installation while retaining the ability to adjust the joist length when installation takes place.
[0037] FIG. 5 shows the end of a joist 30 resting on the bottom chord 32 on the top track section 36 of a wall. FIG. 6 shows the end of the joist 30 resting on the bottom chord 32 on a beam 36 . Joists 30 are connected to rim track 50 via connectors 10 . Forces 40 and 42 are illustrative reactions supporting the end of the bottom chord 32 of joist 30 .
[0038] While FIGS. 5 and 6 show a joist 30 bearing its load via bottom chord 32 , FIG. 7 shows a joist 30 bearing the load via web 34 . To obtain maximum efficiency of a stick framed structure, it is desirable that a method for distribution be such that all matters related to the building system are incorporated. A flat plate system has been invented to satisfy the numerous requirements of a total building system and it is used in conjunction with a web bearing joist. The substantially flat distribution member 46 along with its accessories provides distribution of axial loads from the floor system to the wall. One can add angle 86 or special other shape accessories to help to restrain the flat plate from moving in and out of plane (shown in FIGS. 12 and 13 ). The special angle 86 or U shapes 86 shown in the sketches provide simple and cost effective methods for installing the rated membrane systems such as gypsum or non-combustible boards that are typically employed with ceiling systems for fire and acoustic ratings. The flat plate 46 can be extended below the floor system to provide a solid and continuous support for the vertical wall rated membrane system.
[0039] As shown in FIGS. 8 and 9 , a further embodiment of the present invention is a web bearing joist 30 with a top chord extension 52 . This provides a safe and easy way to drop in place and safely install floor joists on a stick framed wall system. The top chord extension 52 provides an ideal solution for coordinating a concrete floor diaphragm 54 system with a framed wall. An angle 56 can be placed under the end of the top chord where it bears on the wall, helping avoid creating a point load that will overload the wall during construction phase when concrete 54 is being poured into place. The angle 56 , when properly sized, including holes 58 to create shear bond capacity, provides a passive distribution beam for the concrete floor bearing on the wall. FIG. 9 shows similar joists 30 framed from both sides of studs 38 . The adjustable connector 10 fastens joists 30 to the flat distribution member 53 in FIG. 8 and the joist 30 to the flat distribution member 53 in FIG. 9 .
[0040] As shown in FIGS. 10 and 11 , the flat plate distribution member 74 allows one to design a floor system without having to align the end reactions with the wall studs, in an economical and technically superior manner. A flat plate member 74 is fastened to wall studs 38 and then floor joists 30 with connectors are fastened to the flat plate. FIG. 10 shows a floor joist 30 aligned coplanar to a stud 38 and FIG. 11 shows a floor joist 30 aligned in-between two studs 38 .
[0041] As shown in FIGS. 12 and 13 , an angle 86 or a U shaped member 88 can be fastened to the lower portion of the flat plate 84 to support joists 30 during erection. Fastening and connection of the latter components is done via screws, welds, nails, clinching or other means. The plate is stiffened by the angle 86 or U shaped member 88 connected to the bottom and the floor system sheathing or concrete slab floor provide stability to the top. Compartmentalizing this area also allows one to provide seamless fire stopping and acoustic treatments to this critical area. In FIG. 12 , the joists 30 have gypsum board 82 which is connected to the flat plate 84 via angles 86 . The angle 86 is placed to provide temporary support for the joists 30 during construction and are used to provide a continuous support edge for fastening the edge of the gypsum board. In FIG. 13 , hat channels 92 hang below and are attached to the underside of joists 30 . The U shaped member 88 allows the gypsum board to be attached continuously along its edge and provides a temporary support for the joists 30 during construction.
[0042] This invention provides for the continuous support of the ceiling gypsum and wall gypsum as shown in the two embodiments in FIGS. 14 and 15 . With the addition of an angle 96 or U shaped member 98 at the bottom of the flat plate, this system provides a method to compartmentalize the area between the joists 30 and the area between the underside of floor and the rated membrane 94 on the ceiling system. The angle 96 or U shaped member 98 combined with the flat plate 84 collectively provide a convenient continuous surface to support the gypsum board 94 . The flat plate 84 , when extended slightly below the floor system, provides a continuous surface to terminate and fasten the rated membrane system 95 for the wall. The rated membrane system 95 may be a gypsum or any non-combustible board.
[0043] FIGS. 16 and 17 illustrate two embodiments incorporating accessories for fire stopping and acoustic considerations. In these embodiments, the floor sheathing 102 restrains the joist 30 and wall track 48 from horizontal displacement. The angle 104 restrains the joist 30 from minor horizontal displacement during assembly. The flat plate distribution member 84 extends below the joist 30 and thus provides a continuous attachment surface for the gypsum board extension 95 . The angle 104 provides a setting shelf for the joists 30 , and creates a confined space between joists 30 for the placement of fire stopping and acoustic rating material 106 between joists 30 , and a surface for the attachment of ceiling gypsum. Material 106 is positioned by friction fit, and then fastened by screws or adhesives or other attachment methods (not shown).
[0044] When working with metal joists, it is preferable to install the connectors 10 prior to installing each joist 30 . The more preassembly that can be achieved, the more costs can be reduced. The problem with pre-installing the connectors shown in the prior art, FIGS. 1 through 4 , is that there is no provision for on-site tolerances that are typically experienced.
[0045] The present invention proposes a connector 10 that includes slotted holes 12 in a number of locations to allow adjustment of the connector to suit site conditions as shown in FIGS. 18 and 19 . Accordingly this invention provides a floor joist member of adjustable length. A substantially U shaped connector 10 is provided with a stiffening lip 16 and a connector lip 14 . When fasteners 18 are installed in only the slotted holes 12 , the stiffening lip 16 provides a convenient means for tapping the connector in and out. Furthermore, the connector height is selected such that typical minor slopes on roofs and floors can be accommodated by simply rotating the connector within the joist web.
[0046] The connector may be used on any type of joist. FIG. 18 shows the connector 10 attached to an iSPAN™ joist 30 (see U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/974,964) and FIG. 19 shows a C-shape joist 110 . The connector 10 is isolated in FIG. 20 . FIG. 21 shows alternative positions and adjustment capabilities and FIG. 22 illustrates alternative slotted connector types. FIG. 21( a ) highlights the ability to rotate the end connector 10 , thus allowing one to install the joist at an angle to the wall; FIG. 21( b ) shows the connecter fully extended; FIG. 21( c ) shows the connector fully retracted.
[0047] As used herein, the terms “comprises”, “comprising”, “includes” and “including” are to be construed as being inclusive and open ended, and not exclusive. Specifically, when used in this specification including claims, the terms “comprises”, “comprising”, “includes” and “including” and variations thereof mean the specified features, steps or components are included. These terms are not to be interpreted to exclude the presence of other features, steps or components.
[0048] The foregoing description of the preferred embodiments of the invention has been presented to illustrate the principles of the invention and not to limit the invention to the particular embodiment illustrated. It is intended that the scope of the invention be defined by all of the embodiments encompassed within the following claims and their equivalents.
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The present invention is a light steel framed metal joist including an adjustable connector fastened to the joist web that allows one to adjust the length and angle of the joist when attaching to floor and wall systems. The adjustment allows one to install end connectors onto the joists prior to installation while retaining flexibility of orientation during construction. The joist functions in both web bearing and bottom chord bearing configurations. A flat plate distributing member allows one to design a floor system without having to coordinate the positioning of the joist with wall studs. Angle or U shaped members can be fastened to the lower portion of the flat plate distribution member to support joists during construction. The invention further provides a seamless fire stopping system with consideration for acoustic dampening.
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FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to electrode membrane combinations for use in ion selective electrodes and biosensors. In addition, the present invention relates to methods for the production of such electrode membrane combinations and the use of ion selective electrodes and biosensors incorporating such electrode membrane combinations in the detection of analytes. The present invention also relates to novel compounds used in the electrode membrane combinations.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Lipid bilayer membranes (also known as black lipid membranes--BLM's) are well known in the biological and chemical fields. The ability of ionophores to modulate the ion flux through these membranes is also well known. Modulation of the ion flux of the membrane in response to specific molecules is also known, especially in the biochemical fields. The lipid bilayer membranes are however extremely fragile and sensitive to non-specific physical and chemical interference. The preparation and properties of the BLM's are fully described in textbooks and literature articles.
It has been known since 1967 that ionophores incorporate into lipid bilayers (P. Mueller et al, Biochem. Biophys. Res Commun., 26 (1967) 298; A. A. Lev et al Tsitologiya, 9 (1967) 102;) in BLM's and that the selective ion flux through the membrane could thus be monitored. Possibility of producing a lipid bilayer containing ionophores on an ionic hydrogel reservoir and using such as an ion selective electrode has also been suggested (U. J. Krull et al, U.S. Pat. No. 4,661,235, Apr. 28, 1987), however no means of obtaining reproducible and stable bilayer membranes have been taught in the art. Using a Langmuir-Blogett bilayer and multilayer approach (T. L. Fare et al Powder Technology, 3, (1991), 51-62; A. Gilardoni et al, Colloids and Surfaces, 68, (1992), 235-242) has been attempted however the ion selectivity was inadequate and the response time was too slow for practical purposes, stability was not adequate and the LB technique is generally considered to be too difficult for industrial applications.
Ionophores in the context of the present invention are any of the naturally occurring lipophilic bilayer membrane compatible ion carriers such as valinomycin, nonactin, methyl monensin or other naturally occurring ion carriers, or synthetic ionophores such as lipophilic coronands, cryptands or podands, or low molecular weight (<5000 g/mol) naturally occurring or synthetic ion channels such as gramicidin, alamethicin, mellitin or their derivatives. Additionally trialkylated amines or carboxylic acids such as phytic acid may serve as proton ionophores.
Ion channels may also include large, lipid membrane compatible, protein ion channels, especially where their function and stability is enhanced through their incorporation into lipid bilayers that are essentially free of extraneous alkane material.
In the broad context of the present invention lipids are deemed to be any amphiphilic molecules, either naturally occurring or synthetic, containing a hydrophobic hydrocarbon group and a hydrophilic head group.
Biosensors and ion selective electrodes incorporating gated ionophores in lipid membrane combinations have been disclosed in International Patent Application Nos PCT/AU88/00273, PCT/AU89/00352, PCT/AU90/00025 and PCT/AU92/00132. The disclosure of each of these references is incorporated herein by reference.
As is disclosed in these applications, suitably modified receptor molecules may be caused to co-disperse with amphiphilic molecules and produce membranes with altered surface binding properties, which are useful in the production of biosensor receptor surfaces of high binding ability and high binding specificities. It is also disclosed that ionophores such as polypeptide ionophores may be co-dispersed with amphiphilic molecules, thereby forming membranes with altered properties in relation to the permeability of ions. There is also disclosure of various methods of gating these ion channels such that in response to the binding of an analyte the conductivity of the membrane is altered. The applications also disclose methods of producing membranes with improved stability and ion flux using chemisorbed arrays of amphiphilic molecules attached to an electrode surface and means of producing lipid membranes incorporating ionophores on said chemisorbed amphiphilic molecules. Additionally, means of co-dispersing ion selective ionophores with amphiphilic molecules thereby producing ion selective membrane combinations are disclosed.
The present inventors have now determined improved means of increasing the stability and ion flux properties of the lipid membranes through the use of novel synthetic lipids and lipid combinations, and novel means of membrane assembly.
In various embodiments the present invention consists in the use of novel bilayer membrane spanning lipids and bilayer lipids and methods of assembly thereof, in order to modulate the properties of the lipid sensor membrane so as to control the ion transport properties of the ionophore, the thickness and fluidity of the membrane, the stability of the membrane, the response to serum, plasma or blood, and the non-specific absorption of proteins to the membrane.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In a first aspect, the present invention consists in a linker lipid for use in attaching a membrane including a plurality of ionophores to an electrode and providing a space between the membrane and the electrode in which the membrane is either in part or totally made up of the linker lipid, the linker lipid comprising within the same molecule a hydrophobic region capable of spanning the membrane, an attachment group used to attach the molecule to an electrode surface, a hydrophilic region intermediate said hydrophobic region and the attachment group, and a polar head group region attached to the hydrophobic region at a site remote from the hydrophilic region.
In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the head group region is selected from the group consisting of groups normally associated with naturally occurring or synthetic lipids such as glycerol, phosphatidyl choline, phosphatidyl ethanolamine, mono-, di- or tri-methylated phosphatidyl ethanolamine, phosphatidic acid, phosphatidyl serine, phosphatidyl glycerol, phosphatidyl inositol, disubstituted head groups as found in cardiolipins, ganglioside head groups, sphingomyelin head groups, plasmalogen head groups, glycosyl, galactosyl, digalactosyl, sulfosugar, phosphosugar, N-acetyl neuramic acid, sialic acid, aminosugar head groups, carbohydrate head groups, gal(betal-3)galNAc(betal-4)[NAcNeu(alpha2-3]gal(betal-4)glc-ceramide, oligomers of ethylene glycol, ethylene glycol, oligomers of propylene glycol, propylene glycol, amino acids, oligomers of amino acids, combinations of oligomers of ethylene glycol or propylene glyco functionalised with amino acids or other ionic species or any combination or derivative of the above.
It is generally preferred that the head group is a naturally occurring or synthetic head group that can be used to minimise the non-specific binding of proteins onto the surface of the membrane.
In a further preferred embodiment of the present invention, in order to provide surface characteristics that minimise the non-specific binding of proteins, it is preferred that the head group is a polyethylene glycol ranging in molecular weight of between 600-6000 g/mol.
In a further preferred embodiment, the head group is a phosphatidyl choline group.
In a further preferred embodiment, the head group is a glycerol head group.
In a further preferred embodiment, the head group is a biotin or a biotinylated 6-aminocaproic acid group or an N-biotinylated oligomer of 6-aminocaproic acid.
In a further preferred embodiment, the head group is a Gal(betal-3)galNAc(betal-4)[NAcNeu(alpha2-3]gal(betal-4-Glc-ceramide head group.
In a further preferred embodiment, of the present invention it is preferred that the head group is a group capable of being used to covalently link a protein molecule onto the linker lipid. The protein molecule may be either a receptor such as an antibody or an antibody fragment or may be an enzyme or may be a protein molecule chosen in order to impart biocompatible properties to the membrane.
It is further preferred that the head group is terminated in a carboxylic acid group capable of being used to conjugate the linker lipid with a protein molecule via the amine groups on the protein.
It is further preferred that the head group is a polyethylene glycol in the molecular weight range 400-1000 g/mol terminated in a carboxylic acid group.
In a further preferred embodiment, the head group is a group capable of being covalently linked with a protein molecule via the aldehyde groups generated from the oxidation of carbohydrate groups on the protein molecule.
In a further preferred embodiment, the head group is a hydrazide derivative.
In a further preferred embodiment, the head group is a polyethylene glycol terminated in a carboxy hydrazide derivative.
In a further preferred embodiment, the head group is a group capable of being covalently linked to a protein molecule via free thiol groups on the protein molecule.
It is further preferred that the head group is a maleimide derivative.
In a further preferred embodiment, the head group is a group capable of being covalently coupled to a carboxylic acid group on a protein molecule.
It is preferred that the hydrophobic group has the general structure as shown in FIG. 1 where the group (X) is a hydrocarbon chain that is approximately half the length of the group (Y).
It is preferred that the group (X) will generally be between 10-22 carbons in length and may be a saturated, unsaturated or polyunsaturated hydrocarbon, or may be an alkyl substituted hydrocarbon such as the phytanyl group or other mono- or permethylated hydrocarbon chain.
It is further preferred that the group (X) is a phytanyl group.
In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the group (Y) in FIG. 1 is a single chain hydrocarbon group of length between 20-60 Å long.
In a further preferred embodiment the group (Y) consists in a single chain group that is between 20-60 Å long and contains within the chain a rigid spacer group such as biphenyl ether or biphenylamine or other biphenyl compound. The rigid spacer group serves the function of making the synthesis of the group simpler as it easily enables the coupling of two smaller alkyl chains onto the rigid spacer group, enabling long sections of the group (Y) to be synthesised readily. The rigid spacer group also enhances the ability of the linker lipid to assume the membrane spanning conformation of the linker lipid as opposed to an U-shaped conformation within the membrane.
In a further preferred embodiment, the group (Y) is a single chain group that is between 30-50 Å long and contains within the chain a N,N'-alkyl substituted 4,4'-biphenyl amine group.
In a further preferred embodiment, the group (Y) is a single chain group that is between 30-50 Å long and contains within the chain a 4,4'-biphenyl ether group.
In a further preferred embodiment, the group (Y) is a bis-hexadecyl 4,4'-biphenyl ether.
In a further preferred embodiment, the group (Y) is a bis-tetradecyl 4,4'-biphenyl ether.
In a further preferred embodiment, the group (Y) is a bis-dodecyl 4,4'-biphenyl ether.
In a further preferred embodiment, the group (Y) is a single chain group that is between 20-60 Å long and contains within the chain an alkyl substituted amine.
In a further preferred embodiment, the group (Y) consist in a single chain group that is between 20-60 Å long and contains within the chain a bis-alkylated pentaerythritol group.
In a further preferred embodiment of the present invention, the membrane spanning lipid is a single chain lipid in which the group (X) in FIG. 1 is absent.
In a further preferred embodiment, the group (Y) contains groups that can alter their conformation in response to an external stimulus such as light, pH, redox chemistry or electric field. The change in conformation within the group (Y) will allow the properties of the membrane such as thickness to be controlled through such external stimulus. This can in turn be used to modulate the conduction of ion channels through modulation of the on/off times of the channels and the diffusion of the channels.
In a preferred embodiment, where the group (Y) alters its conformation in response to light stimulus, the group (Y) contains a 4,4'- or 3,3'-disubstituted azobenzene.
In a further preferred embodiment the group (Y) contains a group that undergoes a spiropyran-merocyanine equilibrium in response to light stimulus.
In a further preferred embodiment of the present invention, the hydrophobic region of the linker lipid consists of oligomers of long chain amino acids, such as 11-aminoundecanoic acid, 16-aminohexadecanoic acid or other amino acid where the carbon chain is preferably between 6-20 carbons long, and where the amino acids are linked via amide linkages.
It is further preferred that the amide groups are tertiary, alkyl substituted amide groups, where the alkyl groups are phytanyl groups or saturated or unsaturated alkyl groups between 1-18 carbons in length.
The nature of the hydrophilic group, the attachment group and the electrode are as described in PCT/AU92/00132.
As is set out in this earlier application it is preferred that the attachment region of the linker lipid is attached to the electrode surface by chemisorption. In a situation where the electrode is formed of a transition metal such as gold, platinum, palladium or silver, it is preferred that the attachment region includes thiol, disulphide, sulphide, thione, xanthate, phosphine or isonitrile groups.
In further preferred embodiment the electrode is formed of gold, silver, platinum or palladium and the attachment region includes either a thiol or a disulfide group, the linker lipid being attached to the electrode by chemisorption.
In an alternate embodiment where the electrode is formed such that a hydroxylated surface is formed on the electrode, it is preferred that the attachment region includes silyl groups such as silyl-alkoxy or silyl chloride groups. The hydroxylated electrode surface may be a prepared by a number of techniques known to someone skilled in the art and may consist of oxidised silicon or oxidised metals such as tin, platinum, iridium.
In yet a further preferred embodiment the electrode is formed of oxidized silicon, tin, platinum or iridium and the attachment region includes silyl groups, the linker lipid being attached to the electrode by covalent attachment.
The hydrophilic region of the linker lipid is preferably a long chain hydrophilic compound. The hydrophilic region of the linker lipid may be composed of oligo/poly ethers, oligo/poly peptides, oligo/poly amides, oligo/poly amines, oligo/poly esters, oligo/poly saccharides, polyols, multiple charged groups (positive and/or negative), electroactive species or combinations thereof. The main requirement of the hydrophilic region of the linker lipid is that it allows the diffusion of ions through the ionophores provided in the membrane. This is achieved by the placement of suitable ion and/or water binding sites along or within the length of the long chain that makes up the reservoir region.
In a preferred embodiment of the invention the hydrophilic region consists of an oligoethylene oxide group. The oligoethylene oxide group may consist of four to twenty ethylene oxide units.
In a further preferred embodiment the hydrophilic region consists of a subunit of tetraethylene glycol attached to succinic acid. This tetraethylene glycol/succinic acid subunit may be repeated 1-4 times.
In a further preferred embodiment the hydrophobic region of a proportion of the linker lipids have covalently attached thereto an ionophore via a hydrophobic spacer.
As set out above the molecule having a hydrophobic region as shown in FIG. 1 incorporating a rigid spacer group provides a number of advantages. This hydrophobic region can, of course, be synthesized separately from the hydrophilic region, attachment region, and polar head group region. This hydrophobic region, or synthetic lipid, is believed to be new in its own right and can be included in bilayer membranes as a membrane spanning lipid to improve various characteristics of the membrane, such as stability.
Accordingly, in a second aspect the present invention consists in a synthetic lipid for use in bilayer membranes, the synthetic lipid having a structure as shown in FIG. 1 in which Y is a single chain group that is between 20 and 60 Å long and contains a rigid spacer group and X are hydrocarbon chains approximately half the length of Y or are absent.
It is preferred that the group (X) will generally be between 10-22 carbons in length and may be a saturated, unsaturated or polyunsaturated hydrocarbon, or may be an alkyl substituted hydrocarbon such as the phytanyl group or other mono- or permethylated hydrocarbon chain.
It is further preferred that the group (X) is a phytanyl group.
In a further preferred embodiment the rigid spacer group is a biphenyl ether or biphenylamine or other biphenyl compound.
In a further preferred embodiment, the group (Y) is a single chain group that is between 30-50 Å long and contains within the chain a N,N'-alkyl substituted 4,4'-biphenyl amine group.
In a further preferred embodiment, the group (Y) is a single chain group that is between 30-50 Å long and contains within the chain a 4,4'-biphenyl ether group.
In a further preferred embodiment, the group (Y) is a bis-hexadecyl 4,4'-biphenyl ether.
In a further preferred embodiment, the group (Y) is a bis-tetradecyl 4,4'-biphenyl ether.
In a further preferred embodiment, the group (Y) is a bis-dodecyl 4,4'-biphenyl ether.
In a further preferred embodiment, the group (Y) is a single chain group that is between 20-60 Å long and contains within the chain an alkyl substituted amine.
In a further preferred embodiment, the group (Y) consist in a single chain group that is between 20-60 Å long and contains within the chain a bis-alkylated pentaerythritol group.
In a further preferred embodiment of the present invention X in FIG. 1 is absent.
In a further preferred embodiment the synthetic lipid includes a head group. Preferred head groups are those listed in the first aspect of the present invention.
The present inventors have determined that the linker lipids described in the first aspect of the present invention as well as the linker molecules described in PCT/AU92/00132, where the attachment group is a thiol and the hydrophobic region is a single hydrocarbon chain, or where the attachment group is a thiol or disulfide group and the hydrophobic region is made up of two hydrocarbon chains, then, when these linker lipids are adsorbed onto a freshly prepared noble metal electrode a close packed monolayer membrane is formed that does not permit the ionophore to easily penetrate into the membrane, hence restricting the ion flux through the membrane. If electrode surfaces are used that are contaminated then the adventitious introduction of defect sites, where the chemisorption of the sulfur containing groups does not occur, will allow ionophores to penetrate into the monolayer. Contamination of the surface of a gold electrode can occur by adsorption of contaminants from air over a period of minutes to hours and results in electrode surfaces that can suffer from poor reproducibility and stability. The present inventors have devised a more controlled method of producing membranes with the required spacing between the linker molecules, while still retaining the efficient and reproducible attachment of the hydrophilic molecules onto the electrode surface during the deposition of the first layer.
In the prior art it has always been believed necessary that on forming a second lipid layer onto coated electrodes an apolar containment vessel is required in order to obtain sealed bilayer membranes on solid substrates. Additionally, the prior art teaches that an alkane co-solvent such as decane, dodecane, tetradecane or hexadecane is beneficial in the formation of highly insulating lipid membranes. The present inventors have now determined means whereby it is possible to form insulating lipid bilayer membranes with a minimal amount or no alkane co-solvent and without the need for an apolar containment vessel. The inventors believe this to be beneficial for control of non-specific serum effects, stability, ion conduction and possibly to reduce non-specific binding of analyte molecules to the containment vessel. Incorporation of ionophores into the bilayer membrane allows the ion flux through the membrane to be modulated depending on the nature of the ionophore as taught in the prior art. Additionally, the present inventors have determined means whereby it is possible to reduce the interference caused by the presence of serum or plasma on the lipid membrane by using lipid combinations that reduce the effect of non-specific ionophore gating effects.
Accordingly, in a third aspect, the present invention consists in a method of producing an electrode membrane combination comprising the steps of:
(1) Forming a solution containing reservoir lipids comprising within the same molecule an attachment region, a hydrophilic region, a hydrophobic regions, and optionally a head group; and spacer compounds comprising within the same molecule a hydrophilic group and an attachment group;
(2) contacting the electrode with the solution from step (1), the composition of the electrode and the attachment regions being selected such that the attachment regions chemisorb to the electrode;
(3) rinsing the electrode;
(4) contacting the coated electrode from step (3) with a solution of lipid and ionophore in a carrier solvent containing less than 2% of an alkane such as decane, dodecane, tetradecane or hexadecane; and
(5) adding an aqueous solution to the electrode from step (4).
The hydrophobic region of the reservoir lipid may be either half or full membrane spanning.
In a preferred embodiment, the reservoir lipid is 23-(20'-oxo-19'-oxaeicosa-(Z)-9'-ene)-70-phenyl-20,25,28,42,45-pentaoxo-24aza-19,29,32,35,38,41,46,47,52,55-decaoxa-58,59-dithioahexaconta-(Z)-9-ene as described in PCT/AU92/00132, referred to hereafter as "linker A" or reservoir phytanyl lipid (B) as shown in FIG. 7 or reservoir phytanyl lipid (C) as shown in FIG. 8.
In a preferred embodiment, the spacer molecule is a low molecular weight molecule containing within the same structure a thio or disulfide group and one or more hydroxyl or carboxylic acid groups.
In a preferred embodiment, the spacer molecule is bis(2-hydroxyethyl)disulfide or 2-mercaptoethanol.
In a preferred embodiment, the solution of step 1 contains a mixture of linker A, membrane spanning reservoir lipids and bis-(2-hydroxyethyl)disulfide.
In a preferred embodiment, the solution of step 1 contains a mixture of linker A, membrane spanning reservoir lipids and bis-(2-hydroxyethyl)disulfide in a ratio of 2:1:3.
In a preferred embodiment, the spacer molecule is mercaptoacetic acid, the disulfide of mercapto acetic acid, mercaptopropionic acid or the disulfide of mercaptopropionic acid, 3-mercapto-1,2-propanedio or the disulfide of 3-mercapto-1,2-propanediol.
In a further preferred embodiment the hydrophobic region of a proportion of the reservoir lipids have covalently attached thereto an ionophore via a hydrophobic spacer.
In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the lipid and ionophore solution contains no alkane such as decane, dodecane, tetradecane or hexadecane.
In a further preferred embodiment the reservoir lipid includes a head group. Preferred head groups are those listed in the first aspect of the present invention.
In a further preferred embodiment of the present invention the lipid in step (4) is glycerol monophytanyl ether.
In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the lipid is a mixture of glycerol monophytanyl ether and a lipid having a polyethylene glycol group of between 600-6000 g/mol as a head group.
In a further preferred embodiment, the lipid is a mixture of glycerol monophytanyl ether and 1-3% of a lipid having a polyethylene glycol head group. It is further preferred that the polyethylene glycol has a molecular weight in the range of 600-3000 g/mol.
In a further preferred embodiment, the polyethylene glycol containing lipid comprises in the same molecule a phytanyl group attached to a succinate group at one end and a polyethylene glycol 2000 attached to the other end of the succinate.
In a further preferred embodiment, the lipid is a mixture of glycerol monophytanyl ether and a lipid having a phosphatidyl choline head group.
In a further preferred embodiment, the lipid is a mixture of glycerol monophytanyl ether and up to 20% of a lipid having a phosphatidyl choline head group.
In a further preferred embodiment, the lipid is a mixture of glycerol monophytanyl ether and up to 20% of a lipid having a phosphatidyl choline head group and up to 3% of a lipid having as a head group a polyethylene glycol of molecular weight between 600-3000 g/mol.
In a further preferred embodiment, the lipid is a mixture of glycerol monophytanyl ether and a lipid having a head group in which the head group is a Gal(betal-3)galNAc(betal-4)[NAcNeu)alpha2-3]gal(betal-4)Glc-ceramide carbohydrate head group.
In yet a further preferred embodiment a plurality of ionophores are functionalised with a derivative of a low molecular weight analyte whose presence is to be detected.
In this arrangement, the addition of an antibody or other receptor molecule will modulate the ion transport properties of the ionophore. This conductance modulation can then be detected using established impedance spectroscopy or other methods and could also be used to directly monitor the presence of antibodies or other receptors to the low molecular weight analyte. Addition of the test solution to the electrode membrane combination containing the ionophore/antibody or receptor complex will lead to competitive binding of the analyte to the antibody or receptor, thereby allowing the ionophore to again diffuse freely through the membrane. The difference can be determined using techniques such as impedance spectroscopy and can be used to determine the concentration of the analyte in the test solution.
In the alternative arrangement where a synthetic or low molecular weight receptor is attached to the ionophore, the transport properties of the ionophore will be directly modulated on complexation of the analyte of interest by the synthetic or low molecular weight receptor molecule.
In yet a further preferred embodiment of the present invention the ionophore is capable of transporting an ion that is produced by the reaction of an enzyme with its substrate, said enzyme being either covalently or non-covalently attached to the membrane surface.
Addition of a solution containing the substrate will cause the enzyme to produce ionic species which will be transported by the ionophore across the membrane, thus modulating the conductance properties of the membrane, which will be related to the amount of substrate present in solution.
In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the enzyme is a urease producing ammonium ions from the substrate urea.
In the case where the enzyme is covalently attached to the membrane, it is preferred that the covalent attachment is via a proportion of the lipid molecules that are suitably functionalised for covalent attachment to proteins or by covalent attachment to the head group of the reservoir lipid including a head group.
Although the nature of the carrier solvent does not appear critical it is preferred that the carrier solvent is a solvent or solvent mixture wherein the lipid and ionophore is soluble and which is preferably water soluble. Suitable solvents are common water miscible solvents such as ethanol, dioxane, methanol or mixtures of these solvents. Addition of small amounts of non-water insoluble solvents such as dichloromethane may also be included in the carrier solvent in order to solubilise the lipid and ionophore.
In any of the preferred embodiments of the third aspect of the present invention, the containment vessel may be a containment vessel with polar sides.
It is further preferred that the containment vessel is made of material with a hydrophilic surface.
It is further preferred that the containment vessel is made of a material that minimises non-specific binding of proteins or has its surface modified in order to minimise protein adsorption on addition of the analyte sample to be tested.
In the situation where the reservoir lipid contains within the same molecule a an unsymmetrical disulfide group, where one of the sulfur atoms has a relatively small organic group attached to it, as the attachment region and a single hydrocarbon chain as the hydrophobic group, the cross-sectional area of the disulfide group is larger than that of the single hydrocarbon chain, hence a membrane with close packed hydrocarbon groups does not form on adsorption of the reservoir lipid, thus allowing penetration of ionophores into the adsorbed layer. Accordingly in such a situation it is not essential to use spacer molecules.
As described in the third aspect of the present invention, it is possible to produce membrane layers that are impermeable towards ionophores. The present inventors have determined means whereby it is possible to produce membrane layers by chemisorption of suitable linker lipids, including lipid, membrane spanning and ion channel containing linker molecules, onto an electrode surface such that the conformation of the ion channel and the lipids is controlled. The present inventors have also determined that the presence of the membrane spanning linker lipids enhances the stability of the subsequent lipid bilayer formed, as well as controlling the thickness of the subsequent bilayer membrane. It is known in the art that the lifetime and hence conduction of gramicidin ion channels is controlled in part by the thickness of the bilayer membrane. Thicker bilayer membranes shorten the lifetimes of the ion channel, thinner bilayers increase channel lifetimes. Hence, it is possible to control the lifetime of the ion channel by controlling the thickness of the bilayer through the use of membrane spanning lipids that have different lengths.
The present inventors have also determined that the inclusion of membrane spanning lipid linker lipids that contain polar or bulky head groups decreases the amount of multilayer structure that is obtained in the absence of these lipids.
Furthermore, the inventors have determined that the presence of a molecule having a lipid or hydrophobic component in the solvent is beneficial in enabling the ion channel to assume the proper conformation on adsorption on the electrode surface. Prior art membranes including ion channels are typically formed by doping the formed membrane with ion channels. It is now believed that such a technique results in a number of the ion channels being incorporated into the membrane in states which are non-conducting. Where the channels are helical peptides this may be due to unravelling of the helix, intermeshing of a number of the ion channels to form non-conducting helices, or that the longitudinal axis through the helical peptide is substantially parallel to the plane of the membrane and is thus unable to facilitate the transport of ions across the membrane. The present inventors have developed a method of attaching such ion channels to an electrode such that a higher proportion of the channels exist in a conducting form. The membrane combination thus formed contains a mixture of half-membrane spanning reservoir lipids, membrane spanning reservoir lipids and conducting ion channel linker compounds formed in a close packed layer such that non-linker ion channels do not penetrate into the first layer when the second layer is formed on the coated electrode.
In a fourth aspect the present invention consists in a method of producing an electrode membrane combination, the method comprising the following sequential steps:
(1) Forming a solution comprising ion channels having attached at an end thereof a reservoir region, the reservoir region including a hydrophilic group and an attachment group; and a reservoir lipid, the reservoir lipid comprising a hydrophobic region, a hydrophilic region, an attachment region and optionally a head group in a polar carrier solvent;
(2) Contacting the electrode with the solution from step (1), the composition of the electrode and the attachment groups and the attachment regions being selected such that the attachment groups and the attachment regions chemisorb to the electrode;
(3) After a period of incubation rinsing the coated electrode from step (2) to remove unbound material;
(4) Adding to the rinsed electrode from step (3) a solution comprising ion channels and a lipid in a carrier solvent; and
(5) Adding to the electrode from step (4) an aqueous solution such that a lipid bilayer membrane coating the electrode is formed.
In a preferred embodiment of the present invention the ion channels are gramicidin or analogues or derivatives thereof.
In a further preferred embodiment, the gramicidin is a functionalised gramicidin that consists in the same structure of a gramicidin backbone, an hydrophilic group and a disulfide group as shown in FIG. 13 and will be referred to hereafter as "linker gramicidin B".
In a further preferred embodiment the reservoir lipid is reservoir lipid A (23-(20'-Oxo-19'-oxaeicosa-(Z)-9'-ene)-70-phenyl-20,25,28,42,45-pentaoxo-24-aza-19,29,32,35,38,41,46,47,52,55-decaoxa-58,59-dithiahexaconta-(Z)-9-ene) or reservoir phytanyl lipid (B) or reservoir phytanyl lipid (C).
The hydrophobic region of the reservoir lipid may be either half or full membrane spanning.
In a further preferred embodiment the reservoir lipid includes a head group. Preferred head groups are those listed in the first aspect of the present invention.
In a further preferred embodiment the reservoir lipid has a biotin containing head group.
In a further preferred embodiment, the reservoir lipid has a head group used to couple the reservoir lipid to a protein molecule or other receptor molecule.
In a further preferred embodiment, the reservoir lipid used in step 1 has a head group used to minimise the non-specific serum interaction on the membrane such as a polyethylene glycol or phosphatidyl choline group.
In a further preferred embodiment, the solution in step 1 further includes a lipid. The lipid in the solutions in step 1 and step 4 may be the same or different.
In a further preferred embodiment, the lipid used in the polar solvent in the solution of step 1 is any natural or synthetic lipid that allows gramicidin to assume the correct conformation for deposition onto the electrode surface in a conducting state, in the lipid solvent mixture used.
In a further preferred embodiment, the lipid in step 1 used in the polar solvent is a glycerol monoalkenoate.
In a further preferred embodiment, the lipid is glycerol monooleate.
In a further preferred embodiment, the polar solvent is ethanol, methanol, trifluoroethanol.
In a further preferred embodiment, the solvent is ethanol or methanol.
It is generally preferred that the electrode from step 2 is treated with an aqueous solution prior to step 3. This is preferably done as soon as possible after contacting the electrode (step 2) with the solution formed in step 1. This, however, is not essential. For example where the polar solvent in step 1 is methanol there is no need to add an aqueous solution to the coated electrode from step 2.
The aqueous solution used in this optional step and in step 5 may be of a large number of solutions such as 0.1 to 1.0M saline.
In a further preferred embodiment, the electrode is treated with a solution prepared in step 1 where the polar solvent is methanol, and where the electrode is rinsed in step with a suitable solvent such as ethanol or methanol.
In a further preferred embodiment of the present invention, the solution in step 1 comprises 140 mM glycerol monooleate, 1 mM reservoir phytanyl lipid (B), and 0.0014 mM linker gramicidin B in ethanol or methanol.
In a further preferred embodiment, the solution in step 1 comprises 140 mM glycerol monooleate, 1.4 mM reservoir phytanyl lipid (B), 0.0014 mM linker gramicidin B, and 0.0014 mM membrane spanning linker lipids in ethanol or methanol.
In a further preferred embodiment, the solution in step 1 comprises 140 mM glycerol monooleate, 14 mM reservoir phytanyl lipid (B), 0.0014 mM linker gramicidin B, and 0.014 mM membrane spanning linker lipids in ethanol or methanol.
In a further preferred embodiment, the linker gramicidin B concentration is varied from 0.000014 mM to 0.014 mM.
In a preferred embodiment the membrane spanning phytanyl lipid (B) concentration is varied from 0.1 mM to 1 mM.
In a preferred embodiment the membrane spanning linker lipid concentration is varied from 0.0001 mM to 1 mM.
In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the lipid is a glycerol monoalkenoate where the alkenoate group may be an unsaturated hydrocarbon chain of between 16-22 carbons in length.
In a further preferred embodiment, the lipid is a glycerol monoalkyl ether where the alkyl group is a hydrocarbon chain of between 16-22 carbons in length and may contain unsaturation or may be substituted with methyl groups in order to lower its phase transition.
In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the lipid is glycerol monooleate, glycerol monopalmitoleic, mono-11-eicosenoin, mono-erucin.
In a further preferred embodiment, the lipid is glycerol monooleate or mono-11-eicosenoin.
In a preferred aspect of the present invention, the lipid is glycerol monophytanyl ether.
In a further preferred embodiment of the present invention, the lipid consists in a mixture of glycerol monoalkyl ether or glycerol monoalkenoate and a lipid where the head group consists in a polyethylene glycol group of between 600-6000 g/mol.
In a further preferred embodiment, the lipid is a mixture of glycerol monoalkyl ether or glycerol monoalkenoate and 1-3% of a lipid where the head group is a polyethylene glycol group. It is further preferred that the polyethylene glycol has a molecular weight in the range of 600-3000 g/mol.
In a further preferred embodiment, the polyethylene glycol containing lipid comprises in the same molecule a phytanyl group attached to a succinate group at one end and a polyethylene glycol 2000 attached to the other end of the succinate.
In a further preferred embodiment, the lipid is a mixture of glycerol monoalkyl ether or glycerol monoalkenoate and a lipid where the head group is a phosphatidyl choline head group.
In a further preferred embodiment, the lipid is a mixture of glycerol monoalkyl ether or glycerol monoalkenoate and up to 20% of a lipid where the head group is a phosphatidyl choline head group.
In a further preferred embodiment, the lipid is a mixture of glycerol monoalkyl ether or glycerol monoalkenoate and up to 20% of a lipid where the head group is a phosphatidyl choline head group and up to 3% of a lipid where the head group is a polyethylene glycol of molecular weight between 600-3000 g/mol.
In a further preferred embodiment, the lipid is a mixture of glycerol monoalkyl ether or glycerol monoalkenoate and a lipid where the head group is a gal(betal-3)galNAc(betal-4)[AcNeu(alpha2-3)]gal(betal-4)Glc-1-1 ceramide carbohydrate head group (Galβ1-3-GalNacβ1-4Gal(3-2α-NeuAc)β1-4Glc-1-1 ceramide head group).
Although the nature of the carrier solvent does not appear critical, it is preferred that the carrier solvent is a solvent or solvent mixture wherein the lipid and ionophore is soluble and which is preferably water soluble. Suitable solvents are common water miscible solvents such as ethanol, dioxane, methanol or mixtures of these solvents. Addition of small amounts of non-water insoluble solvents such as dichloromethane may also be included in the carrier solvent in order to solubilise the lipid and ionophore.
In any of the preferred embodiments of the fourth aspect of the present invention, the containment vessel may be a containment vessel with polar sides.
It is further preferred that the containment vessel is made of a material with a hydrophilic surface.
It is further preferred that the containment vessel is made of a material that minimises non-specific binding of proteins or has its surface modified in order to minimise protein adsorption on addition of the analyte sample to be tested.
In yet a further preferred embodiment of this aspect of the present invention the solutions in steps (1) and (4) contain less than 2%, and preferably 0% of an alkane such as decane, dodecane, tertradecane or hexadecane.
Without wishing to be bound by scientific theory it is believed that the method of the present invention provide a greater proportion of conducting ion channels due to the fact that the ion channels in step 1 are able to assume their native configuration in the lipid component of the reservoir lipid. These ion channels are then laid down and attached to the electrode via the attached reservoir regions in this conformation. The rinsing of the membrane to remove the unbound reservoir lipid then removes all unbound ion channels. This should result in the majority of the bound ion channels being in a conductive configuration. The subsequent addition of a lipid results in the formation of a lipid bilayer with the bound ion channels present in the lower layer. The ion channels added in step 4 will then partition primarily in the upper layer.
Another advantage provided by the method of this aspect of the present invention is that it enables accurate adjustment of the proportion of ion channels in the upper layer of the membrane bilayer.
The present inventors have determined a method of applying a hydrogel protective layer onto a membrane biosensor in order to increase the stability of the membrane and in order to protect the membrane biosensor from interferents such as those present in blood.
Referring to the hydrogels, suitable polymers may either be regular homopolymers containing substantially no other material in their matrices, slightly crosslinked homopolymers, or they may be copolymers prepared from two or more monomers.
Accordingly, in a fifth aspect the present invention consists in a biosensor for use in detecting the presence or absence of an analyte in a sample, the biosensor comprising an electrode and a bilayer membrane comprising a top layer and a bottom layer, the bottom layer being proximal to and connected to the electrode such that a space exists between the membrane and the electrode, the conductance of the membrane being dependent on the presence or absence of the analyte, the membrane comprising a closely packed array of amphiphilic molecules and a plurality of ionophores dispersed therein, and a layer of a hydrogel formed on top of the lipid bilayer membrane, the hydrogel allowing the passage of the analyte molecule to be detected.
In a preferred form of the present invention, the hydrogel consists in a thermosetting gel that is deposited onto the preformed lipid bilayer membrane at a temperature where the thermosetting gel is in the fluid phase and subsequently gels as the temperature is lowered below the gels setting temperature, thus forming the protective gel membrane above the lipid bilayer membrane.
In a further preferred embodiment of the present invention, the thermosetting gel is an agar gel.
In a further preferred embodiment, the gel contains between 0.3-5% agar.
In a further preferred embodiment, the thermosetting gel is a gelatine gel.
In a further preferred embodiment of the present invention, the hydrogel consists in an in situ polymerised hydrogel, where a solution of gel forming monomer is added to a preformed lipid bilayer membrane and is subsequently polymerised such that an hydrogel is formed as the protective gel membrane above the lipid bilayer membrane.
In a further preferred embodiment, the gel forming monomer is an acrylic acid or an acrylic acid derivative that is polymerised by free radial polymerisation.
In a further preferred embodiment, the hydrogel may be formed from hydroxyalkyl acrylates and hydroxyalkyl methacrylates, for example, hydroxyethyl acrylate, hydroxypropyl acrylate and hydroxybutylmethacrylate; epoxy acrylates and epoxy methacrylates, such as, for example, glycidyl methacrylate; amino alkyl acrylates and amino alkyl methacrylates; N-vinyl compounds, such as, for example, N-vinyl pyrrolidone; amino styrenes; polyvinyl alcohols and polyvinyl amines.
In a further preferred embodiment, the gel forming monomers consist of acrylamide and a bisacrylamide cross-linker.
In a further preferred embodiment, the hydrogel is formed from cross-linked hydroxyethyl acrylate or hydroxyethyl methacrylate or other biocompatible gel.
In a further preferred embodiment of the present invention, the hydrogel incorporates a number of groups that alter the partition of interferents and/or analyte molecules into the gel layer by means of altering the net charge of the hydrogel.
In a further preferred embodiment, the hydrogels contain enzymes such as urease that convert a substrate into an ionic species that is able to be detected by the lipid bilayer membrane sensor. In the case of the enzyme urease, urea would be converted to ammonium ions which could be detected by a lipid bilayer sensing membrane incorporating an ammonium selective ionophore.
In an sixth aspect, the present invention consists in an electrode membrane combination comprising an electrode and an ionically insulating monolayer membrane, the membrane comprising a closely packed array of amphiphilic molecules and a plurality of ionophores dispersed therein, said amphiphilic molecules comprising within the same molecule a hydrophobic region, an attachment region attached to the electrode, a hydrophilic region intermediate said hydrophobic and attachment regions, the space formed by said hydrophilic region between the electrode and the membrane being sufficient to allow the flux of ions through the ionophores, and a head group attached to the hydrophobic portion of the molecule at a site remote from the hydrophilic region.
In a preferred embodiment of this aspect of the present invention, the monolayer membrane molecule has a hydrophobic region that consists of oligomers of long chain amino acids, where the amino acids are linked via amide linkages, that are substituted at the nitrogen with hydrocarbon alkane groups. It is preferred that the structure of the amino acids is such that the amino group is typically separated from the acid group by an alkane chain of between 6-20 carbons long, and that the alkane chains attached to the nitrogen are typically between 10-20 carbon atoms long and may be either saturated or contain unsaturated groups. Additionally, the alkane groups may consist of phytanyl or similar substituted alkane groups.
In a further preferred embodiment, the membrane consists in a monolayer membrane molecule where the hydrophobic region consists in a tertiary, trialkyl amine that is functionalised at two of the alkyl chains such that the tertiary amine is attached to a monoalkylsubstituted glycerol, monoalkyl substituted glutamic acid or other commonly used groups normally used in lipid synthesis in order to form dialkyl lipids. The unfunctionalised alkyl group attached to the amino group may consists of an hydrocarbon chain, typically of carbon chain length 1 to 20 carbons long and may be unsaturated or additional alkyl substituted. The two functionalised alkyl chains attached to the amino group are typically 10 to 20 carbon atoms long. The monoalkyl substituents of the monoalkyl substituted glycerol, glutamic acid or other commonly used group would typically be a hydrocarbon chain that is the same length as the functionalised alkyl chain attached to the amine group.
In a further preferred embodiment, the membrane consists in a monolayer membrane where the hydrophobic region consists in a tetra alkylated pentaerythritol derivative where two of the alkyl chains are functionalised so as to allow attachment to monoalkyl substituted glycerol, glutamic acid or other commonly used groups normally used in lipid synthesis. The unfunctionalised and functionalised alkyl groups may be the same as described above.
The head groups attached to the hydrophobic region of the membrane may comprise of any of the hydrophilic head groups as described in the first aspect of the present invention. Similarly, the attachment region and hydrophilic ionic reservoir region are any of the groups described in PCT/AU92/00132.
In yet a further preferred embodiment of the present invention the ionophore is capable of transporting an ion that is produced by the reaction of an enzyme with its substrate, said enzyme being either covalently or non-covalently attached to the membrane surface.
Addition of a solution containing the substrate will cause the enzyme to produce ionic species which will be transported by the ionophore across the membrane, thus modulating the conductance properties of the membrane, which will be related to the amount of substrate present in solution.
In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the enzyme is a urease producing ammonium ions from the substrate urea.
In the case where the enzyme is covalently attached to the membrane, it is preferred that the covalent attachment is via a proportion of the lipid molecules that are suitably functionalised for covalent attachment to proteins.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a structural diagram of a synthetic lipid for use in a bilayer membrane of the invention.
FIG. 2 is a structural diagram of a diol resulting from the debenzylation of a bis-benzyl protected membrane spanning lipid.
FIG. 3 is a structural diagram of a membrane spanning lipid containing an alcohol head group.
FIG. 4 is a structural diagram of a membrane spanning lipid containing a dicarboxy polyethylene glycol 400 head group.
FIG. 5 is a structural diagram of a further membrane spanning lipid of the present invention.
FIG. 6 is a graph of the impedance spectra comparing sealed and unsealed membranes.
FIG. 7 is a structural diagram for reservoir phytanyl lipid.
FIG. 8 is a structural diagram for a homologue of the reservoir phytanyl lipid of FIG. 7.
FIG. 9 is a graph of the impedance spectra of electrodes in the presence and absence of streptavidin solution and gramicidin derivative.
FIG. 10 is a series of traces of impedance spectra for bilayer membranes with varying concentrations of GMO, tetradecane and gramicidin-biotin conjugate in the layers.
FIG. 11 is a second series of traces of impedance spectra for bilayer membranes with varying concentrations of GMO, tetradecane and gramicidin-biotin conjugate in the layers.
FIG. 12 is a third series of traces of impedance spectra for bilayer membranes in which the concentration of gramicidin in the bottom layer is varied.
FIG. 13 is a structural diagram for liker gramicidin B, a functionalized gramicidin comprising a gramicidin backbone, a hydrophilic group and a disulfide group.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
In order that the nature of the present invention may be more clearly understood preferred forms thereof will now be described with reference to the following examples.
EXAMPLE 1
Synthesis of membrane spanning lipids
1,3-Benzylidine glycerol was prepared according to the method of H. S. Hill et al in Carbohydrates and Polysaccharides, 50, (1928), 2242-2244. The 1,3-benzylidine glycerol was then treated with sodium hydride in tetrahydrofuran and phytanyl bromide under reflux for 24 hours to give the glycerol 2-phytanylether 1,3-benzylidine. This ether was then treated with a mixture of potassium borohydride and boron trifluoride etherate in refluxing tetrahydrofuran for 24 hours to give the glycerol 1-benzylether 2-phytanylether. The product was then treated with sodium hydride and 1,16-dibromohexadecane in refluxing tetrahydrofuran for 24 hours to yield the glycerol 1-benzylether 2-phytanylether 3-(16-bromohexadecyl)ether. The homologous compounds using 1,12-dibromododecane, or 1,14-dibromotetradecane were produced in similar fashion. Treatment of the product with biphenol and sodium hydride in refluxing tetrahydrofuran gave the bis-benzyl protected membrane spanning lipid which, after isolation, was debenzylation using palladium on charcoal to give the diol shown in FIG. 2. Addition of a reservoir component as described in PCT/AU92/00132 in the presence of dicyclohexylcarbodiimide and dimethylamino pyridine gave the membrane spanning lipid shown in FIG. 3 which contains an alcohol head group (MSL-OH). Treatment of this membrane spanning lipid with the diacidchloride of an acid functionalised polyethylene glycol 400 (average molecular weight 400 g/mol) followed by an aqueous workup gave the membrane spanning lipid shown in FIG. 4 (MSLPEG400COOH) which contains a dicarboxy polyethylene glycol 400 head group. Treatment of the diol shown in FIG. 2 with firstly, one equivalent of BOC-glycine/dicyclohexylcarbodiimide and dimethylamino pyridine and isolation of the monosubstituted compound, secondly with trifluoroacetic acid to remove the BOC group, thirdly treatment with a biotin-xx-N-hydroxysuccinimide (where the X group is an 6-aminocaproic acid group), and fourthly, treatment of the product with the reservoir component as above in the presence of dicyclohexylcarbodiimide and dimethylamino pyridine gave the membrane spanning lipid as shown in FIG. 5 (MSLXXB).
EXAMPLE 2
Effect of Small Spacer Compound on Conduction through the First Layer
A freshly prepared evaporated 2 mm 2 gold on glass electrode was immersed in a solution of linker (a) and bis(2-hydroxyethyl)disulfide (HEDS) at various ratios (final concentration was 0.2 mM in ethanol), within five minutes of preparation. After allowing the disulfide species to adsorb for a period of between 30 minutes to 3 days the electrodes were rinsed with ethanol, dried and clamped in a containment vessel. Two microliters of an ethanol solution of glycerol monooleate (GMO) (140 mM) and valinomycin (GMO/valinomycin ratio 3000:1) with 8% tetradecane (v/v) was added to the electrode. The electrode was then rinsed twice with 0.5 ml of 0.1M saline solution. After the impedance spectrum was obtained, the sodium chloride solution was exchanged with 0.1M potassium chloride solution. The absolute impedance values at 1 Hz are shown in Table 1 below.
TABLE I______________________________________Ratio Linker KCl (0.1M)(A):HEDS NaCl (0.1M) log/Z/at 1Hz______________________________________1:0 7.62 7.4020:1 7.50 7.255:1 7.85 6.811:1 7.62 6.611:2 7.81 6.35 1:20 7.54 6.38______________________________________
As can be clearly seen, the conduction of the potassium via the valinomycin increases as the linker (A) molecule is spaced further apart by the HEDS molecule.
When the above experiment is repeated using the membrane spanning lipid shown in FIG. 3 (MSL-OH) with various HEDS ratios similar results were obtained as shown in Table 2. At high MSL-OH ratios the lipid membrane systems appear to contain multilammellar structures, hence the overall high impedance
TABLE 2______________________________________ KCl (0.1M)Ratio MSL-OH:HEDS NaCl(0.1M) log/Z/at 1Hz______________________________________1:0 7.8 7.3 1:10 7.5 6.4 1:100 7.0 6.10:1 6.9 6.1______________________________________
Adsorpotion of a monolayer of MSLPEG400COOH onto a 2 mm 2 gold electrode with no HEDS, followed by the addition of GMO/tetradecane as described above, resulted in a bilayer membrane with an impedance of 200 kohms at 100 Hz. Conversely, an electrode with a MSLOH first layer followed by the addition of GMO/tetradecane as described above resulted in a membrane containing thicker or multilamellar structures as seen by the high impedance of 650 kohms at 100 Hz.
EXAMPLE 3
Formation of a lipid bilayer membrane without a sealing alkane
A freshly prepared evaporated 2 mm 2 gold on glass electrode was immersed in a solution of linker (A) and bis(2-hydroxyethyl)disulfide (HEDS) at a ratio of 8:2 (final concentration was 0.2 mM in ethanol), within five minutes of preparation. After allowing the disulfide species to adsorb for a period of between 30 minutes to 3 days the electrodes were rinsed with ethanol, dried and clamped in a containment vessel. Two microliters of an ethanol solution of glycerol monooleate (GMO) (140 mM) or mono-11-eicosenoin (140 mM) or glycerol 1-phytanyl ether (140 mM) was added to the electrode. These solutions contained no alkane co-solvent. The electrode was then rinsed twice with 0.5 ml of 0.1M saline solution and impedance spectra were obtained and are shown in FIG. 6. It was found that the glycerol 1-phytanyl ether formed useable sealed bilayer membranes whereas both the GMO and the mono-11-ecosenoin did not form sealed membranes.
EXAMPLE 4
Synthesis and Formation of Bilayer Membranes using a Reservoir Phytanyl Lipid
Reservoir phytanyl lipid (B) is shown in FIG. 7. This compound was synthesised from 4,18,21-trioxo-36-phenyl-34,35-dithio-5,8,11,14,17,22,25,28,31-nonaoxohexatricontanoic acid and phytanol in the presence of dicyclohexylcarbodiimide and dimethylamino pyridine. The homologous reservoir phytanyl lipid (C) shown in FIG. 8 was synthesised in analogous fashion from the suitable hydrophilic precursor and phytanol.
A bilayer membrane was formed onto a freshly evaporated gold electrode using the protocol described in Example 2 but in the absence of any small spacer molecule. Thus a solution of reservoir phytanyl lipid (B) or (C) in ethanol was contacted with the gold electrode surface, followed by rinsing of the electrode. A bilayer membrane was then formed by addition of 5 microliters of an ethanol solution containing glycerol 1-phytanyl ether (140 mM) and valinomycin (glycerol 1-phytanyl ether/valinomycin 1500:1) followed by 0.1M sodium chloride solution. Impedance spectra were taken before and after addition of potassium chloride solution and values at 10 Hz are shown in Table 3.
TABLE 3______________________________________Reservoir KCl (0.1M)Phytanyl Lipid NaCl (0.1M) log/Z/at 10Hz______________________________________1:0 7.8 7.3 1:10 7.5 6.4 1:100 7.0 6.10:1 6.9 6.1______________________________________
EXAMPLE 5
Reduced effect of serum on lipid bilayers by incorporation of lipids containing PEG 2000 head groups
A freshly prepared evaporated 2 mm 2 gold on glass electrode was immersed in a solution of linker (A) and bis(2-hydroxyethyl)disulfide (HEDS) at an 8:2 ratio (final concentration was 0.2 mM in ethanol), within five minutes of preparation. After allowing the disulfide species to adsorb for a period of between 30 minutes to 3 days the electrodes were rinsed with ethanol, dried and clamped in a containment vessel. Two microliters of an ethanol solution of glycerol monooleate (GMO) (140 mM), succinic acid phytanol half-ester PEG2000 half-ester (PSP-2000) (1-4 mol % relative to GMO) and gramicidin (GMO/gramicidin ratio 1000:1) with 8% tetradecane (v/v relative to ethanol) was added to the electrode. The electrode was then rinsed twice with 0.5 ml of 0.1M saline solution. After the impedance spectrum was obtained, 2 microliters of whole plasma was added and the impedance spectrum again measured. The absolute impedance values of 1 Hz are shown in Table 4 for various GMO/PSP-2000 lipid ratios.
TABLE 4______________________________________Ratio GMO/PSP- KCl (0.1 M)2000 NaCl (0.1 M) log/Z/at 1 Hz______________________________________100:0 7.3 6.599:1 7.1 6.798.2 7.1 7.097:3 6.9 6.896:4 6.9 6.495:5 7.0 6.4______________________________________
As can be seen the effect of plasma on the membranes is most effectively reduced at ratios of 1-3 mol % of the PSP-2000 lipid.
EXAMPLE 6
Formation of a protective hydrogel onto a lipid membrane
A lipid membrane was produced onto a gold electrode using the protocol described in Example 2. Excess saline was removed from the containment vessel and ten microliters of a solution of agar (0.5-5% w/v) in 0.1M sodium chloride was added to the lipid membrane assembly at 40° C. The membrane assembly was allowed to cool to room temperature whereupon the agar gelled forming a protective membrane over the intact lipid membrane. In the case where the lipid membrane contained valinomycin as the ionophore, addition of a potassium solution caused a decrease in the impedance as expected, although the response times were slower--approximately 15 seconds compared to less than 1 second without the gel membrane. It was also found that addition of whole plasma or serum did not have any effect on the lipid membrane for at least 20 minutes when a 0.3% w/v agar gel was used or 1.5 hours when a 3% w/v agar gel was used.
A hydrogel could be also formed onto a lipid membrane by addition of ten microliters of a solution of acrylamide (4% w/v) and N'N'-bis-methylene-acrylamide (0.3% w/v) in 0.1M sodium chloride tetramethylethylene diamine (0.01%), followed by addition of two microliters of a 10% solution of ammonium persulfate in 0.1M sodium chloride solution. The acrylamide gelled giving an intact lipid membrane electrode combination which, when the lipid contained the valinomycin ionophore responded to potassium in the usual manner and which protected the lipid membrane from non-specific effects of serum and plasma for up to one hour.
EXAMPLE 7
Formation of an enzyme/ion selective electrode combination electrode
A lipid membrane was formed according to the protocol as described in Example 2 but where the ionophore is nonactin at a GMO/nonactin ratio of 3000:1. To the electrode membrane combination was added two microliters of a 0.5 mg/ml solution of urease in 0.1M sodium chloride solution, allowing the urease to non-specifically bind to the lipid membrane surface as monitored by impedance spectroscopy, as a control identical electrodes were formed but without the urease addition. After 10 minutes 10 microliters of a solution of urea (0.1M in 0.1M sodium chloride solution) was added to the urease/ion selective electrode combination and to the control. It was found that on addition of the urea the impedance of the urease/ion selective electrode dropped substantially more (impedance at 1 Hz dropped from log 7.3 ohms to log 7.1 ohms) than that of the control (impedance at 1 Hz dropped from log 7.3 ohms to log 7.25 ohms). It is expected that the urease converts the urea to ammonium which is transported by the nonactin across the lipid membrane. A major advantage of this enzyme/ion selective electrode over conventional enzyme/ion selective electrodes is that it is possible to produce inexpensive, single use sensors with fast response times.
EXAMPLE 8
Method of adsorbing Gramicidin B
1st layer
Onto freshly prepared 2 mm 2 gold electrodes was deposited 2 μl of a ethanolic solution containing 140 mM glycerol monoleate, 140 μM reservoir lipid A, 14 μM MSLXXB, 1.4 μM Gramicidin B. 100 μl 0.1M NaCl was immediately added and the assembly allowed to stand overnight. The saline solution was then removed, the assembly rinsed with ethanol (5×100 μl) and drained.
2nd layer
To the above prepared electrode was added 5 μl of a ethanolic solution of 140 mM glycerol monooleate and 1.4 μM biotin-gramicidin conjugate, 2% (v/v) tetradecane. The assembly was immediately treated with 100 μl 0.1M NaCl. The saline solution is removed and replaced with fresh saline (100 μl) five times.
FIG. 9 shows the impedance of the electrodes before (a), and after (b) challenge with 1 μl 0.05 mg/ml streptavidin solution (0.1M NaCl). The impedance trace obtained for the sealed membrane, i.e. without gramicidin derivative in the 2nd layer, is shown in (c).
Conducting membranes that respond to the addition of streptavidin can also be obtained by varying the method described above with the following:
1) type of membrane spanning lipid added
2) replacing glycerol monooleate with other different chain length derivatives or glycerol monooleate ether derivatives
3) the concentration of MSLXXB from 1 μM to 140 mM
4) the concentration of Gramicidin B from 1 μM to 14 μM
5) replacing reservoir phytanyl lipid B with reservoir lipid A or reservoir phytanyl lipid C in the concentration range 10 μM to 1 mM.
6) saline can be omitted from the first layer, and glycerol monooleate can also be omitted from the first layer
7) ethanol can be replaced with other polar solvents such as methanol or dioxane
8) the 2nd layer can be made up with or without addition of alkanes such as tetradecane.
EXAMPLE 9
First Layer
Onto a freshly prepared (by evaporation or sputtering) 2 mm 2 gold electrode is placed 2 ml of a solution comprising glycerolmonooleate (0.14M), reservoir lipid A (1.4 mM) and linker gramicidin B (0.014 mM) in a 98:1 (v/v) mixture of ethanol and tetradecane. The electrode/well assembly is then immediately treated with 100 ml of 0.1M NaCl and the assembly is allowed to stand overnight, the saline solution is then removed and the assembly is washed (5×100 ml ethanol) and drained.
Second layer
To the above prepared electrode is added a solution of gramicidin-biotin conjugate(0.14 mM) and glyceryl monooleate(0.14M) in ethanol(5 ml). The assembly is then immediately treated with 0.1M saline(100 ml). The saline solution is the removed and replaced with fresh saline(100 ml) five times.
Membranes were formed as described in the above example but with varying concentrations of gramicidin in the two layers. The impedance of the membranes was measured and the membranes challenged with 1 ml 0.5 mg/ml streptavidin. The impedance traces obtained are shown in FIGS. 10-12.
In each of the traces shown in FIGS. 10(a-d) the bottom layer consisted of 0.14 mM double length reservoir gramicidin, 1.4 mM GUDRUN, 140 mM glyceryl monooleate (GMO), 10% tetradecane. The top layers each consisted of GMO, tetradecane (10%) and varying concentrations of gramicidin-biotin conjugate: FIG. 10a-0; FIG. 10b-0.0014 mM; FIG. 10c-0.014 mM; FIG. 10d-0.14 mM.
In FIG. 10e only 0.14 mM gramicidin-biotin cojugate, 140 mM GMO, tetradecane 10% solution was applied to a fresh gold electrode.
FIG. 11 is the same as FIG. 10 except that the concentration of double length reservoir gramicidin in the bottom layer for traces a-d was 0.014 mM. In FIG. 11e only 0.014 mM gramicidin-biotin cojugate, 140 mM GMO, tetradecane 10% solution was applied to a fresh gold electrode.
In FIG. 12 the concentration gramicidin-biotin conjugate in the top layer was maintained constant at 0.14 mM and the concentration of double length reservoir gramicidin in the bottom layer varied. FIG. 12a-1.4 nM; FIG. 12b-14 nM; FIG. 12c-140 nM; FIG. 12d-1.4 mM; FIG. 12e-14 mM; FIG. 12f-140 mM. FIG. 10e is repeated as FIG. 12g for comparison.
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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The present invention relates to novel compounds used in an electrode membrane combination. These novel compounds include a linker lipid for use in attaching a membrane including a plurality of ionophores to an electrode and providing a space between the membrane and the electrode, the electrode being either in part or totally made up of the linker lipid. The linker lipid comprises within the same molecule a hydrophobic region capable of spanning the membrane, an attachment group used to attach the molecule to an electrode surface, a hydrophilic region intermediate said hydrophobic region and the attachment group, and a polar head group region attached to the hydrophobic region at a site remote from the hydrophilic region.
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RELATED APPLICATION
This application claims the benefit of prior-filed, U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/677,725 filed on May 4, 2005, the entire content of which is incorporated by reference herein.
BACKGROUND
The invention relates to a controller for a motor, and particularly, a controller having a load overload device.
To comply with the National Electrical Code, NFPA 70, electric motors larger than one horsepower are required to use overload devices. The overload devices are intended to protect electric motors and branch circuits from undue heating caused by excessive current.
Induction electric motors are widely used. Induction motors are generally specified by a variety of rated capacity parameters such as torque, horsepower, current, voltage, frequency, temperature, starting time, and the like. While induction motors have a simple robust physical design, induction motors rely on complex nonlinear relationships to function. For example, when an inductive motor is first turned on to drive a machine, the inductive motor can draw an additional amount of current to provide additional torque to drive the machine. The additional amount of current drawn is generally referred to as an inrush current that can last for a few seconds. The inrush current can sometimes be ten times higher than that of a normal running current. The additional torque can sometimes be three times that of a normal operating torque. After the driven machine reaches a normal operating state or speed, the current drawn will drop below the name plate current value or rated current capacity.
However, when the machine being driven becomes jammed or impaired in some manner, the motor will draw additional current or power to churn out additional torque in an attempt to move the machine. When the amount of the operating current drawn by the motor exceeds a certain rated amount, an overload device associated with the machine will trip. For example, an overload of about 125 percent of the rated current of the motor for about 600 seconds, or about 600 percent of the rated current of the motor for about ten seconds will trip the overload device. However, the additional torque can last for a period of time before the overload device trips. While the machine being driven is jammed or impaired and before the overload device trips, the jammed machine can destroy any jammed material or itself.
SUMMARY
While methods using sensors to detect overload in a jammed machine exist, these methods use a fixed overload set-point. In such cases, an associated overload device trips only when a current drawn exceeds the fixed overload set-point. As a result, a motor with the fixed overload set-point continues to deliver full torque when jammed during steady-state operation before the current drawn exceeds the fixed overload set-point. For example, a 10,000-lb. material lift with a fixed set-point overload exerts about 10,000 lbs. onto any associated structure when the lift is unloaded and becomes jammed. The amount of force exerted by the machine can be destructive.
When an electric motor having a control system according to the present invention lifts a load, drives a machine, or starts other motions, the control system automatically adjusts to a power level that corresponds to the load. In this way, the motor will not be allowed to exert any power or force to the load in excess of what is necessary. If the machine being driven becomes jammed, binds, or draws more power for some unexpected reason, the motor will be shut down to reduce or to limit damage to the load or the machine.
Accordingly, in one construction, the invention provides a controller for a motor, where the controller includes a load overload device. For example, the load overload device can be a jam overload device for a vertical lift. The controller variably sets a value of the load overload device each time the motor starts up, rather than having a fixed overload set point. This provides a more flexible jam load overload device. The device may or may not include any National Electric Code (“NEC”) overload protection as described.
In one construction, the invention provides a method of controlling a motor that has a rated capacity. The method includes determining the motor has been started, and determining a plurality of operating parameters of the motor after the motor has started. The method also includes determining a threshold from a portion of the operating parameters, and comparing one of the determined operating parameters with the threshold. The method also includes operating the motor at a level corresponding to below the rated capacity when one of the determined operating parameters is greater than the threshold.
In another construction, the invention provides a method of controlling a motor that has a rated capacity. The method includes determining the motor has been started, and determining values of an initial set of operating parameters of the motor after the motor has started. The method also includes determining a statistical value of the values of the initial set of operating parameters, and adapting a set-point to the statistical value. The method also includes determining a value of a subsequent operating parameter of the motor after the values of the initial set of operating parameters have been determined, determining a difference between the value of a subsequent operating parameter and the set-point, and stopping the motor when the difference is above an overload threshold for a period of time.
In yet another construction, the invention provides a control system for a motor that has a rated capacity. The system includes a sensing module and a controller. The sensing module determines a plurality of operating parameters of the motor after the motor has started. The controller determines a threshold from a portion of the operating parameters, compares one of the sensed operating parameters with the threshold, and operates the motor at a level that corresponds to below the rated capacity when one of the sensed operating parameters is greater than the threshold for a period of time.
Other aspects of the invention will become apparent by consideration of the detailed description and accompanying drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a schematic representation of an apparatus or system incorporating the invention.
FIG. 2 is a block diagram of one exemplary method of operation for the load overload.
FIG. 3 is a block diagram of another exemplary method of operation for the load overload.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
Before any embodiments of the invention are explained in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and the arrangement of components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the following drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced or of being carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology used herein is for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting. The use of “including,” “comprising,” or “having” and variations thereof herein is meant to encompass the items listed thereafter and equivalents thereof as well as additional items.
As should also be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art, the systems shown in the figures are models of what actual systems might be like. Many of the modules and logical structures described are capable of being implemented in software executed by a microprocessor or a similar device or of being implemented in hardware using a variety of components including, for example, application specific integrated circuits (“ASICs”). Terms like “controller” and “processor” may include or refer to both hardware and/or software. Furthermore, throughout the specification capitalized terms are used. Such terms are used to conform to common practices and to help correlate the description with the examples, and/or drawings. However, no specific meaning is implied or should be inferred simply due to the use of capitalization. Thus, unless specifically indicated otherwise, the claims should not be limited to the specific examples or terminology or to any specific hardware or software implementation or combination of software or hardware.
FIG. 1 schematically represents an apparatus 100 incorporating the invention. For example, the apparatus 100 can be a vertical reciprocating conveyer. Other exemplary apparatuses include water pumps, industrial mixers, air blowers, extruders, cranes, elevators, and the like. As shown in FIG. 1 , the apparatus 100 includes a motor 105 , a controller 110 for controlling the motor 105 , and a driven machine or load 115 supported by the apparatus 110 . As will be discussed further below, the driven load 115 receives mechanical output produced by the motor 105 .
The motor 105 , in the construction described herein, is a three-phase induction motor. However, the invention is not limited to a three-phase induction motor. Instead, the invention can be used with almost any motor type having a relationship between the current of the motor 105 and the torque of the motor 105 . Other example motor types include, but are not limited to, single-phase induction motors, synchronous motors, direct current motors, etc. As is commonly known, the motor 105 receives electrical power from the controller 110 and produces a mechanical power in response thereto. The mechanical power is provided to the load 115 attached to the motor 105 . The load 115 can be, for example, a mechanical load having a mechanical movement and/or a material that is processed as a result of the mechanical movement (e.g., movement of a material in a plastic blow-molding machine, movement of a fluid through a pump, etc.).
FIG. 1 provides a representative controller 110 that can be used with the invention. The controller 110 includes an interface 120 (e.g., a switch, keyboard, key pad, or similar operator interface) to provide overall control of the motor 105 , a contactor 125 that connects the motor 105 to a power source 130 , a sensing module or a sensor 135 that senses operating parameters such as the amount of current drawn by the motor 105 , a programmable processor or device 140 and a memory 145 . The controller 110 can also include different and/or more sophisticated circuitry depending on the environment. For example, the controller 110 can include a rectifier/inverter combination or other driver for controlling the power to the motor. It is also envisioned that the controller 110 can include other circuitry not shown in the drawings that one skilled in the art would know to be present. For example, the controller 110 includes an analog-to-digital converter for converting the sensed current from an analog value to a digital value.
In the construction shown in FIG. 1 , the sensor 135 is a current sensor such as SSAC current transducer TCSA 10 having a response time of about 300 ms at 90-percent span arranged between the contactor 125 and the motor 105 . However, in other constructions, outputs of the power source 130 are to fed to the sensor 135 before being fed to the contactor 125 and the motor 105 . Furthermore, although the memory 145 is shown as an external component to the processor 140 , the memory 145 can also be an internal memory integral with the processor 140 . An exemplary processor is Rockwell International programmable logic controller 1763L16BWA having analog inputs with ten bit resolution, an execution time of about 3 ms, and an update time of about 100 ms.
Although FIG. 1 shows a current sensor, the controller 110 can include other sensors such as speed sensors, temperature sensors, torque sensors, pressure sensors, and the like, that determine other operating parameters of the motor 105 . For example, a sensor 135 that includes speed sensors can determine a speed exhibited by the motor 105 . A sensor 135 that includes temperature sensors can determine a temperature adjacent to windings of the motor 105 . A sensor 135 that includes torque sensors can determine a torque value generated by the motor 105 . As such, the controller 110 is not limited to using operating parameters such as current drawn by the motor 105 to provide control to the motor 105 . Rather, the controller 110 can also use other operating parameters of the motor 105 such as speed, temperature, pressure, and torque to provide control to the motor 105 .
Furthermore, the sensor 135 is configured to detect and monitor a condition of the motor 105 that is indicative of the operating parameters exhibited or produced by the motor 105 . Collectively, values of signals output by the sensor 135 are referred to as sensed values, or values hereinafter. In some constructions, the sensor 135 is equipped with calibration circuitry or microprocessors therein, the amount of current can be converted internally to a calibrated form. Otherwise, the conditions can be converted into calibrated signals by other external processes in a manner known in the art. The sensor 135 can also include multiple internal sensors or sensing elements in a plurality of sensor arrays, for example, that may be coupled to the processor 140 .
In the shown construction, the controller 110 includes one or more programmable devices 140 (e.g., one or more microprocessors, one or more microcontrollers, etc.) and the memory 145 . The memory 145 , which can include multiple memory devices, includes program storage memory and data storage memory. The programmable device 140 receives instructions and data from the memory 145 , receives information (either directly or indirectly) from attached devices (e.g., the sensor 135 ) in communication with the programmable device 140 , executes the received instructions and data, processes the received information, and communicates outputs to the attached devices (e.g., the contactor 125 ). It is envisioned that the programmable device 140 and memory 145 can be replaced by, for example, an application specific integrated circuit (“ASIC”) and/or analog circuitry that performs the function of the programmable device 140 and memory 145 discussed herein. Other variations known to those skilled in the art are possible.
FIG. 2 includes a flow chart that further illustrates an automatic set-point jam overload detection process 190 that occurs in some constructions including processes that may be carried out by software, firmware, or hardware. The programmable device 140 receives an input from the interface 120 indicating a request to start the motor 105 . In response, the programmable device 140 closes the contactor 125 and enters the process 190 . In other constructions, however, a second control system (not shown) is configured to receive the input from the interface 120 , and to start the motor 105 in response to the input. At block 200 , the programmable device 140 resets a timer, an overload set point threshold, and other related parameters. At block 205 , the programmable device 140 determines whether the motor 105 is running. If the programmable device 140 determines that the motor 105 is running (“Yes” path of block 205 ), the programmable device 140 proceeds to block 210 . Otherwise, if the programmable device 140 determines that the motor 105 is not running (“No” path of block 205 ), the programmable device 140 returns to block 200 .
At block 210 , the programmable device 140 acquires a timer value (e.g., from the memory 145 ) after the motor 105 has started for an initial period of time such as 0.5 seconds. In some constructions, the timer value varies from about 1 second to about 10 seconds. At block 215 , the programmable device 140 starts or increments the timer based on the timer value. The programmable device 140 then repeats blocks 220 and 225 until either when the timer has not run out (“No” path of block 220 ) and the motor 105 is no longer running (“No” path of block 225 ), or when the timer times out (“Yes” path of block 220 ). At block 230 , the programmable device 140 reads a plurality of operating parameters of the motor 105 such as an amount of current drawn or a steady state current value from the sensor 135 , and at block 235 , determines and writes a set point threshold for the overload device 140 based on a portion of the determined operating parameters. In some constructions, the set point threshold can be a percentage (e.g., from about +0.5 percent to about +10 percent of a statistical value) above the statistical value derived from the portion of the operating parameters determined at block 230 . Exemplary statistical values include averages, means, variances, standard deviations, and the like.
At block 240 , the programmable device 140 determines whether the motor 105 is running. If the programmable device 140 determines that the motor 105 is running (“Yes” path of block 240 ), the programmable device 140 proceeds to block 245 . Otherwise, if the programmable device 140 determines that the motor 105 is not running (“No” path of block 240 ), the automatic set-point jam overload detection process 190 terminates. In other constructions, if the programmable device 140 determines that the motor 105 is not running (“No” path of block 240 ), the programmable device 140 returns to block 200 .
At block 245 , the programmable device 140 determines from one value of the determined operating parameters such as the drawn motor current whether the one value of the determined operating parameters is greater than the set point threshold for a time period (e.g., about 8 ms). In some constructions, the one value of the determined operating parameters is a value from of the portion of the determined operating parameters. In other constructions, the one value of the determined operating parameters is a value of the operating parameters determined at block 230 .
Thereafter, the controller 110 operates the motor 105 based on decisions generated at block 245 . In some constructions, if the programmable device 140 determines that the one value of the determined operating parameters is greater than the set point threshold for the time period (“Yes” path of block 245 ), the motor 105 shuts down and an error is indicated at block 250 in a stop mode or stop level. In other constructions, if the programmable device 140 determines that the one value of the determined operating parameters is greater than the set point threshold for the time period (“Yes” path of block 245 ), the motor 105 runs at a level that corresponds to a portion of the rated capacity such as ten percent of the rated torque before shutting down and displaying the error at block 250 in a run mode or run level. In this way, the programmable device 140 initially slows down the motor 105 before shutting down the motor 105 . If the programmable device 140 determines that the one value of the determined operating parameters is less than the set point threshold for the time period (“No” path of block 245 ), the programmable device 140 repeats block 240 .
In still other constructions, after the programmable device 140 has determined the statistical value of the portion of the determined operating parameters and the percentage that can be used as the set-point threshold at block 235 , the programmable device 140 proceeds to determine a first difference between the one value of the determined operating parameters and the statistical value also at block 235 . At block 245 , the programmable device 140 determines a second difference by comparing the first difference with the percentage. If the programmable device 140 determines that the first difference is greater than the percentage (“Yes” path of block 245 ), the programmable device 140 repeats block 250 , as described earlier. Otherwise, if the first difference is not greater than the percentage (“No” path of block 245 ), the programmable device 140 repeats block 240 , as described earlier.
Although FIG. 2 shows that the programmable device 140 executes operations at blocks 210 - 250 only once, the automatic set-point jam overload detection process 190 can also configure the programmable device 140 to execute operations at blocks 210 - 250 repeatedly. As an example, FIG. 3 shows a second automatic set-point jam overload detection process 190 ′ which repeats a portion of the automatic set-point jam overload detection process 190 to adapt the set-point thresholds and the percentage (as determined at block 235 ) to the statistical value at various periods of operating time, wherein like blocks are referenced with like numerals.
Particularly, as shown in FIG. 3 , the programmable device 140 acquires a first timer value (such as about 1 second) at block 210 , and executes the operations at blocks 215 through 250 as described below. At block 230 , the programmable device 140 reads a plurality of operating parameters of the motor 105 from the sensor 135 as described. At block 235 , the programmable device 140 determines and writes a set point threshold for the overload device 140 based on a portion of the determined operating parameters for a period of time that corresponds to the first timer value, as described above (with an exemplary overload set-point of about 3 percent above the statistical value.) The programmable device 140 repeats any operations necessary at blocks 240 - 250 , as described above (with the portion having ten of the operating parameters, and an exemplary operating parameter sampling period of about 2 ms). The programmable device 140 then determines whether the timer has expired at block 220 ′.
If the programmable device 140 determines that the timer has expired (“Yes” path of block 220 ′), the programmable device 140 determines whether a next timer is needed at block 254 . Otherwise, if the programmable device 140 determines that the timer has not expired (“No” path of block 220 ′), the programmable device 140 continues to read additional operating parameters.
If the programmable device 140 determines that a next timer is needed (“Yes” path of block 254 ), the programmable device 140 repeats block 210 to set up other timer values (such as 2 seconds), and adapts other overload set-point thresholds (such as about 1 percent and 0.5 percent above the statistical value) with the portion having about twenty of the operating parameters and different operating parameter sampling periods (such as about 2 ms and 100 ms). Otherwise, if the programmable device 140 determines that a next timer is not needed (“No” path of block 254 ), the programmable device 140 terminates the automatic set-point jam overload detection process 190 ′.
Therefore, the invention provides a new and useful load overload device. While numerous aspects of the apparatus 100 were discussed above, not all of the aspects and features discussed above are required for the invention. Additionally, other aspects and features can be added to the apparatus 100 shown in the figures. The constructions described above and illustrated in the figures are presented by way of example only and are not intended as a limitation upon the concepts and principles of the invention.
Various features and advantages of the invention are set forth in the following claims.
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A method, and a system of using the method, of controlling a motor having a rated capacity. The method includes determining the motor has been started, determining a plurality of operating parameters of the motor after the motor has started, determining a threshold from a portion of the operating parameters, comparing one of the determined operating parameters with the threshold, and operating the motor at a level corresponding to below the rated capacity when one of the determined operating parameters is greater than the threshold. When an electric motor having a control system according to the present invention lifts a load, drives a machine, or starts other motions, the control system automatically adjusts to a power level that corresponds to the load. In this way, the motor will not be allowed to exert any power or force to the load in excess of what is necessary. If the machine being driven becomes jammed, binds, or draws more power for some unexpected reason, the motor will be shut down to reduce or to limit damage to the load or the machine.
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CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] The present patent application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. §119(e) to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/401,836 entitled “System and Method for Multi-Spectral Clip-On Architecture” filed on Aug. 19, 2010, which is hereby incorporated by reference.
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0002] The present application relates generally to optical systems and, more specifically, to an apparatus and method for multi-spectral clip-on architecture.
BACKGROUND
[0003] Often, it is desirable to enhance normal vision when viewing images/objects. In the weapons industry, weapons generally include viewing enhancements such as, for example, a rifle sight, a telescope, a video camera or other optical viewing system. These enhancements typically augment normal vision and improve performance.
[0004] However, in different conditions the performance of certain enhancements may be less than desirable. For example, different enhancements designed for use during the day may perform poorly at night time or in other degraded lighting environments.
[0005] Accordingly, there is a need for an apparatus and method that improves viewing in poor visible viewing conditions. In particular, there is a need for an apparatus and method for enhancing viewing through optical systems.
SUMMARY
[0006] In one exemplary embodiment an apparatus for improving sight is provided. The apparatus includes a first sight configured to view a scene. A second sight is configured to alter content representative of the scene in a first manner to form first altered content. A third sight is configured to alter content representative of the scene in a second manner to form second altered content. An image combiner is configured to combine the second altered content with the first altered content to form combined altered scene content.
[0007] In another exemplary embodiment, an apparatus for improving sight is provided. The apparatus includes a first sight configured to view a scene. A mount is positioned along a path between the first sight and the scene. A second sight is adapted to be mounted onto the mount. The second sight is configured to alter content representative of the scene to form altered content and display the altered scene content via the first sight.
[0008] In another exemplary embodiment, a method for improving a view of a scene at a first sight is provided. Content representative of the scene is altered in a first manner using a second sight to form first altered content. Content representative of the scene is altered in a second manner using a third sight to form second altered content. The second altered content is combined with the first altered content to form combined altered scene content. The combined altered scene content is displayed and viewable through the first sight.
[0009] Before undertaking the DETAILED DESCRIPTION below, it may be advantageous to set forth definitions of certain words and phrases used throughout this patent document: the terms “include” and “comprise,” as well as derivatives thereof, mean inclusion without limitation; the term “or,” is inclusive, meaning and/or; the phrases “associated with” and “associated therewith,” as well as derivatives thereof, may mean to include, be included within, interconnect with, contain, be contained within, connect to or with, couple to or with, be communicable with, cooperate with, interleave, juxtapose, be proximate to, be bound to or with, have, have a property of, or the like It should be noted that the functionality associated with any particular controller may be centralized or distributed, whether locally or remotely. Definitions for certain words and phrases are provided throughout this patent document, those of ordinary skill in the art should understand that in many, if not most instances, such definitions apply to prior, as well as future uses of such defined words and phrases.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0010] For a more complete understanding of this disclosure and its features, reference is now made to the following description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:
[0011] FIG. 1 illustrates a block diagram of a multi-spectral optical system according to the present disclosure;
[0012] FIG. 2 illustrates an example configuration for a multi-spectral optical system according to the present disclosure; and
[0013] FIG. 3 illustrates another example configuration for a multi-spectral optical system according to the present disclosure.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0014] The present disclosure describes a system and method for a multi-spectral architecture that augments a day weapon sight with multiple sensor-augmented channels for use in night time, degraded, or other conditions that favor the use of selected sensors. While the added image sensors may be referred to herein as “night time image sensors” or “night time sensors,” or “infrared sensors” it will be understood that such sensors may be used during the day time and/or under other lighting conditions as well.
[0015] FIG. 1 illustrates a block diagram of a multi-spectral optical system 100 according to the present disclosure. Optical system 100 includes a first sight 104 , a second sight 106 , a third sight 108 and an image combiner 110 .
[0016] In this illustrative example, a user 102 employs the first sight 104 to view a scene 112 . In one embodiment, the first sight 104 is a day sight for viewing objects in the scene 112 . The first sight 104 may be an optical system that provides the user 102 with a magnified view of the scene 112 in the spectrum of visible wavelengths. As will be appreciated, in one application, the first sight 104 is attached to a weapon 114 and used to target the weapon 114 . In another application, the first sight 104 may be used for surveillance or other viewing purposes.
[0017] In environmental conditions that degrade or prevent viewing of the scene 112 , the user 102 may introduce and use the second sight 106 . The second sight 106 typically provides a sensor-augmented view of the scene 112 , at unity magnification, and substantially without deviation of the apparent angle to the scene 112 as compared to the apparent angle without the second sight 106 installed. For example, during nighttime, the user 102 may add a second sight 106 as a night scope to see objects in the scene 112 . The second sight 106 may be referred to as a “clip-on” sight because it is configured structurally to clip/attach/mount onto and off a mounting base 116 on the weapon 114 . The mounting base 116 is a surface on which attachments may be mounted to the weapon 114 (e.g. mounting rail).
[0018] In one embodiment, the second sight 106 captures an image of the scene 112 in a different waveband, converts the scene content into a visible waveband and displays the converted scene content to the user 102 via the first sight 104 . In another embodiment, the second sight 106 may function as an image intensifier. For example, second sight 106 captures an image of the scene 112 in visible and/or near-visible wavelengths then generates and displays an intensified or amplified image to the user 102 .
[0019] In some embodiments, the second sight 106 includes functionality to display the converted or intensified scene content in a characteristic color (or colors). The use of color may simplify the ability of the user 102 to recognize the operating waveband used by the second sight 106 (or distinguish the image generated by the second sight 106 from the image generated by the first sight 104 ).
[0020] In given applications, the user 102 may also want to observe the scene 112 in a waveband different than that used by the second sight 106 . Viewing the scene 112 in two wavebands may reveal information about the scene 112 that is not discernable by viewing only a single waveband. In such embodiments, a third sight 108 is included in the system. Similar to the second sight 106 , the third sight 108 functions to provide a sensor-augmented view of the scene 112 , at unity magnification, and substantially without deviation of the apparent angle to the scene 112 . In another embodiment, the third sight 108 could electronically or optically magnify the scene 112 for surveillance operations.
[0021] To enable viewing of the images generated by both the second sight 106 and the third sight 108 , optical system 100 includes an image combiner 110 . Image combiner 110 receives the images generated by the second and third sights 106 , 108 and combines them into a composite or combined image enabling the user 102 to view the combined images via the first sight 104 . In one example, the image combiner 110 optically superimposes the image output from the third sight 108 onto the image output from the second sight 106 .
[0022] Examples of the image combiner 110 may include a fold mirror or coated prism that partially intrudes into the field of view from the side, or a center mounted fold mirror or prism. In one example, the image combiner 110 is a scene injection device. Examples of scene injection devices are described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 7,483,213 and 7,554,740, assigned to the assignee of the present disclosure, and which are incorporated herein by reference.
[0023] As previously described, the third sight 108 may display converted or intensified image/scene content in a characteristic color (or colors) different from a characteristic color used by the second sight 106 . In this way, the user 102 can distinguish scene waveband content produced by the third sight 108 from that produced by the second sight 106 . Other modes of enhancement, such as, for example, edge enhancement or object outlining, could be used in combination with or instead of color difference(s). These other modes of enhancement may assist the user in distinguishing between the separate images of a combined image, and may help to limit the reduction in overall contrast that may occur when two independent images are superimposed.
[0024] The illustration of the optical system 100 is not intended to imply any particular physical or architectural limitations in which different embodiments may be implemented. Other components in addition to and/or in place of the ones illustrated may be used. Some components may be unnecessary in some embodiments. Also, the blocks are presented to illustrate some functional components. One or more of these blocks may be combined and/or divided into different blocks when implemented in different embodiments.
[0025] FIG. 2 illustrates an example configuration for a multi-spectral optical system 200 according to the present disclosure. In this illustrative example, the optical system 200 includes a first sight 204 , a lower sight 206 and an upper sight 208 .
[0026] The lower sight 206 generates a sensor-augmented image of a scene and is mounted or attached (e.g. clip-on) to a mounting base (not shown in FIG. 2 , e.g. mounting base 116 in FIG. 1 ). The lower sight 206 provides this view at unity magnification and without deviation of the apparent angle to the target that would appear without the lower sight 206 installed. Sight 206 is also referred to as “inline” because its line of sight is in line with the optical axis of the sight 204 . In various embodiments, the lower sight 206 includes one or more nighttime sensors enabling the generation of the sensor-augmented image. In another embodiment, the lower sight 206 is a thermal inline sight or an image intensified inline sight. In still another embodiment, the lower sight 206 may be a TANS® intensified night sight, manufactured by OmniTech Partners, Inc.
[0027] In the embodiment shown in FIG. 2 , the system 200 includes the upper sight 208 that is mounted to the lower sight 206 and/or the mounting base (not shown, e.g. mounting base 116 in FIG. 1 ). The upper sight 208 includes one or more night time image sensors which may be the same, similar or different type than those embodied within the lower sight 206 .
[0028] The upper sight 208 includes input optics in a sensor 212 to form an image output display with output optics 210 . A portion of the output optics 210 is disposed or positioned between the lower sight 206 and the first sight 204 . One embodiment of the upper sight 208 may include an optical image generator and injector as described in U.S. Pat. No. 7,554,740, while other embodiments may utilize any other suitable beam combining optics or scene injector. The upper sight 208 also provides unity magnification and is internally optically aligned so that the apparent angle of its output image is essentially the same as the line of sight of its input image. The mechanical alignment between lower sight 206 and upper sight 208 may not be critical to provide the user 202 with an unaltered line of sight originating from either lower sight 206 or upper sight 208 .
[0029] With only the lower sight 206 installed, the user 202 observes the image output produced by the lower sight 206 through the first sight 204 . When the upper sight 208 is added and installed, the user 202 observes the image output from the upper sight 208 as optically superimposed upon (or combined with) the image output of the lower sight 206 . This combined image provides the user 202 with a multiple sensor view of the scene. Utilization of multiple sensor views provides an enhanced view of the scene and results in improved targeting and viewing. Both the lower sight 206 and the upper sight 208 are substantially insensitive to alignment problems with respect to the first sight 204 because each includes unity magnification and does not vary the apparent angle from the user 202 to an object in the scene.
[0030] In one embodiment, the upper sight 208 may be configured to mechanically interface (e.g., attach, mount) with the lower sight 206 , and the upper sight 208 may be attached or detached from the lower sight 206 as desired needed. In another embodiment, the upper sight 208 is configured to mechanically interface with a mounting base/rail or other surface (e.g. mounting base 116 in FIG. 1 ) of a weapon (e.g. weapon 114 in FIG. 1 or other underlying support structure) to which the first sight 204 and the lower sight 206 are also interfaced/mounted. In another embodiment, the upper sight 208 may be configured to mechanically interface with both the lower sight 206 and mounting base/rail or other surface.
[0031] In the embodiment shown in FIG. 2 , at least a portion of the upper sight 208 (e.g., the input optics 212 ) is disposed or positioned directly above the lower sight 206 . In a different embodiment, the relative position or orientation of the upper sight 208 with respect to the lower sight 206 may be changed (e.g., the upper sight 208 is no longer directly above the lower sight 208 , such as along its side). In such embodiments, the centerline (or optical axis) of the upper sight 208 may be left or right of the centerline (or optical axis) of the lower sight 206 and the centerline (or optical axis) of the first sight 204 . Accordingly, the upper sight 208 may be in any other relative position with respect to the first sight 204 provided it is able to function as described and intended herein. For example, the optical centerlines of the lower sight 206 and the upper sight 208 may be close enough to parallel to allow outputs of the lower sight 206 and the upper sight 208 to partially overlap.
[0032] However, it should be understood that neither absolute parallelism or a static orientation between the mechanical axes of lower sight 206 and the upper sight 208 may be required for proper operation, since the apparent angle from the location of the user 202 to a point in the scene is undeviated by either the lower sight 206 and the upper sight 208 . This behavior may be the result of the unity magnification and input to output optical axis alignment of lower sight 206 and upper sight 208 . For example, because lower sight 206 and upper sight 208 may not independently alter their independent lines of sight, when combined the resultant combined line of sight is also unaltered. Similarly, the mechanical axes of the lower sight 206 and the upper sight 208 do not need to be parallel with respect to the optical axis of the first sight 204 . For example, both upper sight 208 and lower sight 206 have a look-through line of sight that is optically independent from the mechanical axis of either sight. For example, each input ray is parallel to each resultant output ray.
[0033] In these examples, the lower sight 206 is fully independent from the upper sight 208 , and the lower sight 206 may operate without the upper sight 208 attached. Similarly, the upper sight 208 is independent from the lower sight 206 and may operate without the lower sight 206 .
[0034] In further embodiments, the upper sight 208 and the output optics 210 may be mounted in a common housing and attached and detached together as a single unit. Additionally, the output optics 210 and the upper sight 208 may be separate, and may be separately mounted to the lower sight 206 and/or underlying support. In such embodiment, the upper sight 208 may be removed with the output optics 210 remaining installed to enable status indications or other visible messages generated by the output optics 210 to be injected into the image generated and output from the lower sight 206 (being viewed through the first sight 204 ).
[0035] FIG. 3 illustrates another example configuration for a multi-spectral optical system according to the present disclosure. In the example configuration for the optical system 200 illustrated in FIG. 2 , the upper sight 208 is mounted to the lower sight 206 . In the example configuration for the optical system 200 a in FIG. 3 , a mounting structure 304 is provided for mounting the upper sight 208 in the absence of the lower sight 206 . In this example, the mounting structure 304 is a mechanical substitute for the lower sight 206 .
[0036] This configuration has the benefit that a user may not desire to utilize both the lower sight 206 and the upper sight 208 but desires to utilize the capabilities or features provided by the upper sight 208 . This configuration allows use of the upper sight 208 in a “look-through configuration” with the first sight 204 alone.
[0037] Light 302 from an image/scene passes through (or alongside) the mounting structure 304 to the output optics 210 for combining with the image from the upper sight 208 for viewing through the first sight 204 . In one application, this configuration could provide a look through visible scene blended with a thermal scene.
[0038] In another embodiment, the mounting structure 304 may include an optical filter 306 . For example, without limitation, the filter 306 may be a partial blocking filter, color filter, complete blocking filter or other filter suitable for enhancing the thermal overlay scene. The filter 306 can be selected by the user for a particular environmental situation, and may include adjustability for transmission/color allowing the user to adjust the characteristics of the directly viewed scene to complement the image/scene as output through the upper sight 208 .
[0039] While this disclosure has described certain embodiments and generally associated methods, alterations and permutations of these embodiments and methods will be apparent to those skilled in the art. Accordingly, the above description of example embodiments does not define or constrain this disclosure. Other changes, substitutions, and alterations are also possible without departing from the spirit and scope of this disclosure, as defined by the following claims.
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An apparatus and method improve sight. The apparatus includes a first sight configured to view a scene. A second sight is configured to alter content representative of the scene in a first manner to form first altered content. A third sight is configured to alter content representative of the scene in a second manner to form second altered content. An image combiner is configured to combine the second altered content with the first altered content to form combined altered scene content.
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CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/123,042, filed Mar. 5, 1999.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a mouse pad support. More particularly, this invention relates to a mouse pad support that is removably coupled to a computer keyboard support without the use of fastening devices or tools. In another of its aspects, the invention relates to a mouse pad support that has a swivel mechanism for adjusting the mouse pad support relative to a keyboard support. In yet an additional aspect, the invention relates to a keyboard support having a mouse pad support adjustably and detachably coupled thereto.
2. Description of the Related Art
Computers have now become commonplace in the work environment and, in a broadest sense, typically comprise a processing unit with a detached monitor and keyboard unit operably connected thereto. The monitor is typically placed on a work surface and the keyboard is typically placed on a keyboard support. The keyboard support can comprise the work surface as well, or on a keyboard support such as a keyboard tray mounted to the work surface. These types of keyboard trays are typically adjustably mounted to an underside of the work surface to accommodate the varying ergonomics of different users of the computer.
The advent of graphical user interfaces have a user of a computer operating system to perform commands and interact with applications running on the computer by merely pointing and clicking on items displayed on the computer monitor. This has necessitated the use of a pointing device, or a “mouse,” also interconnected with the computer processing unit which a user can operate by sliding the mouse over a textured surface and clicking on button(s) provided on the mouse.
The mouse is typically supported on a mouse “pad”, which provides sufficient surface area on which the user can slide the mouse and submit commands to the processing unit therewith. This mouse pad is typically supported on either the worksurface or a separate platform, typically supported by the keyboard tray.
The use of a mouse (or any other point-and-click device such as a trackball or stylus pad) has complicated the ergonomics of the user, typically seated in front of the computer monitor and typing on the keyboard provided on the keyboard support. In addition, employers have become more sensitive to such ergonomics as a result of the raised awareness of repetitive stress disorders sometimes encountered by users of computers in the workplace. Some users prefer that the mouse be located at a different angular position than their preferred keyboard support position. Some users are left-handed versus right-handed, and would prefer that their mouse be located on a particular side of the keyboard support or work surface.
One example of an adjustable mouse pad support is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,522,572 to Copeland et al., issued Jun. 4, 1996, which discloses a mouse pad support for both right- and left-handed users wherein a user can switch the effective side of the mouse pad from left to right by sliding a pair of interconnected mouse pads along rails on the keyboard tray to expose either a right or left side mouse pad. A user can also pivotably adjust the effective mouse pad once the mouse pads are located on the desired side of the keyboard tray by tightening the interconnected mouse pads on a threaded shaft which interconnects the mouse pads.
However, this and other prior art attempts to produce an easy to manufacture and assemble mouse pad and keyboard support associated therewith have fallen short. First, users typically cannot change the angle of the mouse pad relative to the keyboard support except by rotating the mouse pad about an axis that is typically planar with the keyboard support. For example, in the Copeland reference, the mouse pads are rotatable with respect to each other about an axis planar with the keyboard tray, i.e., along a threaded shaft extending between the mouse pads. Second, users typically cannot easily re-configure a mouse pad for a left-handed user from a right-handed configuration, or vice versa, except to purchase two mouse pad supports such as that shown in the Copeland reference.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In one aspect, the invention relates to a mouse pad support adapted for mounting to a keyboard support comprising a platform adapted to support a computer mouse, a connector arm adapted for mounting to the keyboard support, and a joint mounting the connector arm to the platform for swivel movement of the platform with respect to the connector arm about a generally vertical axis for adjustably mounting the connector arm to the platform. The platform can thereby be adjustably positioned relative to the keyboard support.
The joint can comprise a universal joint mounting the connector arm to the platform for movement of the platform with respect to the connector arm about multiple axes. The joint can comprise a ball-and-socket joint. A lower socket can be formed in the platform defining a portion of a ball socket. An upper socket portion can form a complementary portion of the ball socket with the lower socket and in register with the lower socket. The upper socket can include at least one resilient finger which resiliently grip a ball positioned in the ball socket. The at least one resilient finger preferably comprises four resilient fingers. A clamp can be provided for clamping the upper and lower sockets together.
The ball can have a threaded stud thereon, wherein the connector arm further comprises a threaded socket and the threaded stud on the ball is received in the threaded socket to fixedly mounted the ball to the connector arm. The connector arm can further comprise an interior latticework for adding structural support to the connector arm and resisting torsional and shear stresses imparted to the arm during adjustment and use of the platform.
The connector arm can further comprise a cover plate having an opening in register with the threaded socket whereby the cover plate is retained over at least a portion of the connector arm. The connector arm can preferably have at least two tabs which extend laterally from the connector arm in spaced relationship from the threaded socket whereby the tabs are adapted to mount the connector arm to the keyboard support. The socket can include at least one resilient finger which resiliently grips a ball positioned in the socket.
In another of its aspects, the invention relates to a mouse pad support adapted for mounting to a keyboard support comprising a platform adapted to support a computer mouse, a connector arm mounted to the platform and adapted for mounting to the keyboard support, and a connector adapted to removably mount the connector arm to a complementary-configured pocket in the keyboard support. The connector preferably comprises at least two locking tabs extending laterally from the connector arm for slidable receipt within the complementary-configured pocket. The locking tabs can thereby be received within the pocket in the keyboard support to detachably mount the connector arm to the keyboard support without the use of tools.
A joint can be provided for mounting the connector arm to the platform for swivel movement of the platform with respect to the connector arm about a generally vertical axis. The joint can preferably comprise a universal joint mounting the connector arm to the platform for movement of the platform with respect to the connector arm about multiple axes. The joint preferably comprises a ball-and-socket joint. The ball further comprises a threaded stud thereon, the connector arm further comprises a threaded socket, and the threaded stud on the ball can be received in the threaded socket to fixedly mount the ball to the connector arm.
The connector arm can be provided with an interior latticework for adding structural support to the connector arm and resisting torsional and shear stresses imparted to the arm during adjustment and use of the platform. The connector arm can further comprise a cover plate mounted to at least a portion of the connector arm at the mounting between the connector arm and the platform whereby the cover plate is adapted to conceal a portion of the connector arm exposed to view between the platform and the keyboard support.
The connector preferably comprises a detent tab extending axially from an end of the connector arm adjacent to the connector and having a depending flange thereon whereby the flange is adapted to releasably retain the connector arm to the complementary-configured pocket in the keyboard support.
In an additional aspect, the invention relates to a keyboard support having an adjustable mouse pad support mounted thereto, comprising a first platform adapted to support a keyboard, the first platform having a pocket with at least one retainer therein, a second platform adapted to support a computer mouse, and a connector arm extending between and mounted to the first and second platforms. The connector arm preferably has a connecting portion adapted to fit within the pocket on the first platform and further includes a first connector which is releasably retained by the retainer on the first platform to detachably mount the connector arm to the first platform. The connector arm also preferably has a second connector spaced from the first connector which adjustably mounts the second platform to the connector arm. The second platform can thereby be adjusted relative to the first platform by the second connector and the connector arm and the second platform can be removed from the first platform by dismounting the first connector from the pocket on the first platform.
The pocket in the first platform can comprise at least two opposed sidewalls, the retainer is formed in the sidewalls and has at least one slot for releasably supporting the first connector of the connector arm. The sidewalls can further comprise at least one indentation adjacent to the at least one slot for insertion and sliding movement mounting of the connecting portion of the connector arm to the retainer of the pocket of the first platform.
The pocket preferably comprises a detent receptor and the first connector further comprises a detent which is received in the detent receptor when the connecting portion of the connector arm is seated in the pocket of the first platform. The receipt of the detent within the detent receptor preferably resists axial withdrawal of the connecting portion from the socket. The pocket can further comprise a bottom wall having at least one guide rail for seating the connecting portion of the connector arm within the pocket.
The first platform can further comprise a second pocket spaced from the first pocket for removably positioning the connector arm in one of the first and second pockets.
The second connector preferably comprises a universal joint mounting the connector arm to the second platform for movement of the second platform with respect to the connector arm about multiple axes. The joint can comprise a ball-and-socket joint. The ball can further comprise a threaded stud thereon, the second connector of the connector arm can further comprise a threaded socket, and the threaded stud on the ball can be received in the threaded socket to fixedly mount the ball to the connector arm.
The connector arm can further comprise an interior latticework for adding structural support to the connector arm and resisting torsional and shear stresses imparted to the arm during adjustment and use of the platform. The keyboard support can be a keyboard tray. The keyboard support can also be a work surface.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
In the drawings:
The features and inventive aspects of the present invention will become more apparent upon reading the following detailed description and drawings, of which the following is a brief description:
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a mouse pad support and keyboard platform assembly formed in accordance with the teachings of this invention;
FIG. 2 is a bottom view of the mouse pad support and keyboard platform assembly shown FIG. 1;
FIG. 3 is an exploded view of the mouse pad support shown in FIG. 1;
FIG. 4 is a bottom view of a keyboard platform formed in accordance with the teachings of this invention;
FIG. 5 is a sectional view of the keyboard platform taken along the line 5 — 5 shown in FIG. 4;
FIG. 6 is a top view of the connecting arm portion of the mouse pad support shown in FIG. 1;
FIG. 7 is a sectional view of the connecting arm shown in FIG. 6 taken along the line 7 — 7 ;
FIG. 8 is a sectional view of the connecting arm shown in FIG. 6 taken along the line 8 — 8 ;
FIG. 9 is a sectional view of the mouse pad assembly shown in FIG. 1 taken along the line 9 — 9 of FIG. 2;
FIG. 10 is a sectional view of the keyboard platform shown in FIG. 4 taken along the line 10 — 10 ; and
FIG. 11 is a sectional view taken along lines 11 — 11 of FIG. 9 .
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
Referring now to the drawings and to FIGS. 1-3 in particular, a mouse pad support 10 according to the present invention is coupled to a computer keyboard 32 without the use of fastening devices or fastening tools. The mouse pad support 10 includes a platform 12 and a connecting arm 14 .
The platform 12 is a circular shaped member fabricated of a hard plastic material, for example, by injection molding. It will be appreciated that the other suitable materials and geometric configurations may be used to fabricate the platform 12 . The platform 12 includes a flexible pad 16 , a lower plate 18 and a ball and socket joint 20 .
The pad 16 includes a top surface which has an integrally formed wrist rest 24 extending upwardly therefrom. The wrist rest 24 includes a smooth, contoured outer surface sized to accommodate the wrist of a user during manipulation of a mouse 26 and is made from a soft, resilient material.
The lower plate 18 , as illustrated in FIG. 3, includes an upwardly extending sidewall surface 28 . FIG. 1 shows the pad 16 covering the lower plate 18 so as to form a cavity enclosed between the pad 16 and the lower plate 18 and surrounded by the sidewall surface 28 . The sidewall surface 28 retains the pad 16 in place on the lower plate 18 .
The lower plate 18 defines a lower socket 30 for receiving the ball and socket joint 20 . The lower socket 30 is partially closed by an annular bottom wall 52 as shown in FIG. 9 . The annular bottom wall 52 includes a plurality of openings 33 for receiving fasteners 48 as discussed below.
Turning now to a discussion of the ball and socket joint 20 , as depicted in FIG. 9, the ball and socket joint 20 is positioned in the lower socket 30 formed in the lower plate 18 . As will become clear from the discussion herein, the ball and socket joint 20 imparts frictionally restrained universal movement to the mouse pad support 10 relative to the keyboard support 32 .
The ball and socket joint 20 includes a ball stud 34 with a spherically-shaped upper portion 35 and a threaded stud 50 . The top surface of the spherically-shaped upper portion 35 is received in an upper socket 36 . As shown in FIGS. 9 and 11, the upper socket 36 is a disc-shaped plastic member having a central portion 39 and an outer rim 37 connected to each other by four radial ribs 43 . The radial ribs 43 define four integral spring fingers 41 which together define semi-spherical inner surface 38 . A plurality of axial openings 40 are spaced around the outer rim 37 . The semi-spherical inner surface 38 receives the upper portion of the spherically-shaped upper portion 35 of the ball stud 34 .
The radius of curvature of the spherically-shaped upper portion 35 of the ball stud 34 and the semi-spherical inner surface 38 are substantially the same so that upper portion of the spherically-shaped upper portion 35 fits snuggly within the semi-spherical inner surface 38 of the upper socket 36 . The spring fingers 41 are biased against the upper portion of the spherically-shaped upper portion 35 of the ball stud 34 to maintain constant pressure on the upper portion 35 . In this manner, the spring fingers 41 form an integral spring and the need for a separate spring is avoided. The ball and socket joint 20 further includes a support plate 44 having a series of openings 46 which receive screws 48 . The screws 48 are also received in the openings 40 of the upper socket 36 .
The lower socket 30 is formed by a depending side wall 42 and a bottom wall 52 having a central opening 54 formed by a partial spherical surface. The bottom wall 52 has a series of openings 33 which align with the openings 40 in the upper socket and receive the screws 48 .
The spherical upper surface 35 of the ball stud 34 seats on the partial spherical surface of the central opening 54 of the lower socket 30 . Thus a ball socket is formed from the partial spherical surfaces of the socket central opening 54 and the upper socket spherical inner surface 38 . This ball socket captures the spherically shaped upper portion of the ball stud 34 and frictionally holds the ball stud with respect to the platform 12 when the nuts 49 are tightened onto the screws 48 . However, the platform 12 is slightly movable with respect to the ball stud 34 against the frictional forces between the ball socket and the ball stud spherically shaped upper portion. In the preferred embodiment, the nut and bolt combination 48 , 49 is used to tighten the socket. Other adjustable fasteners can also be used for this purpose.
Now turning to a discussion of the connecting arm 14 as shown in FIG. 6, in the preferred embodiment, the connecting arm 14 is fabricated of a hard plastic material for example, by injection molding. The arm 14 includes a rectangularly shaped portion 56 integrally formed with a triangularly shaped portion 58 .
The rectangularly shaped portion 56 includes a bottom wall 60 that in integrally formed with an open lattice structure 63 as shown in FIG. 6 . The lattice structure 63 provides strength and rigidity to the arm 14 without unduly increasing the weight of the arm 14 . The bottom wall 60 also is integrally formed with an upwardly extending support 64 .
The outer periphery of the rectangularly shaped portion 56 in integrally formed with a plurality of outwardly extending tabs 66 , 68 . The tabs 66 are tapered in thickness from the right to the left as viewed from FIG. 6 . In the preferred embodiment, as illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 6, four tabs 66 project outwardly from the upper sidewall 62 of the rectangularly shaped portion 56 , and a single tab 68 projects outwardly from the rear portion 62 ′ of the rectangularly shaped portion 56 .
The rearwardly projecting tab 68 includes a raised lip 70 that extends linearly along the long edge of the tab 68 . The tab 68 has a depending flange 71 and is separated from the rear wall 62 ′ through slots 73 . The tab 68 is thus flexibly joined to the rear wall and can be moved rearwardly by depressing the depending flange 71 toward the rear wall 62 ′.
The triangularly shaped portion 58 includes a bottom wall 72 that is also integrally formed with the open lattice structure 63 . Additionally, the bottom wall 72 is integrally formed with an upwardly projecting socket protrusion 74 . The protrusion 74 defines an open center and has a height approximately equal to the height of the sidewall portion 76 of the triangularly shaped portion 58 .
The open top surface of the triangularly shaped portion 58 is closed by a cover plate 80 . The cover plate 80 defines a downwardly extending support 84 that mates with the latticework 63 on the rectangularly shaped portion 56 to form a press-fit to keep the cover plate 80 in place on the connector arm 14 . The cover plate 80 also defines an opening 82 that receives the protrusion 74 formed on the triangular portion 58 .
As shown in FIG. 3, the socket 78 is press fit through the opening 82 and into protrusion 74 and can be retained with adhesives, if desired. When assembled, the top surface of the cover plate 80 provides a bearing surface for the socket 78 , and the socket 78 includes a threaded surface that receives the threaded portion the ball stud 34 . This arrangement provides a frictional engagement that couples the mouse pad platform 12 to the arm 14 , and the opposite end of the arm 14 couples the mouse pad support 10 to a computer keyboard platform 32 .
Turning to FIG. 4, the keyboard platform 32 includes a plurality of pockets 86 . In the preferred embodiment, one pocket 86 is formed on both the left and right sides of the keyboard platform 32 . The pockets 86 include bottom wall 89 , a pair of side walls 90 and a rear wall 96 . The side walls 90 have a plurality of outwardly projecting indentations 88 , 92 formed therein.
As shown in FIG. 4, four indentations 88 are formed in the sidewalls 90 , and a single indentation 92 is formed in the rear wall 96 of each pocket 86 . Additionally, each bottom wall 89 has a pair of integrally formed guide rails 94 . As shown in FIG. 4, the rearwardly extending indentation 92 is centered between the two guide rails 94 . The side wall also defines a slot 98 adjacent each of the indentations 88 . The slots 98 are tapered in depth from the outer end to the inner end or from right to left as seen in FIG. 5 . Further, the bottom wall 89 further includes a tapered surface 100 terminating in a slot or further indentation 102 .
FIGS. 1 and 2 show the arm 14 coupled to the keyboard platform 32 . To install the arm 14 onto the keyboard platform 32 , as shown in FIGS. 1, 2 and 6 , the rectangularly shaped portion 56 of the arm 14 is received in one of the pockets 86 . The tabs 66 register with the indentations 88 when the arm 14 is installed into the pocket 86 . The arm 14 is then pushed into the pocket whereby the top surface of the rectangularly shaped portion 56 slides along the guide rails 94 and the tabs 66 enter the slots 98 until the lip 70 registers with the slot 102 . The arm 14 will be locked into the pocket at that time. The arm 14 can be released from the pocket by pushing the flange 71 toward the end wall 62 ′ and pulling outwardly on the arm with respect to the platform support 32 . The tapered tabs 66 and the tapered slots 98 are important in tightly seating the arm 14 in the pocket 86 . As the arm 14 is seated in the pocket, the tapered surfaces are tightly connected to each other so that the joint between the arm 14 and the pocket 86 is solid.
It will be understood that, although the keyboard support 32 is shown in the drawings as a typical keyboard tray, the keyboard support 32 can also be a typical worksurface which includes a bracket defining the pocket(s) 86 for mounting the mouse pad support 10 directly thereto.
While the invention has been specifically described in connection with certain specific embodiments thereof, it is to be understood that this is by way of illustration and not of limitation. Reasonable variation and modification are possible within the foregoing disclosure without departing from the spirit of the invention which is defined in the appended claims.
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A mouse pad support adapted for mounting to a keyboard support and having a platform adapted to support a computer mouse, a connector arm adapted for mounting to the keyboard support, and a joint mounting the connector arm to the platform for swivel movement of the platform with respect to the connector arm. The joint typically includes ball and socket portions. The mouse pad support has a connector adapted to removably mount the connector arm to a complementary pocket in the keyboard support without the use of tools. A keyboard support includes a first platform having a pocket for receiving a connector on a connector arm, and a second platform adapted to support a computer mouse, the connector arm extending between the first and second platforms for detachably mounting to the first platform and for adjustably mounting the second platform relative to the first platform.
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FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The field of the invention is geophysical investigation known as vertical seismic profiling and cross-hole tomography.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
U.S. Pat. No. 4,252,210 discloses methods of and apparatus for generating seismic waves and discloses background information concerning the production of seismic waves including publications and patents.
The apparatus disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,252,210 includes a tubular expandable outer wall closed at each end by rigid, high-strength closure members to which two different pressures applied from an external hydraulic reservoir, one for anchoring the generator to the wall and the second of greater intensity to provide the radiated waves which are directed only to the walls of the well bore. This apparatus has the advantages mentioned in said patent but is limited as to depths in use because of the external hydraulic reservoir and the hydraulic lines to and from the apparatus.
Other background disclosures include the following patents: U.S. Pat. No. 4,751,688 dated June 14, 1988 "Downhole Electromagnetic Seismic Source," U.S. Pat. No. 4,715,470 dated Dec. 29, 1987 "Downhole Electromagnetic Seismic Source," and U.S. Pat. No. 4,702,343 dated Oct. 27, 1987 "Nondestructive Downhole Seismic Vibrator to Obtain Information about Geologic Formations."
It would be highly desirable to provide an apparatus for generating seismic waves at greater depths than is practical for the apparatus disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,252,210, for example, one which permits generation of seismic energy within a well bore to depths of 10,000 feet and more and in which the energy generated is of sufficient power and character as to produce suitable displacement on remotely located receivers or sensors (geophones) so as to be recorded and later recognized when processed by preprogrammed computers. It would also be advantageous to provide such an apparatus with self-contained hydraulic reservoirs and pumps and, accordingly, can be lowered into the well bore, anchored at a number of well bore locations, and removed from the well bore, all on conventional wire line equipment similar to that used for electrical logging and other operations in the well bore.
SUMMARY
The present invention is directed to such an apparatus for generating seismic waves within a well bore at great depths, that is, up to 10,000 feet and more, in which the energy generated is of sufficient power and character as to produce suitable displacement on remotely located receivers or sensors (geophones) so as to be recorded and later recognized when processed by preprogrammed computers, one that is lowered into, movable in, and retrievable in a well bore by conventional wire line equipment so that it is capable of repeated operation at the same location within the well bore or at several locations all during one trip in the well, and in which the energy produced does not cause damage to the well bore.
Accordingly, it is an object of the invention to provide an apparatus for generating seismic energy within a well bore at great depth, for example, down to 10,000 feet and deeper.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide an apparatus which generates seismic energy in geophysical investigation known as "vertical seismic profiling" and "cross-hole tomography" which require a seismic source with the capability of reliable operation at greater depths than heretofore practical within a well bore.
A further object of the present invention is the provision of such a seismic energy generator which generates energy with sufficient power and character to produce suitable displacement on remotely located receivers or sensors (geophones) so as to be recorded and later recognized when processed by preprogrammed computers.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide such a seismic energy generator which is capable of repeated operations at the same location within the well bore or at several different locations, all during one trip in the well.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide such a seismic energy generator in which the seismic energy produced does not cause damage to the well bore in which it is located.
It is a further object of the invention to provide such an apparatus which is completely operable by a well bore electric wire line similar to conventional logging equipment.
It is a further object of the invention to provide such an apparatus which has self-contained hydraulic reservoirs for anchoring the apparatus and for pulsating the anchor to generate the seismic waves.
A further object of the present invention is the provision of such an apparatus in which the pulsations have discreet frequency content and an exact time span of energy.
Other objects, features, and advantages of the invention appear throughout the specification, claims, and drawings.
The foregoing objects, ends, and advantages are obtained by the present apparatus for generating seismic waves or energy, the preferred embodiments of which are described below. In summary, however, the apparatus has a generally elongated body including a tubular expandable and contractible outer anchor wall for anchoring the apparatus in a well bore.
An anchor setting hydraulic system is provided in the body which includes a hydraulic reservoir for hydraulic fluid or suitably filtered well fluid, an anchor pump, and valving in fluid communication with the interior of the expandable and contractible outer tubular wall, closing the valving, and actuation of the anchor pump being operable to pump hydraulic fluid into and anchor the anchor wall into anchored position in the well bore.
An anchor pulsating hydraulic system also is disposed in the body which includes low pressure and high pressure accumulator reservoirs, a vibrator pump in fluid communication with the low pressure reservoir and the high pressure reservoir, a servovalve, piston means, and separate pressure input and return lines from and to the reservoir in fluid communication through the servovalve to opposite sides of the piston means, so that upon energizing the vibrator pump and the servovalve, pressure impulses are intermittently applied to opposite sides of the piston means thereby reciprocating it and generating seismic waves. Means are provided biasing the piston means to a null position.
Pressure equalizing means are provided which equalize the setting pressure of the hydraulic fluid within the tubular anchor wall against the piston means, and additional pressure equalizing means are provided which equalizes pressure in the anchor reservoir with well fluid pressure within the well bore.
In operation, the apparatus for producing seismic energy is lowered into the well bore at the desired or preferred depth on conventional wire line equipment, the normally open anchor valving is closed and the anchor pump is energized which effects an expansion of the tubular anchor wall and anchors the apparatus in the well bore. Then the servovalve and vibrator pump are actuated which cause hydraulic pressure to be applied intermittently to opposite sides of the piston means thereby reciprocating it and causing pressure impulses in the hydraulic fluid within the tubular anchor wall which, in turn, causes intermittent expansion of the outer tubular wall effective to produce and radiate seismic waves or energy.
Differential pressures above hydrostatic hydroactive well pressures at the depth of operation of the order of 100 psi to 1000 psi are satisfactory for anchoring the apparatus in the well bore. Pressures above the anchoring pressure and of the order of about 1,000 to 3,000 psi are satisfactory for generating seismic energy of sufficient power and character to produce suitable displacement on remotely located receivers or sensors which are recorded and later recognized when processed by pre-programmed computers.
A more detailed description of presently preferred embodiments of the invention is set forth below.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is an elevational view illustrating apparatus for generating seismic waves according to the invention shown in a well bore in the earth.
FIGS. 2A and 2B are a sectional elevation of the apparatus of FIG. 1.
FIG. 3A is an elevational view, partly in section, illustrating another embodiment of the apparatus of FIG. 1.
FIG. 3B is an elevational view, partly in section, illustrating a still further embodiment of the apparatus of FIG. 1.
FIGS. 4A and 4B are elevational views, partly in section, of the apparatus of the foregoing figures, in place in a well bore for vertical seismic profiling.
FIG. 5 is a view similar to FIG. 4 for cross-hole tomography.
DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
Referring now to FIG. 1, an apparatus 10 is disclosed and is shown anchored in a well bore 12. The apparatus has a generally elongated and tubular body 14 and can be anchored in the well bore 12 by the tubular expandable and contractible outer wall 16.
Referring now to FIGS. 2A and 2B, the apparatus 10 for generating seismic waves or energy includes two separate self-contained hydraulic systems and piston means which includes an actuator 18 which interfaces between them. One of the hydraulic systems may be termed a "vibrator" or "pulsator" hydraulic system, and the other hydraulic system may be termed an "anchor" hydraulic system for convenience of reference.
Referring first to the vibrator hydraulic system, at the upper portion of the body 14 of the apparatus 10 are a low pressure hydraulic fluid reservoir and accumulator 20 and a high pressure hydraulic fluid reservoir and accumulator 23. Each of the reservoirs 20 and 23 is energized by gaseous precharge, such as nitrogen, that is predetermined to provide the desired operating characteristics. For example, the low pressure precharge may be 100 psi and the high-pressure precharge may be 1000 psi.
A vibrator pump 24 is provided which pumps hydraulic fluid from the low pressure hydraulic fluid reservoir 20 through the lines 26 and 28 into the high pressure fluid reservoir 23. Thus, when the vibrator pressure pump 24 is operating, it is constantly charging the fluid side of the high pressure reservoir 23.
The hydraulic line 22 provides hydraulic pressure against one side of an annular piston 32 disposed intermediate the sides of the actuator mandrel 18, and the hydraulic pressure line 34 returns the hydraulic fluid through the three-stage servovalve 30 into the low pressure hydraulic fluid reservoir 20. Thus, when the high pressure pump 24 is operating, it is constantly charging the fluid side of the high pressure reservoir 22 and supplying pressure to the three-stage servovalve 30. When the servovalve 30 is actuated in response to a predetermined electrical signal, hydraulic pressure is applied through the servovalve 30 to opposite sides of the actuator piston 32, and hydraulic fluid is returned through the servovalve 30 to the low pressure hydraulic fluid reservoir 20. Thus, a closed, self-contained hydraulic system is provided in the apparatus 10.
A feedback centering valve 35 is provided which is a hydraulic biasing unit providing a hydraulic signal to the servovalve 30 which is proportional and opposite to the displacement of the piston 32. The hydraulic lines connecting the feedback centering valve 35 and the three stage servovalve 30 are not shown. The feedback centering valve 35 operates independently of the electrical control; accordingly, the piston is constantly being biased toward a center or null position. Any feedback centering valve or device may be used, which are generally known as fluid repeaters and which are available on the market. Various fluid repeaters which are satisfactory for use in the present invention are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,335,645; 4,227,440; 4,404,897. Accordingly, no detailed description is deemed necessary or given of these fluid repeaters.
Disposed below the actuator 18 is an anchoring hydraulic system which includes the elongated tubular expandable and contractible outer wall 16 which serves as an anchor for the apparatus 10 as well as a generator of seismic waves. The anchor and generator, essentially, are a packer used in oil wells, such as in drill stem testing, hydraulic fracturing, acidizing, and other remedial operations and in some completions and productions. Such packers are commercially available from Baker Hughes, Inc. and Tam Inc., both of Houston, Tex.
As previously mentioned, this outer wall portion 16 comprises the anchor for the apparatus 10 and is the generator of the seismic waves. Preferably, it is reinforced with overlapping, metal strips which overlap and slide with respect to one another, or flat braided metal wire, or tubular raid, not shown, or other materials of sufficient strength can be used. Also, if desired, an outer elastic cover for the strips or braided metal wire may be provided or omitted.
An anchor setting pump and motor 38 and an anchor setting hydraulic fluid reservoir 40 are provided in the apparatus 10. Fluid pressure in the well bore 12 and in the hydraulic fluid reservoir 40 are equalized. To this end, a piston 44 is provided to close the hydraulic fluid anchor reservoir 40 and to separate it from the well fluid reservoir 42. Well fluid in the bore hole 12 enters through the passages 46 and screen 48 into the well fluid reservoir 42. Thus, pressure in the anchor setting reservoir 40 is equalized at all times with the pressure of the well fluid in the well bore 12.
A valve 50 is provided, which is normally in open position, and hydraulic pressure lines 52 and 54 are provided through the valve 50 so that the hydraulic fluid in the anchor setting reservoir is in fluid communication with the interior of the hydraulic anchor 16.
Thus, by actuating the anchor pump 38 and closing the valve 50, the expandable tubular wall 16 can be expanded into anchoring position with the well bore or casing 12 to the desired setting pressure. Pressures of the order of 100 psi to 1000 psi are satisfactory.
Disposed within the actuator 18 is a passage 19 which provides fluid communication between the interior of the anchor 16 bearing against the lower end of the actuator 18 and the upper end of the actuator 18 to balance and equalize the pressures on each side of the actuator 18. Also, as seen in FIG. 3A, a vibration dampner in the form of a coupling 21 may be provided to isolate piston reaction from the anchor 16 so that the energy output is from the piston pressure pulsations only. Such vibration dampner is conventional, and any satisfactory vibration dampner can be used. If desired, a hydraulic hose, not shown, can be used to connect the vibrator 18 and the anchor 16 to isolate the vertical reaction of the piston mass 18 and to transmit pressure impulses to the anchor 16.
The pumps 24 and 38 preferably are of the type which maintain a preset pressure. These pumps are available on the commercial market and no detailed description is given or deemed necessary.
The apparatus 10 is lowered into, located in the well bore 12, relocated, if desired, and removed from the well by a power control and lift cable generally referred to by the reference numeral 56.
Referring now to FIGS. 4A and 4B, the cable 56 includes the electric lines 58, 60, 62 and 66 which include switch means at the surface for providing electrical energy to the operating parts. The switch means includes the switch 68 for the anchor valve 50, the switch means 70 for the anchor pump 38, the switch 72 for the vibrator pump 24, and a servo controller 74 for the servovalve 30. Advantageously, while the apparatus is completely self-contained, its functions and operations are controlled at the surface.
In use, the apparatus 10 is lowered into the well bore 12, which may be either cased or uncased, with the anchor valve 50 open and the anchor 16 in retracted position. In this connection, FIG. 1 illustrates the hydraulic anchor 16 pressurized to engage the well bore 12, and FIG. 2A illustrates when the operating mode is approaching the end of an energy sweep cycle.
The apparatus is run to the desired depth on the cable 56 as in a typical logging operation. At the desired depth, the anchor setting valve 50 is closed by the switch 68, and the anchor setting pump 38 is activated by the switch 70 thereby expanding the tubular expandable anchor 16 into anchored engagement with the wall of or casing in the well bore 12. The vibrator charge pump 24 and the servovalve 30 are then activated by the switch 72 and the servo controller 74.
As previously mentioned, the apparatus 10 is shown (in FIGS. 1, 2A and 2B) with the anchor 16 pressurized and engaging the well bore 12 and in an operating mode during the end of an energy sweep cycle in which the high pressure hydraulic fluid in the high pressure reservoir is nearly depleted and the low pressure reservoir 20 is near full. Pump 24 is activated at all times during the operating cycle, both during and between vibrator operations or sweep cycles. As the high pressure reservoir 22 is being depleted, the vibrator operating pressure may diminish. This is compensated for by adjusting the servo drive level signal to provide for a more constant seismic force output at the anchor 16.
When the apparatus 18 is to be relocated, the anchor valve 50 is opened and the anchor setting pressure is released and equalized with the well fluid. The anchor then contracts to its original size. The vibrator pump 24 and servovalve 30 are deactivated, and the apparatus 10 becomes free for movement to the next setting or removal from the well, as desired. Advantageously, all operations are controlled at the surface, as previously mentioned.
Referring again to FIGS. 4A and 4B, the apparatus 10 is shown for vertical seismic profiling. Here, the apparatus 10 is shown anchored in the well bore 12 and a series of receivers or geophones 76 of conventional type are placed on the surface. The receivers 76 record both the upcoming first rays and the reflected energy rays. Multiple sweeps at a location of interest are provided.
This procedure is the reverse of what is presently being done in vertical seismic profiling; that is, the energy source is deployed on the surface near the well and the receivers 78 are located downhole.
FIG. 5 illustrates the apparatus 10 in use for cross-hole tomography which is somewhat similar in principal to a medical cat-scan of tissue. Here the apparatus 10 is run to a depth of interest and operated at a number of predetermined intervals, for example 35 foot intervals. The receivers 76 are fixed in a well bore 12A at predetermined intervals. The receivers 76 receive the direct path rays as shown and in addition, reflections, both up and down, received by the receivers 76.
The apparatus 10 can be run into the well 12 and retrieved from the well 12 by a typical logging-type vehicle with instrumentation, not shown, to run the apparatus 10 to an exact depth. Vehicles in commercial use have sufficient cable on a cable drum and a drive system for this purpose.
Referring now to FIG. 3B, the apparatus is illustrated in which the actuator mandrel 18 and piston 32 are isolated from the hydraulic setting fluid and the anchor 16 by means of a decoupling fitting 37 closing the interior of the anchor 16. As a result, fluid pulsations caused by the actuator mandrel in contact with the hydraulic setting fluid in the anchor 16 resulting from the reciprocation of the actuator 18 in contact with the anchor fluid is removed. The seismic energy generated by the reciprocation of the mandrel 18 and the piston 32 is transferred to the well bore 12 through the anchor 16 as a reaction to the mass of the actuator and piston as it reciprocates. This is vertical in nature or longitudinal to the well bore. All other parts of the apparatus 10 and its operation are the same as that of FIGS. 1 and 2.
Thus, the apparatus is completely self-contained and is lowered into a well bore on an electrical wire line cable and set at any desired depth and is capable of being relocated to any number of horizons without returning to the surface. Any number of energy cycles may be accomplished at any particular horizon. All operations are controlled from the surface.
Different sizes of tool assemblies are used for different diameters and weights of well bores and casing; although, a single apparatus may be satisfactory for a range of sizes within the capability of the hydraulic anchor 16.
The output of the apparatus is of sufficient power to generate appreciable seismic energy. The operating cycle can be programmed to optimize energy transmissions.
The apparatus of the invention may be used as an energy source for seismic operations, shear wave generation, vertical seismic profiling and cross-hole investigations as well as other uses.
If desired, one or more of the apparatus 10 and arrays of the apparatus 10 can be utilized and their outputs synchronized to provide signal enhancement rather than signal cancellations. This is accomplished by sensing the actual hydraulic pressure within each of the generators, producing a signal of the actual pressure, and comparing this signal with the input signal which controls the pressure cycle. This produces an error signal in proportion to the degree of phase disagreement which modifies the input signal which controls the hydraulic pressure cycling and attempts to bring about synchronization with the true input signal. The other generators operate in like manner in response to the same radio input signal. Thus, all the generators are "locked in" or synchronized on the same drive signal. Also, the pressure sensor signals may be displayed and compared, such as on a dual-trace oscilloscope.
For convenience of disclosure, several features of the apparatus 10 are shown in a drawing rather than in separate drawings, and one or more or all of the features may be included in an operating apparatus for generating seismic waves in a well bore.
The present invention, therefore, is well suited and adapted to attain the objects and ends and has the advantages and features mentioned as well as others inherent therein which are within the spirit of the invention and encompassed within the scope of the accompanying claims.
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Disclosed is an apparatus for generating seismic waves in a well bore, which apparatus includes a tubular expandable and contractible outer anchor wall, a seslf-contained anchor setting hydraulic system to expand the anchor into anchored position in the bore hole, a self-contained vibrator hydraulic system operable to cycle pressure impulses to the interior of the tubular expandable and contractible outer anchor wall effective to produce and radiate seismic waves, a cable including electric lines for locating the apparatus in the well bore, and switch means at the surface for controlling the operation of the apparatus. The apparatus is useful for geophysical investigation including vertical seismic profiling and cross hole tomography.
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FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] This invention relates to a centralizer, and particularly to a centralizer for use in centralizing casing or other tubulars such as drillpipe or screens in an oil or gas well.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] In drilling wellbores for oil and gas it is common to drill through the formation and subsequently to case the open bore with a liner or a casing (typically of metal) and to cement the liner or casing in place. Centralizers are used around the liner or casing in order to keep it in the middle of the borehole and to allow free flow of cement through the annulus between the casing and the wall of the borehole. This acts as a sealant and also as a mechanical support for the casing. Centralizers have therefore been adapted for attachment around the outer diameter of a liner or casing prior to the cement job. Centralizers can also be used to keep a screen in a central location in the wellbore as it passes through a formation.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0003] According to the present invention there is provided a centralizer comprising an annular body with a bore extending through the body and one or more blades, the centralizer being adapted to fit around a tubular to be centralized, and comprising a tempered metal.
[0004] The invention also provides a method of manufacturing a centralizer, the method comprising forming the centralizer from metal and tempering the metal centralizer.
[0005] The metal is preferably austenitized, typically by heating the metal to 800-960° C. typically for 1 to 4 hours. Preferably the metal is also austempered by quenching in molten salt for 2-4 hours at 200-400° C. and preferably air dried. Preferably the salt is a mixture of potassium nitrate and sodium nitrite. Typically an equimolar mixture of these salts is used. Typically the entire centralizer is formed from the tempered metal. Any other tempering process can be used to temper the metal. Suitable methods can be found in Metals Handbook Vol. 1-3 1990-1991 published by ASM International.
[0006] The metal is preferably ductile metal and most preferably comprises ductile iron, although any metal that can be tempered will suffice. Castable metals are preferred.
[0007] Alloys can be used as the metal of the centralizer, and in particular, iron can be alloyed with Mo, Cu or Ni to enhance the hardness of the metal.
[0008] The iron is normally a cast iron with preferably 3.2-3.8% C (most preferably around 3.6% C) and 2.2-2.8% Si (most preferably around 2.5%). Typically other alloying elements are added in very small quantities (<0.04%) which may include Mg, Mn, Cu, Ni, Mo, Sn, Sb, P, S, O, Cr, Ti, V, Al, As, Bi, B, Cd, Pb, Se, Te. Elements such as Be, Ca, Sr, Ba, Y, La, Ce may be added in lieu of, or in addition to, Mg.
[0009] Grades 1-5 of ADI are preferred according to ASTM 897M-90.
[0010] The centralizer is typically cast into the desired shape with the annular body and blades, optionally shaped e.g. by filing or grinding, and then tempered, e.g. by austempering the whole centralizer. The tempering process can be extended in accordance with the ratio of ferrite:pearlite in the metal. Metals with a higher ferrite:pearlite ratio may need longer tempering process times. The centralizer is typically cast in a slightly different shape (e.g. with an oval-shaped annular body) to that of the final product (e.g. a cylindrical annular body) to allow for distortions occurring during the casting and tempering process. Typically the centralizer shrinks by e.g. 1-2% during casting and typically expands by e.g. 1-2% after heat treatment. Therefore the centralizer is typically cast to a different size than finally required.
[0011] The blades are preferably circumferentially distributed around the outer surface of the centralizer, and preferably each extends parallel to the bore of the centralizer. The blades are preferably disposed opposite one another on the centralizer body. There may be four, five or six such blades or some other number.
[0012] The method of the invention is typically carried out by high-temperature casting in a sand casting mold. The blades of the centralizer are typically formed between indentations in the mold and protrusions on a blank set in the mold. The blade shapes are typically profiled to facilitate removal of the cast centralizer from the mold, and are typically profiled differently from one another. The centralizer is typically formed by two half-molds adapted to engage one another so as to form the centralizer between the two half-molds. Typically the join between the two molds is aligned with a blade of the centralizer.
[0013] The tubular can be drillpipe, casing, liner, production tubing, coil tubing and may include slotted and predrilled and/or plugged tubing, screens and perforating strings etc for disposal in the reservoir payzone, in which case the centralizer would maintain the screen in the middle of the uncased borehole.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0014] Reference is now made more particularly to the drawings which illustrate the best presently known mode of carrying out the invention and wherein similar reference characters indicate the same parts throughout the views.
[0015] [0015]FIG. 1 is a front elevation of a centralizer.
[0016] [0016]FIG. 2 is a side perspective view of the FIG. 1 centralizer.
[0017] [0017]FIG. 3 is a plan view of the FIG. 1 centralizer.
[0018] [0018]FIG. 4 is a perspective exploded view of a sand cast used to manufacture the FIG. 1 centralizer.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0019] A casing centralizer 10 comprises a unitary molded cylindrical body 12 , and an array of six equiangularly-spaced blades 14 integrally formed with the body 12 . A cylindrical bore 16 extends axially through the body 12 , and has a substantially uniform diameter dimensioned to be a clearance fit around the well bore casing, or other tubular to which the centralizer is applied.
[0020] Each of the blades 14 not only extends between longitudinally opposite ends of the body 12 , but also extends circumferentially around the periphery of the centralizer 10 . The skewing of the blades 14 ensures that their respective outer edges 18 collectively provide a generally uniform well bore-contacting surface around the circumference of the centralizer 10 .
[0021] Each of the blades 14 has a respective radially inner root 19 integral with the body 12 . In each of the blades 14 , the root 19 has a greater circumferential width than the outer edge 18 , i.e. the cross-section of each blade 14 tapers towards the well bore-contacting periphery of the centralizer 10 . The individual and collective shapes of the blades 14 , and of the longitudinal fluid flow passages defined between adjacent pairs of the blades 14 , gives the centralizer 10 improved flow characteristics and minimizes the build-up of trapped solids during use of the centralizer 10 . The tapered cross-section of the blades also eases removal of the centralizer from the cast during manufacture.
[0022] Longitudinally opposite ends of the blades 14 and of the body 12 are chamfered to assist in movement of the centralizer 10 up/down a well bore.
[0023] The blades 14 of the centralizer 10 keep the tubular centralized within the borehole, and bear against the wall of the borehole to reduce friction should the tubular be moved.
[0024] It is preferred that the entire centralizer 10 be fabricated as a one-piece article (although the blades 14 could be separately formed and subsequently attached to the body 12 by any suitable means). The centralizer 10 is typically formed from ductile iron and molded in a sand cast 20 .
[0025] The sand cast 20 is used to cast mold the centralizer 10 . The sand cast 20 is made up from two parts 21 a , 21 b with semi-circular cross section.
[0026] An indent 22 to correspond to the outer face of the centralizer 10 is first cut out from the sand 25 in each part 21 a , 21 b of the cast 20 . Further indentations are then cut into the indent 22 to form outer faces of blades 14 in the cast centralizer. An inner core 23 is secured in support holes 24 to act as a blank and is suspended in the indent 22 without touching the walls thereof so as to displace metal from an axial bore of the centralizer 10 and provide on its outer surface a blank for the inner surface of the centralizer 10 . The core 23 is therefore located in the mold where the bore 16 of the centralizer will be in the finished article. The upper cast 21 b is joined to the lower cast 21 a before the metal is poured so that the complete shape cut out of the sand 25 is that of the centralizer 10 . Normally the join between the upper 21 b and lower 21 a parts of the cast are aligned with or are close to a blade 14 .
[0027] As the material will shrink on cooling and its dimensions will be altered during heat treatment, the shape of the indent 22 can first be precisely determined from shrinkage calculations and by measurements of previous casts. The material being molded will also affect the shrinkage characteristics. Typically the centralizer will expand during the tempering process. As the shrinkage after casting and particularly the expansion after tempering, is non-uniform a specifically calculated indent 22 is used to make the centralizer 10 . We find that ductile iron shrinks by about 1-2% when cooling in the cast, and expands by about 1-2% when being tempered.
[0028] The sides of the indent 22 curve inwards to allow the mold to be removed from the centralizer after the material has solidified. The blades 14 are tapered to ease the removal of the centralizer 10 from the mold.
[0029] Molten ductile iron is poured through the hole 26 and into the indent 22 . The iron is allowed to cool and so the centralizer 10 is formed. The sand cast 20 can then be removed from the centralizer 10 . The tapered sides of the indent 22 and tapered blades 14 allow the cast to be removed relatively easily.
[0030] The iron is normally a cast iron with between 3.2-3.8% C (most preferably around 3.6% C) and 2.2-2.8% Si (most preferably around 2.5%). C and Si to an extent, encourage similar properties in the material and so the sum of % C, and (⅓) % Si can be considered as a carbon equivalent(CE). The total CE ranges are typically around 4.3% for thick sections (over 2″), to 4.6% for thin sections, (0.1″-0.5″), but other values can be used.
[0031] Optionally other alloying elements are added in very small quantities which may include Mn(typically 0.35-0.60%), Mg ((% S×0.76)+0.025% +/−0.005%), Sn 0.02+/−0.003%), Sb (0.002% +/−0.0003%), P (0.04%), S (0.02%), O (50 ppm), Cr (0.10%), Ti(0.040%), V (0.10%), Al (0.050%), As (0.020%), Bi (0.002%), B (0.002%), Cd (0.005%), Pb (0.002%), Se (0.030%), and/or Te (0.020%).
[0032] To increase hardenability for a heavier section (i.e. greater than 19 mm), Cu(up to 0.8%), Ni(up to 2%) and Mo(up to 0.3%) may be added. Increased hardenability helps to prevent the formation of pearlite during quenching. Mg is added to encourage nodulization. Elements such as Be, Ca, Sr, Ba, Y, La, Ce may be added in lieu of or in addition to Mg. The total weight of nodulizing elements is not normally more than about 0.06%.
[0033] The castings should be free of non-metallic inclusions, carbides, shrink and dross. Proper purchasing, storage and use of charge material will minimize the unwanted occurrence of carbides and gas defects. Proper molding control will minimize surface defects and other sub-surface discontinuities. The casting should be properly gated and poured using consistent and effective treatment and inoculation techniques to ensure shrink free castings. Preferably the nodule count will be at least 100/mm 2 and the nodularity at least 85%.
[0034] After casting the centralizer 10 is tempered by a heat treatment to produce a stronger, harder material. The ductile iron used to produce the centralizer 10 , normally contains pearlite and ferrite which are irregular in shape and vary substantially in size. This reduces hardness and strength. The centralizer is heated to the austenite phase i.e. between 815° C. and 955° C. depending on the precise concentration of the alloys. The centralizer is held for 1-4 hours in the austenite phase, the precise time required depends on the size of the centralizer and the amount of ferrite in the metal; a higher concentration of ferrite may require more time at these elevated temperatures. When the austenite is saturated with carbon the centralizer is then austemperized. To achieve this the metal is quenched in molten salt at 240° C. -400° C. The rate of cooling should be sufficient to avoid the formation of ferrite or pearlite. The metal is held in the salt for 1-4 h to allow the austenite to change to ausferrite. The molten salt is normally an equimolar mixture of potassium nitrate/sodium nitrite although other salts may be used.
[0035] The net effect of the heat treatment is to cause the ferrite and pearlite phases to be converted into ausferrite. Ausferrite is a stabilized carbon enriched austenite and acicular ferrite non-equilibrium phase. The resulting material is termed austemperized ductile iron (ADI).
[0036] This material is twice as strong as conventional ductile iron. Another advantage is that this material is less dense than conventional steel and so is up to 10% lighter. A further advantage is the increased hardenability compared with steel. The cost of manufacturing in this way is also reduced.
[0037] Alternatively, other heat treatments may be used to adapt the microstructure and phase composition of the metal 22 .
[0038] For example to increase ductility the material may be heated up to 700-730° C. After 1-4 hours the material is quenched in molten salt. This reduces the amount of coarse pearlite and increases the amount of spheriodite in the structure.
[0039] A further alternative may be to anneal the steel. The centralizer is again heated into the austenite phase but is then allowed to cool gradually. This produces a microstructure with small and uniform grains.
[0040] Modifications and improvements can be incorporated without departing from the scope of the invention.
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A centralizer for use in centralizing casing or other tubulars such as tubulars in an oil or gas well comprising an annular body with a bore extending through the body and one or more blades, the centralizer being adapted to fit around a tubular to be centralized, and comprising a tempered metal such as austemperized ductile iron (ADI).
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FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present application relates to a system for transmission of data and power. In particular, the invention relates to a system in which data signals are transmitted over electrical power transmission lines.
BACKGROUND TO THE INVENTION
Many industrial and vehicular systems require both power and data to be provided to a sensor or actuator. For example, systems have been proposed in which a plurality of sensors and actuators are provided in individual zones of a control system.
In the proposed systems, each individual actuator requires its own power supply, whilst individual zone of the control system is provided with a plurality of sensors which provide data to a central data network of a host system. The central data network, which is typically a conventional data network, in turn provides control signals to the individual actuators, to control their operation.
The data signals transmitted by the sensors to the central data network and from the central data network to the individual actuators are carried by dedicated wired data connections. It will be appreciated that in control systems within large structures such as an aircraft wing, a significant amount of electrical cable is required for the wired data connections, which adds to the weight and cost of the structure.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
According to a first aspect of the invention, there is provided a system for transmission of data and electrical power comprising: a plurality of independent power sources, each one of the plurality of independent power sources being connected to a respective one of a plurality of electrical power lines; and a modulator configured to modulate a carrier signal with a data signal received at an input of the modulator so as to generate a modulated carrier signal at an output thereof, wherein the output of the modulator is coupled to each of the plurality of electrical power lines, to permit transmission of the modulated carrier signal over the plurality of electrical power lines, such that the plurality of electrical power lines form a data network whilst maintaining electrical isolation between each of the plurality of electrical power lines.
The system of the present invention permits transmission of data over electrical power lines, and thereby obviates the need for dedicated data cabling in systems where an electrical power connection is present. This in turn leads to a reduction in the cost and weight associated with providing dedicated data cabling.
The system may further comprise a demodulator having an input coupled to each of the plurality of electrical power lines, to permit recovery of a data signal transmitted in a modulated carrier signal received over one of the plurality of electrical power lines from a remote data node.
Thus, the system permits bidirectional data communication over the electrical power lines.
The output of the modulator may be electromagnetically coupled to the plurality of power lines.
Alternatively, the output of the modulator may be capacitively coupled to the plurality of power lines.
The modulator may be configured to modulate a plurality of carrier signals with the data signal received at the input thereof.
For example, the modulator may be configured to modulate the plurality of carrier signals using an orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) modulation scheme.
The data received at the input of the modulator may comprise Internet Protocol (IP) data packets.
The system may further comprise a further modulator configured to modulate a carrier signal with a data signal received at an input of the modulator so as to generate a modulated carrier signal at an output thereof.
This further modulator provides redundancy, to ensure that failure of the modulator does not cause failure of the entire system, as the further modulator can be brought online in the event of failure of the modulator.
The system may further comprise a remote data node coupled to one of the plurality of power lines, the remote data node having a demodulator configured to receive the modulated carrier signal and demodulate the modulated carrier signal to recover the data signal.
The remote data node may be powered by the one of the plurality of power lines.
Alternatively, the remote data node may be powered by an external power source.
The external power source may comprise a battery or capacitor which is charged by an energy harvesting device, for example.
According to a second aspect of the invention, there is provided a remote data node for use in the system of the first aspect, the remote data node comprising a demodulator configured to receive the modulated carrier signal and demodulate the modulated carrier signal to recover the data signal.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Embodiments of the invention will now be described, strictly by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, of which:
FIG. 1 is a schematic representation of an exemplary system for transmission of data and power;
FIG. 2 is a schematic representation of a remote data node for use in the system shown in FIG. 1 ;
FIG. 3 is a schematic representation of an alternative embodiment of a remote data node for use in the system shown in FIG. 1 ;
FIG. 4 is a schematic representation of an embodiment of a data distribution node suitable for use in the system shown in FIG. 1 ; and
FIG. 5 is a schematic representation of a exemplary system for transmission of data and power over multiple power lines, in which multiple remote data nodes are coupled to individual power lines.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS
Referring first to FIG. 1 , an exemplary system for transmission of data and electrical power is shown generally at 10 . The system 10 comprises a plurality of independent power sources 12 , from which electrical power is distributed to independent loads 14 via power lines 16 . In the example illustrated in FIG. 1 , there are two power sources 12 , two loads 14 and two power lines 16 , but it is to be understood that the system 10 may include more than two power sources, loads and power lines. The loads 14 may be, for example, electro-thermal heating elements, where the system 10 is used as part of an aircraft wing ice protection system.
Coupled to the power lines 16 are remote data nodes 20 a , 20 b . The remote data nodes 20 a , 20 b receive data from sensors 22 and/or actuators 24 that are external to the remote data nodes 20 a , 20 b , and may also transmit data to the sensors 22 and/or actuators 24 . Where the system 10 is used as part of an aircraft wing ice protection system, the sensors may include temperature sensors, for example.
Data transmitted by the sensors 22 and actuators 24 to the remote data nodes 20 a , 20 b is transmitted by the remote data nodes 20 a , 20 b to a central data network 30 , which may be a generally conventional data network, using the power lines 16 as a transmission medium. Similarly, data can be transmitted from the central data network 30 to the remote data nodes 20 a , 20 b using the power lines 16 as a transmission medium. The central data network 30 may be, for example, an avionics data bus of an aircraft, where the system is used as part of an aircraft wing ice protection system or other aircraft sub-system.
To enable the transmission of data to and from the remote data nodes 20 a , 20 b using the power lines 16 as the transmission medium, the system 10 includes a data distribution node 40 . The data distribution node 40 is configured to receive data from the data network 30 and to modulate the received data for transmission over the power lines 16 . The data distribution node 40 is also configured to receive data from the remote data nodes 20 a , 20 b via the power lines 16 and demodulate the received data for onward transmission to the central data network.
To this end, the data distribution node 40 includes a gateway 42 , which acts as an interface between the central data network 30 and the system 10 . The gateway 42 is operative to receive digital data from the central data network 30 and to pass the received data to a modem (MOdulator/DEModulator) 44 of the data distribution node 40 . This will be referred to as data transmission in a forward direction. The gateway 42 is also operative to receive data from the modem 44 and to pass the received data to the central data network 30 . This will be referred to as data transmission in a reverse direction. Thus, the gateway 42 communicates bi-directionally with the central data network 30 .
In the forward direction, the modem 44 receives digital data from the gateway 42 and modulates it onto a carrier signal, to permit transmission of the modulated data over the transmission lines 16 . In one embodiment, the modem 44 modulates the digital data using an orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) scheme, in which the digital data is modulated onto multiple different carrier frequencies. OFDM is a particularly suitable modulation scheme for modulating the digital data for transmission over the power lines 16 , due to its ability to cope with the channel conditions present in the power lines, such as high frequency attenuation. However, it is to be understood that other modulation schemes may be used.
In the reverse direction, the modem 44 receives one or more modulated carriers carrying digital data transmitted from the remote data nodes 20 a , 20 b , and demodulates the carriers to recover the digital data, so that it can be transmitted, via the gateway 42 , to the central data network 30 . Again, in one embodiment, the digital data transmitted by the remote data nodes 20 a , 20 b is modulated onto multiple carrier waves using an OFDM modulation scheme, although it is to be understood that other modulation schemes may also be used.
To enable the modulated carrier signals from the modem 44 to be transmitted to the remote data nodes 20 a , 20 b using the power lines 16 , and to enable modulated carrier signals from the remote data nodes 20 a , 20 b to be passed on to the modem 44 , the data distribution node 40 includes bi-directional couplers 46 , which couple the data distribution node 40 , and more specifically the modem 44 , to the power lines 16 .
The couplers 46 couple the modem 44 to the power lines 16 without any direct electrical connection. For example, the couplers 46 may use electromagnetic or transformer coupling to place modulated carrier signals on the power lines 16 , and to retrieve modulated carrier signals from the power lines 16 . Alternatively, the couplers 46 may use capacitive coupling to place the modulated carrier signals on the power lines 16 . In either case, this coupling creates a ubiquitous data network, comprising the power lines 16 , central data network 30 , remote data nodes 20 a , 20 b , sensors 22 and actuators 24 whilst maintaining electrical isolation between the power lines 16 .
A bus guardian 48 is provided between each of the couplers 46 and the modem 44 . The bus guardians 48 provide supervisory functions for each channel of the data distribution node 40 and the related remote data node 20 a , 20 b . In the event of a fault, either at the remote data node 20 a , 20 b or at the relevant channel of the data distribution hub 40 , the relevant bus guardian 48 can operate to isolate the remote data node 20 a , 20 b that is served by that bus guardian 48 from the data distribution node 40 , if the fault is of sufficient severity and/or persistence.
The data distribution node 40 is powered by a power supply module 50 , which receives electrical power from an external power supply to supply electrical power to the data distribution node 40 .
As can be seen from FIG. 1 , the system 10 also includes filter/attenuators 60 , which are connected in series with the power lines 16 . In the example illustrated in FIG. 1 , the filter/attenuators 60 are positioned within the data distribution node 40 , but it will be appreciated that the filter/attenuators 60 may be positioned elsewhere on the power lines 16 or within the system 10 , or may be omitted if not required. For example, the remote data nodes 20 a , 20 b may be provided with filter/attenuators 60 if required.
The filter/attenuators 60 are operative to attenuate the modulated carrier signals superimposed on the power lines 16 , to the extent required by relevant standards. The filter/attenuators 60 may also operate as bi-directional filters, to filter noise from the power sources 12 , and to prevent leakage of the modulated carrier signals upstream to the power source 12 and downstream to the loads 14 .
The structure and operation of the remote data nodes 20 a , 20 b will now be discussed in detail with reference to FIGS. 2 and 3 of the drawings.
As can be seen from FIG. 2 , in one embodiment a remote data node 20 a draws its electrical power from the power line 16 to which it is coupled. In this embodiment, the remote data node 20 a includes a power supply module 70 , which is operative to draw electrical power from the power line 16 and transform the electrical power into a form usable by the remote data node 20 a . For example, the electrical power line may carry high voltage direct current (HVDC) electricity to power a load 14 , whereas the remote data node may require a lower voltage DC power supply. Thus, the power supply module 70 may include a DC-DC converter or other transformer arrangement to supply electrical power to the remote data node 20 a in a usable form.
The remote data node 20 a includes a modem 72 , which is bi-directionally coupled to a host 74 . The host 74 is in turn bi-directionally coupled to the sensors 22 and/or actuators 24 . For example, where the system 10 is used as part of an aircraft wing ice protection system, the host 64 may be coupled both to sensors 22 , in the form of temperature sensors, and to actuators 24 , in the form of electrically operated switches. such as insulated gate bipolar transistors (IGBTs) or metal-oxide semiconductor field effect transistors (MOSFETs), which control electro-thermal heating elements on a wing of the aircraft.
In the forward direction, the modem 72 receives one or more modulated carrier signals transmitted via the power line 16 , and demodulates the carriers to recover the digital data, which may be, for example, control or command data for the actuators 24 . The modem 72 transmits the demodulated data to the host 74 , which in turn passes on the demodulated data to the actuators 24 .
In the reverse direction, the modem 72 receives digital data such as sensor data from the host 74 , and modulates the received digital data onto a carrier signal, to permit transmission of the modulated data over the transmission lines 16 . In one embodiment, the modem 72 modulates the digital data using an orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) scheme, but it is to be understood that other modulation schemes may be used.
The host 74 acts as an interface between the modem 72 and the sensors/actuators 22 / 24 , implementing application and communications functionality to facilitate transmission of control data from the modem 72 to the actuators 24 , and transmission of sensor data from the sensors 22 to the modem 72 .
The remote data node 20 a also includes a bi-directional coupler 76 , which couples the remote data node 20 a to the power line 16 . The coupler 76 couples the modem 72 to the power line 16 without any direct electrical connection. For example, the coupler 76 may use electromagnetic or transformer coupling to place modulated carrier signals on the power line 16 , and to retrieve modulated carrier signals from the power lines 16 . This coupling of the remote data node 20 a , together with the coupling between the modem 42 of the data distribution node 40 and the other power lines 16 within the system 10 , creates a ubiquitous data network, comprising the power lines 16 , central data network 30 and remote data nodes 20 a , whilst maintaining electrical isolation between the power lines 16 .
The remote data node 20 a also includes a bus guardian 78 , which performs a function similar to the bus guardians 48 of the data distribution node 40 , providing supervisory functions for the remote data node 20 a , such that in the event of a fault of sufficient severity and/or persistence at the remote data node 20 a , the remote data node 20 a can be isolated from the data distribution node 40 .
In an alternative embodiment, illustrated in FIG. 3 , a remote data node 20 b does not draw electrical power from the power line 16 , but instead receives power from an external power supply.
The structure and operation of the remote data node 20 b are very similar to those of the remote data node 20 a , and so in FIG. 3 , like reference numerals denote elements that are common to both the remote data node 20 a and the remote data node 20 b . For the sake of clarity and brevity, those common elements will not be described in detail here.
The remote data node 20 b differs from the remote data node 20 a in that the remote data node 20 b draws its electrical power from a dedicated external power supply 80 , rather than from the power line 16 . The dedicated external power supply 80 may be, for example, one or more batteries, and/or one or more capacitors or supercapacitors. The batteries and/or capacitors/supercapacitors may store electricity generated by energy harvesting devices that convert, for example, kinetic energy into electricity.
The remote data node 20 b also differs from the remote data note 20 a in that it includes a gateway 82 , which acts as an interface between a modem 72 of the remote data node 20 b and a private data network 84 . The private data network 84 may be, for example, a private data network used by sensors and actuators of the system 10 to transmit command and sensor data. Thus, the remote data node 20 b is not necessarily directly connected to any sensors or attenuators, but may instead transmit and receive command and sensor data via the private data network 84 to sensors and/or actuators.
As in the remote data node 20 a described above, in the forward direction, the modem 72 receives one or more modulated carrier signals transmitted via the power line 16 , and demodulates the carriers to recover the digital data, which may be, for example, command data. The modem 72 transmits the demodulated data to the gateway 82 , which in turn passes on the demodulated data.
In the reverse direction, the modem 72 receives digital data such as sensor data from the gateway 82 , and modulates the received digital data onto a carrier signal, to permit transmission of the modulated data over the transmission lines 16 . In one embodiment, the modem 72 modulates the digital data using an orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) scheme, but it is to be understood that other modulation schemes may be used.
It will be appreciated that the two different types of remote data node 20 a and 20 b are interoperable, that is to say that the system 10 may include both remote data nodes 20 a and remote data nodes 20 b . Equally, the system 10 may include exclusively one type of remote data node 20 a , 20 b . Furthermore, the system 10 may include multiple remote data nodes 20 a , 20 b associated with one or each of the power lines 16 .
In some embodiments, the central data network 30 , remote data nodes 20 a , 20 b and private data network 84 operate under the conventional Internet Protocol (IP) to transmit packets of data from one element of the system 10 to another element of the system 10 . The use of IP enables data packets to be addressed to the relevant element of the system 10 without requiring complex switching or multiplexing. However, it will be appreciated that any suitable communications protocol could equally be employed. For example, the central data network 30 , remote data nodes 20 a , 20 b and private data network 84 may operate under a CAN (controller area network), TTP (time triggered protocol) or other suitable networking protocol.
For example, a command may be generated at the central data network 30 to cause a selected one of the actuators 24 to operate. The command is transmitted as one or more IP data packets, each of which is addressed to the selected one of the actuators 24 . The packets are transmitted by the gateway 42 to the modem 44 , which modulates them onto one or more carriers for onward transmission, as described above. The modulated carriers are transmitted in parallel to all of the bi-directional couplers 46 illustrated in FIG. 1 , such that the data packets are transmitted, via the power lines 16 , to all of the remote data nodes 20 a , 20 b . At the remote data nodes 20 a , 20 b , the modulated carriers are demodulated by the modems 72 to recover the data packets representing the command. The data packets are decoded by the host 74 in the remote data node 20 a to determine their destination, and are passed on to the appropriate sensors 22 and/or actuators 24 . In the remote data node 20 b , the data packets are passed on by the gateway 82 to the private data network 84 . The actuator 24 to which the packets are addressed (i.e. the actuator 24 having an address that corresponds to the address in the address field of the data packets) carries out the command. All other elements of the system simply ignore the command, since the data packets representing the command are not addressed to them.
Thus, the use of an Internet Protocol based data network facilitates the transmission of data between elements of the system 10 without requiring complex switching or multiplexing arrangements. Instead, IP data packets are effectively broadcast to all elements of the system 10 , and are acted upon only by those elements to which the data packets are addressed.
FIG. 4 is a schematic representation of an alternative embodiment of a data distribution node 100 . The data distribution node 100 includes many of the elements of the data distribution node 40 described above and illustrated in FIG. 1 , and so like reference numerals have been used to designate like elements. For the sake of clarity and brevity those common elements will not be described in detail here.
The data distribution node 100 illustrated in FIG. 4 differs from the data distribution node 40 illustrated in FIG. 1 in that it includes duplicate gateways 42 a , 42 b , duplicate modems 44 a , 44 b and duplicate power supply modules 50 a , 50 b . The gateways 42 a , 42 b of the data distribution node 100 operate in the same manner as the gateway 42 of the data distribution node 40 , receiving data from the central data network 30 and pass it on to the modems 44 a , 44 b . Similarly, the modems 44 a , 44 b of the data distribution node 100 operate in the same manner as the modem 44 of the data distribution node 40 . The power supply modules 50 a , 50 b , each receive electrical power from an external power supply to power a respective pair of duplicate gateways 42 a , 42 b and modems 44 a , 44 b.
The duplicate gateways 42 a , 42 b , modems 44 a , 44 b and power supply modules 50 a , 50 b are provided for the purpose of redundancy, such that in the event of the failure of one of the gateways 42 a , 42 b , modems 44 a , 44 b or power supply modules 50 a , 50 b , the relevant duplicate gateway 42 b , 42 a , modem 44 b , 44 a or power supply module 50 b , 50 a can be activated, to ensure that there is minimal loss of functionality.
To manage the operation of the duplicate gateways 42 a , 42 b modems 44 a , 44 b and power supply modules 50 a , 50 b , the data distribution node 100 is provided with a redundancy management unit 102 . The redundancy management unit 102 is configured to monitor the duplicate modems 44 a , 44 b and gateways 42 a , 42 b and to disable an active modem 44 a and its associated gateway 42 b in the event of a fault or loss of power of sufficient severity or persistence. The redundancy management unit 102 simultaneously enables the duplicate modem 44 b and its associated gateway 42 a . In this way, failure of a single modem 44 a , 44 b , gateway 42 a , 42 b or power supply module 50 a , 50 b does not compromise the operation of the entire system 10 .
Although FIG. 1 illustrates a system 10 in which a single remote data node 20 a , 20 b is coupled to each of the two power lines 16 , it will be appreciated that multiple remote data nodes 20 a , 20 b may be coupled to a single power line 16 , and that any combination of remote data nodes 20 a , 20 b may be coupled to a power line 16 . This is illustrated schematically in FIG. 5 .
In FIG. 5 , an exemplary system for transmission of data and electrical power is shown generally at 200 . The system 200 includes many of the elements of the system 10 described above and illustrated in FIG. 1 , and so like reference numerals have been used to designate like elements. For the sake of clarity and brevity those common elements will not be described in detail here.
The system 200 comprises a dual redundant data distribution node 100 of the type described above and illustrated in FIG. 4 , which is operative to couple data signals to, and decouple data signals from, a plurality (in this example 4) of power lines 16 a , 16 b , 16 c , 16 d.
As can be seen in FIG. 5 , two remote data nodes 20 a of the type described above and illustrated in FIG. 2 , are coupled to a first power line 16 a , whilst a single remote data node 20 a of the type described above and illustrated in FIG. 2 is coupled to a second power line 16 b . A single remote data node 20 b of the type described above and illustrated in FIG. 3 is coupled to a third power line 16 c . A further two remote data nodes 20 a of the type described above and illustrated in FIG. 2 and a further single remote data node 20 b of the type described above and illustrated in FIG. 3 are coupled to a fourth power line 16 d.
Thus, the system 200 of FIG. 5 supports multiple power lines, with multiple remote data nodes on a single power line, and also supports a mixture of different types of remote data nodes on a single power line.
As will be appreciated from the foregoing, the system 10 described herein provides a flexible and reliable way for transmitting data over an electrical power network, and can be used to reduce the cost and weight associated with data cabling in systems where both data and power connections are required.
Although the system 10 has been described in the exemplary context of an aircraft wing ice protection system, it will be apparent to those skilled in the relevant arts that the principles of the system 10 are equally applicable to a great many applications and transportation platforms.
Although the invention has been described above with reference to one or more preferred embodiments, it will be appreciated that various changes or modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.
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A system for transmission of data and electrical power comprising: a plurality of independent power sources, each one of the plurality of independent power sources being connected to a respective one of a plurality of electrical power lines; and a modulator configured to modulate a carrier signal with a data signal received at an input of the modulator so as to generate a modulated carrier signal at an output thereof, wherein the output of the modulator is coupled to each of the plurality of electrical power lines, to permit transmission of the modulated carrier signal over the plurality of electrical power lines, such that the plurality of electrical power lines form a data network while maintaining electrical isolation between each of the plurality of electrical power lines.
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CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 562,621, filed Mar. 27, 1975, now abandoned, which in turn is a continuation-in-part of U.S. application Ser. No. 415,583, filed Nov. 14, 1973, now abandoned, and the latter is related to Ser. No. 415,582, filed Nov. 14, 1973 by Robert M. Thompson and Richard S. Stearns; title of the application is "Copolymer of Blocks of Alternating Poly(dioxaamide) and Polyamide". This application is also related to Ser. Nos. 418,524 and 415,610, both filed Nov. 14, 1973, by present inventor and titled "Block Copolymer of Poly(dioxaamide) and Polyamide" and "Block Copolymer of Poly(dioxa-arylamide) and Polyamide", respectively. This application is also related to Ser. No. 415,581, filed Nov. 14, 1973, by Elmer J. Hollstein. Subject matter of this latter application relates to a method for the hydrogenation of a dinitrile, which is a precursor of a hydrophilic polymer disclosed within the aforementioned related applications.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
It is known that commercially important polyamides, such as nylon-6, has excellent physical properties in many respects. However, for certain textile applications fabrics and similar products prepared from such nylons are somewhat deficient in moisture absorption as compared to a natural fiber such as cotton. This characteristic is important because according to ENCYCLOPEDIA OF POLYMER SCIENCE, Vol. 10, Section Polyamide Fibers, moisture absorption determines comfort factors, ease and cost of dyeing, antistatic character and hand or feel of the fabric. To overcome this moisture absorption deficiency many attempts have been made, but none have been commercially successful to date.
Disclosed herein is a novel block copolymer which can be converted into a fiber having moisture absorption properties superior to that of commercially used polyamide such as nylon-6. This novel block copolymer consists of a specified polyamide and a specified poly(oxa-amide). Surprisingly the incorporation of a specified poly(oxa-amide) into a specified polyamide does not adversely effect the many desirable fiber properties of the polyamide and in fact improvement in certain mechanical properties such as initial modulus and strength can be obtained. Furthermore incorporation of said poly(oxa-amide) materially improves its moisture absorption property. Also the copolymer can be formed into a desired shape by extrusion, injection molding and other well known thermoplastic forming methods.
A block copolymer can result when a mixture of polymer Y and polymer Z, both of which contain amides, is properly processed. Thus the resulting block copolymer contains relatively long chains of a particular chemical composition, the chains being separated by a polymer of different chemical composition, thus diagrammatically ##STR1## Another type of block copolymer can also contain relatively long chains of a particular chemical composition but in this type the chains are separated by a low molecular weight "coupling group", thus diagrammatically ##STR2## Each of the aforementioned polymer chains, i.e., Y and/or Z can be a homopolymer or a random copolymer.
Generally, copolymers containing the amide function, i.e., ##STR3## can be formed by melting two polyamides. Thus when two different polyamides are mixed and heated above their melting point copolymers are formed. This process is also known as melt blending. However, the length of time the polymers are maintained at a temperature above their melting points has a profound effect on the resulting structure. As the mixing at the elevated temperature begins the mass is a physical mixture of two different compounds. But gradually as the heating and mixing continues the mixture is converted into a copolymer characterized as a "block" copolymer. However, if the heating and mixing continues the length of the "blocks" decreases and sequences of "random" appear. If the heating and mixing occurs for a sufficient time most of the "blocks" disappear and mostly random sequences form as evidenced by deterioration of its physical properties including melting point. At present there is no known direct way of determining chain sequence of such a polymer. But indirect methods exist, such as melting point for example, discussed in detail hereinafter. Controlled decomposition of such a copolymer will yield all identifiable components that make up the copolymer but will not indicate sequences.
Polymers, including copolymers, containing amide functional groups generally result from a reaction known as condensation. Condensation refers to a polymer forming reaction in which water is a by-product. The various types of polymers that can be produced from condensation (or step growth polymerization) are described hereinafter. The initial stage of a condensation polymerization consists of random combinations of two monomeric units to form dimer molecules. Examples of these could be the formation of two units of nylon-11 from the corresponding amino acid (11-aminoundecanoic acid) in the case of an AB polyamide ##STR4## or adipic acid molecule and hexamethylene diamine in an AABB system ##STR5## The letter "A" refers to one of the functional groups of the monomer, "B" refers to the other.
The foregoing dimer molecules will combine with equal facility with another monomeric unit or a dimer unit. In this fashion, the average degree of polymerization (DB) builds during the course of the reaction. This is discussed in greater detail in ORGANIC CHEMISTRY OF SYNTHETIC HIGH POLYMERS, Robert W. Lenz, Library of Congress Catalog Card No. 66-22057.
In the same manner as reactions I and II, random copolymers can be formed. The only condition necessary is that more than one type (or two if an AABB system is used) of monomer units be present during the condensation reaction. Thus following from the example about where monomers of AB and AABB polymers are present in the same reactor at the beginning of the polymerization, the AB monomer (amino acid) will react with a similar unit or the AABB monomer unit (the diamine or diacid) in a random fashion if their reactivities are similar. The final result of such a polymerization will be a random copolymer. If their reactivities are very dissimilar, there would be a tendency to become blocks, however, units have similar carboxylic and/or similar amine ends have similar reactivities. Further examples of random polymers are given in U.S. Pat. No. 3,397,107, where the monomer units of nylon 303-T and caprolactam are polymerized in a random fashion. Another example is contained in U.S. Pat. No. 3,594,266, in which a polyethylene oxide diamine, terephthalic acid and caprolactam were polymerized in a random fashion. Since the condensation polymerization is a random sequence of events, it would be extremely improbable to obtain an alternating copolymer using dissimilar monomer units in the condensation reaction as it is known today. An alternating copolymer can be classified as a special type of random copolymer.
Formation of a condensation block copolymer cannot be easily achieved using the conditions described heretofore because of the random reaction of monomeric units. Block copolymer preparations have been described in the patent literature using at least two techniques. One technique, as described before, is melt blending two homopolymers at temperatures where the polyamide becomes reactive to amide interchange, chain extension and hydrolysis. Such a technique is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,393,252. When the conditions are closely controlled, block copolymers with a distribution of optimum sequence lengths can be prepared.
Another method of preparing block copolymers is described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,683,047. It consists of polymerizing two homoprepolymers of low molecular weight such as from 1000 to 4000. In this specific case, one prepolymer was carboxyl terminated while the other was amine terminated. The results of the polymerization is a block copolymer. Under the conditions of polymerization very little randomization occurred as indicated by little loss of melting point during the blend time. These block copolymers have been called ordered copolymers since by the nature of the starting materials reactive functional groups they cannot react with themselves.
Examples of random copolymers are as follows: CHEMICAL ABSTRACT 88764f, Vol. 70, 1969 (Japanese Pat. No. 28,837(68) dicloses a random copolymer having moisture retention properties prepared from (a) the salt of H 2 N(CH 2 ) 3 O(CH 2 ) 3 NH 2 (also referred to as 303 diamine) and adipic acid and (b) the monomer caprolactam. JOURNAL OF POLYMER SCIENCE, Vol. XXL, pages 237-250 (1956), "Some Isomorphous Copolyamides", by Cramer et al. describes methods for preparing 303-6 polymer and its resulting properties.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,514,498 also discloses a block (random) copolymer prepared from two polymers, i.e., (a) a polymer resulting from the salt of diamine of polyethylene oxide and adipic acid and ε-caprolactam and (b) poly-ε-capramide (nylon-6). U.S. Pat. No. 3,549,724 also discloses a block (random) copolymer prepared from (a) polymer prepared from polyethylene oxide diammonium adipate and ε-caprolactam and (b) nylon-6 or nylon-6,6. U.S. Pat. No. 3,160,677 discloses a block copolymer prepared from (a) polymer prepared from dibutyloxalate [(COOC 4 H 9 ) 2 ] and a diamine and (b) polycaprolactam.
Because of the complexity in naming the copolymers of polyamide and poly(dioxa-amide), a shorthand nomenclature is used herein. It is based in part on the nomenclature used to identify aliphatic polyamides. Numbers signify the number of carbon atoms in a polymer. The letter "O" signifies oxygen and its relative location within the polymer; "N" signifies polyamide linkage; "T" signifies terephthalic. Thus "30203" refers to a diamine function while "6" refers to the diacid function. Therefore, "6" refers to six carbon paraffinic diacid and in particular adipic acid. Also "30203" indicates the number of paraffinic carbons and the "O" indicates the placement of oxygen. In this nomenclature a slash (/) designates a random copolymer whereas a double slash (//) indicates a block copolymer. Thus N-30203-6//6 indicates that blocks of N-30203-6 are connected within the copolymer with blocks of "6" (nylon-6).
Contrary to expectations based on the previously discussed art it has now been found that it is possible to prepare a composition comprising a block copolymer of polyamide and poly(oxa-amide) having a moisture uptake better than that of its polyamide precursor, e.g., nylon-6. In addition, fibers of the copolymer have overall fiber properties substantially equivalent to that of such nylons as nylon-6.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Present invention resides in a novel composition. It has utility as a fiber as well as other utilities. The composition is a block copolymer of a specified polyamide and a specified poly(oxa-amide). The polyamide portion of the molecule is a bivalent radical of a melt spinnable polyamide having no ether linkages. The poly(oxa-amide) portion of this molecule contains both one oxygen linkage, e.g., --R--O--R-- and amide linkage, i.e., ##STR6## The following repeating structural formula depicts the composition of this invention: ##STR7## wherein R 1 , R 2 and R 3 are selected from the group consisting of H, C 1 -C 10 alkyls and C 3 -C 10 isoalkyls; R 4 is selected from the group consisting of C 0 -C 10 alkylenes and C 3 -C 10 isoalkylenes; and y = 4 to 200 and z = 4 to 200. The molecular weight of the foregoing block copolymer is about 5000 to 100,000.
DESCRIPTION
As stated heretofore one portion of the novel composition is a melt spinnable polymer having no ether linkages. Melt spinnable refers to a process wherein the polymer, a polyamide, is heated to above its melting temperature and while molten forced through a spinneret. The latter is a plate containing from one to many thousands of orifices, through which the molten polymer is forced under pressure. The molten polymer is a continuous filament and depending on the number of orifices many filaments can be formed at the same time. The molten filaments are cooled, solidified, converged and finally collected on a bobbin. This technique is described in greater detail in ENCYCLOPEDIA OF POLYMER SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY, Vol. 8, Man-Made Fibers, Manufacture.
If a single fiber is extruded as in the case when it is intended to be knitted into hosiery, the product is called a monofilament. When the product is expected to be converted into a fabic by knitting or weaving, the number of monofilaments is in the range 10-100. Such a product is known as a multifilament yarn. Yarns for industrial applications such as in the construction of tire cords, usually contains several hundred to a thousand or more filaments. When the fibers are used to make a spun yarn, i.e., a yarn formed by twisting short lengths of fibers together, as in the practice with cotton, the number of orifices used can be tens of thousands. The extruded material is cut into pieces in the range of 1-5 inches long to produce staple fiber. This staple fiber is converted into spun yarn in the same manner as cotton. Polymer of present invention can be prepared into the aforementioned forms by the various methods described.
Also, the polymers of present invention can be used to prepare nonwovens. Nonwoven refers to a material such as fabric made without weaving and in particular having textile fibers bonded or laminated together by adhesive resin, rubber or plastic or felted together under pressure. Many such methods are described in detail in MANUAL OF NONWOVENS, Depl-Ing and Dr. Radko Kroma, Textile Trade Press, Manchester, England.
Polyamides which are crystallizable and have at least a 30° C. difference between melting point and the temperature at which the molten polymer undergoes decomposition can be melt spun. Examples of melt spinnable polyamides having no ether linkages are as follows: nylon-6,6 [also known as poly(hexamethylene adipamide)[; nylon-6,10 [poly(hexamethylene sebacamide)]; nylon-6 [poly(pentamethylene carbonamide)]; nylon-11 [poly(decamethylene carbonamide)]; MXD-6 [poly(metaxylylene adipamide)]; PACM-9 [bis(paraaminocyclohexyl)methane azelamide]; PACM-10 [bis(paraaminocyclohexyl)methane sebacamide] and PACM-12 [bis(paraaminocyclohexyl)methane dodecanoamide]; other are listed in ENCYCLOPEDIA OF POLYMERS SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY, Vol. 10, Second Polyamide Fibers, Table 12. Methods for preparing these polyamides are well known and described in numerous patents and trade journals.
The aforementioned block of melt spinnable polyamide can contain as few as four repeating units within the polymer of present invention. Data reported in the Examples show that a melt spinnable polyamide, as an illustration, having four repeating units has an estimated melting point which does not differ substantially from the melting point of its relatively high molecular weight polymer. Thus each four repeating unit block, when present in a block copolymer, can retain its own particular properties without substantially degrading the properties of the other repeating unit block. To minimize loss of properties the preferred minimum value of z is 8 and the more preferred value is 10. Z can have a maximum value of 200, a preferred value is 185 and a more preferred value is 160.
The poly(oxa-amide) portion of the composition can be prepared by the following generalized scheme: ##STR8##
Reaction (1) is often referred to a cyanoethylation; particularly wherein R 1 , R 2 and R 3 = H; also these R's can be C 1 -C 10 alkyls or C 3 -C 10 isoalkyls. Diamines of the type (II) are commercially available. Reaction (2) is a hydrogenation. Reaction (3) is the reaction between a diacid and a diamine resulting in a salt. R 4 can be one of the following: C 0 -C 10 alkylenes and C 3 -C 10 isoalkylenes. Reaction (4) is often referred to as a condensation polymerization. Here the repeating unit contains fewer atoms than the monomer and necessarily the molecular weight of the polymer so formed is less than the sum of the molecular weights of all the original monomer units which were combined in the reaction to form the polymer chain. Examples of C 1 -C 10 alkyls are methyl, propyl, butyl, pentyl, etc.; examples of the C 3 -C 10 isoalkyls are isopropyl, isobutyl, isopentyl and the like.
Examples of C 1 -C 10 alkylenes are as follows: methylene, dimethylene, trimethylene and the like; examples of C 3 -C 10 isoalkylenes are as follows: methyltrimethylene, methyl-2-tetramethylene and the like. Examples of HOOCR 4 COOH of reaction (3) are as follows: oxalic, malonic, succinic, glutaric, adipic, pimelic, suberic, azelaic, subacic, undecanedioic, α,β-diethylsuccinic and α-methyl-α-ethyl suberic.
Examples of poly(oxa-amide) polymers that can be prepared via the aforementioned generalized scheme are the following: ##STR9##
The foregoing poly(oxa-amide) block can contain as few as four repeating units, when present in a block copolymer, and retain its own particular properties without substantially degrading the properties of the other repeating unit block. Thus the minimum value for y is 4. To minimize loss of properties the preferred minimum value for the repeating unit is 8, the more preferred value is 10. The maximum value for the repeating unit is 200 while the preferred value is 175 and the more preferred value is 150. Values of y and z are median values.
The polymers of present invention can also contain an antioxidant such as 1,3,5-trimethyl-2,4,6-tris(3,5-ditertiarybutyl-4-hydroxybenzyl)benzene. Small amounts of antioxidant, e.g., 0.5 weight percent, are satisfactory, however, as little as 0.01 weight percent can be used and as much as 2.0 weight percent also can be satisfactory. Antioxidants other than the aforementioned one can be used. The antioxidant generally would be mixed in combination with the two polymers prior to melt blending. Other usual additives for polyamides such as delusterants and/or light stabilizers can also be incorporated.
EXAMPLES
The following describes how the various novel polymers were prepared and the influence of certain variables upon their properties. Also reported are results on comparative polymers.
1. Preparation of Poly(4-oxaheptamethyleneadipamide) (N-303-6)
Forty-four grams of adipic acid were dissolved in 200 milliliters of ethanol. Forty grams of purchased 4-oxaheptamethylene diamine (303) were dissolved in 200 milliliters of isopropanol and the resulting mixture was added to the mixture of said acid and ethanol. An exothermic reaction occurred. Upon cooling, a polymer salt crystallized out of the mixture of alcohols. The polymer salt was collected on a Buchner funnel and subsequently recrystallized from a solution of equal amounts of ethanol and isopropanol. About 30 grams of salt were obtained. A one percent solution of the salt had a pH = 7.3. The salt itself had a melting point of 142.8° C. The salt can be referred to as the salt of 303-6.
About 40 grams of the polymer salt were charged to a heavy walled glass polymer "D" tube. Then the neck of the tube was constricted for sealing and purged of air by evacuating and filling with nitrogen five times. Finally the tube was heated in an aluminum block for two hours at 200° C. After cooling the tip of the tube was broken off and the remaining portion was bent over at a 45° angle by heating and then connected to a manifold and purged of air with nitrogen-vacuum cycles. The tubes were heated at 222° C. under nitrogen at atmospheric pressure for six hours using methyl salicylate vapor baths. On cooling, the tubes were broken and the polymer plug crushed to 1/8" size pieces. The resulting polymers had inherent viscosities ranging from 0.82 to 0.93 in a meta-cresol solution. One of the polymers had a melting point of 210° C.
2. Polymer Melt Blending
Suitable amounts of dried N-303-6 polymer and nylon-6 were charged to a large test tube having two openings in the rubber stopper. The openings were for a helical stirrer and a nitrogen inlet. The container was purged of air, afterwards the nitrogen filled container was heated using a suitable liquid-vapor bath. The mixture of the two polymers was agitated with the helical stirrer powered by an air motor for the required time. Before allowing the molten polymer to cool, the stirrer was lifted to drain the polymer. After solidification the material was broken up and dried for spinning.
3. Polymer Spinning and Drawing
After the aforementioned melting blending the polymer was charged to micro spinning apparatus consisting of stainless steel tube (5/8" OD × 12") with a 0.037" capillary. The tube was heated with a vapor bath to the temperature consistent with the polymer. Generally, 245° C. was used. Nitrogen was swept through the polymer until the polymer melted and sealed the capillary. After the polymer was completely melted and a uniform temperature had been reached (about 30 minutes), the nitrogen pressure was increased by about 30-50 psig (depending on polymer melt viscosity) to extrude the polymer.
The fiber as it left the tube was drawn on a series of rollers and wound up on a bobbin. The first roller or feed roll was traveling at 35 ft/min. The filament was wrapped five times around this. After crossing a hot pipe maintained at about 50° C. the filament was wrapped around the second roller or a draw roll (five times) which speed varied depending on the draw ratio required (130-175 ft/min). Unlike commercial draw rolls, the fiber tended to abrade itself; that is the fiber coming off rubbed against fiber coming on. This made higher draw ratios difficult to obtain. The third roll had a removable bobbin and was driven at a slightly lower speed than the draw roller.
Draw ratio refers to the ratio of the speed of the second roller or draw roll to the speed of the first roller or feed roll. Thus if the second roller was traveling at 175 ft/min and the first roller at 35 ft/min, the draw ratio is 5 (175/35). This difference in speeds of the rollers stretches the fiber. Stretching or drawing orientates the molecules, i.e., places them in a single plane running in the same direction as the fiber.
4. Results of Tests and Comparative Runs
Accompanying Table I shows the effect of melt blending's temperature and time on various block copolymers having different proportions of poly(oxa-amide) and polyamide. Also shown are comparative runs with random copolymers (Runs 12-15), nylon-6 (Run 1) and cotton (Run 2).
Comparison of Runs 5, 6 and 7 indicates that at 20% of N-303-6 in the copolymer an increase in blending time decreases the resulting polymer's melting point. This indicates a decrease in the amount of "blocks" and further indicates an increase in the amount of "randomness".
Comparison of Runs 7, 8 and 9 indicates that at a constant percentage of N-303-6 in the copolymer and at a constant blending time, as the temperature of blending increases substantial decreases occur in inherent viscosity and polymer melting point. This decrease in inherent viscosity reflects decomposition of the macromolecule when the blending time is excessive.
Comparison of Run 12 with Runs 5, 6 and 7 demonstrates the difference between block and random copolymers. Thus the random copolymer of Run 12 has a fiber melting point of 190° C. which is substantially lower than the 218° C. of the block copolymer of Run 5. Thus as the length of the "block" copolymer decreases or the degree of "randomness" increases, i.e., Runs 6 and 7, the fiber melting point decreases.
Tenacity, elongation (to rupture) and initial modulus (textile modulus) and the methods for obtaining such values are defined and described in Kirk-Othmer, ENCYCLOPEDIA OF CHEMICAL TECHNOLOGY, 2nd Edition, Vol. 10, Textile Testing. Higher values of both initial modules and tenacity are preferred. As to % elongation lower values are preferred.
Accompanying Table II shows the moisture regain of N-303-6//6, nylon-6 and cotton. Comparison of Runs 3 and 1 indicates that the incorporation of 20% of N-303-6 into nylon-6 substantially and unexpectly improves the moisture regain of the nylon-6.
Surprisingly the other properties of N-3-03-6//6 have not deteriorated as shown by comparison of Runs 5 and 12, Table I.
Moisture regain refers to the amount of moisture a dried sample of fiber picks up in a constant relative humidity atmosphere. Measurement of this property was carried out using a series of humidity chambers made from dessicators containing suitable saturated salt solutions (i.e., NaNO 2 = 65%, NaCl = 75%, KCl = 85% and Na 2 SO 3 = 95%) at room temperature.
To determine moisture regain first the sample of the fiber was dried in a vacuum dessicator over P 2 O 5 . After a constant weight was obtained the sample was placed in one of the appropriate chambers. The chamber was then evacuated to speed up equilibrium. The fiber remained in the chamber until a constant weight was obtained. The increase in weight of the sample over the dried sample was the amount of moisture regained.
Accompanying Table III shows the effect of boil off on moisture regain of nylon-6, block N-303-6//6 and random N-303-6/6. The data also indicates that boil off has different influences on the amount of increase in moisture regain depending whether the polymer is block or random.
Boil off refers to the placement of the fiber in boiling water for a specified length of time. Afterwards the weight loss is determined. Also after following the procedure described for determining moisture regain the incremental increase in percent moisture regain at 65% relative humidity was determined. Boil off can be considered as akin to a dye treatment.
The increase in moisture regain as a result of boil off is thought to be best understood by the following explanation. By placing the fiber in boiling water portions of the fiber relax. Thus the orientated amorphous sections tend to open up. Boiling off speeds up the relaxation of this unnatural state. This opening up permits the fiber to take up more moisture than it otherwise would be capable of. Heating the fiber, by other than placing in boiling water, will also relax the fiber.
5. Minimum Value for Repeating Units
To determine how few repeating units could be contained within a block and still retain its polymeric properties the data shown in Table IV was obtained. To obtain the data three samples of caprolactam were polymerized at the various conditions shown in the table. Subsequently average molecular weights and melting points were determined. The foregoing two tests were also made on a sample of a purchased polymer. The obtained average molecular weight divided by the molecular weight of the repeating unit in the polymer gives the average value of number of repeating units (i.e. z) in a block. This value is also reported in Table IV. A plot on semi-log graph paper of Runs 1-4 and an extrapolation of the foregoing indicate that with a value of 4 for z the melting point would be an estimated 188° C. Thus since there is only a decrease of 21° C. in melting point despite the substantial decrease of 207 units in z, one can conclude that four repeating units can be contained in a block without adversely changing the properties of the block.
6. Other Results
Analogous results as to various properties of the block copolymer are obtained when nylon-6,6; nylon-6,10; nylon-11; MXD-6; and PACM-12 are used in place of nylon-6 in the polymer melt blending step (2). Also analogous results are obtained when the adipic acid of step (1) is replaced with one of the following: oxalic, succinic, pimelic, azelaic and α,β-diethylsuccinic.
TABLE I__________________________________________________________________________EFFECT OF MELT BLENDING ON PROPERTIES OF BLOCK COPOLYMERS OFPOLY (OXA-AMIDE) AND POLYAMIDE (N-303-6//6 ) - Percentof Blending Melting (%) 303-6 in Temp. Min- Inherent Points, ° C Ten-.sup.(b)* Elonga- Initial.sup.(b)* Moisture.sup.(c)* 8Run Material Material ° C utes Viscosity Polymer Fiber acity tion.sup.(b) Modulus Regain__________________________________________________________________________ %1 Nylon n.a. n.a. n.a. 1.10 219 219 3.7 45 11.5 4.12 Cotton n.a. n.a. n.a. n.a. n.a. n.a. -- -- -- 7.6BLOCK.sup.(a)3 N-303-6//6 10 282 15 1.28 219 -- 3.2 54 8.8 3.94 " " 282 180 1.19 211 206 3.0 56 13.0 3.55 " 20 282 15 1.23 220 218 3.3 47 14.5 3.56 " " 282 180 1.23 216 210 3.2 42 8.5 3.47 " " 282 360 1.15 203 202 3.2 47 6.5 5.18 " " 295 360 0.82 194 -- 2.1 48 8.8 3.59 " " 305 360 0.66 192 -- 0.87 39 5.5 3.710 " 30 282 15 1.2 220 -- 3.4 59 7.0 3.211 " " 282 180 1.1 205 -- 2.6 60 6.5 3.8RANDOM.sup.(a)12 N-303-6/6 20 n.a. n.a. 0.9 -- 190 2.6 84 9.3 4.013 " 25 " " 0.9 -- 181 2.3 86 6.3 3.714 " 30 " " 1.0 -- 173 2.4 80 6.9 4.815 " 50 " " -- -- -- DID NOT SPIN -- --__________________________________________________________________________ RH = relative humidity n.a. = not applicable .sup.(a) No boil off .sup.(b) Draw ratio 3.7 ambient RH, but no significant difference observe as various RH; 40 monofilaments twisted together. .sup.(c) At Relative Humidity of 65% * = Units are grams/denier.
TABLE II__________________________________________________________________________MOISTURE REGAIN OF BLOCK COPOLYMER OF POLYAMIDE ANDPOLY (OXA-AMIDE) (N-303-6//6, MONOFILAMENT, AFTER BOIL OFF) Percent of 303-6 in Moisture Regain ( % )Run Material Material 95% RH.sup.(a) 85% RH.sup.(a) 75% RH.sup.(a) 65% RH.sup.(a)__________________________________________________________________________1 Nylon-6 n.a. 7.6 5.8 4.5 4.12 Cotton n.a. 14.5 11.8 9.5 7.63 N-303-6//6.sup.(b) 20 10.4 8.6 6.7 4.4__________________________________________________________________________ n.a. = not applicable .sup.(a) % RH = percent relative humidity .sup.(b) Melt blended at 283° C for 30 minutes, draw ratio 3.7.
TABLE III______________________________________EFFECT OF BOIL ON MOISTURE REGAIN Increase in Percent Blending % Moisture of Conditions Regain 303-6 in Temp. Time- Due toRun Material Material ° C Minutes Boil Off______________________________________1 Nylon-6 -- -- -- 0.52 N-303-6//6 20 282 360 1.03 N-303-6/6* 20 n.a. n.a. 1.3______________________________________ n.a. = not applicable * = Prepared by condensation caprolactam and 303-6 salt.
TABLE IV______________________________________Minimum Value For Repeating Units Resultant Polymer (Caprolactam) Average Melting Molecular Value of PointRun Conditions Weight.sup.(a) z.sup.(b) ° C.sup.(c)______________________________________1 Purchased 23,809 211 2092 3 hrs at 250° C and 7,874 70 2051 ml H.sub.2 O3 3 hrs at 250° C and 6,211 55 2014 ml H.sub.2 O4 2 hrs at 250° C 2,024 18 1885 monomer (caprolactam) 113 1 70______________________________________ .sup.(a) Molecular weight is based on amino ends. .sup.(b) Average molecular weight divided by 113 which is molecular weigh of nylon's monomer, i.e. caprolactam. .sup.(c) Melting point determined by Differential Scanning Colorimeter;;onset value.
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Novel block copolymer formed by melting blending a melt spinnable polyamide such as nylon-6 and a poly(oxa-amide) such as poly(4-oxaheptamethylene adipamide) (also known as N-303-6) is disclosed. Said copolymer has utility as a fiber. The fiber of copolymer, for example of nylon-6 and said poly-(oxa-amide) has superior absorption characteristics than that of nylon-6. Furthermore, resulting fiber (N-303-6//6) still substantially maintains the other desirable properties of the major constituent, for example nylon-6.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
I. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to high speed metal punching equipment suited for installation in a turret-style punch press and more particularly to the design of a punch assembly used in such equipment that allows for quick removal of a worn punch insert from the punch guide for refurbishment and return or replacement.
II. Discussion of the Prior Art
To provide increased mean-time-to-repair of punch assemblies used in high-speed CNC controlled turret punch presses, it has proved expedient to employ a high-grade high speed steel insert such as American National Standards Institute M2 steel punch point insert affixed to the end of a lower cost steel punch driver to reduce cost of the punch press assembly. Notwithstanding the use of such a high-grade and relatively expensive punch point insert, after a period of use in punching holes through sheet steel and other metals, it becomes necessary to replace the punch point insert with a new or resharpened one. To reduce the downtime of the turret punch press for such punch point insert replacement, it is desirable that an operator be able to perform this task in a minimum amount of time and most preferably without the need for special hand tools.
In prior art punch assemblies having a two-piece driver/insert combination, it has generally been necessary to first remove the punch driver and insert from the upper end of the punch guide and subsequently remove the punch insert from the punch driver so that the punch point insert can be replaced with a new or refurbished unit. The present invention makes possible reduced manufacturing costs, such as machining expenses e.g. through the use of stamped components while at the same time simplifying punch point replacement by providing a way to releasably clamp the stripper member to the end of the punch guide and the punch point insert to the punch driver. The clamping mechanism employed is most preferably actuated by hand and in most cases without the need for any special tools or without the need to remove the punch driver and insert from the punch guide.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention provides a punch assembly for a turret punch press comprising an outer, generally cylindrical punch guide having a cylindrical bore extending longitudinally therethrough from an upper end to a lower end. Contained within the bore of the guide or housing is a punch driver that is reciprocally movable within the bore. Releasably affixed to the lower end of the punch driver, preferably by one or more flexible stamping elements, is a punch insert having a punch point of a predetermined shape at a lower end thereof.
Affixed to the upper end of the punch driver is a canister assembly which includes a cylindrical, tubular housing containing a compression spring for normally biasing the punch driver to a retracted disposition within the bore.
Formed inward from a peripheral surface of the generally cylindrical punch driver and extending longitudinally are a plurality of guideways in which are fitted a corresponding plurality of locking sliders which can be stampings shaped to engage the punch insert and lock same to the punch driver when the locking sliders are in a first disposition within the guideways and to disengage from the punch insert when in a second disposition within the guideways. Cooperating with the plurality of locking sliders is a lock collar that is concentrically disposed on the punch driver and rotatable through a predetermined arc between a locked disposition and an unlocked disposition relative to the locking sliders.
The stripper member for the punch assembly, which itself can be a metal stamping of substantially uniform thickness throughout, is releasably clamped to the punch guide at a lower end thereof most preferably by leaf spring elements, and it includes an aperture conforming in shape to the punch point of the punch insert allowing the punch point to extend through the aperture in the stripper member upon application of a force to the canister assembly that exceeds the return force offered by the compression spring. The clamping structure holding the stripper member to the bottom of the punch press guide is also manually actuatable without the need for any special tools to unclamp and reclamp the stripper member from and onto the punch guide.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The foregoing features, objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment especially when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which like numerals in the several views refer to corresponding parts.
FIG. 1 is an isometric view of a preferred embodiment of a punch assembly from a high speed turret punch constructed in accordance with the present invention;
FIG. 2 is an isometric view as in FIG. 1 but with the outer punch guide removed;
FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view showing the manner of attachment of the punch canister to the punch driver;
FIG. 4 is a perspective view shown with the canister cover and return spring removed to better illustrate the mode of attachment of the canister assembly with a punch driver.
FIG. 5 is a detailed perspective view of the structure releasably securing the punch insert to the punch driver;
FIG. 5A is a horizontal cross-section taken on line 5 A- 5 A of FIG. 5 ;
FIG. 6 is a view like that of FIG. 5 , but with the lock collar, retaining ring and centering collar removed to show underlying parts;
FIG. 6A is a rear perspective view of a vertical slider strip component;
FIGS. 7A-7D , respectively, show a perspective view, a side view, a top view and a bottom view of the punch insert with FIG. 7C also showing the position of alignment strap 48 ;
FIG. 8 is a cross sectional view of the embodiment of FIG. 1 taken along the XY plane;
FIG. 9 is a cross sectional view of the embodiment of FIG. 1 taken along the YZ plane;
FIG. 10 is an enlarged detail view of the lower end of FIG. 9 ;
FIG. 11 is a detailed view showing the placement of the cone collar; and
FIG. 12 is a perspective view of the cone collar component.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
This description of the preferred embodiments is intended to be read in connection with the accompanying drawings, which are to be considered part of the entire written description of this invention. In the description, relative terms such as “lower”, “upper”, “horizontal”, “vertical”, “above”, “below”, “up”, “down”, “top” and “bottom” as well as derivatives thereof (e.g., “horizontally”, “downwardly”, “upwardly”, etc.) should be construed to refer to the orientation as then described or as shown in the drawings under discussion. These relative terms are for convenience of description and do not require that the apparatus be constructed or operated in a particular orientation. Terms such as “connected”, “connecting”, “attached”, “attaching”, “join” and “joining” are used interchangeably and refer to one structure or surface being secured to another structure or surface or integrally fabricated in one piece, unless expressively described otherwise.
As shown in FIG. 1 , the punch assembly is indicated generally by numeral 10 . It comprises an outer, generally cylindrical punch guide 12 which, as shown in the cross-sectional views of FIGS. 8-10 , includes a cylindrical bore 14 that extends longitudinally therethrough from the guide's upper end 16 toward, but short of its lower end 18 . A counter bore 19 of a slightly greater diameter than that of bore 14 extends inward from the lower end 18 as can be seen in FIG. 9 .
Releasably secured to the lower end 18 of the punch guide 12 is a stripper member 20 in the form of a generally circular plate which can be a metal stamping of substantially uniform thickness throughout that requires minimal machining and has a central aperture 22 conforming in shape to that of a punch point 24 , as can be best seen in the enlarged cross-sectional view of FIG. 10 .
As seen in FIG. 2 , the stripper member 20 has an annular sidewall provided with a plurality of regularly spaced upwardly extending tabs 26 formed around the periphery thereof that are adapted to fit into a corresponding pattern of recesses formed in the bottom end 18 of the guide 12 and to be engaged by a pair of leaf spring retainer clips 28 which can be metal stampings that fit into recesses 30 that are machined into the sidewall of the guide 12 . Only one such recess is visible in the view of FIG. 1 , the other being on a diametrically opposed location as depicted in the cross-sectional view of FIG. 8 . The configuration of the leaf spring retainer clip is such that depression of a pad portion thereof, identified by numeral 32 in FIG. 1 , further into the recess 30 will cause the lower end thereof that engages the tabs 26 to deflect radially outward so as to no longer engage the tabs and allows the stripper member 20 to be removed from the bottom end 18 of the punch guide 12 .
Referring again to the cross-sectional views of FIGS. 8-10 , there is disposed within the longitudinal bore 14 and counter bore 19 of the punch guide a two-piece, reciprocally movable combination of a punch driver 34 in its cooperative relationship with the punch point insert 24 . The punch driver 34 is preferably formed from relatively low-cost steel while the punch point insert 24 , preferably fabricated from high grade steel such as powdered metal or tungsten carbide that is pressed, formed or machined into a desired shape. While a tungsten carbide insert increases the cost, because it is approximately three times stiffer than steel and is much denser than steel or titanium, it makes for a longer wearing tool that is highly abrasion resistant and capable of withstanding higher temperatures than standard high speed steel tools. It is also well recognized that tungsten carbide is capable of maintaining a sharp cutting edge in a way that is superior to other tools.
The shape configuration of the punch point insert can be discerned from the views of FIGS. 7A-7D . Here, the punch point insert is illustrated as a rectangular edge and will produce a rectangular slug upon being made to descend through a sheet metal workpiece. Of course, other shapes are achievable by modifying the shape of the downwardly depending portion 38 of the punch point insert 24 .
In FIGS. 7B and 7C , the punch point insert is shown to have a generally rectangular head portion 40 , but with radiused corners, and projecting upwardly therefrom is a somewhat diamond-shaped protuberance 42 that is designed to fit within a recess 44 formed in the bottom surface of the punch driver as best seen in the enlarged cross-sectional view of FIG. 10 . If desired, the protuberance can be on the punch driver and the recess in the insert. To maintain a desired angular orientation between the punch point insert 24 and the punch driver 34 , a longitudinally extending groove 46 is formed inward from the peripheral surface of the punch driver as seen in FIG. 3 , and fitted into this groove is a leaf spring alignment strap 48 having a notch 50 that is arranged to straddle the tapered protuberance 42 ( FIG. 7C ) and apply a centrally directed bending force for yieldably engaging punch point ramp surfaces 42 a and 42 b which are slanted relative to one another so as to maintain the desired exact rotative registration of the insert about a vertical axis with no clearance unlike an ordinary pin or key which require clearance.
With continued reference to the exploded view of FIG. 3 , the punch driver 34 has opposed flat abutment surfaces 52 and 54 machined therein on which a canister assembly, indicated generally by numeral 56 , is adapted to be secured. With reference to FIGS. 2-4 , the canister assembly is seen to comprise a cylindrical, tubular housing 58 having an inside diameter that is sized to fit over the outer diameter of a relatively stiff compression spring 60 . Fitted atop the cylindrical housing 58 is a punch head 62 that has a pair of spaced-apart, downwardly depending legs 64 , 66 where the legs terminate in transversely extending feet 68 as shown. The canister assembly further includes a spring retainer plate 70 consisting of a circular plate having a central aperture 72 . Fitted through the aperture 72 is a pair of couplers 74 and 76 that are generally U-shaped, with the legs of the “U” extending upwardly as seen in FIG. 4 and also having feet that are designed to engage the feet 68 on the legs 64 and 66 that are integrally formed with and project downward from the punch head 62 . The spring retainer plate 70 is designed to rest upon the upper end of the punch guide 12 , as seen in FIG. 1 . Couplers 74 and 76 slide in and out radially in retainer plate 70 aperture to allow for assembly with punch head 62 . When so positioned, the flattened portions 52 and 54 of the punch driver 34 above the shoulder 78 fit between the couplers 74 and 76 thereby locking them radially outward to maintain engagement with punch head 62 feet 68 . A flathead cap screw 80 fits through an aperture in the punch head 62 and is screwed into a threaded bore 82 formed inward from the top surface of the punch driver 34 .
From what is described, it can be recognized that a mechanical or electro mechanical ram forming part of the turret punch imparts a downward force on the punch head 62 , it will drive the punch driver 34 downward through the aperture in the spring retainer plate 70 of the canister by a distance, D, shown in FIG. 4 and which is sufficient to penetrate through a sheet metal workpiece positioned adjacent the stripper member 20 . When this driving force is removed, the return spring 60 acting between the spring retainer plate 70 and the punch head 62 will function to move the punch driver 34 in the upwards direction such that the punch point insert will no longer extend through the aperture 22 in the stripper member 20 .
Without limitation, the return spring 60 follows Hook's Law for springs.
Next to be described is the structure for releasably securing the punch point insert 24 to the punch point driver 34 and, in this regard, reference will be made primarily to FIGS. 5 , 6 and 8 - 10 of the drawings.
Referring now to the enlarged partial view of FIG. 5 and cross-sectional view of FIG. 5A , there are formed inward from the cylindrical surface of the punch driver 34 four guideways, as at 84 , milled or ground at 90° radial spacings thereabout. These four grooved guideways are adapted to receive four vertical slider strips which can be metal stampings that require little machining, two of which are visible in the view of FIG. 6 and are identified by numerals 86 . The exposed surface thereof as seen in FIG. 6 is slightly rounded so as to conform to the cylindrical profile of the punch driver 34 and includes a flat facing zone 88 that extends about half of the distance across the width dimension of the vertical slider strip and a raised zone 90 extending across the remaining half of the strip's width dimension. Formed in the raised zone 90 is a notched-out portion 92 . FIG. 6A is a rear perspective view of the vertical slider strip 86 and it is configured to exhibit a notched-out region 94 adapted to fit about the head portion 40 of the punch point insert 24 in the manner shown in FIG. 6 .
Each of the slider strips 86 has associated with it a cylindrical pin as at 96 . The inner ends of these pins are adapted to contact either the flat portion 88 of the slider strip or the notched-out portion 92 thereof. As seen in FIGS. 5 and 5A , the pins 96 fit into apertures formed radially through a toroidal lock collar 98 that is supported by an annular, C-shaped retaining ring 100 designed to reside in the annular groove 102 formed in the punch driver 34 as seen in FIG. 6 . The retaining ring 100 prevents the lock collar 98 from moving longitudinally downward along the punch driver.
From the drawings of FIGS. 5 , 5 A and 6 , it can be appreciated that when the locking collar is rotated about a vertical axis, the pins 96 may be repositioned so as to either reside on the flat surface 88 or have its end disposed in the notched-out portion 92 of the vertical slider strip. With the pins 96 residing on the flat portion 88 , as the punch point insert 24 is manually pulled downward, the vertical slide strip is able to move with it to the point where the notched-out region 94 on the back surface of the strip 86 no longer locks to the insert and it can be pulled free of the punch point driver 34 . However, when the locking collar is rotated manually, e.g. through a port 99 in the guide 12 ( FIG. 1 ) so as to reside in the notched-out portion 92 , the vertical slider strip is unable to be displaced within its slot 84 and the notched-out portion 94 continues to lock the punch point insert 24 to the bottom surface of the driver 34 .
Hidden from view in FIG. 5 by a centering collar 104 , but visible in the partial view of FIG. 11 , is a cone collar 106 that is shown by itself in FIG. 12 . As seen in FIGS. 11 and 12 , the cone collar 106 is machined so as to have an upper ring portion 108 with four downwardly projecting and inwardly tapered teeth 110 and when assembled onto the punch driver 34 in surrounding relationship with respect to the four slider strips 86 , the teeth are seen to fall between adjacent ones of the strips 86 and rest upon the inside conical surface of the centering collar 104 . The cone collar 106 and the centering collar 104 work together to create a high precision centering feature. The centering collar 104 has a precision cylindrical fit with respect to the cone collar 106 and the cone collar itself has a precision cylindrical fit with the punch driver 34 which, in turn, has a precision cylindrical fit with the ID of the bore 14 of the punch guide 12 . In addition, the slide strips 86 are forced outward on the bottom end due to the ramping action caused by the sliders 86 notched-out portion 94 against angled ramps # 95 ( FIG. 10 ) on insert 24 as collar 98 is rotated such that pins 96 enter area 92 against ramping edge # 97 ( FIG. 6 ) on sliders 86 to securely hold punch insert and sliders in the up position. To provide extremely precise centering, the outward force of the ramps is further advantaged, by pressing outwardly against the centering collar 104 . The circular area on the perimeter of the centering collar not being pushed against by the sliders then react equally and opposite thus sway inwardly against the cone collar. This provides a precise centering mechanism not achievable with normal bore and shaft connections.
In that the stripper 20 is stamped with curled-up fingers 26 for positioning into the punch guide, it is designed such that the operator can remove the stripper before the punch insert is removed, thus obviating the need for the operator to pull the canister assembly 56 off the punch guide as required by known prior art designs just to change the punch insert.
This invention has been described herein in considerable detail in order to comply with the patent statutes and to provide those skilled in the art with the information needed to apply the novel principles and to construct and use such specialized components as are required. However, it is to be understood that the invention can be carried out by specifically different equipment and devices, and that various modifications, both as to the equipment and operating procedures, can be accomplished without departing from the scope of the invention itself.
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A punch assembly for a turret punch press having a two piece reciprocally movable punch member that has a punch point insert removably attached to a punch driver that allows replacement of the punch point insert without the need to extract the punch member from its punch guide. A locking assembly having four vertical guideways containing slider strips for coupling the punch point insert to the punch driver ensures precision registration of the punch point insert with its driver.
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TECHNOLOGICAL FIELD
The present invention pertains to protective and anchor groups useful in peptide synthesis, particularly in multistep peptide synthesis.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Regioselective chemical conversion of a compound with a plurality of different chemical functions requires the protection of all these functions as far as that/those by means of which the chemical reaction is to be initiated. Molecule groups (protective groups) are introduced in order to protect these functions. In conjunction with this, these can be removed in a non-disruptive manner and selectively, with re-formation of the original function. For complex multi-stage syntheses, particularly of natural substances, such as oligopeptides and oligonucleotides, various types of protective groups are necessary. They are characterised by intensely differing conditions of splitting. A system of protective groups in which the individual types are so selectively splittable that all the other respective groups remain unaffected, it termed orthogonal. The principle is the subject of the chemistry of protective groups (see Protective Groups in Organic Synthesis, Greene, T. W. & Wuts, P. G. M. Eds., 2 nd ed., 1991, John Wiley & Sons Inc., New York).
If the type of protective group has a further reactive function, it can be linked covalently and in a stable way with a carrier material for solid-phase synthesis. Then the terms "active group" or "linker group" are used (see e.g. Breitpohl et al. In Tetrahedron Lett. 28 (1987) 5651-5654 and Guibe et al. in Tetrahedron Lett. 30 (1989) 2641-2644). A special type of protective group or also active group is that which must firstly be brought into a labile form by a preceding chemical reaction, and which then in a second step can be split off under very gently conditions (protected protective group--"Safety-Catch" grouping; cf. E.g. Patek in Int. J. Peptide Protein Res. 42 (1993) 97-1176). Although in such a case two reaction steps are required for splitting, such groupings can have great advantages.
(i) it can be very stable against many, even extremely drastic reaction conditions, but can be split by the sequence of two specific extremely mild reaction steps.
(ii) the labile intermediate stage of the protective group can be sufficiently stable to offer good, or better, opportunities for isolation and cleaning the end product.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The object underlying the invention is to propose for a carbamide function (CONH 2 -function) a special type of protective or anchor group having the following features:
(i) the protective or active group is to be protected;
(ii) the labile intermediate stage is to be stable under appropriate reaction conditions and permit cleaning of the intermediate products;
(iii) the labile intermediate stage is to be able to decompose in aqueous physiological buffer solution at neutral pH (7) or almost neutral pH (5 to 9), and re-form the original carbamide function, so that the synthesis product can be used directly (without further cleaning) with a free carbamide function in a biocellular or biochemical test experiment.
According to the invention, there is also to be provided, for a carbamide function (CO--NH 2 -function), a special type of protective group as an active group for the solid-phase synthesis of peptides (but also other molecular structures with a carbamide function), particularly according to the Fmoc-tBu-method (Fmoc SPPS) (see Fields & Noble in Int. J. Peptide Protein Res. 35 (1990) 161-214)and Boc/Bzl method (Boc SPPS) (see Barany et al. Int. J. Peptide Protein Res.(1987) 705-739.
The object underlying the invention is now achieved by a carbamide of the general formula:
R.sub.1 --CO--NH--C(R.sub.2)(R.sub.3)--X--Y
which is protected by a temporary protective group and wherein
R 1 --CO means a carbonyl residue which can be provided as a unit for the chain of a peptide, and can have one or a plurality of amino acid residues;
R2 and R3 mean resides of the carbamide which do not participate in their function, whereby R2 and R3 can be identical or different, but are different when one of the two residues means a hydrogen atom;
X means an oxygen atom or a sulphur atom, and
Y means a protective group for X.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
The chemical bond between protective group and carbamide function can thus be a N-acyl-N.O-- or N-acyl-N.S acetal structure. This N-acyl-N.O-- or N-acyl-N.S acetal can be introduced by conversion of the carboxyl function with the amino function of a suitable N.O-- or N.S-acetal, the oxygen or sulphur function being protected and the amino function being free (reaction path A, see illustration). It can further be introduced by conversion of the carbamide function with a suitable keto- or aldehyde function (reaction path B, see illustration). In order that the labile N.O or N>S-acetal (II) can be isolated with a free hydroxyl or thiol function, the N.O or N.S acetal must be flanked by intensely electron-attractive substituents. N.O or N.S acetals with free hydroxyl or thiol function are more or less easily split hydrolytically in an aqueous solution with catalysis of bases. The hydroxyl or thiol function of the protective group is therefore to be protected by a further protective group Y, which prevents hydrolysis of the N.O or N.S acetal under the conditions of synthesis on R 1 . The Y group is to be stable under the conditions of synthesis on R 1 . ##STR1##
In the above illustration of the general principle of the protective or active group, and of the concept of synthesis, the following can mean:
______________________________________R.sub.1 residue of the compound to be protected;R.sub.2, R.sub.3 residues of the protective group which do not participate in their function; if R.sub.2 and R.sub.3 have an additional reactive function for a link with carrier materials, for example COOH,NH.sub.2 SH, then the protective group is used as an active group;Y the protective group for hydroxyl or thiol function.______________________________________
In the carbamide according to the invention, therefore, R 2 and/or R 3 can be intensely electron-attractive groups, particularly groups according to the Erlenmeyer Rule for O.O, N.O and N.S acetals.
Further, in the carbamide according to the invention, R 2 and/or R 3 can mean a halogen alkyl group, for example a trifluoromethyl group, or a carboxyl group, if necessary derivatised, for example a --CO--NH--CH 2 --CH 2 --COOH group (--CO βAla-OH group), or an alkyl ester carbonyl group, for example a --COOCH 3 group.
In the carbamide according to the invention R 2 and/or R 3 can have an additional reactive function for linking with a carrier material, for example a carboxyl, amino or thiol group.
For Y, reference may be made to Greene & Wuts loc. Cit. In the carbamide according to the invention carbamide can be an alkyl group, for example a methyl, ethyl, i-propyl, t-butyl group, a substituted alkyl group, for example CH 3 --O--CH 2 or (CH 3 ) 3 Si--CH 2 --CH 2 --O--CH2 group, an aryl group or an alkyl silyl group, e.g. a t-butyldimethylsilyl group.
The object underlying the invention is further achieved by a process for producing a protected carbamide, which is characterised in that a compound with the formula
H.sub.2 N--C(R.sub.2)(R.sub.3)X--Y
is converted with a compound of the formula
R.sub.1 --COOH
R1, R 2 and R 3 , X and Y having the meanings given above. The object underlying the invention is further achieved by a process for producing a protected carbamide which is characterised in that
a) a compound of the formula C(R 2 )(R 3 )═X is converted with a compound of the formula R 1 --CO--NH 2 to form a compound with the formula R 1 --CO--NH--C(R 2 )(R 3 )--XH, and
b) the XH group of the reaction product according to (a) is transferred into an X--Y group, whereby R 1 , R 2 , R 3 , X and Y have the meanings given above.
The carbamide according to the invention can be used for peptide synthesis and for peptide synthesis on a carrier material.
The carbamide according to the invention can also already be linked to a carrier material.
The invention will be explained in more detail in the following by means of examples.
Experimental Part (General Methods)
The following analytical/spectroscopis apparatus was used.
1 HNMR/ 13 C-NMR: Bruker Model AM-300 und WM-400 with tetrametylsilane (TMS) as internal standard.-- 19 F-NMR: H 3 PO 4 as external standard.
Signal multiplicity: s=singlet, d=doublet, t=triplet, q=quartet, n J H ,H =magnetic couplingng over n bonds between adjacent protons. If signals of diastereomeric mixtures are registered separately from one another, this is indicated by an elevated [dia].-- FAB-MS: Kratos MS 50 TC RF with neutral xenon beam(8-9 kV) und Finnigan Mat, Mass Spectrometer 8430 with 3-nitrobenzylalkohol as matrix. The samples were presented in DMSO.-- MALDI-TOF: Shimadzu Kratos Analytical Kompact MALDI 111 mit sinapic acid as matrix.-- UV/VIS: Carl Zeiss Model PMQ 11 in quartz vessels with 10 mm optical length. ε(dibenzofulvene-piperidine-adduct/MeOH)=5570. RP-C 18 -HPLC: Analyt. HPLC: Pharmacia/LKB Pump P 3500, Liquid Chromatography Controller LCC 500 Plus or LKB 2249 Gradient Pump, LKB 2141 Variable Wavelength Monitor, three-channel flatbed-writer on MacheryNagel Nucleosil 300-7 C 18 250×4.-- The staged synthesis of peptides is effected according to the usual methods of solid-phase peptide synthesis [Fields, G. B. and Noble, R. L., Int. J. Peptide Protein Res. 35, 161-214 (1990)]. O-chlorotrityl resins (Novabiochem) are charged according to the processes described in the literature, and the protected peptides split off from the-resin as there described (Barlos, K; Chatzi, O.; Gatos, D. und Stavropoulos, G.; lnt. J. Peptide Protein Res., 35 161 (1990). Anchor blocks are identified by (AB) and model compounds with (MV). Compound codes: ([P] protective group or [L] linker group according to path [A] or[B].[Example].[Number]).
Experimental Part (Explanation with reference to Examples)
Protective group for N.sup.α -fmoc/tBu-solid-phase peptide synthesis
SYNTHESIS PATH A/EXAMPLE 1
2-(9-Fmoc-amido)-2-methoxy-1.1.1.3.3.3-hexafluoropropane (PA.1.1).sup.(MV)
Structure ##STR2##
SYNTHESIS PATH
2-(9-Fmoc-amido)-2-hydroxy-1.1.1.3.3.3-hexafluoropropane (PA.1.2)
Empirical Formula (C 18 H 13 F 6 NO 3 )
120 mg (50 10 -5 mol) aminoformic acid-9-fluorenylmethylester are dissolved in a saturated solution of anhydrous hexafluoracetone (caution: toxic) (produces by slow instillation of hexafluoracetone in a mixture of concentrated sulphuric acid and phosphorus pentoxide), in 5 ml THF and stirred for 5 hours at RT. The reaction mixture is concentrated, resuspended in 10 ml diethyl ether, filtered and again concentrated.-- Yield: 192 mg (95% of. Th.) (white solid matter).-- 1 H-NMR (400 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ=7.81 (d, 2H, fluorenyl-H 1 , 3 j H .H =7.30 Hz), 7.67 (d, 2H, fluorenyl-H 4 , 3 J H ,H,.,=7.26 Hz), 7.4 (t, 2H, fluorenylH 2 , 3 J H ,H =7.30 Hz), 7.25 (t, 2H, fluorenyl-H 3 , 3 J H ,H =7.30), 5.62 (s (br.), 1H, NH), 4.6 (d, 2H, CH--CH 2 ), 3 j H ,H =6.67 Hz), 4.23 (t, 1 H, CH--CH 2 , 3 j H .H =6.67 Hz).-- 13 C-NMR (75 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ=156.4 (s, NH--COO), 142.8 (s, fluorenyl-C 6 ), 141.4 (s, fluorenyl-C 6 ), 128.2 (d, fluorenyl-C 1 ), 127.3 (d, fluorenyl-C 4 ), 124.7 (d, fluorenyl-C 3 ),122.8 (s, CF 3 ),120.3 (d, fluorenyl-H 2 ), 119.0 (s, NH--COH), 68.1 (t, CH--CH 2 ), 46.8 (d, CH--CH 2 ).-- 19 F-NMR (376 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ=-82.2 (s, CF 3 ).-- MS (FAB, 3-NBA): m/z=419 (15, [M+H].sup.⊕).
2-(9-Fmoc-amido)-2-methoxy-1.1.1.3.3.3-hexafluoropropane (PA.1.1)
Empirical Formula (C 19 H 15 F 6 NO 3 )
101 mg (25 10 -5 mol) (PA.1.2) are dissolved in 4 ml absolute methanol und 50 μl conc. Sulphuric acid is added. It is stirred for 12 h at RT and the reaction mixture is poured into a saturated NaHCO 3 solution. The organic phase is separated, extracted 3× with saturated NaCl and dried over MgSO 4 . The organic phase is concentrated and crystallised among petroleum benzine.-- Yield: 192 mg (95% of Th.) (white solid matter).-- 1 H-NMR (400 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ=7.81 (d, 2H, fluorenyl-H 1 , 3 J H .H =7.30 Hz), 7.67 (d, 2H, fluorenyl-H 4 , 3 J H .H =7.26 Hz), 7.4 (t, 2H, fluorenyl-H 2 , 3 J H .H =7.30 Hz), 7.25 (t, 2H, fluorenyl-H 3 , 3 j H .H =7.30), 5.62 (s (br.), 1H, NH), 4.6 (d, 2H, CH--CH 2 ), 3 J H .H =6.67 Hz), 4.23 (t, 1H, CH--CH 2 , 3 J H .H =6.67 Hz), 1.55 (s, 3H, CH 3 ).-- 13 C-NMR (75 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ=156.4 (s, NH--COO), 142.8 (s, fluorenyl-C 6 ), 141.4 (s, fluorenyl-C 5 ), 128.2 (d, fluorenyl-C 1 ), 127.3 (d, fluorenyl-C 4 ), 124.7 (d, fluorenyl-C 3 ), 122.8 (s, CF 3 ), 120.3 (d, fluorenyl-H 2 ), 119.0 (s, NH--COH), 68.1 (t, CH--CH 2 ), 46.8 (d, CH--CH 2 ), 54.4 (q, CH 3 ).-- 19 F-NMR (376 MHz, CDCl 3 ):δ=-82.2 (s, CF 3 ).-- MS (FAB, 3-NBA): m/z=419 (15, [M+H].sup.⊕).
Application
(PA.1.1) is deprotected with 95% TFA/2.5% TIBS/2.5% water and the reaction product is chromatographically isolated. The deprotected product is hydrolised with buffer system (a) 30% ethanol at RT aminoformic acid-9-fluorylene ester. Hydrolysis is effected within 15 min.
SYNTHESIS PATH B/EXAMPLE 2
2-(N.sup.α Ac-Phe-NH)-2-methoxy-1.1.1.3.3.3-hexafluoropropane (PB.2.1).sup.(MV)
Structure ##STR3## R 1 : Ac-Phe--R 2 : CF 3
R 3 : CF 3
X: O
Y: CH 3
SYNTHESIS PATH
2-(N.sup.α -Ac-Phe-NH)-2-hydroxy-1.1.1.3.3.3-hexafluoropropane (PB.2.2)
Empirical Formula (C 14 H 14 F 6 N 2 O 3 )
103.1 mg (50 10 -5 mol) N.sup.α -acetyl-phenylalanylamide are converted similarly to (PA.1.2). The reaction mixture is concentrated and crystallised among petroleum benzine.-- Yield: 182 mg (98% of th.) (white solid matter).-- 1 H-NMR (300 mhz, CDCl 3 ): δ=9.95 (s, 1H, NH), 8.60(s, 1H,OH), 7.3-7.05 (m, 5H,phenyl-H), 6.15 (d, 1H, CONH, 3 J H .H =7.9 Hz),4.97 (AB-q, 1H, CH--NH, 3 J H .H =7.9 Hz, 3 J H .H =6.7 Hz) 3.12 (AB-q,1H, CH 2 --C 6 , H 5 , 3 J H .H =6.7 Hz, 2 J H .H= 14.0 Hz), 3.12 (AB-q, 1 H, CH 2 --C 6 H 5 , 3 J H .H =6.7 Hz, 2 J H .H =14.0 Hz), 1.92 (s, 3H, CH 3 ).-- 13 C-NMR (75 MHz, CDCL 3 ): δ=177.5 (s, CH 3 CO), 170.5(s, CO--NH), 135.1 (s, phenyl-H), 129.2 (d, phenyl-H), 128.9 (d, phenyl-H),127.5 (d, phenyl-H), 127.5 (s, phenyl-H), 120.5 (q, CF 3 3 J H .H =270 Hz), 83.9 (m, NH--COH), 68.1 (t, CH--CH 2 ), 54.7 (d, NH--CH), 37.8 (t,CH 2 --C 6 H 5 ), 22.6 (q, CH 3 ).-- 19 F-NMR (376 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ=-82.1 (s, CF 3 ).-- MS (FAB, 3-NBA): m/z=373 (15, [M+H].sup.⊕).
2-(Nc.sup.α -Ac-Phe-NH)-α-methoxy-1.1.1.3.3.3-hexafluoropropane (PB.2.1)
Empirical Formula (C 15 H 16 F 6 NO 3 )
93.1 mg (25 10-5 mol) (PA.2.2) are converted in methanol, similarly to (PA.1.2).-- Yield: 192 mg (95% of Th.) (white solid matter in petroleum benzine).-- 1 H-NMR (300 MHz, CDCl 3 ): α=8.95 (s, 1H, NH), 8.60 (s,1H, OH), 7.3-7.05 (m, 5H, phenyl-H), 6.15 (d, 1H, CONH, 3 J H .H =7.9 Hz), 4.97 (AB-q, 1 H, CH--NH, 3 J H .H =7.9 Hz, 3 J H .H =6.7 Hz), 3.12 (AB-q, 1 H, CH 2 --C 6 H 5 ), 3 J H .H =6.7 Hz, 2 J H .H =14.0 Hz),1.92 (s, 3H, CH 3 ), 1.55 (s, 3H, CH 3 ).-- 13 C-NMR (75 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ=177.2 (s, CH3--CO), 171.5 (s,CO--NH), 135.1 (s, phenyl-H), 129.2 (d, phenyl-H), 128.9 (d, phenyl-H), 127.5 (d, phenyl-H), 127.5 (s,phenyl-H), 120.5 (q, CF 3 , 3 J H .H =270 Hz), 83.9 (m, NH--COH), 68.1 (t, CHCH 2 ), 54.7 (d, NH--CH), 54.4 (q, CH 3 ), 37.8 (t, CH 2 --C 6 H 5 ), 22.6 (q, CH 3 )-- 19 F-NMR (376 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ=-82.1 (s, CF 3 ).-- MS (FAB, 3-NBA): m/z=388 (11, [M+H].sup.⊕).
Application
(PB.2.1) is deprotected with 95% TFA/2.5% TIBS.2.5% water and the reaction mixture is chromatographically isolated. The deprotected product is hydrolysed with buffer system (a) at RT and und 50° C. to form Na-acetyl-phenylalanylamide. Hydrolysis is effected at RT within 15 min., and at 50° C. within 5 min.
SYNTHESIS PATH B/EXAMPLE 3
2-(N.sup.α -9-Fmoc-Asn-OMe)-2-(MeO)-1.1.1.3.3.3-hexafluorpropane (PB.3.1).sup.(MV)
Structure ##STR4## R 1 : Fmoc-Asn-OH R 2 : CF 3
R 3 : CF 3
X: O
Y: CH 3
SYNTHESIS PATH
2-(N.sup.α -9-Fmoc-Asp-β-amido)-2-hydroxy-1.1.1.3.3.3-hexafluoropropane (PB.3.2)
Empirical Formula (C 14 H 14 F 6 N 2 O 3
103.1 mg (50 10-5 mol) Na-9-Fmoc-asparagine are converted similarly to (PA.1.2). The reaction mixture is concentrated and crystallised in petroleum benzine.-- Yield: 182 mg (98% of Th.) (white solid matter).-- 1 H-NMR (300 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ=7.81(d, 2H, fluorenyl-H 1 , 3 J H .H =7.30 Hz), 7.67 (d, 2H, fluorenyl-H 4 , 3 J H .H =7.26 Hz), 7.4 (t, 2H, fluorenyl-H 2 , 3 J H .H =7.30 Hz), 7.25 (t, 2H, fluorenyl-H 3 , 3 J H .H =7.30), 6.05 (d, 1 H, NH), 4.61 (s(br), 1 H, NHCH--CO), 4.23 (m, 3H, CH--CH 2 /CH--CH 2 ).-- 13 C-NMR (100 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ=172.8 (s, COOH), 168.5 (s, CO--NH), 156.0 (s, NH--COO), 142.8 (s, fluorenylC 6 ), 141.4 (s, fluorenyl-C 5 ), 128.2 (d, fluorenyl-C 1 ), 127.3 (d, fluorenyl-C 4 ), 124.7 (d, fluorenyl-C 3 ), 122.8 (s, CF 3 ), 120.3 (d, fluorenyl-H 2 ), 119.0 (s, NH--COH), 77.2 (d, NH--CH--CO), 68.1 (t, CH--CH 2 ), 46.8 (d, CH--CH2), 38.8 (t, CH 2 --CO).-- 19 F-NMR (376 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ=-81.8 (s, CF 3 ).-- MS (FAB, 3-NBA) m/z=521 (15, [M+H].sup.⊕).
2- (N.sup.α 9-Fmoc-Asn-OMe)-2-(methoxy)-1.1.1.3.3.3-hexafluoropropane (PB.3.1).sup.(MV)
Empirical Formula (C 15 H 16 F 6 NO 3 )
93.1 mg (25 10 -5 mol) (PB.3.1) are copnverted in methanol similarly to (PA.1.3).-- Ausbeute:192 mg (95% of Th.) (white solid matter in petroleum benzine).-- 1 H-NMR (300 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ=7.81 (d, 2H, fluorenyl-H 1 , 3 J H .H =7.30 Hz), 7.67 (d, 2H, fluorenyl-H 4 , 3 J H .H =7.26 Hz), 7.4 (t, 2H, fluorenyl-H 3 , 3 J H .H =7.30 Hz), 7.25 (t, 2H, fluorenyl-H 3 , J H .H =7.30), 6.05 (d, 1 H, NH), 4.61 (s(br), 1 H, NH--CH--CO), 4.23 (m, 3H, CH--CH 2 /CH--CH 2 ), 3.86 (s, 3H, COOCH 3 ), 3.42(s, 3H, CH 3 O).-- 13 C-NMR (100 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ=172.8 (s, COOH), 168.5 (s, CO--NH), 156.0 (s, NH--COO), 142.8 (s, fluorenyl-C 6 ), 141.4 (s, fluorenyl-C 5 ), 128.2 (d, fluorenyl-C 1 ), 127.3 (d, fluorenyl-C 4 ), 124.7 (d, fluorenyl-C 3 ), 122.8 (s, CF 3 ), 120.3 (d, fluorenyl-H 2 ), 119.0 (s, NH--COH), 77.2 (d, NH--CH--CO), 68.1 (t, CH--CH2), 54.4 (q, CH 3 ), 52.6 (q,COOCH3), 46.8 (d, CH--CH 2 ), 38.8 (t, CH 2 --CO).-- 19 F-NMR (376 MHz, CDCl 3 ):β=-81.8 (s, CF 3 ).-- MS (FAB, 3-NBA): m/z=551 (15, [M+H].sup.⊕).
Application
(PA.3.1) dislays total stability against 20% piperidin/DMF over 3 h at RT. (PA.3.1) is deprotected with 95% TFA/2.5% TIBS/2.5% water and the reaction product is chromatographically isolated. The deprotected product is hydrolysed with buffer system (a)/40% ethanol at RT to form Fmoc-asparagine methyl ester. Hydrolysis is effected at RT within 15 min. The hydrolysis takes place at room temperature within 15 min., and at 50° C. within 5 min.
Anchor Block for N.sup.α Fmoc/tBu-solid-phase peptide synthesis
SYNTHESIS PATH A/EXAMPLE 1
N.sup.ε -Boc-Lys-Phe-Phe-α-rac-tert-butoxy-glycyl-βAla-OH SEQ ID NO: 1 (LA.1.1) (MV).sup.(MV)
Structure ##STR5## R 1 : H-Lys(Boc)-Phe-Phe--R2: CO-βAla-OH
R3: H
X: O
Y: tert-Butyl
SYNTHESIS PATH
N.sup.α -9-Fmoc-α-rac-hydroxy-glycin (LA.1.2)
Empirical Formula (C 17 H 15 NO 5 )
10.74 g (45 10 -3 mol) aminoformic acid-9-fluorenylmethylester [Carpino, L. A.; Mansuor, E. M. E.; Cheng, C. H.; Williams, J. R., MacDonald, R.; Knapczyk, J. and Carman, E., J. Org. Chem., 48 (1983) 661] are stirred together with 4.53 (50.10 -3 mol) glyoxalic acid hydrate in a mixture of 50 ml DCM and 40 ml TMF 2 d at RT. The solution is concentrated and the residue dissolved in ethyl acetate. It is extracted twice, each time with 150 ml water, and the organic phase is dried over MsSO 4 . The organic phase is concentrated on the rotary evaporator and (LA.1.2) crystallised out of ethyl acetate/toluol.-Yield 12.55 g (89% of Th.).-- 1 H-NMR (400 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ=7.81 (d, 2H, fluorenyl-H 1 , 3 J H .H =7.30 Hz), 7.67 (d, 2H, fluorenyl-H 4 , 3 J H .H =7.26 Hz), 7.4 (t, 2H, fluorenyl-H 2 , 3 J H .H =7.30 Hz), 7.25 (t, 2H,fluoenyl-H 3 , 3 J H .H =7.30), 5.95 (d, 1 H, NH), 5.47 (d,1H, NH--CHOH), 4.4(d,2H,CH--CH 2 ), 3 J H .H =6.67 Hz), 4.23 (t, 1 H, CH--CH 2 , 3 J H .H =6.67 Hz).-- 13 C-NMR (75 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ=168.9 (s, COOH), 154.7 (s, NH--COO), 143.7 (s, fluorenyl-C 6 ), 141.4 (s, fluorenyl-C 5 ), 128.2 (d, fluorenyl-C 1 ), 127.3 (d, fluorenyl-C 4 ), 124.7 (d, fluorenyl-C 3 ), 120.3 (d, fluorenyl-H 2 ), 78.9 (d, NH--CHOH), 68.1 (t, CH--CH 2 ), 46.8 (d, CH--CH 2 ).-- MS (FAB, 3-NBA): m/z=315 (23, [M+H].sup.⊕).
N.sup.α -9-Fmoc-α-rac-hydroxy-glycinbenzylester (LA.1.3)
Empirical Formula (C 24 H 21 NO 5 )
1.57 g (5 10 -3 mol) (LA.1.2) and 815 mg (2.5 10 -3 mol) caesium carbonate are suspended in 17.6 ml 80% aqueous ethanol. The solution is concentrated to total and repeatedly (ex) resuspended in 30 ml absolute ethanol and concentrated. The residue is briefly dried in HV and suspended in 15 ml DMF. 627 μl (5 10 -3 mol benzyl bromide is added and shaken 2 d at RT. The reaction mixture is poured into iced water, and the aqueous phase extracted with ethyl acetate. The organic phase is washed with saturated NaHCO 3 --, saturated NaCl, 0.1 M hydrochloric acid and saturated NaCl solution and dried over MgSO 4 . The organic phase is concentrated und (LA.1.3) crystallised out of dichloromethane/petroleum benzine--Yield: 1.85 g (92% of Th.).-- 1 H-NMR (400 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ=7.81 (d, 2H, fluorenyl-H 1 , 3 J H .H =7.30 Hz), 7.67 (d, 2H, fluorenyl-H 4 , 3 J H .H =7.26 Hz), 7.4-7.2 (m, 9H, fluorenyl-H 2 .3 /phenyl-H), 5.95 (d, 1 H, NH), 5.47 (d, 1H, NH--CHOH), 5.23 (`d`, 2H COOCH 2 ), 4.4 (d, 2H, CH--CH 2 ), 3 J H .H =6.67 Hz), 4.23 (t, 1 H, CH--CH 2 ) 3 J H .H =6.67 Hz).-- 13 C-NMR (75 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ=168.5 (s, COOH), 154.2 (s, NH--COO), 143.7 (s, fluorenylC 6 ), 141.4 (s, fluorenyl-C 5 ), 135.2 (s, phenyl-H), 128.57/128.4/128.1/127.1/125.1/120.0(d,fluorenyl-C/phenyl-C), 78.4 (d, NH--CHOH), 67.2 (t, COOCH 2 ), 67.1 (t CH--CH 2 ), 47.1 (d, CH--CH 2 ).
N.sup.α -9-Fmoc-α-rac-tert-butoxy-glycinbenzylester (LA.1.4)
Empirical Formula (C 28 H 29 NO 5 )
Method 1: 100 mg (25 10-5 mol) (LA.1.3) are dissolved in 500 μl absolute dioxane und 250 μl absolute diethyl ether in a thick-walled glass flask and 5 Ml conc. sulphuric acid added. About 250 μl isobutene is condensed in at 45° and the flask is closed. It is shaken for 8 h at 4° C. and the reaction mixture poured into 50 ml ges. NaHCO 3 solution. It is extracted 2× with 100 ml ethyl acetate, and the oeganis phase 2× washed respectively with 100 ml saturated NaCl--, 10% citric acid-, saturated NaCl solution and dried over MgSO+4. (LA.1.4) is isolated by RP-C 18 -HPLC with water/acetonitrile.-- Yield: (30-50% of Th.)
Method 2: 100 mg (25 10 -5 mol) (LA.1.3) are converted under reflux in 2 ml absolute THF with 55 μl dist. (75 10 -5 mol) thionyl chloride over 1 h. The reaction mixture is fully concentrated and briefly treated in HV. 2 mi abs. tert-butanol und 42 μl (25 10 -5 mol) ethyl diisopropylamine are added and refluxed 2 h. The reaction mixture is poured into a saturated aqueous NaCl solution and the aqueous phase 2× extracted with 100 ml ethyl acetate. The organic phase is dried over MgSO 4 and concentrated. (LA.1.4) is cleaned up either wird RP-C18-HPLC chromatographically to homogeneity or used as a raw product (>95% content (LA.1.4) in the further reaction.-- 1 H-NMR (400 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ=7.81 (d, 2H, fluorenyl-H 1 , 3 J H .H =7.30 Hz), 7.67(d,2H,fluorenylH 4 , 3 J H . 7.26 Hz), 7.4-7.2 (m, 9H, fluorenyl-H 2 ,3 /phenyl-H), 5.95 (d, 1H, NH), 5.47 (d, 1H, NH--CHOH), 5.23 (`d`, 2H COOCH 2 ), 4.4 (`m` (dt), 2H, CH--CH 2 ), 3 J H .H =6.67 Hz), 4.23(t, 1H, CH--CH2, 3 J H .H =6.67 Hz), 1.25 (s, 9H, C(CH 3 ) 3 ).-- 13 C-NMR (75 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ=168.5 (s, COOH), 154.2 (s, NH--COO), 143.7 (s, fluorenylC 6 ), 141.4 (s, fluorenyl-C 5 ), 135.2 (s, phenyl-H), 128.57/128.4/128.1/127.1/125.1/120.0 (d, fluorenyl-C/phenyl-C), 78.4 (d, NH--CHOH), 74.6 (s, C(CH 3 ) 3 ), 67.2 (t, COO--CH 2 ), 67.1 (t CH--CH2), 47.1 (d, CH--CH 2 ), 28.2 (q, C(CH 3 ) 3 ).-- MS (FAB, 3-NBA): m/z=461 (27, [M+H].sup.⊕).
N.sup.α -9-Fmoc-α-rac-tert-butoxy-glycin (LA.1.5).sup.(AB)
Empirical Formula (C 21 H 23 NO 5 )
115 mg (25 10 -5 mol) (LA.1.4) are dissolved in 3 ml abs. ethanol/ethyl acetate (1:2). A spatula tip of palladium/activated carbon (Fluka) is added and hydrogen is passed through the solution for 25 min. The catalyst is filtered off and (LA.1.5) RP-Cl8-HPLC chromatograpically isolated. Yield: 60.45 mg(70% fo Th.).-- 1 H-NMR (400 MHz, CDCl 3 ) δ=7.81 d, 2H, fluorenyl-H 1 , 3 J H .H =7.30 Hz), 7.67 (d, 2H, fluorenyl-H 4 , 3 J H .H =7.26 Hz), 7.42 (t, 2H, fluorenyl-H 2 , 3 J H .H =7.30 Hz), 7.25 (t (fine division d), 2H, fluorenyl-H 3 , 3 J H .H =7.30), 5.87 (d, 1H, NH), 5.47 (d, 1H, NH--CHOH), 4.4 (`m`, 2H, CH--CH 2 ) 3 J H .H =6.67 Hz), 4.23 (t, 1H, CH--CH2) 3 J H .H =6.67 Hz), 1.25 (s, 9H, c(CH 3 ) 3 ).-- 13 C-NMR (75 MHz, CDC 3 ): δ=168.5 (s, COOH), 154.2 (s, NH--COO), 143.7 (s, fluorenyl-C 6 ), 141.4 (s, fluorenyl-C 5 ), 128.2 (d, fluorenyl-C 1 ), 127.3 (d, fluorenyl-C 4 ), 124.7 (d, fluorenyl-C 3 ), 120.3 (d, fluorenyl-H 2 ),78.4 (d, NH--CHOH), 74.6 (s, C(CH 3 ) 3 ), 67.1 (t CH--CH 2 ), 47.1 (d, CH--CH 2 ),28.2 (q, C(CH 3 ) 3 ).-- MS (FAB, 3-NBA): m/z=370 (37, [M+H].sup.⊕).
N.sup.ε -Boc-Lys-Phe-Phe-α-rac-tert-butoxy-glycyl-βAla-OH SEQ ID NO: 1 (LA.1.1).sup.(Mv)
Empirical Formula (C 38 H 56 N 6 O 9 )
The protected peptide (LA.1.1) is built up according to conventional peptide synthesis conditions on an o-chlorotrityl-functionalized resin using (LA.1.5) and separated from the carrier as normal. The amino function of the protected N.O-acetal is here released with 10% morpholin/5% triethylammonium chloride/DMF.-- MS (FAB, thioglycerin): m/z=740 (5, [M+H].sup.⊕).
Application
The protected peptide (LA.1.1)displays total stability to 20% piperidine/DMF (indicated by quantitative UV/VIS-analysis of the individual coupling steps, and by treatment of the protected peptide (LA.1.1) in solution with the abovenamed reagent). After division of the hydroxyl protective group according to normal procedures (and simultaneously of the Boc protective group of the lysyl residue) the peptide thus deprotected is treated with buffer systems (a), (b) and (g). The deprotected model compound decomposes in the desired way into the peptidamide H-Lys-Phe-Phe-NH 2 .
SYNTHESIS PATH A/EXAMPLE 2
H-Lys(Boc)-Phe-Phe-α-rac-(MOM)oxy-β-trifluoralanine-βAla-OH SEQ ID NO: 2 (LA.2.1)
Structure ##STR6##
SYNTHESIS PATH
N.sup.α -9-Fmoc-α-hydroxy-β.β.β-trifluoralanine methylester (LA.2.2)
Empirical Formula (C 19 H 16 F 3 NO 5 )
Similarly (LA.1.2) reaction was brought about with aminoformic acid-9-fluorenylmethylester in ethyl acetate over 4 d with 3.3.3-trifluoropyruvic acid methylester. The mixture is poured into a mixture of diethylether/petroleum benzine and allowed to stand at -20° C. The crystallisate is filtered off and the residue concentrated.-- Yield: (75% of theoretical).-- 1 H-NMR (400 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ=7.81 (d, 2H, fluorenyl-H 1 , 3 J H .H =7.30 Hz), 7.67 (d, 2H, fluorenyl-H 4 , 3 J H .H =7.26 Hz), 7.4 (t, 2H, fluorenyl-H 2 3 J H .H =7.30 Hz), 7.25 (t, 2H, fluorenyl-H 3 , 3 J H .H =7.30), 5.95 (s, 1 H, NH), 4.4 (d, 2H, CH--CH 2 ), 3 J H .H =6.67 Hz), 4.23 (t, 1H, CH--CH 2 , 3 J H .H= 6.67 Hz), 3.86 (s, 3H, CH 3 ).-- 13 C-NMR (75 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ=164.3 (s, COOCH3), 154.0 (s, NH COO), 143.7 (s, fluorenyl-C 6 ), 141.4 (s, fluorenyl-C 5 ), 128.2 (d, fluorenyl-C 1 ) 127.3 (d, fluorenyl-C 4 ), 124.7 (d, fluorenyl-C 3 ), 120.3 (d, fluorenyl-H 2 ), 93.1 (d, NH--C(CF 3 )OH), 67.8 (t, CH--CH 2 ), 54.0 (q, COOCH 3 ), 47.0 (d, CH--CH 2 ).-- 19 F-NMR (376 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ=-79.4 (s, CF 3 ).-- MS (FAB, 3-NBA): m/z=395 (23, [M+H].sup.⊕).
Nα-9-Fmoc-α-(methoxymethyl)oxy-β.β.β-trifluoralanine methylester (LA.2.3)
Empirical Formula (C 21 H 23 NO 4 S)
(PA.2.2) is presented in a mixture of der 10 times the quantity of formaldehyde dimethylacetal and the same quantity of absolute chloroform in the presence of a large excess of phosphorus pentoxide. The reaction mixture is poured into a saturated sodium chloride solution and extracted 2× with ethyl acetate. The organic phase is dried over Na 2 SO 4 and concentrated. The residue is dissolved in ethanol and water is rapidly added. The milky solution is carefully concentrated by half and left at 4° C. over 4 h. The white solid matter is filtered off and dried in HV.-- Yield: (74% of theoretical).-- 1 H-NMR (400 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ=7.81 (d, 2H, fluorenyl-H 1 , 3 J H .H =7.30 Hz), 7.67 (d, 2H, fluorenyl-H 4 , 3 J H .H =7.26 Hz), 7.4 (t, 2H, fluorenyl-H 2 3 J H .H =7.30 Hz), 7.25 (t, 2H,fluorenyl-H 3 , 3 J H .H =7.30), 5.95 (s, 1 H, NH), 5.05 (d, 1 H, O--CH 2 --O, 2 J H .H =7.30 Hz), 4.82 (d,1H, O--CH 2 --O, 2 J H .H =7.30 Hz), 4.4 (`ddd`, 2H, CH--CH 2 , 3 J H .H =6.70 Hz), 4.20 (t, 1H, CH--CH 2 ), 3 J H .H =6.70 Hz), 3.86 (s, 3H, CH 3 ), 3.40 (s, 3H, CH 3 O).-- 13 C-NMR (75 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ=164.3 (s, COOCH 3 ), 154.0 (s, NH--COO), 143.7 (s, fluorenyl-C 6 ), 141.4 (s, fluorenyl-C 5 ), 128.2 (d,fluorenyl-C 1 ), 127.3 (d, fluorenyl-C 4 ), 124.7 (d, fluorenyl-C 3 ), 120.3 (d,fluorenyl-H 2 ), 94.2 (d, NH--C(CF 3 )OH), 77.5 (t, O--CH 2 O), 67.8 (t, CH--CH 2 ), 56.6 (q, CH 3 O), 54.0 (q, COOCH 3 ), 47.0 (d, CH--CH2).-- 19 F-NMR (376 MHz,CDCl 3 ): δ=-80.1 (s, CF 3 ).-- MS (FAB,3-NBA): m/z=395 (23, [M+H].sup.⊕).
Nα-9-Fmoc-α-(methoxymethyl)oxy-β.β.β-trifluoralanine (LA.2.4).sup.(AB)
Empirical Formula (C 20 H 18 F 3 NO 6 )
The carboxylic function of (LA.2.3) was released in acetone/water with catalysis of LiOH. The product was chromatographically isolated RP-C 18 -HPLC.-- Yield: (65% of theoretical).-- 1 H-NMR (400 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ=7.81 (d, 2H,fluorenyl-H 1 , 3 J H .H =7.30 Hz), 7.67 (d, 2H, fluorenyl-H 4 , 3 J H .H =7.26 Hz), 7.4t, 2H, fluorenyl-H 2 , 3 J H .H =7.30 Hz), 7.25 (t, 2H, fluorenyl-H 3 , 3 J H .H =7.30),5.95(s, 1 H, NH), 5.05 (d,1 H, O--CH 2 --O, 2 J H .H =7.30 Hz), 4.82 (d, 1 H, O--CH 2 --O, 2 J H .H =7.30 Hz), 4.4 (`ddd`, 2H, CH--CH 2 ) 3 J H .H =6.70 Hz), 4.20 (t, 1 H, CH--CH 2 ) 3 J H .H =6.70 Hz), 3.40 (s, 3H, CH 3 O).-- 13 C-NMR (75 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ=164.3 (s, COOH), 154.1 (s, NH--COO), 143.7 (s, fluorenyl-C 6 ), 141.4 (s, fluorenyl-C 5 ), 128.2 (d, fluorenyl-C 1 ), 127.3 (d, fluorenyl-C 4 ), 124.7 (d, fluorenyl-C 3 ), 120.3 (d, fluorenyl-H 2 ), 94.2 (d, NH--C(CF 3 )OH), 77.0 (t, O--CH 2 --O), 67.8 (t, CH--CH 2 ), 56.6 (q, CH 3 O), 54.0 (q, COOCH3), 47.0 (d, CH--CH 2 ).-- 19 F-NMR (376 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ=-79.4 (s, CF 3 )--MS (FAB, 3-NBA): m/z=426 (23, [M+H].sup.⊕).
H-Lys(Boc)-Phe-Phe-α-rac-methoxy-β.-trifluoralanine-βalanin SEQ ID NO: 3 (LA.2.1).sup.(MV)
Empirical Formula (C 37 H 42 F 3 N 6 O 10 )
According to general peptide synthesis methods, (LA.2.1) is built up on an o-chlorotrityl-functionalised resin and und separated as a protected peptide according to known methods.-- MS (FAB): M/Z (3-NBA)=789 ([M+H].sup.⊕).
Application
Treatment with 95% TFA/2.5% TIBS/2.5% water leads to simultaneous deprotection of the BOC protective group of the lysyl residue and of the hydroxyl function of the N.O-acetal. This deprotected peptide decomposes in the desired way into the peptidamide by treatment with buffer system (a) to (g). Reaction takes place within 15 min. At 50° C.
SYNTHESIS PATH A/EXAMPLE 3
H-Lys(Boc)-Phe-Phe-α-rac-(alkoxymethyl)oxyglycyl-βAla SEQ ID NO: 4 (LA.3.1).sup.(MV)
Structure ##STR7## R 1 : H-Lys(Boc)-Phe-Phe--R 2 : CO-βAla-OH
R 3 : H
X: O
Y: Alkoxymethyl
Different protective groups, based on an acetalic structure, were introduced into the underlying anchor block. The stability of the protected N.O-acetal with free amino function is so low that the protected N.O-Acetal to a large extent decomposes during the basic division of the Fmoc protective group before it can be brought to react with the following amino acid residue. Only traces of the desired model compound (LA.3.1) can be isolated. The tests are carried out both in solution with the corresponding benzyl esters and also on the solid carrier with the aid of the anchor blocks. These compounds and the corresponding anchor blocks are recorded for the sake of completeness.
SYNTHESIS PATH
N.sup.α -9-Fmoc-α-(methoxymethyl)oxy-glycinebenzylester (LA.3.2)
Empirical Formula (C 21 H 23 NO 4 S)
Similarly to (LA.2.3), (LA.3.2) is synthesised from (LA.1.3).-- Yield: 1.85 g (92% of theoretical).-- 1 H-NMR (400 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ=7.81 (d, 2H, fluorenyl-H 1 ), 3 J H .H =7.30 Hz), 7.67 (d, 2H, fluorenyl-H 4 , 3 J H .H =7.26 Hz), 7.4-7.2 (m, 9H, fluorenyl-H 2 .3 /phenyl-H), 5.95 (d, 1 H, NH, 3 J H .H =7.31 Hz), 5.47 (d, 1H, NH--CHOH, 3 J H .H =7.31 Hz), 5.23 (s, 2H COOCH 2 ), 4.95 (d, 1H, O--CH 2 --O, 2 J H .H =7.26 Hz), 4.82 (d, 1H, O--CH 2 --O, 2 J H .H =7.24 Hz), 4.4 (`m` (dt), 2H, CH--CH2), 3 J H .H =6.67 Hz), 4.23 (t, 1H, CH--CH 2 , 3 J H .H =6.67 Hz), 3.40 (s, 3H, CH 3 O).-- 13 C-NMR (75 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ=168.5 (s, COOH), 154.2 (s, NH--COO), 143.7 (s, fluorenyl-C 6 ), 141.4 (s, fluorenyl-C 5 ), 135.2 (s, phenyl-H),128.57/128.4/128.1/127.1/125.1/120.0(d, fluorenyl-C/phenyl-C), 78.4 (d, NH--CHOR), 77.0 (t, O--CH 2 --O), 67.2 (t, COO--CH 2 ), 67.1 (t CH--CH 2 ), 57.2 (q, CH 3 O), 47.1 (d, CH--CH 2 ).-- MS (FAB,3-NBA): m/z 405 (28, [M+H].sup.⊕).
N(.sup.α -9-Fmoc-α-(methoxymethyl)oxy-glycin (LA.3.3).sup.(AB)
Empirical Formula (C 21 H 23 NO 4 S)
Similarly to (LA.1.5), (LA.3.3) is synthesised from (LA.3.2). Yield: 1.85 g (92% of theor.).-- 1 H-NMR (400 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ=7.81 d, 2H, fluorenyl-H 1 , 3 J H .H =7.30 Hz), 7.67 (d, 2H, fluorenyl-H 4 , 3 J H .H =7.26 Hz), 7.42 (t, 2H) fluorenyl-H 2 , 3 J H .H =7.30 Hz), 7.25 (t (fine division d), 2H, fluorenyl-H 3 , 3 J H .H =7.30), 5.87 (d, 1H, NH), 5.47 (d, 1 H, NH--CHOH), 4.94 (d, 1 H, O--CH 2 --O, 2 J H .H =7.20 Hz), 4.75 (d, 1H, O--CH 2 --0, 2 J H .H =7.20 Hz), 4.4 (`m`, 2H, CH--CH 2 3 J H .H =6.67 Hz), 4.23 (t, 1H, CH--CH 2 , 3 J H .H =6.67 Hz), 3.40 (s, 3H, CH 3 O).-- 13 C-NMR (100 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ=168.5 (s, COOH), 154.2 (s, NH--COO), 143.7 (s, fluorenyl-C 6 ), 141.4 (s, fluorenyl-C 5 ), 128.2 (d, fluorenyl C 1 ), 127.3 (d, fluorenyl-C 4 ), 124.7 (d, fluorenyl-C 3 ), 120.3 (d, fluorenyl-H 2 ), 78.4 (d, NH--CHOH), 77.0 (t, O--CH 2 --O), 67.1 (t CH--CH 2 ), 54.1 (q, CH 3 O), 47.1 (d, CH--CH 2 ).-- MS (FAB, 3-NBA): m/z=370 (37, [M+H].sup.⊕).
N.sup.α -9-Fmoc-α-(methoxyethoxymethyl)oxy-glycinebenzylester (LA.3.4)
Empirical Formula (C 21 H 23 NO 4 S)
(LA.3.4)is synthesized from (LA.1.3) by conversion with methoxyethoxymethylchloride (Fluka) with catalysis by 1.0 eq. Ethyl diisopropylamine in DCM. Yield: 1.85 g (92% of theor.).-- 1 H-NMR (400 MHz, CDCl 3 ):δ=7.81 (d, 2H fluorenyl-H 4 , 3 J H .H =7.30 Hz), 7.67 (d, 2H, fluorenyl-H 4 , 3 J H .H =7.26 Hz), 7.4-7.2 (m, 9H, fluorenyl-H 2 .3 /phenyl-H), 5.87 (d, 1H, NH), 5.47 (d, 1H, NH CHOH), 5.23 (`d`, 2H, COOCH 2 ), 4.94 (d, 1 H, O--CH 2 --O, 2 J H .H =7.20 Hz), 4.75 (d, 1 H, O--CH 2 --O, 2 J H .H =7.20 Hz), 4.4 (`m`, 2H, CH--CHhd 2, 3 J H .H =6.67 Hz),4.23 (t, 1 H, CH--CH 2 ), 3 J H .H =6.67 Hz), 3.85 (AB-t, 4H, CH 2 --CH 2 ), 3.40 (s, 3H,CH 3 O).-- 13 C-NMR (100 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ=166.7 (s, COOH), 155.4 (s, NH--COO), 143.6 (s, fluorenyl-C 6 ), 141.4 (s, fluorenyl-C 5 ), 134.7 (s, phenyl-H), 128.5-120.0 (5 signals) (d, fluorenyl-H/phenyl-H), 78.9 (d, NH--CHOH), 77.0 (t, O--CH 2 --O), 67.9 (t, CH--CH2), 67.5 (t, COO--CH2), 67.4 (t, CH2--CH 2 ), 46.9 (d, CH--CH 2 ), 30.9 (q, CH 3 O).-- MS (FAB, 3-NBA): m/z=370 (37, [M+H].sup.⊕).
N.sup.α -9-Fmoc-α-(trimethylsilylethoxymethyl)oxy-glycinebenzylester (LA.3.5)
Empirical Formula (C 21 H 23 NO 4 S)
(LA.3.4)is synthesized from (LA.1,3) by conversion with trimethylsilylethoxymethylchloride (Fluka) with catalysis by 1.0 eq. ethyldiisopropylamine in DCM/DMF=6/1.-- Yield: 1.85 g (92% of theoretical).-- 1 H-NMR (400 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ=7.81 (d, 2H, fluorenyl-H 1 , 3 J H .H =7.30 Hz), 7.67 (d, 2H,fluorenyl-H 4 , 3 J H .H =7.26 Hz),7.4-7.2 (m, 9H, fluorenyl-H 2 .3 /phenyl-H), 5.87 (d,1H,NH), 5.47 (d,1H,NH--CHOH), 5.24 (`d`,2H,COOCH 2 ), 4.94 (d,1H,O--CH 2 --O, 2 J H .H =7.20 Hz), 4.75 (d,1H,O--CH 2 --O, 2 J H .H =7.20 Hz), 4.4(`m`, 2H, CH--CH 2 , 3 J H .H =6.67 Hz), 3.82 (AB-t, 4H, CH 2 --CH 2 ), 4.23 (t, 1 H, CH--CH 2 3 J H .H =6.67 Hz), 0.1 (s, 3H, Si(CH 3 ) 3 ).-- 13 C-NMR (100 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ=166.7 (s, COOH), 155.4 (s, NH--COO), 143.6 (s, fluorenyl-C 6 ), 141.4 (s, flourenyl-C 5 ), 134.7 (s, phenyl-H), 128.5-120.0 (5 signals) (d, fluorenyl-H/phenyl-H), 78.9 (d, NH--CHOH), 77.0 (t, COO--CH 2 --O), 67.9 (t, CH--CH 2 ), 67.4 (t, CH 2 --CH 2 ), 67.2 (t, COO--CH 2 ), 46.9 (d, CH--CH 2 ), 2.0 (q, Si(CH 3 ) 3 ).-- MS (FAB, 3-NBA): m/z=370 (37, [M+H].sup.⊕).
N.sup.α -9-Fmoc-α-(trimethylsilylethoxymethyl)oxy-glycine (LA.3.6) (AB)
Empirical Formula (C 21 H 23 NO 4 S)
Similarly to (LA.2.3), (LA.3.2) is synthesised from (LA.1.3).-- Yield: 1.85 g (96% of th.).-- 1 H-NMR (400 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ=7.81 d, 2H, fluorenyl-H 1 , 3 J H .H =7.30 Hz), 7.67 (d, 2H, fluorenyl-H 4 , 3 J H .H =7.26 Hz), 7.42 (t, 2H, fluorenyl-H 2 , 3 J H .H =7.30 Hz), 7.25 (t (fine division d), 2H, fluorenyl-H 3 , 3 J H .H =7.30), 5.87 (d, 1H, NH), 5.47 (d, 1H, NH--CHOH), 4.94 (d, 1H, O--CH 2 --O, 2 J H .H =7.20 Hz), 4.75 (d, 1 H, O--CH 2 --O, 2 J H .H =7.20 Hz), 4.4 (`m`, 2H, CH--CH 2 , 3 J H .H =6.67 Hz), 3.82 (AB-t, 4H, CH2--CH2), 4.23 (t, 1H, CH--CH 2 , 3 J H .H =6.67 Hz), 0.1 (s, 3H, Si(CH 3 ) 3 ).-- 13 C-NMR (100 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ=168.5 (s, COOH), 154.2 (s, NH--COO), 143.7 (s, fluorenyl-C 6 ), 141.4 (s, fluorenyl-C 5 ), 128.2 (d, fluorenyl-C 1 ), 127.3 (d, fluorenyl-C 4 ), 124.7 (d, fluorenyl-C 3 ), 120.3 (d, fluorenyl-H 2 ), 78.9 (d, NH--CHOH), 77.0 (t, O--CH 2 --O), 67.9 (t, CH--CH2), 67.4 (t,CH 2 --CH 2 ), 46.9 (d, CH--CH 2 ), 2.0 (q, Si(CH 3 ) 3 ).
SYNTHESIS PATH A/EXAMPLE 4
H-Lys(Boc)-Phe-Phe-α-rac-tert-butyl-dimethylsilyloxyglycyl-βAla SEQ ID NO: 5 (LA.4.1)
Structure ##STR8## R 1 : H-Lys(Boc)-Phe-Phe--R 2 : CO-βAla-OH
R 3+ : H
X: O
Y: tert-butyldimethylsilyl
N.sup.α -9-Fmoc-α-tert-butyl-dimethylsilyloxy-glycinebenzylester (LA.4.2)
Empirical Formula (C 30 H 35 NO 5 Si)
100 mg (25 10-5 mol) (LA.1.3) and 52.5 mg (37.5 10-5 mol) tert-butyldimethyisilyl chloride are dissolved in a mixture of 2 ml absolute DMF und 2 ml dichloromethane, while heating. 42.2 μl ethyldiisopropylamine are added and refluxed for 12 h. The product is chromatograpically isolated according to usual procedures RP-Ci,-HPLC.-- Yield: 84 mg (63-67% of theor.).-- 1 H-NMR (400 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ=7.81 (d, 2H, fluorenyl-H 1 , 3 J H .H =7.30 Hz), 7.67 (d, 2H, fluorenyl-H 4 3 J H .H =7.26 Hz), 7.4-7.2 (m, 9H, fluorenyl-H 2 .3 /phenyl-H), 5.95 (d, 1H, NH), 5.47 (d, 1 H, NH--CHOH), 5.23 (`d`, 2H COOCH 2 ), 4.4 (`m` (dt), 2H, CH--CH 2 ), 3 J H .H =6.67 Hz), 4.23 (t, 1H, CH--CH2, 3 J H .H =6.67 Hz), 0.85 (s, 9H, SiC(CH 3 ) 3 ), 0.15 (`d, 6H, Si(CH 3 ) 2 ).-- 13 C-NMR (75 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ=168.5 (s, COOH), 154.2 (s, NH--COO), 143.7 (s, fluorenyl-C 6 ), 141.4 (s, fluorenyl-C 5 ), 135.2 (s, phenyl-H), 128.57/128.4/128.1/127.1/125.1/120.0 (d, fluorenyl-C/phenyl-C), 78.4 (d, NH--CHOH), 70.1 (S, SiC(CH 3 ) 3 ), 67.2 (t, COO--CH 2 ), 67.1 (t CH--CH 2 ), 47.1 (d, CH--CH 2 ), 25.2 (q, C(CH 3 ) 3 ), 4.0 (q, Si(CH 3 ) 2 ).-- MS (FAB, 3-NBA): m/z=461 (27, [M+H].sup.⊕).
N.sup.α 9-Fmoc-α-tert-butyl-dimethyisilyloxy-glycine (LA.4.3).sup.(AB)
Empirical Formula (C 23 H 29 NO 5 Si)
Similarly to (LA.1.5), (LA.4.2) is treated in the presence of Pd/activated carbon in ethyl acetate/EtOH in a hydrogen flow. Yield: 570 mg (92% of theor.; dichloromethane/petroleum benzine).-- 1 H-NMR (400 Mhz, CDCl 3 ): δ=7.81 (d, 2H, fluorenyl-H 1 , 3 J H .H =7.30 Hz), 7.67 (d, 2H, fluorenyl-H 4 , 3 J H .H =7.26 Hz), 7.4-7.2 (m, 9H, fluorenyl-H 2 .3 /phenyl-H), 5.95 (d, 1H, NH), 5.47 (d, 1H, NH--CHOH), 5.23 (`d`, 2H COOCH 2 ), 4.4 (`m` (dt), 2H, CH--CH 2 ), 3 J H .H =6.67 Hz), 4.23 (t, 1H, CH--CH 2 , 3 J H .H =6.67 Hz), 0.85 (s, 9H, SiC(CH 3 ) 3 ), 0.15 (`d`, 6H, Si(CH 3 ) 2 ).-- 13 C-NMR (75 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ=168.5 (s, COOH), 154.2 (s, NH--COO), 143.7 (s, fluorenyl-C 6 ), 141.4 (s,fluorenyl-C 5 ),135.2(s,phenyl-H), 128.57/128.4/128.1/127.1/125.1/120.0(d,fluorenyl-C/phenyl-C), 78.4 (d, N H--CHOH), 69.9 (s, SiC(CH 3 ) 3 ), 67.2 (t, COO--CH 2 ), 67.1 (t CH--CH 2 ), 47.1 (d, CH--CH 2 ), 28.2 (q, C(CH 3 ) 3 ), 4.0 (q, Si(CH 3 ) 2 ).-- MS (FAB, 3-NBA): m/z=461 (27, [M+H].sup.⊕).
H-Lys(Boc)-Phe-Phe-α-rac-(TBDMS)oxyglycyl-βAla-OH SEQ ID NO:6 (LA.4.1).sup.(MV)
Empirical Formula (C 40 H 52 N 6 O 9 Si)
The protected peptide (LA.4.1) is built up according to normal peptide synthesis conditions on an o-chlorotrityl-functionalized resin, using (LA.4.3), and divided from the carrier as usual. The amino function of the protected N.O-acetals is here released with 10% morpholine/5% triethylammonium chloride/DMF.-- MS (FAB, 3-NBA): m/z=788 (27, [M+H].sup.⊕).
Application
The protected peptide (LA.4.1) displays total stability against 20% piperidine/DMF (shown by quantitative UV/VIS-analysis of the individual coupling steps, and by treatment of the protected peptide (LA.4.1)in solution with 20% piperidine/DMF). After division of the hydroxyl protective group according to usual procedures (and simultaneously the Boc protective group of the lysyl residue), the deprotected peptide is treated with buffer system (a), (b) and (g). The deprotected model compound decomposes in the desired way into the peptidamide H-Lys-Phe-Phe-NH 2 .
SYNTHESIS PATH A/EXAMPLE 5
H-Lys(Boc)-Phe-Phe-α-rac-ethylthio-glycyl-βAla-OH SEQ ID NO: 7 (LA.5.1)
Structure ##STR9## R 1 : H-Lys(Boc)-Phe-Phe--R 2 : CO-βAla-OH
R 3 : H
X: S
Y: Ethyl--
SYNTHESIS PATH
N.sup.α -9-Fmoc-α-ethylthio-glycin (LA.5.2).sup.(AB)
Empirical Formula (C 20 H 21 NO 4 S)
522 mg (1.67 10 -3 mol) (LA.1.2) are suspended in 1.66 ml glacial acetic acid and und 619 μl (6.@ 7 10 -3 mol) ethylmercaptan and 166 μl conc. Sulphuric acid are successively added at 0° C. It is stirred for 1 h at 0° C. and 24 h at RT, the reaction mixture is poured into iced water and extracted 3× with 100 ml ethyl acetate. The organic phase is neutrally washed with saturated NaCl solution dried over Na 2 SO 4 dried and concentrated. The oily residue is dissolved in a little DCM and crystallised by the addition of petroleum benzine as a solid white material, by lengthy standing at -20° C. Yield:570 mg (87% of theor.).-- 1 H-NMR (400 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ=7.81 (d, 2H, fluorenyl-H 1 , 3 J H .H =7.30 Hz), 7.67 (d, 2H, fluorenyl H 1 , 3 J H .H =7.26 Hz), 7.4(t, 2H, fluorenyl-H×JH.H=7.30 Hz), 7.25 (t, 2H, fluorenyl-H 3 , 3 J H .H =7.30), 5.95 (d, 1H, NH), 5.47 (d, 1H, NH--CHOH), 4.40 (d, 2H, CH--CH 2 3 J H .H =6.67 Hz), 4.23 (t, 1 H, CH--CH2) 3 J H .H =6.67 Hz), 2.55 (q, 2H, S--CH 2 ), 1.23 (t, 3H,CH 3 ).-- 13 C-NMR (75 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ=168.9 (s, COOH), 154.7 (s, NH--COO), 143.7 (s, fluorenyl-C 6 ), 141. 4 (s, f luorenyl-C 5 ), 128.2 (d, fluorenyl-C 1 ), 127.3 (d, fluorenyl-C 4 ), 124.7 (d, fluorenyl-C 3 ), 120.3 (d, fluorenyl-H 2 ), 78.9 (d, NH--CHOH), 68.1 (t, CH--CH2), 46.8 (d, CH--CH 2 ), 27.4 (t, S--CH 2 ), 15.2 (q, CH 3 ).-- MS (FAB, 3-NBA): m/z=315 (23, [M+H].sup.⊕).
H-Lys(Boc)-Phe-Phe-α-rac-ethylthio-glycyl-βAla-OH SEQ ID NO: 7 (LA.5.1).sup.(MV)
Empirical Formula (C 36 H 42 N 6 O 8 S)
The protected model peptide (LA.5.1) was synthesised on o-chlorotrityl-functionalised polystyrol in stages using the linker block (LA.5.2). The amino function on the linker block (LA.5.2) is deprotected with 20% piperidine/DMF. Cleaning is effected chromatograpically RP-C 18 -HPLC. Both diastereomers are chromatographically separable.-- MS (FAB) m/z (3-NBA)=718 ([M+H].sup.⊕).
Appplication
During synthesis of the protected peptide (LA.5.1), the N.S=acetal deprotected on nitrogen and protected at the thiol function was passed through. This is stable against 20% piperidine/DMF and can be brought to reaction with the following amino acid derivate without appreciable disruption of the N.S-acetal structure. The peptide (LA.5.1) split from the resin was in addition treated with the splitting reagent fro 24 h. No alteration in the educt is observed. Treatment of (LA.5.1) with 95% TFA/2.5% TIBS/2.5% H 2 O leads to splitting of the Boc protective group in the lysin residue. Under these conditions the thiol function of the N.S-acetal remains protected. The partially deprotected peptide is treated with an excess of 2% aqueous Hg-II-chloride together with 10% aqueous acetic acid. These conditions lead to transfer of the N.S-acetal into an N.O-acetal. This is stable under acidic aqueous conditions. The N.O-acetal thus presented decomposes in the desired way into the peptidamide H-LysPhe-Phe-NH 2 under neutral aqueous conditions within minutes at 50° C. and about 15 min. At RT (buffer system: a,b,f,g). Thus (LA.5.2) is suitable as a linker block in the proposed way.
SYNTHESIS PATH A/EXAMPLE 6
H-Lys(Boc)-Phe-Phe-α-rac-iso-propylthio-glycyl-βAla-OH SEQ ID NO: 8 (LA.6.1)
Structure ##STR10## R 1 : H-Lys(Boc)-Phe-Phe--R 2 : CO-βAla-OH
R 3 : H
X: S
Y: iso-Propyl--
SYNTHESIS PATH ps N.sup.α -9-Fmoc-α-isopropylthio-glycin (LA.6.2).sup.(AB)
Empirical Formula (C 20 H 21 NO 4 S)
Similarly to (LA.5.2), (LA.6.2) was obtained proceeding from (LA.1.2) by conversion with isopropylmercaptan. Yield: 613 mg (93% of th.; dichloromethane/petroleum benzine).-- 1 H-NMR (400 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ=7.81 (d, 2H,fluorenyl-H 1 , 3 J H .H =7.30 Hz), 7.67 (d, 2H, fluorenyl-H 4 , 3 J H .H =7.26 Hz), 7.4 (t, 2H, fluorenyl-H 2 , 3 J H .H =7.30 Hz), 7.25 (t, 2H, fluorenyl-H 3 , 3 J H .H =7.30), 5.95 (d, 1H, NH), 5.47 (d, 1H, NH--CHOH), 4.40 (d, 2H, CH--CH 2 , 3 J H .H =6.67 Hz), 4.23 (t, 1H, CH--CH 2 , 3 J H .H =6.67 Hz), 3.11 (heptett, 1H, S--CH), 1.24 (d, 6H, S--CH(CH 3 ) 2 ).-- 13 C-NMR (75 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ=168.9 (s, COOH), 154.7 (s, NH--COO), 143.7 (s, fluorenyl-C 6 ), 141.4 (s, fluorenyl-C 5 ), 128.2 (d, fluorenyl-C 1 ), 127.3 (d, fluorenyl-C 4 ), 124.7 (d, fluorenyl-C 3 ), 120.3 (d, fluorenyl-H 2 ), 78.9 (d, NH--CHOH), 68.1 (t, CH--CH2), 46.8 (d, CH--CH 2 ), 34.1 (d, S--CH), 15.2 (q, CH 3 ).-- MS (FAB, 3-NBA): m/z=315 (23, [M+H].sup.⊕
H-Lys(Boc)-Phe-Phe-α-rac-iso-propylthio-glycyl-βAla-OH SEQ ID NO: 8 (LA.6.1).sup.(MV)
Empirical Formula (C 37 H 44 N 6 O 8 S)
Build-up was by common methods on an o-chlorotrityl-derivatised polystyrol resin.-- MS (FAB): M/Z (3-NBA)=732 (14, [M+H].sup.⊕
Application
Tests on the model compound (LA.6.1) are carried out in the same way as with the model compound (LA.5.1) (see above). The model compound with protected thiol function of the N.S-acetal displays, during synthesis and in tests in solution, total stability against the reagent 20% piperidine/DMF. The unprotected N.O-acetal formed after treatment with mercurous salts (see above)decomposes in aqueous, neutral solution into the desired peptidamide.
SYNTHESIS PATH A/EXAMPLE 7
H-Lys(Boc)-Phe-Phe-α-rac-tert-butylthio-glycyl-βAla-OH SEQ ID NO: 9 (LA.7.1)
Structure ##STR11## R 1 : H-Lys(Boc)-Phe-Phe--R 2 : CO-βAla-OH
R 3 : H
X: S
Y: tert-butyl
SYNTHESIS PATH
N.sup.α -9-Fmoc-α-rac-tert-butylthio-glycine (LA.7.2).sup.(AB)
Empirical Formula (C 21 H 23 NO 4 S)
(LA.7.2) was obtained, similarly to (LA.5.2), proceding from (LA.7.2) by conversion with tert-butylmercaptan. Yield: 612 m (92% of th.; dichloromethane/petroleum benzine).-- 1 H-NMR (400 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ=7.81 (d, 2H,fluorenyl-H 1 , 3 J H .H =7.30 Hz), 7.67 (d, 2H, Fluorenyl'H 4 , 3 J H .H =7.26 Hz), 7.4 (t, 2H, fluorenyl-H 2 , 3 J H .H =7.30 Hz), 7.25 (t, 2H, fluorenyl-H 3 , 3 J H .H =7.30),5.95 (d,1H,NH),5.47(d, 1H, NH--CHOH), 4.40 (d, 2H, CH--CH 2 , 3 J H .H =6.67 Hz), 4.23 (t, 1 H, CH--CH 2 ), 3 J H .H =6.67 Hz), 1.25 (s, 9H, S--C(CH 3 ) 3 ).-- 13 C-NMR (75 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ=168.9 (s, COOH), 154.7 (s, NH--COO), 143.7 (s, fluorenyl-C 6 ), 141.4 (s, fluorenyl-C 5 ), 128.2 (d, fluorenyl-C 1 ), 127.3 (d, fluorenyl-C 4 ), 124.7 (d, fluorenyl-C 3 ), 120.3 (d, fluorenyl-H 2 ), 78.9 (d, NH--CHOH), 68.1 (t, CH--CH 2 ), 46.8 (d, CH--CH 2 ), 37.3 (d, S-G(CH 3 ) 3 ), 15.2 (q, S--C(CH 3 ) 3 ).-- MS (FAβ, 3-NBA): m/z=315 (23, [M+H].sup.⊕).
H-Lys(Boc)-Phe-Phe-α-rac-tert-butylthio-glycyl-βalanin SEQ ID NO: 10 (LA. 7.1).sup.(MV)
Empirical Formula (C 38 H 46 N 6 O 8 S)
(LA.7.1) was built up according to general peptide synthesis methods in stages, using (LA.7.2) on an o-chlorotrityl-derivatised on a polyotyrene resin.-- The amino function of the protected N.S-acetal was released by treatment with 20% piperidine/DMF.-- MS (FAβ): M/Z (3-NBA) 746 ([M+H].sup.⊕).
Application
Tests on the model compound (LA.7.1) are effected in the same way as on the model compound (LA.5.1) (see above).The model compound with protected thiol function of the N.S-acetal displays, during synthesis and in tests in solution, stability against the reagent 20% piperidin/DMF.The unprotected N.O-acetal (see above), formed after treatment with mercurous salts, decomposes in an aqueous neutral solution into the desired peptidamide. The underlying N.S-acetal 15% with free thiol function can be released with the reagent trifluoromethane sulphonic acid/80% trifluoroacetic acid/2.5% TIBS/2.5% water, and chromatographically isolated (indication viaMS-FAB). The deprotected N.S-acetal decomposes by treatment with buffer system (b) and (g) within 20 min. In the desired way into the peptidamide H-Lys-Phe-Phe-NH 2 .
Anchor Group for N.sup.α Boc/Bzl-Solid-Phase Peptide Synthesis
SYNTHESIS PATH A 1 EXAMPLE 8
H-Lys(Boc)-Phe-Phe-α-rac-tert-butylthio-glycyl-βAla-TentaGel SEQ ID NO: 11 (LA.8.1)
Structure ##STR12## R 1 : H-Lys(Boc)-Phe-Phe--R 2 : CO-βAla-OH
R 3 : H
X: S
Y: tert-butyl
SYNTHESIS PATH
N.sup.α -Boc-α-rac-hydroxy-glycin (LA.8.2).sup.(AB)
Empirical Formula (C 21 H 23 NO 4 S)
Similarly to (LA.1.2), (LA.8.2) was obtained proceeding from aminoformic acid-tert-butylester by conversion with 2.5 eq. Glyoxalic acid in diethylether/THF=2:3. Yield: 87% of theoretical; white solid matter/petroleum benzine.-- 1 H-NMR (400 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ=5.27 (s, br, 1H, NH--CH--OH), 1.41 (s, 9H, C(CH 3 ) 3 ).-- 13 C-NMR (100 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ=175.5 (s, COOH), 154.7 (s, NH--COO), 81.1 (s,C(CH 3 ) 3 ), 54.1 (d, NH--CH--OH), 32.2 (q, C(CH 3 ) 3 ).
N.sup.α -Boc-α-rac-tert-butylthio-glycine (LA.8.3).sup.(AB)
Empirical Formula (C 21 H 23 NO 4 S)
Similarly to (LA.7.2), (LA.8.3) was obtained proceeding from (LA.8.2) by conversion with 4 eq. Tert-butylmercaptan in glacial acetic acid (RZ=3 d). Yield: 56% of th.; white solid matter, dichloromethane/petroleum benzine, -20° C. (14 d)).--Smp.:101° C.; 1 H-NMR (400 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ=5.27 (s, br, 1 H, NH--CH--OH), 1.47 (s, gH, sc(CH 3 ) 3 ), 1.41 (s, 9H, NHCOOC(CH 3 ) 3 ).-- 13 C-NMR (100 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ=175.4 (s, COOH), 154.3 (s, NH--COO), 81.5 (s,C(CH 3 )), 54.1 (d, NH--CH--OH), 46.3 (s, SC(CH 3 ) 3 ), 32.2 (q, C(CH 3 ) 3 ), 28.1 (q, C(CH 3 ) 3 ).
H-Lys(Boc)-Phe-Phe-α-rac-tert-butylthio-glycyl-βAla-TentaGel SEQ ID NO: 11 (LA.8.1).sup.(MV)
Empirical Formula (C 38 H 46 N 6 O 8 S)
(LA.8.1) was built up according to the general peptide synthesis methods of Boc Boc SPPS and Fmoc SPPS in stages, using (LA.8.3) on an ethylene glycol-styrol graft polymer (TentaGel S Amine).-- In addition the solid-phase carrier was functionalised with Fmoc-βAla-OH, activating with DIC/HOBt according to the methods of Fmoc SPPS, and the amino function was released with 20% piperidine (charge 0.24 mmol/g). (LA.8.3) was coupled into DMF, activating DIC/HOBt, the solid-phase carrier successively washed with DMF and DCM, and the amino function deprotected with 55% TFA/DCM (2.5% TIBS, 2.5% water) (20 min.). The solid-phase carrier is again washed with DCM and Boc-Phe-OH coupled by activating DIC/HOBt in DCM, adding 1 eq. DIEA (30 min.). The reagents are removed by washing with DCM and the amino function deprotected with 55% TFA/DCM (2.5% TIBS, 2.5% water). Renewed coupling of Boc-Phe-OH and release of the amino function are effected. Fmoc-Lys(Boc)--OH is coupled by activation of DIC/HOBt into DMF,and the charge on the carrier material determined by quantitative division from Fmoc(0.23 mmol/g). The carrier material is washed with DCM and the peptide sequence deprotected with 95% TFA/5% TFMSA (2.5% TIBS, 2.5% water). After 3 washings each with MeOH/water=1:1 (1% HCl) und 1M ACOH, the carrier material is dried in HV for 6 h and the peptide H-Lys-Phe-Phe-NH2 eluted with 10 mM KH 2 PO 4 /Na 2 HPO 4 (pH 7.5) at 37° C. (homogeneous according to RP-C18-HPLC and MALDI-TOF-MS (matrix sinapic acid).
SYNTHESIS PATH B/EXAMPLE 1
N.sup.α Ac-Phe-α-methoxy-glycinmethylester (LB.1.1).sup.(MV)
Structure ##STR13## R 1 : Ac-Phe--R 2 : COOCH3
R 3 : H
X: O
Y: CH3
SYNTHESIS PATH
N.sup.α -Acetyl-L-phenylalanyl-α-rac-hydroxy-glycin (LB.1.2)
Empirical Formula (C 13 H 16 N 2 O 5 )
103.1 mg (50 10 -5 mol) N.sup.α -acetyl-phenylalanylamide are stirred together with 92 mg (100 10 -5 mol) glyoxalis acid hydrate in 5 ml absolute dioxane at RT over 2 d. The reaction mixture from the diastereomeric compounds (LB.1.2) is concentrated and RP-C 18 -HPLC chromatographically separated.-- Yield: 131 mg (94% of th.).-- 1 H-NMR (400 MHz, D 2 O): δ=7.40-7.15 (m,5H, phenyl-H), 5.59 (d, 1H, NH--CH--OH), 4.61 (m, 1H, NH--CH--CO), 3.10 (AB-q, 1H, CH 2 --C 6 H 5 ) 3 J H .H =6.7 Hz, 2 J H .H =14.0 Hz), 2.95 (AB-q, 1H, CH 2 --C 6 H 5 , 3 J H .H =6.7 Hzy 2 J H .H =14.0 Hz), 2.10 (s, 3H, CH 3 ).-- 13 C-NMR (75 MHz, D 2 O):δ=174.8 (s, CH 3 --CO), 174.2 (s,COOH), 173.16/172.97.sup.[dia] (s, CO--NH),137.2 (s, phenyl-H), 130.0 (d, phenyl-H), 129.5 (d, phenyl-H), 127.9 (d,phenyl-H), 123.5 (s, phenyl-H), 72.1 (d, NH--CHOH), 55.8/55.7.sup.[dia] (d, NH--CH--CO), 37.8/37.7.sup.[dia] (t, CH 2 --C 6 H 5 ), 22.4 (q, CH 3 ).
N.sup.α -Acetyl-L-phenylalanyl-α-rac-methoxy-glycinemethylester (LB.1.1).sup.(MV)
Empirical Formula (C 15 H 20 N 2 O 5 )
Similarly to (PA.1.3), 70.1 mg (25 10-5 mol) (LB.1.2) is converted in methanol. Yield: 65 mg (88% of th./colourless oil).-- 1 H-NMR (400 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ=7.40-7.15 (m, 5H, phenyl-H), 5.59 (d, 1H, NH--CH--OH), 4.61 (m, 1H, NH--CH--CO), 3.81 (s, 3H, CH 3 ), 3.42 (s, 3H, CH 3 ), 3.10 (AB-q, 1H, CH 2 C 6 H 5 ) 3 J H .H =6.7 Hz, 2 J H .H =14.0 Hz), 2.95 (AB-q, 1H, CH 2 --C 6 H 5 , 3 J H .H =6.7 Hz, 2 J H .H =14.0 Hz, 2.10 (s, 3H, CH 3 ).-- 13 C-NMR (75 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ=174.8 (s, CH 3 --CO), 174.2 (s, COOH), 173.16/172.97.sup.[dia] (s, CO--NH), 137.2 (s, phenyl-H), 130.05 (d, phenyl-H), 129.5 (d, phenyl-H), 127.5 (d, phenyl-H), 72.1 (d, NH-CHOH), 55.7/55.6.sup.[dia] (d, NH--CH--CO), 37.8/37.7.sup.[dia] (t, CH 2 --C 6 H 5 ), 22.4 (q, CH 3 ).-- MS (FAB): m/z=309 (15, [M+H].sup.⊕).
Application
The stability of (LB.1.1) was tested in 20% piperidine-DMF (usual conditions of sysnthesis on R 1 in the course of N.sup.α -Fmoc/tBu-solid-phase peptide synthesis) at RT over 2 d. (LB.1.1) shows total stability under these conditions. After release of the hydroxyl function of the N.O-acetal, the reaction product is treated with buffer system (a) and (b) at RT (decomposition after 20 min.), 37° C. (decomposotion after 5 min.). In all cases the N.O-acetal with free hydroxyl function decomposes rapidly and quantitatively into the desired Ac-Phe-NH 2 .
SYNTHESIS PATH B/EXAMPLE 2
H-Lys(Boc)-Phe-Phe-α-rac-alkyl/arylthio-glycyl-βAla-OH SEQ ID NO: 12 (LB.2.1)
Structure ##STR14## R 1 : H-Lys(Boc)-Phe-Phe--R 2 : CO-βAla-OH
R 3 : H
X: S
Y: alkyl-/aryl--
SYNTHESIS PATH
N.sup.α -9-Fmoc-L-phenylalaninamide (LB.2.2)
Empirical Formula (C 24 H 22 N 2 O 3 )
There is slowly instilled into a solution of phenylalanylamide in dioxane/10% Na 2 CO 3 a solution of chloroformic acid-9-fluoreneylmethylester in dioxand at 0° C. The solution is stirred for a further ih at 0° C., then for a further 15 h at RT. The solid matter is suction-filtered off, wasged with water and petroleum benzine and dried in high vacuum. Yield: (98% of th.).-- 1 H-NMR (400 MHz, DMSO-d 6 ): δ=7.81 (d, 2H, fluorenyl-H 1 , 3 J H .H =7.30 Hz),7.67 (`m`, 2H, fluorenyl-H 4 , 3 J H .H =7.26 Hz), 7.40-7.15 (m, 9H, fluorenyl-H/phenyl-H), 6.1 (d, 1H, NH), 5.5 (s (br), 2H, NH 2 ), 4.40-4.27 (m, 3H, NH--CH--CO/CH--CH 2 ), 3.10 (AB-q,1H, CH 2 --C 6 H 5 , 3 J H .H =6.7 Hz, 2 J H .H =14.0 Hz),2.95 (AB-q,1H, CH 2 --C 6 H 5 ), 3 J H .H =6.7 Hz, 2 J H .H =14.0 Hz).-- 13 C-NMR (75 MHz, DMSO-d 6 ): δ=172.1 (s, CO--NH 2 ), 156.4 (s, NH--COO), 137.2 (s, phenyl-H), 130.0-120.5 (5 signals) (d, fluorenyl-H/phenyl-H), 57.1 (d, NHCH--CO), 37.9 (t, CH 2 --C 6 H 5 ).
N.sup.α -9-Fmoc-glycinamide (LB.2.3)
Empirical Formula (C 16 H 16 N 2 O 3 )
(LB.2.2) is synthesised similarly to (LB.2.2). Yield: (97% of theoretical).--1H-NMR (400 MHz, DMSO-d 6 ): δ=7.81 (d, 2H, fluorenyl-H 1 , 3 J H .H =7.30 Hz), 7.67 (d, 2H, fluorenyl-H 4 , 3 J H .H =7.26 Hz), 7.4 (t, 2H, fluorenyl-H 2 , 3 J H .H =7.30 Hz), 7.25 (t,2H, fluorenyl-H 3 , 3 J H .H =7.30), 7.2 (s (br), 1H, NH 2 ), 6.9 (t (br), 1H, CO--NH), 4.35 (d, 2H, CH--CH 2 ), 3 J H .H =6.67 Hz), 4.23 (t, 1H, CH--CH2), 3 J H .H =6.67 Hz), 3.52 (d, 2H, NH--CH 2 --CO, 3 J H .H =7.1 Hz).-- 13 C-NMR (75 MHz, DMSO-d 6 ): δ=168.9 (s, COOH), 154.7 (s, NH--COO), 143.7 (s, fluorenyl-C 6 ),141.4 (s, fluorenyl-C 5 ), 128.2 (d, fluorenyl-C 1 ), 127.3 (d, fluorenyl-C 4 ), 124.7 (d, fluorenyl-C 3 ), 120.3 (d, fluorenyl-H 2 ), 78.9 (d, NH--CHOH), 68.1 (t, CH--CH 2 ), 66.2 (t, NH--CH 2 --CO), 46.8 (d, CH--CH 2 ).
N.sup.α -9-Fmoc-L-phenylalanyl-rac-α-hydroxy-glycin (LB.2.4)
Empirical Formula (C 26 H 24 N 2 O 6 )
97 mg (25 10-5 mol) (LB.2.2) are refluxed with 92 mg (100 10 -5 mol) glyoxalic acid monohydrate in 5 ml THF over 24 h. The reaction mixture is poured into ethylacetate and extracted 3× against saturated NaCl solution. The organic phase is dried over Na 2 SO 4 , concentrated and the residue crystallised from dichloromethane/petroleum benzine. Yield: 104 mg (90% of th.-- white solid matter).-- 1 H-NMR (400 Mhz, CDCl 3 ): δ=7.81 (d, 2H, fluorenyl-H 1 , 3 J H .H =7.30 Hz), 7.67 (d, 2H, fluorenyl-H 4 , 3 J H .H =7.26 Hz), 7.40-7.15 (m, 9H, fluorenyl-H/phenyl-H), 6.1 (d, 1H, NH), 5.47 (d, 1H, NH--CH--OH), 4.40-4.27 (m, 3H, NH--CH--CO/CH--CH 2 ), 4.23 (t, 1H) CH--CH 2 , 3 J H .H =6.67 Hz), 3.10 (AB-q, 1H, CH 2 --C 6 H 5 , 3 J H .H =6.7 Hz, 2 J H .H =14.0 Hz), 2.95 (AB-q, 1H, CH 2 --C 6 H 5 3 J H .H =6.7 Hz, 2 J H .H =14.0 Hz).-- 13 C-NMR (75 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ=174.4 (s, COOH), 172.1 (s, CO--NH 2 ),-- 156.4 (s, NH--COO), 143.7 (s, fluorenyl-C 6 ), 141.4 (s, fluorenyl-C 5 ), 137.2 (s, phenyl-H), 130.0-120.5 (5 signals) (d, fluorenyl-H/phenyl-H), 72.1 (d, NH--CHOH), 68. 1 (t, CH--CH 2 ), 56.6/55.4.sup.[dia] (d, NH--CH--CO), 47.3 (d, CH--CH 2 ), 37.9 (t, CH 2 --C 6 H 5 ).-- MS (FAB, thioglycerin): m/z=461 (15, [M+H].sup.⊕).
N.sup.α -9-Fmoc-glycyl-rac-α-hydroxy-glycin (LB.2.5)
Empirical Formula (C 19 H 18 N 2 O 6 )
(LB.2.5) is synthesised similarly to(LB.2.4). Yield: 64 mg (68% of th. -White solid matter).-- 1 H-NMR (300 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ=7.81 (d, 2H, fluorenyl-H 1 , 3 J H .H =7.30 Hz), 7.67 (d, 2H, fluorenyl-H 4 , 3 J H .H =7.26 Hz), 7.4 (t, 2H, fluorenyl-H 2 , 3 J H .H =7.30 Hz), 7.25 (t,2H, fluorenyl-H 3 , 3 J H .H =7.30),5.90 (t(br), 1H, CO--NH), 4.35 (d, 2H, CH--CH 2 ), 3 J H .H =6.67 Hz), 4.23 (t, 1 H, CH--CH 2 ), 3 J H .H =6.67 Hz), 3.52 (d, 2H, NH--CH 2 --CO, 3 J H .H =7.1 Hz).-- 13 C-NMR (75 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ=171.4 (s, COOH), 168.9 (s, CONH), 154.7 (s, NH--COO), 143.7 (s, fluorenyl-C 6 ), 141.4 (s, fluorenyl-C5), 128.2 (d, fluorenyl-C 1 ), 127.3 (d, fluorenyl-C 4 ), 124.7 (d, fluorenyl-C 3 ), 120.3 (d, fluorenyl-H 2 ), 77.4 (d, NH--CHOH), 68.1 (t, CH--CH 2 ), 66.2 (t, NH--CH 2 --CO), 46.8 (d, CH--CH 2 ).-- MS (FAB, 3-NBA): m/z=271 (5, [M+H).sup.⊕).
N.sup.α -9-Fmoc-L-phenylalanyl-rac-α-hydroxy-glycine benzylester (LB.2.6)
Emnpirical Formula (C 21 H 23 NO 4 S)
Similarly to (LA.1.3), (LB.2.6) is synthesised by direct conversion of (1) with benzyl bromide and caesium carbonate in DMF. Yield: 64% of th.-- white solid matter.-- 1 H-NMR (400 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ=7.81 (d, 2H, fluorenyl-H 1 , 3 J H .H =7.30 Hz), 7.67 (d,2H, fluorenyl-H 4 , 3 J H .H =7.26 Hz), 7.40-7.15 (m, 14H, fluorenyl-H/phenyl-H), 6.1 (d, 1 H, NH), 5.47 (d, 1H, NH--CH--OH), 5.23 (`d`, 2H COOCH2), 4.40-4.27 (m, 3H, NH--CH--CO/CH--CH 2 ), 3.10 (AB-q, 1H, CH 2 --C 6 H 5 ), 3 J H .H =6.7 Hz, 2 J H .H =14.0 Hz), 2.95 (AB-q, 1H, CH 2 --C 6 H 5 , 3 J HH = 6.7 Hz, 2 J H .H =14.0 Hz).-- 13 C-NMR (75 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ=174.4 (s, COOH), 172.1 (s, CO--NH 2 ), 156.4 (s, NH--COO), 143.7 (s, fluorenyl-C 6 ), 141.4 (s, fluorenyl-C 5 ), 137.2 (s, phenyl-H), 135.2(s,phenyl-H),130.0-120.5 (8 signals/partly Split.sup.[dia] (d, fluorenyl-H/phenyl-H), 72.1 (d, NH--CHOH), 68.1 (t, CH--CH 2 ), 67.5 (t, COO--CH 2 ), 56.6/55.4.sup.[dia] (d, NH--CH--CO), 47.3 (d, CH--CH 2 ), 37.9 (t, CH 2 --C 6 H 5 ).-- MS (FAB, thioglycerin) m/z=461 (15, [M+H].sup.⊕).
The alkyl-/aryl thio compounds were obtained, similarly to (LA.5.2) from (LB.2.4) and the corresponding thiols. The data are reproduced in the following. The compounds behave similarly to (LA.5.2-LA.7.2). By means of treatment with Hg-II salts, the corresponding model compounds transform into the corresponding N.O-acetals. By means of 95% TFA/2.5% TIBS/2.5% water, (LB.2.9) can be transferred directly into the corresponding deprotected N.S-acetal (fre thiol function). This decomposes in the desired way into the peptidamide H-Lys-Phe-Phe-NH2.
N.sup.α -9-Fmoc-L-phenylalanyl-rac-α-isopropylthio-glycine (LB.2.7).sup.(AB)
Empirical Formula (C 21 H 23 NO 4 s)
Yield: 90% of th..-- 1 H-NMR (400 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ=7.81 (d, 2H, fluorenyl-H 1 , 3 J H .H =7.30 Hz), 7.67 (d, 2H, fluorenyl-H 4 , 3 J H .H =7.26 Hz), 7.40-7.15 (m, 9H, fluorenyl-H/phenyl-H), 6.1 (d, 1H, NH), 4.95 (d, 1H, NH--CH--S), 4.40-4.27 (m, 3H, NH--CH--CO/CH--CH 2 ), 4.20 (t, 1H, CH--CH 2 , 3 J H .H =6.70 Hz), 3.22 (heptet, 1H, S--CH, 3 J H .H =6.74 Hz), 3.10 (AB-q, 1H, CH 2 --C 6 H 5 , 3 J H .H =6.7 Hz, 2 J H .H =14.0 Hz), 2.95 (AB-q, 1H, CH 2 --C 6 H 5 , 3 J H .H =6.7 Hz, 2 J H .H =14.0 Hz),1.20(d,6H, S--CH(CH 3 ) 2 , 3 J H .H =6.74 Hz).-- 13 C-NMR (75 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ=174.4 (s, COOH), 172.1 (s, CO--NH 2 ), 156.4 (s, NH--COO), 143.7 (s, fluorenyl-C 6 ), 141.4 (s, fluorenyl-C 5 ), 137.2 (s, phenyl-H), 130.0-120.5 (5 signals) (d, fluorenyl-H/phenyl-H), 72.1 (d, NH--CHOH), 68.1 (t, CH--CH2), 56.6/55.4.sup.[dia] (d, NH--CH--CO), 47.3 (d, CH--CH 2 ), 37.9 (t,CH 2 --C 6 H 5 ), 34.1 (d, S--CH), 15.2 (q,CH 3 ).-- MS (FAB, thioglycerin): m/z=461 (15, [M+H].sup.⊕).
N.sup.α -9-Fmoc-L-phenylalanyl-rac-α-benzylthio-glycine (LB.2.8).sup.(AB)
Empirical Formula (C 33 H 30 N 2 O 5 S)
Yield: 90% of th.-- 1 H-NMR (400 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ=7.81 (d, 2H) fluorenyl-H 1 , 3 J H .H =7.30 Hz),7.67(d, 2H, fluorenyl-H 4 , 3 J H .H =7.26 Hz), 7.40-7.00 (m, 14H, fluorenyl-H/phenyl-H), 6.1 (d, 1 H, NH), 4.85 (d, 1 H, NH--CH--OH), 4.40-4.27 (m, 3H, NH--CH--CO/CH--CH 2 ), 4.15 (t, 1H, CH--CH 2 , 3 J H .H =6.70 Hz), 3.73.sup.[dia] (`d`, 2H, S--CH 2 --C 6 H 5 ), 3.00 (m, 2H, CH2--C 6 H 5 ).-- 13 C-NMR (75 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ=174.4 (s, COOH), 170.8/170.6.sup.[dia] (S, CO--NH), 156.4 (s, NH--COO), 143.7 (s, fluorenyl-C 6 ), 141.4 (s, fluorenyl-C 5 ), 137.2 (s, phenyl-H), 135.9/135.8.sup.[dia] (s, phenyl-H), 130.0-120.5.sup.[dia] (14 signals) (d, fluorenyl-H/phenyl-H), 7.6/67.3.sup.[dia] (t, CHCH 2 ), 56.8/55.sup.[dia] (d,NH--CH--S) 53.7/53.3.sup.[dia] (NH--CH--CO), 47.3 (d, CH--CH 2 ), 39.0/38.2.sup.[dia] (t, CH 2 --C 6 H 5 ),35.4 (t, S--CH 2 --C 6 H 5 ).
N.sup.α -9-Fmoc-L-phenylalanyl-rac-α-triphenylmethylthio-glycine (LB.2.9).sup.(AB)
Empirical Formula (C 45 H 38 N 2 O 5 S)
Yield: 45% of th.-- 1 H-NMR (400 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ=7.81 (d, 2H, fluorenyl-H 1 , 3 J H .H =7.30 Hz), 7.67 (`dd`, 2H, fluorenyl-H 4 , 3 J H .H =7.26 Hz), 7.50-7.00 (m, 24H, fluorenyl-H/phenyl-H/trityl-H), 4.95 (d, 1 H, NH--CH--S), 4.40-4.27 (m, 3H, NH--CH--CO/CH--CH 2 ), 4.15 (t, 1H, CH--CH 2 , 3 J H .H =6.70 Hz), 3.10 (m, 2H, CH 2 --C 6 H 5 ),.-- 13 C-NMR (75 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ=174.4 (s, COOH), 172.1 (s, CO--NH 2 ), 156.4 (s, NH--COO), 143.7 (s, fluorenyl-C 6 ), 141.4 (s, fluorenyl-C 5 ), 137.2 (s, phenyl-H), 134.7 (s, trityl-H), 130.0-120.5 (8 signals) (d, fluorenyl-C/phenyl-C/trityl-C), 68.1 (t, CH--CH 2 ), 56.6/55.4.sup.[dia] (d, NH--CH--CO), 53.8/53.5.sup.[dia] (d, NH--CH--S) 47.3 (d, CH--CH 2 ), 37.9 (t, CH 2 --C 6 H 5 ), 36.0 (t, S--C(C 6 H 5 )3).--MS (FAB, thioglycerin): m/z 719 (15, [M+H].sup.⊕).
SYNTHESIS PATH B 1 EXAMPLE 3
H-Lys(Boc)-Phe-Phe-α-rac-(methoxymethyl)oxyglycyl-βAla-OH SEQ ID NO: 13 (LB.3.1)
Structure ##STR15## R 1 : H-Lys(Boc)-Phe-Phe--R 2 : CO-βAla-OH
R 3 : H
X: O
Y: CH 3 OCH 2
SYNTHESIS PATH
N.sup.α,-9-Fmoc-L-phenylalanyl-rac-α-(methoxymethyl)oxy-glycine (LB.3.2).sup.(AB)
Empirical Formula (C 21 H 23 NO 4 S)
(LB.3.2) is synthesized, similarly to (LB.3.4), by conversion of (LB.2.4) with formaldehyde dimethylacetal. Yield: 67% of th.-- 1 H-NMR (400 Mhz, CDCl 3 ): δ=7.81 (d, 2H, fluorenyl-H 1 , 3 J H .H =7.30 Hz), 7.67 (d, 2H, fluorenyl-H 4 , 3 J H .H =7.26 Hz), 7.40-7.15 (m, 9H, fluorenyl-H/phenyl-H), 6.5(d,1H, NH), 6.1 (d, 1H, NH), 5.47 (d, IH, NH--CH--O), 5.00 (d, 1H, O--CH 2 --O, 2 J H .H =7.30 Hz), 4.90 (d, 1H, O--CH 2 --O, 2 J H .H =7.30 Hz), 4.40-4.27 (m, 3H, NH--CH--CO/CH--CH 2 ), 4.15 (t, 1 H, CH--CH 2 ), 3 J H .H =6.70 Hz),3.45 (s, 3H, CH 3 O), 3.10 (m, 1H, CH 2 --C 6 H 5 ).-- 13 C-NMR (75 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ=174.4 (s, COOH), 172.1 (s, CO--NH 2 ), 156.4 (s, NH--COO), 143.7 (s, fluorenyl-C 6 ), 141.4 (s, fluorenyl-C 5 ), 137.2 (s, phenyl-H), 130.0-120.5 (5 signals) (d, fluorenyl-H/phenyl-H), 77.0 (t, O--CH 2 --O), 72.1 (d, NH--CHO), 68.1 (t, CH--CH 2 ), 56.6/55.4.sup.[dia] (d, NH--CH--CO), 51.6 (q, CH 3 O), 47.3 (d, CH--CH 2 )--MS (FAB, thioglycerin): m/z=461 (15, [M+H].sup.⊕).
H-Lys(Boc)-Phe-Phe-α-rac-(methoxymethyl)oxyglycyl-βAla-OH SEQ ID NO: 13 (LB.3.1).sup.(MV)
Empirical Formula (C 36 H 42 N 6 O 10 )
(LA.3.1) is built up according to general peptide synthesis methods on an o-chlorotrityl-functionalized resin, and detached as a protected peptide according to known methods.-- MS (FAB): M/Z (3-NBA)=718 ([M+H].sup.⊕).
FURTHER EXAMPLES
In addition to (LB.3.2), further bi- and trifunctional amino acids, in the form of their amides, protected in the side chain and commercially accessible, were converted to the corresponding anchor blocks with MOM protected N.O-acetal. The reaction sequence corresponds to (LB.3.2). The acid-labile side chain functions are stable under the acidic conditions for introduction of the N,OR-acetalic anchor grouping. The following were synthesised:
N.sup.α 9-Fmoc-L-lle-rac-α-(methoxymethyl)oxy-glycine (branched bifunctional AS)
N.sup.α -9-Fmoc-D-Thr(tBu)-rac-α-methoxymethyl)oxy-glycine (alcohol function)
N.sup.α -9-Fmoc -L-Glu(tBu)-rac-α-(methoxymethyl)oxy-glycine (carboxylate function)
N.sup.α -9-Fmoc -L-Cys(Trt)-rac-α-(methoxymethyl)oxy-glycine (thiol function)
N.sup.α -9-Fmoc-L-Lys (Boc) -rac-α-(methoxymethyl)oxy-glycine (primary amine)
The experimental data for N.sup.α -9-Fmoc-DThr(tBu)-rac-α-(methoxymethyl)oxy-glycine are given here by way of example.
N.sup.α -9-Fmoc-D-Thr(tBu)-NH2 (LB.3.3)
Empirical Formula (C 23 H 28 N 2 O 4 )
(LB.3.3) is synthesized similarly to (LB.2.2). Yield: 68% of th.-- white solid matter -- .-- 1 H-NMR (300 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ=7.81 (d, 2H, fluorenyl-H 1 , 3 J H .H =7.30 Hz), 7.67 (d, 2H, fluorenyl-H 4 , 3 J H .H =7.26 Hz), 7.4 (t, 2H, fluorenyl-H 2 , 3 J H .H =7.30 Hz, 7.25 (t, 2H, fluorenyl-H 3 , 3 J H .H =7.30), 5.90 (t (br), 1H, CO--NH), 4,35 (d, 2H, CH--CH 2 ), 3 J H .H =6.67 Hz), 4.28 (q, 1H, CH 3 --CHOH, 3 J H .H =6.67 Hz) 4.23 (t, 1H, CH--CH 2 , 3 J H .H =6.67 Hz), 3.58 (d, 1H, NH--CH--CO, 3 J H .H =7.1 Hz), 1.35 (d, 3H, CH 3 --CHOH, 3 J H .H =6.67 Hz), 1.23 (s, 9H, C(CH 3 ) 3 ).-- 13 C-NMR (75 Mhz, CDCl 3 ): δ=176.2 (s, COOH), 168.9 (s, CONH), 154.7 (s, NH--COO), 143.7 (s, fluorenyl-C 6 ), 141.4 (s, fluorenyl-C 5 ),128.2 (d, fluorenyl-C 1 ), 127.3 (d, fluorenyl-C 4 ), 124.7 (d, fluorenyl-C 3 ), 120.3 (d, fluorenyl-H 2 ), 74.6 (s, c(CH 3 ) 3 ), 68.1 (t, CH--CH 2 ), 67.4 (d, CH 3 --CHOH), 62.2 (t, NH--CH--CO), 46.8 (d, CH--CH 2 ), 28.2 (q, C(CH 3 ) 3 ), 20.4 (q, CH 3 --CHOH).-- MS (FAB, 3-NBA): m/z=271 (5, [M+H].sup.⊕
N.sup.α -9-Fmoc-D-Thr(tBu)-rac-α-hydroxy-glycin (LB.3.4)
Empirical Formula (C 25 H 30 N 2 O 7 )
(LB.3.4) is synthesized similarly to (LB.2.3). Yield: (98% of th.; white solid matter).-- 1 H-NMR (300 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ=7.81 (d, 2H, fluorenyl-H 1 , 3 J H .H =7.30 Hz), 7.67 (d, 2H, fluorenyl-H 4 , 3 J H .H =7.26 Hz), 7.4 (t, 2H, fluorenyl-H 2 , 3 J H .H =7.30 Hz), 7.25 (t, 2H, fluorenyl-H 3 , 3 J H .H =7.30), 5.90 (t (br), 1H, CO--NH), 4.35 (d, 2H, CH--CH2), 3 J H .H =6.67 Hz), 4.28 (q, 1 H, CH 3 --CHOH, 3 J H .H =6.67 Hz) 4.23 (t, 1H, CH--CH2, 3 J H .H =6.67 Hz), 3.58 (d, 2H, NH--CH--CO, 3 J H .H =7.1 Hz), 1.35 (d, 3H, CH 3 --CHOH, 3 J H .H =6.67 Hz).-- 13 C-NMR (75 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ=176.2 (s, COOH), 168.9 (s, CONH), 154.7 (s, NH--COO), 143.7 (s, fluorenyl-C 6 ), 141.4 (s, fluorenyl-C 5 ), 128.2 (d, fluorenyl-C 1 ), 127.3 (d, fluorenyl-C 4 ), 124.7 (d, fluorenyl-C 3 ), 120.3 (d, fluorenyl-H 2 ), 77.4 (d, NH--CHOH), 74.6 (s, C(CH 3 ) 3 ), 68.1 (t, CH--CH2), 67.4 (d, CH 3 --CHOH), 62.2 (t, NH--CH--CO), 46.8 (d, CH--CH2), 28.2 (q, C(CH 3 ) 3 ), 20.4 (q, CH 3 --CHOH).-- MS (FAB, 3-NBA): m/z=271 (5, [M+H].sup.⊕).
N.sup.α -9-Fmoc-D-Thr(tBu)-rac-α-(methoxymethyl)oxy-glycine (LB.3.5)
Empirical Formula (C 27 H 34 N 2 O 8 )
(79) is synthesized similarly to (76). Yield: (86% of th.-- white solid matter).-- 1 H-NMR (300 MHz, CDCl3): 5=7.81 (d, 2H, fluorenyl-H 1 , 3 J H .H =7.30 Hz), 7.67 (d, 2H, fluorenyl-H 4 , 3 J H .H =7.26 Hz), 7.4 (t, 2H, fluorenyl-H 2 , 3 J H .H =7.30 Hz), 7.25 (t, 2H, fluorenyl-H 3 , 3 J H .H =7.30 Hz), 5.90 (t (br), 1H, CO--NH), 5.00 (d, 1H, O--CH 2 --O, 2 J H .H =7.30 Hz), 4.90 (d, 1H, O--CH 2 --O, 2 J H .H =7.30 Hz), 4.35 (d, 2H, CH--CH 2 ), 3 J H .H =6.67 Hz), 4.28 (q, 1H, CH 3 --CHOH, 3 J H .H =6.67 Hz), 6.23 (t, 1H, CH--CH 2 , 3 J H .H =6.67 Hz), 3.58 (d, 2H, NH--CH--CO, 3 J H .H =7.1 Hz), 3.45 (s, 3H, CH 3 O), 1.35 (d, 3H, CH 3 --CHOH), 3 J H .H =6.67 Hz).-- 13 C-NMR (75 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ=176.2 (s, COOH), 168.9 (s, CONH), 154.7 (s, NH--COO), 143.7 (s, fluorenyl-C 6 ), 141.4 (s, fluorenyl-c 5 ), 128.2 (d, fluorenyl-C 1 ), 127.3 (d, fluorenyl-C 4 ), 124.7 (d, fluorenyl-C 3 ), 120.3 (d, fluorenyl-H 2 ), 77.4 (d, NH--CHOH), 77.0 (t, O--CH 2 --O), 68.1 (t, CH--CH 2 ),67.4 (d, CH 3 --CHOH), 62.2 (t, NH--CH--CO), 51.6 (q, CH 3 O), 46.8 (d, CH--CH 2 ), 20.4 (q,CH 3 --CHOH).-- MS (FAB, 3-NBA): m/z=271 (5, [M+H].sup.⊕).
Application
The protected peptide (LA.3.1) is treated in solution in addition with 20% piperidine/DMF over 5 h at RT. No alteration in the educt is observed (HPLC analysis). Treatment with 95% TFA/2.5% TIBS/2.5% water leads to simultaneous deprotection of BOC in the lysyl residue, and the hydroxyl function of the N.O-acetal. This deprotected peptide decomposes in the desired way into the peptidamide by treatment with buffer system (a) to (9). Reaction takes place within 15 min. At 50° C.
SYNTHESIS PATH B/EXAMPLE 4
H-Lys(Boc)-Phe-Phe-α-rac-(SEM)oxyglycyl-βAla-OH SEQ ID NO: 14 (LB.4.1)
Structure ##STR16## R 1 : H-Lys(Boc)-Phe-Phe--R 2 : CO-βAla-OH
R 3 : H
Y: (CH 3 ) 3 SiCH 2 --CH 2 --O--CH 2 --
SYNTHESIS PATH
N.sup.α -9-Fmoc-L-Phe-rac-α-(SEM)oxy-glycinebenzylester (LB.4.2)
Empirical Formula (C 39 H 44 N 2 O 7 Si)
Similarly to (LA.3.5), (LB.4.2) is synthesized in DMF by reaction with an excess of 2 eq. trimethylsilylethoxymethylchloride. Isolation is effected RP-C 18 -HPLC chromatographically.-- Yield: 60.45 mg (70% of th.).-- 1 H-NMR (400 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ=7.81 (d, 2H, fluorenyl-H 1 3 J H .H =7.30 Hz),7.67 (d, 2H, fluorenyl-H 4 , 3 J H .H =7.26 Hz), 7.40-7.15 (m, 14H, fluorenyl-H/phenyl-H), 6.1 (d, 1H, NH), 5.47 (d, 1H, NH--CH--O), 5.24 (`d`, 2H, COOCH2), 4.94 (d, 1 H, O--CH 2 --O, 2 J H .H =7.20 Hz), 4.75 (d, 1 H, O--CH 2 --O, 2 J H .H =7.20 Hz), 4.40-4.27 (m, 3H, NH-CH--CO/CH--CH2), 4.15 (t, 1H, CH--CH 2 ), 3 J H .H =6.70 Hz), 3.82 (AB-t, 4H, CH2--CH2), 3.0 (m, 1H, CH 2 --CH6H 5 ), 0.1 (S,3H, Si(CH 3 ) 3 ).-- 13 C-NMR (75 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ=174.4 (s, COO), 172.1 (s, CO--NH 2 ), 156.4 (s, NH--COO), 143.7 (s, fluorenyl-C 6 ),141.4 (s, fluorenyl-C 5 ), 137.2 (s, phenyl-H), 134.4 (s, phenyl-H), 130.0-120.5 (8 Signale) (d, fluorenyl-H/phenyl-H), 77.0 (t, O--CH 2 --O), 72.1 (d, NH--CHO), 68.1 (t, CH--CH 2 ), 67.4 (t,CH 2 --CH 2 ), 67.2 (t, COO--CH 2 ), 56.6/55.4.sup.[dia] (d, NH--CH--CO), 47.3 (d, CH--CH 2 ), 37.9 (t,CH 2 --C 6 H 5 ), 2.0 (q, Si(CH 3 ) 3 ).
N.sup.α -9-Fmoc-L-phenylalanyl-α-(trimethylilylethoxymethyl)oxy-glycine (LB.4.3).sup.(AB)
Empirical Formula (C 21 H 23 NO 4 S)
Similarly to (LA.1.5), (LB.4.3) is synthesized from (LB.4.2) .-- 1 H-NMR (400 MHz,CDCl 3 ): δ=7.81 (d, 2H, fluorenyl-H 1 , 3 J H .H =7.30 Hz), 7.67 (d, 2H,fluorenyl-H 4 , 3 J H .H =7.26 Hz), 7.40-7.15 (m, 14H, fluorenyl-H/phenyl-H), 6.1 (d, 1H, NH), 5.47 (d, 1H, NH--CH--O), 4.94 (d, 1H, O--CH 2 --O, 2 J H .H =7.20 Hz), 4.75 (d, 1 H, O--CH 2 --O, 2 J H .H =7.20 Hz), 4.40-4.27 (m, 3H, NH--CH--CO/CH--CH2), 4.15 (t, 1 H, CH--CH 2 ) 3 J H .H =6.70 Hz), 3.82 (AB-t, 4H, CH2--CH2), 3.0(m, 1H, CH 2 --C 6 H 5 ), 0.1 (s, 3H, SI(CH 3 ) 3 O.-- 13 C-NMR (75 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ=174.4 (s, COOH), 172.1 (s, CO--NH2), 156.4 (s, NH--COO), 143.7 (s, fluorenyl-C 6 ), 141.4 (s, fluorenyl-C 5 ), 137.2 (s, phenyl-H), 134.4 (s, pheny/H), 130.0-120.5 (8 signals) (d, fluorenyl-H/phenyl-H), 77.0 (t, O--CH 2 --O), 72.1 (d, NH--CHO), 68.1 (t, CH--CH2), 67.4 (t,CH 2 --CH 2 ), 56.6/55.4.sup.[dia] (d, NH--CH--CO), 47.3 (d, CH--CH 2 ), 37.9 (t, CH 2 --C 6 H 5 ), 2.0 (q, Si(CH 3 ) 3 ).-- MS (FAB, thioglycerin): m/z=461 (15, [M+H].sup.⊕).
H-Lys(Boc)-Phe-Phe-α-rac-(SEM)oxyglycyl-βalanin (LB.4.1).sup.(MV)
Empirical Formula (C 21 H 23 NO 4 Si)
According to general peptide synthesis methods, (LB.4.1) is built up on an o-chlorotrityl-functionalized resin, and detached as a protected peptide according to known methods.-- MS (FAB): M/Z (3-NBA)=157 ([M+H].sup.⊕).
Application
Treatment with 95% TFA/2.5% TIBS/2.5% water leads to simultaneous deprotection of BOC in the lysyl residue and the hydroxyl function of the N.O-acetal. This deprotected peptide decomposes in the desired way into the peptidamide by treatment with buffer system (a) to (g). Reaction takes place within 15 min. At 50° C.
In addition to the protected peptide (LB.4.1), a model compound (LB.4.4) is synthesized on the o-chlorotrityl-functionalized polystyrol resin, and divided off as a protected peptide from the resin. This protected peptide is treated with 0.2 M tetrabutylammonium fluoride/acetonitrile over 5 h. In this way the hydroxyl function od the N.O-acetal is selectively deprotected. The treatment with buffer system (g) in mixture with 35% ethanol leads to the protected peptidamide H-Lys(Boc)-Trp(Boc)-Asp(tBu)-Asn(Trt)-Phe-NH2 SEQ ID NO: 15.
H-K(Boc)-W(Boc)-D(tBu)-N(Trt)-F-α-rac-(SEM)oxyglycyl-βAla-OH (LB.4.4)
Empirical Formula (C 21 H 23 NO 4 Si)
MS (FAB): M/Z (3-NBA)=1557 ([M+H].sup.⊕).
SYNTHESIS PATH B/EXAMPLE 5
H-Lys(Boc)-Phe-Phe-α-rac-tert-butoxy-glycyl-βAla-OH SEQ ID NO: 1 (LB.5.1)
Structure ##STR17## R 1 : H-Lys(Boc)-Phe-Phe--R 2 : CO-βAla-OH
R 3 : H
X: O
Y: tert-butyl
SYNTHESIS PATH
N.sup.α -9-Fmoc-phenylalanyl-α-rac-tert-butoxy-glycinbenzylester (LB.5.2)
Empirical Formula (C 28 H 29 NO 5 )
110 mg (25 10 -5 mol) (LB.2.4) are converted under reflux in 2 ml absolte THF with 55 μl dist. (75 10 -5 mol) thionyl chloride over 1 h. The reaction mixture is completely concentrated and briefly treated in HV. 2 ml absolute tert-butanol and 42 μl (25 10 -5 mol) ethyldiisopropylamine are added and refluxed for 2 h. The reaction mixture is poured into a saturated aqueous NaCl solution and the aqueous phase extracted 2× with 100 ml ethyl acetate. The organic phase is dried over MgSO 4 and concentrated (LB.5.2) is either RP-C 18 -HPLC chromatographically cleaned to homogeneity.-- 1 H-NMR (400 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ=7.81(d, 2H, fluorenyl-H 1 , 3 J H .H =7.30 Hz), 7.67 (d, 2H, fluorenyl-H 4 , 3 J H .H =7.26 Hz), 7.40-7.15 (m, 14H, fluorenyl-H/phenyl-H), 6.1 (d, 1H, NH), 5.47 (d, 1H, NH--CH--OH), 5.23 (`d`, 2H COOCH 2 ), 4.40-4.27 (m, 3H, NH--CH--CO/CH--CH 2 ),4.15 (t, 1H, CH--CH 2 ), 3 J H .H =6.70 Hz), 3.0 (m, 2H, CH 2 --C 6 H 5 ), 1.25 (s, 9H,C(CH 3 ) 3 ).-- 13 C-NMR (75 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ=174.4 (s, COO), 172.1 (s, CO--NH 2 ), 156.4 (s, NH--COO), 143.7 (s, fluorenyl-C 6 ), 141.4 (s, fluorenyl-C 5 ), 137.2 (s, phenyl-H), 135.2 (s, phenyl-H), 130.0-120.5 (8 signals/partly split.sup.[dia] (d, fluorenyl-H/phenyl-H), 74.6 (s, C(CH 3 ) 3 ), 72.1 (d, NH--CHOH), 68.1 (t, CH--CH 2 ), 67.5 (t, COO--CH 2 ), 56.6/55.4.sup.[dia] (d, NH--CH--CO), 47.3 (d, CH--CH 2 ), 37.9 (t,CH 2 --C 6 H 5 ), 28.2 (q, C(CH 3 ) 3 )-- MS (FAB, thioglycerin): m/z=461 (15, [M+H].sup.⊕).
N.sup.α -9-Fmoc-phenylalanyl-α-rac-tert-butoxy-glycine (LB.5.3).sup.(AB)
Empirical Formula (C 19 H 23 NO 5 )
115 mg (25 10 -5 mol) (LB.5.2) are dissolved in 3 ml abs. Ethanol/ethyl acetate. A spatula tip of palladium/activated carbon (Fluka) is added and hydrogen is passed through the solution for 25 min. The catalyst is filtered off and (LB.5.3) is RPC 18 -HPLC chromatographically isolated. Yield: 60.45 mg (70% of th.).-- 1 H-NMR (400 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ=7.81 (d, 2H, fluorenyl-H 1 , 3 J H .H =7.30 Hz), 7.67 (d, 2H, fluorenyl-H 4 , 3 J H .H =7.26 Hz), 7.40-7.16 (m,9H, fluorenyl-H/phenyl-H), 6.1 (d, 1 H, NH), 5.47 (d, 1 H, NH--CH--OH), 4.40-4.27 (m, 3H, NH--CH--CO/CH--CH2), 4.15 (t, 1H, CH--CH 2 , 3 J H .H =6.70 Hz), 3.0 (m, 2H, CH 2 C 6 H 5 ), 1.25 (s, 9H, C(CH 3 ) 3 ).-- 13 C-NMR (75 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ=174.4 (s, COOH), 172.1 (s, CO--NH 2 ), 156.4 (s, NH--COO), 143.7 (s, fluorenyl-C 6 ), 141.4 (s, fluorenyl-C 5 ), 137.2 (s, phenyl-H), 135.2 (s, phenyl-H), 130.0-120.5 (5 signals/partly divided.sup.[dial]) (d, fluorenyl-H/phenyl-H), 74.6 (s, C(CH 3 ) 3 ), 72.1 (d, NH--CHOH), 68.1 (t, CH--CH 2 ), 56.6/55.4.sup.[dia] (d, NH--CH--CO), 47.3 (d, CH--CH 2 ), 28.2 (q, C(CH 3 ) 3 ).
H-Lys(Boc)-Phe-Phe-α-rac-tert-butoxy-glycyl-βAla SEQ ID NO: 16 (LB.5.1).sup.(MV)
Empirical Formula (C 38 H 46 N6O 9 )
The protected peptide (LB.5.1)is built up according to usual conditions on an o-chlorotrityl-functionalized resin, using (LB.5.2), and is divided off from the carrier. The NH 2 .OR-acetal is relased with 20% piperidine/DMF.-- MS (FAB, thioglycerin): m/z=731 (15, [M+H].sup.⊕).
Application
The protected peptide (LB.5.1) dispplays total stability against 20% piperidine/DMF (shown by quantitative UV/VIS analysis of the individual coupling steps protected peptide in solution with the abovenamed reagent). After splitting of the hydroxyl protective group according to normal procedures (and simultaneously by Boc in the lysyl residue), the deprotected peptide is treated with buffer system (a), (b) and (g). The model compound (LB.5.1) decomposes in the desired way into the peptidamide H-Lys-Phe-Phe-NH 2 .
SYNTHESIS PATH B/EXAMPLE 6
H-Lys(Boc)-Phe-Phe-α-rac-methoxyglycyl-βAla-OH SEQ ID NO: 17 (LB.6.1)
Structure ##STR18## R 1 : H-Lys(Boc)-Phe-Phe--R 2 : CO-βAla-OH
R 3 : H
X: O
Y: CH 3
SYNTHESIS PATH
N.sup.α -9-Fmoc-L-phenylalanyl-rac-α-methoxy-glycinmethylester (LB.6.2)
Empirical Formula (C 27 H 28 N 2 O 6 )
Similarly to (PA.1.3), (LB.6.2) was sysnthesized by acid-catalysed reaction from (LB.2.4) in methanol. Yield: (95% of theoretical).-- 1 H-NMR (400 MHz, CDCl 3 ):δ=7.81 (d, 2H, fluorenyl-H 1 , 3 J H .H =7.30 Hz), 7.67 (d, 2H, fluorenyl-H 4 , 3 J H .H =7.26 Hz), 7.40-7.15 (m, 9H, fluorenyl-H/phenyl-H), 6.1 (d, 1H, NH), 5.47 (d, 1H, NH--CH--OH), 4.40-4.27 (m, 3H, NH--CH--CO/CH--CH 2 ), 4.23 (t, 1H, CH--CH2, 3 J H .H =6.67 Hz), 3.81 (s, 3H, CH 3 ), 3.42 (s, 3H, CH 3 ), 3.10 (AB-q, 1 H, CH 2 --C 6 H 5 , 3 J H .H =6.7 Hz, 2 J H .H =14.0 Hz), 2.95 (AB-q, 1 H, CH 2 --C 6 H 5 , 3 J H .H =6.7 Hz, 2 J H .H =14.0 Hz).-- 13 C-NMR (75 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ=174.4 (s, COOH), 172.1 (s, CO--NH 2 ), 156.4 (s, NH--COO), 143.7 (s, fluorenyl-C 6 ), 141.4 (s, fluorenyl-C 5 ), 137.2 (s, phenyl-H), 130.0-120.5 (5 signals) (d, fluorenyl-H/phenyl-H), 72.1 (d, NH--CHOH), 68.1 (t, CH--CH 2 ), 56.6/55.4.sup.[dia] (d, NH--CH--CO), 53,0/52.4 (q, CH 3 ), 47.3 (d, CH--CH 2 ), 37.9 (t, CH 2 --C 6 H 5 ).-- MS (FAB, thioglycerin): m/z=477 (17, [M+H].sup.⊕).
N.sup.α -9-Fmoc-L-phenylalanyl-α-methoxy-glycine (LB.6.3).sup.(AB)
Empirical Formula (C 20 H 21 N 2 O 6 )
Similarly to (LA.2.4), the carboxylic function of (LB.6.2) was released in acetone/water with catalysis by LiOH.-- Yield: (62% of theoretical).-- 1H-NMR (400 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ=7.81 (d, 2H, fluorenyl-H 1 , 3 J H .H =7.30 Hz), 7.67 (d, 2H, fluorenyl-H 4 , 3 J H .H ==7.26 Hz), 7.40-7.15 (m, 9H, fluorenyl-H/phenyl-H), 6.1 (d, 1H, NH), 5.47 (d, 1H, NH--CH--OH), 4.40-4.27 (m, 3H, NH--CH--CO/CH--CH 2 ), 4.23 (t, 1H, CH--CH 2 , 3 J H .H =6.67 Hz), 3.81 (s, 3H, CH 3 ), 3.42 (s, 3H,CH 3 ), 3.10 (AB-q, 1H, CH 2 --C 6 H 5 , 3 J H .H =6.7 Hz, J H .H =14.0 Hz), 2.95 (AB-q,1H, CH 2 --C 6 H 5 ), 3 J H .H =6.7 Hz,2 J H .H =14.0 Hz).-- 13 C-NMR (75 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ=174.4 (s, COOH), 172.1 (s, CO--NH 2 ), 156.4 (s, NH--COO), 143.7 (s, fluorenyl-C 6 ), 141.4 (s, fluorenyl-C 5 ), 137.2 (s, phenyl-H), 130.0-120.5 (5 signals) (d, fluorenyl-H/phenyl-H), 72.1 (d, NH--CHOH), 68.1 (t, CH--CH 2 ), 56.6/55.4.sup.[dia] (d, NH--CH--CO), 53,0 (q, CH 3 ), 47.3 (d, CH--CH 2 ), 37.9 (t, CH 2 --C 6 H 5 ).-- MS (FAB, thioglycerin): m/z=385 (10, [M+H].sup.⊕).
SYNTHESIS PATH A/SYNTHESIS PATH B/EXAMPLE 7
Transfer to Routine Peptide Synthesis
In adition to the experiments in solution and the synthesis of the model compounds illustrated above, there were built up with the linker blocks (LA.6.1), (LA.7.2) and (LB.3.2) peptides of different sequence (sequence length up to 10 amino acid residues), using an amino-functionalized polyethylene glycol resin (TentaGel™ S Amine) or on β-alanin-functionalized cellulose paper (Whatman 3MM) and, when (LB.3.2) is used with 95% TFA/2.5% TIBS/2.5% water, and when (LA.6.1) (LA.7.2) and are used, deprotected in the two-stages processes described above. The polymer materials are thereupon washed, each three times for 10 min. with MeOH/water 1:1 (0.1% HCl) and 1 M acetic acid/water, and dried in HV 12 h. Division of the peptidamides is effected in buffer system (b) (see below) at 50° C. and leads to peptidamides with the expected purity. The results clearly show,
that the N.O/N.S-acetal used, and correspondingly protected, as a protective group or anchor group, is stable (Fmoc SPPS) under the basic reaction conditions (e.g. 20% piperidine in DMF) of synthesis of R 1 .
that the N.O-acetal used, and correspondingly protected, as an anchor group, is stable (Boc SPPS) under the acidic reaction conditions (e,g, 55% TFA/DCM) of the synthesis of R 1 .
That the deprotected N.O/N.S-acetal is stable under the acidic aqueous conditions, and the correspondingly protected compounds can be purified.
that a division of the protective group (with deprotected hydroxyl or thiol function) is possible under neutral reaction conditions (pH=7).
that the concept can be used both as a protective group and as an anchor group.
Buffers Used
(a) NaH 2 PO 4 /Na 2 HPO 4 /0.1M/pH 7.0/H 2 O
(b) NaH 2 PO 4 /Na 2 HPO 4 /0.1M/pH 7.5/H 2 O
(c) NaH 2 PO 4 /Na 2 HPO 4 /0.01M/pH 7.0/H 2 O
(d) NaH 2 PO 4 /Na 2 HPO 4 /0-01 M/pH 7.5/H 2 O
(e) tris-hydroxymethylaminomethane-hydrochloride (Tris.HCl/0.01 M/pH 7.6/H 2 O
(f) tris-hydroxymethylaminomethanehydrochloride(Tris.HCl)/0.01 M/pH 8.0/H 2 O
(g) triethylammonium acetate (TEAAc)/0.01 M/pH 7.0/H 2 O
Abbreviations Used
Amino acid derivates derivate according to IUPAC-IUB [J. Biol. Chem. 260, 14(1983)]
______________________________________Boc tert.-butyloxycarbonyltBu tert-butylDCHA dicyclohecylammoniumDCM dichloromethaneDIC N,N'-diisopropylcarbodiimideDMF dimethylformamideDMSO dimethylsulfoxideEt ethylFAB-MS "Fast Atom Bombardement" Mass SpectroscopyFmoc 9-fluorenyl methoxycarbonylHal halogenHOBt N-hydroxybenzotriazoleHPLC high-pressure liquid chromatographyHV high vacuumMe methylMelm N-methylimidazoleMOM methoxymethylms mass spectroscopyMSNT mesitylenesulfonyl-3-nitro-1.2.4-triazole3-NBA 3-nitrobenzylalcoholNMR nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopySEM trimethylsilylethoxymethylTBDMS t-butyl-dimethylsilylTIBS triisobutylsilaneTFA trifluoroacetic acidTrt trityl______________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________# SEQUENCE LISTING- (1) GENERAL INFORMATION:- (iii) NUMBER OF SEQUENCES: 17- (2) INFORMATION FOR SEQ ID NO:1:- (i) SEQUENCE CHARACTERISTICS: (A) LENGTH: 5 Amino - # Acids (B) TYPE: Amino Aci - #ds (D) TOPOLOGY: Not Relev - #ant- (ii) MOLECULE TYPE: Peptide- (ix) FEATURE:#or anchor group-E/KEY: Protective#peptide containing# First Xaa isOTHER INFORMATION: t-butyloxyca - #rbonyl lysine, second Xaa is `-rac- - #t-butoxy-Gly, Ala is bAla-OH- (xi) SEQUENCE DESCRIPTION: SEQ ID NO: - # 1:- Xaa Phe Phe Xaa Ala1 5- (2) INFORMATION FOR SEQ ID NO:2:- (i) SEQUENCE CHARACTERISTICS: (A) LENGTH: 5 Amino - # Acids (B) TYPE: Amino Aci - #ds (D) TOPOLOGY: Not Relev - #ant- (ii) MOLECULE TYPE: Peptide- (ix) FEATURE:#or anchor group-E/KEY: Protective#peptide containing# First Xaa isOTHER INFORMATION: t-butyloxyca - #rbonyl lysine, first Ala is `-rac-methox - #ymethyl Ala, second Ala is bAla-OH- (xi) SEQUENCE DESCRIPTION: SEQ ID NO: - # 2:- Xaa Phe Phe Ala Ala1 5- (2) INFORMATION FOR SEQ ID NO:3:- (i) SEQUENCE CHARACTERISTICS: (A) LENGTH: 5 Amino - # Acids (B) TYPE: Amino Aci - #ds (D) TOPOLOGY: Not Relev - #ant- (ii) MOLECULE TYPE: Peptide- (ix) FEATURE:#or anchor group-E/KEY: Protective#peptide containing# First Xaa isOTHER INFORMATION: t-butyloxyca - #rbonyl lysine, first Ala istrifluoromethyl Ala,-methox - #y- second Al - #a is bAla- (xi) SEQUENCE DESCRIPTION: SEQ ID NO: - # 3:- Xaa Phe Phe Ala Ala1 5- (2) INFORMATION FOR SEQ ID NO:4:- (i) SEQUENCE CHARACTERISTICS: (A) LENGTH: 5 Amino - # Acids (B) TYPE: Amino Aci - #ds (D) TOPOLOGY: Not Relev - #ant- (ii) MOLECULE TYPE: Peptide- (ix) FEATURE:#or anchor group-E/KEY: Protective#peptide containing# First Xaa isOTHER INFORMATION: t-butyloxyca - #rbonyl lysine, second Xaa is `-(alk - #oxymethyl)-oxy-Gly, Ala is bAla- (xi) SEQUENCE DESCRIPTION: SEQ ID NO: - # 4:- Xaa Phe Phe Xaa Ala1 5- (2) INFORMATION FOR SEQ ID NO:5:- (i) SEQUENCE CHARACTERISTICS: (A) LENGTH: 5 Amino - # Acids (B) TYPE: Amino Aci - #ds (D) TOPOLOGY: Not Relev - #ant- (ii) MOLECULE TYPE: Peptide- (ix) FEATURE:#or anchor group-E/KEY: Protective#peptide containing# First Xaa isOTHER INFORMATION: t-butyloxyca - #rbonyl lysine, second Xaa is `-rac- - #tert-butyl-dimethylsiloxy-Gly,#bAla Ala is- (xi) SEQUENCE DESCRIPTION: SEQ ID NO: - # 5:- Xaa Phe Phe Xaa Ala1 5- (2) INFORMATION FOR SEQ ID NO:6:- (i) SEQUENCE CHARACTERISTICS: (A) LENGTH: 5 Amino - # Acids (B) TYPE: Amino Aci - #ds (D) TOPOLOGY: Not Relev - #ant- (ii) MOLECULE TYPE: Peptide- (ix) FEATURE:#or anchor group-E/KEY: Protective#peptide containing# First Xaa isOTHER INFORMATION: t-butyloxyca - #rbonyl lysine, second Xaa is `-rac- - #tert-butyl-dimethylsiloxy-Gly,#bAla-OH Ala is- (xi) SEQUENCE DESCRIPTION: SEQ ID NO: - # 6:- Xaa Phe Phe Xaa Ala1 5- (2) INFORMATION FOR SEQ ID NO:7:- (i) SEQUENCE CHARACTERISTICS: (A) LENGTH: 5 Amino - # Acids (B) TYPE: Amino Aci - #ds (D) TOPOLOGY: Not Relev - #ant- (ii) MOLECULE TYPE: Peptide- (ix) FEATURE:#or anchor group-E/KEY: Protective#peptide containing# First Xaa isOTHER INFORMATION: t-butyloxyca - #rbonyl lysine, second Xaa is `-rac- - #ethylthio-Gly, Ala is bAla-OH- (xi) SEQUENCE DESCRIPTION: SEQ ID NO: - # 7:- Xaa Phe Phe Xaa Ala1 5- (2) INFORMATION FOR SEQ ID NO:8:- (i) SEQUENCE CHARACTERISTICS: (A) LENGTH: 5 Amino - # Acids (B) TYPE: Amino Aci - #ds (D) TOPOLOGY: Not Relev - #ant- (ii) MOLECULE TYPE: Peptide- (ix) FEATURE:#or anchor group-E/KEY: Protective#peptide containing# First Xaa isOTHER INFORMATION: t-butyloxyca - #rbonyl lysine, second Xaa is `-rac- - #isopropylthio-Gly, Ala is bAla-OH- (xi) SEQUENCE DESCRIPTION: SEQ ID NO: - # 8:- Xaa Phe Phe Xaa Ala1 5- (2) INFORMATION FOR SEQ ID NO:9:- (i) SEQUENCE CHARACTERISTICS: (A) LENGTH: 5 Amino - # Acids (B) TYPE: Amino Aci - #ds (D) TOPOLOGY: Not Relev - #ant- (ii) MOLECULE TYPE: Peptide- (ix) FEATURE:#or anchor group-E/KEY: Protective#peptide containing# First Xaa isOTHER INFORMATION: t-butyloxyca - #rbonyl lysine, second Xaa is `-rac- - #tert-butylthio-Gly, Ala is bAla-OH- (xi) SEQUENCE DESCRIPTION: SEQ ID NO: - # 9:- Xaa Phe Phe Xaa Ala1 5- (2) INFORMATION FOR SEQ ID NO:10:- (i) SEQUENCE CHARACTERISTICS: (A) LENGTH: 5 Amino - # Acids (B) TYPE: Amino Aci - #ds (D) TOPOLOGY: Not Relev - #ant- (ii) MOLECULE TYPE: Peptide- (ix) FEATURE:#or anchor group-E/KEY: Protective#peptide containing# First Xaa isOTHER INFORMATION: t-butyloxyca - #rbonyl lysine, second Xaa is `-rac- - #tert-butylthio-Gly, Ala is bAla- (xi) SEQUENCE DESCRIPTION: SEQ ID NO: - # 10:- Xaa Phe Phe Xaa Ala1 5- (2) INFORMATION FOR SEQ ID NO:11:- (i) SEQUENCE CHARACTERISTICS: (A) LENGTH: 5 Amino - # Acids (B) TYPE: Amino Aci - #ds (D) TOPOLOGY: Not Relev - #ant- (ii) MOLECULE TYPE: Peptide- (ix) FEATURE:#or anchor group-E/KEY: Protective#peptide containing# First Xaa isOTHER INFORMATION: t-butyloxyca - #rbonyl lysine, second Xaa is `-rac- - #tert-butylthio-Gly, Ala is bAla link - #ed at carboxy terminus to#S-amine (amino-functional glycol-styro - #l graft polymer)- (xi) SEQUENCE DESCRIPTION: SEQ ID NO: - # 11:- Xaa Phe Phe Xaa Ala1 5- (2) INFORMATION FOR SEQ ID NO:12:- (i) SEQUENCE CHARACTERISTICS: (A) LENGTH: 5 Amino - # Acids (B) TYPE: Amino Aci - #ds (D) TOPOLOGY: Not Relev - #ant- (ii) MOLECULE TYPE: Peptide- (ix) FEATURE:#or anchor group-E/KEY: Protective#peptide containing# First Xaa isOTHER INFORMATION: t-butyloxyca - #rbonyl lysine, second Xaa is `-rac- - #alkyl/arylthiol-Gly, Ala is bAla-OH- (xi) SEQUENCE DESCRIPTION: SEQ ID NO: - # 12:- Xaa Phe Phe Xaa Ala1 5- (2) INFORMATION FOR SEQ ID NO:13:- (i) SEQUENCE CHARACTERISTICS: (A) LENGTH: 5 Amino - # Acids (B) TYPE: Amino Aci - #ds (D) TOPOLOGY: Not Relev - #ant- (ii) MOLECULE TYPE: Peptide- (ix) FEATURE:#or anchor group-E/KEY: Protective#peptide containing# First Xaa isOTHER INFORMATION: t-butyloxyca - #rbonyl lysine, second Xaa is `-rac- - #(methoxymethyl)oxy-Gly, Ala is bAla-OH- (xi) SEQUENCE DESCRIPTION: SEQ ID NO: - # 13:- Xaa Phe Phe Xaa Ala1 5- (2) INFORMATION FOR SEQ ID NO:14:- (i) SEQUENCE CHARACTERISTICS: (A) LENGTH: 5 Amino - # Acids (B) TYPE: Amino Aci - #ds (D) TOPOLOGY: Not Relev - #ant- (ii) MOLECULE TYPE: Peptide- (ix) FEATURE:#or anchor group-E/KEY: Protective#peptide containing# First Xaa isOTHER INFORMATION: t-butyloxyca - #rbonyl lysine, second Xaa is (trime - #thylsiloxyethyl)oxy-Gly, Ala is bAla-O - #H- (xi) SEQUENCE DESCRIPTION: SEQ ID NO: - # 14:- Xaa Phe Phe Xaa Ala1 5- (2) INFORMATION FOR SEQ ID NO:15:- (i) SEQUENCE CHARACTERISTICS: (A) LENGTH: 5 Amino - # Acids (B) TYPE: Amino Aci - #ds (D) TOPOLOGY: Not Relev - #ant- (ii) MOLECULE TYPE: Peptide- (ix) FEATURE:#or anchor group-E/KEY: Protective#peptide containing# First Xaa isOTHER INFORMATION: t-butyloxyca - #rbonyl lysine, second Xaa is tert-b - #utoxycarbonyl (boc) Trp, third#tert-butyl Asp, fourth Xaa is#fifth Xaa is Phe-NH2-Asn,- (xi) SEQUENCE DESCRIPTION: SEQ ID NO: - # 15:- Xaa Xaa Xaa Xaa Xaa1 5- (2) INFORMATION FOR SEQ ID NO:16:- (i) SEQUENCE CHARACTERISTICS: (A) LENGTH: 5 Amino - # Acids (B) TYPE: Amino Aci - #ds (D) TOPOLOGY: Not Relev - #ant- (ii) MOLECULE TYPE: Peptide- (ix) FEATURE:#or anchor group-E/KEY: Protective#peptide containing# First Xaa isOTHER INFORMATION: t-butyloxyca - #rbonyl lysine, second Xaa is `-rac- - #tert-butoxy-Gly, Ala is bAla- (xi) SEQUENCE DESCRIPTION: SEQ ID NO: - # 16:- Xaa Phe Phe Xaa Ala1 5- (2) INFORMATION FOR SEQ ID NO:17:- (i) SEQUENCE CHARACTERISTICS: (A) LENGTH: 5 Amino - # Acids (B) TYPE: Amino Aci - #ds (D) TOPOLOGY: Not Relev - #ant- (ii) MOLECULE TYPE: Peptide- (ix) FEATURE:#or anchor group-E/KEY: Protective#peptide containing# First Xaa isOTHER INFORMATION: t-butyloxyca - #rbonyl lysine, second Xaa is `-rac- - #methoxy-Gly, Ala is bAla-OH- (xi) SEQUENCE DESCRIPTION: SEQ ID NO: - # 17:- Xaa Phe Phe Xaa Ala1 5__________________________________________________________________________
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The invention relates to a carbamide of the general formula
R.sub.1 --CO--NH--C(R.sub.2)(R.sub.3)--X--Y
which is protected by a temporary protective group and wherein
R 1 --CO means a carbonyl residue which can be provided as a unit for the chain of a peptide, and can have one or a plurality of amino acid residues;
R2 and R3 mean resides of the carbamide which do not participate in their function, whereby R2 and R3 can be identical or different, but are different when one of the two residues means a hydrogen atom;
X means an oxygen atom or a sulphur atom, and
Y means a protective group for X.
The invention further relates to a process for producing the protected carbamide and to utilisation of the protected carbamide.
The protected carbamide according to the invention can also be linked to a carrier material.
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FIELD OF INVENTION
[0001] This invention relates to a broadcast type apparatus for spreading material over the ground surface, and more particularly, to a broadcast apparatus for attachment to a material transporter of the pull-type or of a self propelled nature for receiving material from the material transporter and distributing the material over a path on the ground during travel of the material transporter.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] Material transporters are used for spreading numerous types of materials over a ground surface, and spreaders of a particular type have been developed for use of turf maintenance, such as those used in the care of golf courses, where special attention must be taken to provide very even distribution of the material so as to leave the grass and adjacent areas in a well groomed condition. Moreover, it is useful that the same equipment used in making fine applications of materials such as light soil, sand and fertilizer on the greens and fairways can also be used in making even distribution of other materials, which may have other characteristics, including coarse materials, such as crushed rock, drain rock and other materials utilized as path materials. It is also desirable in some areas to have equipment capable of neatly spreading other bulky material or those which tend to clump or cling together such as mower clipping, bark material or aerified lawn cores.
[0003] Many of the existing material transporters and associated broadcasting units are of a design which have limited abilities in spreading different materials or in switching from making light to heavy applications in a single pass. While various units having completely different operating characteristics have been developed for separate attachment to the rear of available material transporters for handling certain materials of varying nature, the procurement and maintenance of such units add significantly to the cost of maintaining turf.
SUMMARY OF INVENTION
[0004] It is an object of the present invention to provide a broadcast apparatus capable of effectively spreading a wide variety of materials for attachment to available types of material transporters.
[0005] According to one aspect of the invention, there is provided a broadcast apparatus for attachment to a material transporter for receiving material from the material transporter and distributing the material on a path along a ground surface as the material transporter travels over the ground surface, the material transporter being of the type having attachment mounting means for the broadcast apparatus thereon. The broadcast apparatus includes a chassis section, at least one spinner unit, and at least a first hopper section. The chassis has upper mounting means, a lower horizontal frame portion, and frame members suspending the lower frame portion spaced below the upper mounting means. The spinner unit or units are mounted on the lower frame portion and each includes a power driven disc having a substantially horizontal circular, upper surface, and a plurality of upright blade members affixed to the upper surface of the disc. The hopper section includes a hopper portion defining an upper opening for receipt of material from the material transporter and a lower outlet above the upper surface of the disc, and hopper mounting means disposed for engagement with the upper mounting means of the chassis section. Inter-connecting means are provided for detachably connecting the mounting means of the hopper section to the mounting means of the chassis section in a plurality of positions for permitting variable placement of the lower outlet of the hopper section relative to the upper surface of the disc. Either the chassis or the hopper section provide surfaces for interaction with the attachment mounting means of the material transporter for detachably mounting the broadcast apparatus on the material transporter.
[0006] In a preferred embodiment of the invention, there is provided a pair of spinner units mounted on a horizontal frame member in side-by-side relation, and each blade on the discs is provided with a pair of adjustable attachment means spaced along the length thereof permitting adjustment of the distance of opposite ends of the blade away from a common radial line extending outward from the center of the circular disc.
[0007] According to another aspect of a specific embodiment of the present invention, a spinner shield member is carried by the lower frame in front of forward portions of the spinner units. In cross section the spinner shield member has a right angle shape formed by an upright flange joined to a bottom horizontal flange. The upright flange projects upwardly to an upper edge at least at the level of the upper edges of the blades, and the horizontal flange extends rearwardly below forward portions of said discs and has a series of openings disposed therethrough approximately below the periphery of said discs of said spinner units.
[0008] Preferably, the broadcast apparatus includes a second hopper section including mounting rails of the same structure as the first hopper section for interchanging therewith on the chassis section. The hopper portion of the first hopper section and a hopper portion of the second hopper section are differently structured to provide interior structures for causing different flow characteristics of material therethrough from the upper inlet opening to at least one lower outlet opening. While the hopper portion of the first hopper section may have downwardly converging side walls and downwardly diverging front and rear walls, with these walls defining a single lower opening elongated in the transverse direction and extending across portions of both of the circular discs of said pair of spinner units, the hopper portion of said second hopper section may have a pair of downwardly converging side walls with each side wall having an opposed center wall so that the hopper portion forms a pair of side-by-side lower outlets, one each being located over a portion of one of the circular discs of the pair of spinner units.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
[0009] The accompanying drawings show different embodiments of the invention, wherein:
[0010] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an embodiment of the broadcast, apparatus of the present invention as seen from a right hand rear corner thereof;
[0011] FIG. 2 is a left side elevational view of the embodiment as shown in FIG. 1 and illustrating the broadcast apparatus as attached to a material transporter;
[0012] FIG. 3 is a top view of the embodiment of the broadcast apparatus as shown in FIG. 1 ;
[0013] FIG. 4 is an elevational cross section view as seen from line 4 - 4 of FIG. 3 but illustrating the broadcast apparatus in relation to the material transporter during operation thereof;
[0014] FIG. 5 is a rear perspective view of a chassis section of the broadcast apparatus prior to the mounting of spinner units thereon;
[0015] FIG. 6 is a plan view of the chassis section as shown in FIG. 5 and further illustrating the left hand spinner unit as mounted on the chassis;
[0016] FIG. 7 is a side-rear perspective of the chassis section as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6 , but with both spinners and associated motors mounted thereon;
[0017] FIG. 8 is an enlarged top view of the right hand end portion of the chassis section as shown in FIG. 7 with the spinner unit mounted thereon;
[0018] FIG. 9 is a cross sectional view of the chassis section of FIG. 8 as seen from the line 9 - 9 of FIG. 8 , but with the hopper section in place so as to illustrate the relative position of a lower portion of the hopper section to the rotating disc of the spinner unit;
[0019] FIG. 10 is a perspective top view from the front of an alternative embodiment of a hopper section for the broadcast apparatus of the invention;
[0020] FIG. 11 is a top view of the broadcast apparatus with the hopper section of the embodiment of FIG. 10 in mounted position; and
[0021] FIG. 12 is a rear view of a spreader with the broadcast apparatus of the invention mounted thereon, but with the clamping means for attaching the broadcast apparatus removed for the sake of clarity.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF INVENTION
[0022] In the drawings, the broadcast apparatus of the present invention is generally denoted by the reference number 20 , and consists of chassis section 21 and a separate hopper section 22 , which, as described below, are readily separable and are manually movable to different locked positions relative to each other. The broadcast apparatus 20 is designed for secure attachment to the rear of a material transporter 23 , as illustrated in FIGS. 2, 4 and 12 , from which a material 26 is fed to the broadcast apparatus 20 by a conveyor 24 , such as an endless belt conveyor, from a storage hopper 25 carried by the material transporter 23 . The material transporter 23 may be of a number of forms of spreaders, of both the pull-type or self-propelled type. As will be described in more detail, the illustrated embodiments of the invention are designed for attachment to the rear of a spreader, such as Model Number MH-400, manufactured and sold by TY-CROP Manufacturing Ltd.
[0023] As illustrated in FIG. 12 , the storage hopper 25 of the material transporter 23 is carried on a frame 27 mounted on ground engaging wheels 28 . The storage hopper 25 has a rear gate 30 which may be raised or lowered manually through operation of a crank 31 readily accessible at the left hand side of the material transporter 23 . As the gate 30 is raised, a space is developed between a lower edge of the gate and a rearwardly travelling belt 32 of the conveyor 24 . Accordingly, a layer of material 26 of a selected depth on an upper surface of the belt 32 is carried by the belt 32 from within the storage hopper 25 toward the rear of the material transporter 23 until it reaches a point where the belt 32 passes over a rear roller 33 ( FIG. 2 ). At this point, the material 38 tumbles into the hopper section 22 of the broadcast apparatus 20 of the invention. Thus, the setting of the height of the gate 30 above the belt in relation to a set speed of travel of the belt 32 , which may also be variable, determines the rate of delivery of the material 26 from the storage hopper 25 of the material transporter 23 to the broadcast apparatus 20 . At the rear of the material transporter 23 , there are provided clamp means for detachably connecting various attachments, such as the broadcast apparatus 20 , to the material transporter 23 . The clamping means includes a pair of forward support units 34 , 34 affixed to the frame 29 of the material transporter 23 and a pair of rearward manually operable locking clamps 35 , 35 carried at the rear end of rearwardly projecting side walls 36 of the spreader. When the broadcast apparatus 20 is fixed in position by the locking means, it is held a distance above ground surface 37 over which the material transporter 23 travels ( FIG. 12 ). Accordingly, as the material transporter 23 moves forward along a path of travel over a ground surface, the material 26 , such as soil, sand, mulch, crushed rock, etc. dropping into the broadcast apparatus 20 from the material transporter 23 is distributed over a pre-selected width in an pattern of even density as will be described in more detail below.
[0024] Features of the chassis section 21 of the broadcast apparatus can be more clearly seen in FIGS. 5 to 8 . The chassis section 21 in the main may be formed by the welding of commercially available sections of steel. The chassis section 21 includes mounting means in the form of a pair of transversely spaced horizontal upper rails 40 , 40 , which are parallel and extend in the fore and aft direction of the apparatus. The rails 40 , 40 have an upper web 41 and downwardly projecting spaced side flanges 42 , 42 , the upper web 41 providing a flat horizontal upper surface 43 of each rail 40 ( FIG. 5 ). Projecting upwardly from the upper surface 43 of each rail 40 is a pair of threaded studs 44 , 44 , which are affixed to the upper web 41 , the threaded studs being spaced along the upper surface 43 in the longitudinal direction of the upper rail 40 . A pair of rods which form handles 45 , 45 extend through the side flanges 42 , 42 of each upper rail 40 and are secured thereto by means such as nuts 46 or welding and the like. The handles 45 , 45 which are provided with grips 47 at their outer ends project laterally from the rails 40 , 40 at opposite sides of the chassis section 21 . As is described in more detail, the handles are readily accessible to the operators of the material transporter 23 for mounting the complete broadcast apparatus on the rear of the material transporter 23 , or for adjusting the chassis section 21 and hopper section 22 relative to each other.
[0025] The chassis section 21 further provides a lower frame portion 50 including lower rails 51 , 51 which are shown as flanged channel sections spaced a distance below the upper rails 40 , 40 and extending parallel thereto. The lower rails 51 , 51 are suspended from the upper rails 40 , 40 by upright frame members 52 , 52 each formed by a lower vertical section 53 , and rearwardly slanted upper section 54 affixed one each to a top of the vertical sections 52 , 52 , such as by welding. Each vertical section 53 of the frame member 52 is affixed to a forward end of one of the lower rails 51 , which projects a significant distance forward of the front end of its associated upper rail 40 . An upper end of each slanted upper section 54 is affixed to the front end of the associated upper rail 40 . A transversely extending horizontal brace member 55 is affixed at opposite ends to the upright frame members 52 , 52 .
[0026] Each of the lower rails 51 , 51 is provided with a stand member 56 on which the chassis section 21 rests when the chassis section or the assembled broadcast apparatus 20 as a whole is demounted from the material transporter 23 . Each stand 56 includes a pair of vertical support members 57 , 57 affixed at upper ends to one of the lower rails 51 , 51 at a spaced distances therealong. A lower horizontal ground engaging support member 58 is welded between lower ends of the vertical support members 57 , 57 . The lengths of the vertical support members are selected to ensure that the lower frame section and the associated components are held sufficiently above the ground surface to prevent damage thereof when the broadcast apparatus 20 is removed from the material transporter 23 .
[0027] Extending transversely between the lower rails 51 , 51 , and secured at opposite ends thereto is a spinner supporting frame member 60 , which is provided with a pair of appropriately spaced openings 61 , 61 at locations where a pair of spinner units 62 , 62 are mounted as more fully described hereinafter. Secured to the top surfaces of the lower rails 51 , 51 at either end and also to the central portion of the frame member 60 is a spinner shield member 63 . In cross section, the shield member has a right angle shape consisting of a vertical upright flange 64 and a horizontal bottom flange 65 . In plan view, the upright vertical flange 64 has a pair of arcuate end sections 68 , each of which have a curvature radius slightly larger than the radius of flat discs 66 , 66 of the two spinner units 62 , 62 , the pair of arcuate end sections 68 , 68 being joined by a reverse curvature section 67 at the center of the shield member. The horizontal bottom flange 65 has bottom portions 70 , 70 extending a distance rearwardly of each arcuate end section 68 of the upright vertical flange 64 , and bottom portions 70 , 70 are connected by a central enlarged bottom portion 71 extending rearwardly from the reverse curved section 67 of the upright vertical flange 64 . When the spinner units 62 , 62 are installed on the transverse frame member 60 , the discs 66 , 66 are spaced slightly above an upper surface 72 of the horizontal flange 65 in the areas of rearwardly extending bottom portions 70 , 70 of the horizontal flange 65 . Located in the horizontal bottom flange 65 immediately within the pair of arcuate end sections 68 , 68 of the upright flange 64 , and approximately on the same radius as the periphery of the discs 66 , 66 are series of openings 73 , through the horizontal flange. The openings 73 are spaced and are preferably elongated as illustrated. As is described further below, the openings 73 allow the escape of particles of material which enters the space between the discs 66 , 66 and the top surface 72 of the horizontal bottom flange 65 which particles otherwise accumulate in that space. It has been found that ridding that space of such accumulation greatly reduces abrasion of the flanges and the discs.
[0028] Each spinner unit 62 includes a hydraulic motor 75 , supplied with pressurized hydraulic fluid through a control valve 76 ( FIG. 2 ) mounted on upright frame member 52 on the left side of the chassis section 21 . The hydraulic fluid is supplied through hydraulic lines 77 from a hydraulic pumping system (not shown) carried by either the material transporter 23 or from a towing vehicle (not shown). The quantity of flow of fluid from the control valve 76 is varied by the setting of the control valve which sets the speed of rotation of the spinner units 62 , 62 , the connection of the hydraulic lines to the pair of hydraulic motors 75 , 75 being such that the motors rotate in opposite directions at the same speed as indicated by arrows A,A in FIG. 8 .
[0029] Each spinner unit 62 is connected to the transverse frame member 60 by way of bolts 80 which pass through bolt holes in the frame member 60 and are screwed into threaded holes in the casing of the motors 75 , 75 . Each motor 75 is disposed beneath the frame and having an output shaft 81 which projects up through one of the openings 61 , 61 in the frame member 60 ( FIG. 9 ). Each disc 66 is fixed to the upper end of shaft 81 by way of a bolt connection 82 for rotation therewith.
[0030] As previously described each of the discs 66 has its forward portion located within one of the pair of arcuate end sections 68 of the upright flange 64 of the spinner shield member 63 , and these portions of the discs are spaced slightly above the rearwardly extending bottom portion 70 of the horizontal flanges 65 . Located on upper surface 83 of each disc 66 are a plurality of upright blade members 84 each having a forward material engaging surface 85 . The blade members 84 are of sufficient length to extend from an inner end closely spaced to the center of the upper discs surface 83 to a point near the outer periphery 86 , and in the embodiment shown, along the length of the blade member 84 , it is provided with a curvature so that as to provide the forward surface with a convex face.
[0031] Projecting rearwardly from each blade member at a lower edge thereof is a pair of lugs, an outer lug 87 and an inner lug 88 . The inner and outer lugs 87 , 88 have bottom surfaces which are perpendicular relative to the upstanding blade member for flat engagement with the upper surface 83 of the disc. The disc 66 is provided with a pair of threaded openings for each blade member 84 , which openings are not necessarily on the same radial line extending from the center of the disc. Each of the lugs 87 and 88 are provided with slotted openings 90 and 91 , respectively. Each of the slotted openings 90 and 91 are struck on arcuate line to allow the outer end of the blade member and the inner end of the blade member to be shifted in an arcuate direction about the center of the threaded opening at the opposite end thereof as depicted by the arrows B and C in FIG. 8 . This allows a considerable amount of variation of the position at the forward surface 85 of each blade member 84 relative to a radial line drawn from the center of the disc. Once a position of the blade member is selected, tightening of bolts 92 and 93 , which pass through the slotted openings 90 and 91 of the outer and inner lugs 87 and 88 , respectively, are threaded into the pair of threaded openings in the disc.
[0032] The hopper section 22 of the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 to 4 and 9 is of a type used in spreading coarse or bulky materials, whereas the hopper section 22 a , as shown in FIGS. 10 and 11 , which can be readily substituted for the former, is of a type used on the same chassis section 21 when finer materials, such as sand, is being spread. The embodiment of the hopper section 22 a has located midway between opposed side walls 96 a pair of downwardly diverging intermediate walls 120 , 120 , thus providing a pair of bottom openings 114 , 114 disposed to be located one each over the pair of spinner units 62 , 62 .
[0033] As viewed in FIG. 3 , the hopper forming portion 95 per se of the hopper section 22 includes a pair of side walls 96 , 96 which converge downwardly from the top of the hopper forming portion 95 . A rear wall 97 ( FIGS. 3 and 4 ) and a front wall 98 also converge downwardly from the top of the hopper section 22 . The walls 96 , 96 , 97 and 98 are formed of steel metal and are joined at the diverging corners 99 , such as by welding. The upper edges of walls 96 , 96 , 97 and 98 are in a substantially common horizontal plane as are the lower edges which are fastened, such as welding 94 to the edges of a rectangular opening in a horizontal disposed spinner cover plate 100 , which is shaped to fully cover the pair of discs 66 , 66 as well as the spinner shield member 63 . The cover plate 100 has a projecting rear portion 101 which extends some distance horizontally behind the discs 66 , 66 . As shown in FIG. 4 , for example, when the chassis section 21 and the hopper portion 22 are assembled, the cover plate 100 of the hopper section 22 is spaced only slightly above the top edges of the blade members 84 of the spinner units 62 , 62 installed in the chassis section 21 and immediately above the spinner shield member 63 . The hopper forming portion 95 is reinforced by side support member 102 which are welded to the top surface of the cover plate 100 and slope inwardly to an area somewhat below the top edges of the side walls 96 , 96 . At the rear of the hopper portion a rear support member 103 is welded to the top surface of the cover plate 100 and slopes inward to a top edge welded to rear wall 96 of the hopper forming portion 95 in the same plane as the top edges of side support members 102 , 102 of the side walls 96 , 96 . The end edges of the rear support member 103 are welded to the rear end edges of the side support members 102 . Attached to the top edge of the rear 97 of the hopper formed portion 95 is a rear deflecting plate 104 which slants forwardly somewhat over the material receiving opening defined by the upper edges of the walls 96 , 96 , 97 and 98 . This deflecting plate is provided to intersect any of the material which may be projected rearwardly as the material leaves the conveyor 24 . A reinforcing member 109 is affixed along the forward side of the front wall of the hopper portion at its upper edge, which member is shown in the form of an angle iron.
[0034] Immediately adjacent the top edges of the side walls, there are attached thereto, a pair of mounting rails 105 , 105 , which extend in the fore and aft direction of the broadcast apparatus and have the same transverse spacing as the upper rails 40 , 40 of the chassis section 20 . As shown in FIG. 1 , the mounting rails 105 , 105 are somewhat longer than the upper rails 40 , 40 and have a forward end projecting beyond the forward ends of the upper rails 40 , 40 when the chassis section and the hopper section are assembled. The mounting rails 105 , 105 are in the form of an outwardly open channel member having parallel lower and upper flanges 106 , 107 respectively, as well as a connecting web 108 , which due to the slant of the side walls of the hopper portion 95 of the hopper section 22 against which the mounting rails are welded, is not at right angles to the horizontally projecting flanges 106 , 107 . When assembled as an operating broadcast apparatus the lower flange 106 of each mounting rail 105 directly to overlays the upper web 41 of the corresponding upper rail 40 , the lower flange 106 being provided with properly located openings 110 for reception of the upwardly projecting studs 44 , 44 of the upper rail as the lower surface of the flange 106 comes into contact with the upper surface 43 of the upper rail 40 . The studs 44 , 44 are of a length to project completely through the openings 110 which are elongated.
[0035] In the illustrated embodiments of the invention, the clamping means of the material transporter 23 , consisting of the forward support units 34 , 34 and the rearward manually operable locking clamp 35 , 35 interact with opposite ends of the mounting rails 105 , 105 which are part of the hopper section, whether the hopper section be either the embodiment 22 or 22 a . As most easily seen in FIG. 2 , the support units 34 , 34 enter the forward ends of the mounting rails 105 , 105 on opposite sides of the hopper section. Subsequent action of each of the pair of locking clamps 35 by pushing down on a lever 115 moves them into a locking condition. Due to a reaction of an over-center movement as the lever 115 is pushed down, a rod 116 which is connected to the rearwardly projecting side wall 36 of the material transporter 23 pulls a downwardly extending hook portion 117 of the locking clamp tightly into the rear end of the mounting rail 105 .
[0036] The chassis section 21 can be readily moved manually from one site to another when separated from the material transporter 23 and from the hopper section 20 by two persons on opposite sides of the chassis section grabbing the opposite pairs of handles 45 , 45 and lifting and carrying it. In this separated condition all parts of it are readily available for maintenance or replacement. Depending on the type of material to be spread, the orientation of the blade members 84 may be readily adjusted at this stage. The blade member 84 may be loosened from the disc surface 83 by turning the outer and inner bolts 92 , 93 . The blade members can then be shifted to a new position before retightening the bolts.
[0037] Again, depending on the type of material to be spread, an appropriate type of hopper section 22 is selected. While two different embodiments 22 and 22 a of the hopper forming portion 93 have been illustrated, other forms which are designed for feeding the material through the bottom opening of the hopper form portion 95 , or openings 114 , 114 in the case of hopper section 22 a , and into the top of the spinner units 62 , 62 , may be found desirable, depending on the nature of the material to be spread. While the type of the hopper forming section 22 which is termed a bulk hopper is preferable for particles which are very coarse as well as materials which clump together, such as grass clippings, bark mulch and lawn covers. The spreading of finer materials, such as sand and some light soils is accomplished more even with the type of hopper section, which is referred to as a sand hopper, a separate opening 114 positioned above a corresponding spinner unit as shown for hopper section 22 a . With proper settings, this latter form of hopper is useful for other coarser material of equivalent, particulate material, such as crushed rock, drain rock or cart path material.
[0038] Having positioned the blade members 84 in the chassis section 21 and selected the form of the hopper section 22 or 22 a , the hopper section is lifted over the chassis section by hand and lowered on to the chassis so that the four threaded studs 44 on the upper rails 40 , 40 of the chassis section project through the elongated opening 110 in the lower flanges 106 , 106 of the mounting rails 105 , 105 of the upper section 22 or 22 a . Again, depending on the type of material to be spread the hopper section is moved either forwardly or rearwardly due to the movement permitted by the threaded studs 44 being received in the elongated openings 110 . When the relatively positioning of the hopper section 22 on the chassis section 21 has been completed, the four internally threaded knobs 112 are tightened by hand onto the threaded studs 44 to bring the lower surface of the flanges 106 of the mounting rail, 105 , 105 into tight engagement with the upper surfaces 43 , 43 of the upper rails 40 . This locks the two sections together to form an integral broadcast apparatus and holds the two in a set relationship, the latter being important as the prior shifting of the two sections results in the relative movement of the outlet opening at the bottom of the hopper forming portion of the hopper section 22 relative to the top of the spinner units 62 , 62 . The effect of varying the position of entry of the material 26 into the blade members 84 is important in establishing the pattern of distribution of the particles of the material 26 .
[0039] Having tightened the knobs 112 , the assembled unit can be lifted, again by two persons using the lateral projecting handles 45 to a position where the broadcast apparatus as a whole is moved towards the back of the material transporter 23 so that the forward support units 34 , 34 of the material transporter 23 are received in the forward end of the mounting rails 105 , 105 , thus supporting the forward part of the broadcast unit by the upper flange 107 of the mounting rails. The rear of the mounting rails is then levelled for reception of the hook portions 117 of the rear locking clamps 35 as the levers 115 , 115 are pushed down, thereby pulling the locking clamps 35 into engagement with the rear of the mounting rails 105 , 105 so as to tightly hold the mounting rails tight relative to the material transporter 23 ( FIG. 2 ). At this time the hydraulic lines 77 , 77 of the material transporter 23 are connected to the speed control valve 76 which is set for a selected speed, again taking into account the type of material to be spread. The flow of hydraulic fluid through the lines 77 is normally controlled by a valve on the material transporter 23 or the towing vehicle.
[0040] It may be noted that once the assembled broadcast apparatus 20 is mounted on the material transporter 23 ready for spreading or at any time during the spreading operation, its spreading characteristic for the particular material involved can be varied by shifting the relative position of the single outlet or outlets 114 , 114 of the hopper section to the part of the discs 66 , 66 onto which the material flows from the outlet. To make such an adjustment, it is necessary to loosen the knobs 112 only sufficiently to allow the operator, to slide the chassis section 21 in a forward or rearward direction by pushing the handles 45 in that direction. This causes the sifting of the chassis section 21 and the related chassis parts carried thereby, including the discs 66 , 66 and spinner sheets 63 , in the directions indicated by the double-headed arrow D ( FIGS. 4 and 9 ). It is to be appreciated that while the illustrated embodiment of the invention shows an embodiment in which the hopper section 22 provides mounting rails 105 , 105 which are clamped relative to the material transporter frame with the upper rails 40 , 40 of the chassis section 21 being moveable relative to the mounting rails once the two sections are no longer tightly clamped together, an alternative arrangement is substantially as effective. Such an alternative embodiment would involve, for example, that of simply arranging the upper rails 40 , 40 for receiving the clamping means of the material transporter 23 whereby on releasing the interconnecting means between the chassis section and the 16hopper section, such as already described as being threaded studs and associated internally threaded knobs or the like, the hopper section could be shifted relative to the chassis section, which is fixed relative to spreader, before retightening the interconnecting means between the two sections.
[0041] It has been found that in spreading various materials with the broadcast apparatus of this invention, proper combinations of settings can be established for obtaining very uniform distribution patterns along the path being covered. It is apparent from the relatively simple design described above, that there is provided by the structure, a broadcast apparatus which is convenient and inexpensive to produce and maintain while being light to handle. It is further apparent that the versatility of the broadcast apparatus, resides in the ability to switch, for example, from spreading bulk materials to that of spreading fine or equivalent particulate material in a manner of a few minutes. In spreading the bulk materials, it can be observed from the view through the outlet opening in the bottom of the hopper forming portion as seen in FIG. 3 , that the material is affected by the action of both exposed portions of the two discs 66 , 66 together travelling in the direction of the arrows A-A. It has been found that the best separation and dispersal of this type of material is accomplished with the chassis section moved to rearwardly relative to the hopper section. On the other hand, in order to obtain optimum spreading of very fine material such as sand, it has been found that it is better to have the sand particles landing separately and only on the upper surfaces of the two discs so as to require the use of the form of the hopper illustrated in FIG. 11 . It has been further established that to obtain an even pattern of distribution, it is preferable to arrange the setting of the relative positions of the chassis section 21 and the hopper section 22 a , to provide the longest period of contact between each sand particle and the forward surface 88 of the blade members. This requires the shifting of the chassis section 21 to its forward position relative to hopper section 22 a . Moreover, it is preferable with this type of material to reposition the relative position of the blade members 84 on the discs 66 , 66 to further accomplish the prolonged contact between the blade members and the sand particles.
[0042] Although only a single embodiment has been illustrated in relation to the chassis section and other associated parts, it is apparent that variations will be obvious to those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the invention as defined in the appending claims.
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The invention relates to a broadcast apparatus of the type used in association with a material transporter and includes two components in the form of a chassis section which carries spinner units and a hopper section for directing material received from the transporter into the spinner units. The two components are constructed for easy attachment to permit ready separation and re-connection whereby hopper sections which direct the material differently into the spinner units can be quickly substituted and further the attachments parts of the two components permit positioning of the components in different relationships. The spinner units have material engaging blades, the positioning of which on the spinner discs can be varied to affect the engagement of the blades with the material. The ability to accomplish a variety of operating parameters enables the broadcast apparatus to evenly distribute on the ground surface materials of a significantly different characteristics.
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BACKGROUND AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to a portable transducer simulator for use in the development and/or maintenance of instrumentation circuitry in automotive vehicles.
Automotive vehicles contain instrumentation circuits which present information to the vehicle operator concerning operating conditions of the vehicle. In large trucks such as highway tractors there are a substantial number of instrumentation circuits which present information about the operating conditions of various parts of the powertrain, such as, for example, engine oil pressure, engine oil temperature, coolant temperature, transmission fluid temperature, etc.
Each circuit is operated by a transducer, or sensor, which is physically disposed on the vehicle at an appropriate location to monitor the condition of interest. Each transducer develops an electrical signal indicative of the condition of interest. These signals are conducted through various wiring harnesses of the vehicle to appropriate instrumentation, such as, for example, electronic read-outs or electrical gages, on the vehicle's instrument panel. In this way the values of the monitored conditions are presented to the vehicle operator.
The ability to simulate the various transducers may be advantageous in the diagnostic checking of a vehicle's instrumentation circuitry. For example, the ability to check a temperature instrumentation circuit without having to warm up and cool down a vehicle can yield considerable savings in time and labor.
The availability of many different vehicle models and optional accessories has complicated diagnostic testing from the standpoint of compatability of test equipment with vehicles. The availability of many different models and accessories has spawned numerous different physical configurations for the electric circuit terminations of wiring harnesses and electrical devices, even though the same circuits in different vehicles may be essentially electrically identical. Moreover, the increased use of electronic instrumentation in a vehicle has increased the need for diagnostic testing, and equipment which will serve this end is becoming increasingly important, particularly where it is not overly complex and can be expeditiously used for diagnosis.
The present invention relates to a portable transducer simulator which is well-suited for compatability with different vehicle models and accessories in simulating one or more actual transducers for the expeditious checking of a vehicle's instrumentation circuitry. These attributes are embodied in apparatus which comprises a small portable transducer simulator unit and a number of adapter cables each of which serves to adapt the unit for connection into a particular vehicle wiring harness in substitution of one or more of the vehicle's transducers which operate the vehicle's instrumentation circuitry.
The unit comprises a compact case which contains resistance values representative of typical transducer resistance values for various transducer operating conditions. It also has a rotary selector switch which the user operates to select particular resistance values for presentment to the instrumentation circuitry when the simulator unit is connected to the vehicle instrumentation circuitry via the appropriate adapter cable in substitution of the actual transducer being simulated. Presentment of known resistance values to the instrumentation circuitry enables the response of the circuitry to known inputs to be ascertained. The disclosed embodiment possesses the ability to simulate both temperature and pressure transducers so that pressure and temperature circuits can be quickly and reliably checked. Moreover, the specific arrangement of the temperature and pressure simulating capabilities in the unit is especially conducive to facile and expeditious usage.
The foregoing features, advantages, and benefits of the invention, along with additional ones, will be seen in the ensuing description and claims which should be considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. The drawings, in which like reference numerals designate like parts, portray a presently preferred embodiment of the best mode contemplated in carrying out the invention.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a simplified schematic representation of an automotive vehicle instrumentation circuit with which the present invention is useful.
FIG. 2 is a view similar to FIG. 1 illustrating use of the present invention.
FIG. 3 is a simplified schematic representation of apparatus embodying the present invention.
FIG. 4 is a plan view of one part of the apparatus portrayed in FIG. 3.
FIG. 5 is a view in the direction of arrow 5 in FIG. 4.
FIG. 6 is a view in the direction of arrow 6 in FIG. 4.
FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram of a portion of the apparatus portrayed in FIG. 4.
FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram of another portion of the apparatus portrayed in FIG. 4.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
FIG. 1 shows a representative automotive vehicle instrumentation circuit 10 containing a transducer 12 and a display 14 connected together by wiring 16. Typically the wiring is part of one or more harnesses and includes connectors for connecting the various harnesses and devices in circuit. While FIG. 1 portrays separably mated connectors 18, 20 at the transducer, separably mated connectors 22, 24 at the display, and separably mated connectors 26, 28 in the wiring, it is to be appreciated that these are merely representative. The transducer is disposed to sense a particular condition associated with the operation of the vehicle powertrain, such as those enumerated earlier, and to provide a corresponding signal to the display whereby the display discloses an indication of the condition. In the case of a temperature circuit, the display would present the sensed temperature.
FIG. 2 illustrates portable transducer simulator apparatus embodying principles of the invention in use in circuit 10 simulating transducer 12. The portable transducer simulator (PTS) apparatus shown in this Fig. comprises a transducer simulator unit 30 and an adapter cable 32. Unit 30 is connected with display 14 in substitution of transducer 12. The substitution is performed by disconnecting connectors 18, 20 at transducer 12 and then connecting unit 30 to connector 20 by means of adapter cable 32.
Adapter cable 32 comprises suitable terminations 34, 36 at opposite ends. Termination 34 comprises two plugs 34a, 34b for separable mating connection with unit 30; termination 36 is a connector having a physical configuration for separable mating connection with the particular connector 20 of the vehicle wiring harness. The circuit configuration in FIG. 2 directly substitutes unit 30 for transducer 12 such that operation of display 14 is controlled by unit 30.
Before a detailed description of unit 30 is begun, it is appropriate to point out that the unit is endowed with the ability to simulate multiple transducers and that the simulator apparatus is compatable with various wiring harness configurations. Such versatility is achieved through the provision of multiple adapter cables some of which are electrically identical to the two conductor adapter cable 32, but have different physical configurations for the termination which connects into the vehicle wiring harness, and others of which are three conductor cables having one termination for connection into the vehicle wiring harness and the other termination for connection to unit 30. FIG. 3 portrays a set of the apparatus comprising unit 30, multiple two conductor adapter cables, 32 generally, and multiple three conductor adapter cables, 38 generally. Each adapter cable 32 has the same termination 34 for connection to unit 30, but a unique termination 36 for adaptation to a particular wiring harness connector; likewise, each three conductor adapter cable 38 has the same termination for connection to unit 30, but a unique termination at the opposite end for adaptation to a particular wiring harness connector. It is to be appreciated that the particular physical configuration for any adapter cable is a function of the specific vehicle's wiring harness design. Hence so long as the same types of transducers continue to be used in new vehicle models, at most a new adapter cable will have to be fabricated to maintain the usefulness of the PTS apparatus.
FIGS. 4, 5, and 6 illustrate details of unit 30. The illustrated embodiment comprises a rectangular case 40 fabricated as a small aluminum box. The knob 42 of a rotary selector switch 44 is on the exterior face 46 of case 40. The switch body is disposed within the interior of case 40, and the shaft to which knob 42 is affixed passes through a hole in the center of face 46.
The illustrated switch is a twelve position one, and for convenience in description, reference will be made to positions of the clock. For example, FIG. 4 shows knob 42 pointing to the twelve o'clock position, and this will be described as the twelve o'clock position of the switch.
Unit 30 has the ability to simulate both temperature and pressure transducers. The temperature simulation comprises a span extending from the ten o'clock to the two o'clock position, as seen in FIG. 4; the pressure simulation comprises a span extending from the four o'clock to the eight o'clock position. The five positions for temperature simulation are as marked on face 46 at the ten, eleven, twelve, one, and two o'clock positions; the five settings for pressure simulation are marked at the four, five, six, seven, and eight o'clock positions. The three and nine o'clock positions are not used.
Temperature transducer simulation involves selective substitution of a single resistance value, and hence a two conductor jack 50 having receptacles 50a, 50b is associated with the temperature simulation settings. Pressure transducer simulation involves selective substitution of complementary fractions of resistance value, and hence, a three conductor jack 52 having receptacles 52a, 52b, 52c is associated with the pressure simulation settings. The jacks 50, 52 are preferably the type commonly referred to as bananna jacks. Correspondingly, the terminations on the respective adapter cables which separably connect to the bananna jacks are respective bananna plugs.
For convenient usage of the apparatus, both jacks 50, 52 are disposed in the side of case 40 such that as viewed in the direction of FIG. 4, jack 50 lies within the ten-two o'clock range spanned by the temperature simulation settings and jack 52 lies within the four-eight o'clock pressure simulation range of settings. Moreover the indicia on face 46 is presented in the actual manner shown with the pressure simulating indicia upside down from the temperature simulating indicia. Temperature transducer simulation may be performed with the case disposed in the person's hand in the orientation of FIG. 4 enabling the person to conveniently read the temperature range settings and operate the selector switch over that range while an adapter cable used for temperature simulation extends away from what would be considered the top of the case above the temperature simulation range. For pressure transducer simulation, the case is held in the person's hand upside down from the orientation of FIG. 4 so that the pressure range settings are presented upright for reading while an adapter cable used for pressure simulation leads from what is now the top of the case just above the pressure simulation range. A normally open push-button switch 54 is mounted in the side of the case in a portion which adjoins the portions containing the respective jacks 50, 52. As will be seen later, switch 54 is used in association with the pressure simulation function.
FIG. 7 illustrates the internal construction for the temperature simulation function of the PTS while FIG. 8 shows that of the pressure simulation function. Switch 44 has a common terminal C and twelve taps corresponding to the twelve switch settings. The common C connects to one of the two receptacles of jack 50 and also to one of the three receptacles of jack 52.
The temperature simulation function comprises a series of loads corresponding to the five settings marked on the case. These loads simulate a negative temperature coefficient transducer corresponding to minimum, normal, and maximum temperatures at the eleven, twelve, and one o'clock positions. The ten o'clock position represents an open circuit and the two o'clock position, a closed circuit. There are three resistors 60, 62, 64 of different resistance value as indicated for the minimum, normal, and maximum settings, and switch 44 serves to selectively switch them into circuit between the two receptacles of jack 50. In the ten o'clock setting there is an open circuit between the two receptacles of jack 50 while in the two o'clock setting there is a short circuit between the two receptacles of jack 50.
The pressure simulation function simulates a transducer which is energized by a known voltage from a power supply and outputs a percentage of that voltage as a function of sensed pressure. The pressure simulation function comprises a series of settings corresponding to those marked on the face of the case. There are four sets of identical resistor values (4K each) in parallel between receptacles 52a, 52c of jack 52. Three of the four comprise series resistors 66a, 66b; 68a, 68b; 70a, 70b; of the individual values indicated. The fourth is a single resistor 72 of the 4K value indicated. The junctions of the series resistor pairs are respectively connected to the five, six, and seven o'clock positions respectively of the selector switch. The four o'clock position is connected to receptacle 52a, and the eight o'clock position to receptacle 52c. Switch 54 is connected between receptacles 52a, 52c.
Each setting of the selector switch presents a unique fractional proportion of one 4K resistance between receptacles 52a, 52b, and the remainder between receptacles 52b, 52c, while the equivalent 1K load which is present at all times across receptacles 52a, 52c corresponds to the load which the transducer being simulated presents to the transducer power supply in the vehicle. The unit thereby simulates a high accuracy, ratiometric pressure transducer by simulating open condition, low value, normal value, high value, and shorted connection. When push-button switch 54 is closed, it shorts the transducer power supply to ground, thereby facilitating testing of the power supply's short circuit protection.
In use, the appropriate hook-up will be made and the selector switch operated to the appropriate positions. The instrumentation display in the vehicle can be observed for proper response to each simulating condition. Testing can be performed expeditiously and with the ability to distinguish an instrumentation circuit operating within specifications from one which is not. Hence, the invention aids in the performance of diagnostic testing which is typically encountered in the development and maintenance of automotive vehicle instrumentation circuitry.
While a preferred embodiment of the invention has been disclosed, it will be appreciated that principles of the invention are applicable to other embodiments.
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A hand-held portable transducer simulator unit connects to a vehicle's instrumentation circuitry in substitution of the vehicle's own pressure and/or temperature transducers for diagnostic checking of the instrumentation circuitry. Various sets of adapter cables are available for use to connect the unit to the instrumentation circuitry depending upon the particular model and accessories involved. The unit simulates both pressure and temperature transducers and contains various resistor loads which are selectively presented to the instrumentation circuitry through use of a rotary selector switch on the face of the unit to simulate transducer response to various conditions. The information presented on the vehicle's instrumentation display is monitored for correspondence to the simulated conditions selected by the selector switch.
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CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED PATENT APPLICATIONS
This Application is a national stage entry of application PCT/NO2004/000359, filed on Nov. 24, 2004, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety. Norway priority Patent Application 20035257, filed on Nov. 27, 2003, from which the aforementioned PCT application claims priority, is likewise incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. Applicant claims priority to the aforementioned Norwegian application.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
During drilling operations (e.g. for petroleum production), the pressure head of drilling fluid present in a borehole and up to a platform, may cause the liquid pressure in the lower portion of the borehole to become too high.
Excessive drilling fluid pressures may result in the drilling fluid causing undesirable damage to the formation being drilled (e.g. through drilling fluid penetrating into the formation).
The formation may also include special geological formations (saline deposits etc.) that require the use of special drilling fluid in order to stabilise the formation.
According to prior art, it is difficult to reduce the specific gravity of the drilling fluid in order to reduce the pressure to an acceptable level. In many cases, it has proven difficult to achieve a sufficient reduction in the specific gravity of the drilling fluid without causing an unacceptable degree of change in the physical properties of the drilling fluid, such as viscosity.
It is known to dilute the drilling fluid in a riser in order to reduce the drilling fluid pressure (see U.S. Pat. No. 6,536,540).
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
This invention regards a method of controlling drilling fluid pressure. More particularly, it regards a method of controlling the drilling fluid pressure in an underground borehole during drilling of wells from a fixed offshore platform. The invention also regards a device for practicing the method.
When drilling from floating installations, the drilling fluid pressure in the well and the weight of the riser may be reduced by pumping drilling fluid out of the riser at a level below the surface of the sea. Thus U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,063,602 and 4,291,772 concern drilling vessels provided with a return pump for drilling fluid. When using such teachings according to these patents, it is difficult to monitor the volumetric flow in the borehole, as the annulus above the drilling fluid in the liner, or alternatively riser, is filled with gas, typically air. This gas-filled annulus may fill up with or become drained of drilling fluid without being easily observed.
Some embodiments of the present invention remedy or reduce at least one of the disadvantages of prior art.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a schematic view of a fixed drilling rig provided with a pump for the returning drilling fluid, the pump being coupled to a riser section near the seabed and the riser section being filled with a fluid of a different density than that of the drilling fluid.
FIG. 2 is a schematic similar to FIG. 1 , but where the drilling fluid fills a greater part of the riser section.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
As will be described in greater detail below, with the physics being briefly discussed here, referring to FIGS. 1 and 2 , when drilling from fixed platforms (drilling devices), a conductor is first driven into the seabed. When drilling a borehole 15 from a fixed drilling device, drilling fluid is pumped through a drill string 16 down to a drilling tool. The drilling fluid serves several purposes, of which one is to transport drill cuttings out of the borehole. Efficient transport of drill cuttings is conditional on the drilling fluid being relatively viscous. The drilling fluid flows back through the annulus 30 between the borehole wall, the liner 14 mentioned above and the drill string 16 , and up to the drilling rig, where the drilling fluid is treated and conditioned before being pumped back down to the borehole. In many cases, this will result in a head of pressure that is undesirable.
By coupling a pump 20 to the liner 14 near the seabed, the returning drilling fluid can be pumped out of the annulus 30 and up to the drilling rig. According to the invention, the annular volume above the drilling fluid is filled with a riser fluid. Preferably, the density of the riser fluid is less than that of the drilling fluid.
The drilling fluid pressure at the seabed may be controlled from the drilling rig by selecting the inlet pressure to the pump 20 . The height H 1 of the column of drilling fluid above the seabed depends on the selected inlet pressure of the pump, the density of the drilling fluid and the density of the riser fluid, as the inlet pressure of the pump is equal to:
P=H 1 ×γ b +H 2 ×γ s
Where:
γ b =the density of the drilling fluid, H 2 =the height of the column of riser fluid, and γ s =the density of the riser fluid.
H 1 and H 2 together make up the length of the riser section from the seabed and up to the deck of the drilling rig.
Filling the liner annulus with a riser fluid allows continuous flow quantity control of the fluid flowing into and out of the borehole. Thus, it is relatively easy to detect a phenomenon, such as, for example, drilling fluid flowing into the drilling formation.
It is furthermore possible to maintain a substantially constant drilling fluid pressure at the seabed, also when the drilling fluid density changes. Choosing another inlet pressure to the pump will immediately cause the heights H 1 and H 2 to change according to the new pressure.
If so desired, the outlet 17 from the annulus 30 to the pump 20 can be arranged at a level below the seabed, by coupling a first pump pipe to the annulus at a level below the seabed.
In order to prevent the drilling fluid pressure from exceeding an acceptable level (e.g. in the case of a pump trip), the riser may be provided with a dump valve. A dump valve of this type can be set to open at a particular pressure for outflow of drilling fluid to the sea.
The following describes a non-limiting example of a preferred method and device illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which, as noted above, FIG. 1 is a schematic view of a fixed drilling rig provided with a pump for the returning drilling fluid, the pump being coupled to the riser section near the seabed and the riser section being filled with a fluid of a different density than that of the drilling fluid; and FIG. 2 is similar to FIG. 1 , but here the drilling fluid fills a greater part of the riser section.
In the drawings, reference number 1 denotes a fixed drilling rig comprising a support structure 2 , a deck 4 and a derrick 6 . The support structure 2 is placed on the seabed 8 and projects above the surface 10 of the sea. A riser section 12 of a liner 14 extends from the seabed 8 up to the deck 4 , while the liner 14 runs further down into a borehole 15 . The riser section 12 is provided with required well head valves (not shown).
A drill string 16 projects from the deck 4 and down through the liner 14 . A first pump pipe 17 is coupled to the riser section 12 near the seabed 8 via a valve 18 and the opposite end portion of the pump pipe 17 is coupled to a pump 20 placed near the seabed 8 . A second pump pipe 22 runs from the pump 20 up to a collection tank 24 for drilling fluid on the deck 4 .
A tank 26 for a riser fluid communicates with the riser section 12 via a connecting pipe 28 at the deck 4 . The connecting pipe 28 has a volume meter (not shown). Preferably, the density of the riser fluid is less than that of the drilling fluid.
The power supply to the pump 20 is via a cable (not shown) from the drilling rig 1 and the pressure at the inlet to the pump 20 is selected from the drilling rig 1 . The pump 20 may optionally be driven hydraulically by means of oil that is circulated back to the drilling rig or by means of water that is dumped in the sea.
The drilling fluid is pumped down through the drill string 16 in a manner that is known per se, returning to the deck 4 via an annulus 30 between the liner 14 and the drill string 16 . When the pump 20 is started, the drilling fluid is returned from the annulus 30 via the pump 20 to the collection tank 24 on the deck 4 .
Riser fluid passes from the tank 26 into the annulus 30 in the riser section 12 . The height H 1 of the column of drilling fluid above the seabed 8 adjusts according to the selected inlet pressure of the pump 20 , as described in the general part of the description.
The volume of riser fluid flowing into and out of the tank 26 is monitored, making it possible to keep a check e.g. on whether drilling fluid is disappearing into the well formation, or gas or liquid is flowing from the formation and into the system.
The invention makes it possible by use of simple means to achieve a significant reduction in the pressure of the drilling fluid in the borehole 15 . FIG. 2 shows a situation where a higher inlet pressure has been selected for the pump, and where the heights H 1 and H 2 of the fluid columns have changed relative to the situation shown in FIG. 1 .
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A method of reducing drilling fluid pressure during subsea drilling, where drilling fluid is pumped down into a borehole and then flows back to a drilling rig via the lined and/or unlined sections of the borehole and a liner, wherein the drilling fluid pressure is controlled by pumping drilling fluid out of the liner at the seabed, and where the liner annulus above the drilling fluid is filled with a riser fluid having a density different from that of the drilling fluid.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] 1. Field of the Invention
[0002] The present invention relates to excavating equipment, more particularly, to bucket tooth and adaptor assemblies for use on dipper buckets.
[0003] 2. Description of the Related Art
[0004] Excavation in construction and mining applications is carried out more efficiently when ground-engaging penetration attachments, such as tooth and adaptor assemblies, are securely mounted on the leading digging edge of the excavation dipper bucket and/or excavation equipment. Usually, adaptors are rigidly attached to the bucket by either welding or some form of mechanical fastener.
[0005] A chisel-like tooth of the assembly reduces the initial contact mass of the bucket edge moving into the material being excavated by focussing the accumulated digging forces at the leading edges of the tooth, thereby maximizing the penetration efficiency of the excavating equipment. The loosened material can then be freely loaded into the excavation bucket or simply diverted around the assembly when materials are only being broken up. Abrasive grinding, multidirectional stresses and shock loading at exceedingly high levels can continuously and abruptly breach the integrity of the tooth and adaptor assembly during any given excavation application.
[0006] Canadian Patent 1,243,059 and U.S. Pat. No. 4,481,728 are exemplary of the first generation elliptical tooth and adaptor system. This system demonstrated the use of a three-piece system in mining applications. This system enabled the user to replace the primary consumable tooth separate from the fixed carrier adaptor. Any number of consumable teeth could then be readily fitted to the adaptor and replaced as each became worn out. Although this tooth and adaptor system is functional, it requires certain installation and removal techniques that are not desirable for use in the field. Some of this assembly's limitations include the use of an oversized locking pin that incorporates compressive elastomeric material vulcanized between two rigid members of the locking pin.
[0007] Excessive force has to be applied by a sledgehammer to sufficiently compress the pin to permit full insertion into a smaller hole that receives the lock pin. Installation and removal of the locking pin is also time consuming and physically difficult, particularly if the head of the pin became flattened (mushroom shaped) from repeated hammer blows. This arduous practice of changing out worn teeth and installing new teeth has eventually become a safety concern. This original design is no longer acceptable to maintenance workers in certain mining applications. In addition, several other features of this design eventually became a concern.
[0008] Another problem with this type of tooth and adaptor system is the physical properties of the vulcanized elastomeric material used in a lock pin to maintain the tooth fully on the adaptor. Deterioration of the elastomeric material is a common occurrence thereby making the locking pin non reusable. In addition, the structural design of this tooth and adaptor system restricted the possibility of establishing a locking system that would better preserve this important component.
[0009] The extreme flowing pressures (several tons) of excavated materials beneath the shovel bucket tend to force this type of locking pin upward and out of the locked position. Occasionally, these pins are actually forced out completely and allow the tooth to fall off.
[0010] Other limitations of this tooth and adaptor system include its design of an aligning common-through hole located centrally in both mated structural members when the tooth was fully fitted to the adaptor to accept the locking pin. The loss of structural mass in the tooth sidewalls weakened the tooth and, occasionally, will break when subjected to severe digging applications.
[0011] Other systems include large gaps on the assembled tooth and adaptor, and within and around the lock pinholes. This leaves the mating fit surfaces of the assembly, the lock pin bearing support surfaces and its related structural members vulnerable to the extreme flowing pressures (several tons) of excavated materials that are readily forced into these gaps. The abrasive qualities of the ore, combined with any movement between the assembled components during the excavation process, create an aggressive grinding effect that can deteriorate these important dimensional load-bearing surfaces.
[0012] The resulting wear can contribute to a “loose fit” condition affecting all three assembled components. This condition is especially true when certain “self-lubricated” and highly abrasive ores such as tar sand are being excavated. These ores have the inherent ability to quickly enter all gaps and internal aspects of the mated assembly. In addition, the elastomeric material incorporated in the retainer pin is exposed to the chemical effects of the ore (i.e., tar sand) and this contributes to the premature breakdown of this material diminishing its ability to lock the tooth to the adaptor. If the retainer lock pin does become loose and falls out, the tooth and adaptor can uncouple, leaving the less wear-resistant adaptor male mating nose exposed to harsh wear from the continuing excavation process.
[0013] It is, therefore, desirable to provide a tooth and adaptor assembly for a dipper bucket that overcomes the limitations of the conventional equipment described above.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0014] According to the preferred embodiment of this invention, a tooth and adaptor assembly for a dipper bucket includes an adaptor having a front portion, an intermediate portion and a rear portion. The rear portion is adapted for attaching to a conventional dipper bucket. The intermediate portion extends between the front and rear portions and has a substantially circular base adjacent to the rear portion. The intermediate portion tapers or narrows in cross-section from its base to the front portion. According to one arrangement, the intermediate portion has an elliptical cross-section and the front portion has a substantially flat front end. According to another arrangement, a portion of the exterior surface of the intermediate portion is substantially planar thereby making the intermediate portion approximately D-shaped in cross section. A cavity is disposed on the planar surface, this cavity being transverse to a longitudinal axis passing through the intermediate portion. The cavity can be circular, rectangular or square in cross-section.
[0015] The preferred assembly also includes a tooth having a front tip portion adapted for excavating and a rear portion extending from the front end. The rear portion of the tooth includes a socket configured to accommodate the front and intermediate portions of the adaptor in a coupled position. Specifically, the socket has an opening adapted to mate with the base of the intermediate portion and a bottom with a flat surface to mate with the front portion of the adaptor. The socket has an interior wall surface that is initially cylindrical at the entrance and then tapers to the bottom, the interior wall surface having a portion that is planar such that it mates with the planar portion of the exterior surface of the intermediate portion of the adaptor.
[0016] The rear portion of the tooth also has a smaller opening, which secures a retainer pin. The aperture is in alignment with the adaptor passageway when the tooth is fully seated on the adaptor. In the preferred embodiment, the aperture extends through the tooth thereby providing communication from the outer tooth surface to the passageway. The retainer pin is disposed in the adaptor passageway to extend toward and engage the aperture in the tooth thereby securing the tooth on the adaptor. The retainer pin can be extracted from the smaller opening in the tooth by external means.
[0017] In an alternative embodiment, the assembly utilizes a compressible retainer pin to engage and disengage the tooth from the adaptor. There is no bottom through-hole in the bottom of the tooth to “drift” the retainer pin out in order to disassemble the tooth from the adaptor. This prevents the entry of highly pressurized compaction forces from beneath that can force the typical base exposed retainer pin upward and out of their latched position.
[0018] In yet another embodiment, the assembly includes a tooth, an adaptor, a retainer pin and a biasing element. The tooth and adaptor are configured such that the mated surfaces of the assembled components minimize debris from entering the interstitial space between the tooth and the adaptor when they are in a coupled and latched position. Preferably, the retainer pin is a solid pin, tapered at one end, having a square cross-section with rounded corners. The biasing element can consist of an elastomeric plug and/or a spring element that maintains outward pressure on the retainer pin to promote locking engagement within the small hole of the tooth. A ramp disposed in the socket between the mouth of the socket and the small hole of the tooth compresses the biasing element of the retainer pin as the tooth is seated onto the adaptor. As the small hole of the tooth begins to align with the adaptor cavity, the retainer pin passes over the crest of the ramp and is urged forward by the biasing element to engage the small hole thereby securing the tooth on the adaptor.
[0019] According to another arrangement, the adaptor front portion has a rectangular front end and enlarges in cross-section towards the substantially circular base of the intermediate portion. The intermediate portion incorporates a ¾ round cylindrical shank having a flat side surface containing a cavity formed thereon. The front and intermediate portions are adapted to conform to an interior configuration of the tooth socket so as to prevent the tooth from rotating on the adaptor in the coupled position. These additional mated-load bearing surfaces help to keep the tooth stable on the adaptor while a maintenance worker is changing out the tooth. One or more stabilizing lugs protrude outward from the adaptor thrust bearing surface that mate with positioning slot(s) positioned on the thrust bearing surface of the tooth.
[0020] The complementary shapes of the front and intermediate portions of the adaptor and the tooth socket more effectively distribute the shock and bearing loads throughout the assembly. The front and intermediate portions form multi-directional load-bearing surfaces so as to reduce the possibility of tooth and/or adaptor nose breakage.
[0021] The retainer pin can be easily manipulated externally with a simple tool, such as a drift punch, entered into the small hole of the tooth to permit installation and removal of the tooth. The configuration of the retainer pin prevents chemically active ore from entering the adaptor cavity and having an adverse effect on an elastomeric biasing element. Accordingly, the elastomeric material and/or spring mechanism and retainer pin can be used over the course of several tooth change outs, if necessary.
[0022] According to one aspect of the invention, an adaptor for releasably attaching a bucket tooth to an excavation tool includes a rear portion adapted for attaching to an excavation tool; a front portion adapted for a sliding fit with a corresponding socket disposed on a bucket tooth; an intermediate portion comprising an exterior surface and a base adjacent to the rear portion, the intermediate portion narrowing in cross-sectional area from the base to front portion; a substantially planar surface disposed on a portion of the exterior surface; and a passageway extending from the planar surface at least partially into the adaptor, the passageway being adapted to receive a retainer pin for releasably attaching the bucket tooth to the adaptor.
[0023] According to another aspect of the invention, a bucket tooth for releasably attaching an adaptor to an excavation tool includes a longitudinal body that has a front tip portion adapted for excavating disposed on one end and a rear portion disposed on an opposing end; a socket disposed on the rear portion, the socket having a mouth, a side wall and an interior mating surface adapted for a sliding fit onto an exterior surface of an adaptor; a substantially planar surface disposed on a portion of the interior mating surface; an aperture disposed on the planar surface, the aperture being adapted to substantially align with a passageway disposed on the adaptor; and a catch disposed on the planar surface between the mouth and the aperture, the catch being adapted to secure a retainer pin disposed in the passageway to the aperture, the retainer pin including a biasing element adapted to urge the retainer pin to engage the aperture when the tooth is substantially seated on the adaptor thereby preventing the tooth from being removed from the adaptor.
[0024] According to yet another aspect of the invention, a retainer pin is adapted for releasably attaching a bucket tooth to an adaptor, the tooth including a socket having an interior surface and adapted for sliding fit on to the adaptor, a longitudinal body having first and second ends, the body being adapted to be inserted into a passageway disposed on an adaptor; a biasing element disposed on the first end; and the second end adapted to seat in an aperture disposed on a socket interior surface of a bucket tooth when the retainer pin is inserted first end first into the passageway of the adaptor thereby retaining the tooth on the adaptor once the tooth is substantially seated on the adaptor.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS
[0025] FIG. 1 is a perspective view depicting a tooth uncoupled from an adaptor that is mounted to a dipper bucket.
[0026] FIG. 2 is a perspective view depicting a tooth being seated on an adaptor.
[0027] FIG. 3 is a side elevational view depicting the tooth and adaptor assembly of FIG. 1 with the tooth seated on the adaptor.
[0028] FIG. 4 is a top plan view depicting the tooth and adaptor assembly of FIG. 1 with the tooth seated on the adaptor.
[0029] FIG. 5 is a side elevational view depicting the tooth and adaptor assembly of FIG. 1 with the tooth uncoupled from the adaptor.
[0030] FIG. 6 is a top plan view depicting the tooth and adaptor assembly of FIG. 1 with the tooth uncoupled from the adaptor.
[0031] FIG. 7 is a left side elevational cross-section view depicting a tooth of FIG. 4 as shown along section lines VII-VII.
[0032] FIG. 7A is a left side elevational cross-section view depicting the tooth of FIG. 7 with a slot for a stabilizing lug.
[0033] FIG. 8 is a right side elevational cross-section view depicting the tooth of FIG. 4 shown along section lines VIII-VIII.
[0034] FIG. 9 is a top plan cross-sectional view depicting the tooth of FIG. 3 as shown along section lines IX-IX.
[0035] FIG. 10 is a left side elevational view depicting the adaptor of FIG. 1 .
[0036] FIG. 10A is a left side elevation view depicting the adaptor of FIG. 10 with a stabilizing lug.
[0037] FIG. 11 is a top plan view depicting the adaptor of FIG. 1 .
[0038] FIG. 11A is a top plan view depicting the adaptor of FIG. 11 with a stabilizing lug.
[0039] FIG. 12 is a side elevational view depicting a retainer pin for use with the tooth and adaptor assembly of FIG. 1 .
[0040] FIG. 13 is a top cross sectional plan view depicting the tooth and adaptor assembly of FIG. 3 as shown along section lines XIII-XIII.
[0041] FIG. 13A is a top cross sectional plan view displaying an alternate embodiment of the retainer pin.
[0042] FIG. 14 is an end elevational cross-section view depicting the tooth and adaptor assembly of FIG. 4 as shown along section lines XIV-XIV.
[0043] FIG. 15 is a perspective view depicting a backhoe with a dipper bucket.
[0044] FIG. 16 is an elevational side view depicting an excavator with a dipper bucket.
[0045] FIG. 17 is an elevational side view depicting a front-end loader with a mining bucket.
[0046] FIG. 18 is a perspective view depicting a bucket-wheel trencher excavator with a plurality of toothed buckets.
[0047] FIG. 19 is a perspective view depicting a trencher with a chain equipped with a plurality of tooth and adaptor assemblies.
[0048] FIG. 20 is an elevational side view depicting a cutting head for a dredging excavator.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0049] Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2 , a representative embodiment of the present invention is shown. The tooth/adaptor assembly 10 broadly consists of excavation tooth 12 , adaptor 14 , retainer pin 16 , and biasing element 17 . Adaptor 14 comprises elongated U-shaped member 15 that attaches to dipper bucket 18 on bucket lip 19 as well known to those skilled in the art. Tooth 12 is seated onto adaptor 14 and secured by retainer pin 16 that is forced outwardly from the adaptor cavity 20 by the biasing element 17 to fit snugly into aperture 21 on tooth 12 . Tooth 12 is designed to bear the brunt of the wearing forces caused by excavating and will wear out over time. As tooth 12 wears out to the point that it is no longer serviceable, tooth 12 can be removed from adaptor 14 by inserting a tool, such as a drift punch or similarly shaped device, into aperture 21 to engage pin 16 and compress biasing element 17 . This causes pin 16 to disengage from aperture 21 on tooth 12 thereby allowing tooth 12 to be removed from adaptor 14 .
[0050] Referring to FIGS. 3 and 4 , side and top views of assembly 10 is shown with tooth 12 fully seated on adaptor 14 . Tooth 12 has a pointed tip 22 designed for excavating. As more clearly shown in FIG. 13 , tooth 12 is secured to adaptor 14 with retainer pin 16 seated in cavity and engaging aperture 21 . Referring to FIGS. 5 and 6 , side and top views of assembly 10 is shown with tooth 12 uncoupled from adaptor 14 . Adaptor 14 comprises base portion 23 that is generally circular in cross-section, intermediate elliptical tapered cone portion 24 and front block portion 35 .
[0051] One side of the base 23 and intermediate portions 23 and 24 have a flat surface 25 that gives the base portion 23 and intermediate portion 24 a generally D-shaped or ¾ round cross-section. The flat surface 25 has a planar axis that can be positioned substantially vertical on adaptor 14 , although other configurations can be used. Retainer pin cavity 20 on flat surface 25 can be transverse to longitudinal axis 11 of assembly 10 . To couple tooth 12 and adaptor 14 together, tooth 12 comprises socket 26 that receives front, intermediate and base portions 35 , 24 and 23 of adaptor 14 . When tooth 12 is seated on adaptor 14 , thrust bearing surface 27 of tooth 12 contacts thrust bearing surface 31 of adaptor 14 . Load forces passing from adaptor 14 to tooth 12 and from tooth 12 back to adaptor 14 are transmitted via these uniform mated fit surfaces.
[0052] Moreover, when tooth 12 is seated on adaptor 14 , aperture 21 aligns with cavity 20 to provide a substantially continuous passageway 28 for receiving retainer pin 16 . Front portion 35 is a key adapted to prevent tooth 12 from rotating on adaptor 14 when fully seated on adaptor 14 . In the embodiment described herein, front portion 35 has a rectangular cross-section. The cross-section of front portion 35 can be of any suitable cross-sectional shape that will prevent tooth 12 from rotating on adaptor 14 when fully seated on adaptor 14 . Examples of suitable polygon shapes for front portion 35 include triangle, square, rhombus, trapezoid, pentagon, hexagon, heptagon and octagon. Front portion 35 can also be elliptical in cross-section in addition to any other curved cross-section that will prevent tooth 12 from rotating on adaptor 14 .
[0053] In FIGS. 7 and 8 , side cross-sectional views of tooth 12 are shown. FIG. 9 illustrates a top plan cross-sectional view of tooth 12 . Tooth 12 is intersected by a socket-opening 26 that has a substantially circular interior load bearing surface 29 to match base 23 of adaptor 14 . Relief cavity 33 is a relief groove that separates load surface 29 from elliptical cone surface 30 . Relief cavity 33 is relatively circular in shape and offers additional relief clearance for adaptor transition zone edges 32 on tooth 12 when tooth 12 is fully seated on adaptor 14 .
[0054] Sidewalls 34 a to 34 d and primary thrust bearing surface 39 of key-way 52 provide an opening to receive front block 35 of adaptor 14 in a sliding fit. In one embodiment, front block 35 of adaptor 14 and key-way 52 are rectangular in cross section. The cross-section of key-way 52 can be of any suitable cross-sectional shape that will prevent tooth 12 from rotating on adaptor 14 when fully seated on adaptor 14 . Examples of suitable polygon shapes for key-way 52 include triangle, square, rhombus, trapezoid, pentagon, hexagon, heptagon and octagon. Key-way 52 can also be elliptical in cross-section in addition to any other curved cross-section that will prevent tooth 12 from rotating on adaptor 14 so long as key-way 52 and front portion 35 are complementary in shape and fit.
[0055] Cone surface 30 and circular base 29 further comprises flat surface 38 that give this intermediate portion of socket 26 a generally D-shaped or ¾ round cross-section. Ramp 60 leads from thrust bearing surface 27 in socket 26 towards ramp crest 62 that is adjacent to aperture 21 . In one embodiment, aperture 21 is tapered, or frusto-conical, in shape and configuration.
[0056] Referring to FIGS. 10 and 11 , side and top views of adaptor 14 are shown, respectively. Adaptor 14 comprises of adaptor base 23 , which is generally circular, elliptical body 24 and front block 35 . Front block 35 is, preferably, rectangular and comprises of sidewalls 36 a to 36 d and primary thrust surface 37 . Elliptical body 24 tapers from transition 32 to front block 35 . Flat surface 25 is disposed on elliptical body 24 and adaptor base 23 . Retainer pin cavity 20 is disposed on flat surface 25 and is generally transverse to the horizontal axis of adaptor 14 . Retainer pin cavity 20 aligns with aperture 21 of tooth 12 when tooth 12 is fully seated onto adaptor 14 . Front block 35 is adapted for a sliding fit with the bottom of tooth socket 26 which is defined by sidewalls 36 a to 36 d and thrust bearing surface 37 . In one embodiment, adaptor front block 35 can have a generally rectangular cross section, with flat front mating surface 37 having a width that is greater than its height, that is, top and bottom mating surfaces 36 a and 36 c are wider than flat side mating surfaces 36 b and 36 d.
[0057] Referring to FIGS. 7A , 10 A and 11 A, another embodiment of tooth 12 and adaptor 14 are shown. As illustrated in FIGS. 10A and 11A , adaptor 14 further comprises at least one stabilizing lug 66 extending away from base portion 23 and bearing thrust surface 31 . In this embodiment, stabilizing lug 66 fits into positioning slot 67 located on tooth 12 , as shown in FIG. 7A , to further stabilize tooth 12 when tooth 12 is substantially seated on adaptor 14 .
[0058] A side view of retainer pin 16 is shown in FIG. 12 . Retainer pin 16 comprises main body 40 , O-ring groove 41 , tapered tip 42 and biasing element 17 . Referring to FIGS. 13 and 13A , pin tip 42 is tapered in one embodiment to ensure firm engagement into aperture 21 to prevent debris from entering cavity 20 . This uniform metal-to-metal surface contact is maintained by the outward compression, as described below, that encloses passageway 28 and the interior of assembly 10 . Positioned firstly within the adaptor retainer pin hole 20 is biasing element 17 which urges the retainer pin 16 outward to insert retainer pin tip 42 into aperture 21 , thereby securing the tooth 12 firmly on the adaptor 14 . In one embodiment, biasing element 17 can be made of corrosion resistant spring material.
[0059] In FIG. 13 , front cross-sectional views of assembly 10 are shown with spring mechanism 17 and retainer pin 16 housed in the adaptor retainer pin cavity 20 . The coupling of tooth 12 onto adaptor 14 forces tapered tip 42 of retainer pin 16 to travel up ramp 60 thereby compressing biasing element 17 . As tapered tip 42 passes over ramp crest 62 , biasing element 17 urges tapered tip 42 into aperture 21 when tooth 12 is fully coupled to adaptor 14 .
[0060] In another embodiment, biasing element can be a resilient elastomeric plug made of rubber, polyurethane or any other suitable elastomer material as known to those skilled in the art that can provide the force required to urge retainer pin 16 toward and engage aperture 21 on tooth 12 when tooth 12 is seated on adaptor 14 . In another embodiment, as shown in FIG. 13A , biasing element 17 can be a pair of magnets 48 and 50 placed in cavity 20 such that magnets 48 and 50 repel one another. In this manner, the magnetic force that causes magnets 48 and 50 to repel one another urges retainer pin 16 toward aperture 21 and engage it thereby retaining tooth 12 on adaptor 14 . To retract retainer pin 16 from aperture 21 , a simple tool is inserted into aperture 21 and inward force is applied to move retainer pin 16 back onto biasing element 17 thereby disengaging retainer pin 16 from aperture 21 so that tooth 12 can be removed from adaptor 14 . Retainer pin 16 is of a rigid construction and may be manufactured from steel or alloys having suitable strength, wear and corrosion resistant properties.
[0061] Referring to FIG. 14 , a cross-sectional rear view of tooth 12 seated on adaptor 14 is shown. Flat surface 38 of tooth 12 aligns and mates with flat surface 25 of adaptor 14 . Cavity 20 aligns with aperture 21 to form passageway 28 . Adaptor 14 is sized to provide a close fit with socket 26 of tooth 12 . With tooth 12 and adaptor 14 configured in this manner, tooth 12 is prevented from rotating on adaptor 14 .
[0062] The embodiments shown herein are related to tooth and adaptor assemblies for use with dipper buckets. However, it should be obvious to those skilled in the art that the tooth and adaptor assemblies described herein can be used on a variety of heavy equipment and excavating tools. As an example, tooth and adaptor assemblies can be used on backhoes 70 ( FIG. 15 ) and excavators 72 ( FIG. 16 ) in addition to mining shovel buckets or front-end loader buckets 74 ( FIG. 17 ).
[0063] Other types of excavating tools include bucket wheel and chain trenchers. Bucket wheel trenchers are large diameter wheels having a plurality of buckets spaced about the circumference of the wheel. Each bucket, in turn, has a number of teeth and adaptor assembles. Bucket wheels are typically used in open-pit mining operations and to excavate pipeline trenches. An example of such a bucket wheel 76 is shown in FIG. 18 . Chain trenchers are a different type of excavating tool as they comprise an endless chain having a plurality of tooth and adaptor assemblies attached around the chain not unlike a chainsaw. Trenchers are used to cut trenches in the ground. An example of such a trencher 78 is shown in FIG. 19 . Yet another example of excavating tools that use tooth and adaptor assemblies are cutterheads as used on dredging equipment. These cutterheads are rotary cutting devices and have the teeth and adaptor assemblies disposed about the semispherical surface of the cutterhead such that they are pointed in the direction of cutterhead rotation. An example of a cutterhead 80 is shown in FIG. 20 .
[0064] Although a few preferred embodiments have been shown and described, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications might be made without departing from the scope of the invention. The terms and expressions used in the preceding specification have been used herein as terms of description and not of limitation, and there is no intention in the use of such terms and expressions of excluding equivalents of the features shown and described or portions thereof, it being recognized that the scope of the invention is defined and limited only by the claims that follow.
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A tooth and adaptor assembly for a dipper bucket includes an adaptor having a rear portion for attaching to the dipper bucket, a tooth capable of releasable attachment to the adaptor and a retainer pin for securing the tooth to the adaptor. The adaptor further includes a tapering intermediate portion that narrows to a rectangular front portion. The adaptor further includes a planar surface on a portion of its intermediate portion and a cavity on the planar surface for receiving the retainer pin. The tooth has a tip at its front end for digging and a socket at its rear end configured to receive the front and intermediate portions of the adaptor. A small opening on the rear end of the tooth aligns with the cavity when the tooth is seated on the adaptor. The retainer pin is urged outward of the cavity by a biasing element to engage the small opening on the tooth so as to secure the tooth to the adaptor.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The present invention relates to the field of respiratory therapy and specifically to the field of treating Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD).
[0002] COPD is a worldwide problem of high prevalence, effecting tens of millions of people and is one of the top five leading causes of death. COPD is a spectrum of problems, including bronchitis and emphysema, and involves airway obstruction, tissue elasticity loss and trapping of stagnant CO 2 -rich air in the lung. There are two basic origins of emphysema; a lesser common origin stemming from a genetic deficiency of alpha 1 -antitripsin and a more common origin caused by toxins from smoking or other environment sources. In both forms there is a breakdown in the elasticity in the functional units, or lobules, of the lung changing clusters of individual alveoli into large air pockets, thereby significantly reducing the surface area for gas transfer. In some cases air leaks out of the frail lobules to the periphery of the lung causing the lung's membranous lining to separate from the parenchymal tissue to form large air vesicles called bullae. The elasticity loss also causes small airways to become flaccid tending to collapse during exhalation, trapping large volumes of air in the now enlarged air pockets, thus reducing bulk air flow exchange and causing CO 2 retention in the trapped air. Mechanically, because of the large amount of trapped air in the lung at the end of exhalation, known as elevated residual volume, the intercostal and diaphragmatic inspiratory muscles are forced into a pre-loaded condition, reducing their leverage at the onset of an inspiratory effort thus increasing work-of-breathing and causing dyspnea. In emphysema therefore more effort is expended to inspire less air and the air that is inspired contributes less to gas exchange.
[0003] Conventionally prescribed therapies for emphysema and other forms of COPD include pharmacological agents such as aerosolized bronchodilators and anti-inflammatories; long term oxygen therapy (LTOT); respiratory muscle rehabilitation; pulmonary hygiene such as lavage or percussion therapy; continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) via nasal mask; trans-tracheal oxygen therapy (TTOT) via tracheotomy. These therapies all have certain disadvantages and limitations with regard to effectiveness because they do not address, treat or improve the debilitating elevated residual volume in the lung. After progressive decline in lung function despite attempts at conventional therapy, patients may require mechanical ventilation.
[0004] Newer mechanical ventilation techniques to address COPD is well reported in the literature and include HeliOx ventilation, Nitric Oxide ventilation, liquid ventilation, high frequency jet ventilation, and tracheal gas insufflation. Because these modes do nothing to address, treat or improve the hyperinflated residual volume of the COPD or emphysema patient, and because mechanical ventilation is performed on the lung as a whole and inherently can not target a specific lung area that might be more in need of treatment, mechanical ventilation is an ineffective solutions.
[0005] There have been significant efforts to discover new treatments such as treatment with substances that protect the elastic fibers of the lung tissue. This approach may slow the progression of the disease by blocking continued elastin destruction, but a successful treatment is many years away, if ever. It may be possible to treat or even prevent emphysema using biotechnology approaches such as monoclonal antibodies, stem cell therapy, viral therapy, cloning, or xenographs however, these approaches are in very early stages of research, and will take many years before their viability is even known.
[0006] In order to satisfy the more immediate need for a better therapy a surgical approach called lung volume reduction surgery (LVRS) has been extensively studied and proposed by many as a standard of therapy. This surgery involves surgically resecting some of the diseased hyperinflated lung tissue, usually the lung's apical sections, thus reducing residual volume and improving the patient's breathing mechanics and possibly gas exchange. Approximately 9000 people have undergone LVRS, however the results are not always favorable. There is a high complication rate of about 20%, patients don't always feel a benefit possibly due to the indiscriminate selection of tissue being resected, there is a high degree of surgical trauma, and it is difficult to predict which patients will feel a benefit. Therefore LVRS is not a practical solution and inarguably some other approach is needed. The attention on LVRS has created some new ideas on non-surgical approaches to lung volume reduction. These approaches are presently in experimental phases and are reviewed below.
[0007] New minimally invasive lung volume reduction methods described in the prior art includes U.S. patents and patent applications U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,972,026; 6,083,255; 6,174,323; 6,488,673; 6,514,290; 6,287,290; 6,527,761; 6,258,100; 6,293,951; 6,328,689; 6,402,754; US20020042564; US20020042565; US20020111620; US20010051799; US20020165618; and foreign patents and patent applications: EP1078601; WO98/44854; WO99/01076; WO99/32040; WO99/34741; WO99/64109; WO0051510; WO00/62699; WO01/03642; WO01/10314; WO01/13839; WO01/13908 WO01/66190.
[0008] U.S. Pat. No. 6,328,689 describes a method wherein lung tissue is sucked and compressed into a compliant sleeve placed into the pleural cavity through an opening in the chest. While this method may be less traumatic than LVRS it presents new problems. First, it will be difficult to isolate a bronchopulmonary segment for suction into the sleeve. In a diseased lung the normally occurring fissures that separate lung segments are barely present. Therefore, in order to suck tissue into the sleeve as proposed in the referenced invention, the shear forces on the tissue will cause tearing, air leaks and hemorrhage. Secondly the compliant sleeve will not be able to conform well enough to the contours of the chest wall therefore abrading the pleural lining as the lung moves during the breathing, thus leading to other complications such as adhesions and pleural infections.
[0009] U.S. Patent applications 2002/0147462 and 2001/0051799 explain methods wherein adherent substances are introduced to seal the bronchial lumen leading to a diseased area. It is proposed in these inventions that the trapped gas will dissipate with time. The main flaw with this method is that trapped gas will not effectively dissipate, even given weeks or months. Rather, a substantial amount of trapped gas will remain in the blocked area and the area will be at heightened infection risk due to mucus build up and migration of aerobic bacteria. Gas will not dissipate because: (1) blood perfusion is severely compromised, exacerbated by the Euler reflex, hence reducing gas exchange; (2) the tissue has low diffusivity for CO 2 ; and (3) additional gas will enter the blocked area through intersegmental collateral flow channels from neighboring areas. Another disadvantage with this invention is adhesive delivery difficulty; controlling adhesive flow along with gravitational effects makes delivery awkward and inaccurate. Further, if the adhesive is too hard it will be a tissue irritant and if the adhesive is too soft it will likely lack durability and adhesion strength. Some inventors are trying to overcome these challenges by incorporating biological response modifiers to promote tissue in-growth into the plug, however due to biological variability these systems will be unpredictable and will not reliably achieve the relatively high adhesion strength required. A further disadvantage with an adhesive bronchial plug, assuming adequate adhesion, is removal difficulty, which is extremely important in the event of post obstructive pneumonia unresponsive to antibiotic therapy, which is likely to occur as previously described.
[0010] U.S. Pat. No. 5,972,026 describes a method wherein the tissue in a diseased lung area is shrunk by heating the collagen in the tissue. The heated collagen fibers shrink in response to the heat and then reconstitute in their shrunk state. However, a flaw with this method is that the collagen will have a tendency to gradually return towards its initial state rendering the technique ineffective.
[0011] U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,174,323 and 6,514,290 describe methods wherein the lung tissue is endobronchially retracted by placing anchors connected by a cord at distal and proximal locations then shortening the distance between the anchors, thus compressing the tissue and reducing the volume of the targeted area. While technically sound, there are three fundamental physiological problems with this method. First, the rapid mechanical retraction and collapse of the lung tissue will cause excessive shear forces, especially in cases with pleural adhesions, likely leading to tearing, leaks and possibly hemorrhage. Secondly, distal air sacs remain engorged with CO 2 hence occupy valuable space without contributing to gas exchange. Third, the method does not remove trapped air in bullae. Also, the anchors described in the invention are not easily removable and they will likely tear the diseased and fragile tissue.
[0012] U.S. Patent Applications 2002/0042564, 2002/0042565 and 2002/0111620 describe methods where artificial channels are drilled in the lung parenchyma so that trapped air can then communicate more easily with the conducting airways and ultimately the upper airways, and/or to make intersegmental collateral channels less resistive to flow, so that CO 2 -rich air can be expelled better during respiration. Its inventors propose that this method may be effective in treating homogeneously diffuse emphysema by preventing air trapping throughout the lung, however the method does not appear to be feasible because of the vast number of artificial channels that would need to be created to achieve effective communication with the vast number lobules trapping gas.
[0013] U.S. Pat. No. 6,293,951 and foreign patent WO01/66190 describe placing a one-way valve in the feeding bronchus of the diseased lung area. The proposed valves are intended to allow flow in the exhaled direction but not in the inhaled direction, with the intent that over many breath cycles, the trapped gas in the targeted area will escape through the valve thus deflating the lung compartment. This mechanism can be only partially effective due to fundamental lung mechanics, anatomy and physiology. First, because of the low tissue elasticity of the targeted diseased area, a pressure equilibrium is reached soon after the bronchus is valved, leaving a relatively high volume of gas in the area. Hence during exhalation there is an inadequate pressure gradient to force gas proximally through the valve. Secondly, small distal airways still collapse during exhalation, thus still trapping air. Also, the area will be replenished with gas from neighboring areas through intersegmental channels, trapped residual CO 2 -rich gas will not completely absorb or dissipate over time and post-obstructive pneumonia problems will occur as previously described. Finally, a significant complication with a bronchial one-way valve is inevitable mucus build up on the proximal surface of the valve rendering the valve mechanism faulty.
[0014] U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,287,290 and 6,527,761 describe methods for deflating a diseased lung area by first isolating the area from the rest of the lung, then aspirating trapped air by applying vacuum to the bronchi in the area, and plugging the bronchus either before or after deflation. These methods also describe the adjunctive installation of Low Molecular Weight gas into the targeted area to facilitate aspiration and absorption of un-aspirated volume. It is appreciated in these inventions that the trapped air in the lung is not easily removable, and that aspiration of the trapped air may require sophisticated vacuum control. While apparently technically, physiologically and clinically sound, these methods still have some inherent and significant disadvantages. First, aspiration of trapped air by negative pressure is extremely difficult and sometimes impossible because mucus in the distal airways will instantly plug the airways when vacuum is applied because of the vacuum-induced constriction of the fragile airways. Also, it is difficult to avoid collapse of the distal airways when they are exposed to vacuum due to their diseased in-elastic state. Special vacuum parameters may enhance aspiration effectiveness by attempting to mitigate airway collapse, but the parameters will likely be different for different lung areas, for different times and for different patients because effective vacuum parameters will depend on the condition of hundreds of minute airways communicating with the trapped gas. These airways, although theoretically in parallel with one another, empirically do not behave in unison as one collective airway, but rather as many individual dynamic systems. Therefore, aspiration of an effective volume of trapped air using vacuum may be impractical to implement. Secondly, a vacuum technique will not remove the excessively trapped air in bullae. Third, the collapse-by-aspiration techniques described in these patents explain a relatively rapid deflation of the targeted area conducted while a clinician is attending to the instruments introduced into the lung, for example generally less than thirty minutes, which is the time a patient can tolerate the bronchoscopic procedure. Collapse-by-aspiration in this short a time period will often produce traumatic tissue shearing between the collapsing and non-collapsing areas, leading to tearing, leaks and hemorrhage, especially if there are adhesions and bullae present. Forth, although installation of low molecular weight gas may facilitate collapse by absorption, infusion of respiratory gases from neighboring lung areas through intersegmental collateral channels will refill the targeted lung area rending collapse incomplete. Some additional disadvantages of this technique include post-obstructive pneumonia, assuming incomplete air removal; the technique requires constant attendance of clinician which is impractical if a slow, gradual collapse of the lung area is desired; and finally the technique will be limited to large lung sections because suctioning requires a relatively large catheter inner diameter in order to avoid mucus plugging of the instruments.
[0015] To summarize, methods for minimally invasive lung volume reduction are either ineffective in collapsing the hyperinflated lung areas, or do not remove air in bullae, or collapse tissue too rapidly causing shear-related injury, or cause post-obstructive pneumonia.
[0016] The present invention disclosed herein takes into consideration the problems and challenges not solved by the aforementioned prior art methods in treating COPD and emphysema. In summary, this invention accomplishes (1) effective collapse of the targeted bronchopulmonary compartment including bullae by keeping the airways of the targeted area open by applying positive pressure to them and employing gas diffusion laws, (2) a gradual controlled atraumatic collapse of the targeted bronchopulmonary compartment thus avoiding the shearing issues associated with attempted rapid collapse, (3) avoidance of re-inflation by gas inflow through collateral channels using pressure gradients and gas diffusion laws, and (4) avoidance of post obstructive pneumonia. These methods and devices thereof are described below in more detail.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0017] The present invention provides a method for treating COPD or emphysema by reducing the volume of a targeted lung area (TLA), or bronchopulmonary compartment, using a desufflation 1 technique. In general bronchopulmonary compartment desufflation (“BCD” or “desufflation”) is performed by (a) catheterizing the TLA, then (b) displacing the trapped CO 2 -rich gas in the TLA by insufflating with a readily diffusible low molecular weight (DLMW) gas, then (c) pressurizing the DLMW gas in the TLA to a pressure greater than neighboring lung areas by delivering more DLMW gas into the targeted TLA and regulating pressure and gas concentration gradients favorable to diffusion out of the TLA while preventing infusion of respiratory gases, thereby causing a volumetric reduction of the TLA. In further embodiments the deflated TLA is restrained from re-expansion by tethering the tissue, or clamping the tissue, or blocking airflow into the tissue with an endobronchial plug. 1 Desufflation: (n; v—desufflate) A volumetric reduction of a space caused by first displacing native fluid in the space by insufflating with a readily diffusible fluid which then effuses out of the space effecting reduction.
[0018] More specifically in a preferred embodiment of the present invention the feeding bronchus of the targeted TLA is catheterized with an indwelling catheter anchored in the bronchus such that it can remain in place for extended periods without being attended by a person. The catheter enters the bronchial tree from the upper airway, either through an artificial airway, such as a tracheal tube, or through a natural airway, such as the nasal passage, or through a percutaneous incision, such as a cricothyrotomy, and is advanced to the targeted TLA through the bronchial tree with endoscopic or fluoroscopic guidance. For ventilation and hygiene considerations, the catheter entry point into the body typically includes a self-sealing and tensioning connector that prevents fluid from escaping from around the catheter shaft, but which permits axial catheter sliding to compensate for patient movement or for elective catheter repositioning. The tensioning connector also prevents inadvertent dislodging of the catheter's distal end anchor from the bronchus. In accordance with this embodiment the catheter includes at least one lumen through which a DLMW gas is delivered into the targeted TLA to displace the native gas while also providing a pathway for exhausting of mixed gases exiting the TLA. The DLMW gas delivery is regulated to create a sustained average positive pressure in the TLA and hence a pressure gradient favorable to gas exhausting. The gas displacement procedure is continued for a sufficient duration, between one hour and 14 days, to gradually displace a substantial percentage of native gases, including trapped gas in Bulla, thus resulting in a predominate DLMW gas composition.
[0019] In a further embodiment of the present invention, a vacuum is applied to a lumen in the catheter to facilitate exhaust of mixed gases and displacement of native gas however without creating negative pressure in the TLA, which would collapse the airways, and without disrupting the sustained periods of positive pressure in the TLA which are absolutely critical to prevent airway collapse so that proper gas mixing and displacement can occur. Optionally a vacuum can be applied to bronchi of neighboring lung areas to assist gas wash out and effusion from the targeted TLA into neighboring lung areas through intersegmental collateral channels.
[0020] Still in accordance with the preferred embodiment of the present invention, after a predominant concentration of DLMW gas is reached in the TLA the, DLMW gas pressure in the TLA is regulated to an elevated but safe level above the pressure in neighboring lung areas so as to create a pressure gradient favorable to gas transfer out of the TLA into neighboring areas through tissue, collateral channels and, if available, vasculature. This is accomplished by instilling additional DLMW gas. Typical TLA pressures are initially set at 10-25 cmH 2 O or 25-50 cmH 2 O in spontaneously breathing patients or mechanically ventilated patients respectively thus creating an initial mean pressure gradient between the targeted TLA and neighboring compartments of approximately 20 cmH 2 O. The elevated TLA pressure also prevents influx of respiratory gases through collateral channels or other sources. Gradually, the amplitude of the pressure gradient is lowered by regulation of the TLA pressure and controlling the amount of new DLMW gas delivery via the catheter. First, because of the net efflux of gas out of the lobules through interconnecting channels in the alveoli (pores of Kohn) and terminal bronchioles (Lambert's canals) and then out of the TLA through intersegmental channels the lobules begin to reduce in size causing an overall shrinkage and consolidation of tissue, thus decreasing the diffusivity of the tissue to influx of larger molecule respiratory gases (such as CO 2 and N 2 ). Eventually, alveoli and entire lobules collapse thus substantially deflating the TLA and after further consolidation, the tissue and intersegmental collateral channels become non-diffusible to incoming respiratory gases. Further, due to the surface tension of the collapsed air pockets they resist re-opening and long term and/or permanent collapse is possible. The duration of this diffusion/deflation procedure is controlled to obtain a slow rate of deflation such that the resultant tissue shear forces are benign and atraumatic and such that even the DLMW gas in the bullae has sufficient duration to effuse. This is expected to take between 1 hour and 30 days, most typically 7 to 14 days depending on the size of the TLA compartment, the size and number of bulla, the level and variability of the disease, and the selected desufflation parameters. The duration is designed and controlled such that the rate of deflation is about the same rate of tissue remodeling, such that the two can occur concurrently thus mitigating shear induced injury.
[0021] In an additional embodiment of the present invention, regulation of the TLA pressure, during the native gas displacement phase and/or during the DLMW gas diffusion/deflation phase, is further facilitated by occluding the annular space between the catheter and the feeding bronchus of the TLA. This embodiment further facilitates control of the pressure and gas concentration in the TLA particularly in gravitationally challenging situations. In a yet additional embodiment of the present invention, the pressure profiles of DLMW gas delivery and respiratory gas exhaust are regulated to be either constant, variable, intermittent, oscillatory, or synchronized with the patient's breathing pattern. It can be appreciated that the possible combinations of pressure profiles are extensive, but all must comply with the following fundamental and critical principle that is unique to the present invention: The pressure profiles must create and maintain a pressure gradient of higher pressure in the TLA than that in neighboring areas for extended periods to facilitate more gas efflux then influx and must keep the hundreds of small distal airways open thus creating sustained communication with the otherwise trapped gas in the distal spaces during the various phases of the desufflation procedure.
[0022] Still in accordance with the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the proximal end of the catheter is kept external to the patient and is connected to a desufflation gas control unit (DGCU). The DGCU comprises a supply of DLMW gas, or alternately an input connection means to a supply thereof, and comprises the requisite valves, pumps, regulators, conduits and sensors to control the desired delivery of the DLMW gas and to control the desired pressure in the TLA. The DGCU may comprise a replaceable or refillable modular cartridge of compressed pressurized DLMW gas and/or may comprise a pump system that receives DLMW gas from a reservoir and ejects the DLMW gas into the TLA through the catheter at the desired parameters. The DGCU further comprises fail-safe overpressure relief mechanisms to avoid risk of lung barotrauma. The DGCU may also comprise a negative pressure generating source and control system also connectable to a lumen in the catheter for the previously described facilitation of native gas exhaust. The DGCU may be configured to be remove-ably or permanently attached to a ventilator, internally or externally, or to be worn by an ambulatory patient. It is appreciated that the DGCU will have the requisite control and monitoring interface to allow the user to control and monitor the relevant parameters of the desufflation procedure, as well as the requisite power source, enclosure, etc.
[0023] It should be noted that in some embodiments of this invention, desufflation is performed during mechanical ventilation to more effectively ventilate a patient, for example to assist in weaning a patient from ventilatory support. Still in other cases, desufflation is performed as a chronic therapy either continuously or intermittently on a naturally breathing patient. In this later embodiment, the catheter may be removed after a treatment while leaving a hygienic seal at the percutaneous access point, and a new catheter later inserted for a subsequent treatment. Still in other embodiments of this invention, it is necessary to restrain the TLA from re-expansion in order to achieve the desired clinical result, such as but not limited to a bronchial plug, a tissue tether or a tissue clamp. It should also be noted that the desufflation procedure may be performed simultaneously on different lung areas or sequentially on the same or different lung areas. Finally it should be noted that the desufflation procedure can be performed on a relatively few large sections of lung, for example on one to six lobar segments on patients with heterogeneous or bullous emphysema, or can be performed on many relatively small sections of lung, for example on four to twelve sub-subsegments on patients with diffuse homogeneous emphysema.
[0024] The basic scientific principles employed to accomplish desufflation are the physical laws of mass transfer, i.e., gas and tissue diffusivity, concentration gradients and pressure gradients, and the physical laws of collapsible tubes. As can be seen in a review of the prior art, no methods currently exist wherein a lung area hyperinflated with trapped CO 2 -rich gas is deflated by creating and maintaining an elevated positive pressure in the said area with diffusible gas nor wherein the said area is deflated by pressurizing the airways in the area to push gas out of the treated area through collateral pathways.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0025] FIG. 1 describes a partial cross sectional view of a patient's chest and lungs describing the lung anatomy.
[0026] FIG. 1 a describes a cross sectional view of the lung showing placement of the desufflation catheter in a lung bronchi.
[0027] FIG. 1 b describes the delivery, exhausting, and diffusion of the diffusible low molecular weight gas in the treated lung area.
[0028] FIG. 1 c describes an emphysematous lung area with enlarged poorly defined alveoli.
[0029] FIG. 1 d describes a healthy lung area with properly sized and well defined alveoli.
[0030] FIG. 2A describes the gas transfer and gas flux physics governing desufflation.
[0031] FIG. 2B describes the physiologic mathematical formula governing the invention.
[0032] FIG. 3 a graphically shows the diffusible gas delivery flow rate being delivered into the treatment area during the gas wash out stage and the volume reduction stage.
[0033] FIG. 3 b graphically shows the diffusible gas delivery pressure being delivered into the treatment area during the gas wash out stage and the volume reduction stage
[0034] FIG. 3 c graphically shows the gas pressure in the treatment area during the gas wash out stage and the volume reduction stage.
[0035] FIG. 3 d graphically shows the increasing and decreasing diffusible and respiratory gas concentrations in the treatment area, during the gas wash out stage and the volume reduction stage.
[0036] FIG. 3 e graphically shows the residual volume reduction of the treatment area during the gas wash out and volume reduction stages.
[0037] FIG. 4 a graphically describes the diffusible gas flow and pressure delivery at constant amplitude.
[0038] FIG. 4 b graphically describes the delivery of diffusible gas with an intermittent delivery cycle.
[0039] FIG. 4 c graphically describes the delivery of diffusible gas with a positive pressure alternating with the removal of mixed gas using a negative pressure.
[0040] FIG. 4 d graphically describes oscillatory delivery of diffusible gas, alternating with negative pressure removal of mixed gases.
[0041] FIG. 4 e graphically describes a continuously adjusting delivery level of diffusible gas.
[0042] FIG. 4 f graphically describes simultaneous positive pressure delivery of diffusible gas with vacuum removal of mixed gases.
[0043] FIG. 4 g graphically describes simultaneous constant amplitude delivery of diffusible gas with oscillatory vacuum removal of mixed gases.
[0044] FIG. 4 h graphically describes increasing and decreasing slopes of diffusible gas delivery.
[0045] FIG. 4 i graphically describes a constant amplitude delivery of diffusible gas during the gas wash out stage and a decreasing amplitude delivery during the volume reduction stage.
[0046] FIG. 4 j graphically describes diffusible gas delivery synchronized with the breathing cycle.
[0047] FIG. 5 a depicts the various gas flow pathways for influx and efflux of gases
[0048] FIG. 5 b depicts a catheter with a non-occlusive anchor.
[0049] FIG. 5 c depicts a catheter with an intermittently inflatable occlusive anchor and with gas delivery and gas removal lumens.
[0050] FIG. 5 d depicts a catheter with an intermittently inflatable occlusive anchor and with a shared lumen for gas delivery and removal.
[0051] FIG. 5 e depicts a catheter with concentric lumens with a gas delivery inner lumen and a gas removal outer lumen.
[0052] FIG. 6 describes a typical desufflation catheter.
[0053] FIG. 7 describes different catheter anchoring configurations.
[0054] FIG. 7 a describes a non-occlusive wire basket catheter anchor.
[0055] FIG. 7 b describes an inflatable non-occlusive catheter anchor.
[0056] FIG. 7 c describes an intermittently inflatable and occlusive anchor.
[0057] FIG. 7 d describes a combination non-occlusive wire basket catheter anchor and an intermittently inflatable occlusive anchor.
[0058] FIG. 7 e describes a catheter with an inner member with a non-occlusive anchor.
[0059] FIG. 8 is a general layout of desufflation being performed on a ventilatory dependent patient.
[0060] FIG. 9 is a general layout of desufflation being performed on an ambulatory spontaneously breathing patient.
[0061] FIG. 9 a is a cross sectional view showing a sealing and securing sleeve at the catheter access site into the patient.
[0062] FIG. 10 describes the general layout of the desufflation pneumatic control unit (PCU).
[0063] FIG. 11 describes a desufflation procedure kit.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0064] Referring to FIGS. 1-1 d the desufflation procedure is summarily described being performed in an emphysematous lung. FIG. 1 shows the left 30 and right 31 lung, trachea 32 , the left main stem bronchus 33 , the five lung lobes 36 , 37 , 38 , 39 , 40 , a lateral fissure 41 separating the left upper and lower lobe, and the diaphragm 42 which is displaced downward due to the hyperinflated emphysematous lung. Detail A in FIG. 1 a shows a cut away view in which the upper left lobe bronchus 43 , the apical segmental bronchus 44 of the left upper lobe, the parietal pleura 45 , the visceral pleura 46 , the pleural cavity 47 , a large bulla 48 and adhesions 49 . Bullae are membranous air vesicles created on the surface of the lung between the visceral pleura 46 and lung parenchyma 51 due to leakage of air out of the damaged distal airways and through the lung parenchyma. The air in the bullae is highly stagnant and does not easily communicate with the conducting airways making it very difficult to collapse bullae. Pleural tissue adhesions 49 are fibrous tissue between the visceral pleura 46 and the parietal pleura 45 which arise from trauma or tissue fragility. These adhesions render it difficult to acutely deflate an emphysematous hyperinflated lung compartment without causing tissue injury such as tearing, hemorrhage or pneumothorax. Detail B in FIG. 1 b describes the bronchi 44 of the left upper lobe apical segment 52 and a separation 53 between the apical segment and the anterior segment 54 . Detail D in FIG. 1 d a non-emphysematous lung lobule is shown which includes the functional units of gas exchange, the alveoli 55 , and CO 2 -rich exhaled gas 58 easily exiting the respiratory bronchiole 56 , Also shown are intersegmental collateral channels 57 , typically 40-200 um in diameter, which communicate between bronchopulmonary segments making it difficult for a lung compartment to collapse or remain collapsed because of re-supply of air from neighboring compartments through these collateral channels. Detail C in FIG. 1 c describes an emphysematous lung lobule in which the alveolar walls are destroyed from elastin breakdown resulting in large air sacks 59 . The emphysematous lobule traps air becoming further hyperinflated because the respiratory bronchiole leading to the engorged lobule collapses 60 during exhalation, thus allowing air in but limiting air flow out 61 .
[0065] FIGS. 1 , 1 a , 1 b also shows the desufflation catheter 70 anchored in the apical segment bronchus 44 . In FIG. 1 b , DLMW gas 71 is shown being delivered by the desufflation catheter 70 . The native gas 72 in the targeted apical segment is forced out of the apical segment 52 , both proximally alongside the catheter 70 and also across intersegmental collateral channels into the neighboring anterior segment 54 then proximally up the airways. The DLMW gas 71 also is forced through the intersegmental collateral channels in the same manner. The application and maintenance of a pressure gradient of a higher but safe pressure in the treated area compared to the neighboring area assures that the bronchioles in the treated area do not collapse during the procedure so that air is not trapped in the distal areas.
[0066] Now referring to FIGS. 2A and 2B , a mass transfer schematic 78 and mathematical model 79 is shown describing the governing physics and the fundamental importance of the pressure and concentration gradient that is critical to the desufflation procedure. DLMW gas is delivered to the targeted lung area 80 and native gas and DLMW gas effuses into the neighboring lung areas 81 .
[0067] FIG. 3 describes the DLMW gas flow delivery, gas concentration and gas volume profiles for a typical desufflation procedure. FIGS. 3 a and 3 b describe the delivered DLMW gas flow and pressure respectively during the gas wash out phase 85 and 87 , which may be a constant amplitude and during the deflation phase 86 and 88 , when the gas flow and pressure is reduced over time.
[0068] FIG. 3 c describes the resultant gas pressure that is created by desufflation in the targeted lung area 89 which is typically maintained at level higher than the gas pressure in neighboring lung areas 90 . During the deflation phase the targeted lung area pressure is reduced 91 as deflation occurs.
[0069] FIG. 3 d describes the gas concentration in the targeted lung area wherein the native gas concentration 92 attenuates while the DLMW gas concentration 93 increases. During the deflation stage, the DLMW gas concentration 95 is close to 100% and the native gas concentration 94 is close to 0%.
[0070] FIG. 3 e describes the targeted area gas volumes which are initially very high due to the disease, and are kept high during the gas wash out phase 96 with the installation of DLMW gas. During the deflation stage, after most of the native gas is washed out, the targeted area gas volume is regulated downward 97 as the positive pressure of DLMW gas delivery is regulated downward.
[0071] Now referring to FIG. 4 , different optional desufflation gas pressures and flow profiles are described. In FIG. 4 a after the start of the desufflation procedure 100 the gas flow 101 and resultant gas pressure 102 are shown at constant amplitude. In FIG. 4 b an intermittent delivered flow is shown indicating an on 103 and off 104 period. FIG. 4 c describes an alternating positive pressure 105 and negative pressure 106 delivery. FIG. 4 d describes an oscillating 107 pressure or flow delivery. FIG. 4 e describes a DLMW gas flow delivery that is continuously adjusted 108 in order to maintain a constant level positive pressure 109 in the targeted lung area. FIG. 4 f describes simultaneous positive pressure delivery of DLMW gas 110 and application of vacuum 111 to exhaust mixed gases from the targeted lung area. FIG. 4 g describes constant level DLMW gas delivery 112 simultaneous with intermittent or oscillatory vacuum application for exhaust 113 . FIG. 4 h describes an ascending and descending waveform 114 of DLMW gas pressure or flow delivery. FIG. 4I describes the gas wash out stage of DLMW gas delivery 115 where the delivered pressure may be constant and the deflation stage of DLMW gas delivery 116 where the delivered pressure may be reduced. FIG. 4 j describes DLMW gas delivery that is synchronized with the patient's breathing; In this case DLMW gas is delivered during exhalation 117 and delivery is interrupted during inspiration 118 .
[0072] Desufflation pressure is typically regulated below 50 cmH 2 O to avoid barotrauma and to avoid inadvertent creation of bulla and to avoid creating inadvertent embolism in the vasculature, and typically above 10 cmH 2 O in order to maintain the requisite pressure gradient. The duration for native gas displacement typically ranges from 1 hour to 14 days depending on the lung area size and number of bulla. The duration for DLMW gas effusion/deflation is typically regulated to take from 1 day to 30 days, depending on the lung area size and number of bulla, such that neighboring lung tissue has sufficient duration to remodel simultaneously with targeted area deflation, to avoid tissue injury caused by rapid collapse.
[0073] Now referring to FIG. 5 , gas flow pathways and alternative catheter configurations for the desufflation procedure are described in more detail. FIG. 5 a graphically describes the gas flow pathways for influx and efflux of gases. DLMW gas is delivered 130 into the targeted lung area via the catheter. Also, some respiratory gases from breathing 131 continue to enter the targeted lung area during the procedure although at a reducing rate over time since the area will become filled with DLMW gas 130 . Some of the delivered DLMW gas escapes from the targeted area around the catheter 132 proximally out the airways proximal to the targeted area. The majority of native gases in the targeted area are forced out proximally around the catheter 133 and this efflux of native gases dramatically reduces over time because the content of native gas in the targeted area is significantly reduced. Meanwhile, gases are forced out of the targeted area through collateral channels into neighboring lung areas since the desufflation parameters have created a pressure gradient in that direction. Native gas effusion through collateral channels 135 reduces towards zero in the gas wash out stage of the procedure, while DLMW gas effusion through collateral channels 134 remains constant during the gas wash out stage and is deliberately reduced during the deflation stage as the desufflation parameters are appropriately regulated.
[0074] FIGS. 5 b , 5 c , 5 d and 5 e depict alternate catheter configurations corresponding to alternative means of controlling the desufflation parameters. FIG. 5 b depicts a catheter with a non-occlusive anchor 150 and single lumen 151 for DLMW gas infusion, mixed gas evacuation occurring around the catheter 152 . FIG. 5 c depicts a catheter with an occlusive anchor 153 and with separate lumens for DLMW gas infusion 154 and mixed gas evacuation 155 . FIG. 5 d depicts a catheter with an occlusive anchor 156 wherein DLMW gas infusion and mixed gas evacuation is conducted through a common lumen 157 by alternating between infusion and exhaust. FIG. 5 e describes a catheter with a infusion lumen 158 and ports 159 for application of vacuum 160 to be applied to neighboring bronchi 162 to facilitate efflux of gas 161 out of the targeted lung area via collateral channels. It can be appreciated that many configurations of lumens, occlusive anchors and pneumatic parameters can be combined in many ways to achieve different optional desufflation techniques.
[0075] Now referring to FIG. 6 , a typical desufflation catheter - is described including a DLMW gas flow lumen 171 , optionally an exhaust gas lumen 172 , a non-occlusive anchoring means 173 and a sleeve 174 for collapsing the anchoring means, a slide mechanism 169 and lumen for the mechanism 168 for retracting the sleeve 174 , a connector at its proximal end for attachment to a and a supply of DLMW gas 175 and optionally a vacuum source 176 , a tensioning or sealing means 177 with a sealing ring 179 for tensioning and optionally sealing at the point of entry into the patient, and a connection means 178 near the proximal end for detachment of the proximal end from the shaft, for example if removing an endoscope from over the catheter or for interrupting the therapy while leaving the distal end of the catheter in-situ.
[0076] FIG. 7 depicts alternative anchor configurations. FIG. 7 a describes a radially expanding and compressible wire coil anchor 180 in which the wires 181 are braided to create a cylindrical structure that does not occlude the airway. FIG. 7 b describes a radially inflatable anchor with spokes 182 such that the anchor does not occlude the airway. FIG. 7 c describes a radially expanding inflatable anchor such as a cuff or balloon 183 which occludes the airway while anchoring. FIG. 7 d describes a catheter with an occlusive sealing member 184 which can be continuously or intermittently inflated to facilitate regulation of the desufflation parameters in the TLA, and a non-occlusive anchor 185 to continuously anchor the catheter in the airway for extended periods. FIG. 7 e describes an outer 186 and inner 187 catheter configuration wherein the inner catheter 187 is axially slide-able with respect to the outer catheter 186 and wherein the inner catheter includes a radially expandable anchoring member 188 , such as a wire basket, for securing the catheter in position for extended periods. The inner catheter in this embodiment may include a thermoplastic material or may alternately include a metallic construction such as a guide wire.
[0077] Typical diameters of the desufflation catheter depend on the lung area being targeted. Some exemplary dimensions follow: Lobar segment: OD=2.0-3.5 mm; Lobar subsegment: OD=1.5-2.5 mm; Lobar sub-subsegment: OD=0.5-1.0 mm. DLMW gas insufflation lumen diameters are typically 0.25-1.0 mm and gas exhaust lumens, if present, are typically comprise an area of 0.8-4.0 mm 2 , preferably greater than 2.0 mm 2 to avoid mucus plugging. Catheter lengths are typically 120-150 cm. Anchoring forces are typically 1-10 psi and occlusion forces, if present, are typically 0.2-0.5 psi. Proximal entry point tensioning forces typically produce 0.5-1.5 lbs of axial tension. Anchors and occlusive member diameters depend on the targeted bronchial level and are up to 20 mm for lobar bronchi, 15 mm for segmental bronchi and 5 mm for sub-subsegmental bronchi when fully expanded. Some examples of catheter materials are: the shaft extrusion comprised of a thermoplastic or thermoset material, such as nylon, PVC, polyethylene, PEBAX, silicone; the non-occlusive anchor comprised of a stainless steel or Nitinol wire; the inflatable occlusive member comprised of a highly compliant plastisol, silicone or urethane; connectors typically comprised of PVC, polysulfone, polypropylene or acrylic.
[0078] FIG. 8 describes a general layout of the present invention, wherein Endotracheal Trans-luminal Bronchopulmonary Compartment Desufflation (ETBCD) is performed on a ventilatory dependent patient, showing catheterization of the targeted TLA 250 , entry of the catheter 170 through an endotracheal tube 252 , connection of the proximal end of the catheter 253 to the desufflation pneumatic control unit (PCU) 254 , as well as the ventilator 255 and breathing circuit 256 . It can be seen that the catheter distal end is anchored 257 in the targeted lung area bronchus and the section of catheter at the patient entry point is tensioned to prevent inadvertent unwanted movement with a tensioning and/or sealing means 177 .
[0079] FIG. 9 describes a general layout of the present invention, wherein Percutaneous Trans-luminal Bronchopulmonary Compartment Desufflation (PTDCD) is performed on an ambulatory spontaneously breathing patient, showing catheterization of the targeted TLA with the desufflation catheter 170 , distal end anchoring 261 , entry of the catheter either nasally 262 or through a percutaneous incision 263 , connection of the proximal end of the catheter to the wearable portable PCU 254 . Referring to FIG. 9 a a cross-sectional view is shown of entry of the catheter into the patient showing a hygienic seal 177 and a seal securing means 266 attached to the neck of the patient. The hygienic seal also prevents inadvertent unwanted axial movement of the catheter but allows desired axial sliding of the catheter in response to anticipated patient movement. The seal can be left in place to temporarily seal the incision with a self-sealing membrane or attaching a plug 267 if the catheter is removed for extended periods.
[0080] Now referring to FIG. 10 the Desufflation Pneumatic Control Unit 339 (PCU) is shown in more detail, including a DLMW gas source 340 , an insufflation pressure regulator 341 , control valve 342 , and overpressure safety relief valve 343 , a check valve 344 , a pressure sensor 355 , and a self-sealing output DLMW gas connector 345 . Also exemplified is a vacuum supply system comprised of a vacuum source 346 , vacuum regulator 347 , control valve 348 , check valve 349 , pressure sensor 356 and CO 2 sensor 357 . A replaceable or refillable modular cartridge of DLMW gas 351 is shown as an alternative supply, typically housing 100-500 ml of compressed DLMW gas. For example a cartridge containing 250 ml of compressed DLMW gas pressurized at 1 Opsi would enable delivery of DLMW gas at a rate of 10 ml/hour at an output pressure of 25 cmH 2 O for 20 days, based on ideal gas laws, and assuming 30% losses due to system leakage. A pump system 352 is shown as an alternative to a pressurized source in which case the DLMW gas is fed into the pump from the outside source and pumped out into the catheter at the desired output parameters.
[0081] FIG. 11 describes a desufflation procedure kit, including the desufflation catheter 170 , optionally an inner catheter or guide wire 187 , a tensioning connector 177 , a securing strap 266 , a hygienic tracheotomy plug 267 , a bronchial plug 335 to prevent re-inflation of the desufflated lung area, a desufflation pneumatic control unit 339 with a holster 338 , a cartridge of DLMW gas 351 , pre-conditioning solutions 336 , and an instruction sheet 337 .
[0082] It should be noted that the above preferred embodiments of the present invention are exemplary and can be combined in mixed in ways to create other embodiments not specifically described but which are still part of this disclosure. For example, the catheter occlusive anchor can be detachable from the catheter so that after the desufflation procedure is complete, the catheter can be retracted from the airway, leaving the occlusive member in place which self seals in the airway thus preventing re-expansion of the treated area.
[0083] In addition, the method and device may include the following elements. It may displace the native gas in a lung area with a diffusible low molecular weight (DLMW) gas and optionally reducing the volume of said lung area, including: An indwelling catheter may be placed in a bronchus feeding said lung area wherein said catheter is anchored in said bronchus for an extended period; DLMW gas may be delivered into said lung area through said catheter for extended periods; An exhaust pathway may be maintained for escape of said native and DLMW gases out of said lung area over extended periods. An anchor may permit said catheter to remain in place automatically for said extended periods without the supervision of a person. DLMW gas may be delivered at a positive pressure, wherein said pressure is typically 2-20 cwp greater than gas pressure in neighboring lung areas. DLMW gas delivery may be regulated to create a pressure in said lung area that is at least temporarily greater than the gas pressure in neighboring lung areas, and further wherein said pressure is typically 2-20 cwp and preferably 5-10 cwp greater than said neighboring area gas pressure. DLMW gas delivery may be regulated to create a pressure in said lung area greater than the gas pressure in said neighboring areas, and further wherein said pressure in said lung area is reduced over time until said pressure equals pressure in said neighboring areas. A catheter may be placed through the user's upper airway while the user is spontaneously breathing, such as the oro-nasal passage, a cricothyrotomy or a tracheotomy, or through an artificial airway such as but not limited to a tracheal tube. Multiple lung areas may be treated either simultaneously or sequentially. The lung may be treated at the lobar, segmental, subsegmental or sub-subsegmental bronchi level. The catheter may be positioned with visual assistance, such as with endoscopy or floroscopically and optionally positioned with the assistance of a guide wire or inner guiding catheter.
[0084] The method and device may include a catheter that does not occlude the feeding bronchus of said lung area, or wherein said catheter occludes said feeding bronchus of said lung area, either intermittently or continuously. The DLMW gas may be delivered continuously at a constant or variable flow or pressure amplitude. The DLMW gas may be delivered non-continuously, such as but not limited to an oscillatory flow pattern, a flow pattern synchronized with the patient's breath cycle, or an intermittent pattern. Gas exhaust may occur passively around the outside of said catheter or through a lumen inside said catheter or through intersegmental collateral channels into neighboring lung areas. Gas exhaust may be actively assisted by the application of vacuum to said area through a lumen in said catheter, wherein said vacuum is applied either continuously, intermittently or synchronized with the patient's breathing cycle. Gas exhaust may be augmented by the application of vacuum to neighboring lung areas, thereby augmenting said gas exhaust through intersegmental collateral channels from said lung area into said neighboring lung areas. Gas exhaust and gas delivery may be conducted through at least one lumen in said catheter. The feeding bronchus may be occluded intermittently to facilitate said delivery of DLMW gas and displacement of resultant mixed gases.
[0085] The method and device may include DLMW gas that possesses greater diffusivity or lower molecular weight than that of said native gas, said molecular weight typically 2-20 and preferably 4-10, such as but not limited to Helium, Helium-oxygen mixtures and nitric oxide, and or a diffusivity of 10-4 cm2/sec. The DLMW gas delivery may be performed acutely, typically 30 minutes to 24 hours. sub-chronically, typically one to 14 days or chronically, typically 14 to 90 days and optionally performed for periods greater than three months wherein said delivery is optionally interrupted intermittently. A therapeutic agent may be delivered to said targeted area after said native gas wash out. The method and device may reduce the volume of a lung area by delivering via a catheter a positive pressure of DLMW gas into a said lung area and creating a positive pressure of DLMW gas in said area, said positive pressure being predominantly greater than the pressure in neighboring lung areas. The positive pressure of DLMW gas may be created by delivering said DLMW gas via a catheter into said area, and wherein said gas delivery is regulated to achieve at least temporarily a desired pressure level typically 2-20 cwp and preferably 5-10 cwp greater than the gas pressure in neighboring areas, and wherein said delivery is performed over extended periods typically one hour to 90 days and preferably one to seven days, and further wherein said delivery can be continuous, oscillatory or intermittent and can be constant amplitude or non-constant amplitude. The gas exhaust and gas delivery may be alternated through a common lumen in said catheter. The gas exhaust and gas delivery may be each conducted through dedicated lumens in said catheter. The DLMW gas delivery may be performed acutely typically for 30 minutes to 24 hours, sub-chronically typically for one to 14 days, or chronically for over 14 days or for an indefinite period.
[0086] The methods and devices may reduce the volume of a lung area by: Catheterizing said lung area with an indwelling catheter for an extended period; wherein said catheter is anchored to remain in place for said period automatically without supervision of a person; the native gas in said lung area may be displaced by delivering a DLMW gas in said area via said catheter and maintaining an exhaust pathway over extended periods for the escape of said native and DLMW gases; the pressure of said DLMW gas delivery into said lung area may be regulated to create a gradient of higher gas pressure in said lung area compared to gas pressure in neighboring lung areas, said gradient sufficient to inhibit infusion of gases into said lung area from neighboring lung areas, and to force effusion of said delivered DLMW gas out of said area, said effusion sufficient to effect at least partial volume reduction of said lung area.
[0087] The amplitude of said gradient may be reduced over time to facilitate at least partial deflation of said lung area. The catheter may be placed through the user's upper airway. The target bronchus may be a lobar, segmental, subsegmental or sub-subsegmental bronchi. The volume reduction of said area may be restrained from re-expansion by the application of a restraint, such as but not limited to a bronchial plug, a tether or a tissue clamp. The apparatus may displace native gas from or reduce the volume of a lung area, and comprise: A catheter with a distal and proximal end with at least one lumen for fluid flow, wherein the distal end is positioned in said lung area and wherein the said proximal end is positioned outside the body, said catheter entering the body at a point of entry, said catheter further comprising: (1) At least one lumen for the delivery of gas; (2) At its distal end an anchoring member to anchor the distal tip of the catheter in a bronchial lumen for extend periods while the catheter is unattended; (3) between its distal and proximal ends a securing means for securing said catheter shaft to said point of entry to the body; (4) at its proximal end a connection means for connection to a gas source external to the patient; (5) A pneumatic control unit comprising: A supply of DLMW gas or connection means to thereof, a connection means for connection to the proximal end of said catheter to couple said gas with the gas flow lumen in said catheter, a pressure delivery and regulation means to produce and regulate a desired output of said DLMW gas; A user interface for control and display.
[0088] The distal end of the catheter may comprise both a non-occlusive anchor for anchoring is said bronchus, and a radially inflatable occlusive member which comprises a means to intermittently inflate to occlude the annular space around said catheter in the said area's feeding bronchus, and optionally wherein said catheter and said pneumatic control unit automatically work in unison such that said inflation and occlusion is synchronized with said DLMW gas delivery. The anchoring member may be a radially compressible structure with a resting diameter concentric to said catheter shaft typically 2-20 mm in diameter, such as but not limited a wire structure attached to the shaft of said catheter, such as but not limited to a wire framed cylindrical or spherical structure, such as but not limited to straight non-crossing wires, woven wires and braided wires. The catheter may comprise an outer concentric sleeve wherein said sleeve is axially slide-able with respect to said catheter shaft and further wherein said anchoring member is compressed into a radially collapsed state between said catheter shaft and said sleeve and further wherein upon moving said catheter or said sleeve axially, said anchoring member is released and freely radially expands towards its resting diameter, said expansion producing tension against said bronchial wall, said tension typically 0.5-3.0 lbs force and preferably 0.75-1.5 lbs force. The catheter anchoring member may be an inflatable member and further wherein said catheter comprises an inflation or deflation means for elective inflation. The catheter anchoring member may occlude said bronchus intermittently wherein said pneumatic control unit comprises a means to synchronized delivery of said DLMW gas with said occlusion of said bronchus. The catheter may comprise an outer catheter and an inner catheter wherein said inner catheter includes said non-occlusive anchor at its distal end wherein said inner catheter and anchor protrudes from the distal tip of said outer catheter. The distal end of said catheter may be branched for simultaneous cannulation of multiple bronchi. The catheter shaft may comprise a de-coupling means, said means permitting a disconnection of the proximal end of said catheter from balance of said catheter. The catheter shaft may comprise a concentric connection means, said means further comprising an anchoring feature at the point of entry to the body and optionally providing a sealing feature at the point of entry to the body. The catheter may comprise a second lumen through which gas is exhausted either passively or actively with the application of vacuum. The catheter may comprise an outer diameter of typically 0.5-4.0 millimeters, most preferably 2-3 millimeters and a gas delivery lumen of typically 0.25-2 millimeters, most preferably 0.5 millimeters, and optionally comprising a gas exhaust lumen of a diameter of typically 0.25-3 millimeters, most preferably 2 millimeters, and further comprising a length of typically 80-200 centimeters, most preferably 100-140 centimeters.
[0089] The pneumatic control unit may comprise manual or automatic controls for producing constant, intermittent or oscillatory DLMW gas delivery patterns, and optionally for producing constant, intermittent or oscillatory gas exhaust patterns, typically for the purpose of maintaining a desired pressure in said targeted lung area. The pneumatic control unit may comprise controls to synchronize said DLMW gas delivery and optionally said gas exhaust with the patient's breathing pattern. The targeted lung area pressure may be measured using a pressure sensing means, either at or near to the distal end of the said catheter, or by measuring pressure near the proximal end of said catheter to calculate said catheter distal end pressure, for example using Poiseuille's Law. The pneumatic control unit may comprise a gas concentration measuring means, wherein said means is used to determine the completeness of native gas displacement and for regulation of said pneumatic parameters. The pneumatic control unit may be integral to and or re-movably attachable to a mechanical ventilator and optionally includes a replaceable or refillable DLMW gas cartridge. The pneumatic control unit may be portable and wearable by the user, for example with a belt clip, fanny pack or shoulder strap and optionally includes a replaceable or refillable DLMW gas cartridge. The system may comprising a kit, the kit comprising said indwelling DLMW gas delivery catheter, optionally including an outer sleeve and inner guiding catheter, a pneumatic gas control unit, a portable strap, optionally a quantity of DLMW gas, pre-conditioning agents, optionally a bronchial plug, a hygienic tracheotomy plug, a tensioning connector, and an instruction sheet. The targeted lung area may be pre-conditioned with a substance to make it less susceptible to infection and more susceptible to deflation, such as with mucolytic agents, bronchodilators, antibiotics, surface tension modifiers, and tissue diffusivity modifiers.
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Methods, systems and devices are described for temporarily or permanently evacuating stagnating air from a diseased lung area, typically for the purpose of treating COPD. Evacuation is accomplished by displacing the stagnant CO 2 -rich air with a readily diffusible gas using a trans-luminal indwelling catheter specially configured to remain anchored in the targeted area for long term treatment without supervision. Elevated positive gas pressure in the targeted area is then regulated via the catheter and a control unit to force under positive pressure effusion of the diffusible gas out of the area into neighboring areas while inhibiting infusion of other gases thus effecting a gradual gas volume decrease and deflation of the targeted area, thereby reducing volume of ineffective areas, increasing tidal volume of better areas, and improving lung mechanics.
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CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
The present application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/196,827, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,178,653, filed Nov. 20, 1998, entitled “Probe Tip Locator,” commonly assigned with the present invention and incorporated herein by reference.
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is directed, in general, to location systems and, more specifically, to a system and method for locating a probe tip (or any other object) relative to a locator made up of markers. The arrangement of markers in the locator is such that bit encoding errors that may occur as the probe tip or other object scans the locator are reduced or eliminated.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
It has always been desirable to test integrated circuits (ICs) to determine whether they have been manufactured properly. While scanning electron microscopes have been available for such testing, they require a sample to be sectioned and thus destroyed. Nondestructive testing is preferred by far. Stylus, or scanning probe, microscopes offer an opportunity to perform such nondestructive testing.
Unfortunately, the device and interconnect structures that make up today's ICs have become so small that, when attempting to probe an IC sample with a scanning probe microscope, it has become difficult to determine where exactly the tip of the microscope's probe is located relative to the sample. Ignorant of the exact relative location of the probe tip, signals that the probe tip returns as it scans structures in the sample lose their meaning and become uninterpretable. Lacking a proper interpretation, the scanned structures cannot be evaluated, and vital information that could have been used to improve the manufacturing processes employed to fabricate the IC is lost. As a consequence, IC yields drop and manufacturing time and cost rise.
Scanning probe microscopes are able to locate their probe tips relative to a sample with a degree of uncertainty (perhaps a few microns). Unfortunately, that degree of uncertainty has become unacceptably large relative to the size of the structures on the IC. To address this problem, probe tip locators have been developed to determine the location of the probe tip more precisely, i.e., reduce the degree of uncertainty to an acceptable level.
A probe tip locator is itself a structure that the probe can scan. The locator is placed on the stage of the microscope, along with the sample, at a location that is a known distance and direction from the sample. The locator is laid out such that a scan of the locator by the probe tip provides the information required to locate the probe tip relative to the locator. Having located the probe tip relative to the locator, and knowing the relative distance and direction between the locator and the sample, the location of the probe tip relative to the sample can be determined. As a result, the probe tip can be accurately placed on the sample, and the structures in the sample meaningfully analyzed.
Prior art probe tip locators typically used a single, large structure consisting of a first reference line parallel to a reference axis (for example, the y-axis) and a second reference line intersecting the first at a known angle. When a probe tip scanned the structure, it returned signals indicating the location of the first line (thereby fixing the locator with respect to, continuing the example, the x-axis) and the location of the second line. Knowing these locations and the speed at which the probe tip scanned the structure, the distance between the first and second lines is determinable. Since only one y-axis location could evidence such distance (and given that the angle of intersection is known), the locator is therefore theoretically fixed with respect to the y-axis. The probe tip is so located and sample analysis can begin.
By their nature, the first and second lines gradually separate as they depart their intersection point. This is unfortunate, since the probe tip is thus required to scan an ever-increasing distance to cross both lines as the line the probe tip scans (the “scan line”) is separated from the intersecting point. Since scanning probe microscopes have limits on the length of the scan line their probe tips are able to traverse, and given that the probe tip must cross both lines, prior art probe tip locators were limited in terms of their size.
What is needed in the art is a probe tip locator that can allow the probe tip of a scanning probe microscope to be located to an acceptably small location within an acceptably large locator, such that manufacturing and testing of ICs (and, more broadly, monolithic circuits) are improved.
More generally, what is needed in the art is an improved way of locating any object relative to a locator based entirely on a knowledge of the layout of the locator and what the object encounters as the object traverses the locator.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
As stated above, the present invention is related to U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/196,827, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,178,653. That application sets forth two embodiments of a probe tip locator that overcome the deficiencies of the prior art probe tip locator discussed above.
The first embodiment employs a set of lines (or, more generically, “location markers”) that form bit fields and neighboring intersecting lines that together cooperate to locate a probe tip relative to the locator. The second embodiment employs multiple sets of location markers that form bit fields that cooperate to locate a probe tip relative to the locator.
The markers are arranged in the bit fields to encode unique addresses for their respective locations. As a probe tip scans an unknown location on the locator, it produces signals that indicate the unknown location's address, revealing the location. Depending upon the number of bits in the bit fields and limited only by the resolution of the lines and the length of the path that the scanning probe microscope is able to accommodate, the probe tip can be located to an acceptably small location within an acceptably large locator.
Both embodiments happen to assign sequential addresses to adjacent locations. As advantageous as both embodiments are, this orderly assignment of addresses has caused a problem. As a probe tip scans along a scan line, it traverses an area roughly equaling its width multiplied by the length of the scan line. This area is hereinafter called a “scanpath.” Since the probe tip has a finite width, its scanpath has a corresponding finite width, which means that a probe tip may, on occasion, traverse a scanpath that straddles two adjacent locations on the probe tip locator.
Should a probe tip's scanpath happen to straddle two adjacent locations, location markers from the two locations can interfere to cause the probe tip to produce a signal representing an address that corresponds to neither one of the two adjacent locations. A bit encoding error of this type is best described as “aliasing.”
Aliasing produces an erroneous determination of the probe tip's location relative to the locator. This corrupts any further calculations or analysis that depends on knowledge of the location and ultimately prevents a proper interpretation of sample structures. Accordingly, an objective of the present invention is to reduce or eliminate the chance that aliasing can occur.
In the attainment of this objective, the present invention provides a probe tip locator for, and method of, use in determining a location of a probe tip relative to the probe tip locator. The probe tip locator includes sets of discrete location markers in which numbers and positions of the location markers in each of the sets are employable uniquely to identify corresponding specific locations on the probe tip locator. The sets are distributed about the probe tip locator to avoid unbalanced partial encroachments into both sides of a scanpath of the probe tip by location markers in sets normally adjacent the scanpath (“double-sided” unbalanced partial encroachments). This prevents an erroneous determination of location caused by unbalanced partial encroachments of the location markers into both sides of the scanpath as the probe tip traverses the scanpath.
The present invention therefore introduces the broad concept of arranging the sets of location markers that constitute a probe tip locator such that the sets do not encroach upon the scanpath and cause erroneous location indications. This arranging can be done in at least two alternative ways.
A first way calls for the sets to be spaced apart from one another by at least a width of the scanpath. The addresses of the locations then can be ordered in any manner, including sequentially.
A second way calls for the addresses to be ordered such that opposing state transitions (both 0→1 transitions and 1→0 transitions) between corresponding bit fields of locations normally adjacent all possible scanpaths are avoided. Thus ordered, further spacing is unnecessary. State transitions give rise to unbalanced partial encroachments; opposing state transitions give rise to the double-sided unbalanced partial encroachments that the present invention seeks to avoid.
The present invention enjoys substantial utility in that errors are reduced, increasing the reliability and decreasing the cost of manufacturing and testing monolithic circuits.
In one embodiment of the present invention, the location is a Cartesian location. The location may alternatively be polar or of any other conventional or later-discovered coordinate system.
In one embodiment of the present invention, the probe tip locator further includes reference markers distributed about the probe tip locator at predetermined ordinal locations thereon. The reference markers, while not necessary to the present invention, are employable to differentiate sets from one another in the ordinal direction (the direction of probe tip travel in the embodiment to be illustrated and described).
In one embodiment of the present invention, the location markers are bit fields. In an embodiment to be illustrated and described, the probe tip returns a binary signal representing at least a partial presence or a complete absence of the bit fields. Of course, those skilled in the art will perceive that many different types of markers, including those of varying dimension or shape, may be employed to advantage and remain within the broad scope of the present invention.
In one embodiment of the present invention, the sets of discrete location markers are first sets of discrete location markers, the probe tip locator further comprising second sets of discrete location markers cooperate with the first sets of location markers uniquely to identify two-dimensional specific locations on the probe tip locator. Thus, the present invention is not limited to a one-dimensional locator; it fully encompasses multidimensional locators wherein the number of sets cooperating to describe a particular location equals the number of dimensions included in the location.
In one embodiment of the present invention, the scanpath is linear. This need not be the case, however. The probe tip needs only to encounter such markers as necessary to determine its location, no matter how those markers are positioned relative to one another.
In one embodiment of the present invention, discrete markers are embodied in a structure on a monolithic substrate. Thus, the probe tip senses the relief. However, the probe tip may sense any physical characteristic associated with the location markers and is not limited to sensing relief.
The foregoing has outlined, rather broadly, preferred and alternative features of the present invention so that those skilled in the art may better understand the detailed description of the invention that follows. Additional features of the invention will be described hereinafter that form the subject of the claims of the invention. Those skilled in the art should appreciate that they can readily use the disclosed conception and specific embodiment as a basis for designing or modifying other structures for carrying out the same purposes of the present invention. Those skilled in the art should also realize that such equivalent constructions do not depart from the spirit and scope of the invention in its broadest form.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
For a more complete understanding of the present invention reference is now made to the following descriptions taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:
FIG. 1 illustrates a side elevational view of a scanning probe microscope having a probe tip mounted above a stage thereof that can accept a probe tip locator constructed according to the principles of the present invention;
FIG. 2 illustrates a schematic view of a portion of an exemplary probe tip locator, a non-straddling scanpath and resulting full encroachment;
FIG. 3 illustrates a schematic view of a portion of an exemplary probe tip locator, a straddling scanpath and resulting partial encroachment;
FIG. 4 illustrates an embodiment of a probe tip locator constructed according to the principles of the present invention in which sets of location markers are spaced-apart to avoid unbalanced partial encroachments;
FIG. 5 illustrates a list of location addresses ordered to avoid opposing state transitions (both 0→1 transitions and 1→0 transitions) between corresponding bit fields of adjacent addresses; and
FIG. 6 illustrates another embodiment of a probe tip locator constructed according to the principles of the present invention in which location addresses are ordered to avoid opposing state transitions between corresponding bit fields of locations normally adjacent all possible scanpaths.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
Referring initially to FIG. 1, illustrated is a side elevational view of a scanning probe microscope, generally designated 9 , that has a probe tip 10 mounted above a stage 18 thereof. The microscope 9 can accept a probe tip locator 12 constructed according to the prior art or, alternatively, constructed according to the principles of the present invention. As has been set forth in detail above, the latter proves substantially superior to the former.
The scanning probe microscope 9 is capable of accurately moving the probe tip 10 relative to the stage 18 . However, the initial position of the probe tip 10 relative to the probe tip locator 12 must be determined using the probe tip 10 itself.
Once the initial position of the probe tip 10 is determined relative to a coordinate system 16 of the stage 18 , and since the stage 18 maintains the distance and direction from the probe tip 10 to an adjoining sample 14 to be tested at a known and constant value, the distance and direction in which the microscope 9 must move the probe tip 10 can be calculated. The probe tip 10 can then be moved accordingly to a desired destination over the sample 14 . The probe tip 10 is thus in position to scan the sample 14 as desired.
Turning now to FIG. 2, illustrated is a schematic view of a first portion of an exemplary probe tip locator 210 . The probe tip locator 210 comprises a set of location markers 220 a , 220 c , 220 d , 220 f that are arranged to encode addresses corresponding to specific locations on the locator 210 . The location markers 220 a , 220 c , 220 d , 220 f form at least a portion of a bit field (that also includes empty bit fields 220 b , 220 e , represented in phantom line, at which location markers are absent) that a probe tip 230 can scan to indicate its location relative to the probe tip locator 210 .
The probe tip 230 is schematically represented as being located over the probe tip locator 210 . The probe tip 230 is designed to move in a plane parallel to, and proximate, that of the locator 210 . As the probe tip 230 moves, it detects variations in the structure on the underlying locator 210 . More specifically, the probe tip 230 detects either the presence or the absence of the location markers 220 .
The probe tip 230 produces an essentially binary signal indicating whether or not a location marker underlies it at a certain point in time. If a location marker does not underlie the probe tip 230 , it produces a “0” signal. If a location marker even partially underlies the probe tip 230 , it produces a “1” signal. The binary nature of the probe tip's signal, coupled with the fact that the probe tip 230 is of a finite width and that the probe tip 230 interprets a location marker only partially underlying it as a “1” gives rise to the bit encoding errors and resulting aliasing that the present invention addresses. FIGS. 2 and 3 together set forth this phenomenon in detail.
FIG. 2 shows a path along which the probe tip 230 is to scan during a given period of time. That path is termed a “scanpath” 240 , has a width “w” and runs from left to right as illustrated (and indicated by directional arrows shown, but not referenced, within the scanpath 240 ).
The scanpath 240 initially crosses a reference line 250 , causing the probe tip to produce a “1” signal of extended duration and indicating to one analyzing the signal that the probe tip 220 is about to encounter discrete location markers that will indicate the position of the probe tip 230 . While the description that follows involves discrete location markers that take the form of lines, those skilled in the pertinent art will understand that markers of any form or shape are within the broad scope of the present invention.
Then, the scanpath 240 crosses (in left-to-right order) the location marker 220 a , the empty bit field 220 b , the location marker 220 c , the location marker 220 d , the empty bit field 220 e and, finally, the location marker 220 f . (At this point, it should be stated that the number of bit fields is often greater than the number shown in FIG. 2; the number is intentionally reduced for clarity's sake.)
The location markers 220 a , 220 c , 220 d , 220 f and the empty bit fields 220 b , 220 e cause the probe tip 230 to generate a corresponding signal: “1,” “0,” “1,” “1, ” “0” and “1.” This signal yields, in effect, the address of the scanned location on the probe tip locator 210 .
FIG. 2 represents a situation in which the scanpath 240 lies completely within one set of location markers 220 a , 220 c , 220 d , 220 f . One can readily see that each location marker 220 a , 220 c , 220 d , 220 f enters a left-hand side 240 l of the scanpath and exits a right-hand side 240 r of the scanpath 240 . For purposes of the present invention, this is called a “full encroachment.” Each location marker 220 a , 220 c , 220 d , 220 f has fully encroached upon the scanpath 240 .
Full encroachment does not produce encoding errors or resulting aliasing. Thus, the signal: “1, ” “0 ,” “1, ” “1,”“0” and “1” represents the true address of the location of the probe tip 230 relative to the probe tip locator 210 .
The present invention uniquely recognizes, however, that the scanpath 240 is not guaranteed to lie completely in one set of location markers. Indeed, the scanpath 240 may straddle two sets of location markers that are adjacent one another in a direction normal to the scanpath 240 (“normally adjacent” and vertical as illustrated). This circumstance and its detrimental consequences are the subject of FIG. 3 .
Turning now to FIG. 3, illustrated is a schematic view of a portion of a second portion of an exemplary probe tip locator 210 , a straddling scanpath 240 and resulting partial encroachment. FIG. 2 shows a first set of location markers 220 a , 220 b , 220 c , 220 d and empty bit fields 220 e , 220 f and a normally adjacent second set of location markers 320 a , 320 d , 320 f and empty bit fields 320 b , 320 c , 320 e.
By virtue of its width w, the scanpath 240 straddles the two sets. In fact, FIG. 3 illustrates the scanpath 240 as exactly straddling the two sets (not necessary for bit encoding errors to occur, however).
Were the scanpath to encounter only the first set of location markers 220 a , 220 b , 220 c , 220 d , the resulting signal would be “1,” “1,” “1,” “1,” “0” and “0” and would represent the true address of that lower location. Were, on the other hand, the scanpath to encounter only the second set of location markers 320 a , 320 d , 320 f , the resulting signal would be “1,” “0,” “0,” “1,” “0” and “1” and would represent the true address of that upper location.
Instead, the probe tip 230 encounters ends of all of the location markers 220 a , 220 b , 220 c , 220 d , 320 a , 320 d , 320 f , setting the stage for potential encoding errors. This will now be explained in detail.
The probe tip 230 is illustrated as first encountering the reference line 250 . Next, the probe tip 230 concurrently encounters location markers 220 a , 320 a . The location marker 220 a enters the right-hand side 240 r of the scanpath 240 , but terminates within the scanpath 240 instead of exiting the left-hand side 240 l . The location marker 320 a enters the left-hand side 240 l of the scanpath 240 , but terminates within the scanpath 240 instead of exiting the right-hand side 240 r . For purposes of the present invention, this arrangement is called a “balanced partial encroachment”). Either location marker 220 a , 320 a would be sufficient to cause the probe tip 230 to produce a “1” signal, so the two location markers 220 a , 320 a are certainly sufficient. Consequently, the probe tip 230 produces a “1” signal, which, so far, could represent the true address of either the upper or the lower location.
Then, the probe tip 230 encounters the location marker 220 b and the empty bit field 220 b . The location marker 220 b enters the right-hand side 240 r of the scanpath 240 , but terminates within the scanpath 240 instead of exiting the left-hand side 240 l . For purposes of the present invention, this arrangement is called a “right-side unbalanced partial encroachment”) . The location marker 220 b is sufficient to cause the probe tip 230 to produce a “1” signal. Consequently, the probe tip 230 produces a “1” signal, which, in combination with the earlier “1” signal, so far, could represent the true address of only the lower location (containing the location markers 220 a , 220 b , 220 c , 220 d ) . This is acceptable, since the scanpath 240 does at least partially lie within the lower location.
Next, the probe tip 230 encounters the location marker 220 c and the empty bit field 320 c . Like the location marker 220 b , the location marker 220 c enters the right-hand side 240 r of the scanpath 240 , but terminates within the scanpath 240 instead of exiting the left-hand side 240 l . This is another right-side unbalanced partial encroachment. Again, the location marker 220 c is sufficient to cause the probe tip 230 to produce a “1” signal. Consequently, the probe tip 230 produces a “1” signal, which, in combination with earlier signals, so far could still represent the true address of only the lower location.
Then, the probe tip 230 concurrently encounters location markers 220 d , 320 d . The location marker 220 d enters the right-hand side 240 r of the scanpath 240 , but terminates within the scanpath 240 instead of exiting the left-hand side 240 l . The location marker 320 d enters the left-hand side 240 l of the scanpath 240 , but terminates within the scanpath 240 instead of exiting the right-hand side 240 r . This is another balanced partial encroachment. As before, either location marker 220 d , 320 d would be sufficient to cause the probe tip 230 to produce a “1” signal, so the two location markers 220 d , 320 d are sufficient to cause the probe tip 230 to produce a “1” signal. The lower location continues to be truly represented.
Then, the probe tip 230 encounters two empty bit fields 220 e , 320 e and produces a resulting “0” signal. The lower location continues to be truly represented.
Now comes the problem. The probe tip 230 next encounters the empty bit field 220 f and the location marker 320 f . The location marker 320 f enters the left-hand side 240 l of the scanpath 240 , but terminates within the scanpath 240 instead of exiting the right-hand side 240 r . For purposes of the present invention, this arrangement is called a “left-side unbalanced partial encroachment”. The location marker 320 f is sufficient to cause the probe tip 230 to produce a “1” signal and scanning ceases.
The probe tip 230 has produced the following signal: “1,” “1,” “1,” “1,” “0” and “1.” Recalling that the true address of the upper location is represented by “1,” “1,” “1,” “1,” “0” and “0” signal and that the true address of the lower location is represented by “1,” “1,” “1,” “1,” “0” and “1,” it is easy to see that “1,” “1,” “1” “1,” “0, ” and “1” contains an encoding error and consequently represents neither the upper location nor the lower location (and may not represent any location on the entire probe tip locator 210 ).
The source of this encoding error is the existence, in the scanpath 240 , of unbalanced partial encroachments into both sides of the scanpath 240 (both a right-hand unbalanced partial encroachment, e.g., caused by the location marker 220 b , and a left-hand unbalanced partial encroachment, caused by the location marker 320 f ).
The present invention addresses (so to speak) this problem in at least two ways. Two alternative ways will now be described in conjunction with FIGS. 4-6.
Turning now to FIG. 4, illustrated is an embodiment of a probe tip locator constructed according to the principles of the present invention in which the sets of location markers are spaced-apart to avoid unbalanced partial encroachments. Specifically, the location markers 220 a , 220 b , 2220 c , 220 d are spaced-apart (vertically as shown) from the location markers 320 a , 320 d , 320 f . The distance by which the sets of location markers are spaced-apart is illustrated as being “s.” The distance s is preferably at least equal to the width of the scanpath 240 , such that it becomes impossible for the scanpath 240 to straddle both sets of location markers. The distance s may be greater than the width of the scanpath 240 to accommodate any variation that may occur due to manufacturing imperfections. The distance s may be less of the scanpath 240 , but at the ever-growing risk of straddling normally adjacent sets in adjacent locations and encountering unbalanced partial encroachments into both sides of a given scanpath.
Turning now to FIG. 5, illustrated is a list, generally designated 500 , of location addresses ordered to avoid opposing state transitions (both 0→1 transitions and 1→0 transitions) between corresponding bit fields of adjacent addresses. FIG. 5 sets forth the heretofore-described sets of bit fields in more abstract terms and over a larger area of a given probe tip locator. The location addresses have an important property: while any given pair of location addresses that are vertically adjacent inevitably change in value (meaning that one or more bits transition from 0→1 or 1→0), those vertically adjacent location addresses do not evidence both 0→1 transitions and 1→0 transitions. For example, with respect to one arbitrary pair of vertically adjacent location addresses (an upper address 510 and a lower address 520 ) , a 0→1 transition in the “32s” place occurs from the upper address 510 to the lower address 520 , but no 1→0 transition is evidenced from the upper address 510 to the lower address 520 . With respect to another arbitrary pair of vertically adjacent location addresses (an upper address 530 and a lower address 540 ), a 1→0 transition in the “8s” place occurs from the upper address 530 to the lower address 540 , but no 0→1 transition is evidenced from the upper address 530 to the lower address 540 .
If one inspects the entire list 500 , one will discover that this is the case for every vertically adjacent location address. Opposing unbalanced partial encroachments cannot occur assuming that the scanpath is horizontal. The number of transitions does not matter, only that they not be opposing.
Turning now to FIG. 6, illustrated is another embodiment of a probe tip locator 210 constructed according to the principles of the present invention in which location addresses are ordered to avoid opposing state transitions between corresponding bit fields of locations normally adjacent all possible scanpaths. As the probe tip 230 moves left to right along the scanpath 240 , right side unbalanced partial encroachments occur with respect to the markers 220 b , 220 c , but no left-side unbalanced partial encroachments occur due to the fact that the location addresses embodied in the sets in the upper and lower locations have been selected to eliminate such possibility (in accordance with the principles set forth with respect to FIG. 5 ).
Those skilled in the pertinent art will readily perceive that the present invention is not limited to locating microscope probe tips relative to monolithic probe tip locator structures and IC samples to be tested. For this reason, “probe tip” is defined broadly to include any sensor capable of reading a probe tip locator; and “probe tip locator” is defined broadly to include any arrangement of markers on any surface or in any space wherein the arrangement of markers indicates locations on the surface or in the space. Following are three examples of how the present invention can be employed in entirely different environments.
In a first example, if the probe tip is a sensor (perhaps optical or magnetic) mounted on an automobile and the probe tip locator takes the form of markers laid over or embedded in a roadway, one skilled in the pertinent art will see that the present invention can be employed to locate the automobile relative to the roadway. This not only allows navigational systems onboard the automobile to determine at what point along the roadway the automobile is (for acceleration and braking purposes), but can also assist steering control systems onboard the automobile in steering the automobile side-to-side, thereby enabling automatic steering, turning and lane-changing.
In a second example, if the probe tip is a sensor mounted on a robot (perhaps of the corporate mail-delivery type) and the probe tip locator takes the form of markers laid over or embedded in elevators, hallways and offices, one skilled in the pertinent art will see that the present invention can be employed to locate the robot relative to those elevators, hallways and offices. This allows the robot to know affirmatively and unambiguously where it is in a given building at any time without having to resort to inertial guidance or more sophisticated machine vision technology.
In a third example, if the probe tip is a sensor mounted on a box-printing apparatus (perhaps toward the end of an assembly line) and the probe tip locator takes the form of markers printed on boxes that pass by the apparatus on a conveyor belt, one skilled in the pertinent art will see that the present invention can be employed to locate the apparatus relative to those boxes. This allows the apparatus to print on the boxes appropriately without having to resort to machine vision technology.
Although the present invention has been described in detail, those skilled in the art should understand that they can make various changes, substitutions and alterations herein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention in its broadest form.
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A probe tip locator for, and method of, use in determining a location of a probe tip relative to the probe tip locator comprising sets of discrete location markers in which numbers and positions of the location markers in each of the sets are employable uniquely to identify corresponding specific locations on the probe tip locator, the sets being distributed about the probe tip locator to avoid unbalanced partial encroachments into both sides of a scanpath of the probe tip by location markers in sets normally adjacent the scanpath thereby to prevent an erroneous determination of location caused by unbalanced partial encroachments of the location markers into both sides of the scanpath as the probe tip traverses the scanpath.
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CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application is entitled and claims the benefit of Japanese Patent Application No.2010-255841, filed on Nov. 16, 2010, the disclosure of which including the specifications, drawings and abstract are incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0002] The present invention relates to an image converting apparatus and an image reproducing apparatus for digitally compressed images, and in particular to a technology for use in special reproduction such as rewind reproduction.
BACKGROUND ART
[0003] In an image reproducing apparatus that reproduces images compressed by a digital compression method such as MPEG2 or H.264, it is required to decode all pictures (I and P pictures) in a group of pictures (GOP) including the reproduced images in the case of backward reproduction (rewind reproduction), regardless of the order that the images (pictures) are reproduced. For this reason, the backward reproduction requires a large capacity of memory and thus it is generally known that the backward reproduction of digitally compressed images is relatively difficult compared with forward reproduction. Accordingly, there have been many technologies suggested so far in connection with that reproduction.
[0004] For example, there is a devised technology which reencodes (transcodes) the decoded images to decrease the number of structures (pictures) of a GOP of an original encoding image and decrease the memory capacity at the time of the backward reproduction (see Patent Literature 1).
CITATION LIST
Patent Literature
[0005] PTL 1: Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 11-252507 (paragraphs [0041] to [0063] and FIG. 2)
SUMMARY OF INVENTION
Technical Problem
[0006] However, even though the number of structures (pictures) of the GOP of the original encoding image is decreased by re-encoding (transcoding) the decoded images, the decoding needs to be performed in an amount corresponding to the number of structures of the GOP (two times when there are two pictures). For this reason, at the time of the backward reproduction of multiple screens such as 16 CHs (CH stands for channel) which are assumed to be used for monitoring for example, readiness is not still obtained.
[0007] When the number of structures of the GOP is further decreased, that is, set to be a small number, one (I picture) to avoid the problem of the readiness, there occurs another problem such that the amount of data for the image increases, compared with the case of employing the P picture which uses a time correlation.
[0008] An object of the present invention is to provide an image converting apparatus, an image reproducing apparatus, and an image converting method that can realize a high readiness, a high speed backward reproduction, and a minimum amount of data, so as to be suitable for the backward reproduction of a multi-screen to be used for monitoring.
Solution to Problem
[0009] In order to achieve the above object, one aspect of an image converting apparatus according to the present invention is an image conversion apparatus which transcodes a digitally compressed image stream. The image conversion apparatus includes an intra predictor configured to convert a decoded image of the image stream into an intra prediction image and a motion compensated predictor configured to convert a decoded image of the image stream into a motion compensated prediction image. The intra predictor transcodes first and final decoded images of a GOP (Group of Pictures) of the image stream and the motion compensated predictor transcodes all decoded images except the first decoded image of the GOP of the image stream by setting a motion vector to zero and referring to only an immediately preceding decoded image.
[0010] One aspect of an image reproducing apparatus of an image converting apparatus according to the present invention includes a decoder which generates a decode image of a digitally compressed image stream and the image converting apparatus transcodes the decode image. The image reproducing apparatus, when a forward reproduction is performed, transcoded images are sequentially decoded and reproduced by the decoder and the back end of the GOP is decoded and reproduced to produce a motion compensation prediction image, and, when a backward reproduction is performed, the back end of the GOP of the transcoded image is decoded and reproduced by the decode device using the intra prediction image.
[0011] One aspect of an image converting method according to the present invention is an image converting method that transcodes a digitally compressed image stream. The image converting method includes converting a decoded image of the image stream into an intra prediction image and converting a decoded image of the image stream into a motion compensated prediction image. Then, converting a decoded image of the image stream into an intra prediction image transcodes first and final decoded images of a GOP (Group of Pictures) of the image stream and converting a decoded image of the image stream into a motion compensated prediction image transcodes all decoded images except the first decoded image of the GOP of the image stream by setting a motion vector to zero and referring to only an immediately preceding decoded image.
[0012] Further, one aspect of an image reproducing apparatus according to the present invention includes an interface that receives a digitally compressed image stream from plural cameras through a network, a decode device that decodes the digitally compressed image stream and generates a decoded image, an image storage memory that stores the decoded image output by the decode device, a transcode device that receives the decoded image in the image storage memory and generates a transcoded stream, a storage medium that stores the digitally compressed image stream input by the interface and the transcoded stream transcoded by the transcode device, and an image combining section that combines image data stored in the image storage memory and outputs the image data to a monitoring monitor. In this case, the decode device includes an entropy decoding section that performs entropy decoding with respect to the digitally compressed image stream that is input by the interface and the storage medium, a decoder-side inverse quantizing section that performs inverse quantization with respect to entropy encoding released data that is input by the entropy decoding section, a decoder-side inverse DCT section that performs inverse DCT with respect to the data that is inversely quantized by the decoder-side inverse quantizing section, a decoder-side prediction method determining section that determines which prediction mode of intra prediction or motion compensation prediction is used, on the basis of the data where the inverse DCT is performed by the decoder-side inverse DCT section, a decoder-side intra predicting section that performs image decoding in a unit of macro block (MB) using the intra prediction, when intra prediction data is determined by the decoder-side prediction method determining section, a decoder-side motion compensating section that performs the image decoding in a unit of MB and calculates differential data, when motion compensation prediction data is determined by the decoder-side prediction method determining section, a code inverting section that determines whether inversion of positive and negative codes of the differential data calculated by the motion compensating section is performed, on the basis of a current decoding direction, and performs image decoding in a unit of MB with respect to the motion compensation data using a reference decoded image stored in a decoder-side reference image storage memory, a decoded image generating section that stores the decoded images decoded in a unit of MB in the decoder-side intra predicting section and the code inverting section and feeds back decoded peripheral MB information to the decoder-side intra predicting section, and a decoder-side reference image storage memory that stores the decoded images in the decoded image generating section, when the entire decoding in a unit of MB in one frame ends. The transcode device includes an encoder-side intra predicting section that generates an intra prediction image using the decoded image input from the image storage memory and a local decoded image obtained by the local decoded image generating section, an encoder-side motion compensating section that performs a motion compensation operation using the decoded image input from the image storage memory and the reference decoded image obtained by the encoder-side reference image storage memory, an encoder-side prediction method determining section that compares prediction images that are obtained by the encoder-side intra predicting section and the encoder-side motion compensating section and determines a prediction mode, a differential information generating section that generates differential information of an image, using a prediction method determined by the encoder-side prediction method determining section, a DCT section that performs a DC conversion with respect to the differential information obtained by the differential information generating section, a quantizing section that performs quantization with respect to data obtained by the DCT section, an entropy encoding section that performs entropy encoding with respect to the data obtained by the quantizing section and transmits the encode data to the transcoded stream combining section, an encoder-side inverse quantizing section that performs inverse quantization with respect to the data obtained by the quantizing section, an encoder-side inverse DCT section that executes an inverse DCT process with respect to the data output by the encoder-side inverse quantizing section, a local decoded image generating section that generates a local decoded image in a unit of MB, using the data output by the encoder-side inverse DCT section and the reference decoded image in the encoder-side reference image storage memory, and an encoder-side reference image storage memory that stores a reference local decoded image after the image data in a unit of MB decoded by the local decoded image generating section has been arranged by one frame.
[0013] By this structure, even when the backward reproduction is performed by performing the transcoding with respect to the digitally compressed moving image and storing the transcoded data in the storage medium, a data structure where backward decoding can be performed without decoding all of reference pictures in a forward direction can be provided, and high-speed backward decoding can be performed without affecting a forward decode operation.
Advantageous Effects of Invention
[0014] According to the present invention, when the backward reproduction is performed at the certain time by performing transcoding (re-encoding) where the motion vector is set as 0 with respect to the digitally compressed moving image, desired backward reproduction can be performed by setting only one immediately previous image as a reference image and performing only one decoding using the corresponding image, without performing decoding corresponding to the number of structure images of the GOP in the related art.
[0015] Thereby, in the multi-screen reproduction such as 16 CHs which is assumed to be used for monitoring, even though the reproduction direction is switched into either the forward direction or the backward direction at the certain time, reproduction of a desired direction can be realized by only one decoding.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
[0016] FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a structure of an image reproducing apparatus in Embodiment 1 of the present invention;
[0017] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an image stream in each block of the image reproducing apparatus;
[0018] FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing an operation of a decode device;
[0019] FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing an operation of a transcode device (operation of a portion other than a back end of a GOP);
[0020] FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing an operation of the transcode device (operation of the back end of a GOP); and
[0021] FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of a transcoded stream.
DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS
[0022] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.
[1] Entire Structure
[0023] FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a structure of an image reproducing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. Image reproducing apparatus 100 performs special reproduction such as backward reproduction.
[0024] In the drawing, image reproducing apparatus 100 mostly has interface 101 , decode device 120 , image storage memory 103 , transcode device 140 , storage medium 102 , and image combining section 104 .
[0025] Interface 101 receives a digitally compressed image stream from plural cameras 110 a to 110 d through network 111 . Decode device 120 decodes the image stream and generates a decoded image. Image storage memory 103 stores the decoded image output by decode device 120 . Transcode device 140 receives the decoded image that is stored in image storage memory 103 and generates a transcoded stream. Storage medium 102 is a removable storage medium that stores the image stream input by interface 101 and the transcoded stream transcoded by transcode device 140 . Image combining section 104 combines the image data of the plural cameras stored in image storage memory 103 and outputs the image data to monitoring monitor 112 .
[0026] Decode device 120 includes entropy decoding section 121 , decoder-side inverse quantizing section 122 , decoder-side inverse DCT section 123 , decoder-side prediction method determining section 124 , decoder-side intra predicting section 125 , decoder-side motion compensating section 126 , code inverting section 127 , decoded image generating section 128 , and decoder-side reference image storage memory 129 .
[0027] Entropy decoding section 121 performs entropy decoding with respect to the digitally compressed image stream that is input by interface 101 and storage medium 102 . Decoder-side inverse quantizing section 122 performs inverse quantization with respect to entropy encoding released data that is input by entropy decoding section 121 . Decoder-side inverse DCT section 123 performs inverse DCT with respect to the data that is inversely quantized by decoder-side inverse quantizing section 122 . Decoder-side prediction method determining section 124 determines which prediction mode of intra prediction or motion compensation is used, on the basis of the data where the inverse DCT is performed by decoder-side inverse DCT section 123 . When intra prediction data is determined by decoder-side prediction method determining section 124 , decoder-side intra predicting section 125 performs image decoding in a unit of macro block (MB) using the intra prediction. When motion compensation data is determined by decoder-side prediction method determining section 124 , decoder-side motion compensating section 126 performs the image decoding in a unit of MB with respect to the motion compensation data and calculates differential data. Code inverting section 127 determines whether inversion of positive and negative codes of the differential data calculated by motion compensating section 126 is performed, from a current decoding direction, and performs decoding in a unit of MB with respect to the motion compensation data using decoded image information stored in decoder-side reference image storage memory 129 . Decoded image generating section 128 stores the decoded images that are decoded in a unit of MB in decoder-side intra predicting section 125 and code inverting section 127 and feeds back decoded peripheral MB information to decoder-side intra predicting section 125 . Decoder-side reference image storage memory 129 stores the decoded images in decoded image generating section 128 , when the entire image decoding in a unit of MB in one frame ends.
[0028] Transdecode device 140 includes encoder-side intra predicting section 141 , encoder-side motion compensating section 142 , encoder-side prediction method determining section 143 , differential information generating section 144 , DCT section 145 , quantizing section 146 , entropy encoding section 147 , encoder-side inverse quantizing section 148 , encoder-side inverse DCT section 149 , local decoded image generating section 150 , and encoder-side reference image storage memory 151 .
[0029] Encoder-side intra predicting section 141 generates an intra prediction image using the decoded image input from image storage memory 103 and a local decoded image obtained by local decoded image generating section 150 . Encoder-side motion compensating section 142 performs a motion compensation operation using the decoded image of image storage memory 103 and the reference local decoded image obtained by encoder-side reference image storage memory 151 . Encoder-side prediction method determining section 143 compares prediction images that are obtained by encoder-side intra predicting section 141 and encoder-side motion compensating section 142 and determines the prediction mode. Differential information generating section 144 generates differential information of an image, using a prediction method determined by encoder-side prediction method determining section 143 . DCT section 145 performs a DC conversion with respect to the differential information that is obtained by differential information generating section 144 . Quantizing section 146 performs quantization with respect to data that is obtained by encoder-side DCT section 145 . Entropy encoding section 147 performs entropy encoding with respect to the data obtained by quantizing section 146 and transmits the encode data to transcoded stream combining section 152 . Encoder-side inverse quantizing section 148 performs inverse quantization with respect to the data that is obtained by quantizing section 146 . Encoder-side inverse DCT section 149 executes an inverse DCT process with respect to the data that is output by encoder-side inverse quantizing section 148 . Local decoded image generating section 150 generates a local decoded image in a unit of MB, using the data output by encoder-side inverse DCT section 149 and the reference decoded image in encoder-side reference image storage memory 151 . Encoder-side reference image storage memory 151 stores a reference local decoded image after the image data in a unit of MB decoded by local decoded image generating section 150 has been arranged by one frame.
[2] Operation
[0030] The operation of image reproducing apparatus 100 that has the above-described structure will be described using drawings.
[0031] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an image stream in each block of image reproducing apparatus 100 . For example, FIG. 2 shows digitally compressed input stream 200 that is output by camera 110 a, decoded image group 210 that is obtained by decoding the input image stream by decode device 120 (decoded image reproducing section 128 ), and transcoded stream 220 that is obtained by re-encoding decoded image group 210 by transcode device 140 (output from transcoded stream combining section 152 ).
[0032] In input stream 200 , I denotes an image of an I picture and P denotes an image of a P picture. In the drawing, the image streams are arranged in frame order, in encode order by the cameras from the left side. In the normal GOP, a B picture is also included. However, the B picture is not generally used for the purpose of monitoring. In this case, an image stream that does not use the B picture is used. In the GOP that is configured using the I picture and the P picture, the encode order follows display order on the monitor. For the purpose of accumulation, the image stream that is output by camera 110 a is transmitted to storage medium 102 through interface 101 and is stored. The image stream is also transmitted to decode device 120 .
[0033] Next, generation of the decoded image group by decode device 120 and generation of the transcoded stream by transcode device 140 will be described.
[0034] (1) With Respect to the Generation of the Decoded Image Group
[0035] FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing an operation flow of decode device 120 . In this case, a course of decoding images from image 201 of the time T 1 to image 206 of the time T 6 and generating the decoded image group from decoded image 211 to decoded image 216 will be described using the flowchart.
[0036] <Decode of Image 201 of the I Picture>
[0037] When decode device 120 receives the image 201 (I picture) of the image stream of the time T 1 from storage medium 102 (S 301 ), decode device 120 performs entropy decoding with respect to image 201 by entropy decoding section 121 (S 302 ). A process step from the following S 304 to S 312 is repeated until a decode process of all macro blocks (MB) of image 201 ends (R 303 ).
[0038] Next, decode device 120 executes a quantization process with respect to the entropy decoded data by decoder-side inverse quantizing section 122 (S 304 ) and executes an inverse DCT process with respect to the inversely quantized data by the decoder-side inverse DCT section 123 to generate differential information of the image data in a unit of MB (S 305 ).
[0039] Decode device 120 analyzes image information in decoder-side prediction method determining section 124 using the generated differential information and determines whether motion compensation is used in a unit of MB (B 306 ). That is, decode device 120 determines whether the corresponding block is an intra encoded macro block. When the motion compensation is used, the process proceeds to S 307 and when the motion vector is not used and the intra prediction is used, the process proceeds to S 308 . In this case, since image 201 is the I picture, the process proceeds to S 308 in all MBs. In addition, in decoder-side intra predicting section 125 , the intra prediction is performed using the already decoded MB information fed back from the decoded image generating section 128 as peripheral information and decoding performed (S 308 ).
[0040] The decoded image is temporarily stored in decoded image generating section 128 until the decoding is completed with respect to all MBs in the image. The image that is temporarily stored in decoded image generating section 128 is used as peripheral information of the MBs to be decoded, in the process of S 308 as described above (S 312 ). After the process step from S 304 to S 312 ends with respect to all MBs of the image and decoded image 211 is generated, a loop process is skipped (R 313 ). Finally, decoded image 211 that is generated by decoded image generating section 128 is stored in the decoder-side reference image storage memory 129 (S 314 ) and is transmitted to image storage memory 103 (S 315 ).
[0041] <Decode of Image 202 of the P Picture>
[0042] Next, a course of generating the decoded image of image 202 (P picture) will be described using the flowchart.
[0043] When decode device 120 receives image 202 (P picture) of the image stream of the time T 2 from storage medium 102 (S 301 ), decode device 120 performs entropy decoding with respect to image 202 by entropy decoding section 121 (S 302 ). A process step from the following S 304 to S 312 is repeated until a decode process of all macro blocks (MB) of image 202 ends (R 303 ).
[0044] Next, an inverse quantization process is executed with respect to the entropy decoded data in a unit of MB by decoder-side inverse quantizing section 122 (S 304 ) and executes an inverse DCT process with respect to the inversely quantized data by decoder-side inverse DCT section 123 to generate differential information of the image data in a unit of MB (S 305 ).
[0045] Analysis is performed on image information in decoder-side prediction method determining section 124 using the generated differential information and determines whether motion compensation is used in a unit of MB (B 306 ). That is, a determination is made on whether the corresponding block is an intra encoded macro block. When the motion compensation is used, the process proceeds to S 307 and when the motion compensation is not used and the intra prediction is used, the process proceeds to S 308 . In this case, since image 202 is the P picture, the process proceeds to either S 307 or S 308 in a unit of MB. In addition, in decoder-side motion compensating section 126 , the motion compensation data is processed in a unit of MB and differential information of the image is acquired (S 307 ). In addition, in decoder-side intra predicting section 125 , the intra prediction is performed using the already decoded MB information fed back from decoded image generating section 128 as the peripheral information and the decoding is performed (S 308 ).
[0046] In this case, different from the case of the I picture, in the case of the P picture, a current decode direction is determined in the code inverting section 127 (B 309 ). The decode direction is a forward direction when the decode order follows time order and is a backward direction when the decode order follows inverse order of the time order. When the forward decoding is performed, the process proceeds to S 310 . When the backward decoding is performed, the process proceeds to S 311 . In this case, after decoding image 201 (I picture) of the image stream of the time T 1 , image 202 (P picture) of the image stream of the time T 2 is decoded. Therefore, the forward decoding is performed and the process proceeds to S 310 . Since the forward decoding is performed, the differential information that is obtained by decode-side motion compensating section 126 is used in code inverting section 127 , the motion compensation is performed using the decoded image stored in decoder-side reference image storage memory 129 as the reference image, and the decoding is performed (S 310 ).
[0047] The decoded image is temporarily stored in decoded image generating section 128 until the decoding is completed on all MBs of the image. The image that is temporarily stored in decoded image generating section 128 is used as peripheral information of the MBs to be decoded, in the process of S 308 as described above (S 312 ). After the process step from S 304 to S 312 ends with respect to all MBs of the image and decoded image 212 is generated, a loop process is skipped (R 313 ). Finally, decoded image 212 that is generated by decoded image generating section 128 is stored in decoder-side reference image storage memory 129 (S 314 ) and is transmitted to image storage memory 103 (S 315 ).
[0048] The course of decoding image 202 (P picture) of the image stream of the time T 2 and generating decoded image 212 is described above. However, the same process is executed with respect to following P picture images 203 , 204 , 205 , and 206 and decoded images 213 , 214 , 215 , and 216 are generated. The generated decoded images are temporarily stored in image storage memory 103 and are transmitted to transcode device 140 of a next step.
[0049] (2) With Respect to the Generation of the Transcoded Stream
[0050] The generation of transcoded stream 220 will be described. FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing an operation of transcode device 140 (a portion other than the back end of the GOP). In this case, a course of receiving images from image 211 of the decoded image group of the time T 1 to image 216 of the decoded image group of the time T 6 and generating transcoded stream 221 by re-encoding where the number of images of the GOP is 6 will be described using the flowchart. The process of transcoding is mostly divided into three processes of (i) a transcode of an I picture where only the intra prediction is used, (ii) a transcode of a P picture where only the motion compensation is used, and (iii) a transcode of the back end of the GOP where both the intra prediction and the motion compensation are used. Hereinafter, each case will be described.
[0051] <(i) Generation of the Transcoded Image Using Only the Intra Prediction>
[0052] Transcode device 140 acquires decoded image 211 of the time T 1 from image storage memory 103 (S 401 ). A process step from the following S 403 to S 413 is repeated until a process of all macro blocks (MB) of image 211 ends (R 402 ).
[0053] Next, in encoder-side intra predicting section 141 , peripheral information is acquired from outputs of both decoded image 211 and local decoded image generating section 150 and an intra prediction image is generated for each MB (S 403 ). Since transcoded image 231 of the generated transcoded stream of the time T 1 is the I picture, a process is not executed in encoder-side motion compensating section 142 (S 404 ).
[0054] Next, in encoder-side prediction method determining section 143 , the generation result of the prediction image in each step of S 403 and S 404 and decoded image 211 input by the image storage memory 103 are compared and each prediction error is calculated (B 405 ). In addition, the calculated prediction errors are compared with each other, and the process proceeds to S 406 when the error of the prediction by the motion compensation is smaller than the error by the intra prediction and proceeds to S 407 when the error of the intra prediction is smaller than the prediction error by the motion compensation. In this case, since transcoded image 231 is the I picture, the process proceeds to S 407 in all of the macro blocks. In addition, in differential information generating section 144 , calculation of the differential information between decoded image 211 input by image storage memory 103 and the intra prediction image is performed on the basis of the determination result of B 405 (S 407 ), and in DCT section 145 , a DCT operation is performed with respect to the differential information (S 408 ).
[0055] Next, quantizing section 146 performs an quantization operation with respect to the data output by DCT section 145 (S 409 ) and entropy encoding section 147 performs entropy encoding with respect to the data output by quantizing section 146 (S 410 ), and the encoding result is temporarily stored as data of 1 MB of transcoded image 231 in a memory (not shown in the drawings) of transcoded stream combining section 152 . The data that is output by quantizing section 146 is input to entropy encoding section 147 and the inverse quantization process is executed in encoder-side inverse quantizing section 148 (S 411 ). Encoder-side inverse DCT section 149 performs an inverse DCT operation with respect to the data output by encoder-side inverse quantizing section 148 (S 412 ) and local decoded image generating section 150 collects the decoded data of a unit of MB as one image data (S 413 ). Since the image data is used as the peripheral information in the intra prediction (S 403 ), the image data is output to encoder-side intra predicting section 141 .
[0056] When the process step of S 403 to S 413 ends with respect to all MBs of the image, the loop process is skipped (R 414 ). After the process step ends with respect to all MBs of the image, one local decoded image is finished in local decoded image generating section 150 and the local decoded image is stored as the reference image data used at the time of next transcoding in encoder-side reference image storage memory 151 (S 415 ). Finally, the transcoded image for each MB that is stored in transcoded stream combining section 152 is collected as one transcoded image and transcoded image 231 (I picture) of the transcoded stream is generated (S 416 ). Generated transcoded image 231 is stored in storage medium 102 .
[0057] <(ii) Generation of the Transcoded Images Using Only the Motion Compensation Prediction>
[0058] Next, the transcode of the P picture using only the motion compensation will be described. Transcode device 140 acquires decoded image 212 of the time T 2 from image storage memory 103 (S 401 ). A process step from the following S 403 to S 413 is repeated until a process of all macro blocks (MB) of decoded image 212 ends (S 402 ).
[0059] Next, since generated transcoded image 232 of the transcoded stream of the time T 3 is the P picture using only the motion compensation prediction, a process is not executed in encoder-side intra predicting section 141 (S 403 ). In encoder-side motion compensating section 142 , decoded image 212 of the time T 2 is acquired from image storage memory 103 , the reference image is acquired from encoder-side reference image storage memory 151 , and the prediction image based on the motion compensation is generated for each MB (S 404 ). However, a method of calculating the motion compensation in this embodiment sets a motion vector (MV) as zero and uses only an immediately previous image as time.
[0060] Next, in encoder-side prediction method determining section 143 , the generation result of the prediction image in each step of S 403 and S 404 and decoded image 212 input by image storage memory 103 are compared and each prediction error is calculated (B 405 ). In addition, the calculated prediction errors are compared with each other, and the process proceeds to S 406 when the error of the prediction by the motion compensation is smaller than the error by the intra prediction and proceeds to S 407 when the error of the intra prediction is smaller than the prediction error by the motion compensation. In this case, since transcoded image 232 is the P picture using only the motion compensation prediction, the process proceeds to S 406 in all of the macro blocks. In addition, in differential information generating section 144 , calculation of the differential information between decoded image 212 input by image storage memory 103 and the prediction result by the motion compensation where the motion vector (MV) is set as zero and only the immediately previous reference image (decoded image 211 ) of T 1 is used as the time is performed on the basis of the determination result of B 405 (S 406 ).
[0061] Next, DCT section 145 performs a DCT operation with respect to the differential information (S 408 ), quantizing section 146 performs a quantization operation with respect to the data output by DCT section 145 (S 409 ), and entropy encoding section 147 performs the entropy encoding with respect to the data output by quantizing section 146 (S 410 ) and temporarily stores the encoding result as data of 1 MB of transcoded image 232 in a storage memory (not shown in the drawings) of transcoded stream combining section 152 . In addition, the data that is output by quantizing section 146 is input to entropy encoding section 147 and the inverse quantization process is executed in encoder-side inverse quantizing section 148 (S 411 ). Encoder-side inverse DCT section 149 performs the inverse DCT operation with respect to the data output by encoder-side inverse quantizing section 148 (S 412 ) and local decoded image generating section 150 collects the decoded data of a unit of MB as one image data (S 413 ).
[0062] When the process step of S 403 to S 413 ends with respect to all MBs of the image, the loop process is skipped (R 414 ). When the process step ends with respect to all MBs of the image, one local decoded image is finished in local decoded image generating section 150 and the local decoded image is stored as the reference image used at the time of next transcoding in encoder-side reference image storage memory 151 (S 415 ). Finally, the transcoded image for each MB that is stored in transcoded stream combining section 152 is collected as one transcoded image and transcoded image 232 (P picture) is generated (S 416 ). Generated transcoded image 232 is stored in storage medium 102 .
[0063] The course of transcoding decoded image 212 (P picture) of the decoded image group of the time T 2 and generating transcoded image 232 is described above. However, the process contents are applicable to generation of transcoded images 233 , 234 , and 235 of the P picture of the times T 3 , T 4 and T 5 .
[0064] <(iii) Generation of the Transcoded Image of the Back End of the GOP>
[0065] Next, the transcode of the back end of the GOP using both the intra prediction and the motion compensation will be described. FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing an operation of transcode device 140 (back end of the GOP).
[0066] Transcode device 140 acquires decoded image 216 of the time T 6 from image storage memory 103 (S 501 ). A process step from the following S 503 to S 510 is repeated until a decode process of all macro blocks (MB) of decoded image 216 ends and transcoded image 236 b (I picture) of the transcoded stream is generated.
[0067] First, encoder-side intra predicting section 141 acquires the peripheral information that is the information already encoded by local decoded image generating section 150 and generates the intra prediction image for each MB (S 503 ). Differential information generating section 144 calculates the differential information using decoded image 216 input by image storage memory 103 and the intra prediction result obtained in S 503 (S 504 ) and DCT section 145 performs a DCT operation on the differential information (S 505 ).
[0068] Next, quantizing section 146 performs an quantization operation with respect to the data output by DCT section 145 (S 506 ) and entropy encoding section 147 performs entropy encoding with respect to the data output by quantizing section 146 (S 507 ), and the encoding result is temporarily stored as data of 1 MB of transcoded image 235 b in a storage memory (not shown in the drawings) of transcoded stream combining section 152 . In addition, the data that is output by quantizing section 146 is input to entropy encoding section 147 and the inverse quantization process is executed in encoder-side inverse quantizing section 148 (S 508 ). Encoder-side inverse DCT section 149 performs an inverse DCT operation with respect to the data output by encoder-side inverse quantizing section 148 (S 509 ) and local decoded image generating section 150 collects the decoded data of a unit of MB as one image data (S 510 ). This data is used as the peripheral information in the intra prediction of S 503 described above.
[0069] When the process step of S 503 to S 510 ends with respect to all MBs of the image, the loop process is skipped (R 511 ). At that time, the transcoded image for each MB that is stored in transcoded stream combining section 152 is collected as one transcoded image and transcoded image 236 b of the I picture is generated.
[0070] In addition, the process steps of the following S 513 to S 519 are repeated until a process of all of the macro blocks (MB) of decoded image 216 ends (R 512 ).
[0071] First, encoder-side motion compensating section 142 acquires decoded image 216 of the time T 6 from image storage memory 103 , acquires the reference image from encoder-side reference image memory 151 , and generates the prediction image based on the motion compensation for each MB (S 513 ). However, a method of calculating the motion compensation sets a motion vector (MV) as zero and uses only the immediately previous local decoded image of the time T 5 stored in encoder-side reference image memory 151 as the reference image as the time.
[0072] Differential information generating section 144 calculates the differential information between decoded image 216 input by image storage memory 103 and the prediction result by the motion compensation where the motion vector (MV) is set as the zero and only the reference image (decoded image 215 ) of the immediately previous reference image (decoded image 215 ) of the time T 5 is used as the time (S 514 ).
[0073] Next, DCT section 145 performs the DCT operation with respect to the differential information (S 515 ), quantizing section 146 performs a quantization operation with respect to the data output by DCT section 145 (S 516 ), and entropy encoding section 147 performs the entropy encoding with respect to the data output by quantizing section 146 (S 517 ) and temporarily stores the encoding result as the data of 1 MB of transcoded image 236 a in a storage memory (not shown in the drawings) of transcoded stream combining section 152 . Finally, transcoded stream combining section 152 collects the transcoded images of the P picture stored in a unit of MB to generate transcoded image 236 a (P picture), collects the transcoded image of the I picture stored in a unit of MB to generate transcoded image 236 b, combines transcoded images 236 a and 236 b as one image, and generates image 236 (S 519 ).
[0074] The combining base is transcoded image 236 a of the P picture and transcoded image 236 b of the I picture is stored in an area that is not used in the normal decode, which exists in a user-defined extension area defined by the H.264. Combined image 236 is stored in storage medium 102 .
[0075] (3) With Respect to the Forward Reproduction (Decode):
[0076] Next, the forward reproduction of transcoded stream 221 that is stored in storage medium 102 will be described.
[0077] <Forward Reproduction of Transcoded Image 231 of the I Picture>
[0078] FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of the transcoded stream. Hereinafter, the forward reproduction (decode) of transcoded image 231 will be described using FIGS. 1 , 3 , and 6 .
[0079] To decode device 120 , transcoded image 231 of the I picture of the time T 1 is input from storage medium 102 (S 301 ). Entropy decoding section 121 performs entropy decoding on transcoded image 231 (S 302 ). A process step from the following S 304 to S 312 is repeated until a process of all macro blocks (MB) of image 231 ends (R 303 ).
[0080] Next, decoder-side inverse quantizing section 122 executes an inverse quantizing process on the entropy decoded data in a unit of MB (S 304 ) and decoder-side inverse DCT section 123 executes the inverse DCT process on the inversely quantized data to generate differential information of the image data in a unit of MB (S 305 ).
[0081] Decoder-side prediction method determining section 124 analyzes information of the image using the generated differential information and determines whether motion compensation is used in a unit of MB (B 306 ). When the intra prediction is not used and the motion compensation is used, the process proceeds to S 307 and when the intra prediction is used, the process proceeds to S 308 . In this case, since image 231 is the I picture, the process proceeds to S 308 in all MBs. In addition, in decoder-side intra predicting section 125 , the intra prediction is performed using the already decoded MB information fed back from decoded image generating section 128 as the peripheral information and the decoding is performed (S 308 ).
[0082] The decoded image is temporarily stored in decoded image generating section 128 until the decoding is completed on all MBs in the image. The image that is temporarily stored in decoded image generating section 128 is used as peripheral information of the MBs to be decoded, in the process of S 308 as described above (S 312 ). After the process step from S 304 to S 312 ends with respect to all MBs of the image and decoded image 611 is generated, and then a loop process is skipped (R 313 ). Finally, decoded image 611 that is generated by decoded image generating section 128 is stored in decoder-side reference image storage memory 129 (S 314 ) and is transmitted to image storage memory 103 (S 315 ). The image that is transmitted to image storage memory 103 is output to monitoring monitor 112 through image combining section 104 and is reproduced and displayed.
[0083] <Forward Reproduction of Transcoded Image 232 of the P Picture>
[0084] Next, the forward reproduction (decode) of transcoded image 202 will be described.
[0085] To decode device 120 , transcoded image 232 of the P picture of the time T 2 is input from storage medium 102 (S 301 ). Entropy decoding section 121 performs entropy decoding with respect to transcoded image 232 (S 302 ). A process step from the following S 304 to S 312 is repeated until a process of all macro blocks (MB) of image 232 ends (R 303 ).
[0086] Next, decoder-side inverse quantizing section 122 executes an inverse quantizing process with respect to the entropy decoded data in a unit of MB (S 304 ) and decoder-side inverse DCT section 123 executes the inverse DCT process with respect to the inversely quantized data to generate differential information of the image data in a unit of MB (S 305 ).
[0087] Decoder-side prediction method determining section 124 analyzes information of the image using the generated differential information and determines whether motion compensation is used in a unit of MB (B 306 ). When the intra prediction is not used and the motion compensation is used, the process proceeds to S 307 and when the intra prediction is used, the process proceeds to S 308 . In this case, since entire image 232 is the P picture generated using the motion compensation prediction, the process proceeds to S 307 in all MBs. In addition, decoder-side motion compensating section 126 processes the motion compensation data in a unit of MB and acquires the differential information of the image (S 307 ).
[0088] In addition, code inverting section 127 determines a current decode direction (B 309 ). The decode direction is a forward direction when the decode order follows time order and is a backward direction when the decode order follows inverse order of the time order. When the temporally forward decoding is performed, the process proceeds to S 310 . When the temporally backward decoding is performed, the process proceeds to S 311 .
[0089] With respect to the transcoded image 232 , after decoding transcoded image 231 of the I picture of the time T 1 , transcoded image 232 of the P picture of the time T 2 is decoded. Therefore, the forward decoding is performed and the process proceeds to S 310 . Since the forward decoding is performed, the differential information that is obtained by motion compensating section 126 is used in code inverting section 127 without inverting the code, a motion compensation process is executed using the decoded image stored in decoder-side reference image storage memory 129 as the reference image, and the decoding is performed (S 310 ).
[0090] The decoded image is temporarily stored in decoded image generating section 128 until the decoding is completed with respect to all MBs of the image. The image that is temporarily stored in decoded image generating section 128 is used as peripheral information of the MBs to be decoded, in the process of S 308 as described above (S 312 ). After the process step from S 304 to S 312 ends with respect to all MBs of the image and decoded image 612 is generated, a loop process is skipped (R 313 ). Finally, decoded image 612 that is generated by decoded image generating section 128 is stored in decoder-side reference image storage memory 129 (S 314 ) and is transmitted to image storage memory 103 (S 315 ).
[0091] The course of decoding transcoded image 232 of the P picture of the time T 2 and generating decoded image 612 of the P picture is described above. However, the same process is executed with respect to transcoded images 233 to 235 of the P pictures of the following times T 3 to T 5 and forward decoded images 613 to 615 are obtained.
[0092] <Forward Reproduction of Transcoded Image 236 of the Back End of the GOP>
[0093] Next, the forward reproduction (decode) of transcoded image 236 of the back end of the GOP will be described.
[0094] To decode device 120 , transcoded image 236 of the time T 6 is input from storage medium 102 (S 301 ). Entropy decoding section 121 performs entropy decoding with respect to transcoded image 236 (S 302 ). A process step from the following S 304 to S 312 is repeated until a process of all macro blocks (MB) of transcoded image 236 ends (R 303 ). In addition, the decode object in the forward decoding is only transcoded image 236 a and transcoded image 236 b that is stored in the user-defined extension area is discarded at that time.
[0095] First, decode device 120 executes the inverse quantization process with respect to the entropy decoded data in a unit of MB by decoder-side inverse quantizing section 122 (S 304 ) and executes the inverse DCT process with respect to the inversely quantized data by decoder-side inverse DCT section 123 to generate the differential information of the image data in a unit of MB (S 305 ).
[0096] Decoder-side prediction method determining section 124 analyzes image information with the generated differential information and determines whether motion compensation is used in a unit of MB (B 306 ). When the intra prediction is not used and the motion compensation is used, the process proceeds to S 307 and when the intra prediction is used, the process proceeds to S 308 . In this case, since image 236 a is the P picture and the intra prediction is not used at the time of transcoding, the process proceeds to S 307 in all MBs. In addition, decoder-side motion compensating section 126 processes the motion compensation data in a unit of MB and acquires the differential information of the image (S 307 ).
[0097] First, code inverting section 127 determines the current decode direction (B 309 ). Since transcoded image 236 is an image obtained by performing decoding with respect to transcoded image 235 of the P picture of the time T 5 , the forward decoding is performed and the process proceeds to S 310 . Since the forward decoding is performed, code inverting section 127 uses the differential information obtained by motion compensating section 126 without inverting the code, processes the motion compensation using the decoded image stored in decoder-side reference image image storage memory 129 as the reference image, and performs the decoding (S 310 ).
[0098] The decoded image is temporarily stored in decoded image generating section 128 until the decoding is completed with respect to all MBs of the image. The image that is temporarily stored in decoded image generating section 128 is used as peripheral information of the MBs to be decoded, in the process of S 308 as described above (S 312 ). After the process step from S 304 to S 312 ends with respect to all MBs of the image and decoded image 616 is generated, a loop process is skipped (R 313 ). Finally, decoded image 616 that is generated by decoded image generating section 128 is stored in decoder-side reference image storage memory 129 (S 314 ) and is transmitted to image storage memory 103 , and the entire forward decoding of transcoded stream 221 is finished. The image that is transmitted to image storage memory 103 is output to the monitoring monitor 112 through image combining section 104 (S 315 ) and is reproduced and displayed.
[0099] (4) With Respect to the Backward Reproduction (Decode):
[0100] Next, the backward reproduction of transcoded stream 221 that is stored in storage medium 102 will be described. Since the backward reproduction (decode) is performed, according to the decode order of transcoded stream 221 , transcoded image 236 of the time T 6 is first decoded and transcoded image 231 of the time T 1 is finally decoded.
[0101] Transcoded image 236 of the time T 6 includes two pieces of information, i.e., transcoded image 236 b of the intra prediction of decoded image 216 of the time T 6 and transcoded image 236 a using the motion compensation prediction which is the differential information between decoded images 215 and 216 of the times T 5 and T 6 , and decoded image 626 of the time T 6 and decoded image 625 of the time T 5 are obtained by decoding the images in order of transcoded images 236 b and 236 a.
[0102] <Backward Reproduction of Transcoded Image 236 of the Back End of the GOP (first)>
[0103] To decode device 120 , transcoded image 236 of the time T 6 is input from storage medium 102 (S 301 ). Entropy decoding section 121 performs entropy decoding with respect to transcoded image 236 (S 302 ). A process step from the following S 304 to S 312 is repeated until a process of all macro blocks (MB) of image 236 ends (R 303 ).
[0104] In addition, the first decode object of the backward reproduction (decode) is transcoded image 236 b of the intra prediction that is stored in the user-defined extension area and transcoded image 236 a using the motion compensation prediction that is used in the normal decoding is not used at that time.
[0105] First, decode device 120 executes the inverse quantization process with respect to the entropy decoded data in a unit of MB by decoder-side inverse quantizing section 122 (S 304 ) and executes the inverse DCT process with respect to the inversely quantized data by decoder-side inverse DCT section 123 to generate the differential information of the image data in a unit of MB (S 305 ).
[0106] Decoder-side prediction method determining section 124 analyzes image information with the generated differential information and determines whether motion compensation is used in a unit of MB (B 306 ). When the intra prediction is not used and the motion compensation is used, the process proceeds to S 307 and when the intra prediction is used, the process proceeds to S 308 . In this case, since image 236 b is the I picture using the intra prediction, the process proceeds to S 308 in all MBs. In addition, decoder-side intra predicting section 125 performs the intra prediction using the already decoded MB information fed back from decoded image generating section 128 as the peripheral information and performs the decoding (S 308 ).
[0107] The decoded image is temporarily stored in decoded image generating section 128 until the decoding is completed with respect to all MBs of the image. The image that is temporarily stored in decoded image generating section 128 is used as peripheral information of the MBs to be decoded, in the process of S 308 as described above (S 312 ). After the process step from S 304 to S 312 ends with respect to all MBs of the image and decoded image 626 is generated, a loop process is skipped (R 313 ). Finally, decoded image 626 that is generated by decoded image generating section 128 is stored in decoder-side reference image storage memory 129 (S 314 ) and is transmitted to image storage memory 103 . The image that is transmitted to image storage memory 103 is transmitted to image combining section 104 . The image that is transmitted to image storage memory 103 is transmitted to image combining section 104 , is output to monitoring monitor 120 (S 315 ), and is reproduced and displayed.
[0108] <Backward Reproduction of Transcoded Image 236 of the Back End of the GOP (Second)>
[0109] To decode device 120 , transcoded image 236 of the time T 6 is input from storage medium 102 (S 301 ). Entropy decoding section 121 performs entropy decoding with respect to transcoded image 236 (S 302 ). A process step from the following S 304 to S 312 is repeated until a process of all macro blocks (MB) of image 236 ends (R 303 ).
[0110] In addition, the second decode object of the backward decoding is transcoded image 236 a using the motion compensation prediction. Since transcoded image 236 b of the intra prediction that is stored in the user-defined extension area is already decoded as described above, the transcoded image is not used.
[0111] First, decode device 120 executes the inverse quantization process with respect to the entropy decoded data in a unit of MB by decoder-side inverse quantizing section 122 (S 304 ) and executes the inverse DCT process with respect to the inversely quantized data by decoder-side inverse DCT section 123 to generate the differential information of the image data in a unit of MB (S 305 ).
[0112] Decoder-side prediction method determining section 124 analyzes image information with the generated differential information and determines whether motion compensation is used in a unit of MB (B 306 ). When the intra prediction is not used and the motion compensation is used, the process proceeds to S 307 and when the intra prediction is used, the process proceeds to S 308 . In this case, since image 236 a is the P picture using only the motion compensation prediction, the process proceeds to S 307 in all MBs. In addition, decoder-side motion compensating section 126 processes the motion compensation data in a unit of MB and acquires the differential information of the image (S 307 ). In this case, the image to calculate the difference is decoded image 626 of transcode image 236 b that is stored in decoder-side reference image storage memory 129 .
[0113] Next, code inverting section 127 determines the current decode direction (B 309 ). When the temporally forward decoding is performed, the process proceeds to S 310 and when the temporally backward decoding is performed, the process proceeds to S 311 . With respect to transcoded image 236 a, decoding of transcoded image 236 b of the I picture of the time T 6 is performed, and decoded image 625 of the time T 5 is generated. Therefore, the backward decoding is performed and the process proceeds to S 311 . Since the backward decoding is performed, in code inverting section 127 , positive and negative codes of the differential information obtained by motion compensating section 126 are inverted and the differential information is used, the process of the motion compensation is executed using the decoded image stored in decoder-side reference image storage memory 129 as the reference image, and the decoding is performed (S 311 ).
[0114] The decoded image is temporarily stored in decoded image generating section 128 until the decoding is completed with respect to all MBs of the image (S 312 ). After the process step from S 304 to S 312 ends with respect to all MBs of the image and decoded image 625 is generated, a loop process is skipped (R 313 ). Finally, decoded image 625 that is generated by decoded image generating section 128 is stored in decoder-side reference image storage memory 129 (S 314 ) and is transmitted to image storage memory 103 . The image that is transmitted to image storage memory 103 is output to monitoring monitor 112 through image combining section 104 (S 315 ) and is reproduced and displayed.
[0115] <Backward Reproduction of Transcoded Image 235 of the P Picture>
[0116] Next, to decode device 120 , transcoded image 235 of the time T 5 is input from storage medium 102 (S 301 ). Entropy decoding section 121 performs entropy decoding with respect to transcoded image 235 (S 302 ). A process step from the following S 304 to S 312 is repeated until a process of all macro blocks (MB) of image 235 ends (R 303 ).
[0117] First, decode device 120 executes the inverse quantization process with respect to the entropy decoded data in a unit of MB by decoder-side inverse quantizing section 122 (S 304 ) and executes the inverse DCT process with respect to the inversely quantized data by decoder-side inverse DCT section 123 to generate the differential information of the image data in a unit of MB (S 305 ).
[0118] Decoder-side prediction method determining section 124 analyzes image information with the generated differential information and determines whether motion compensation is used in a unit of MB (B 306 ). When the intra prediction is not used and the motion compensation is used, the process proceeds to S 307 and when the intra prediction is used, the process proceeds to S 308 . In this case, since image 235 is the P picture using only the motion compensation prediction, the process proceeds to S 307 in all MBs. In addition, decoder-side motion compensating section 126 executes the process of the motion compensation in a unit of MB and acquires the differential information of the image (S 307 ). In this case, the image to calculate the difference is decoded image 626 of transcoded image 235 that is stored in decoder-side reference image storage memory 129 .
[0119] Next, code inverting section 127 determines the current decode direction (B 309 ). With respect to transcoded image 235 , the decoding of transcoded image 236 a of the P picture of the time T 6 is performed, and decoded image 624 of the time T 4 is generated. Therefore, the backward decoding is performed and the process proceeds to S 311 . Since the backward decoding is performed, in code inverting section 127 , positive and negative codes of the differential information obtained by motion compensating section 126 are inverted and the differential information is used, the process of the motion compensation is executed using the decoded image stored in decoder-side reference image storage memory 129 as the reference image, and the decoding of the data with respect to MB is performed (S 311 ).
[0120] The decoded image is temporarily stored in decoded image generating section 128 until the decoding is completed with respect to all MBs of the image (S 312 ). After the process step from S 304 to S 312 ends with respect to all MBs of the image and decoded image 625 is generated, a loop process is skipped (R 313 ). Finally, decoded image 624 that is generated by decoded image generating section 128 is stored in decoder-side reference image storage memory 129 (S 314 ) and is transmitted to image storage memory 103 (S 315 ). The image that is transmitted to image storage memory 103 is transmitted to image combining section 104 .
[0121] The course of decoding transcoded image 235 of the P picture of the time T 5 and generating decoded image 624 of the P picture of the time T 4 is described above. However, by executing the same process with respect to following transcoded image 234 of the P picture of the time T 4 and transcoded image 233 of the time T 3 , decoded images 623 and 622 can be obtained. Decoded image 622 of the P picture of the time T 2 is not used in the backward decoding.
[0122] <Backward Reproduction of Transcoded Image 231 of the I Picture>
[0123] The generation order of decoded image 621 is the same as that of the forward decoding of transcoded image 231 . That is, decoded image 621 is equal to decoded image 611 .
[0124] The forward decoding and the backward decoding are described separately in the above description. For example, when decoding of decoded image 614 of the time T 4 by the forward decoding is considered as a reference, if the forward decoding is performed using transcoded image 235 which is the differential information between the times T 4 and T 5 , decoded image 615 of the time T 5 is obtained. If the backward decoding is performed using transcoded image 234 which is the differential information between the times T 3 and T 4 , decoded image 615 of the time T 3 is obtained. That is, an image temporally before or after one image can be decoded by only one decode process, with respect to the decoded image at the certain time, regardless of the current GOP structure.
[3] Effect of the Embodiment
[0125] As described above, according to this embodiment, when encoder-side intra predicting section 141 transcodes the decoded images of the front end and the back end of the GOP of the image stream and encoder-side motion compensating section 142 transcodes the decoded image other than the front end of the GOP of the image stream by setting the motion vector as 0 and using only the immediately previous reference image to perform the backward reproduction (decode) from a certain time, in the case of the GOP structure including the P picture using the time correlation, desired backward reproduction (decode) can be performed by setting one immediately previous image as the reference image and performing only one decoding using the corresponding image, without performing decoding corresponding to the number of structures of the GOP. That is, regardless of whether the decode reproduction direction is switched to the forward direction or the backward direction at the certain time, reproduction of a desired direction can be realized by one decoding without affecting a decode operation of the forward direction.
[4] Other Embodiment
[0126] In this embodiment, the example of the case where the number of input streams is one is described. Of course, the present invention can be similarly applied to the case where streams of other arbitrary numbers are input. In addition, the example of the GOP structure that does not include the B picture in input stream 200 is described. However, the present invention can be similarly applied to the general GOP structure that includes the B picture. In addition, the example of the case where the transcoded stream generation start position is set as decoded image 211 of the I picture of the time T 1 is described. However, the present invention can be similarly applied to other arbitrary start times. In addition, the example of the case where the number of the GOP structures of the transcoded stream is 6 is described above. However, the present invention can be similarly applied to the case of the number of other arbitrary GOP structures.
[0127] The present invention is not limited to the embodiment described above and the changes or applications can be made for some parts of the structure and the operation by those skilled in the art, on the basis of the description of the specification and the known technologies.
[0128] The present invention can be applicable to a codec that has extension area such as mpeg2, mpeg4, H.264, and so on.
INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY
[0129] In the image converting apparatus, the image reproducing apparatus, and the image converting method according to the present invention, when the backward reproduction is performed, all of the reference images do not need to be decoded in the forward direction in advance, the decoding can be performed in the backward direction, and the high-speed reproduction (decode) can be performed in both the forward direction and the backward direction. Therefore, the present invention can be applied to an image reproducing apparatus that performs special reproduction such as rewind reproduction.
REFERENCE SIGNS LIST
[0000]
100 image reproducing apparatus
102 storage medium
103 image storage memory
104 image combining section
120 decode device
121 entropy decoding section
122 decoder-side inverse quantizing section
123 decoder-side inverse DCT section
124 decoder-side prediction method determining section
125 decoder-side intra predicting section
126 decoder-side motion compensating section
127 code inverting section
128 decoded image generating section
129 decoder-side reference image storage memory
140 transcode device
141 encoder-side intra predicting section
142 encoder-side motion compensating section
143 encoder-side prediction method determining section
144 differential information generating section
145 DCT section
146 quantizing section
147 entropy encoding section
148 encoder-side inverse quantizing section
149 encoder-side inverse DCT section
150 local decoded image generating section
151 encoder-side reference image storage memory
152 transcoded stream combining section
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An image reproducing apparatus that achieves a higher readiness, high-speed backward reproduction, and a minimum amount of data, at a time of executing a backward reproduction. An encoder-side intra predictor transcodes decode images of a front end and a back end of a GOP of an image stream. An encoder-side motion compensator transcodes a decode image other than that of the front end of the GOP of the image stream by setting a motion vector to 0 and using an immediately preceding reference image.
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This is a division of application Ser. No. 431,600, filed Jan. 8, 1974, now U.S. Pat. No. 3,952,088.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to novel ester derivatives of prostaglandin A 1 (hereinafter identified as "PGA 1 "), 15-alkyl-PGA 1 , 15(R)-15-alkyl-PGA 1 , and their racemic forms, and to processes for producing them.
PGA 1 is represented by the formula: ##STR1## A systematic name for PGA 1 is 7-{2β-[(3S)-3-hydroxy-trans-1-octenyl]-5-oxo-1α-cyclo-3-pentenyl}heptanoic acid. PGA 1 is known to be useful for a variety of pharmacological and medical purposes, for example to reduce and control excessive gastric secretion, to increase the flow of blood in the mammalian kidney as in cases of renal dysfunction, to control spasm and facilitate breathing in asthmatic conditions, and as a hypotensive agent to reduce blood pressure in mammals, including humans. See Bergstrom et al., Pharmacol. Rev. 20, 1 (1968) and references cited therein. As to racemic PGA 1 , see for example P. W. Ramwell, Nature 221, 1251 (1969).
The 15-alkyl-PGA 1 analog and its 15(R) epimer are represented by the formula ##STR2## wherein Y' is following the usual convention wherein broken line attachment of hydroxy to the side chain at carbon 15 indicates the natural or S configuration and solid line attachment of hydroxy indicates the epi or R configuration. See for example Nugteren et al., Nature 212, 38 (1966) and Cahn, J. Chem. Ed. 41, 116 (1964). The 15-alkyl- and 15(R)-15-alkyl-PGA 1 analogs in their optically active and racemic forms are known. See for example Belg. Pat. No. 772,584, Derwent Farmdoc No. 19694T. These analogs are also useful for the above-described pharmacological purposes.
Esters of the above compounds are known, wherein the hydrogen atom of the carboxyl group is replaced by a hydrocarbyl or substituted hydrocarbyl group. Among these is the methyl ester of PGA 1 (J. P. Lee et al., Biochem. J. 105, 1251 (1967)).
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is a purpose of this invention to provide novel ester derivatives of prostaglandin PGA 1 , 15-alkyl-PGA 1 , 15(R)-15-alkyl-PGA 1 , and their racemic forms. It is a further purpose to provide such esters derived from substituted phenols and naphthols. It is a further purpose to provide such esters in a free-flowing crystalline form. It is still a further purpose to provide novel processes for preparing these esters.
The presently described esters include compounds represented by the generic formula: ##STR3## wherein Z is the substituted phenyl or naphthyl group as defined immediately below, and Y is ##STR4## i.e. esters of PGA 1 , 15-methyl-PGA 1 , 15(R)-15-methyl-PGA 1 , 15-ethyl-PGA 1 , and 15(R)-15-ethyl-PGA 1 ; and also the racemic compounds represented by each respective formula and the mirror image thereof; Z being represented by ##STR5##
For example, PGA 1 , p-acetamidophenyl ester, is represented by formula III when Y is ##STR6## and Z is A, i.e. ##STR7## and is conveniently identified herein as the PGA 1 ester of formula III-A. Racemic compounds are designated by the prefix "racemic" or "dl"; when that prefix is absent, the intent is to designate an optically active compound. Racemic 15-methyl-PGA 1 , p-benzamidophenyl ester, corresponds to formula III wherein Y is ##STR8## and Z is B, i.e. ##STR9## including of course not only the optically active isomer represented by formula III but also its mirror image.
The novel formula-III compounds and corresponding racemic compounds of this invention are each useful for the same purposes as described above for PGA 1 and are used for those purposes in the same manner known in the art, including oral, sublingual, buccal, rectal, intravaginal, intrauterine, or topical administration.
For many applications these novel prostaglandin esters which I have obtained from certain specific phenols and naphthols have advantages over the corresponding known prostaglandin compounds. Thus, these substituted phenyl and naphthyl esters are surprisingly stable compounds having outstanding shelf-life and thermal stability. In contrast to the acid form of these prostaglandins, these esters are not subject to decomposition either by elimination of water, or epimerization, or isomerization. Thus these compounds have improved stability either in solid, liquid, or solution form. In oral administration these esters have shown surprisingly greater efficacy than the corresponding free acids or lower alkyl esters, whether because of longer duration of biological activity or because of improved lipophilicity and absorption is not certain. These esters offer a further advantage in that they have low solubility in water and the body fluids and are therefore retained longer at the site of administration.
A particularly outstanding advantage of many of these substituted phenyl and naphthyl esters is that they are obtained in free-flowing crystalline form, generally of moderately high melting point, in the range 90°-180° C. This form is especially desirable for ease of handling, administering, and purifying. These crystals are highly stable, for example showing practically no decomposition at accelerated storage tests at 65° C., in comparison with liquid alkyl esters or the free acids. This quality is advantageous because the compound does not lose its potency and does not become contaminated with decomposition products.
These crystalline esters also provide a means of purifying PGA 1 , 15-methyl-PGA 1 , 15(R)-15-methyl-PGA 1 , 15-ethyl-PGA 1 , or 15(R)-15-ethyl-PGA 1 , which are first converted to one of these esters, recrystallized until pure, and then recovered as the free acid. One method of recovering the free acid is by enzymatic hydrolysis of the ester, for example with a lipase. See German Pat. No. 2,242,792, Derwent Farmdoc No. 23047U.
To obtain the optimum combination of stability, duration of biological activity, lipophilicity, solubility, and crystallinity, certain compounds within the scope of formula III are preferred.
One preference is that Z is limited to either ##STR10##
Another preference is that Z is further limited to ##STR11##
Another preference is that Z is limited to ##STR12##
Another preference is that Z is limited to ##STR13##
Especially preferred are those compounds which are in free-flowing cyrstalline form, for example:
p-benzamidophenyl ester of PGA 1
p-ureidophenyl ester of PGA 1
2 -naphthyl ester of PGA 1
The substituted phenyl and naphthyl esters of PGA 1 , 15-alkyl-PGA 1 and 15(R)-15-alkyl-PGA 1 , encompassed by formula III wherein Z is defined by ester groups A through Y are produced by the reactions and procedures described and exemplified hereinafter. For convenience, the above prostaglandin or prostaglandin analog is referred to as "the PG compound." The term "phenol" is used in a generic sense, including both phenols and naphthols.
Various methods are available for preparing these esters, differing as to yield and purity of product. Thus, by one method, the PG compound is converted to a tertiary amine salt, reacted with pivaloyl halide to give the mixed acid anhydride and then reacted with the phenol. Alternately, instead of pivaloyl halide, an alkyl or phenylsulfonyl halide is used, such as p-toluenesulfonyl chloride. See for example Belgian Pat. Nos. 775,106 and 776,294, Derwent Farmdoc Nos. 33705T and 39011T.
Still another method is by the use of the coupling reagent, dicyclohexylcarbodiimide. See Fieser et al., "Reagents for Organic Synthesis", pp. 231- 236, John Wiley and Sons, Inc., New York (1967). The PG compound is contacted with one to ten molar equivalents of the phenol in the presence of 2-10 molar equivalents of dicyclohexylcarbodiimide in pyridine as a solvent.
The preferred novel process for the preparation of these esters, however, comprises the steps (1) forming a mixed anhydride with the PG compound and isobutylchloroformate in the presence of a tertiary amine and (2) reacting the anhydride with an appropriate phenol or naphthol.
The mixed anhydride is represented by the formula: ##STR14## for the optically active PG compounds, Y having the same definition as above.
The anhydride is formed readily at temperatures in the range -40° to +60° C., preferably at -10° to +10° C. so that the rate is reasonably fast and yet side reactions are minimized. The isobutylchloroformate reagent is preferably used in excess, for example 1.2 molar equivalents up to 4.0 per mole of the PG compound. The reaction is preferably done in a solvent and for this purpose acetone is preferred, although other relatively non-polar solvents are used such as acetonitrile, dichloromethane, and chloroform. The reaction is run in the presence of a tertiary amine, for example triethylamine, and the co-formed amine hydrochloride usually crystallizes out, but need not be removed for the next step.
The anhydride is usually not isolated but is reacted directly in solution with the phenol, preferably in the presence of a tertiary amine such as pyridine.
The phenol is preferably used in equivalent amounts or in excess to insure that all of the mixed anhydride is converted to ester. Excess phenol is separated from the product by methods described herein or known in the art, for example by crystallization. The tertiary amine is not only a basic catalyst for the esterification but also a convenient solvent. Other examples of tertiary amines useful for this purpose include N-methylmorpholine, triethylamine, diisopropylethylamine, and dimethylaniline. Although they may be used, 2-methylpyridine and quinoline result in a slow reaction. A highly hindered amine such as 2,6-dimethyllutidine is not useful because of the slowness of the reaction.
The reaction with the anhydride proceeds smoothly at room temperature (about 20° to 30° C.) and can be followed in the conventional manner with thin layer chromatography (TLC), usually being found complete within 1-4 hours.
The reaction mixture is worked up to yield the ester following methods known in the art, and the product is purified, for example by silica gel chromatography.
Solid esters are converted to a free-flowing cyrstalline form on crystallization from a variety of solvents, including ethyl acetate, tetrahydrofuran, methanol, and acetone, by cooling or evaporating a saturated solution of the ester in the solvent or by adding a miscible non-solvent such as diethyl ether, hexane, or water. The crystals are then collected by conventional techniques, e.g. filtration or centrifugation, washed with a small amount of solvent, and dried under reduced pressure. They may also be dried in a current of warm nitrogen or argon, or by warming to about 75° C. Although the crystals are normally pure enough for many applications, they may be recrystallized by the same general techniques to achieve improved purity after each recrystallization.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
The invention can be more fully understood by the following examples.
All temperatures are in degrees centigrade.
Silica gel chromatography, as used herein, is understood to include chromatography on a column packed with silica gel, elution, collection of fractions, and combination of those fractions shown by thin layer chromatography (TLC) to contain the desired product free of starting material and impurities.
"TLC", herein, refers to thin layer chromatography.
Preparation 1
p-Benzamidophenol
A solution of p-hydroxyaniline (20 g.) in 200 ml. pyridine is treated with benzoic anhydride (20 g.). After 4 hr. at about 25° C., the mixture is concentrated under reduced pressure and the residue is taken up in 200 ml. of hot methanol and reprecipitated with 300 ml. of water. The product is recrystallized from hot acetonitrile as white crystals, 8.5 g., m.p. 218.0°-218.5° C.
Preparation 2
p-[(p-Acetamidophenyl)carbamoyl] phenol
A solution of p-acetamidobenzoic acid (12.5 g.) in 250 ml. of tetrahydrofuran is treated with triethylamine (11.1 ml.). The mixture is then treated with isobutylchloroformate (10.4 ml.) and, after 5 min. at about 25° C., with p-aminophenol (13.3 g.) in 80 ml. of dry pyridine. After 40 min. the crude product is obtained by addition of 2 liters of water. The product is recrystallized from 500 ml. of hot methanol by dilution with 300 ml. of water as white crystals, 5.9 g., m.p. 275.0°-277.0° C.
EXAMPLE 1
PGA 1 , p-Acetamidophenyl Ester (Formula III-A)
A solution of PGA 1 , (0.506 g.) and triethylamine (0.250 ml.) in 20 ml. of acetone is treated at -10° C. with isobutylchloroformate (0.236 ml.) whereupon triethylamine hydrochloride is precipitated. After 5 min. the mixture is treated with p-acetamidophenol (0.453 g.) in 5 ml. of pyridine for 3 hr. at about 25° C. The solvent is removed under reduced pressure and the residue is dissolved in ethyl acetate and washed with aqueous citric acid (2%) and water. The organic phase is dried over sodium sulfate, concentrated, and subjected to silica gel chromatography, eluting with chloroform-acetonitrile (7:3) containing 1% water, followed by chloroform-acetonitrile (1:4). The residue obtained by concentration of selected fractions, an oil, is the title compound, 0.539 g., having R f 0.4 (TLC on silica gel in chloroform-acetonitrile (7:3)).
EXAMPLE 2
p-Benzamidophenyl Ester of PGA 1 (Formula III-B)
Following the procedure of Example 1 but using 0.510 g. of PGA 1 , 0.254 ml. of triethylamine, 0.238 ml. of isobutylchloroformate, and 0.484 g. of p-benzamidophenol (Preparation 1), there is obtained a crude residue. This residue is subjected to silica gel chromatography, eluting with chloroform-acetonitrile (85:15). The residue obtained by concentration of selected fractions, 0.505 g., is crystallized from ethyl acetate diluted with 2.5 volumes of hexane as the title compound, white free-flowing crystals, m.p. 96.8°-98.3° C., having R f 0.6 (TLC on silica gel in chloroform-acetonitrile (4:1).
EXAMPLE 3
p-Hydroxyphenylurea Ester of PGA 1 , (Formula III-E)
Following the procedure of Example 1 but using 0.506 g. of PGA 1 , 0.250 ml. of triethylamine, 0.236 ml. of isobutylchloroformate, and 0.456 g. of p-hydroxyphenylurea, there is obtained a crude residue. This residue is subjected to silica gel chromatography, eluting with ethyl acetate-acetonitrile-water (94:5:1). The residue obtained by concentration of selected fractions, 0.646 g., is crystallized from ethyl acetate as the title compound, white free-flowing crystals, m.p. 96.3°-98.3° C., having R f 0.4 (TLC on silica gel in ethyl acetate-acetonitrile (95:5)).
EXAMPLE 4
p-Acetylphenyl Ester of PGA 1 (Formula III-L)
Following the procedure of Example 1 but using 0.508 g. of PGA 1 , 0.254 ml. of triethylamine, 0.238 ml. of isobutylchloroformate, and 0.309 g. of p-hydroxyacetophenone, there is obtained a crude residue. This residue is subjected to silica gel chromatography, eluting with ethyl acetate-hexane (2:3), followed by ethyl acetate-hexane (7:3). The residue obtained by concentration of selected fractions, 0.500 g., an oil, is the title compound, having R f 0.4 (TLC on silica gel in ethyl acetate-hexane (1:1)).
EXAMPLE 5
p-Carbamoylphenyl Ester of PGA 1 (Formula III-N).
Following the procedure of Example 1 but using 0.506 g. of PGA 1 0.250 ml. of triethylamine, 0.236 ml. of isobutylchloroformate, and 0.412 g. of p-hydroxybenzamide there is obtained a crude residue. This residue is subjected to silica gel chromatography, eluting with chloroform-acetonitrile (6:4). The residue obtained by concentration of selected fractions, 0.260 g., an oil, as the title compound, having R f O.5 (TLC on silica gel in chloroform-acetonitrile (3:2)).
EXAMPLE 6
2-Naphthyl Ester of PGA 1 (Formula III-X)
Following the procedure of Example 1 but using 0.506 g. of PGA 1 , 0.254 ml. of triethylamine, 0.238 ml. of isobutylchloroformate, and 0.327 g. of β-naphthol, there is obtained a crude residue. This residue is subjected to silica gel chromatography, eluting with ethyl acetate-hexane (2:3) followed by ethyl acetate-hexane (7:3). The residue obtained by concentration of selected fractions, 0.45 g., is crystallized from ethyl acetate diluted with two volumes of hexane as the title compound, white free-flowing crystals, m.p. 49.0°-50.0° C., having R f 0.5 (TLC on silica gel in ethyl acetate-hexane (1:1)).
Following the procedures of Examples 1-6 but employing the racemic forms of the PG compounds, there are obtained the corresponding esters of racemic PG compounds.
EXAMPLES 7-76
The substituted phenyl and naphthyl esters of PGA 1 , 15-methyl-PGA 1 , and 15(R)-15-methyl-PGA 1 of Tables I-III below are obtained following the procedures of Example 1, wherein the prostaglandin compound is reacted in the presence of triethylamine and isobutylchloroformate with the appropriate hydroxy phenyl or naphthyl compound, listed in the Table. These phenols or naphthols are readily available or prepared by methods described herein or known in the art. The crude products, obtained by concentration under reduced pressure, are purified by means described herein or known in the art, including partitioning, solvent extraction, washing, silica gel chromatography, trituration, or crystallization.
Following the procedures of Examples 7-76 but employing the racemic forms of the PG compounds, there are obtained the corresponding esters of the racemic PG compounds.
TABLE I______________________________________Esters of PGA.sub.1Hydroxy Phenyl or Product PGA.sub.1Naphthyl Ester ofEx. Compound formula:______________________________________7 p-acetamidophenol III-A8 p-[(p-acetamidophenyl)carbamoyl]phenol III-C9 p-[(p-benzamidophenyl)carbamoyl]phenol III-D10 p-hydroxy-1,3-diphenylurea III-F11 p-phenylphenol III-G12 p-tritylphenol III-H13 N-acetyl-L-tyrosinamide III-I14 N-benzoyl-L-tyrosinamide III-J15 p-hydroxybenzaldehyde semicarbazone III-K16 p-hydroxybenzophenone III-M17 o-hydroxybenzamide III-O18 N-(p-tritylphenyl)-p-hydroxybenzamide III-P19 p-hydroxybenzoic acid, methyl ester III-Q20 hydroquinone benzoate III-R21 hydroquinone, p-acetamidobenzoicacid ester III-S22 2,4-diacetamidophenol III-T23 1-acetamido-4-hydroxynaphthalene III-U24 1-benzamido-4-hydroxynaphthalene III-V25 1-hydroxy-4-ureidonaphthalene III-W26 1-hydroxy-5-naphthalenesulfonamide III-Y______________________________________
TABLE II______________________________________Esters of 15-Methyl-PGA.sub.1 ProductHydroxy Phenol or 15-Methyl-Naphthyl PGA.sub.1 EsterEx. Compound of formula:______________________________________27 p-acetamidophenol III-A28 p-benzamidophenol III-B29 p-[(p-acetamidophenol)carbamoyl]phenol III-C30 p-[(p-benzamidophenyl)carbamoyl]phenol III-D31 p-hydroxyphenylurea III-E32 p-hydroxy-1,3-diphenylurea III-F33 p-phenylphenol III-G34 p-tritylphenol III-H35 N-acetyl-L-tyrosinamide III-I36 N-benzoyl-L-tyrosinamide III-J37 p-hydroxybenzaldehye semicarbazone III-K38 p-hydroxyacetophenone III-L39 p-hydroxybenzophenone III-M40 p-hydroxybenzamide III-N41 o-hydroxybenzamide III-O42 N-(p-tritylphenyl)-p-hydroxybenzamide III-P43 p-hydroxybenzoic acid, methyl ester III-Q44 hydroquinone benzoate III-R45 hydroquinone, p-acetamidobenzoic III-Sacid ester46 2,4-diacetamidophenol III-T47 1-acetamido-4-hydroxynaphthalene III-U48 1-benzamido-4-hydroxynaphthalene III-V49 1-hydroxy-4-ureidonaphthalene III-W50 2-naphthol III-X51 1-hydroxy-5-naphthalenesulfonamide III-Y______________________________________
TABLE III______________________________________Esters of 15(R)-15-Methyl-PGA.sub.1 Product 15 (R)-15-Hydroxy Phenyl or Methyl-PGA.sub.1Naphthyl Ester ofEx. Compound formula:______________________________________52 p-acetamidophenol III-A53 p-benzamidophenol III-B54 p-[(p-acetamidophenyl)carbamoyl]phenol III-C55 p-[(p-benzamidophenyl)carbamoyl]phenol III-D56 p-hydroxyphenylurea III-E57 p-hydroxy-1,3-diphenylurea III-F58 p-phenylphenol III-G59 p-tritylphenol III-H60 N-acetyl-L-tyrosinamide III-I61 N-benzoyl-L-tyrosinamide III-J62 p-hydroxybenzaldehyde semicarbazone III-K63 p-hydroxyacetophenone III-L64 p-hydroxybenzophenone III-M65 p-hydroxybenzamide III-N66 o-hydroxybenzamide III-O67 N-(p-tritylphenyl)-p-hydroxybenzamide III-P68 p-hydroxybenzoic acid, methyl ester III-Q69 hydroquinone benzoate III-R70 hydroquinone, p-acetamidobenzoic III-Sacid ester71 2,4-diacetamidophenol III-T72 1-acetamido-4-hydroxynaphthalene III-U73 1-benzamido-4-hydroxynaphthalene III-V74 1-hydroxy-4-ureidonaphthalene III-W75 2-naphthol III-X76 1-hydroxy-5-naphthalenesulfonamide III-Y______________________________________
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Substituted phenyl and naphthyl esters of PGA.sub. 1, 15-alkyl-PGA 1 , and 15(R)-15-alkyl-PGA 1 , and their racemic forms, and processes for producing them are disclosed. The products are useful for the same pharmacological and medical purposes as PGA 1 , 15-alkyl-PGA 1 , and 15(R)-15-alkyl-PGA 1 , and are also useful as a means for obtaining highly purified PGA 1 , 15-alkyl-PGA 1 , and 15(R)-15-alkyl-PGA 1 products.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a longitudinal folding device in a folder of a web-fed printing machine, printed webs of material entering into the folder via the longitudinal folding device subsequent to a drying and cooling operation. The invention also relates to a method of adjusting the longitudinal folding device.
In the prior art, the published Japanese Patent Document JP Hei 7-18682 has disclosed a device for regulating the first longitudinal fold on a folder former. In order to achieve a more precise and pronounced formation of the first longitudinal fold on webs of material with low and high grammage or weight, the folder former is provided with a nose that is arranged so as to be adjustable. The former nose, which is located beneath a material web outlet from the former plate, is remotely-controllably pivotable by an adjusting cylinder arranged behind the former plate.
The published Japanese Patent Document JP Hei 7-29725 relates to a device for adjusting the former of a folder. A drive is arranged on a main frame carrying an inclined former plate and, via an elongated shaft, drives an auxiliary frame in which a former infeed roller is mounted. If there is a change in the web format that is processed in the first longitudinal folding arrangement and in the downline folder, it is then possible simultaneously to adjust the former infeed roller mounted in the auxiliary frame, and the former plate mounted in the main frame. By this simultaneously occurring adjustment of the former infeed roller and the former plate, the incoming material web is displaced, in the travel plane thereof, axially to the former infeed rollers, whereas the former infeed rollers are connected in a stationary manner to the folder cylinder part and are, accordingly, not displaceable for adjusting purposes.
The technical problem solved by the invention is that, in the course of successive printing jobs or orders, weights and formats or sizes of the papers which are to be processed may vary, which has heretofore resulted in a considerable amount of time being wasted, due to required changeover or conversion work, until production resumes. In the case of a change in the width of the material web that is to be processed, it is necessary, virtually without exception, for the former to be adjusted relative to the folder cylinder part. If the outlet or runout rollers, which are usually laid out or designed, in the length thereof, for the maximum processable web format, are inclined to one another, it would be desirable to maintain the once set angle of inclination, as is similarly the case with other already pre-set parameters which are not to be influenced by the web format.
If areas of adhesive for subsequently performed adhesive bonding on copies cut from the web of material are applied to individual web lengths which are cut longitudinally in the turner-bar or angle-bar superstructure, and then guided together over various folder formers, it is necessary for the region of the web of material to which the adhesive is applied to run into the folder cylinder part via an annular recess formed in the outlet rollers of the first longitudinal folding arrangement. If other web formats with exactly like areas of adhesive are processed, care should be taken that the areas of adhesive always run over that region of the outlet rollers in which the annular recesses are located.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is accordingly an object of the invention to provide a longitudinal folding device in a folder of a web-fed printing device wherein, during a change in the format of a web of material that is to be processed therein, protracted adjustment work on the infeed rollers is minimized so as to be able to resume production more quickly after the web format, and possibly the paper sheet format, have been changed.
With the foregoing and other objects in view, there is provided, in accordance with the invention, in a folder for web-fed printing machines for processing webs of material with longitudinal adhesive bonding, a longitudinal folding device including a displaceable folder former movable relative to a cylinder part of the folder, comprising a frame carrying former outlet rollers and spindles whereon the former outlet rollers are mounted, the frame being displaceable with the longitudinal folding device.
In accordance with another feature of the invention, the spindles are movable relative to the former outlet rollers.
In accordance with a further feature of the invention, the spindles are movable axially relative to the former outlet rollers.
In accordance with an added feature of the invention, the former outlet rollers are disposed, through the intermediary of a roller support, on framework walls of the folder.
In accordance with an additional feature of the invention, the spindles are adjustable relative to one another on the frame.
In accordance with yet another feature of the invention, the longitudinal folding device includes an adjusting device for adjusting the spindles of the former outlet rollers at a frame-side end thereof.
In accordance with yet a further feature of the invention, the spindles of the former outlet rollers are adjustable in a horizontal plane on the frame.
In accordance with yet an added feature of the invention, the spindles of the former outlet rollers are adjustable in a vertical plane on the frame.
In accordance with yet an additional feature of the invention, the former outlet rollers are formed approximately centrally with an annular recess.
In accordance with still another feature of the invention, roller sections of the former outlet rollers have a coating formed thereon.
In accordance with still a further feature of the invention, the longitudinal folding device includes crossmembers whereon the frame is displaceably mounted.
In accordance with still an added feature of the invention, the frame has rolling elements supported on crossmembers.
In accordance with still an additional feature of the invention, the frame has slide guides through which the crossmembers extend.
In accordance with another aspect of the invention, there is provided a folder for web-fed printing machines having a longitudinal folding device for processing webs of material with longitudinal adhesive bonding, including a displaceable former movable relative to a cylinder part of the folder, and comprising a frame carrying former outlet rollers, and spindles whereon the former outlet rollers are mounted, the frame being displaceable with the longitudinal folding device.
In accordance with a concomitant aspect of the invention, there is provided a method of adjusting a first longitudinal folding device for processing material webs with longitudinal adhesive bonding in a folder of a web-fed printing machine, the first longitudinal folding device being movable relative to the folder, which comprises the steps of fixing the position of the former outlet rollers relative to a cylinder part of the folder, displacing a frame whereon spindles of the former outlet rollers are displaceably carried, thereby maintaining the distance of the web of material relative to the surfaces of the former outlet rollers, aligning an annular recess, centrally formed in the former outlet rollers, with an axis of the folder, for the purpose of applying the adhesive with regard to any width of material web to be processed.
An advantage of the device according to the invention is that a set angle of the former outlet rollers relative to one another does not need to be adjusted if it is necessary to change over from maximum web-width processing to minimum web-width processing or any stage in between. This angle is constant irrespective of the web widths or the printing-material grammage being processed. Furthermore, the distance between the web, or the lengths of the web of material, and the outside of the former outlet rollers remains constant during an adjustment, because the outlet rollers move parallel to the mutually inclined spindles. Finally, the selected construction ensures t hat the application of adhesive, which is usually located centrally with respect to the web, is always located parallel to the axis of the folder, and the annular recesses are always located in the center of the folder.
In further constructions based upon the concept of the invention, the spindles can be moved relative to the former outlet rollers. Because the spindles move relative to the former rollers and are connected to the first longitudinal folding device, during changeovers, they automatically move together with the frame that is connected to the first longitudinal folding device. The former outlet rollers themselves may be connected to the cylinder part of the folder and, accordingly, are in a stationary position. The spindles, which can be adjusted relative to the former outlet rollers, may be provided in a frame so that they can be adjusted or set relative to one another. For this purpose, on the web side and on the drive side of the frame, it is possible to provide an adjusting device by the aid of which the spindles of the former outlet rollers can be adjusted or set precisely both in the horizontal direction and in the vertical direction for the purpose of pre-setting the roller position. When changing over from the processing of one web format to another, in contrast, actuation of the adjusting device is not necessary; if, on the other hand, another printing-material grammage or weight is processed, then an adjustment may well be necessary.
The former outlet rollers are formed, approximately centrally, with an annular recess, through which the adhesive material passes without coming into contact with the surfaces of the roller. The surfaces of the former outlet rollers may be provided with a coating which prevents ink from being deposited on the lateral surfaces of the rollers.
The capacity for movement of the first longitudinal folding device and of the frame relative to the former outlet rollers can be realized in that the frame, together with the adjustable spindles mounted thereon, is supported on crossmembers and is displaceable thereon. For this purpose, it is possible to provide slide guides beneath the frame, for example at corner locations of the latter, and it is also possible to provide, on the frame, rolling elements which roll on the crossmembers which extend parallel to the displacement path of the frame.
The device according to the invention may be disposed on a first longitudinal folding device, above a cylinder part of a folder. Depending upon variability, it is possible for a plurality of the first longitudinal folding devices according to the invention, having displaceable spindles for the former outlet rollers, to be arranged upline of a folder cylinder part, notwithstanding whether the spindles are in parallel, side-by-side or in series.
Also disclosed in addition to the longitudinal folding device is a method of adjusting a first longitudinal folding device on the folder.
Other features which are considered as characteristic for the invention are set forth in the appended claims.
Although the invention is illustrated and described herein as embodied in a longitudinal folding device in a folder of a web-fed printing machine and method of adjustment, it is nevertheless not intended to be limited to the details shown, since various modifications and structural changes may be made therein without departing from the spirit of the invention and within the scope and range of equivalents of the claims.
The construction and method of operation of the invention, however, together with additional objects and advantages thereof will be best understood from the following description of specific embodiments when read in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein:
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of a first longitudinal folding device according to the invention for introducing a web of material having a maximum processable web width into a folder;
FIG. 2 is an enlarged plan view of FIG. 1 rotated through 90° counterclockwise, and showing the position of the frame that moves the former outlet rollers;
FIG. 3 is a side elevational view of the first longitudinal folding device according to the invention for folding a web of material having a minimum processable web width;
FIG. 4 is a plan view like that of FIG. 2 showing the position of the frame according to FIG. 3;
FIG. 5 is a front elevational view of an embodiment of the frame according to the invention; and
FIG. 6 is a plan view of FIG. 5 showing the frame according to the invention supported on crossmembers on a top part of the folder and disposed so as to be displaceable thereon.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
Referring now to the drawings and, first, particularly to FIG. 1 thereof, there is shown therein a first longitudinal folding device 1 according to the invention for guiding a web of material having a maximum processable web width.
The first longitudinal folding device 1 that is illustrated diagrammatically in FIG. 1 includes an upper infeed roller 2 over which a material web runs onto a former plate 3 . The former plate 3 is disposed in an adjustably movable former frame 4 which, in the view of FIG. 1, is located in a first position 4 . 1 .
Fastened at the bottom end of the former frame 4 is a frame that, for its part, carries spindles 9 which are only diagrammatically illustrated in FIG. 1 . According to the invention, the frame 8 which also carries the former outlet rollers 10 , is fastened on the adjustable former frame 4 and is movable together therewith. Due to the fact that the spindles 9 are carried by the frame 8 at the former end 4 , the spindles 9 are movable relative to the former outlet rollers 10 . The former outlet rollers 10 have an approximately central annular recess 10 . 3 therebetween, alongside of which there are located a first roller section 10 . 1 and a second roller section 10 . 2 . The former rollers 10 are mounted so as to be stationary on a respective framework wall 15 of a bracing member by a support 12 . The bracing-member framework wall 15 represents the framework walls of a folder that is disposed immediately downline of the first longitudinal folding device 1 .
It should also be emphasized that the spindles 9 , upon which the former outlet rollers 10 are mounted, can be displaced relative to the latter by a movement of the frame 8 , which changes the position of the material web 5 relative to the rollers 10 .
In the exemplary embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the diagrammatically illustrated roller support 12 is fastened stationarily to one of the bracing-member framework walls 15 . The illustrated material web 5 has a maximum web width 6 and is transported, approximately centrally to the axis 14 of the folder, in the direction of a continuing web path 16 . The continuing web path 16 may constitute the direct infeed into a folder arranged downtime of the first longitudinal folding device 1 according to the invention, in which case the framework walls 15 constitute the side walls of the folder.
As is also apparent from FIG. 1, the material web 5 , after having passed through the first longitudinal folding device 1 , is provided with a first longitudinal fold 19 and has an open end 20 located opposite thereto (note also FIG. 2 ).
FIG. 2 is a plan view of the frame in a position thereof corresponding to that of FIG. 1, wherein the frame moves the former outlet rollers.
It is apparent from FIG. 2 that the frame 8 is supported on guide rails 11 . It is possible for the frame 8 to be moved on the guide rails 11 , for example, by slide guides 13 which extend from the framework wall 15 to the framework wall 15 and from the bracing member 15 to the bracing member 15 , respectively. The frame 8 mounted on the displaceable former frame 4 of the first longitudinal folding device 1 is displaceable in the directions represented by the double-headed arrow 22 . On the frame 8 , the spindles 9 are received in spindle bearings 7 (note FIGS. 5 and 6 ). In the illustration of FIG. 2, the spindles 9 are shown positioned at an angle α with respect to one another; the former outlet rollers 10 are located in the axial position shown in FIG. 1 . For an identical width of the material web 3 , the angle α is constant. In the arrangement of the former outlet rollers 10 illustrated in FIG. 2, a material web 5 of maximum web width 6 is folded longitudinally. The folding spine is represented at 19 and the open side located opposite thereto is identified by reference numeral 20 .
In the plan view according to FIG. 2, it is possible to see the roller support 12 by way of which the former outlet rollers 10 are fixed in relation to the framework walls 15 . The longitudinally folded paper web 5 is located at a distance 21 from the surfaces of the former outlet rollers 10 , which are subdivided centrally, by an annular recess 10 . 3 , into a first roller section 10 . 1 and a second roller section 10 . 2 . The central annular recess 10 . 3 is aligned with the axis 14 of the folder and permits an application of adhesive to pass without being transferred to a rotating surface. The first longitudinal fold 19 , also referred to herein as a folding spine, is aligned with the axis 18 of the first longitudinal folding device 1 . Corresponding to that position of the former frame 4 shown in FIG. 1, the former frame 4 , in the position 4 . 1 thereof according to FIG. 2, is located in an extreme position in which it has been pushed up to the opposite framework wall 15 .
FIG. 3 is a side elevational view of the first longitudinal folding device according to the invention for folding a minimum processable web format.
In this configuration, a minimum processable web format 23 is folded longitudinally, the frame 8 having been moved into a position wherein the former outlet rollers 10 are uniformly disposed more closely together, but the application of adhesive on the material web 5 is again in alignment with the recess 10 . 3 of the former outlet rollers 10 . In this case, the frame 8 has been displaced more closely towards the left-hand bracing member or framework wall 15 , as seen in the travel direction 16 of the web. Accordingly, that format width of the material web 5 that is measured by the double-headed arrow 23 extending from the folding spine 19 to the open rear side 20 remains in alignment with the axis 14 of the folder.
FIG. 4 is a plan view of the frame 8 in the position thereof during the processing of the minimum web format according to FIG. 3 .
In comparison with the position of the frame 8 which is illustrated in FIG. 2, it is apparent from FIG. 4 that, due to the frame 8 being displaced in the direction of the bottom framework wall 15 , the former outlet rollers 10 have been positioned closer together, without any need for any changeover operations other than the displacement of the frame 8 . The former outlet rollers 10 , which are stationarily fastened, are displaced on the respective spindles 9 thereof due to the displacement of the frame 8 , so that the former-roller lateral surfaces 10 shift towards one another, because the former rollers 10 are closer together at one end than at the opposite end, on the operative side 19 (fold side) and the open side 20 . The adjustment or setting of the former rollers 10 relative to one another is derived from the selected pre-setting of the angle α between the spindles 9 in the frame 8 . If the frame 8 moves in the direction of the upper part of the double-headed arrow 22 , then, due to the greater distance between the spindles 9 , the rollers are moved apart from one another proportionally at the operative-side end thereof and towards one another proportionally at the drive-side end thereof. This is derived from the angle α defined by the spindles 9 relative to one another, a comparison of FIGS. 2 and 4 showing that, respectively, the distance 21 between the material web 5 and the surfaces 10 remains the same, regardless of the width of the respective format 6 , 23 , and there is no longer any need for any follow-up adjustment.
FIGS. 5 and 6 are respective front elevational and plan views of the frame 8 . By an adjusting device 24 , the respective spindles 9 of the former rollers 10 can be adjusted at the mounting supports 7 thereof in the frame 8 . The adjusting device 24 may include both a setting or adjusting element 24 . 1 for the vertical plane and a setting or adjusting element 24 . 2 for the horizontal plane. In the illustrated embodiment of the frame 8 , the setting or adjusting elements 24 . 1 and 24 . 2 are designed as capstanhead or T-screws respectively provided with knurling for manual actuation. By the threaded parts of the knurled screws, the mounting supports 7 of the spindles 9 , respectively, are adjustable relative to the frame 8 . By an arrangement of two levers 25 and 26 , which are connected to the rollers 10 to be adjusted, and by the position thereof on a guide 27 , it is possible to set or adjust the distance between the respective rollers 10 individually. It is thereby possible to achieve a precise setting or adjustment. In this regard, the mounting supports at the ends of the spindles 9 may well be moved apart to different extents (note FIGS. 2 and 4 ).
In the operating phase illustrated in FIG. 5, the distance between the sides of the spindles 9 is represented by an unidentified double-headed arrow. This set position of a mounting support of the spindles 9 could be adjusted, for example, to tapering mounting-support positions of the former outlet rollers 10 , as is illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 4. The levers 25 and 26 which, according to FIG. 5, are arranged in front or forward of the roller segments 10 , are formed with recesses 28 by which they are accommodated together on the setting screw 27 like respective slotted guides.
The recesses 28 allow movement of the levers 25 and 26 relative to one another during the change in distance between the former outlet rollers 10 .
The illustrated frame structure 8 has rolling elements 29 , which may be carried by the frame 8 alternatively to the slide guides according to FIGS. 1 and 3. The rolling elements 29 run on profiled rails 11 which are supported on the frame structure 8 fastened to the former frame 4 .
In addition to setting or adjusting, by manually operatable setting or adjusting elements 24 . 1 and 24 . 2 , the positions of the spindles 9 whereon the outlet rollers 10 are mounted, the positions of the spindles 9 may also be actuated by setting or adjusting elements such as electric motors or the like. It would be possible, for example, initially to preselect a roller position as part of the order input at the rotation control console, without having to require the pressman or other press operator to reset the adjusting device 24 . According to the invention, the positions of the frame 8 are changed, in any event, during a changeover from maximum to minimum web format or to a format somewhere in between and vice versa, by a displacement of the former-frame position.
The plan view of an embodiment of the frame 8 according to FIG. 6 illustrates the end-side mounting supports 7 of the frame 8 . Located at the two ends of the spindles 9 is a respective adjusting device 24 having setting or adjusting elements 24 . 1 and 24 . 2 . On the mutually adjustable spindles 9 , the outlet rollers 10 , interrupted by gaps, are mounted so as to be axially displaceable. The former outlet rollers 10 are formed with an approximately central annular recess 10 . 3 that subdivides the lateral surface of the former outlet rollers into a first roller section 10 . 1 and a second roller section 10 . 2 . In the arrangement shown, the two spindles 9 for the former outlet rollers 10 are positioned parallel to one another. The annular recesses 10 . 3 formed in the former outlet rollers 10 are aligned with the axis 14 of the folder, and the frame 8 is aligned with the axis 18 of the first longitudinal folding device 1 .
Those positions of the spindles 9 relative to one another which are shown in FIGS. 2 and 4 can be preadjusted or preset without difficulty via the adjusting devices 24 which are carried on the frame 8 . It is possible to preset the angle a in a straightforward manner by the adjusting or setting elements 24 . 1 and 24 . 2 , which can be displaced in the horizontal and vertical directions. The angle α also fixes the distance 21 between the outer surfaces of the material web 5 and the former outlet rollers 10 . Of course, it is also possible for the outlet rollers 10 to be set so that the material web 5 and the surfaces of the rollers 10 are in contact with one another.
The former outlet rollers 10 move relative to the spindles 9 upon a displacement of the former frame 4 , because the frame 8 that carries the former outlet rollers 10 is fastened to the former frame 4 . It is believed to be readily apparent from the plan view according to FIG. 6 that the spindles 9 are connected to the respective setting or adjusting elements 24 . 1 and 24 . 2 via articulation heads in order to ensure the greatest possible freedom of movement of the spindles 9 .
Guide rails 11 , which may have a profiled construction, are visible beneath the frame 8 . The rolling elements 29 run on the guide rails 11 so that the operation of displacing the frame 8 involves as little friction as possible. In addition to the guide rail 11 being profiled, it is also possible for the rails 11 to be prefabricated from round bars or other semifinished products.
As has been mentioned briefly hereinbefore, a first longitudinal folding device 1 may be located directly above the infeed into the cylinder part of a folder.
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There is provided, in a folder for web-fed printing machines for processing webs of material with longitudinal adhesive bonding, a longitudinal folding device including a displaceable folder former movable relative to a cylinder part of the folder, and a frame carrying former outlet rollers and spindles whereon the former outlet rollers are mounted, the frame being displaceable with the longitudinal folding device; further provided is a method of adjusting the longitudinal adjusting device.
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This is a continuation-in-part of U.S. application Ser. No. 08/791,217, filed on Jan. 30, 1997, now abandoned.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to insecticidal substituted oxadiazine compounds, insecticidal compositions containing the oxadiazine compounds, and methods for their use.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Certain oxadiazine compounds have been described as useful as pesticides and as pharmaceutical agents. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,536,720 describes substituted 2-phenyl-1,3,4-oxadiazine-4-carbamide compounds useful as insecticides and acaricides. Trepanier et al, J. Med. Chem 9:753-758 (1966) describe certain 2-substituted 4H-1,3,4-oxadiazines useful as anticonvulsants in mice. U.S. Pat. No. 3,420,826 describes certain 2,4,6-substituted 4H-1,3,4-oxadiazines, useful as sedatives, anticonvulsants, and as pesticides against nematodes, plants, and fungi. U.S. Pat. No. 3,420,825 describes methods for producing certain 2,4,6-substituted 4H-1,3,4-oxadiazines.
It is a purpose of this invention to provide novel oxadiazine derivatives useful as insecticides.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a compound having the formula: ##STR2## wherein R is a C 4 -C 5 heterocyclic group comprising one nitrogen, sulfur, or oxygen atom, wherein the heterocyclic group can be unsubstituted or substituted with 1 to 3 halogen atoms or a C 1 -C 4 haloalkyl group; and R' is hydrogen, halogen, C 1 -C 4 haloalkyl or C 1 -C 4 haloalkoxy. These compounds, or physiologically acceptable salts thereof, are useful as insecticides.
The insecticidal compositions of this invention comprise: (a) an effective amount of one or more compounds of formula I, and (b) a suitable carrier.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Preferably, the compound of this invention has the formula: ##STR3##
Preferably, R is an aromatic heterocyclic group, more preferably, a thienyl, furanyl, or pyridinyl group, optionally substituted by 1 to 3 bromo or chloro atoms, more preferably, one bromo or one chloro, or by C 1 -C 4 trihaloalkyl, more preferably, trihalomethyl, trihaloethyl, trihalomethoxy or trihaloethoxy; and R' is C 1 -C 4 trihaloalkyl or C 1 -C 4 trihaloalkoxy, more preferably, trihalomethyl, trihaloethyl, trihalomethoxy or trihaloethoxy. Particularly preferred is the compound of formula I wherein R is thienyl, furanyl or pyridinyl, substituted by bromo or chloro, and R' is trihalomethoxy or trihalomethyl. Most preferred is the compound of formula I wherein R is 5-bromo-2-thienyl, 5-chloro-2-thienyl, 5-bromo-3-pyridinyl, or 5-bromo-2-furanyl, and R' is trifluoromethoxy or trifluoromethyl.
The compounds and compositions of this invention are useful as plant protecting agents against insects and are particularly effective against coleopterous insects and lepidopterous insects, such as tobacco budworm.
The compounds of the instant invention can be prepared by reacting an oxadiazine of formula A below, wherein R is described above, with an isocyanate of formula B below, wherein R' is described above, and a catalytic amount of triethylamine in a suitable solvent such as acetonitrile or toluene. ##STR4##
Compounds of formula A above can be prepared by reacting a hydrazide of the formula
R--CO--NH--NH.sub.2 (C)
wherein R is as described above, with 1-bromo-2-fluoroethane (BrCH 2 CH 2 F), in the presence of a base. Such bases include alkali metal hydroxides. Preferred bases include sodium or potassium hydroxide.
The compositions of the present invention can be prepared by formulating one or more compounds of the present invention with a suitable carrier.
Suitable liquid carriers can comprise water, alcohols, ketones, phenols, toluene and xylenes. In such formulations, additives conventionally employed in the art can be utilized, such as one or more surface active agents and/or inert diluents, to facilitate handling and application of the resulting insecticidal composition.
Alternatively, the compounds of this invention can be applied as a liquid or in sprays when utilized in a liquid carrier, such as a solution comprising a compatible solvent such as acetone, benzene, toluene or kerosene, or a dispersion comprising a suitable non-solvent medium such as water.
The compositions of this invention can alternatively comprise solid carriers taking the form of dusts, granules, wettable powders, pastes, aerosols, emulsions, emulsifiable concentrates, and water-soluble solids. For example, the compounds of this invention can be applied as dusts when admixed with or absorbed onto powdered solid carriers, such as mineral silicates, talc, pyrophyllite and clays, together with a surface-active dispersing agent so that a wettable powder is obtained which then is applied directly to the loci to be treated. Alternatively, the powdered solid carrier containing the compound admixed therewith, can be dispersed in water to form a suspension for application in such form.
Granular formulations of the compounds are preferred for field treatment and are suitable for application by broadcasting, side dressing, soil incorporation or seed treatment, and are suitably prepared using a granular or pelletized form of carrier such as granular clays, vermiculite, charcoal or corn cobs. The compound of this invention is dissolved in a solvent and sprayed onto an inert mineral carrier such as attapulgite granules (10-100 mesh), and the solvent is then evaporated. Such granular compositions can contain from 2-25% of a compound of this invention, based on carrier plus compound, preferably, 3-15%. In addition, the compounds of this invention can also be incorporated into a polymeric carrier such as polyethylene, polypropylene, butadiene-styrene, styrene-acrylonitrile resins, polyamides, poly(vinyl acetates), and the like. When encapsulated, the compound of this invention can advantageously be released over an even longer time period, extending its effectiveness further than when used in non-encapsulated form.
Another method of applying the compound of this invention to the loci to be treated is by aerosol treatment, for which the compound can be dissolved in an aerosol carrier which is a liquid under pressure but which is a gas at ordinary temperature (e.g., 20° C.) and atmospheric pressure. Aerosol formulations can also be prepared by first dissolving the compound in a less volatile solvent and then admixing the resulting solution with a highly volatile liquid aerosol carrier.
For treatment of plants (such term including plant parts), the compounds of the invention preferably are applied in aqueous emulsions containing a surface-active dispersing agent which can be non-ionic, cationic or anionic. Suitable surface-active agents are well known in the art, such as those disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 2,547,724 (columns 3 and 4). The compounds of this invention can be mixed with such surface-active dispersing agents, with or without an organic solvent, as concentrates for the subsequent addition of water, to yield aqueous suspensions of the compounds at desired concentration levels.
In addition, the compounds can be employed with carriers which themselves are pesticidally active, such as insecticides, acaricides, fungicides or bactericides.
It will be understood that the effective amount of a compound in a given formulation will vary depending, e.g., upon the specific pest to be combated, as well as upon the specific chemical composition and formulation of the compound being employed, the method of applying the compound/formulation and the locus of treatment. Generally, however, the effective amount of the compound of this invention can range from about 0.1 to about 95 percent by weight. Spray dilutions can be as low as a few parts per million, while at the opposite extreme, full strength concentrates of the compound can be usefully applied by ultra low volume techniques. When plants constitute the loci of treatment, concentration per unit area can range between about 0.01 and about 50 pounds per acre, with concentrations of between about 0.1 and about 10 pounds per acre preferably being employed for crops such as corn, tobacco, rice and the like.
To combat insects, sprays of the compounds can be applied to any suitable locus, such as to the insects directly and/or to plants upon which they feed or nest. The compositions of this invention can also be applied to the soil or other medium in which the pests are present.
The specific methods of application of the compounds and compositions of this invention, as well as the selection and concentration of these compounds, will vary depending upon such circumstances as crops to be protected, geographic area, climate, topography, plant tolerance, etc.
The following examples are provided to illustrate the present invention.
EXAMPLES
Example 1
Preparation of 5,6-dihydro-2-(5-bromo-2-thienyl)-4H-1,3,4-oxadiazine
A solution of 2.9 g (0.07 mole) sodium hydroxide dissolved in 10 ml of water was added dropwise at room temperature to a mixture of 6.5 g (0.03 mole) 5-bromo-2-thiophenecarboxylic acid hydrazide and 4.0 g (0.03 mole) 1-bromo-2-fluoroethane in 25 ml of ethanol. The resulting reaction mixture was refluxed for two and one-half hours. The reaction mixture was then cooled to room temperature, diluted with 150 ml of water and extracted several times with dichloromethane (100 ml). After separation and drying over anhydrous sodium sulfate, the organic phase was filtered and evaporated under reduced pressure leaving 4.5 g of an oil (60% yield). The oil was purified by silica gel chromatography to produce 5,6-dihydro-2-(5-bromo-2-thienyl)-4H-1,3,4-oxadiazine, as an oil.
Example 2
Preparation of 5,6-dihydro-N- 4-(trifluoromethoxy)-phenyl!-2-(5-bromo-2-thienyl)-4H-1,3,4-oxadiazine-4-carboxamide (Compound No. 1)
To 3 g of 5,6-dihydro-2-(5-bromo-2-thienyl)-4H-1,3,4-oxadiazine dissolved in 50 ml of acetonitrile, was added 2.5 g of 4-(trifluoromethoxy)phenyl isocyanate followed by two drops of triethylamine.
After this addition was complete, the resulting mixture was heated to reflux for 4 hours, and then evaporated under reduced pressure leaving a solid residue. The solid residue was recrystallized from ethanol to produce 2.6 g of 5,6-dihydro-N- 4-(trifluoromethoxy)phenyl!-2-(5-bromo-2-thienyl)-4H-1,3,4-oxadiazine-4-carboxamide, as an off-white solid, mp 139°-140° C.
The remaining compounds in Table 1 were prepared using essentially the same process. Each of the compounds is characterized by its NMR data.
TABLE 1______________________________________ ##STR5## NMR Data (ppm) InNo R R' DMSO______________________________________1 5-Br-2-C.sub.4 H.sub.2 S OCF.sub.3 m(2)3.8-4.1, m(2)4.4-4.6, m(6)7.2-8.0, s(1)9.42 5-Br-2-C.sub.4 H.sub.2 O OCF.sub.3 m(2)3.8-4.1, m(2)4.5-4.7, m(6)7.2-8.0, s(1)9.53 5-Cl-2-C.sub.4 H.sub.2 S CF.sub.3 m(2)3.8-4.1, m(2)4.4-4.6, m(6)7.2-8.0, s(1)9.44 5-Cl-2-C.sub.4 H.sub.2 S OCF.sub.3 m(2)3.8-4.1, m(2)4.4-4.6, m(6)7.1-7.9, s(1)9.15 5-Br-3-C.sub.6 H.sub.3 N CF.sub.3 m(2)3.8-4.1, m(2)4.5-4.7, m(7)7.6-9.2, s(1)9.66 5-Br-3-C.sub.6 H.sub.3 N OCF.sub.3 m(2)3.8-4.1, m(2)4.4-4.6, m(7)7.2-9.2, s(1)9.5______________________________________
Example3
Stock Solution Preparation
The remaining examples relate to the insecticidal use of the compounds of this invention. In all these examples, a stock solution for the compounds was prepared at 3000 ppm by dissolving 0.24 gram of each compound to be tested in 8 ml of acetone and adding 72 ml of distilled water plus 3 drops of ethoxylated sorbitan monolaurate, a wetting agent. This stock solution was used in the remaining examples demonstrating the insecticidal use of representative compounds of this invention. For each example that follows, this stock solution was used and the specificized dilutions made. All the tests discussed below, which involved treatment with compounds of this invention were always repeated with controls, in which the active compound was not provided, to permit a comparison upon which the percent control was calculated.
Example 4
Southern Corn Rootworm Test
The stock solution of 3000 ppm prepared in Example 2 above, was diluted to 100 ppm (test solution). For each compound, 2.5 ml of the test solution was pipetted onto a filter paper (Whatman #3) at the bottom of a 100 mm petri dish. Two corn seedlings were soaked in the 100 ppm solution for 1 hour and transferred to the petri dish containing the same test solution. After 24 hours, each dish was loaded with 5 second instar larvae of Southern Corn Rootworm (Diabrotica undecimpunctata). After five days, the number of live larvae was noted and the percent control, corrected by Abbott's formula see J. Economic Entomology 18:265-267 (1925)! was calculated.
The results of the testing of Southern Corn Rootworm (CR) are presented in Table 2 below.
Example 5
Rice Planthopper Foliar Test
The stock solution of 3000 ppm prepared in Example 2 above, was diluted to 1000 ppm. One pot containing approximately 20 Mars variety rice seedlings was treated with each formulation by spraying with a spray atomizer. One day after treatment plants were covered with a tubular cage and twenty adult rice delphacids, Sogatodes orizicola, were transferred into each cage. Five days after transferring, counts were made of the surviving planthoppers in each pot and percent control was estimated.
Results of the testing of rice planthoppers (RPH) are presented in Table 2 below.
Example 6
Tobacco Budworm Test
For each compound, 0.2 ml of the stock solution prepared in Example 2 above, was pipetted onto the surface of each of 5 diet cells, allowed to spread over the surfaces and air dried for two hours. Then a second instar Helicoverpa virescens larva was introduced into each cell. After 14 days, the number of living larvae was determined for each treatment and percent control, corrected by Abbott's formula, was calculated.
The results of the testing of tobacco budworms (TB) are presented in Table 2 below.
TABLE 2______________________________________PERCENT CONTROL OF SOUTHERN CORN ROOTWORM,RICE PLANTHOPPER AND TOBACCO BUDWORMCompound Percent ControlNo. CR RPH TB______________________________________1 100 0 1002 100 0 1003 100 0 1004 100 0 1005 80 0 1006 57 80 100______________________________________
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Insecticidal substituted oxadiazines having the formula: ##STR1## wherein R is an optionally substituted C 4 -C 5 heterocyclic group and R' is hydrogen, halogen, C 1 -C 4 haloalkyl or C 1 -C 4 haloalkoxy,
insecticidal compositions containing these oxadiazines, and methods for their use.
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[0001] The present invention is related to the medicine field. Particularly, the present invention is related with a novel product allowing the medical professional to determine the glucose levels and the pancreas ability to eliminate the unnecessary sugars in terms of time. Furthermore, the present invention provides a novel process for preparing said pharmaceutical composition.
BACKGROUNDS OF THE INVENTION
[0002] In the state of the art is well known that blood glucose levels (also named blood sugar levels) are indications about how the diabetes is well controlled and how effective the care schedule is working (diet, exercise and medicament). If the blood sugar levels are consistently under control (with levels almost normal), the complications of diabetes can be prevented or its progress may be made lowered. Those people with diabetes have check its blood sugar levels up four times at day. Sugar levels may be affected vary several factors, including the following:
Diet. Diabetes Drugs. Exercise. Stress. Diseases.
[0008] Generally, the blood sugar levels checking and the pancreas ability to eliminate the unnecessary sugars are very important in the appropriate handling of diabetes. However, the actual methods for measuring blood sugar require a blood sample; and this blood sugar may be measured in home using many invader instruments in order to obtain a blood sample (invader means penetrating the body tissue with a medical instrument).
[0009] Usually, a drop of blood obtained by means of a pinprick in the finger is sufficient for using a test strip which is subsequently measured in a monitor. This pinprick in the finger may be made with a little lancet (a special needle) or with an instrument having its lancet over a spring, which quickly prick finger tip. The blood drop is located on the test strip. The test strip is then located on special monitor for blood glucose (also called glucose measurer) which read the blood glucose levels. However, this type of techniques do not make possible curves for quantitatively determining the efficiency of pancreas and insulin versus time, since these techniques only offer one detailed measurement of glucose. Furthermore, this practice is uncomfortable to the patient; even more if several measurements are needed by day.
[0010] Now well, up today are commercially available many types of monitors, which vary in price, easily of use, size, portability and test durability. Each of this monitor requires its own test strips. In addition, it is well known that the blood glucose monitors are precise and reliable if are correctly used, and the majority provides results in a few minutes. Some of these glucose monitor may provide instructions and results verbally for those persons having visual or physical disabilities. There are also glucose monitors having verbal instructions in Spanish or other languages.
[0011] Certain monitors for blood glucose determination are equipped with information handling systems, which means that the blood sugar measurement is automatically registered every time in the memory. Some medical offices have computerized systems compatible with this information handling systems, which allow the transfer of the blood sugar levels records and other information electronically. One advantage of the information handling system is the capability to make a curve by representing the standard blood sugars levels. However, these systems may result very expensive and unavailable for certain users or for certain communities.
[0012] Accordingly, it s clear that exists an urgent need of a novel alternative that help medical professionals to determine in a quantitative, economic, efficient, rapid and a single manner, the blood glucose levels in the patient or the pancreas ability to eliminate the unnecessary sugars in terms of time, and overcome thus the disadvantages existing with the conventional systems, previously discussed. In this sense, none document of the state of the art had been suggested a practical and feasible solution allowing the medical professional the detection of blood glucose levels or the pancreas capability to eliminate the unnecessary sugars in terms of the time. In this manner, in the searching of an urgent solution to this existing problem, and after extended investigative process, the applicant made possible a novel product that, in addition to the overcoming of the industry disadvantages, is highly desirable to the patient and the medical professional due its simplicity, economy, fast and efficiency for quantitatively determining the blood sugar levels and the pancreas capability to eliminate the unnecessary sugars.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0013] In order to overcome the above exposed disadvantages, the present invention provides a novel product which, due to its specific components and proportions, IS an effervescent product of easy dilution in cold water, ready for use, remarkably ease the medical or physician of a clinical laboratory the quantitative determination of glucose levels and the pancreas ability to eliminate unnecessary sugars in a patient affected by said conditions. Therefore, the target patient avoids undesirable pinpricks; the ingestion of undesirable solutions due the low solubility of the active ingredient; or the undesirable waiting in the determination of curve due to the time expensive by extended dilution solutions.
[0014] Particularly, the present invention provides an effervescent solid pharmaceutical composition, characterized by comprising as essential components:
(a) An hydrating agent, (b) An acidifier agent, (c) An alkalinizing agent, (d) A flavoring agent, (e) A coloring agent.
[0020] Regarding the hydrating agent, it may be selected, for example, from the group consisting of dextrose, sucrose, fructose, lactose, maltose, mannitol, xilitol and mixtures thereof.
[0021] Preferably, in one preferred embodiment of the present invention, the effervescent solid pharmaceutical composition is characterized by the hydrating agent is dextrose.
[0022] In one preferred embodiment, the effervescent solid pharmaceutical composition is characterized by said hydrating agent is present in the pharmaceutical composition in an amount varying from 25 to 99% by the total weight of the composition.
[0023] More preferably, the hydrating agent is present in the pharmaceutical composition of the present invention in an amount varying from 50 to 99% by the total weight of the composition.
[0024] Regarding the acidifier agent present in the pharmaceutical composition of the present invention, it may be selected, for example, from the group consisting of citric acid, tartaric acid, malic acid, fumaric acid and mixtures thereof.
[0025] In one preferred embodiment of the present invention, the effervescent solid pharmaceutical composition comprises citric acid as the acidifier.
[0026] In order to reach an appropriate pH, said acidifier agent may be present in the effervescent solid pharmaceutical composition of the present invention in an amount varying from 0.1 to 40% by the total weight of the composition.
[0027] Even more preferred is that the acidifier agent is present in an amount which may vary from 2 to 10% by the total weight of the pharmaceutical composition of the present invention.
[0028] Regarding the alkalinizing agent present in the pharmaceutical composition of the present invention, it may be selected, for example, from the group consisting of sodium bicarbonate, potassium bicarbonate, sodium citrate, potassium citrate, calcium carbonate, sodium phosphate and mixtures thereof.
[0029] In one preferred embodiment of the present invention, the pharmaceutical composition of the present invention is characterized by the alkalinizing agent is sodium bicarbonate.
[0030] This alkalinizing agent is present in an amount varying from 1 to 70% by the total weight of the pharmaceutical composition of the present invention.
[0031] Even more preferably, the alkalinizing agent is present in an amount that may vary from 2 to 30% by the total weight of the composition of the present invention.
[0032] On the other hand, the pharmaceutical composition of the present invention is characterized by the flavoring agent may be selected, for example, from the group consisting of Orange, Mandarin, Lemmon, Cherry, Strawberry, Tuttifruti, Grape, Peach, raspberry and mixtures thereof.
[0033] In a preferred embodiment, the effervescent solid pharmaceutical composition of the present invention is characterized by the flavoring agent is Orange flavor.
[0034] On the other hand, the effervescent solid pharmaceutical composition of the present invention is characterized by said flavoring agent is present in the pharmaceutical composition in an amount varying from 0.2 to 30% by the total weight of the composition. Preferably, the flavoring agent is present in the pharmaceutical composition in an amount that may vary from 1 to 10% by the total weight of the composition of the present invention.
[0035] Regarding the coloring agent that may be present in the effervescent solid pharmaceutical composition of the present invention, it may be selected from the group consisting of Blue, Yellow, Red, Orange, Green and mixtures thereof.
[0036] According to other embodiment of the effervescent solid pharmaceutical composition of the present invention is characterized by the coloring agent is Yellow.
[0037] Thus, in order to provide an appropriate color, said coloring agent is present in an amount that may vary from 0.001 to 1% by the total weight of the pharmaceutical composition of the present invention. More preferably, the coloring agent is present in an amount that may vary from 0.05 to 0.5% by the total weight of the composition.
[0038] The effervescent solid pharmaceutical composition according to the present invention may be presented in diverse dose forms with the purposes. For example, the composition of the present invention may be presented in the form of an effervescent powder, a granulate powder, a suspension powder, a syrup, micro granules, tablets, coated tablets, chewable tablets or gelatin capsules.
[0039] In one preferred embodiment, the effervescent solid pharmaceutical composition of the present invention is presented as an effervescent powder.
[0040] Effervescent powders are formulations in which composition generally takes part acid substances and carbonates or bicarbonates able to quickly react in presence of water evolving carbon dioxide. They are addressed to be dissolved or be dispersed in water before its administration. In this manner, the effervescent powders are dissolved in water at time of its administration in order to occur the acid-base reaction (citric acid-sodium bicarbonate), and thus to form carbonic gas which help to hide or enhance product flavors having undesirable flavor of some pharmaceutical products. These products should be packaged into entirely hermetically recipients in order to prevent that an acid-base reaction be produced by the environmental humidity. Sodium bicarbonate and citric acid form anti acids due its effervescent reaction with water. They reduce the acidity of stomach fluids, since that there is an excess that neutralizes. This help to reveal the heat stomach symptoms and indigestion.
[0041] In this manner, the effervescent pharmaceutical forms as those of the present invention having in its composition an acid substance and a basic substance, such as carbonate or bicarbonate, have the property to evolve carbonic gas, which favors the pharmaceutical form disintegrating (e.g., tablet, powder) and the immediate releasing of the active substance in order to perform its pharmacologic action.
[0042] In one preferred embodiment, the present invention provides an effervescent solid pharmaceutical composition, characterized by it specifically comprises the dextrose as the hydrating agent, citric acid as the acidifier agent, sodium bicarbonate as the alkalinizing agent, Orange flavor as the flavoring agent and Yellow as the coloring agent.
[0043] In one preferred embodiment, the effervescent solid pharmaceutical composition of the present invention is characterized by the hydrating agent is dextrose, the acidifier agent is citric acid, the alkalinizing agent is sodium bicarbonate, the flavoring agent is Orange flavor and the coloring agent is Yellow, and it is in the form of granules.
[0044] In this manner, the inventive aspect of the product of the present invention relies on the fact that its specific components and proportions make it an effervescent product of easy dilution in cold water, ready for use, that significantly ease to the medical personnel the quantitative determination of glucose levels and the pancreas capability for eliminating unnecessary sugars in a patient affected by such conditions. Accordingly, the novel product of the present invention allows the making of quantitative curves of glucose levels versus time in fast, simple and economic manner. This had not been possible up today with the current techniques, since they only allow the detection of sugar levels in certain point; and they also required administering to the patient products of lower solubility as to start said evaluation, which is absolutely undesirable both patient as the medical personnel. In the market there is not available an effervescent product of dextrose allowing to ease the evaluation process and detection of glucose levels in a patient and the pancreas capability for eliminating the unnecessary sugars.
[0045] In other object, the present invention provides a process for preparing the effervescent solid pharmaceutical composition of the present invention, characterized by comprising the following steps:
(i) Powdering the acidifier agent, (ii) Mixing the hydrating agent, the acidifier agent, the alkalinizing agent and the flavoring agent. (iii) Drying of mixture of above step (ii) (iv) Controlling the relative humidity content (% RH), bottling and packaging.
[0050] In one preferred embodiment of the process of the present invention the mixing step of the hydrating agent, the acidifier agent, the alkalinizing agent, the flavoring agent and the coloring agent allows that said mixture being conformed as granules having an average size varying from 250 to 6000 um.
[0051] And more preferably, the granules conformed in the mixing step have a particle size comprised varying from 400 to 4000 um.
[0052] Consequently, the process involve as initial step the weighting of raw materials including the hydrating agent, the acidifier agent, the alkalinizing agent, the flavoring agent, and the coloring agent. A verification of said weighting is made and said weighted materials are to the mixing step. This mixing may be carried out, for example, in a V-type mixer, but the person skilled in the art would understand that it is possible the use of other type of mixers allowing the suitable mixing of the raw materials for the purposes of the present invention. Subsequently, it shall proceed to the powdering of the acidifier agent, which may be citric acid for the instant illustrative example of preparation. This powdering may be carried out, for instance, in a Fitzmil Miller, but other milling equipment may be used with similar characteristics. Next, the dry mixing of all of the raw material, which includes dextrose, sodium bicarbonate, citric acid, orange flavor, and yellow coloring in the present case. This mixing is carried out in the V-type mixer and over 30 minutes. After this time, the mixture is placed into dryness oven for drying the mixed product. This drying step may be carried out at a temperature of about 40° C. during about 8 hours. Once the drying step had concluded, the quality control tests are performed over the product, which include determination of relative humidity (% RH); and the corresponding physicochemical tests. Once satisfactorily concluded these test, it shall proceed to the bottling and packaging of product for its distribution.
[0053] Thus, the product of the present invention may be administered to the patient in the form of a unique oral dose of glucose as solution form for determining in a quantitative, fast, economic and simple manner the capability to metabolize glucose in a patient with sugar levels related conditions. Therefore, the test allows to the medical professional determine diabetes mellitus, gestational diabetes, hyperinsulin and any other investigative study involving diabetic patients, once the patient had ingested the effervescent product of dextrose of the present invention.
[0054] Accordingly, once administered the novel product of the present invention to the patient, it should proceed with the assays measuring the capability to metabolize the glucose. Persons affected by diabetes mellitus have high glucose levels in blood and the tolerance assays to the glucose are one of tools for its diagnosis. This assay is also performed in order to diagnose diabetes mellitus in researching studies involving diabetic and in the cases, where is suspected the presence of this disease, although a fast blood glucose test had been made, with normal results; as well as for the hyperinsulin diagnostic (increasing of insulin levels).
[0055] Methods more currently used in order to evaluate the tolerance may be:
(i) Tolerance tests by using an oral single dose of glucose. (ii) Tolerance tests with an intravenous dose of glucose.
[0058] More commonly glucose tolerance test is oral. After a fasting night, the patient ingests a solution containing a known amount of glucose. Basal blood sample is taken, before the patient ingest the glucose solution, and again each 30 minutes latter up to 2 or 3 hours according to the medical prescription, for determining glycemia. In addition, the patient cannot eat during the exam and it is recommended to inform the medical professional about the use of drugs that may affect the results.
[0059] Frequently is applied for measuring the insulin levels (hormone produced by the pancreas which allows introducing glucose from the blood to each one of the body cells).
[0060] When glucose is orally administered, the absorption from gastrointestinal tract toward blood continues during a variable lapse, which depends upon the amount of the administered glucose. Maximal glucose absorption is estimated in 0.8 g/kg weight by hour.
[0061] Tolerance to the glucose orally administered, measure the balance between the passage of glucose through extra cell fluid and its separation by cell assimilation and the urinary excretion, if exists.
[0062] Therefore, test may be affected, not only by those factors involved with the use of glucose, but also by those affecting its absorption.
[0063] Intravenous glucose tolerance tests are not common. In order to perform this assay, the patient is intra venous injected with a known amount of glucose during three minutes, previous to the measure of blood insulin levels at minute one and minute three.
Tolerance Test By Using An Oral Dose:
[0064] Theoretically, during 3 days previous to the performance of the test, the patient is administered with a diet containing about 300 g of carbohydrates and about 3000 calories. Previous fasting should be from 8 to 9 hours. Glucose doses used are 75 g. In general, standard prepared and flavored solutions are used. The solution should be cool. Venous blood is collected previous the glucose ingestion and every half hour, or each hour, during 3 hours after of glucose ingestion, according the medical prescription for determining glycemia, and simultaneously for glucose levels.
Interpretation
[0065] At normal conditions, the blood should have a glucose level lower tan 100 mgl/dl. The normal blood values are:
Ayunas: 60 a 100 mg/dl. 1 hour: less than 200 mgldl. 2 hours: less tan 140 mg/dl. Between 140 and 199 is considered that glucose intolerance exists and is a group having higher risk to develop diabetes Levels above 200 mgl/dl, indicates diabetes diagnostic.
[0071] Criteria used for defining the abnormality condition of a tolerance curve are based on the peak level reached by the blood concentration and the absence of return to the normal level, 2 hours after glucose intake, where the last is the more important.
[0072] A hypoglucemic value (i.e., lowered glycemia) of 3 to 5 hours after the glucose ingestion was observed in certain patients, whose the tolerance curve was diabetic, understood as hyperinsulin, which is typical of a diabetic condition.
EXAMPLE
[0073] The following is an illustrative example for only one specific formulation of the present invention:
Product: Effervescent Dextrose Pharmaceutical Form: Non esterile powder Doisification weight: Sachet×25 grams Measurement Unit of Product: kilogram
[0000]
Material Description
Amount per Unit
Measurment Unit
MONOHYDRATED
900.2500000
G
DEXTROSE
POWDER
YELLOW No. 6 FDC
0.1000000
G
ORANGE FLAVOR
9.6500000
POWDER
SODIUM BICARBONATE
40.0000000
G
USP
ANHYDRIC CITRIC ACID
50.0000000
G
USP
[0078] The following corresponds to the physicochemical results obtained from a sample representative of the active principle contained in a pharmaceutical formulation of the present invention:
Monohydrated Dextrose Rosferose
[0079]
[0000]
DESCRIPTION
WHITE POWDER,
ODORLESS, SWEET FLAVOR,
WATER SOLUBLE
PRODUCT CLEANING ASPECT
ACCORD
IDENTIFICATION TEST
ACCORD
IN SOLUTION ASPECT
2
ROTATORY POWER
DEGREES
+52.9
ACIDITY ML NAOH 0.020N/5 G
ML
<0.300
DRYNESS LOSS
%
8.9
SULFATED ASHES
%
<0.10
CHLORIDES
PPM
<5.0
SULFATES
PPM
<10.0
ARSENIC
PPM
<1.00
HEAVY METALS
PPM
<5.0
OTHER SUGARS, DEXTRINES
2
Advantages of the Invention
[0080] Particularly, the advantages of the claimed product and process, and the scope representing such advantages, may be based on of the following considerations:
It is a low cost product. Allow the fast and effective detection of the glucose levels. It is a product having excellent tolerance for the patient, since the products as effervescent pharmaceutical form had demonstrated higher bioavailability and are less aggressive at gastric and stomach level. It is easy and comfortable for the patient due its application simplicity (unique oral intake). The product provides time saving for the medical professional or practicing of a clinical laboratory due the easy dissolution of dextrose at the moment for preparing the patient dose. Some products commercially available should dissolve in warm water for its subsequent cooling, while the product of the present invention is effervescent and is dissolved in instantaneous form. In order to preserve the content and the potentially effervescent effect of the product of the present invention in each sachet, it is necessary to use high impermeability barrier materials, which increases the product protection against possible contamination and the durability of the product is increased in comparison with the commercial products. The target patient that intakes the product of the present invention avoid undesirable pinpricks; the ingestion of undesirable solutions due the low solubility of the active component; or the undesirable waiting in the determination of the curve due time expensive with extended dilution solutions.
[0088] Now well, any person skilled in the art, particularly any person skilled who had access to the teachings of the present invention shall recognize without major difficulty that it is possible any modification over the product or process disclosed therein, without the same departure from the scope and spirit of the invention. For instance, it would be recognized that any variety of ingredients that comply with the purposes of the invention or any proportions may be used. Consequently, all of the embodiments and modifications exposed in the present invention should not be understood as limitations of the scope of the invention, which is defined by the contents of the following claims.
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The present invention is related to the medicine field. Specifically, the present Invention is related with an effervescent solid pharmaceutical composition of dextrose having as purpose determining the metabolized glucose levels in a patient with diabetes or glucose metabolism related conditions, in a simple and effective manner with respect to the conventional products of this kind. Accordingly, the present invention provides a novel product allowing the medical professional or physician of a clinic laboratory to determine in a quantitative, economic, efficient, fast and in a single manner, the clinical conditions of a patient regarding the glucose level and the pancreas ability to eliminate the unnecessary sugars in terms of time. Furthermore, the present invention provides a novel process for preparing the novel effervescent solid pharmaceutical formulation of dextrose.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] 1. Field of the Invention
[0002] The present invention relates to the field of treating biomass to enhance its value or rank. More particularly, the invention concerns a process for the treatment of biomass, especially coal, to efficiently convert the selected feed stock from low rank into a high grade fuel capable of increased heat release per unit of fuel. This is accomplished in part by driving off most on the moisture trapped in low grade coal. The process simultaneously scrubs the coal of pollutants or impurities, many of which are organic volatiles, which are also referred to as by-products.
[0003] These by-products are largely combustible and can provide the heat energy required to operate the inventive process after start up in a manner similar to that of a petroleum refinery refining crude oil to produce clean fuels. The removed by-products are recycled into products such as roofing tar, and chemical feed stocks. The organic volatiles are light hydrocarbons that can be used as gaseous fuels, first to power the process after startup, with the remaining organic volatiles being separately processed for other applications. The process further renders the coal into a low smoke generating fuel to make its use more acceptable for domestic purposes such as cooking and home heating. Finally, the inventive process reduces the weight of the coal, which reduces the cost to transport the treated coal to the location where it is burned as fuel.
[0004] The process is an energy conservation measure on several different levels. The process increases rank of the coal making it a more effective fuel, removes moisture, uses the by-products removed from the feed stock to power the inventive process, produces treated by-products for other applications such as gaseous fuels that contain more useful energy, and reduces the weight of the coal to reduce energy consumption in transporting the coal to its combustion site. The process also recycles heat to further lower fuel consumption in operating the process The inventive process is principally designed for use with sub-bituminous and lignitic coal, but it is equally applicable to biomass such as wood waste, shells, husks, and other combustible material of organic origin.
[0005] 2. Description of the Prior Art
[0006] Biomass is one of the largest and most readily available energy sources known to man. Biomass is found in immature forms, such as wood, shells, husks and peat. Vast amounts of biomass are also available in the form of lignite, sub-bituminous, bituminous and anthracite coal. Man has been releasing the energy trapped in these materials ever since he discovered and was able to control fire. The inefficient release of these vast energy reserves, however, has resulted in a degradation of the quality of the atmosphere and the environment, and some believe it contributes significantly to global warming. The increasing demand for energy, created by man's insatiable appetite for the products made available by an industrialized society, have created a need to release this energy in a safe, clean and environmentally responsible manner.
[0007] It is known to treat coal with the application of heat in a controlled environment to increase its rank. The present invention is actually a significant improvement over Hunt, U.S. Pat. No. 6,447,559. Hunt teaches treating coal in an inert atmosphere to increase its rank. In the present invention, coal is first heated to a temperature of 400° F. in an inert atmosphere to produce coal having only 2-5% moisture, then heated in an inert atmosphere to 1500° F. to produce coal having only 1-2% moisture and a mass reduction of up to 30%, to produce coal having less than 2% moisture and a volatiles content of less than 25%, then cooling the coal in an oxygen-free and dry atmosphere, and finally collecting it.
[0008] The prior art preceding Hunt had recognized that heating coal removes moisture and enhances the rank and BTU content of the coal. It was also previously recognized that this pyrolysis activity altered the complex hydrocarbons present in coal to a simpler set of hydrocarbons. This molecular transformation resulted in a more readily combustible coal, but an unstable product. The prior processes took several hours to complete, which made them slow and costly in both capitalization and productions costs. Hunt greatly shortened the processing time of the prior art preceding Hunt.
[0009] But Hunt does not recognize either the use of by-products to power the process, or the ability to “farm” a great number of by-products for constructive use outside of the process. Hunt is also a horizontal process, while the present invention is a vertical process that can take advantage at certain points of gravity is moving the coal from one zone to another. Energy conservation is achieved by the present process on multiple levels, and environmental conservation is achieved both in the process facility and by the cleaner burning coal after being processed.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0010] Bearing in mind the foregoing, a principal object of the present invention is to improve upon prior art coal upgrading processes that utilize heat and pressure to remove moisture and volatile matter from coal by minimizing the creation of unstable products that are prone to moisture re-absorption, size degradation, and spontaneous combustion.
[0011] Another principal object of the present invention is to improve the rank of low grade coal by converting it into a high grade fuel capable of increased heat release per unit of fuel and doing so with the by-products of the process such as organic volatiles that are light hydrocarbons that are fuel to power the process after startup.
[0012] Another object of the present invention is to improve the rank of low grade coal using a process that is energy conserving on several levels, i.e., the increased rank of the coal makes it a more effective fuel, removes moisture, uses the by-products removed from the feed stock to power the inventive process, produces treated by-products for other applications such as gaseous fuels that contain more useful energy, and reduces the weight of the coal to reduce energy consumption in transporting the coal to its combustion site.
[0013] A further object of the invention is to produce a clean burning coal by removing pollutants so that burning the coal minimizes air pollution rendering the coal a more environmentally acceptable fuel.
[0014] An additional object of the present invention is to render the coal into a low smoke generating fuel to make its use more acceptable for domestic purposes such as cooking and home heating by removing toxic pollutants.
[0015] A further object of the present invention is to reduce the inefficient release of energy reserves in the form of biomass such as coal to, in turn, reduce degradation of the quality of the atmosphere and the environment, and reduce global warming.
[0016] Another object of the present invention is to release biomass energy in a safe, clean and environmentally responsible manner.
[0017] An additional object of the invention is to provide places in the world like China having ever increasing energy needs with a way to utilize its significant coal deposits in a way that has a positive impact with other nations concerned with air pollution and global warming.
[0018] A related object of the invention is to provide nations like China who already use coal for heating and cooking in homes with a way to improve the health of its citizens by minimizing smoke and exposure to pollutants when burning coal in a home.
[0019] Other objects and advantages will be apparent to those skilled in the art upon reference to the following descriptions and drawings.
[0020] In accordance with a principal aspect of the present invention, a process produces a clean burning fuel from low grade coal. This clean fuel is similar to coal, moisture resistant, stable, and has a higher heating value per unit mass, as compared to the feed stock coal. The clean coal fuel may be handled and combusted like coal in coal-fired power plants, industrial boilers, and homes; however, it produces fewer or none of the emissions of harmful air pollutants that are commonly associated with coal burning devices. The inventive process treats coal prior to its combustion and removes about 90 percent of the pollutants inherent in coal that are responsible for creating smog and unhealthy air.
[0021] These pollutants are removed within 6 to 18 minutes, many of which may be recycled into products such as roofing tar, chemical feed stocks, and light hydrocarbons that can be used as gaseous fuels. The final product is optionally formed into briquettes for use in homes where coal is used for cooking and heating. Because of their clean burning characteristics, the use of these briquettes significantly improves the health of those who have previously been exposed to toxic fumes from burning uncleaned coal in their homes.
[0022] In accordance with a secondary aspect of the present invention, the process uses a different approach where it uses a multi-stage heating process to gradually heat the coal under controlled residence times and atmospheres to produce a stable product with an increased BTU content—this is a unique and distinguishing aspect of this process over its competitors. The mix of gasses in each zone is proprietary to the inventive process and ensures that the coal loses its volatile matter without combusting itself to produce a clean coal fuel.
[0023] The apparatus is comprised of three chambers, each of which is considered a zone. Coal is gradually heated in the first two chambers (zones) and then cooled in the last chamber (zone). Each heating zone may be viewed as a stand-alone partial gasification chamber. Coal is heated under controlled temperatures, residence time, and ambient pressure as it progresses through each zone. Process variables in each zone are adjusted to suit desired end product specifications.
[0024] The feed stock coal is crushed to a typical size distribution for utility coal and fed into Zone 1. The temperature and residence time in this zone is sufficient to remove surface moisture from the coal. The coal moves into the second zone where the temperature and retention time are maintained to remove any remaining moisture and low and high boiling volatiles, air toxics (including mercury, arsenic, and some sulfur oxides) are removed. The third zone is a cooling zone where the coal is cooled in a controlled atmosphere. Cooling is conducted at a rate which does not compromise the structural integrity of the coal. After exiting from zone 5, the product coal typically has a moisture content <2% and a volatile content between 5-15%. These two parameters may be varied to suit utility requirements by altering processing conditions.
[0025] A gas collection manifold in each chamber captures all moisture and volatile matter released from the coal during processing. A gas separator separates the light hydrocarbons that are directed back to the burners that heat the zones. Heavier gases separated from the lighter gases are collected in a separate vessel for subsequent sale or conversion to synthetic fuels and chemical feed stocks.
[0026] The processing plant has been designed to improve the quality of mined coal by approximately 30%, depending on the quality of the incoming coal. This is achieved through the removal of both surface and inherent moisture plus volatile matter from within the coal. This volatile matter contains most of the contaminants and, once removed, leaves the remaining coal to burn cleanly. The process is designed to utilize a minimum amount of energy and time to improve the coal in a safe and consistent manner.
[0027] The facility includes a seven day storage capacity of coal in both the raw and finished coal piles. The coal feed stock is delivered to the facility and shipped from the facility by truck or rail. The incoming trucks or rail cars proceed to an unloading station where the contents are dumped into a receiving bunker. Coal from the bunker is conveyed to a stacker where the coal is distributed and packed into a storage pile.
[0028] A coal reclaimer harvests coal from the storage pile and conveys it to a conveyor/tripper located above the in-process storage silos. The storage silos store approximately 2.5 hours worth of coal for each processing unit. The conveyor/tripper delivers coal to the silos on a continuous basis. After the coal is processed, it is delivered to the processed coal conveyor at a temperature of 200° F. and conveyed to the finished product stacker where it is compacted and stored in the processed coal pile. From the processed coal pile, the coal is reclaimed and conveyed to rail cars for shipment.
[0029] All gasses generated by the different process units are sent to a central gas processing unit where heavy hydrocarbons are separated and condensed into a liquid that is stored and shipped by rail to an oil refinery for further processing. The remaining gasses are separated and four main streams are generated. The first gas stream is carbon dioxide that is recycled back to the coal processing units; the second stream consists of methane and ethane and is sent back to the coal processing units and used as a fuel to heat the coal. The third stream is propane which is condensed and stored as a liquid both for start up of the inventive process and for back up for the fuel gas system. A propane/air mixer produces a fuel gas equivalent BTU mix. The fourth gas stream consists of pentanes and heavier hydrocarbons and is condensed and shipped to a refinery via truck for further processing or sale.
[0030] The facility includes coal handling equipment to receive, store and reclaim the coal from a coal feed stock pile for processing. The coal is delivered to in-process storage bunkers located above the processing equipment. From the storage bunkers the coal flows by gravity into the process equipment and is fed into chutes by a series of screw conveyors that deliver a full width layer of coal to the processing equipment. The processing equipment consists of a series of vibratory feeders that convey a 4-inch deep bed of coal through the two heating chambers or zones and the cooling chamber or zone as described above.
[0031] In the first heating chamber, the coal is preferably heated from ambient to a temperature of 400° F. or more. The heating occurs under a blanket of carbon dioxide. Hot carbon dioxide is supplied to the first heating chamber through a fluidized bed built into the bed of the vibratory feeder. The carbon dioxide picks up moisture and some hydrocarbon gasses and delivers them to the gas cleaning module for separation of dust and moisture and further processing.
[0032] The coal is delivered to the second heating chamber where gas fired heaters heat the coal from 400° F. to 1500° F. or more. Carbon dioxide is fed above the bed of the vibratory feeder. The carbon dioxide picks up additional moisture and a larger amount of hydrocarbon gasses. The gas mixture is delivered to the gas cleaning module for further processing.
[0033] The cooling chamber consists of a vibratory feeder moving the coal from one end of the vibratory feeder to the other while being exposed to a stream of cool carbon dioxide that has been fed into the unit. Carbon dioxide is reclaimed from the process at the gas cleaning module.
[0034] Carbon dioxide recycled and cooled from the first heating chamber which has been cooled and de-humidified is supplied to this cooling chamber through a fluidized bed built into the bed of the vibratory feeder. The exhaust gasses from the cooling chamber are heated and re-circulated to the first heating chamber, thereby recycling the heat.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0035] Various other features of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the following discussion taken in conjunction with the appended drawings in which:
[0036] FIG. 1 is the primary schematic diagram of the process showing the product flow. through the facility, partial circulation of carbon dioxide through the process, and the gas separation unit that receives and separates by-products of the process.
[0037] FIG. 2 is a cross sectional view of the first heating chamber or zone.
[0038] FIG. 3 is a cross sectional view of the second heating chamber or zone.
[0039] FIG. 4 is a cross sectional view of the cooling chamber or zone.
[0040] FIG. 5 is the secondary schematic diagram showing the thermal trail of the carbon dioxide through the process facility.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0041] As required, detailed embodiments of the present invention 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 to be appended later and as a representative basis for teaching one skilled in the art to variously employ the present invention in virtually any appropriately detailed structure.
[0042] Reference will be made herein to the drawings in which like characteristics and features of the present invention shown in the various figures are designated by the same reference numerals.
[0043] The apparatus includes three chambers, each of which is considered a zone. Coal is gradually heated in the first two chambers (zones) and then cooled in the last chamber (zone). Each heating zone may be viewed as a stand-alone partial gasification chamber. Coal is heated under controlled temperatures, residence time, and ambient pressure as it progresses through each zone. Process variables in each zone are adjusted to suit desired end product specifications.
[0044] Coal is first crushed and graded using conventional crushing machines, i.e. a Gundlach double roll crusher or a McClanahan type crusher to reduce the feedstock to an average 90% passing 2 inches. It is then screened to remove any—¼″ material and transferred via a bucket conveyor to zone 1. Zone 1 contains a vibratory bed that moves the coal along at a controlled rate to match the residence time for this zone. The vibratory bed is heated with hot carbon dioxide that is fed in from the bottom of the bed. The temperature of zone 1 is maintained at around 400° F., which removes most of the surface moisture from the coal.
[0045] At the end of the bed, the coal is deposited onto the second vibratory bed (zone 2) via a chute utilizing gravity to save energy. As coal enters zone 2, it is heated by gas fired heaters that maintain the temperature of the zone at about 1500° F. Coal passes through this zone for a few minutes to remove any remaining moisture and any low-boiling volatile matter from the coal. The retention time of the coal in zones 1 and 2 varies depending upon the initial moisture and volatile content of the coal feed and the desired moisture/volatile content of the final product. Typical residence times are on the order of 3-5 minutes per zone.
[0046] The coal in the second heating chamber (zone 2), is heated by a series of gas fired heaters to temperatures as high as 1,500° F. The carbon dioxide fed into zone 2 picks up additional moisture and the remaining heavier volatile gases emanating from the coal. This gaseous mixture is eventually delivered to the gas separation section. Between zones 1, 2, and 3, the coal loses the bulk of its volatile matter and undergoes some shrinkage as it losses a portion of its mass. Typically, weight loss is in the range of 15-35% of the coal's initial mass, but weight loss is largely dependent upon the characteristics of the feed coal, zone temperature, residence time, and other factors. These influencing factors are integrated into the overall process control system that monitors these parameters and adjusts them accordingly to obtain the desired final product.
[0047] Control of the gaseous mixture inside each zone is critical to the successful operation of the process. When coal is heated to the above mentioned temperatures, its moisture and volatile matter are driven off from the coal macerals. The expansion of the volatile matter at increasing temperature creates fissures and voids within the coal structure. If expansion is too rapid, these fissures can split the coal and the entire coal undergoes size degradation. Other undesirable characteristics are moisture re-absorption and spontaneous combustion after the coal reaches ambient temperature. However, the inventive process monitors the gaseous mix inside each heating zone to control the rate of removal of these volatile elements.
[0048] This is accomplished by creating a dynamic phase equilibrium between the solid/liquid and gaseous forms of the volatile matter inside the coal via an inert atmosphere created in part by the volatized materials from the coal and the introduction of an external, non-oxidizing, inert gas such as carbon dioxide or nitrogen. The chambers are provided with entry and exit ports for the admission and retrieval of such gases. The residence time, the type, and individual amounts of gasses circulated within each zone are predetermined for each feed coal and used as control parameters in the process. The oxygen content of the gasses within each zone is typically less than 2% oxygen.
[0049] Another effect of the atmosphere provided within each zone is to ensure that the coal maintains most of its natural structural integrity and resists the tendency to disintegrate into fines (particles less than ¼″), even though the coal may be more fragile due to some loss of mass. The processed coal is ready for transfer by a chute using a gravity feed to the cooling zone (zone 3). The gravity feed saves energy.
[0050] In zone 3, the coal is cooled by exposing it to a dry inert gas that is free of oxygen. In the process design, the cooling chamber (zone 3) consists of a vibratory feeder moving the coal from one end of the vibratory feeder to the other while being exposed to a stream of cool carbon dioxide that has been reclaimed from the process at the gas separation section. This carbon dioxide is recycled from zone 1 after it had been cooled and de-humidified and supplied to zone 3 through a fluidized bed built into the bed of the vibratory feeder. The exhaust gasses from the cooling section are heated and re-circulated to zone 1. Control systems ensure that the cooling stream of carbon dioxide only contains 0.25 to 0.75% oxygen, by volume, with a moisture content of less than 1% by weight, and flows counter current to direction of flow of the coal.
[0051] From zone 3, the coal is now ready for shipment to utility and industrial markets. If needed, fines may be removed from the coal by screening so that the finished product has a size range of ¼″ to 2″.
[0052] The fines are optionally converted into briquettes for home use or used as fuel to supply heat for the process. Alternatively, the fines are sold to a third party for processing into briquettes for home use. The end result is the production of clean burning, low smoke coal briquettes that have strong structural make up, moisture resistant, long shelf life and are cost effective.
[0053] What follows is a description of the individual pieces of equipment. The vibratory feeders are, for the most part, standard pieces of equipment designed to move solid products by inducing vibration on a flat bed. Because of the high temperatures involved in the process, the vibrating beds are lined with refractory materials. The vibrating bed is mounted on springs and the vibration is generated by an eccentric arm mounted on a shaft and driven by an electric motor. The electric motor is controlled by a variable frequency drive in order to modulate the speed of the conveyor. The vibratory feeder bed is provided with a metal skirt that is immersed in a sand seal in order to prevent the carbon dioxide atmosphere inside the enclosure from escaping.
[0054] The heaters comprise natural gas burners mounted on the walls of the chamber. The fuel/air mixture is controlled to maintain a constant exit temperature. As the amount of combustible gas produced by the process increases within the chamber, the external gas feed to the burner is reduced and combustion air is controlled to sustain combustion and maintain the exit temperature of the gas. Any excess hydrocarbons being generated by the process are carried by the carbon dioxide to the chemical section for processing.
[0055] Heat, from external sources, is supplied to the process in three discrete, independent locations. All heat addition locations utilize propane as the start up fuel, produced by the gas plant installed as a part of the process. Propane is stored at the facility.
[0056] The first heat addition location is the CO2 fired heater which raises the temperature of the CO2 stream going to first heating chamber. This fired heater raises the CO2 from an inlet temperature of 522° F. to a CO2 discharge temperature of 938° F. A burner utilizing propane/ethane-methane as the burner fuel provides the necessary heat. The burner is equipped with both a vendor furnished Combustion Control System (CCS) and Burner Management System (EMS).
[0057] The burner temperature profile and consequently the burner heat release are chosen such that the requisite CO2 temperature rise can be achieved. Given the relatively high CO2 inlet temperature, the flue gas exhaust temperature out of the fired heater is also elevated. A flue gas to combustion air heat exchanger is installed to preheat burner combustion air with the flue gas exiting the fired heater to reduce burner fuel demand. An un-insulated metal stack is installed downstream of the combustion air preheater to discharge the flue gas to ambient.
[0058] The second heat addition location is the gas fired heater heating the coal going to the second chamber. This fired heater raises the incoming coal from the first chamber to a coal discharge temperature of 1500° F. Burners fueled with propane/ethane-methane provide the necessary heat. The burners are also equipped with a vendor furnished Combustion Control System (CCS) and BMS. The burner temperature profile and consequently the burner heat release are chosen such that the requisite CO2 temperature rise can be achieved. Given the high flue gas exit temperature, the system includes a flue gas to combustion air heat exchanger to raise incoming combustion air temperature. An un-insulated metal stack is installed downstream of the combustion air preheater to discharge the flue gas to ambient. One of the main advantages of the process is that it recycles 100% of the heat removed from the coal during the cooling process to heat the first heating section of the process.
[0059] Centrifugal fans are utilized to move the process gas through the system. The fans are of the radial blade type and, in some cases, are made from specialty metals to handle the high temperatures and corrosive nature of the gasses being conveyed.
[0060] The dust collector is utilized to separate any dust from the process gas and water vapor being generated in the first heating chamber. The dust collector is of the bag type and the bags are made of material suitable for temperatures up to 400° F. Normally, compressed air is utilized to shake the bags but in this case carbon dioxide is utilized in order to keep an oxygen starved atmosphere in the process. Because of the hot, humid and corrosive environment, all internal parts in contact with the process stream are made of stainless steel.
[0061] The water separator consists of a finned water coil with a large drain pan that condenses the moisture from the process gas stream and drains it. Cooling water for the coil is provided by a condenser water system consisting of cooling towers and circulating pumps.
[0062] The cooling towers are the counterflow type and are sized to cool water from 115° F. down to 85° F. at an ambient wet bulb of 78° F. The condenser water system provides cooling to the coal processing as well as the gas processing side of the system. Cooling tower fans utilize electrical reversing relays to reverse rotation on the fans in case of icing during winter.
[0000] The condenser water pumps are of the vertical turbine type and are located in a wet well at the cooling tower structure where the water cooled by the towers is collected. The pumps discharge water into a piping system that conveys the water to cooling coils and heat exchangers throughout the facility. The pumps are controlled by variable speed drives to control the amount of water flowing through the system and minimize energy consumption in winter.
[0063] Metal chutes conveying coal from one area of the process to another are lined with refractory materials suitable for handling coal as well as the temperatures generated by the process. Vibratory feeders are housed inside refractory enclosures that are under a slight negative pressure generated by the fans exhausting the gasses from the enclosure. The carbon dioxide atmosphere of course prevents the coal from igniting in the presence of oxygen above 400° F.
[0064] The gas by-products from the coal heating chambers consist of those materials contained in the combined streams exiting the first and second chambers. These are the volatiles driven from the coal at the various temperature levels and the gas that is being used as a heat transfer medium being used to heat and cool the coal at various stages. The heat transfer gas is carbon dioxide, but nitrogen is also contemplated.
[0065] At the low temperature level, i.e. 400° F., volatiles consist primarily of surface moisture. At 1500° F., the volatiles consist of moisture within the coal and light hydrocarbons, hydrogen, carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, hydrogen sulfide, and ammonia. At the highest temperatures, heavier hydrocarbon, liquids are driven off. Much of the hydrocarbons are deficient in hydrogen, consisting of alkenes and aromatics. In addition to hydrocarbons, the volatiles consist of such contaminant inorganics that are released at higher temperatures, i.e. 2,000° F. Such inorganic contaminants consist of chlorine, mercury, arsenic, etc.
[0066] The purpose of the gas module is to remove contaminants and separate various components into saleable and transportable products. These products will be discussed in the products section. Another important purpose is to separate carbon dioxide for recycle back to the coal drying section for its use as a heat medium. Of critical importance to the design of the gas plant is the composition of the volatiles driven from the coal at the various stages of the cleaning process.
[0067] The following are the products from the gas plant:
[0068] Fuel gas. This consists of C4-material, i.e., methane, ethane, ethylene, butanes, and butylenes. This is used in the coal plant burners as fuel gas. This gas is amine treated, and is relatively free of H2S.
[0069] Propane, propylenes. The coal plant requires a source of fuel for startup. For this reason, C3s separation and storage is provided. Excess C3s above that required for the coal plant startup is sold, such as to a refinery as feedstock to a refinery Alkylation unit.
[0070] Butanes, butylenes. This is a liquid product stream, and storage facilities are provided. This is optionally used as fuel or as a product to be sold, such as to a refinery as feedstock to a refinery Alkylation unit.
[0071] Heavy Liquid, C5 plus liquid. This is described in more detail below.
[0072] Sulfur. Described below.
[0073] CO2. CO2 is a makeup to the inert gas which is used as a heating medium in the coal cleaning section.
[0074] CO. Carbon monoxide is widely used in the chemical industry as the material to produce polyurethane or polycarbonate.
[0075] Individual processes are:
[0076] Contaminant Removal.
[0077] Solid adsorbents remove vapor contaminants such as mercury from gas to very low levels. This is accomplished with two or more adsorbent vessels. As one adsorbent vessel has filled with contaminants, it is brought offline to have the spent adsorbent replaced with fresh adsorbent. Solid contaminants such as arsenic are removed from the liquids thru filtration.
[0078] Hydrocarbon Treating.
[0079] The removal of H2S from fuel gas is accomplished via amine treating. In this process, H2S is absorbed from the gas in an adsorption column by a specific type of amine. The purified gas is then sent to further processing or used as fuel gas. The H2S absorbed by the amine is then sent to a stripping column were H2S is driven off as a concentrated stream. The lean amine is then recycled back to the absorber. The H2S stripped from the amine is then sent to a sulfur recovery unit.
[0080] CO2 Removal.
[0081] Removal of CO2 is by 2 nd stage amine separation. The amine that was used for H2S removal was selective for H2S, leaving CO2 in the gas.
[0082] CO Removal.
[0083] Carbon monoxide is captured in a process- involving absorption/desorption using a solvent containing cuprous aluminum chloride in toluene.
[0084] Water Removal.
[0085] Water is collected from various locations within the gas plant. These include the adsorbent driers, water boots from the separators. The water is sour, and consequently is treated in a sour water stripper. H2S and ammonia dissolved in the water is stripped and combined with the acid gas from the amine treater, and together sent to sulfur recovery.
[0086] The treated gas containing C4 minus material is sent to the light gas separation section. In this section, methane/ethane is first separated using a refrigerated J-T process. This includes an adsorbent dehydrator, propane chiller, cold separator, and de-ethanizer column operating at −30° F. The bottoms product from the de-ethanizer is sent to a depolarizer and debutanizer where propanes/propylenes and butanes/butylenes are separated, respectively. The bottoms product from the debutanizer contain the C5 plus hydrocarbons which combine with the main separator liquid and sent to liquid product storage for subsequent sale.
[0087] The heavy liquid (C5 plus material) consists of a wide boiling range material ranging from light naphtha to diesel and heavier. It is hydrogen deficient and highly aromatic. It contains oxygen bearing hydrocarbons such as ethers, aldehydes, esters, and ketones. It is a stabilized material suitable for storage and transportation to a petroleum/petrochemical refinery for further processing. To avoid gum formation, it is stored in a relatively air free environment, that being an insulated, gas blanketed storage tank.
[0088] A final by-product is sulfur. It is captured from the H2S that is produced in the sour water stripper and amine units of the gas plant, and processed in a Claus unit to produce elemental sulfur. The Claus unit produces sulfur by reacting H2S over a catalyst with air. The reaction is highly exothermic, resulting in production of high pressure steam generated in a waste heat boiler. This steam is integrated in other sections of gas plant and used for heating. The excess steam could also be used with a turbine to generate electricity.
[0089] Sulfur is stored and transported both as a liquid and solid. It is a solid when cooled and formed into briquettes that are more easily transported to facilities for further processing, i.e., fertilizer, sulfuric acid, etc.
[0090] Turning finally to the drawing, FIG. 1 is the primary schematic diagram of the process showing the product flow. through the facility, partial circulation of carbon dioxide through the process, and the gas separation unit that receives and separates by-products of the process.
[0091] The schematic of the process is shown generally at 10 . Raw coal 12 that has already been crushed to size and graded elsewhere at the facility (not shown) is loaded into a hopper/feeder 14 . It is then fed at 16 to the first zone chamber 18 where it is heated to 400° F. using hot carbon dioxide gas that enters the chamber 18 at 20 . This drives off moisture, which is carried out of the chamber 18 by the exiting carbon dioxide at 22 .
[0092] The 400° F. temperature coal then exits the chamber 18 at 24 and moves to the second zone chamber 26 . There is heated to 1500° F. using gas fired burners described in connection with FIG. 3 . At this temperature, by-products are driven out of the coal in the form of volatile matter The volatile matter passes to a gas separation unit 28 at 30 . It is carried there by carbon dioxide that enters second zone chamber 26 at 32 .
[0093] In the gas separation unit 28 , various by-products are separated from each other and discharged into different streams. The first such stream is methane and ethane at 34 . The methane and ethane is recycled at 36 back to second zone chamber 26 where it is burned in gas fired burners to heat the coal to 1500° F. in an oxygen free environment. Thus the first by-product at least partially fuels the inventive process, which was not taught by Hunt, the primary prior art reference. The second stream is propane at 38 . At least some of the propane produced by the process is stored at the facility because it is used for heating at startup. Left over amounts can be sold as a by-product of the process. The next stream is heavy carbons at 40 which can be sold to others for chemical feedstocks. The penultimate stream is pentane and heavier hydrocarbons at 42 , also saleable to others. The final stream 44 is to separate out the carrier carbon dioxide for recycling back at 32 to second zone chamber 26
[0094] The coal heated to 1500° F. in second zone chamber 26 exits that chamber at 46 and passes to third zone chamber 48 , where it is cooled in a dry and oxygen free environment. The carbon dioxide that carries moisture out of the first zone chamber 18 at 22 is directed to gas cleaning module 50 , where the carbon dioxide is dehumidified. After some other steps described in connection with FIG. 5 , the carbon dioxide enters third zone chamber 48 at 52 , where it is used to cool the coal down to about 200° F. Then the cleaned coal is discharged at 54 from the process for storage and delivery to users. The carbon dioxide, which is heated by cooling the coal in third zone chamber 48 exits that chamber at 56 and is returned at 20 to the first zone chamber 18 to heat the coal therein to 400° F. as described earlier.
[0095] FIG. 2 is a cross sectional view of the first heating chamber or zone 18 . Coal 12 enters the chamber 18 at 16 and is moved on a vibratory feeder 58 which includes a fluidized bed 60 . Hot carbon dioxide enters at 20 and is fed into the fluidized bed 60 to heat the coal and absorb the moisture. The dried coal heated to 400° F. then exits first zone chamber 18 at 24 enroute to the second zone chamber 26 as seen in FIG. 3 . The carbon dioxide and moisture combination exit at 22 enroute to the gas cleaning module 50 as seen in FIG. 1 .
[0096] FIG. 3 is a cross sectional view of the second heating chamber or zone 26 into which coal 12 enters at 24 and is moved on vibratory feeder 58 which includes fluidized bed 60 . In this chamber, the coal 12 is heated to 1500° F. by gas fired burners 62 . Carbon dioxide enters the chamber 26 at 32 , picks up by-products given off the coal 12 by the 1500° F. temperature, and leaves zone 26 at 64 enroute to the gas separation unit 28 seen in FIG. 1 . The 1500° F. temperature coal leaves zone 26 at 46 enroute to the third zone 48 seen in FIG. 4 .
[0097] FIG. 4 is a cross sectional view of the cooling chamber or third zone 48 . Coal at a temperature of 1500° F. enters the third zone 48 at 46 . Coal 12 is moved on vibratory feeder 58 which includes fluidized bed 60 . Carbon dioxide, which has been cooled by the apparatus described in connection with FIG. 5 , enters zone 3 at 52 . The cooled carbon dioxide is fed to the fluidized bed 60 , and cools the coal 12 to 200° F., at which temperature combustion cannot occur when the coal is again exposed to oxygen. The coal 12 then exits the cooling zone 48 at 54 for storage and shipment to users. The carbon dioxide is, of course, heated in the course of cooling the coal, reaching a temperature 522° F. The heated coal exits cooling zone 48 at 56 .
[0098] FIG. 5 is the secondary schematic diagram showing the thermal trail of the carbon dioxide through the process facility. The carbon dioxide heated to 522° F. in the cooling zone 48 exits that zone at 56 . It is then directed to a CO2 gas fired burner 66 which raises the temperature of the CO2 to 938° F. The gas fired burner 66 utilizes propane/ethane-methane as the burner fuel. The carbon dioxide at a temperature of 938° F. is then directed at 20 to the first zone 18 where it is used to heat incoming raw coal 12 to 400° F. as described earlier in connection with FIG. 2 . This results in conservation of energy because a substantial amount of the heat of the process obtained from cooling the coal in the cooling zone 48 is recycled into heating incoming raw coal in the first zone 18 .
[0099] The carbon dioxide thereafter exits the first zone 18 at 22 and then is sent to a dust collector 68 to be cleansed of dust for later use in the Process. The carbon dioxide leaves the dust collector at 70 using centrifugal fan 72 , and is sent to a counterflow heat exchanger 74 which it enters at 76 . The heat exchanger 74 is used to cool the carbon dioxide for later use in the cooling zone 48 .
[0100] The heat exchanger 74 receives cooled water from a cooling tower 78 . Cooled water is maintained in a reservoir 80 and is sent to the heat exchanger 74 using pump 82 . Cooled water enters the heat exchanger at 84 and leaves it at 86 . The water is warmed in the heat exchanger 74 by cooling the carbon dioxide. The warmed water is then directed to the cooling tower 78 where it passes through spray nozzles 88 and film file 90 to be cooled again. It then returns to resevoir 80 . The cooled carbon dioxide exits the heat exchanger 74 at 92 and sent using centrifugal fan 94 to the cooling zone 48 which it enters at 52 to cool the coal from 1500° F. to 200° F. as described previously in connection with FIG. 4 .
[0101] While the invention has been described, disclosed, illustrated and shown in various terms or certain embodiments or modifications which it has assumed in practice, the scope of the invention is not intended to be, nor should it be deemed to be, limited thereby and such other modifications or embodiments as may be suggested by the teachings herein are particularly reserved especially as they fall within the breadth and scope of the claims hereto appended.
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The present process produces a clean burning coal from low grade coal and has a higher heating value per unit mass, as compared to the feed stock coal. The clean coal may be used in coal-fired power plants, industrial boilers, and homes since it produces fewer or none of the emissions commonly associated with coal burning devices. The process treats coal prior to its combustion and removes about 90 percent of the pollutants. These pollutants are removed within 6 to 18 minutes, many of which may be recycled into products such as roofing tar, chemical feed stocks, and light hydrocarbons that can be used as gaseous fuels. The final product is suitable for use in homes where coal is used for cooking and heating, and significantly improves the health of those who have previously been exposed to toxic fumes from burning uncleaned coal in their homes. The process is fueled by its own by-products, recycles heat, and reduces coal weight to save energy in transporting it to the user.
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RELATED APPLICATIONS
This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application 61/774,500, entitled, “Adaptive Thermal Control,” filed 7 Mar. 2013, by Dave Armstrong and Mike Callaway, attorney docket number ATST-JP0097.A, which is hereby incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
FIELD OF INVENTION
Embodiments of the present invention relate to the field of semiconductor devices, and temperature control. More specifically, embodiments of the present invention relate to systems and methods for thermal control during device testing.
BACKGROUND
In testing semiconductor devices, it is important to control and maintain an accurate stable thermal environment. Semiconductor devices generally undergo a variety of tests to insure proper operation. During testing, for example, the power level of the device under test (DUT) may vary, causing significant temperature changes of the device. In dealing with this problem there are various conventional techniques to respond to the temperature variations of the device.
Feedback methods are commonly used to sense the temperature variations of the device using a temperature sensing device mounted on the die, case, or heat sink. Some of the problems with these methods are long delays in the feedback and temperature control response time.
Another approach is power following feedback, measuring real time power usage of the device. The real time power measurement of the device is used to determine the real time temperature of the device. One deficiency of power following feedback is that it only follows the power variations not considering other predictive parameters such as frequency, doping levels, simulation results, outside temperature, etc. Without the additional parameters it is impossible for a power following approach to adaptively respond to the full test needs of the DUT. Another deficiency is that it does not control the slow response time of automatic thermal control (ATC) system, thus resulting in temperature over shoot and/or under shoot of the DUT. The power following technique may result in excessive amounts of heating and cooling of the DUT in response to power changes, which is far from optimal.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Therefore, there is a need for a system and method for sending communications from the automatic test equipment (ATE) to the ATC to address the slow response time of the ATC and quickly anticipate and control the temperature changes of the DUT. A further need exists for a system and method to use a control profile which indicates to the ATC, prior to the anticipated thermal changes, that a change is imminent and also delineates the magnitude and direction of the anticipated thermal change over time. A further need exists for a system and method for the test program to adaptively generate and adjust the control profile using adaptive techniques including various accessible adaptive control circuitry. A further need exists to consider all types of adaptive inputs such as frequency, doping levels, simulation results, outside temperature, thermal contact effectiveness, location on the wafer, etc., when determining a mechanism for thermal control response.
The embodiments of the present invention provide a new and improved way for adaptive temperature control and regulation for a DUT.
Accordingly, embodiments of the present invention provide systems and methods for adaptive thermal control for the DUT that eliminate or reduce the disadvantages and problems associated with the previously developed temperature control technologies for semiconductor devices.
An adaptive thermal control system maintains and regulates an accurate and stable thermal environment for a device under test. The adaptive thermal control system includes (i) pretrigger communications from the automatic test equipment (ATE) to the automatic thermal control (ATC) allowing the slow-responding ATC to start responding to an imminent thermal change before the thermal change occurs, and (ii) a control profile which indicates to the ATC, prior to anticipated thermal change, that a prescribed change is imminent to address the thermal variations. The generation and fine-tuning of the control profile can be done by two different methods (i) the test program using adaptive techniques including various accessible adaptive control circuitry for generating and adjusting the control profile, and (ii) semi automatic adaptive circuitry where the tester does some pre-tests in order to determine the necessary response profile which is algorithmically utilized to control the ATC. The thermal control system may also use fully automatic adaptive circuitry to meet this need.
In accordance with a first embodiment, there is provided a temperature regulation system for a device under test (DUT). The system includes a pretrigger generator for generating a signal in advance of an occurrence of an expected condition of the DUT due to test execution thereon, wherein the expected condition causes thermal variations of the DUT; a profile selector comprising a plurality of selectable control profiles, a subset of which are based on previously measured values and said profile selector triggered by said pretrigger generator, for providing a selected control profile that a-priori models the thermal variations of the DUT caused by the expected condition; a circuit responsive to the selected control profile for determining thermal countermeasures to alleviate the thermal variations; and an automatic thermal control system coupled to the circuit for applying said thermal countermeasures to the DUT in tight synchronization to the occurrence of the expected condition.
In accordance with a second embodiment, there is provided a method of a temperature regulation for a device under test (DUT), the method includes: generating a pretrigger signal in advance of an occurrence of an expected condition of the DUT due to test execution thereon, wherein the expected condition causes thermal variations of the DUT; providing a selected control profile, wherein control profile comprises a plurality of selectable control profiles, a subset of which are based on previously measured values, triggered by the pretrigger signal, wherein the selected control profile a-priori models the thermal variations of the DUT caused by the condition; determining thermal countermeasures responsive to the selected control profile to alleviate the thermal variations; and using an automatic thermal control system, applying the thermal countermeasures to the DUT in advance of the occurrence of the expected condition.
In accordance with a third embodiment of the present invention, a testing apparatus for testing a device under test (DUT), the testing apparatus comprising: an automatic test equipment (ATE) for operating a test execution on the DUT and for comparing test output from the DUT against an expected output for testing the DUT; a pretrigger generator for looking ahead in the test execution and for generating a signal in advance of an occurrence of an expected condition of the DUT due to the test execution thereon, wherein the expected condition causes thermal variations of the DUT; a profile selector comprising a plurality of selectable control profiles, a subset of which are based on previously measured values and said profile selector triggered by the signal of the pretrigger generator, for providing a selected control profile that a-priori models the thermal variations of the DUT caused by the condition, wherein the signal indicates the selected control profile; a circuit responsive to the selected control profile for determining thermal countermeasures to alleviate the thermal variations; and an automatic thermal control system coupled to the circuit for applying the thermal countermeasures to said DUT in advance of the occurrence of the expected condition.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and form a part of this specification, illustrate embodiments of the invention and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the invention. Unless otherwise noted, the drawings are not drawn to scale.
FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary temperature control feedback loop.
FIG. 2A illustrates an exemplary block diagram of a temperature regulation system and a pretrigger details providing an early trigger signal to the ATC, in accordance with embodiments of the present invention.
FIG. 2B illustrates an exemplary flowchart of a temperature regulation method and a pretrigger details providing an early trigger signal to the ATC, in accordance with embodiments of the present invention.
FIG. 3A illustrates an exemplary flowchart of adaptive adjustment of profile values, in accordance with embodiments of the present invention.
FIG. 3B illustrates an exemplary of adaptive adjustment of profile values, in accordance with embodiments of the present invention.
FIG. 4 illustrates steps for semi automatic adaptation approach to determine and adjust the control profile and provide an early trigger signal to ATC, in accordance with embodiments of the present invention.
FIG. 5 illustrates an exemplary block diagram of an automatic adaptation circuitry, in accordance with embodiments of the present invention.
FIG. 6 an exemplary block diagram of adaptive FIR filters for the fully automatic adaptation approach, in accordance with embodiments of the present invention.
FIG. 7A illustrates an exemplary circuit block diagram of the adaptive thermo control path using FIR filter, in accordance with embodiments of the present invention.
FIG. 7B illustrates an exemplary circuit block diagram of the pretrigger signal path using FIR filter, in accordance with embodiments of the present invention.
FIG. 8 illustrates block diagrams of implementation variations of ATE and ATC.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
Reference will now be made in detail to various embodiments of the present invention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. While the invention will be described in conjunction with these embodiments, it is understood that they are not intended to limit the invention to these embodiments. On the contrary, the invention is intended to cover alternatives, modifications and equivalents, which may be included within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims. Furthermore, in the following detailed description of the invention, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the invention. However, it will be recognized by one of ordinary skill in the art that the invention may be practiced without these specific details. In other instances, well known methods, procedures, components, and circuits have not been described in detail as not to unnecessarily obscure aspects of the invention.
Adaptive Thermal Control
FIG. 1 illustrates a temperature control feedback circuit 100 , using simple temperature feedback loop 101 , where the feedback temperature 103 is the heat sink temperature. The ATC 102 , responds to the temperature variations 104 , simply based on the feedback temperature 103 in the system.
FIG. 2A illustrates an exemplary block diagram of a temperature regulation system 200 and a pretrigger 201 details providing an early trigger to the ATC device, in accordance with embodiments of the present invention. Power variations on the DUT can cause significant DUT temperature changes. If the temperature varies beyond acceptable guardbands, test yield may suffer. Pretrigger communication between the ATE and the ATC allows the slow-responding ATC to advantageously start responding to an imminent thermal change before the thermal change occurs. In effect, the ATC can act in anticipation of the thermal change (e.g., area of concern 217 ), increasing its responsiveness to alleviate the change. The ATE controls the test execution and knows when changes in power levels can occur. Using this knowledge, the ATE 208 uniquely generates a pretrigger signal 215 with sufficient head-way to allow the ATC 207 thermal flow rates to be modulated in a fashion to minimize temperature excursions.
In addition to providing an early trigger to the ATC, the pretrigger signal may include data about which ATC control profile needs to be used for the tests which will soon be executed. The pretrigger is the signal with a pointer to the required control profile in one example. The ATE uses apriori knowledge of the test flow, the knowledge existing in the test-program, to automatically generate a trigger signal to the ATC at a time early enough to compensate for the slow response time typical in the ATC systems. Using the pretrigger results in significant reduction of DUT temperature variations.
FIG. 2A , shows a pretrigger signal 202 generated by ATE 208 with selected profile #1 identified. A test flow running through a sequence 220 and the area of concern 217 is where the profile may be applied. The pretrigger 202 has a pointer that selects a control profile from the control profile pallet 203 which is a memory that stores many sample control profiles. The memory resident control profile pallet 203 may reside in the ATC or the ATE. The selected profile 204 will start executing immediately in the ATC 207 to overcome the delay in the ATC response time. In this example, the selected control profile #1, 204 , corresponds to the thermal event that is associated with area of concern 217 . FIG. 2A , shows the pretrigger signal 202 generated by the ATE 208 , the selected profile 204 , the pretrigger duration (e.g., advance warning to the ATC) and the thermal response of DUT 209 to the event that caused the pretrigger.
The control electronics circuits 205 and 206 determine thermal countermeasures, to alleviate the thermal variations of the DUT. The control electronics circuit 205 is the feedforward countermeasure based on the selected profile 204 . And the control electronics circuit 206 generates the real-time feedback countermeasure based on the junction temperature Tj 207 of the DUT and outputs the difference between expected and actual temperature.
A control profile can be a time dependent temperature variation that (i) describes the expected DUT temperature variation due to the event that caused the pretrigger, or (ii) it can be the time dependent countermeasure temperature that can be used to counter-act the DUT temperature variation. The control profile may be a data structure of time dependent values stored in memory.
FIG. 2B illustrates an exemplary flow chart of a temperature regulation method and a pretrigger details providing an early trigger to the ATC device, in accordance with embodiments of the present invention. In step 260 the ATE 208 executes the test program and recognizes the area of concern or “event” and issues a pretrigger signal. In step 261 , the pretrigger signal has a pointer that selects a particular control profile from the control profile pallet 203 . In step 262 , the selected profile 204 is input to the feedforward control electronics circuit 205 , and the real-time junction temperature 207 is the input to the feedback control electronics circuit 206 . In steps 263 and 264 , sum of the outputs of both control electronics is used as the countermeasure input to the ATC in advance of the thermal event, and in response to the countermeasure, the ATC, starts responding to an imminent thermal change in anticipation of the thermal variations and quickly controls and adjusts the temperature variations of DUT.
Control profile can be generated originally via software simulation of the DUT being tested or they can be determined empirically by testing the DUT and measuring the temperature response. Often it is critical to update the initial control profiles to account for (i) the real-time testing environment of the DUT, and (ii) variable DUT parameters, such as manufacturing characteristics of the device, neighboring device characteristics, and/or other data known about the manufacturing lot the device is a part of.
FIG. 3A illustrates an exemplary flowchart of the generation and adaptive adjustment of control profile values, in accordance with embodiments of the present invention. FIG. 3B illustrates adaptive adjustment of profile values, in accordance with embodiments of the present invention. In FIG. 3A , step 304 , shows initial control profile values are generated using either computer simulation results or empirical measurement of the DUT. In step 306 , the profile values can be adaptively adjusted over time using real-time testing environment data or previous test results from the DUT to improve accuracy. In FIG. 3B , the arrows 301 represent some exemplar adaptive adjustments and fine tuning of the profile 300 which may be done during the test program execution.
The test program takes the simulated base line values and adjusts the base line adaptively. Any parameter can be adjusted over time to improve the test. There are various ways that the test program can adaptively converge on the right control profile. Simulation data can be used to preload data with adaptive adjustments being done during test program execution. Adjustments may also be done empirically based on previous measured data such as power, frequency, leakage currents, etc., to accurately model the DUT parameters and the test environment. Profile values can be adaptively adjusted over time to achieve a desired on-die temperature profile.
These adjustments can be based on manufacturing parameters, parametric measurements, multiple lot statistical data, results from neighboring device being tested, or previous test results from the DUT. There are at least three different ways for generating the reference control profile and getting the signature of the control profile: measuring the temperature of the device, measuring the power of the device (e.g., these are pre-measured power levels and not real-time), or measuring the temperature and power of the device, as the test program is running and saving the results.
There are two different methods for adaptively adjusting the control profile which are explained in detail in FIGS. 4 and 5 . Semi automatic (where parametric measurements suggest the adjustments which need to be made) and fully automatic (where the taps of FIR filters are adjusted in order to minimize the temperature error). In both cases the primary input is the control profile which is determined a-priori by measuring a reference device, this same device, or by simulation techniques. The pallet of profiles is generated by looking at a range of devices (e.g., high power, low frequency, different doping densities, etc.).
FIG. 4 illustrates steps for semi automatic adaptation approach to determine and adjust the control profile and provide an early trigger signal to ATC, in accordance with embodiments of the present invention. Step 1 : reference measurements 400 , shows making reference measurements (temperature, power, or both) on the device and determining the control profile. The Step 1 reference measurements may be performed on the same part that is being tested, another part in the lot, or they could have even been performed early on in the device development during initial characterization of the design. Semi automatic adaptation is when the control profile of the device is selected or adjusted by using the previous measurement results of the device itself or a previous device. This profile is then used together with the pretrigger signal to heat and cool the device in a fashion synchronized with the test program in order to compensate for thermal variations.
Steps 2 and 3 , 401 and 402 , show adaptive changes made to the reference control profile by the test program. Adjustments on the reference profile can be done by the test program as parametric changes are noted and/or temperature errors on differences between the DUT and the reference device used for reference profile generation are noted.
FIG. 5 illustrates a block diagram of an automatic adaptation circuitry 500 , in accordance with embodiments of the present invention. The automatic adaptive thermal control uses device feedback to adjust tap coefficients on the two adaptive finite impulse response (FIR) filters 501 and 502 . The input of the first FIR filter 501 is the control profile 503 as previously discussed. The accuracy of these values is not critical as the adaptive FIR filter will automatically adapt in order to compensate for any delay, offset, or gain errors. The input of the second FIR filter 502 is the real-time feedback temperature 504 . Sum of the outputs of both FIR filters, 501 and 502 , is the countermeasure input to the ATC. Both adaptive filters, 501 and 502 , self-adapt their control parameters to provide optimum temperature response.
In FIG. 5 , the timing chart shows the pretrigger signal 505 generated by the ATE, the selected control profile 506 being applied early before the thermal event, the pretrigger duration 508 is the advance warning time to the ATC, and the expected thermal response of DUT 507 to the event that caused the trigger.
FIG. 6 illustrates a block diagram of adaptive FIR filters for the fully automatic adaptation approach. The FIR filter 601 is a post-processor filter. The input to this filter is the temperature error 603 which is the difference between the setpoint temperature and the feedback temperature. The temperature error 603 is multiplied by convergent gain coefficient T 0 , 604 . As more samples of the device temperature come into the circuit, the values of the temperature error 603 shift-down the central delay line. Each tap of the delay line gets multiplied by a different coefficient and these values get summed together in one summing circuit 605 . The output of the summing node 609 is the countermeasure control signal to the ATC.
The FIR filter 602 is a pre-processor filter. The input to this filter 606 is the difference between the control setpoint (in case of temperature then control setpoint is the same as setpoint temperature) and the control profile 607 where the control profile 607 could be power, frequency, etc. The length of time included in the delay line of the pre-processor FIR 602 has to be greater than the ATC response time. The pre-processor filter 602 works similar to the post-processor filter 601 . The output of the summing node 608 is the countermeasure control signal 610 to the ATC. And the output of the averaging node 611 takes the mathematically combines the two countermeasure outputs of post-processor 601 and pre-processor 602 FIRs, and determines the final countermeasure control signal 611 to the ATC.
FIGS. 7A and 7B illustrate block diagrams of an adaptive thermo control path 700 , and pretrigger signal control path 800 circuits, using two independent FIR filters, in accordance with an alternative embodiment of the present invention. The input to the adaptive thermo control path 700 filter is ΔTemp 701 , that is the difference between the set point temperature and the actual measured temperature. This signal 701 is multiplied by convergent gain coefficients H 0 and C 0 , 702 and 703 respectively. As more samples of the device temperature come into the circuit the values of ΔTemp 701 shift-down the central delay line. Each tap of the delay line gets multiplied by different coefficients and these values get summed together in two separate summing circuits 704 and 705 , (one for hot and one for cold). The outputs of these summing nodes are Cold ctrl−1 and Hot ctrl−1 , 706 and 707 respectively.
The pretrigger signal 801 is handled in a very similar fashion to the temperature control signal path. The outputs of these summing nodes are Cold ctrl−2 802 and Hot ctrl−2 803 . The Cold ctrl−1 707 and Hot ctrl−1 706 are mathematically combined together with the Cold ctrl−2 803 and Hot ctrl−2 802 , respectively, and the resulting signals are used to control the temperature of the thermal fluid to the heat-sink which is heating and cooling the DUT. The delay lines together with the convergent circuits 700 and 800 allow this invention to home in on the optimal signal delay and gain in order to minimize the temperature variations seen by the DUT.
FIG. 8 illustrates block diagrams of implementation variations of the ATE and the ATC. The tester and automatic thermal control system are usually located remote from each other. The communications from the ATE to the ATC, by sending the pretrigger signal, allows the slow-responding ATC to quickly control the temperature variations of the DUT.
FIG. 8 , shows different embodiments of the present invention. In the block diagram 900 , the pretrigger and the control profile pallet may reside in the ATE and the output of the ATE is just the profile data. In the block diagram 901 , the control profile pallet resides in the ATC and the ATE sends the pretrigger signal to the ATC. In the block diagram 902 , the pretrigger, the control profile pallets and control electronics reside in the ATE. In this case, the output of the ATE is the countermeasure indicating to the ATC to increase or decrease the temperature. In accordance with embodiments of the present invention, pretrigger may exist as a signal or it may be hidden, and the control profile pallets, may reside in the ATC or the ATE.
Embodiments in accordance with the present invention allow the ATC to anticipate temperature change and pre-adjust its flows and settings in order to respond more quickly to the temperature changes.
Embodiments in accordance with the present invention also provide a measured response which more closely mirrors the thermal environment that the DUT will experience in its end use environment.
Embodiments in accordance with the present invention further utilize many forms of heuristic data (from other tests or parts) in order to modulate the thermal response in a fashion to filter out marginal devices and thus improve the device reliability.
Embodiments in accordance with the present invention are well suited for the automotive industry where demand for high temperature performance and high reliability are crucial. The present invention allows to keep the thermal envelop well controlled. It is beneficial for the automotive industry to have this control available.
Embodiments in accordance with the present invention provide a fully automatic adaptive approach that compensates on-the-fly to changes in the test environment. The types of changes that are automatically compensated for, for example, include changing thermal resistance, changing thermal mass, changing power levels, changing room temperature and humidity, changing cooling fluid temperature, calibration changes, and changing delays in the interface electronics.
Embodiments in accordance with the present invention allow for all types of parameters to be adaptively adjusted in the control profile, or to be used as inputs to make the adaptive adjustments to the control profile. Many different device testing parameters which might be involved in this control profile and thus help the ATC to anticipate thermal response, for example, are device power (Vcc, Icc, IddQ, Vdroop, etc.), device performance (frequency, noise, etc.), device configuration (# cores enabled, package type, temperature range, etc.), thermal interface data (resistance, mass, etc.), environmental data (room temperature, humidity, etc.), neighboring device data, and field return data. While the different types of parameters to be adaptively adjusted in the control profile, or to be used as inputs to make the adaptive adjustments to the control profile are described in particular embodiments, it should be appreciated that the invention should not be construed as limited by such embodiments.
Various embodiments of the invention are thus described. While the present invention has been described in particular embodiments, it should be appreciated that the invention should not be construed as limited by such embodiments, but rather construed according to the below claims.
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An adaptive thermal control system maintains and regulates an accurate and stable thermal environment for a device under test. The adaptive thermal control system includes (i) pre-trigger communications from automatic test equipment (ATE) to automatic thermal control (ATC) allowing slow-responding ATC to start responding to an imminent thermal change before the thermal change occurs, (ii) a control profile which indicates to the ATC, prior to anticipated thermal change, that a change is imminent and the nature of the change over time. The generation and fine-tuning of the control profile can be done by two different methods (i) with the semi-automatic approach the tester does some pre-tests in order to determine a typical response profile which the test program then adjusts using adaptive techniques, (ii) With the fully automatic adaptive circuitries same typical response profile is algorithmically adjusted and utilized to control the ATC.
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This application is a continuation of pending application Ser. No. 08/892,627, filed Jul. 14, 1997.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a screw used for converting rotational and linear movement through the motions of mutually fitting male and female screw members. In particular, the present invention relates to a thread surface of a screw which is operated with a high relative speed and load. More specifically, the present invention is intended for supporting and adjusting a position of a slide in a machine press.
In general, when a male and female screw members are meshed and rotational and linear motion is converted via the relative motions of the screw members at relative high speeds and loads, wear of the screw members causes damage and ultimately results in the inoperability of the screw members. One method used to reduce wear includes applying a lubricating oil to a clearance area between the meshing sections of the male and female screw members. The lubricating oil prevents wear on the screw surface and also reduces the resistance on the screw thread surface.
Another method used for reducing wear resistance is a ball screw. A ball screw includes a ball interposed between a screw shaft and a nut (female screw member). This results in a rolling contact instead of a sliding contact between the screw members which reduces wear and provides high transfer efficiency.
In the former of the above methods, the lubricating oil between the male screw surface and the female screw surface tends to gradually break down which gradually increases the resistance between male screw and the female screw. As the resistance increases, the rate of wear of the parts increases until the clearance between the meshing sections is no longer adequate for the purpose of the high speed and high load operation. The breakdown of the oil film usually takes place when the load applied to the screw surface is great, making the screw unusable.
In the latter of the above methods, involving rolling contacts, the wear between the screw parts is decreased. However, the area of the interface between the two moving parts is small making the load capacity relatively small. Thus, the ball screw method for reducing wear is not suited for applications involving heavy loads.
OBJECTS AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the present invention to provide a screw for high speed and heavy load operation which overcomes the above problems of the prior art.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a screw for high speed and heavy load operation having a large load capacity and low wear so that it can be used in high-speed applications.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a screw having a thread surface specifically designed for optimal wear resistance under high speed and heavy load operation.
To overcome the problems described above, the present invention involves a screw including upward and downward sloped sections along the threaded sections of a male screw and a female screw. The sloped surfaces are oriented along the sliding path of the threads of the screw. Depressions and projections are disposed between adjacent sloped surfaces in a direction perpendicular to the sliding direction.
Briefly, a corresponding pair of male and female screw members includes alternately disposed rising and falling sloped surfaces on threads of the male and female screw members along a sliding direction of the threads. Depressions and projections are disposed continuously in a direction perpendicular to the sliding direction. One of the depressions or one of the projections resides between each adjacent pair of the sloped surfaces. A lubricating oil is placed between the threads of the male and female screw parts. An incline angle of the sloped surfaces is selected appropriately to increase a wedging action of the sloped surfaces against the lubricating oil film which occurs when the male screw member is rotated with respect to the female screw member.
According to an embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a screw, comprising: a shaft, a thread helically wrapped around said shaft, an upper surface and a lower surface of said thread, and each of said upper surface and said lower surface including undulations.
According to another embodiment of the present invention, there is provided, a screw, comprising: a male screw member, a female screw member, a first thread wrapped around said male screw member along a first helical path, a second helical thread wrapped within said female screw member along a second helical path, at least one of said first helical thread and said second helical thread having an undulating surface along at least one of said first helical path and said second helical path, said male screw member being at least partially threadably inserted into said female screw member, and a lubricating oil applied between said first thread of said male screw member and said second thread of said female screw member.
According to another embodiment of the present invention, there is provided, a screw for adjusting a position of a slide in a machine press, comprising: a male screw member, a female screw member, a first thread wrapped around said male screw member along a first helical path, a second thread wrapped within said female screw member along a second helical path, at least one of said first thread and said second thread including an undulating surface along at least one of said first helical path and said second helical path, and said male screw member being at least partially threadably inserted into said female screw member.
According to yet another embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a screw, comprising: a male screw member including a first thread wrapped around said male screw member along a first helical path, a female screw member including a second thread wrapped within said female screw member along a second helical path, said male screw member being at least partially threadably inserted into said female screw member, a lubricating oil between said first thread which is meshed with said second thread, at least one of said first thread and said second thread having undulations along an outer surface of said at least one of said first thread and said second thread, said undulations including an alternating pattern of upwardly sloping portions and downwardly sloping portions of said outer surface along at least one of said first helical path and said second helical path, and said undulation causing a wedging action against said lubricating oil when said male screw member is rotated relative to said female screw member.
The above, and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which like reference numerals designate the same elements.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1(a) is a schematic perspective drawing of the male screw in an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 1(b) is a plan drawing of the screw surface of the male screw of FIG. 1(a).
FIG. 1(c) is a side-view drawing of the screw surface of the male screw of FIG. 1(a).
FIG. 2(a) is a vertical cross-section drawing of the female screw in an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2(b) is an enlarged drawing of area P in FIG. 2(a).
FIG. 3(a) is a schematic front-view drawing of the male screw in an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 3(b) is an enlarged drawing of area Q in FIG. 3(a).
FIG. 4 shows the interface between threads of male screw and female screw of the present invention.
FIG. 5 shows a sectional view of the meeting of an upper surface of a thread on the male screw and a lower surface of a thread on the female screw along V--V of FIG. 4.
FIG. 6 is a schematic side-view drawing of a C-frame press in which the present invention is implemented.
FIG. 7 is a schematic side-view drawing of a screw-type machine press in which the present invention is implemented.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
Referring to FIGS. 1(a)-1(c), upper screw surface 2 and lower screw surface 2' are the surfaces on either side of a thread on a male screw 1. Sloped surfaces 3 are disposed continuously along upper screw surface 2 and lower screw surface 2'. Sloped surfaces 3 alternately rise and fall along sliding directions A and B. Both the rising and the falling sloped surfaces 3 have a same incline angle θ. Depressions 4 and projections 5 are continuously alternately placed on upper screw surface 2 and lower screw surface 2' between each adjacent pair of sloped surfaces 3. Depressions 4 and projections 5 are transverse to sliding directions A and B. Sloped surfaces 3, depressions 4, and projections 5 create a specific pattern of undulations on upper screw surface 2 and lower screw surface 2'.
Referring to FIG. 1(c), the dotted line represents a screw surface 7 of a female screw 6, in which male screw 1 is threaded. Male screw 1 meshes with screw surface 7 of female screw 6. Depressions and projections (not shown in FIG. 1(c)) can also be formed on screw surface 7 of female screw 6.
Referring to FIGS. 2(a) and 2(b), depressions 4 and projections 5 are formed on upper female screw surface 2a and lower female screw surface 2a' as described above.
Referring to FIGS. 3(a) and 3(b), depressions 4 and projections 5 are formed on upper male screw surface 2 and lower male screw surface 2' as described above.
Referring now to FIGS. 4 and 5, a gap 31 exists between male screw 1 and female screw 6 when male screw 1 is meshed with female screw 6. Gap 31 is filled with a lubricating oil 30. When male screw 1 is threaded into or out of female screw 6, upper and lower male screw surfaces 2 and 2' move across lower and upper female screw surfaces 2a' and 2a along directions A or B, respectively. FIG. 5 specifically shows the interface between upper male screw surface 2 and lower female screw surface 2a'. As male screw 1 is turned, upper male surface 2 moves across lower female screw surface 2a' in a direction A or B shown in FIG. 5. As male screw 1 moves in direction A, a leading sloped surface 3' and a trailing sloped surface 3" surround each projection 5. A wedging action of lubricating oil 30 against leading sloped surface 3' occurs. That is, as the leading edge 3' moves in direction A, lubricating oil 30 between leading sloped surface 3' and female screw 6 is wedged against female screw 6 by the movement of leading sloped surface 3'. The wedging action creates a force which urges upper surface 2 away from female screw surface 7. This wedging action takes place at each leading sloped surface 3' on upper male surface 2. Referring also to FIG. 4, the lower male screw surface 2' creates the same force against upper female screw surface 2a. Since lubricating oil 30 is between male screw 1 and female screw 6 for the entire length of the thread, wear on upper and lower male surfaces 2 and 2' and upper and lower female surfaces 2a and 2a' is minimized.
The magnitude of incline angle θ formed between sloped surfaces 3 and sliding directions A and B is based on the intended sliding speed of male screw 1 to provide the most effective wedging action with the lubricating oil. The widths along the sliding direction of depression 4 and projection 5 are based on the same criteria. In the preferred embodiment, each of sloped surfaces 3 has the same incline angle θ and the size of each projection and depression is uniform. However, the present invention could have different sized projections and depressions and have sloped surfaces of different incline angles and still produce the wedging action which reduces wear of the parts.
Referring to FIG. 6, male screw 1 described above is connected to an adjustment screw 8. Female screw 6 is connected to a connecting rod 9. Adjustment screw 8 and connecting rod 9 are installed in a C-frame machine press 10.
C-frame machine press 10 includes a slide 11 which is moved up and down to effect the function of C-frame machine press 10. C-frame machine press 10 further includes a worm wheel 12 which is rotated at a high speed. Worm wheel 12 is rotatably supported on slide 11. An upper die (not shown in FIG. 6) is connected to a bottom of slide 11. Adjustment screw 8 rotatably engages worm wheel 12. Adjustment of the die height is accomplished when worm wheel 12 is rotated to adjust the vertical position of adjustment screw 8. The weight held by the threads of male screw 1 and female screw 6 includes the weight of slide 11 itself, which is large due to the nature of the machine press, so a large load is applied to upper and lower male screw surfaces 2 and 2' and upper and lower female screw surfaces 2a, and 2a'.
Since the die height must be adjusted for each new die which is installed in C-frame machine press 10, there are significant advantages in forming sloped surfaces 3, depressions 4, and projections 5, as described above on the screw surface of male screw 1 and/or female screw 6, so that wear of the surfaces of male screw 1 and female screw 6 is minimized.
Referring now to FIG. 7, there is shown a screw-type machine press 20. Male screw 1 is disposed on an adjustment screw 28. A force from a main motor 22 is transferred via pulleys 23, 25 and a belt 24 to rotate adjustment screw 28. Female screw 6, which engages with male screw 1, is disposed on a slide 21. Slide 21 is guided up and down by a flange 26 disposed on a frame 20a.
As the description above makes clear, the wedging action due to the film of lubricating oil 30 between the male and female screw surfaces allows the screw surfaces to slide against each other at high speeds without having the oil film on the sliding surface break even if a large load is applied between the screw surfaces. Thus, wear resistance is low and wear is reduced.
Furthermore, the conversion of rotational and linear motion between the male screw and the female screw is smooth and there in no undue stress or other negative effects on other related mechanisms.
The wedging actions of the oil film is larger at higher speeds. Even if the clearance between the screw surfaces is large, high precision is maintained by the oil film. This makes the present invention suited for high speeds and provides significant advantages in practical applications.
Having described preferred embodiments of the invention with reference to the accompanying drawings, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to those precise embodiments, and that various changes and modifications may be effected therein by one skilled in the art without departing from the scope or spirit of the invention as defined in the appended claims.
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A corresponding pair of male and female screw members includes alternately disposed rising and falling sloped surfaces on threads of the male and female screw members along a sliding direction of the threads. Depressions and projections are disposed continuously in a direction perpendicular to the sliding direction. One of the depressions or one of the projections resides between each adjacent pair of the sloped surfaces. A lubricating oil is placed between the threads of the male and female screw parts. An incline angle of the sloped surfaces is selected appropriately to increase a wedging action of the sloped surfaces against the lubricating oil film which occurs when the male screw member is rotated with respect to the female screw member.
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FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The present invention is related to a conjugated polymer useful as a light emitting layer in a polymer light emitting diode, and in particular to a method of increasing β-phase content in the conjugated polymer for efficient electroluminescence. Here, β-phase means ordered chain alignment having extended conjugation length.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] Molecular design of conjugated polymers for efficient electroluminescence (EL) and color tuning has long been one of the most important subjects in the development of polymer light emitting diodes (PLED) and can be carried out in two ways: by chemical and physical methods. The chemical method, involving the incorporation of charge-transport moieties on the main chain (Wu, F. I., et al., Macromolecules, 38, 9028 (2005). Kim, J. K., et al., J. Mater. Chem., 91, 2171 (1999). Liu, M. S., et al., Chem. Mater., 13, 3820 (2001)), flexible side chain (Ego, C., et al., Adv. Mater., 14, 809 (2002). Chen, X., et al., J. Am. Chem. Soc., 125, 636 (2003). Shu, C. F., et al., Macromolecules, 36, 6698 (2003)), and chain ends (Miteva, T., et al., Adv. Mater., 13, 565 (2001)), has been extensively studied for poly(phenylene vinylene)s, polyfluorenes, and other polyarylenes in order to promote balanced hole and electron fluxes and to adjust highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO) and lowest unoccupied molecular orbital (LUMO) levels, as well as the band gap for color tuning. Taking polyfluorenes as an example, incorporation of triphenylamine in the main chain and oxadiazole in the side chain provides an improvement in the efficiency and purity of blue emission to 2.07 cd A −1 and a Commission Internationale de l'Eclairage (CIE) value of x+y=0.29, respectively, which is the best blue fluorescence device that has been reported so far (Wu, F. I., et al., Macromolecules, 38, 9028 (2005)). However, chemical methods require elaborate synthesis. Physical methods include blending a conjugated polymer with dopants (Huang, Y., et al., Mater. Chem. Phys., 93, 95 (2005). Zhang, X., et al., Chem. Phys. Lett., 422, 386 (2006). Zhang, Y, et al., Appl. Phys. Lett., 85, 5170 (2004)), tuning a chain conformation (Chen, S. H., et al., Macromolecules, 37, 6833 (2004). Chen, S. H., et al., Macromolecules, 38, 379 (2005). Chen, S. H., et al., J. Phys. Chem. B, 109, 10067 (2005). Ariu, M., et al., Synth. Met., 111-112, 607 (2000)), and manipulating a supramolecular structure (Apperloo, J. J., et al., Macromolecules, 33, 7038 (2000)). The former involves energy transfer and charge trapping allowing an enhancement of device performance in addition to color tuning and has been studied extensively. Studies on the effects of the tuning of chain conformation on EL are scarce, but studies on the effect of the manipulation of the supramolecular structure on the photoluminescence (PL) of the blue-emitting polymer poly(9,9-di-n-octyl-2,7-fluorene) (PFO) are extensive.
[0003] Because of its highly coplanar backbone, PFO can be physically transformed by into a variety of supramolecular structures (Chen, S. H., et al., Macromolecules, 37, 6833 (2004). Chen, S. H., et al., Macromolecules, 38, 379 (2005). Chen, S. H., et al., J. Phys. Chem. B, 109, 10067 (2005). Ariu, M., et al., Synth. Met., 111-112, 607 (2000)), such as crystalline phases (i.e., α and α′ phase) and noncrystalline phases (such as amorphous, nematic, and β phase, which has an extended conjugation length of about 30 repeat units, as evidenced by wide-angle X-ray diffraction (Grell, M., et. al., Macromolecules, 32, 5810 (1999))). Among these structures, β phase has attracted the most attention because of its specific physical properties, such as a lower extent of triplet exciton formation (Hayer, A., et. al., Phys. Rev. B, 71, 241302 (2005)), a reduced ability to be photobleached on the single-molecule scale (Becker, K., et. al., J. Am. Chem. Soc., 127, 7306 (2005)), and efficient energy transfer from the amorphous to the β phase (Khan, A. L. T., et al., Phys. Rev. B, 69, 085201 (2004)). β phase can be physically formed by dissolving PFO in solvents with lower solvent power and higher boiling points (Khan, A. L. T., et al., Phys. Rev. B, 69, 085201 (2004)) or in a solvent/nonsolvent mixture (for example, chloroform/methanol) (Scherf, U., et al., Adv. Mater., 14, 477 (2002)), by exposing a PFO film to solvent vapors (i.e., hexane, cyclohexane, tetrahydrofuran, or toluene) (Grell, M., et. al., Macromolecules, 32, 5810 (1999)), or by applying specific thermal treatment to a PFO film (cooling and reheating to room temperature) (Grell, M., et. al., Macromolecules, 32, 5810 (1999)). In our previous work (Hung, M. C., et al., J. Am. Chem. Soc., 127, 14576 (2005)), we reported that the use of an electron-deficient moiety (such as triazole) as an end-capper for PFO can induce a trace amount of β phase without any further physical treatment and this can be taken as a quasiphysical approach for β-phase formation. Very recently, PFO with a so-called intrinsically doped β phase has been demonstrated to be a potential material for an electrically pumped laser (Rothe, C., et al., Adv. Mater. 18, 2137 (2006)). However, the effect on device efficiency in a presence of the β phase has not been explored, probably because of complicated and time-consuming procedures for tuning β-phase content.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0004] In the present invention, we provide a simple and efficient method for transforming conformation of parts of chains in the amorphous phase in a conjugated polymer to extended conjugation length (termed as β phase). The β phase acts as a dopant and can be termed self-dopant. The generated self-dopant in the amorphous host allows an efficient energy transfer and charge trapping to occur and leads to more balanced charge fluxes and more efficient charge recombination. In one of the preferred embodiments of the present invention, a polyfluorene film was dipped into a mixed solvent/non-solvent, tetrahydrofuran (THF)/methanol (MeOH) in volume ratio of 1:1, to generate a β-phase content up to 1.32%. As a result, relative to those in polyfluorene film without such treatment, the PLED device of the present invention provides a more pure and stable blue-emission (solely from the self-dopant) with CIE color coordinates x+y<0.3 and a better performance (3.85 cd A −1 (external quantum efficiency 3.33%) and 34326 cd m −2 ), both being the highest recorded values for pure-blue emitting devices.
[0005] A method of increasing β-phase content in a conjugated polymer disclosed in the present invention comprises contacting a film of a conjugated polymer with a mixed liquid of a solvent and a nonsolvent of said conjugated polymer for a period of time which is sufficient long so that the contacted conjugated polymer has a content of β phase higher than that of said conjugated polymer prior to said contacting.
[0006] Preferably, said contacting comprising dipping said conjugated polymer film in said mixed liquid for said period of time.
[0007] Preferably, said mixed liquid does not dissolve said conjugated polymer film to a detectable extent after said contacting.
[0008] The method of the present invention preferably further comprises depositing a layer of said conjugated polymer on a substrate before said contacting. Preferably, said depositing comprising spin coating, screen printing, doctor-blade coating, ink-jet printing or soft lithography.
[0009] Preferably, a backbone of said conjugated polymer has the following formula (I):
[0000]
[0000] in which x and y are mole fractions, 0≦x≦1, 0≦y≦1, and x+y=1; Ar I and Ar II are independently selected from the group consisting of mono-, bicyclic-, and polycyclic-aromatic group; heterocyclic aromatic group; substituted aromatic group; and substituted heterocyclic aromatic group.
[0010] More preferably, Ar I and Ar II are independently
[0000]
[0000] in which R 1 is C 4 -C 12 linear alkyl; m=0-4; n=0-4; o=0-2; R 2 and R 3 independently are, C 1 -C 22 alkyl, C 1 -C 22 alkoxy, phenyl, alkyl phenyl having C 7 -C 28 , alkoxy phenyl having C 7 -C 28 , phenoxy, alkyl phenoxy having C 7 -C 28 , alkoxy phenoxy having C 7 -C 28 , biphenyl, alkyl biphenyl having C 13 -C 34 , alkoxy biphenyl having C 13 -C 34 , biphenylyloxy, alkyl biphenylyloxy having C 13 -C 34 , or alkoxy biphenylyloxy having C 13 -C 34 ; wherein substituents on the same cyclic ring structure can be identical or different, and optionally R 1 , R 2 , or R 3 is end-capped with a charge transport moiety, such as oxadiazole, triazole, carbazole, or triarylamine.
[0011] Preferably, said conjugated polymer is a homopolymer. More preferably, said conjugated polymer is polyfluorene, poly(para-phenylene), polythiophene or poly(para-phenylene vinylene).
[0012] Preferably, said conjugated polymer is a random copolymer, block copolymer or alternating copolymer. More preferably, it is a copolymer of fluorene, paraphenylene, thiophene or para-phenylene vinylene.
[0013] Preferably, said backbone of said conjugated polymer comprises a repeating unit of substituted fluorene. More preferably, said substituted fluorene is 9,9-di-n-(C 4 -C 12 )alkylfluorene. Most preferably, said substituted fluorene is 9,9-di-n-octylfluorene. As to this conjugated polymer, preferably, the solvent is tetrahydrofuran and the nonsolvent is methanol. More preferably, the mixed liquid has a volume ratio of tetrahydrofuran to methanol ranging from 1:1 to 1:2. Preferably, said period of contacting time is of 10 to 600 seconds.
[0014] In the method of the present invention, said conjugated polymer before said contacting is preferably amorphous and having a not measurable β-phase content, and the contacted conjugated polymer has an increased β-phase content up to 1.32%, as estimated from an area fraction of UV-vis absorption characteristic peak.
[0015] Alternatively, said contacting comprises spraying said mixed liquid to said conjugated polymer film by spin-coating, drop-coating, screen-printing, doctor-blade coating, ink-jet printing, or soft-lithography.
[0016] The present invention also provides an improvement in a process for preparing a polymer light emitting diode (PLED) comprising forming a positive electrode on a substrate; forming a light emitting layer on said positive electrode; and forming a negative electrode on said light emitting layer, wherein said light emitting layer comprises a conjugated polymer. The improvement comprises contacting said light emitting layer with a mixed liquid of a solvent and a nonsolvent of said conjugated polymer for a period of time which is sufficient long so that the contacted conjugated polymer has a content of β phase higher than that of said conjugated polymer prior to said contacting.
[0017] Preferably, said PLED further comprises an electron transporting layer between said light emitting layer and said negative electrode.
[0018] Preferably, said PLED further comprises a hole injection layer between said positive electrode and said light emitting layer.
[0019] Preferably, said PLED further comprises a hole transporting layer between said positive electrode and said light emitting layer.
[0020] Preferably, said PLED further comprises a hole blocking layer between said light emitting layer and said negative electrode.
[0021] Preferably, in the process for preparing a polymer light emitting diode (PLED) according to the present invention, said contacting comprises dipping said light emitting layer in said mixed liquid for said period of time.
[0022] Preferably, said contacting is carried out before said negative electrode being formed on said light emitting layer. Alternatively, said contacting comprises spraying said mixed liquid to said light emitting layer by spin-coating, drop-coating, screen-printing, doctor-blade coating, ink-jet printing, or soft-lithography.
[0023] Preferably, said light emitting layer is formed on said positive electrode by spin coating, screen printing, doctor-blade coating, ink-jet printing or soft lithography.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0024] FIG. 1 . a) Ultraviolet-visible (UV-vis) absorption and b) PL spectra of pristine PFO films dipped in a mixed THF/MeOH (volume ratio=1/2) solvent/nonsolvent for 0 (▪), 10 (), 30 (▴), 60 (▾), 180 (★), 300 (□), 420 (◯) and 600 s (Δ) and in a mixed THF/MeOH (volume ratio=1:1) solvent/nonsolvent for 30 s (∇). The chemical structure of PFO is shown in (a) and “TBP” means para-tert-butyl phenyl end-capper. The inset in (a) illustrates the detailed evolution of the β phase and its actual content is calculated by using the spectral deconvolution method. “n.a.” (not available) indicates that the exact content of the β phase is too low to be determined. c) The EL spectrum of PFO with 1.32% β phase.
[0025] FIG. 2 . a) Characteristics of current density (J) and brightness (B) versus voltage for devices based on pristine PFO and β-PFOs (n.a. 2 and 1.32%). b) The corresponding device efficiency versus voltage for these three polymers. The device structure is: ITO/PEDOT/PFOs (100 nm)/CsF/Al. (PEDOT=poly(styrene sulfonic acid)-doped poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene))
[0026] FIG. 3 . a) Current densities from hole-only (h) and electron-only (e) devices based on pristine PFO and β-PFOs (n.a. 2 and 1.32%). b) Electric-field (E)-dependent hole mobilities of these three polymers.
[0027] FIG. 4 . a) Thermally stimulated current (TSC) measurements from 86 to 320 K for β-PFOs (n.a. 2 and 1.32%) during electrical trap filling (E trap filling, 5.3×10 5 V cm −1 ) and a simultaneous optical and electrical trap filling (OE trap filling, 5.3×10 5 V cm −1 ) at 86 K. The inset shows the conventional current density versus electric field at 86 K for the same β-PFO (1.32%) used in TSC measurement. b) TSC data for pristine PFO under the same trap-filling conditions as for the β-PFOs. The device structure was ITO/PFOs/Au. c) Energy-level diagram for the amorphous and β phase. Because all currents in TSC measurements are negative, their absolute values are used.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0028] In the following examples, we demonstrate a novel simple physical method to generate β phase at a content of up to 1.32% in a PFO film spin-coated on a substrate by immersing it in a mixed solvent/nonsolvent for few seconds, and investigate the EL properties relevant to the β phase. The device thus prepared has a dramatically enhanced device efficiency and an increased blue-color purity of 3.85 cd A −1 (external quantum efficiency, η ext =3.33%) and CIE x+y=0.283 (less than the limit of 0.3 for pure blue), relative to that without such treatment 1.26 cd A −1 (1.08%) and x+y=0.323. Such a high efficiency (the highest one among reported pure-blue-emitting devices) results from the special functionalities of the β phase: electron-trapping and promoted hole mobility. The β phase thus generated from PFO chains itself behaves like an external dopant and thus is termed a “self-dopant” (Ariu, M., et al., J. Phys.: Condens. Matter, 14, 9975 (2002)).
[0029] The formation of the self-dopant (β phase) in PFO is carried out by dipping PFO films spin-coated on indium tin oxide (ITO) substrate (termed as pristine PFO) in mixed solvent/nonsolvent THF(solvent)/MeOH(nonsolvent) (volume ratio 1:1 or 1:2) for various periods of time from 10 to 600 s, during which no appreciable dissolution of PFO is observed and β phase is found to generate content up to 1.32%, as estimated from the area fraction of the UV-vis absorption characteristic peak at 430 nm from spectral deconvolution ( FIG. 1 a and its inset) (Khan, A. L. T., et al., Phys. Rev. B, 69, 085201 (2004)). We must emphasize that 1.32% is the highest β-phase content that can be obtained by this dipping process (the longer dipping time, i.e., 60 s, in THF/MeOH (1:1) solvent did not increase the β-phase content). The corresponding PL spectra ( FIG. 1 b ) show variations with dipping time and are composed of different ratios of amorphous-phase and β-phase emission features (Hung, M. C., et al., J. Am. Chem. Soc., 127, 14576 (2005)). The former is characterized by the wavelengths at 422 nm (strong, 0-0 band), 447 nm (moderate, 0-1 band), and 470 nm (weak, 0-2 band); and the latter with well-resolved vibronic transitions red-shifted by about 0.1 eV at 439 nm (0-0 band), 467 nm (0-1 band), and 496 nm (0-2 band) (Hung, M. C., et al., J. Am. Chem. Soc., 127, 14576 (2005). Ariu, M., et al., Phys. Rev. B, 67, 195333 (2003)). The intensity of the peak at 422 nm decreases with increasing β-phase content; as β-phase content reaches 1.32%, its PL spectrum (and EL spectrum ( FIG. 1 c )) exhibits a pure β-phase emission shape with the three characteristic peaks at 439, 467, and 496 nm. The formation of β phase is due to the presence of the solvent THF in the mixed solvent/nonsolvent, which can swell PFO film, allowing parts of chains to adopt a β-phase conformation as in the situation of solvent-vapor-induced β-phase formation by swelling stress (Grell, M., et. al., Macromolecules, 32, 5810 (1999)). Interestingly, even pristine PFO film contains a very small amount of β phase as indicated in the appearance of a shoulder around 438 nm in its corresponding PL spectrum, implying that β-phase-conformation chains exist even in a solution state and retain this conformation in a solid film after spin-coating (Rothe, C., et al., Phys. Rev. B, 70, 195213 (2004)).
[0030] Devices based on pristine PFO and PFO with n.a. 2 (n.a. means that exact β-phase content is not measurable and the number “2” denotes a specific dipping time of 30 s) and 1.32% β phase (hereafter designated as β-PFO (n.a. 2) and β-PFO (1.32%), respectively) were fabricated to study the effect of β-phase content on EL properties and device performance. EL spectra of the pristine PFO and β-PFOs (not shown in the drawings) show that the β phase not only provides blue emission with higher purity but also enhances emission stability upon cyclic operation as for β-PFO (1.32%). The weaker intensity at long wavelengths (480-650 nm) results in smaller CIE x+y values for β-PFOs, especially for β-PFO (1.32%), (0.168, 0.115) at 4 V. The better EL spectral stability could be due to linear alkyl side chains of the β-phase chains located beside fluorene units (Chunwaschirasiri, W., et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 94, 107402 (2005)) hindering neighboring PFO main chains from getting closer and thus forming green-emission field-induced excimers (Lu, H. H., et al., Macromolecules, 38, 10829 (2005)). The other possibility is efficient Förster energy transfer from the amorphous to the β phase, which can also prevent the formation of excimers. FIG. 2 a shows current-density-voltage-brightness (J-V-B) curves of devices based on pristine PFO and β-PFOs. FIG. 2 b illustrates the dependence of their corresponding current efficiencies on voltage. For pristine PFO, light turn-on voltage (at a measurable brightness of 2 cd m −2 ), maximum brightness, and current efficiency, are 3.4 V, 12 573 cd m −2 (9 V), and 1.26 cd A −1 (3.8 V and 24 cd m −2 ), respectively; for β-PFO (n.a. 2), the corresponding results are 3.3 V, 15 600 cd m −2 (9 V), and 1.71 cd A −1 (3.4 V and 6 cd m −2 ), respectively; and for β-PFO (1.32%) the corresponding results are 3.3 V, 34326 cd m −2 (9 V), and 3.85 cd A −1 (3.8 V and 176 cd m −2 ), respectively (see Table 1). The performance from the latter device is better than the best pure-blue PLED with copolymer (Wu, F. I., et al., Macromolecules, 38, 9028 (2005)) reported in the literature.
[0000]
TABLE 1
Performance and CIE coordinates of the device ITO/PEDOT/PFOs
(100 nm)/CsF/Al
Turn-on
voltage [a]
Max. brightness
Max. efficiency [b]
CIE (x, y),
Polymer
(V/100 nm)
(cd/m 2 ) (V)
(cd/A) (η ext %) (V)
(x + y) at 4 V
pristine PFO
3.4
12,573 (9 V)
1.26 (1.08) (3.8 V)
(0.170, 0.153),
0.323
β-PFO (n.a. 2)
3.3
15,600 (8.5 V)
1.71 (1.48) (3.4 V)
(0.174, 0.140),
0.314
β-PFO (1.32%)
3.3
34,326 (9 V)
3.85 (3.33) (3.8 V)
(0.168, 0.115),
0.283
[a] Brightness at 2 cd/m 2
[b] Brightnesses at the max. efficiency are 24 cd/m 2 for pristine PFO, 6 cd/m 2 for β-PFO (n.a. 2), and 176 cd/m 2 for β-PFO (1.32%).
[0031] The physics behind the high performance due to the presence of β phase is described below. Single-carrier devices of electrons and holes reveal that the hole flux increases and the electron flux decreases with increasing β-phase content, as shown in FIG. 3 a. For example, the ratio of electron flux to hole flux decreases consecutively from 25.3, to 2.4, to 1.2 for pristine PFO, β-PFO (n.a. 2), and β-PFO (1.32%), respectively, at an electric field of 4×10 5 V cm −1 and from 112, to 10.7, to 7.2 at 6×10 5 V cm −1 . The increase of hole flux is unlikely to be due to a lowering of the hole-injection barrier height (Φ B ), since Φ B values for these three PFOs are very close (being 0.15, 0.13, and 0.16 eV, respectively, as determined from ultraviolet photoelectron spectroscopy (UPS) measurements). From the result of time-of-flight (TOF) measurements for thin PFO films prepared by spin-coating in the same way as the devices (see FIG. 3 b ), the hole mobilities for pristine PFO, β-PFO (n.a. 2), and β-PFO (1.32%) are all electric-field dependent and the hole mobility increases with β-phase content. Their average values are 3×10 −5 , 4.3×10 −5 , and 5.5×10 −5 cm 2 V −1 s −1 , respectively, over the entire range from 2×10 5 to 4.6×10 5 V cm −1 . Although the hole mobilities of β-PFO (n.a. 2) and β-PFO (1.32%) are only higher than that of pristine PFO by factors of 1.41 and 1.83, respectively, these higher hole mobilities can reduce the tendency for holes being bounced back to the anode because of an accumulation of holes at the interface with the anode, resulting in higher hole current densities of β-PFO (n.a. 2) and β-PFO (1.32%) than that of pristine PFO by factors of 6.3 and 10, respectively, at 4×10 5 V cm −1 . The higher hole mobility for β-PFOs comes from the longer conjugating length of β-phase chains (Chunwaschirasiri, W., et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 94, 107402 (2005)), and this increase of hole flux can promote device efficiency and brightness because holes are minor carriers in pristine PFO.
[0032] The decrease of electron flux for β-PFOs is due to β phase acting as an electron trap, as evidenced by the larger detrapping electron currents released from electron traps of PFO with higher β-phase content in the thermally stimulated current (TSC) analysis shown in FIGS. 4 a and b. In the TSC analysis, trap filling with carriers was carried out either by electrical trap filling (E trap filling) or by simultaneous optical and electrical trap filling (OE trap filling) for 5 min at 86 K. By optical trap filling alone, no detrap current was observed (data not shown), which is probably due to the low extent of exciton dissociation in the absence of an applied electric field. For β-PFO (1.32%), a peak appears ranging from 143 to 203 K with a maximum at 174 K during OE trap filling (see FIG. 4 a ), which may result from the hole or electron detrap current (Tseng, H. E., et al., Appl. Phys. Lett., 82, 4086 (2003). Kadashchuk, A., J. Appl. Phys. 91, 5016 (2002)) or the relaxation current from chain depolarization. This current cannot result from a relaxation of depolarized chains but can be attributed to the presence of a trap, because no peak appears when the same device is subjected to E trap filling. In order to identify the polarity of the trap, we measured the current-density-electric-field characteristics of the same device used in the TSC measurement. As shown in the inset of FIG. 4 a, at 3×10 5 V cm −1 , the current density increases dramatically meaning that holes can be injected into this device. Therefore, while applying E trap filling at an electric field of 5.3×10 5 V cm −1 , holes can actually be injected into this device. If hole traps do exist in this polymer film, a TSC current peak should appear during E trap filling; the absence of such a peak during E trap filling indicates that there is no hole trap in this film. Consequently, the peak that appears during OE trap filling can be rationally attributed to electron currents released from electron traps. In addition, β-PFO (n.a. 2) was also found to have electron traps because a TSC peak located between 147 and 200 K with a maximum at 174 K appeared during OE trap filling, albeit with a weaker current peak than β-PFO (1.32%), but did not appear during E trap filling (see FIG. 4 a ). For pristine PFO ( FIG. 4 b ), a very weak current peak with a maximum at 174 K appeared under OE trap filling compared with those of the β-PFOs (1.32% and n.a. 2); this must also have been released from electron traps because the current released disappeared during E trap filling. Therefore, we can infer that the β phase actually acts as an electron trap and that the released electron current (reflecting trap concentration) increases with the β-phase content, that is, 1.9×10 −7 A cm −3 for pristine PFO, 2.5×10 −7 A cm −3 for β-PFO (n.a. 2) and 6.2×10 −7 A cm −3 for β-PFO (1.32%), after deducting their corresponding TSC current values at 174 K during E trap filling from those during OE trap filling.
[0033] Furthermore, the absence of a hole trap current in PFO and the β-PFOs, as determined from TSC ( FIGS. 4 a and b ), along with the same HOMO levels for the amorphous and β phase, evaluated from cyclic voltammetry (CV), and the band gaps of the amorphous phase (2.94 eV) and β phase (2.82 eV), determined from UV-vis absorption spectra allow an assignment of HOMO and LUMO levels of the β phase, as shown in FIG. 4 c, in which the LUMO is located 0.12 eV below that of the amorphous phase. This trap depth is also in agreement with that obtained by fractional TSC, 0.07-0.11 eV.
[0034] Another issue that needs to be discussed is the actual distribution of the β-phase conformer in β-PFO films caused by the dipping process. Because of the limited dipping time for THF/MeOH, and hence the limited time for solvent/nonsolvent molecules to diffuse into the interior of the films, one might consider distributions of β-phase conformer in the films to be nonhomogeneous and concentrated on the film surface near the cathode. However, from the data of hole-only fluxes ( FIG. 3 a ), the hole fluxes for β-PFO (n.a. 2) and β-PFO (1.32%) are larger than that of pristine PFO by factors of 6.6 and 11.5, respectively, at 3×10 5 V cm −1 (even at a higher electric field of 6×10 5 V cm −1 , those factors are still as high as 6.9 and 8.8, respectively). Such a dramatic increase in hole flux along with the higher hole mobility of β-PFO indicates that β-phase conformer is homogeneously dispersed in the PFO films rather than concentrated on the film surface near the cathode. However, this issue needs to be further studied for a complete understanding of the β-phase formation produced by this dipping method.
EXAMPLE 1
Preparation of poly(9,9-di-n-octyl-2,7-fluorene)
[0035] The synthetic routes for the monomer and polymer are shown in Schemes 1 and 2, respectively.
[0000]
[0000]
1. 9,9-di-(n-octyl)-2,7-dibromofluorene (1)
[0036] To a solution of 28.5 g (88 mmol) 2,7-dibromofluorene in 800 mL THF was added 8.8 g (220 mmol) sodium hydride (60%) in several portions at room temperature. The mixture was heated at 60° C. and 43 g (220 mmol) bromooctane in 200 mL THF was added dropwisely into the mixture and refluxed overnight. The mixture was concentrated and diluted with water, and then extracted with diethyl ether. After washing with brine, the ether solution was dried over anhydrous MgSO 4 and the ether was then removed by evaporation. This crude solid was purified by a silica chromography with hexane and recrystallized from ethanol to give white solid (36.3 g, yield 75.3%, mp. 52˜54° C.). 1 H NMR (500 MHz, CDCl 3 ), δ (ppm): 7.51 (2H, d), 7.44 (2H, d), 7.41 (2H, s), 1.89 (4H, m), 1.02˜1.20 (20 H, m), 0.81 (6H, t), 0.56 (4H, m).
2. Poly(9,9-di-n-octyl-2,7-fluorene) (PFO)
[0037] Into a reactor, bis(1,5-cyclooctadiene) nickel (0) (Ni(COD) 2 ) (195 mg, 0.71 mmol), 2,2-bipyridyl (BPY) (110.7 mg, 0.71 mmol), 1,5-cyclooctadiene (COD) (76 mg, 0.71 mmol) and anhydrous DMF (1 mL) were added in a dry box with nitrogen. This mixture was stirred at 80° C. for 30 min to form active catalyst. The monomer 9,9-di-(n-octyl)-2,7-dibromofluorene (236 mg, 0.43 mmol) in 4 mL of anhydrous toluene was added to the mixture. The polymerization proceeded at 80° C. for 6 days in the dry box, then 1-bromo-4-tert-butylbenzene as end-capping agent (9.2 mg, 0.043 mmol) was added to continually react for 24 h. The reaction mixture was left to cool down to room temperature. The resulting polymer was purified by alumina oxide chromatography, wherein the mobile phase is THF. The THF eluate was concentrated with a rotary evaporator, followed by dissolution in THF and re-precipitation in acetone/methanol (volume ratio=1:1) twice to remove oligomer. Finally the precipitate was dried under vacuum for 24 h to obtain a yellow bulky PFO. Yield: 100 mg (60%). 1 H NMR (500 MHz, CD 2 Cl 2 ). δ (ppm): 7.86 (d, 2H), 7.70 (br, 4H), 2.14 (br, 4H), 1.10-1.26 (m, 20H), 0.79 (t, 10H). Anal. Calcd: C, 89.69; H, 10.31. Found: C, 89.32; H, 10.19.
[0038] The synthetic procedures for PFO end-capped with para-tert-butyl phenyl (TBP) used here are according to that reported in our published work (Hung, M. C., et al., J. Am. Chem. Soc., 127, 14576 (2005)). Molecular weight (M w ) and polydispersity index of PFO are 379,000 Daltons and 1.55, respectively, determined by gel permeation chromatography using polystyrenes as standards.
EXAMPLE 2
Dipping Procedures
[0039] PFO films (100 nm) spin-coated on ITO glass substrates from its polymer solution in THF (7.5 mg/mL) were dipped in a mixed solvent/nonsolvent (THF/MeOH with a volume ratio=1:2) for 10, 30, 60, 180, 300, 420, and 600 s to obtain different contents of β phase (n.a. 1, n.a. 2, 0.21%, 0.31%, 0.41%, 0.43%, and 0.48%, respectively). Another pristine PFO film was dipped in a mixed solvent/nonsolvent with a higher THF content (THF/MeOH with a volume ratio=1:1) for 30 s to obtain the maximum content of beta phase (1.32%); a longer dipping time (60 s) did not increase the β-phase content. Note that the mixed solvent/nonsolvent did not dissolve PFO to a detectable extent even though THF alone is a solvent.
EXAMPLE 3
Measurements on Device Characteristics and Photo-Physical Properties of poly(9,9-di-n-octyl-2,7-fluorene)
1. Device Fabrication and Characterization.
[0040] An indium-tin oxide (ITO) glass plate was exposed on oxygen plasma at a power of 30 W and a pressure of 193 mTorr for 5 minutes. A thin hole injection layer (25 nm) of poly(styrene sulfonic acid)-doped poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT) (Baytron P VP.AI 4083 from Bayer with a conductivity of 500-5000 S cm −1 ) was spin-coated on the treated ITO. After baking at 140° C. for 1 h in an oven equipped with a glove-box filled with an argon atmosphere, a thin layer (100 nm) of the PFO prepared in Example 1 was spin-coated on top of the treated ITO from its solution in THF (7.5 mg/mL). For β-PFO (n.a. 2 and 1.32%), PFO films were dipped in mixed solvent/nonsolvents as described in the dipping procedures (Example 2) above. Finally, a thin layer of cesium fluoride (2 nm) covered with a layer of aluminum (100 nm) as a protective layer was deposited in a vacuum thermal evaporator below 10 −6 Torr through a shadow mask to form a bipolar device. To fabricate the hole-only device, a layer of gold (40 nm) instead of cesium fluoride was thermally deposited on top of a PFO film without a protective aluminum layer. For the electron-only device, oxygen-plasma-treated ITO glass was deposited with a layer of aluminum (50 nm) followed by calcium (25 nm) to replace the PEDOT film, with the remaining steps the same as those for the bipolar device. The active area of the diode was about 8-10 mm 2 . The electric characteristics and luminance of the device were measured by using a Keithley power supply (Model 238) and a luminance meter (BM8 from TOPCON), respectively. The thickness of the polymer film was measured by using a surface profiler (Tencor P-10).
2. Ultraviolet-Visible (UV-Vis) Absorption, Photoluminescence, and Electroluminescence Spectroscopic Measurements.
[0041] Films used to measure UV-vis absorption and PL spectra were obtained by spin-coating from the PFO solution in THF (7.5 mg/mL). β-PFOs (n.a. 2 and 1.32%) were obtained by following a dipping process. UV-vis absorption spectra were measured by using a UV-vis-near-IR spectrometer (Perkin-Elmer, Lambda 19). PL and EL spectra were measured by using a fluorescence spectrometer (FluoroMAX-3 from Jobin Yvon). All the measurements of the EL spectra were undertaken in a vacuum environment.
3. Ultraviolet Photoelectron Spectroscopy Measurements.
[0042] A baked PEDOT layer (25 nm) on top of an O 2 -plasma-treated ITO glass substrate was obtained by following the same procedures as mentioned in the device fabrication section (this configuration is designated ITO/PEDOT). A thin layer (30 nm) of PFO was spin-coated on top of the ITO/PEDOT from its polymer solution in THF (4 mg/mL); for β-PFO (n.a. 2 and 1.32%); PFO films were dipped in mixed solvent/nonsolvents as described in the dipping procedures above (this configuration is designated as ITO/PEDOT/PFOs. UPS spectra of PEDOT (ITO/PEDOT) and PFOs (ITO/PEDOT/PFOs) were measured by using a photoelectron spectroscopy system (Thermo Electron Corporation) with a He I excitation line (21.2 eV) from a Helium discharge lamp under a sample bias of −2 V to magnify the secondary-electron signal (cut-off signal).
[0000] 4. Thin-Film Time-of-Flight Measurements (Campbell, A. J., et al., Appl. Phys. Lett., 79, 2133 (2001). Ju{hacek over (s)}ka, G., et al., Phys. Rev. B, 67, 081201 (2003). Tseng, H. E., et al., Appl. Phys. Lett., 84, 1456 (2004)).
[0043] A thin film (about 0.3 lm thick) of PFO was spin-coated from its solution in THF (10 mg/mL) on an ITO glass substrate in a glove-box with an argon atmosphere. For β-PFO (n.a. 2 or 1.32%), the PFO films were dipped in mixed solvent/nonsolvents as described above. Aluminum was then deposited as the charge-collection electrode by using thermal evaporation (at 10 −6 Torr) through a shadow mask to achieve an ITO/PFOs/Al device structure for TOF measurements. All measurements were performed at room temperature under a vacuum of about 10 −6 Torr. The photocurrent was generated by a nitrogen-laser-pumped dye laser at 390 nm with a pulse width of 500 ps through the transparent ITO electrode. In integral TOF mode (RC>t T , where R, C, and t T are load resistance, capacitance of the PFO film, and transit time for a hole passing through the PFO film to the collecting electrode, respectively) (Ju{hacek over (s)}ka, G., et al., Phys. Rev. B, 67, 081201 (2003)), the drift of holes under an applied electric field (E) were accumulated at the collecting electrode and recorded by a 500 MHz digital storage oscilloscope. The hole mobility μ was calculated from the relationship μ=d/t T E (d is the thickness of the polymer film).
[0000] 5. Thermally Stimulated Current Measurements (Tseng, H. E., et al., Appl. Phys. Lett., 82, 4086 (2003). Steiger, J., et al., Synth. Met., 129, 1 (2002)).
[0044] TSC measurements from 86 to 320 K were performed in a cryostat cooled with liquid nitrogen and a vacuum maintained at about 10 −5 Torr. The TSC device (device structure is ITO/PFOs (400 nm)/Au) was installed in the cryostat and then irradiated by a xenon lamp from the ITO substrate side under an electric field of 5.3×10 5 V cm −1 (i.e., a simultaneous optical and electrical trap filling (OE trap filling)) for 5 min at 86 K. After waiting for 10 min for the discharging current to decrease to a negligible level, the device was heated at a constant rate of 10 K min −1 to 320 K with a zero bias, while recording the current. After that, the same device was cooled to 86 K again. The device was biased under the same electric field (that is, an E trap filling) for 5 min, and the procedure described above was followed to record the released current. For fractional TSC measurements, the device ITO/β-PFO (1.32%) (400 nm)/Au was installed in a cryostat and then irradiated by a xenon lamp under an electric field of 5.3×10 5 V cm −1 for 5 min at 86 K to fill the traps. After that, the cryostat was heated to a temperature (T stop ) and then cooled down to 86 K. Subsequently, a TSC plot was directly collected from 86 to 180 K with a constant heating rate of 10 K min −1 . This device was again cooled down to 86 K after the measurement. The same procedures were applied to collect TSC spectra at other T stop s.
6. Cyclic Voltammetry Measurements.
[0045] CV measurements were performed with a potentiostat (from Autolab, Eco Chemie BV) and a one-component three-electrode electrochemical cell in a 0.1 M tetrabutylammonium percolate (Bu 4 NClO 4 ) solution in acetonitrile at room temperature under atmospheric conditions. ITO glass was used as the working electrode; a platinum plate and a saturated calomel electrode (SCE) were used as the counter and reference electrodes, respectively. While collecting CV readings, an ITO glass with PFO film (100 nm, formed by spin-coating) was dipped in an electrolyte solution containing very little (ca. 5 mg) ferrocene (used as an internal standard and also as a basis to calculate HOMO levels of PFOs). The scanning rate was set to 100 mV s −1 .
[0046] Although the present invention has been described with reference to specific details of certain embodiments thereof, it is not intended that such details should be regarded as limitations upon the scope of the invention except as and to the extent that they are included in the accompanying claims. Many modifications and variations are possible in light of the above disclosure.
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A simple and efficient method for transforming conformation of parts of chains in the amorphous phase in a conjugated polymer to extended conjugation length (termed as β phase) is disclosed. The β phase acts as a dopant and can be termed self-dopant. The generated self-dopant in the amorphous host allows an efficient energy transfer and charge trapping to occur and leads to more balanced charge fluxes and more efficient charge recombination. For example, a polyfluorene film was dipped into a mixed solvent/non-solvent, tetrahydrofuran/methanol in volume ratio of 1:1, to generate a β-phase content up to 1.32%. A polymer light emitting diode with the dipped polyfluorene film as a light emitting layer therein provides a more pure and stable blue-emission (solely from the self-dopant) with CIE color coordinates x+y<0.3 and a performance of 3.85 cd A −1 (external quantum efficiency 3.33%) and 34326 cd m −2 .
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TECHNICAL FIELD
[0001] The invention relates to a prophylactic and therapeutic supplement preparation, in particular for animals.
BACKGROUND ART
[0002] For competitive reasons, modern times livestock breeding, as such breeding of furred animals and milkers, often requires large herds. This entails a high risk of infectious diseases, which may result in deaths and in serious cases necessitate the destruction of an entire herd involving heavy economic losses.
[0003] For preventing these situations, antibiotics are widely used, which should be considered alarming in the long view, as such a wide use furthers the development of antibiotic-resistant pathogenes.
[0004] In general, rational and efficient production methods are used today in modern livestock buildings, the use of which would be impossible without the use of antibiotics for both prevention and cure. This situation is for instance typical in poultry and pig production.
[0005] From an ethical assessment of the animals' welfare and suffering in connection with diseases, it is highly desirable to fulfil a primary health objective based on a significant strengthening of the animal's natural immune system as defence against various bacteria and viruses and thus allow for the removal of all antibiotics from animal production.
[0006] In mink breeding, problems with diseases such as plasmacytosis, puppy disease (caused by the distemper virus: canine distemper virus), virus enteritis, three-day sickness and sticky kits (diarrhoea condition found in minks during the suckling period and possibly caused by a too high lipid-to-protein ratio in the feed). Such diseases often result in heavy losses and increased use of antibiotics.
[0007] Silver in a biologically accessible form, such as colloidal silver, was commonly used until 1938. Since then the pharmaceutical industry has taken over the field of disease combating, and the research on colloidal silver has been shelved in competition with faster-acting and economically more lucrative drugs.
[0008] The therapeutic and prophylactic use of biologically accessible silver should be performed with the utmost caution and only in very low doses, the silver accumulating in the organism, especially in the liver, causing a weakening of the immune system. Especially at prophylactic use, where silver is administered on a regular basis, it may be difficult or practically impossible to obtain positive results without in fact deteriorating the state of health in the long view.
[0009] In the past 30 years, ox and shark cartilage has been used for the treatment of a number of diseases. It is assumed that cartilage kills cancer cells directly, stimulates the immune system and inhibits the formation of new blood vessels (angiogenesis) which the cancer cells need in order to grow uninhibitedly. A few tests are known in which cartilage has been used for the treatment of cancer in humans, but the results thereof have not been unambiguous. Shark cartilage is sold as a powder and is an excellent source of calcium, phosphor, amino acids and mucopolysaccharides.
[0010] WO 94/12510 states that in addition to the inherent nutritional benefit of shark cartilage, it is believed that two factors are also important in producing the beneficial health effects attributed to shark cartilage. One factor is the carbohydrate or mucopolysaccharide content of the shark cartilage which is believed to stimulate the immune system of the body to resist and fight disease. The second important factor is the anti angiogenic factor found in the protein portion, which can contain as many as five different active proteins.
[0011] EP-A-1 308 155 discloses an injectable solution containing a colloid of iron and shark cartilage-derived chondroitin sulphate. Such injectable solution is not suitable for a prophylactic daily use in animal breeding. Use of colliodal silver is not suggested in EP-A-1 308 155.
[0012] JP patent publication No. 2002-145794 (application No. 2001-255278) discloses an anti-arthritic or anti-rheumatic preparation containing an extract of the plant Withaia somnifera Dunal combined with an extract of cartilage, such as shark cartilage.
[0013] In the field of health food, antimony pentasulphide (Sb 2 S 5 , golden antimony sulphide) is recommended against winter coughs and bronchitis. Antimony pentasulphide is also used in combination with tin iodide, eg as a preparation known as “Broron-adult” or—child”. The use of zinc preparations, eg. zinc isovalerate or metallic zinc, is also recommended within the field of health food.
[0014] The recommendations in the health food field often concern very small amounts of the components in question, eg as a daily supplement. However, in many cases, the claimed effects are not sufficiently well documented and there has existed a widespread doubtful or sceptical attitude towards the product range of the health food market. Without considering whether the sceptical attitude is well founded or not, it may be established that these materials are not among the first ones considered by the livestock breeder for solving the above problems with infectious diseases among livestock.
[0015] It has now been found that by combining biologically accessible silver with a cartilage preparation the positive effect of silver can be enhanced to allow the use thereof in such low amounts that the unintended and detrimental accumulation of silver in the organism, eg in the liver, can be avoided or reduced to a harmless level.
[0016] Furthermore, it has been found that by adding very small amounts of additional selected components to such a silver/cartilage combination, the health-promoting effect of this combination can be sustained.
[0017] It has thus been found that a preparation with a surprisingly effective prevention of diseases, including highly infectious diseases, can be formulated by means of the combination, preferably with some supplement components, which each has a proven or presumed health-promoting effect on humans. This surprising effect has already been seen in minks in areas with serious plasmacytosis problems. It seems to indicate that the said wish to completely avoid the use of antibiotics in livestock breeding can be fulfilled within a short time frame.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0018] The present invention relates to a supplement preparation including a) a first active component in form of biologically accessible silver, b) a second active component in form of a material obtained from cartilage, and any conventional accessory agents or additives.
[0019] It is assumed that an important effect of the supplement preparation is due to the fact that cartilage, such as shark cartilage, contains substances acting as catalysts on the boosting of the immune system by the biologically accessible silver such that the immune system is enhanced to a level far exceeding the effect of the individual substances. The intensifying effect has the special advantage that a positive effect can be obtained with very modest silver amounts such that the problems with silver accumulation in the liver are avoided.
[0020] Moreover, it has been found that one or more different active substances, in particular such substances recommended within the homoeopathic field, directed towards diseases causing problems among the livestock in question, advantageously may be added to the supplement preparation. As a result, in addition to the effect on the immune system, which provides a general improvement of the state of health of an animal population, a noticeable combating of such specific diseases is obtained.
[0021] The supplement preparation may thus advantageously include one or more additional active components. Such additional active compounds may be selected among antimony pentasulphide, metallic tin and/or a tin salt, metallic zinc and/or a zinc salt, a sulphur containing substance and/or a iodine containing substance.
[0022] A useful sulphur containing substance is a calcium liver preparation which is commercially available as “hepar sulphuris”. Examples of iodine containing substances are tin iodide, calcium iodine and tare powder.
[0023] Useful active components optionally being included in the supplement preparation are antimony pentasulphide, metallic tin and/or a tin salt, and metallic zinc and/or a zinc salt. The tin salt may be an inorganic or an organic tin salt, preferably a tin halide such as tin iodide. The zinc salt may be an inorganic or an organic zinc salt, preferably a zinc salt of an organic carboxylic acid as for instance zinc isovalerate.
[0024] Although the actual mechanism is not yet known some of the additional active components are inter alia believed to affect the liver metabolism, which further prevents silver from accumulating in the liver.
[0025] Colloidal silver is a suitable form of biologically accessible silver for use as the first component (a). A suitable cartilaginous material for use as the second active component (b) is a material, eg a dried powder, derived from a cartilaginous fish, preferably a shark.
[0026] The ratio between the active components (a) and (b) in the preparation according to the invention may vary greatly depending on the animal species and the ages of the animals. Usually the weight ratio a:b is between 1:100,000 and 1:10. According to a preferred embodiment the content of cartilaginous material, calculated as dry matter, is 100-12,000 parts by weight per 1 part by weight of biologically accessible silver, preferably 200-6000 parts by weight per 1 part by weight of biologically accessible silver and most preferably 300-3000 parts by weight per 1 part by weight of biologically accessible silver.
[0027] The content of the biologically accessible silver may also vary greatly depending on the animal species and the age of the animals. Usually the Ag content is between 0.1 and 100 mg per litre preparation. According to a preferred embodiment, the preparation contains 0.5-50 mg of biologically accessible silver per litre preparation, preferably 1-20 mg per litre.
[0028] The invention further relates to a use of (a), a first active component in form of biologically accessible silver, (b), a second active component in form of a material derived from cartilage, and any additional active components and/or conventional accessory agents or additives for the preparation of a health-promoting supplement preparation for livestock.
[0029] The extent of applicability of the invention appears from the following detailed description. It should, however, be understood that the detailed description and the specific examples are merely included to illustrate the preferred embodiments, and that various alterations and modifications within the scope of protection will be obvious to persons skilled in the art on the basis of the detailed description.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0030] As a base component in the preparation according to the invention biologically accessible silver is used, eg in form of colloid-dispersed silver in water, also denoted as colloidal silver. For the prophylactic use for minks, the silver concentration may be about 3 mg per litre, which corresponds to 3 μg/ml. In this concentration, a daily amount of about 8 ml per day may for instance be used in the feed for 100 bitches of a weight of between 1.2-1.8 kg. This corresponds to 8 ml×3 μg/ml=24 μg Ag for 100×1.5 kg body weight per day, ie 0.16 μg Ag per kg per day.
[0031] The silver content in the basic component of the preparation may vary, but is usually chosen from between 0.5 and 50 μg/ml. The daily dosage varies depending on the animal species in question, the animal's age, sex and general state of health, and usually between 1 ng and 1 μg Ag per kg of body weight per day.
[0032] At present, a silver concentration in the preparation for poultry is envisaged to be −5, preferably 2-3 μg/ml of silver used in a daily dosage of 0.01-0.2, preferably 0.09-0.04 μg Ag per kg body weight per day.
[0033] Correspondingly, for grown sows, a silver concentration in the preparation of 10-25, preferably 16-20 μg/ml of silver used in a daily dosage of 1 ng -0.01 μg, preferably 4-6 ng Ag per kg body weight per day is envisaged.
[0034] For mink, a silver concentration in the preparation of 0.5-10, preferably 1-6 μg/ml of silver used in a daily dosage of 0.01-0.3 μg, preferably 0.1-0.4 μg Ag per kg. body weight per day is envisaged.
[0035] According to present practice, the often-recommended dosages of colloidal silver for use in humans are of a level, which must be considered alarming due to the silver accumulation in the organism. Also as regards humans, it is expected that it is possible to obtain health-promoting effects at considerably lower and safer silver dosages by combining biologically accessible silver and a cartilaginous material. The supplement preparation according to the invention thus also has potential in relation to humans.
[0036] The second active component, derived from cartilage, may for instance be used in form of a dried and ground powder obtained as a by-product from sharks in an amount of 0.5-100 g per litre (=0.5-100 mg/ml) in the preparation, preferably 1-30 g per litre. The daily doses of the cartilaginous material typically range from 1 μg-1 mg per kg body weight, preferably from 3 μg to 0.5 mg per kg. For mink 0.2-0.8 mg/kg is typically used. For poultry 0.01-0.1 mg/kg is typically used, while the daily dosages for grown sows are envisaged to range from 1 μg to 0.01 mg per kg. It should, however, be noted that a too high dosage of cartilaginous material does not have the same serious consequence as a too high silver dosage.
[0037] In ratio to the silver amount, the cartilage powder is preferably used in an amount of 0.05-12.5 g per mg Ag, more preferably in the range from 0.1 to 7.5 g per mg Ag, and most preferably in the range from 0.5-4.0 g per mg Ag.
[0038] The combined Ag/cartilage preparation forms a sound basis for a number of supplementary active substances with health-promoting effect, in particular such substances known from the homoeopathic treatment of humans. Such substances are available on the market and in the examples rendered below these have been identified on the basis of information received from the suppliers. In homoeopathy, concentration specifications are used, in which for instance D6 means 1:10 −6 , ie. the same as ppm. Whether such specifications denote the weight ratio (D6=mg/kg) or the weight/volume ratio (D6=1 mg/litre) is not always clear, nor is it always clear whether for instance a metallic salt is calculated on the basis of the metal ion or the entire salt molecule.
[0039] Despite these problems, the illustrative numbers stated in the present description provide the person skilled in the art with a guide as to advantageous amounts used at routine adjustments of the each of the active substances to a specific animal species or specific herds with special health problems.
[0040] It should, however, once more be emphasized that the silver as well as many of the possible supplementary additions are used in very small amounts, only about 1 ml of a product with an active substance content of from D6 to D12 (1:10 −12 ) being used for 1 litre of preparation, of which a daily addition of 4-8 ml to the feed for 100 animals being used or for the treatment of individual animals merely one of two drops being used.
EXAMPLES
[0000] Colloidal Silver
[0041] A colloid dispersion containing fine silver particles suspended in distilled water is prepared in a conventional electro-colloid process. By using 3 mg of silver per litre a silver dispersion of 3 μg/ml Ag is obtained.
[0000] Pau D'Arco Tea
[0042] A tea is prepared from pau d'arco—ie. the inner bark of the tree Tabebuia avellanedae also known under the name of trumpet bush—by immersing a bag containing 3 g of a pau d'arco powder (“Pau d'arco Medic” supplied by Birthe Kvist Andersen of DK-9000 Aalborg) in one litre of boiling water. The mixture is left to simmer for 6 to 8 minutes whereafter the bag is removed.
Example 1
[0043] The present example described the preparation of one litre of the supplement preparation. The following constituents are used:
Shark cartilage powder* 7.5 g Broron-adult** 0.9 g Zincum val D6*** 0.4 ml Hepar sulphuris D6**** 1.0 g Silver dispersion (3 μg/ml) quantum satis 1 litre *“Ocean Care”, which is an Australian shark cartilage powder derived from the cold-water shark (school shark; Galeorhinus galeus ) and supplied by Natural Australian Import, DK-3550 Slangerup, Denmark. **0.9 g of Broron-adult contains 0.9 μg active substance including antimony pentasulphide and tin iodide in lactose. Broron-adult is available from Allergica Amba, Hagemannsvej 25, DK-8600 Silkeborg. ***Zincum val D6 is a zinc preparation of zinc isovalerate; it contains 1 ppm active substance (supplier: Allergica Amba). ****Hepar sulph. D6 is a calcium sulphur liver preparation; it contains 1 ppm of active substance; available from Allergica Amba.
[0044] The remaining constituents are added to the majority of the colloid silver dispersion during stirring. Finally, the volume is adjusted to one litre with the silver dispersion.
Example 2
[0045] A supplement preparation for mink is prepared in the same manner as the preparation in example 1 based on the following constituents:
Pau d'arco-tea 15 ml Shark cartilage powder 7.5 g Broron-adult 0.9 g Zincum val D6 0.4 ml Hepar sulphuris D6 1.0 g Calcium iodine D6* 0.7 ml Stannum met. D12** 0.5 ml Juniperus comp. # 0.6 ml Tricalcium citrate, monohydrate 0.27 g Tare powder## 0.7 g Silver dispersion (3 μg/ml) quantum satis 1 litre *calcium-iodine-containing preparation containing 1 ppm of active substance; available from Allergica Amba. **Tin preparation (metallic tin) containing 1:10 −12 active substance; (supplier: Allergica Amba). #Combination preparation based on Apis , Berberis vulgaris , Juniperus communis , Levisticum officinalis (radix), and Arnica (honey bee, berberis, juniper berries, lovage root and mountain tobacco) (supplied by Allergica Amba). ##Tare powder is finely pulverised tare plants ( Laminaria ). Tare are deep-sea seaweed plants (kelp) with a natural iodine content of 0.5-1%.
Example 3
[0046] A supplement preparation for poultry is prepared in the same manner as the preparation in example 1 based on the following constituents:
Shark cartilage powder 7 g Broron-adult 2.4 g Zincum val D6 2.8 ml Hepar sulphuris D6 3.2 g Silver dispersion (2-3 μg/ml) quantum satis 1 litre
[0047] For grown hens having a body weight of 2-3 kg 9 ml per day is typically used for 100 hens.
Example 4
[0048] A supplement preparation for grown sows (body weight about 250 kg) is prepared in the same manner as the preparation in example 1 based on the following constituents:
Shark cartilage powder 12 g Broron-adult 1.3 g Zincum met D10* 1.4 ml Hepar sulphuris D12** 1.8 ml Silver dispersion (18 μg/ml) quantum satis 1 litre *Zincum met D10 is a metallic zinc preparation containing 1:10 −10 of active zinc. (Supplier: Allergica Amba) **contains 1:10 −12 of active substance.
[0049] 7 ml per day of the supplement preparation is typically used for 100 sows.
Example 5
[0050] A base supplement preparation for livestock is prepared in the same manner as the preparation in example 1 based on the following constituents:
Shark cartilage powder 0.5-30 g Broron-adult 0.05-20 g Zincum val D6 0.1-10 ml Hepar sulphuris D6 0.5-5 g Tare powder 0.3-20 g Silver dispersion (1-40 μg/ml) quantum satis 1 litre
[0051] According to need, this base preparation may be adapted to the animal species, age and state of health by adding additional active substances.
Example 6
[0052] A base supplement preparation for livestock is prepared in the same manner as the preparation in example 1 based on the following constituents:
Shark cartilage powder 0.5-30 g Broron-adult 0.05-20 g Zincum met D10 0.5-5 ml Hepar sulphuris D12 0.5-5 ml Tare powder 0.5-10 g Silver dispersion (1-40 μg/ml) quantum satis 1 litre
[0053] According to need, this base preparation may be adapted to the animal species, age and state of health by adding additional active substances.
Example 7
[0054] The supplement preparation made according to example 2 has been tested on a mink farm with 300 bitches and their approx. 1500 kits. From mid April the bitches received a daily dose of 8 ml per 100 bitches of the preparation as a supplement to the usual feed. From June 9, the bitches received a daily dose of 8ml/100 bitches, while the kits received 4 ml/100 kits. On June 29, the dose was changed to 7 ml/100 animals both for bitches and for kits.
[0055] A significant improvement of the state of health was noted on the mink farm. The kits seem heavier and more vigorous than previously. There was a lower kit mortality rate, more calm bitches and only a single death during the period, which is unusual. There were no “sticky kits” even though feed was administered according to appetite after May 11. As before, a few bitches stopped lactating, ie. premature cease of milk production. This problem thus remains unsolved, but it is most likely not linked to the immune system.
[0056] The growth of the kits was particularly good, the animals seemed to thrive optimally and their manure was of a high quality. The latter represents a measure by means of which deteriorations in the animals' state of health can be detected.
Example 8
[0057] Similar tests were carried out on three other mink farms, said tests were initiated on May 2, 2003 by administering the supplement preparation according to example 2 to 200-300 bitches per farm in a dosage of the amount as in example 6. Already in the period of June 10-15 the test was expanded to include all animals of the three farms, ie a total of about 7300 bitches and 37000 kits. On Jul. 12, 2003 the manager of the three mink farms reported:
[0058] a significantly lower kit mortality rate from whelping to date;
[0059] no cases of diarrhoea, mastitis or “sticky” kits, the use of antibiotics has thus not been required;
[0060] hardly any loss of breeding bitches from whelping to date;
[0061] no agitation or fights among 4-6 weeks old kits, significantly less ear sucking and neck biting;
[0062] the animals were calm with no signs of stress;
[0063] considerably increased weight at weaning;
[0064] peace and no stress after weaning, no bite injuries.
[0065] optimum use of the feed and the animals always had fine bowels movements;
[0066] good appetite without deviations after weaning;
[0067] increased growth and reduced feed consumption than normally.
Example 9
[0068] At the mink farm A the entire herd had to be destructed due to plasmacytosis. Thereafter mated beaches were bought in April 2003 from the mink farm B.
[0069] The animals at mink farm A and mink farm B were feed with the same type of feed from the same supplier during the entire period until pelting with the only difference that the animals at farm A also received the supplement preparation according to example 2 as described in example 7.
[0070] The quality of the furs obtained from almost all males were estimated at the Copenhagen Fur Center, Glostrup, Denmark and the furs were classified in five qualities and the quality index calculated. The best quality is “Saga Royal”.
Fur type Scanglow Scanbrown Mink farm A Mink farm A (receiving Mink farm B (receiving Mink farm B inventive (without inventive (without supplement) supplement) supplement) supplement) Saga Royal (%) 30 12 44 13 Saga (%) 58 60 46 62 A (%) 1 4 2 3 Quality I (%) 11 23 7 22 Quality II (%) 0 1 0 0 Quality Index 108 98 112 100
[0071] As appears in case of Scanbrown the quality of the furs from mink farm B corresponds to the average quality (Index 100) among the about 2250 Danish minkeries supplying mink furs to Copenhagen Fur Center whereas the furs from mink farm A with index 112 are above the 95% fractile.
[0072] In most cases a mink farmer selling out a part of his animals would keep the best animals for his own breeding stock. This make the increased quality of the furs from mink farm A it even more surprising.
[0073] The above description of the invention reveals that it is obvious that it can be varied in many ways. Such variations are not to be considered a deviation from the scope of the invention, and all such modifications, which are obvious to persons skilled in the art are also to be considered comprised by the scope of the succeeding claims.
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Supplement preparation including (a), a first active component in form of biologically accessible silver, (b), a second active component in form of a material obtained from cartilage, and any conventional accessory agents or additives and the use of the first and the second active components with any additional active components and/or conventional accessory agent or additives for the preparation of a health-promoting supplement preparation for livestock including mink, poultry and pigs. The preparation has proved suitable for the prevention against and treatment of plasmacytosis, puppy disease, enteritis virus, three-day sickness and/or “sticky” kits in mink.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] 1. Field of the Invention
[0002] The present invention relates in general to a bed and, more particularly, to a bed which allows a user to be inverted during sleep to reduce airway restrictions and increase sleep quality.
[0003] 2. Description of the Prior Art
[0004] Beds are well known in the art. It is also well known in the art to provide beds with air-filled mattresses, water-filled mattresses, or resilient foam or springs to increase comfort. One drawback associated with prior art beds is the tendency of users to experience obstructive sleep apnea (cessation of breathing) during sleep. Although sleep apnea can arise from many circumstances, one type of sleep apnea, namely obstructive sleep apnea, typically occurs when the soft tissue collapses and blocks the airway during sleep. This causes the user to temporarily stop breathing, until the user awakes or otherwise begins breathing. This cycle can continue dozens of times during the night, preventing the user from attaining the deepest and most regenerative stages of sleep.
[0005] Obstructive sleep apnea occurs more frequently when sleeping on one's back. While it is known for a person to attempt to sleep on their side to reduce obstructive sleep apnea, this is not a complete solution as obstructive sleep apnea can occur when the user is on their side. Furthermore, even if a sleeper starts out on their side, they may tend to roll onto their back during the night. While it known to sleep on one's stomach in an attempt to reduce obstructive sleep apnea, this is an uncomfortable sleeping position for many, causing the sleeper to roll onto their side or back during the night. Sleeping on one's stomach may also lead to pain of the back or neck, due to the unnatural orientation of the spine, shoulders and head during face down sleeping.
[0006] Massage tables which position a user in a semi-prone position are also known in the art. Such tables, however, are typically not adjustable by the user during use. Furthermore, such tables are typically too flat to allow for a comfortable sleeping position. Such tables are also used by multiple people, necessitating the use of water repellant surfaces. While water repellant surfaces are acceptable for short term use, water repellant surfaces are uncomfortable for long term use associated with nighttime sleep. Massage tables have the additional drawback of placing a user's arms in an uncomfortable position and not allowing supported movement of the user's arms.
[0007] It would, therefore, be desirable to provide a bed which would allow the user to be supported in a face-down position, in a manner which allows unrestricted anatomical airway airflow, and which does not put undue pressure on the user's spine or neck. It would also be desirable to provide a bed which would absorb moisture and which would allow for user adjustment and movement during use. The difficulties in the prior art discussed hereinabove are substantially eliminated by the present invention.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0008] In an advantage provided by this invention, a bed is provided which supports a user in a substantially face-down position.
[0009] Advantageously, this invention provides a bed which prevents airway resistance and increases airflow to a user when the user's head is in a face down position.
[0010] Advantageously, this invention facilitates movement of the diaphragm during respiration.
[0011] Advantageously, this invention provides a bed which provides for supported movement of a user's limbs during use.
[0012] Advantageously, this invention provides a bed which provides a moisture absorptive surface.
[0013] Advantageously, in a preferred embodiment of this invention, a bed is provided which supports a user in an angled, face-down orientation. The bed is provided with a moisture absorptive surface. Preferably the bed is provided with head, chest, thigh and shin supports.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0014] The present invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:
[0015] FIG. 1 illustrates a top perspective view of the improved bed of the present invention;
[0016] FIG. 2 illustrates a side elevation of the improved bed of FIG. 1 , shown with a user sleeping on the bed;
[0017] FIG. 3 illustrates a top perspective view in partial cutaway of the head and arm support system of the present invention; and
[0018] FIG. 4 illustrates a bottom perspective view of the improved bed of FIG. 1 .
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
[0019] An improved bed system according to this invention is shown generally as ( 10 ) in FIG. 1 . The bed system ( 10 ) includes a lower frame ( 12 ) and a main vertical support ( 14 ). ( FIG. 2 ). The frame ( 12 ) and support ( 14 ) may be constructed of aluminum, steel or any desired material. The frame ( 12 ) and support ( 14 ) may be tubular, triangular or of any suitable construction or configuration known in the art. In the preferred embodiment, the frame ( 12 ) and support ( 14 ) are constructed of tubular steel and are welded to one another.
[0020] As shown in FIG. 2 , the vertical support ( 14 ) is coupled to a bed ( 16 ). The bed ( 16 ) includes a head support system ( 18 ) hinged to a body support ( 20 ). The body support ( 20 ) is hinged to a thigh support ( 22 ) which, in turn, is hinged to a leg support ( 24 ).
[0021] Arm supports ( 26 ) and ( 28 ) are hinged to wings ( 30 ) and ( 32 ) which are hinged to a collar ( 34 ). The collar ( 34 ) is slidably coupled to the vertical support ( 14 ) and held in place by a steel pin ( 36 ) passing through holes ( 38 ) in the vertical support ( 14 ). ( FIGS. 1 and 2 ).
[0022] As shown in FIG. 2 , the thigh support ( 22 ) is hinged to a first linearly actuated telescopic leg ( 40 ) and a second linearly actuated telescopic leg ( 42 ). The telescopic legs ( 40 ) and ( 42 ) are also hinged to the frame ( 12 ). The telescopic legs ( 40 ) and ( 42 ) may be of any type known in the art but are of sufficient durability to support the bed ( 16 ) and a user ( 44 ). The telescopic legs ( 40 ) and ( 42 ) may be manually mechanically operated, electronically operated, or operated hydraulically, pneumatically or by any means known in the art. Preferably, the telescopic legs ( 40 ) and ( 42 ) are each provided with electric motors ( 46 ) and ( 48 ) which, in turn, are electrically coupled to a master converter ( 50 ). The master converter ( 50 ) converts alternating current from a wall outlet ( 52 ) to direct current for use by the electric motors ( 46 ) and ( 48 ) to extend the telescopic legs ( 40 ) and ( 42 ) by screws, rack and pinion, or any other method of linear actuation known in the art. An electric motor ( 54 ) is also coupled to a screw ( 56 ) in mating engagement with the collar ( 34 ) coupled to the wings ( 30 ) and ( 32 ) to raise and lower the arm supports ( 26 ) and ( 28 ).
[0023] As shown in FIGS. 2-3 , the head support system ( 18 ) includes a steel sleeve ( 58 ) welded to the bottom of the body support ( 16 ) and to the vertical support ( 14 ). Slidably received within the steel sleeve ( 58 ) is an extensible neck ( 60 ). The extensible neck ( 60 ) is coupled to an electric motor ( 62 ) by a screw, rack and pinion or other system known in the art to extend and retract the extensible neck ( 60 ) relative to the steel sleeve ( 58 ). A collar ( 64 ) is secured to the end of the extensible neck ( 60 ) and is provided with a hole ( 66 ) through which passes a steel post ( 68 ). The post ( 68 ) is retained in place by a manually operable set screw ( 70 ) received in the collar ( 64 ). Pivotably coupled to the top of the post ( 68 ) is a steel support finger ( 72 ), pivotably coupled on its opposite end to a face support ( 74 ). The support finger ( 72 ) is adjustable using a manually operable set screw ( 76 ).
[0024] Another manually operable set screw ( 78 ) allows for the adjustment and locking of the face support ( 74 ) relative to the support finger ( 72 ). While the face support ( 74 ) may be of any desired design, preferably the face support ( 74 ) includes a forehead support ( 80 ) and cheek supports ( 82 ) and ( 84 ). The face support ( 74 ) is provided with a recess or opening ( 140 ) to receive a user's eyes ( 86 ), nose ( 88 ) and mouth ( 90 ).
[0025] As shown in the figures, the face support ( 74 ) is positioned below the body support ( 16 ) and angled downward relatively thereto. The head support system ( 18 ) is preferably designed to be adjusted and fixed at angles more than one hundred eighty and less than two hundred seventy degrees relative to the body support ( 16 ) as shown in the drawings. Similarly, the telescopic legs ( 40 ) and ( 42 ) may be extended and retracted as desired to change the angles between the body support ( 16 ), thigh support ( 22 ) and leg support ( 24 ).
[0026] While the telescopic legs ( 40 ) and ( 42 ) may be extended to make the body support ( 16 ), thigh support ( 22 ) and leg support ( 24 ) parallel to one another, the telescopic legs ( 40 ) and ( 42 ) are preferably adjusted to position the thigh support ( 22 ) at least one hundred eighty degrees and less than two hundred seventy degrees relative to the body support ( 16 ), more than ninety degrees and less than one hundred eighty degrees relative to the leg support ( 24 ), or whatever positioning is most preferable for the user ( 44 ). The leg support ( 24 ) is located rearward of and below the body support ( 16 ) to facilitate blood flow.
[0027] As shown in FIG. 3 , the arm supports ( 26 ) and ( 28 ) are positioned at least ten centimeters below and at least partially forward of the body support ( 16 ). The arm supports ( 26 ) and ( 28 ) may be locked in place with set screws or may be allowed to rotate relative to the wings ( 30 ) and ( 32 ). The wings ( 30 ) and ( 32 ) may also be locked in place by set screws, or may be allowed to pivot relative to the collar ( 34 ) to allow the user ( 44 ) to adjust his/her supported arms ( 92 ) and ( 94 ) during sleep. The arm supports ( 26 ) and ( 28 ) may be moved from a plane even with the body support ( 16 ) to a point seventy centimeters or more below the body support ( 16 ) by actuating the electric motor ( 54 ) and screws ( 56 ).
[0028] While the supports ( 16 ), ( 22 ), ( 24 ) and ( 74 ) may be constructed of any suitable material known in the art, the supports ( 16 ), ( 22 ), ( 24 ) and ( 74 ) are preferably constructed of resilient foam pieces provided over steel plates ( 104 ), ( 106 ), ( 108 ) and ( 110 ). The supports ( 16 ), ( 22 ), ( 24 ) and ( 74 ) may, of course, may be constructed of air-filled or water-filled bladders, or of a “memory” or conforming foam, such as those known in the art. Alternatively, the supports ( 16 ), ( 22 ), ( 24 ) and ( 74 ) may be constructed of fabric covered springs, similar to standard spring mattresses secured to the plate. The supports ( 16 ), ( 22 ), ( 24 ) and ( 74 ) are provided with bolsters ( 112 ), ( 114 ), ( 116 ) and ( 118 ) to prevent the user from rolling off the bed ( 16 ).
[0029] As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 , the face support ( 74 ), the body support ( 16 ), thigh support ( 22 ) and leg support ( 24 ) are preferably all covered with moisture absorbent cover material, such as woven cotton sheet ( 120 ), ( 122 ), ( 124 ) or ( 126 ) or the like. While the material ( 120 ), ( 122 ), ( 124 ) or ( 126 ) may be constructed of a non-moisture absorbing material itself, the material ( 120 ), ( 122 ), ( 124 ) or ( 126 ) is configured to facilitate the movement of moisture away from the user ( 44 ). ( FIGS. 1 , 2 and 3 ). The material ( 120 ), ( 122 ), ( 124 ) or ( 126 ) may be moisture permeable to allow moisture, such as sweat, to pass through the material ( 120 ), ( 122 ), ( 124 ) or ( 126 ) and “wick” moisture away from the user ( 44 ). The material ( 120 ), ( 122 ), ( 124 ) or ( 126 ) is preferably provided in a shape conforming to the associated body supports ( 16 ), ( 22 ), ( 24 ) and ( 74 ). For example, the face support ( 74 ) is covered with sheet ( 126 ) in the shape of the face support ( 74 ). The sheet ( 126 ) is preferably resiliently gathered on the underside of the face support ( 74 ) in the manner used in the prior art for retaining fitted sheets and the like. This configuration moves moisture away from the user ( 44 ) and resiliently retains the sheet ( 126 ) on the face support ( 74 ), while allowing the sheet ( 126 ) to be quickly and easily removed for cleaning.
[0030] Similarly, the chest support ( 112 ) is provided with a sheet ( 120 ), the thigh support ( 22 ) is provided with a sheet ( 122 ), and the leg support ( 24 ) is provided with a sheet ( 124 ). The sheets ( 120 ), ( 122 ), ( 124 ) and ( 126 ) protect the body supports ( 16 ), ( 22 ), ( 24 ) and ( 74 ) from sweat and oil. Armrest sheets ( 130 ) and ( 132 ) are provided around the armrests ( 26 ) and ( 28 ). Alternatively, a single sheet (not shown) may be provided over all of the supports ( 16 ), ( 22 ), ( 24 ), ( 74 ), ( 26 ) and ( 28 ).
[0031] When it is desired to utilize the bed system ( 10 ) of the present invention, once a user ( 44 ) is diagnosed with obstructive sleep apnea, the sheets ( 120 ), ( 122 ), ( 124 ), ( 126 ), ( 130 ) and ( 132 ) are provided over the associated supports ( 16 ), ( 22 ), ( 24 ), ( 74 ), ( 26 ) and ( 28 ) of the bed system ( 10 ), and the user ( 44 ) adjusts the head support system ( 18 ) so that the user's face ( 134 ) rests with the user's forehead ( 136 ) on the forehead support ( 80 ), the cheeks ( 138 ) rest on the check rests ( 82 ) and ( 84 ), and the eyes ( 86 ), nose ( 88 ) and mouth ( 90 ) through the opening ( 140 ) of the face support ( 24 ). The opening ( 140 ) is preferably sized to allow the user's jaw ( 142 ) to hang freely, to further reduce any potential airway restriction and to facilitate more restful sleep. At this point, the user's chest ( 144 ) is resting on the body support ( 16 ). In a similar manner, the user's thighs ( 146 ) are positioned on the thigh support ( 22 ) and the user's shins ( 148 ) are positioned on the leg support ( 24 ). As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 , the user's arms ( 92 ) and ( 94 ) extend downward from the tapered top ( 150 ) of the body support ( 18 ). The body support ( 18 ) and other supports ( 22 ), ( 24 ), ( 74 ), ( 26 ) and ( 28 ) may be contoured and indented as desired. For example, the body support ( 20 ) may be provided with indentions to accommodate a female user.
[0032] The user ( 44 ) adjusts the arm supports ( 26 ) and ( 28 ) to the desired height using the motor ( 54 ) and screw ( 56 ). The user ( 44 ) adjusts the thigh supports ( 24 ) and ( 26 ) relative to the body support ( 20 ) and to one another using the motors ( 46 ) and ( 48 ) to adjust the desired heights of the telescopic legs ( 40 ) and ( 42 ).
[0033] The user then adjusts the head support system ( 18 ) as desired and rests on the bed system ( 10 ) as shown in FIG. 2 . The user's sleep is assessed and adjustments are made to angles of the supports ( 20 ), ( 22 ), ( 24 ), ( 74 ), ( 26 ) and ( 28 ) to further facilitate more restful sleep. Adjustments are made based upon assessments of the user's feedback and length of period of rapid eye movement (REM) sleep. The user ( 44 ) again sleeps on the bed system ( 10 ) and the user's sleep is again monitored. The process continues until a satisfactory orientation of the bed system ( 10 ) for a particular user ( 44 ) and optimum REM sleep is achieved. Preferably, the resulting orientation simulates the orientation the user ( 44 ) would have sleeping in zero gravity. This orientation increases circulation, reduces stress, reduces pressure points during sleep and uses gravity to pull the user's neck muscles away from the user's airway.
[0034] When the user ( 44 ) has finished sleeping, the sheets ( 120 ), ( 122 ), ( 124 ), ( 126 ), ( 130 ) and ( 132 ) may be removed, laundered and replaced as desired. Not only is the bed system ( 10 ) designed to limit the collapse of the soft tissue in the user's throat. The bed system ( 10 ) also angles the user's lower abdomen downward to make it easier for the user's abdominal muscles to pull down the diaphragm and expand the user's chest cavity for the inspiratory cycle. By reducing airway obstruction and restriction, the bed system ( 10 ) may be utilized to treat obstructive sleep apnea and facilitate sleep cycles. Other benefits include a reduction in snoring and an increase in the amount of REM sleep.
[0035] If desired, as shown in FIG. 2 , the master converter ( 50 ) may be coupled to a central processing unit ( 152 ) and a plurality of “preset” buttons ( 154 ), ( 156 ) and ( 158 ) which allow the user ( 44 ) to save a particularly desirable orientation of the bed system ( 10 ) by holding down a preset button ( 154 ) for a period of time. The user ( 44 ) can then preset other orientations using the remaining buttons for resting, sleeping and or for another user.
[0036] In the even the bed system ( 10 ) is not placed on a level surface, or if it is desired to tilt the bed system ( 10 ), the user ( 44 ) may adjust any of the screw type leveler feet ( 160 ), ( 162 ), ( 164 ) and ( 166 ) secured to the frame ( 12 ). ( FIG. 4 ).
[0037] The foregoing description and drawings merely explain and illustrate the invention, and the invention is not limited thereto except insofar as the claims are so limited, as those skilled in the art, who have the disclosure before them will be able to make modifications and variations therein without departing from the scope of the invention. For example, the bed system ( 10 ) may be shortened or elongated and may be utilized with user's without sleep disorders.
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A bed is provided which orients a user in a multi-angled, prone position. The bed supports a downward positioning of a user's face to maintain an open airway to reduce or eliminate sleeping problems associated with gravity aggravated apnea. By positioning the user's head downward, gravity operates to maintain the user's airway open as opposed to forcing it closed. The bed is provided with a moisture absorbent covering which may be changed and laundered as desired.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an apparatus and a method for distributing a liquid from a liquid distributor to a packing in an exchange column for heat and/or mass transfer processes. The apparatus and method have particular application in cryogenic air separation processes utilizing distillation, although the apparatus and method may be used in other heat and/or mass transfer processes that use liquid distributors and packing (e.g., random or structured packing).
The term, “column”, as used herein, means a distillation or fractionation column or zone, i.e., a column or zone wherein liquid and vapor phases are countercurrently contacted to effect separation of a fluid mixture, such as by contacting of the vapor and liquid phases on packing elements.
The term “packing” means solid or hollow bodies of predetermined size, shape, and configuration used as column internals to provide surface area for the liquid to allow mass transfer at the liquid-vapor interface during countercurrent flow of two phases. Two broad classes of packings are “random” and “structured”.
“Random packing” means packing wherein individual members do not have any particular orientation relative to each other or to the column axis. Random packings are small, hollow structures with large surface area per unit volume that are loaded at random into a column. “Structured packing” means packing wherein individual members have specific orientation relative to each other and to the column axis. Structured packings usually are made of expanded metal or woven wire screen stacked in layers or as spiral windings; however, other materials of construction, such as plain sheet metal, may be used.
The terms “orifice,” “hole,” and “aperture” are used interchangeably herein to mean an opening through which a fluid may pass. Although circular orifices are shown in the drawings, the orifices may have other shapes, including irregular as well as regular shapes.
Cryogenic separation of air is carried out by passing liquid and vapor in countercurrent contact through a distillation column. A vapor phase of the mixture ascends with an ever increasing concentration of the more volatile components (e.g., nitrogen) while a liquid phase of the mixture descends with an ever increasing concentration of the less volatile components (e.g., oxygen).
Various packings may be used to bring the liquid and gaseous phases of the mixture into contact to accomplish mass transfer between the phases. The use of packing for distillation is standard practice and has many advantages where pressure drop is important. However, packed column performance is very dependent on creating and mantaining a balance between the downward flow of liquid and the upward flow of vapor locally in the packing. The distribution of the liquid and the vapor within the packing as influenced by the initial presentation of these fluids to the packing.
Initial presentation of liquid and vapor to the packing is usually made by means of distributors. A liquid distributor, the role of which is to irrigate the packing uniformly with liquid, is located above the packing, while a vapor distributor, the role of which is to create uniform vapor flow below the packing, is located below the packing.
There are three main types of typical liquid distributors—pipe, pan, and trough distributors. Each type is discussed briefly below.
Pipe distributors are comprised of an interconnecting network of closed pipes or ducts, typically comprising a central pipe or manifold and a number of arms or branches radiating from the central pipe. The arms are perforated to allow the liquid passing from the central pipe and into the arms to be dripped or sprayed onto a packed bed below the pipe distributor. Upwardly flowing vapor passes easily in-between each arm. Pipe distributors receive liquid from a separate liquid collector or an external source piped through the wall of the column. While simple and inexpensive to construct, pipe distributors may distribute liquid poorly when vapor gets trapped in the arms.
Pan distributors are comprised of a pan or pot having holes in the bottom for feeding liquid to the packing below and tubes or risers for the vapor to pass upwardly through the distributor. Pan distributors often make a complete seal with the wall of a column. Thus, pan distributors can act as liquid collectors as well as distributors. However, since large pan distributors are costly to build, pan distributors usually are used in smaller columns, i.e., columns with diameters less than 1.5 meters.
Trough distributors comprise a collection of interconnecting open troughs or channels having irrigation holes in the base to feed liquid to the packing below. At least one upper collection trough, or a simple pot on top of the lower troughs, feeds liquid to the lower troughs through a series of holes or overflowing notches. Vapor from the packing below passes upward between the liquid-containing troughs.
FIG. 1 shows a typical liquid distributor 10 of the trough type. Liquid from feed assembly 12 enters a pre-distributor 14 , which distributes the liquid to the distributor. The distributor is mounted on a combined hold-down/support grate (not shown) above the packing (not shown).
After entering the distributor 10 , the liquid flows in a plurality of channels or troughs 18 spaced apart by vapor risers 16 throughout the distributor. A typical main channel 17 and multiple troughs or channels 18 on each side of the main channel 17 are shown in FIG. 2 . Liquid from the main channel enters each channel at the inlet end 20 of the channel and flows in a direction 22 away from the inlet end. Streams of liquid 24 then exit each channel through orifices or holes 26 in the bottom 28 of the channel. If the liquid does not flow from the holes in uniform directions, some areas of the packing below the distributor are under irrigated areas 30 while other areas of the packing are over irrigated areas 32 , as shown in FIG. 2 . Also, some of the liquid may impact internal structures between the bottom of the distributor and the packing, such as distributor supports/hold-down grates 34 , as shown in FIG. 2 . (These internal structures may support the distributor and/or hold down the packing.)
Some liquid distributors used in distillation processes are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,752,538 (Billingham, et al.); U.S. Pat. No. 5,240,652 (Taylor, et al.); U.S. Pat. No. 6,086,055 (Armstrong, et al.); U.S. Pat. No. 4,729,857 (Lee, et al.); U.S. Pat. No. 5,192,465 (Petrich, et al.); and U.S. Pat. No. 5,645,770 (McNulty, et al.).
The prior art distributors generally use three types of distribution regulation mechanisms: the weir type, where liquid flows horizontally through a gap; the orifice type, where liquid flows vertically, or horizontally, usually through a circular hole; and the pressure type, where feed under pressure is distributed through a series of spray nozzles. The orifice type is distinguished by the fact that the flow rate of liquid through the hole is proportional to the square root of the height of liquid above the orifice. For a narrow weir, the flow can be taken as being proportional to the height of liquid raised to the power 1.5. Use of orifices is often preferred because the effects of minor changes in the liquid level or the levelness of the distributor are reduced by having the flow rate being proportional to the height squared if a reasonable liquid depth is used. However, this comes at the expense of reducing the operating range of a simple distributor because the height available for the distributor is often limited. Weir type distribution is often preferred when a large amount of liquid must be distributed, high rangeability is required, or in the pre-distribution section of the distributor.
In the case of orifice type distribution, the thickness of the orifice material plays an important part in regulating the flow and the direction of the liquid stream. Orifices generally may be divided into two classes—those in thick material and those in thin material. For a material to be classified as thick, the liquid flow must be fully developed within the thickness of the material, which gives rise to a high L/D ratio (where L is the material thickness and D is the diameter of the hole). For a thin material, the L/D ratio is lower, normally below 1.0. For an orifice in a thick material, the stream generally will emerge in line with the axis of the orifice, while in a thin material the stream will emerge at an angle with the axis of the orifice, which angle is determined by the direction of any cross-flow velocity in the liquid above the orifice. In any distributor, this cross-flow velocity is caused by the natural movement of liquid to the distribution orifices.
Since the use of thin materials often is advantageous due to ease of bending and manufacturing, many liquid distributors are constructed using channels which are made from thin material and bent to shape. The orifices are punched or drilled through a thin metal sheet prior to the bending process of forming the trough shape. Unfortunately, an orifice in a thin material suffers from the characteristic that the cross-flow velocity near the entrance to the orifice will influence the direction of the exiting stream biasing it in the direction of said cross-flow velocity. Although experiments have shown that a relatively severe cross-flow velocity is required to significantly affect the actual flow rate of the stream, the fact that the stream does not leave in line with the axis of the orifice means that two problems are encountered: 1) the stream does not land where it is expected to on the packing; and 2) during quality testing of the distributor, it is difficult to measure the performance accurately. A stream that has an inaccurate trajectory (i.e., does not flow as desired to the packing) may come into contact with other components, such as distributor support/hold-down grates 34 , as illustrated in FIG. 2 .
The most common way of eliminating the problems associated with streams leaving the orifices in a non-vertical direction is to add some form of tube to the outlet side of the orifice. These tubes are normally part welded onto the underside of the channel, with the orifice located at the center of the tube. The tube then directs the liquid straight down, regardless of the actual trajectory that the liquid has when it leaves the orifice. However, the use of these tubes is both expensive, as each tube must be individually attached to the main channel and/or the troughs or channels, and cumbersome, as the tubes are vulnerable to damage during handling. Therefore, use of such tubes normally is limited to those areas of the liquid distributor where high cross-flow velocities are expected. An additional problem with the tubes is that the tubes correct the directional problem after the liquid has left the orifice. However, in extreme cases, when the flow rate through the orifice is high, the cross-flow velocities above the orifice can significantly affect the flow rate through the orifice, which will lead to non-uniform distribution of liquid onto the packing.
Another approach to addressing the problems of streams not flowing vertically from the distributor is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,051,214 (Chen, et al.), where a pre-distributor is extended over the troughs in order to transfer the liquid from the pre-distributor to the distributor over a wider area. By introducing liquid directly into the troughs, the cross-flow velocity is reduced at what would be the feed end of the trough. The primary shortcoming of this approach is the cost of the complex pre-distributor. Also, the design takes up some of the space at the top of the channels, thereby reducing the design height available for the liquid, thus reducing the operable range of the distributor.
It is desired to have an apparatus and a method for distributing a liquid in an exchange column with a liquid distributor which mitigates the effects of cross-flow velocity on the direction of liquid streams from the liquid distributor.
It is further desired to have an apparatus and a method for distributing a liquid in an exchange column with a liquid distributor which will reduce or prevent the bulk flow of liquid in directions that is not desirable.
It is still further desired to have an apparatus and a method for distributing a liquid in an exchange column with a liquid distributor which can better control the flow of liquid to specific areas of the liquid distributor.
It is still further desired to have an apparatus and a method for distributing a liquid in an exchange column having packing which eliminate or mitigate under irrigation and over irrigation of the packing.
It is still further desired to have an apparatus and a method which overcome the difficulties, problems, limitations, disadvantages, and deficiencies of the prior art to provide better and more advantageous results.
It is still further desired to have a method of assembling a liquid distributor for exchange columns which affords better liquid distribution than the prior art liquid distributors, and which also overcomes many of the difficulties and disadvantages of the prior art to provide better and more advantageous results.
It is still further desired to have a new, more efficient method for the distribution of a liquid and a vapor in exchange columns.
It is still further desired to have a liquid distributor that shows high performance characteristics for cryogenic applications, such as those used in air separation, and for other heat and/or mass transfer applications.
It also is desired to have a more efficient air separation process utilizing a liquid distributor which is more efficient than the prior art.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The invention is an apparatus for distributing a liquid in an exchange column. The invention also includes a method for adjusting a flow direction of a stream of a liquid exiting an aperture in an elongated channel within a plate for distributing liquid in an exchange column. In addition, the invention includes a method for assembling a distributor for distributing a liquid to a packing in an exchange column.
A first embodiment of the apparatus includes a plate and at least one elongated internal baffle. The plate has at least one elongated channel, which has a first longitudinal axis, a bottom, and at least one aperture in the bottom. The internal baffle has a second longitudinal axis substantially parallel to the first longitudinal axis, and at least a substantial portion of the internal baffle is disposed in the channel.
There are many variations of the first embodiment of the apparatus. For example, the internal baffle may have a triangular shape or a zig-zag shape. In another variation, a part of the internal baffle is adjacent the aperture. In yet another variation, at least a portion of the internal baffle is perforated. In still yet another variation, the internal baffle has a plurality of edges, and at least one edge has a non-linear shape. In still yet another variation, the internal baffle has a plurality of perforations and divides the channel into generally parallel spaced apart first and second subchannels, the subchannels being in fluid communication across the perforations. In this variation, the first subchannel has at least one aperture and the second subchannel has a substantially fewer number of apertures (which can be zero) than the first subchannel.
A second embodiment of the apparatus is similar to the first embodiment, but includes a control baffle. At least a substantial portion of the control baffle is disposed in another channel having a third longitudinal axis at an angle with the first longitudinal axis and is in fluid communication with the channel having the first longitudinal axis.
Another aspect of the invention is an exchange column for exchanging heat and/or mass between a liquid and a vapor, the exchange column having at least one apparatus for distributing a liquid in the exchange column like the first embodiment of the apparatus discussed above.
Yet another aspect of the invention is a process for cryogenic air separation comprising contacting liquid and vapor counter-currently in at least one distillation column containing at least one mass transfer zone, wherein liquid-vapor contact is established by at least one packing, and wherein liquid is distributed to the packing by an apparatus like that in the first embodiment of the apparatus discussed above.
There are several steps in the first embodiment of the method for adjusting a flow direction of a stream of liquid exiting an aperture in an elongated channel within a plate for distributing liquid in an exchange column, the elongated channel having a first longitudinal axis, a bottom, and at least one aperture in the bottom. The first step is to provide at least one elongated internal baffle having a second longitudinal axis. The second step is to place at least a substantial portion of the internal baffle inside the channel in a position whereby the second longitudinal axis is substantially parallel to the first longitudinal axis.
There are several variations of the first embodiment of the method for adjusting a flow direction. For example, at least a section of the internal baffle may have a triangular shape or a zig-zag shape. In another variation, a part of the internal baffle is adjacent the aperture. In yet another variation, at least a portion of the internal baffle is perforated. In still yet another variation, the internal baffle has a plurality of edges, and at least one edge has a non-linear shape. In still yet another variation, the internal baffle has a plurality of perforations and divides the channel into generally parallel spaced apart first and second subchannels, the subchannels being in fluid communication across the perforations. In this variation, the first subchannel has at least one aperture and the second subchannel has a substantially fewer number of apertures (which can be zero) than the first subchannel.
In a second embodiment of the method for adjusting a flow direction of a stream of liquid exiting an aperture, there are several additional steps. The first additional step is to provide at least one control baffle. The second additional step is to place at least a substantial portion of the control baffle in another channel within the plate, the other channel having a third longitudinal axis at an angle with the first longitudinal axis and being in fluid communication with the channel having the first longitudinal axis.
A first embodiment of the method for assembling a distributor for distributing a liquid to a packing in an exchange column includes multiple steps. The first step is to provide the exchange column. The second step is to provide the distributor, which includes a plate and at least one elongated internal baffle. The plate has at least one elongated channel, the channel having a first longitudinal axis, a bottom, and at least one aperture in the bottom. The internal baffle has a second longitudinal axis substantially parallel to the first longitudinal axis, and at least a portion of the internal baffle is disposed in the channel. The third step is to install the distributor in the exchange column.
A second embodiment of the method for assembling a distributor is similar to the first embodiment, but the distributor includes an additional element. In this embodiment, the distributor includes at least one control baffle, and at least a substantial portion of the control baffle is disposed in another channel within the plate, the another channel having a third longitudinal axis at an angle to the first longitudinal axis of the channel.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS
The invention will be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:
FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a typical liquid distributor;
FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating liquid flow in a channel of a liquid distributor and liquid flow from orifices at the bottom of the channel to a packing below the liquid distributor;
FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram illustrating the velocity profile of a liquid flowing in an open channel with orifices;
FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram illustrating the velocity profile of a liquid flowing in an open channel without orifices;
FIG. 5 is a schematic plan view of a solid internal baffle having a triangular shape in a channel with orifices for one embodiment of the invention;
FIGS. 6A, 6 B, and 6 C are schematic plan views of perforated internal baffles having different shapes in a channel with orifices for other embodiments of the invention;
FIG. 7A is a schematic plan view illustrating a perforated baffle in a channel with orifices in a portion of the channel on one side of the baffle for another embodiment of the invention;
FIG. 7B is a schematic diagram illustrating an end view of the embodiment shown in FIG. 7A;
FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram illustrating internal baffles in the troughs of a liquid distributor and a control baffle at the entrance of the gutter of the distributor; and
FIG. 9 is a schematic plan view of a liquid distributor using internal baffles and control baffles in accordance with one embodiment of the invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Referring to FIGS. 5 and 6 A- 6 C, the present invention uses internal baffles 40 in the channels or troughs 42 of a liquid distributor (not shown) to obtain improved performance in several ways. First, the use of the internal baffles mitigates the effect of cross-flow velocity on the direction of a stream of liquid in the liquid distributor by reducing or eliminating the cross-flow adjacent an orifice 44 in a channel 42 of the liquid distributor. Second, the use of control baffles ( 64 , 68 ) within areas that normally are large open areas, as shown in FIG. 9, reduces or prevents the bulk flow of liquid in directions that is not desirable. Third, the use of control baffles can control the liquid flow to specific areas of the liquid distributor. All three of these concepts may be used alone or in combination. In addition, the fluid flow along the channels or troughs of the liquid distributor can be separated from the region above the holes in an alternate embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 7A and 7B and discussed below.
Referring to FIGS. 3 and 4, the velocity profile 46 of a liquid in an open channel 42 without orifices is illustrated in FIG. 4, and the velocity profile 48 of a liquid in an open channel 42 with orifices 44 in the bottom 50 of the channel is shown in FIG. 3 . As shown in FIG. 3, the highest velocity in the channel with orifices is at the bottom of the channel. As a result, there is an effect on the direction of liquid leaving the orifices, as indicated by the arrows 52 .
Also, the velocity profile 48 of liquid flowing in an open channel 42 with orifices 44 (FIG. 3) is “self-generating” in that the velocity profile will reappear very rapidly if altered. For example, if a single internal baffle 40 , such as the internal baffle shown in FIG. 5, is placed at the bottom (not shown) of a channel 42 and covers less than the full length of the channel, the internal baffle will reduce the cross-flow on the bottom or floor of the channel to zero (i.e., similar to the bottom of the velocity profile 46 of an open channel without orifices shown in FIG. 4) in the region near the internal baffle. However, after a relatively short distance beyond the internal baffle, the inverted velocity profile will re-establish itself to a velocity profile such as that shown in FIG. 3 .
In one embodiment, the internal baffle 40 is triangular in shape, as shown FIG. 5 . However, other types of baffles may be used to obtain the desired effect, including a ladder type, a castellated type, and other shapes. Some other shapes of the internal baffles include the zig-zag shapes illustrated in FIGS. 6A, 6 B, and 6 C. The internal baffles may or may not run the length of a channel, depending on the magnitude of the cross-flow velocity at any particular point.
The internal baffles 40 may be solid, as illustrated in FIG. 5, or perforated as illustrated in FIGS. 6A to 7 B. Persons skilled in the art will recognize that many combinations are possible. For example, the perforations need not be made in a regular pattern as shown in FIGS. 6A to 7 B. Also, different portions of an internal baffle may be perforated in one manner, while other portions of the same internal baffle may be perforated in another manner or may have no perforations at all (i.e., one or more portions may be solid while other portions are perforated). In addition, within the same liquid distributor, different variations of the internal baffles could be used in each of the various troughs so that the distributor would contain a variety of internal baffles.
Also, the edges of the internal baffles 40 may be treated or finished in different ways. For example, the upper and/or lower edges of the internal baffles could have a non-linear shape, e.g., serrated, notched, curled over, or finished in other ways.
As shown in FIG. 6C, it is not necessary to “protect” or surround each orifice 44 in the same manner as every other orifice in a trough or channel 42 , depending on the magnitude of the cross-flow velocity at the orifice. Close attention must be paid to the clearance around the orifices to ensure that the direction of flow through an orifice is along the axis of the orifice and is not adversely effected by the presence of the internal baffles 40 being too close on one side or the other.
Since the internal baffles 40 (such as those shown in FIGS. 5, 6 A, 6 B, and 6 C) will alter the hydraulic resistance of the areas in which the baffles are placed, and hence the liquid flow characteristics of the distributor, “control baffles” ( 64 , 68 ) also may be used to counter the impact of the internal baffles, as shown in FIG. 9 . The control baffles are used to maintain an equal hydraulic resistance in all directions to compensate for the impact of the internal baffles and/or direct liquid to or from particular areas by again altering the hydraulic resistance of the route to or from that area. As with the internal baffles, the control baffles may be solid, or perforated, or may have a combination of solid and perforated portions. Also, the edges of the control baffles may be treated or finished in different ways, similar to the edge treatment or finish previously discussed for the internal baffles.
As shown in FIG. 9, control baffles 64 are placed in the main channel 17 ′, which is where liquid enters the liquid distributor 70 , and additional baffles 68 are placed at the entrance to the gutter region 66 . FIG. 8 provides another view of a control baffle 68 at the entrance of the gutter region. This control baffle 68 keeps the hydraulic resistance of the channels that do not need internal baffles the same as the hydraulic resistance of the channels 42 where the internal baffles 40 have been added. This keeps the flows around the liquid distributor as uniform as possible and prevents areas getting higher cross-flow than before because of the use of the internal baffles.
The locations of the internal baffles 40 and the control baffles ( 64 , 68 ) are not limited to any particular locations given. The internal baffles and the control baffles may be freely mixed throughout the liquid distributor 70 , depending on the exact details of each distributor. For example, internal baffles may be made continuous across the center liquid entry area from one channel 42 to the next, or control baffles may be required at the end of some of the channels.
The aim of the control baffles ( 64 , 68 ) is to balance the hydraulic resistance at various locations within the liquid distributor 70 to give as uniform cross-flow velocities around the distributor as possible (thus avoiding “hot spots” of velocity), so that when internal baffles 40 are added to mitigate the effect of cross-flow velocity on the orifices 44 , the resistance of the channels 42 is changed. This will cause more flow in other channels and/or the gutter regions 66 and the flows around the distributor will reach a new state of equilibrium. Then, high flows in the channels and/or gutter regions may be experienced without the internal baffles. To compensate for this, control baffles may be added to balance the resistances again.
Normally, in a liquid distributor having no internal baffles, the liquid will flow in such a manner that the liquid will take the path of least resistance to reach its destination. However, when internal baffles 40 are placed in the channel 42 , the impact of the addition of the walls of the internal baffles acts as a barrier to liquid flow by reducing the cross-sectional area available for the liquid to flow. (Generally the walls of the internal baffles are “vertical,” i.e., generally at a 90° angle to the floor or the bottom of the trough, although the walls may be positioned at other angles relative to the floor.) This extra resistance causes liquid to take an alternative route if one is available. By adding control baffles ( 64 , 68 ) at strategic locations around the liquid distributor 70 where the internal baffles have not been fitted, the liquid flow around the distributor can be controlled back to, or even better than, the liquid flow of the distributor without internal baffles. This is illustrated in FIG. 9 . Without the control baffles, the internal baffles may cause more liquid to flow through a region than would have occurred if the internal baffles were not used.
In addition, the control baffles ( 64 , 68 ) may be used in a liquid distributor 70 without internal baffles. For example, in some cases, the path of least hydraulic resistance causes excessive liquid flow in one region of a liquid distributor. In such a case, increasing the hydraulic resistance through that region by adding control baffles can redistribute the flows, such as within the channels 42 , to provide more uniform velocities.
Another use of the baffles of the present invention is to restrain the ability of liquid in a liquid distributor to move in any direction in areas of the distributor that are more open, thereby preventing unconstrained and unexpected flow patterns to develop. For example, parts of a liquid distributor around the liquid entry points have relatively large open areas in which liquid can move freely. The liquid in these areas can be turbulent, causing problems with the streams leaving orifices in the channels of these areas. The use of the baffles of the present invention can mitigate these problems.
Basically, the addition of any baffle adds resistance to the flow of liquid at that point. By adding some extra resistance, for example in the main channel, liquid can be restrained to some extent from being able to move freely in any direction. This free movement in any direction can create the aforementioned cross-velocities in any direction, thus causing stream angularity. Appropriate placement of the baffles will fix this.
Another embodiment of the invention is illustrated in FIGS. 7A and 7B. In this embodiment, rather than placing a baffle along the bottom of the channels of a liquid distributor, an upright perforated baffle 54 is placed between the opposing walls ( 56 , 58 ) of the trough or channel, thereby creating an area 62 for easy liquid flow down the length of the trough and an area 60 of no flow down the length of the trough. In the area of no flow, which contains orifices 44 , there is no flow down the length of the trough, and all of the flow enters this area perpendicular to the trough length through the upright perforated baffle. The area 62 for easy liquid flow normally has no orifices, although this area could have some orifices as long as the number of orifices is substantially fewer than the number of orifices in the area 60 of no flow.
The perforated baffle 54 should be strong enough so that it can be attached to another structure(s) (not shown) at the bottom and the top of the baffle without bending. Internal supports (not shown) located at regular intervals in the channel may help hold the perforated baffle in place. Preferably, the area 60 of no flow is filled with something that prevents liquid from easily flowing through, such as dumped packing (not shown). If the internal supports are placed close enough together, that may be adequate and the dumped packing may not be required. Close attention must be paid to the clearance over the orifices 44 to ensure that the flow through the orifices is not affected by the presence of the material used to cause the high resistance. The net effect of this is that the highest velocity liquid will be in the low resistance area 62 , and the high resistance area 60 will have a very low and calm flow to the orifices.
Although illustrated and described herein with reference to certain specific embodiments, the present invention is nevertheless not intended to be limited to the details shown. Rather, various modifications may be made in the details within the scope and range of equivalents of the claims and without departing from the spirit of the invention.
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An apparatus for distributing a liquid in an exchange column includes a plate and at least one elongated internal baffle. The plate has at least one elongated channel, which has a first longitudinal axis, a bottom, and at least one aperture in the bottom. At least a substantial portion of the internal baffle, which has a second longitudinal axis substantially parallel to the first longitudinal axis, is disposed in the channel.
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CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application is based on and claims the benefit of priority of U.S. Application No. 61/972,199, filed Mar. 28, 2014, the teachings of which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety.
[0002] Material contained in this document 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 Patent and Trademark Office patent files or records, but otherwise reserves all copyright rights whatsoever.
BACKGROUND
[0003] 1. Technical Field
[0004] This application relates generally to distributed data processing systems and to distributed storage systems and services.
[0005] 2. Brief Description of the Related Art
[0006] Distributed computing systems are known in the art. One such distributed system is a “content delivery network” or “CDN” that is operated and managed by a service provider. The service provider typically provides the content delivery service on behalf of third parties. A “distributed system” of this type typically refers to a collection of autonomous computers linked by a network or networks, together with the software, systems, protocols and techniques designed to facilitate various services, such as content delivery or the support of outsourced site infrastructure.
[0007] Other examples of distributed computer systems include distributed storage systems and services, including distributed databases. A distributed storage system can be used to provide a cloud storage solution. A content delivery network may utilize distributed storage to provide a network storage subsystem, which may be located in a network datacenter accessible to CDN proxy cache servers and which may act as a source/origin of content, such as described in U.S. Pat. No. 7,472,178, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. In this regard, a network storage system may be indexed by distributed databases that map input keys to data that points to storage locations in the manner of a file lookup service. In this way, the storage system may be used for storage of Internet content, such as images, HTML, streaming media files, software, and other digital objects, and as part of a CDN infrastructure.
[0008] Distributed storage systems (including database systems and services) typically rely on a variety of system services to keep the system operating well. Such services might include, without limitation, monitoring for nodes that are down, migrating or replicating data, resolving conflicts amongst replicas, compacting data, age-based deletion of data, and the like. Some services are common to many kinds of storage systems, others are particular to the nature and architecture of the system. For example, consider the variety of existing distributed databases: a SQL database may need different services than a no-SQL database, and a document-based no-SQL database may need different services than a column-based no-SQL database.
[0009] A distributed storage system typically has many nodes, and so it typically has many workers potentially available to perform the necessary work. However, it is challenging to distribute tasks to the workers (and by extension to the nodes that the workers are running on) in an efficient way, given dynamically changing loads, various service types and potential node faults. The teachings hereof address the need to coordinate allocation of work and tasks in distributed computing systems, the need to dynamically adjust this allocation, and the need to minimize the overhead used in doing so. The teachings hereof relate to technical improvements in operation and management of distributed computing platforms, and in analogous technologies, and can be used to improve the operation and efficiency of a distributed computing platform, including distributed storage platforms. Many benefits and advantages will become apparent from the teachings hereof.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0010] The teachings hereof will be more fully understood from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:
[0011] FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating hardware in a computer system that may be used to implement the teachings hereof.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0012] The following description sets forth embodiments of the invention to provide an overall understanding of the principles of the structure, function, manufacture, and use of the methods and apparatus disclosed herein. The systems, methods and apparatus described herein and illustrated in the accompanying drawings are non-limiting examples; the claims alone define the scope of protection that is sought. The features described or illustrated in connection with one exemplary embodiment may be combined with the features of other embodiments. Such modifications and variations are intended to be included within the scope of the present invention. All patents, publications and references cited herein are expressly incorporated herein by reference in their entirety. Throughout this disclosure, the term “e.g.” is used as an abbreviation for the non-limiting phrase “for example.”
[0013] In the following description, the term ‘node’ is used to refer to a physical computing machine, virtual machine, or equivalent. The term ‘worker’ is used to refer to a process, thread, managed sequence of instruction execution, or equivalent, that executes on a node to perform work. Depending on the machine, processor and operating system configuration, a node may host one worker or multiple.
[0014] The teachings hereof apply generally to distributed storage systems, including distributed database systems. Some of the examples of tasks/work to be performed herein are applicable to distributed storage systems generally, while others are particular in nature to distributed databases; the teachings hereof can be applied to allocate and manage work in both without limitation.
[0015] Distributed storage systems (including database systems and services) typically rely on a variety of services to keep the system and/or database operating well. Services may be broken down into one or more tasks, and in that way represent a logical grouping of tasks. For example, a cleanup service that deletes old data from a database (e.g., age-based deletion) may be broken down into a plurality of deletion tasks. One task may be to delete old data in a given directory or with a given attribute (such as one owner's data). Another deletion task, meanwhile, may involve deleting old data in another directory or with another attribute (e.g., another owner's data). By breaking the service down into tasks, the tasks can be run in parallel. A service may also be composed of one task. A service may also be composed of tasks that run periodically, e.g., that are repeated every so often.
[0016] Typical services include, without limitation, monitoring for nodes that are down, migrating or replicating data, resolving conflicts amongst replicas, compacting data, periodically deleting old data (data cleanup), propagating changes across replicas or partitions, among others. In a database such as ‘couchdb,’ a typical task is to calculate or refresh a view. Some kinds of services are common to many systems. Others are more specific to nature and architecture of a particular system.
[0017] One way of distributing tasks to workers is to have workers autonomously pick up tasks when they are idle, e.g., from a task table that defines the tasks available and what the task requires (such as which root directory to scan for age-based deletion, or the like). The task table can be maintained in a given designated node, to which workers on other nodes reach out; alternatively, replicas of the task table could be maintained in multiple nodes, assuming appropriate synchronization and coherence services.
[0018] In such a system, when a worker becomes idle, it finds the next available task in the task table and signs up for it (e.g., by inserting its worker identifier into the task table), potentially along with a start_time and completion_time. Multiple workers can be working on multiple tasks simultaneously. Further, if a worker find no tasks (either because all task are taken or the worker limit has been exceeded), it can become a monitor. Both monitors and workers can occasionally check the task table for available tasks (e.g., to see if new tasks have been inserted or the worker limit was raised or some workers have dropped out). Further, additional columns in the task table preferably allow idle monitors to identify failed workers and a given task's most recent checkpoint, so that a stalled task can be resumed by another worker from where it was left off in case of worker failure. For example, a freshly updated heartbeat timestamp indicates that the worker is alive; further, the task completion_time can be monitored to see if the task has failed to finish.
[0019] With such a system, there are multiple workers of each type working concurrently to provide parallelism and fault-tolerance. However, there is a risk that all of the workers run on the same set of nodes in the cluster while others sit idle. As a more concrete example, consider a cluster with 50 nodes and 10 services where each service uses 5 nodes for parallelism and fault-tolerance. Without proper coordination among different services and in the worst case, we could have all 10 services running on nodes 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , and 5 , while the remaining 45 nodes sit idle doing nothing.
[0020] On the other hand, if the cluster has only 5 nodes, there is no choice but to have all services run on the same 5 nodes. So, a simplistic algorithm to keep services mutually exclusive of each other will not necessarily work.
[0021] To better coordinate workers and provide a better, dynamically adaptive distribution of services and tasks on nodes, a point system can be used. This approach can work well in any size cluster, preferably where workers don't overlap (e.g., workers are not shared across nodes), and including where workers performing different services share nodes.
[0022] In one embodiment, the point system can be as follows:
If a node already has a worker of the same service type as the worker seeking work, Q points are awarded to that node (e.g., Q=1000). If a node already has a worker of a different service type than the worker seeking work, R points are awarded to that node, where R<<Q and preferably about an order of magnitude smaller (e.g., R=100). For services than run occasionally rather than constantly, award S points to a node that may occasionally run this type of service, where S<<R and preferably about two orders of magnitude smaller (e.g., S=1).
[0026] Preferably, the required services and tasks are listed in a single task table in a database on a given node in the system. The task table could also be replicated across nodes, with appropriate synchronization, as noted before.
[0027] An example of shared table is provided below. In this embodiment, each service/task type are identified by the ‘service type’ column in the table below; these may correspond to one of the services described earlier. There are N(x) rows for a specific service type where N(x) is the number of workers to be used for service type ‘x’. The ‘slot’ column in the task table identifies the tasks: 1, 2, 3, . . . N(x) for a given service. The ‘node-id’ column stores the identifier of the node that takes the corresponding slot of the associated task. The ‘worker-id’ column stores an identifier of the particular worker on the identified node that takes the corresponding slot of the associated task. For illustration, a task table may look like this:
[0000]
service_type
slot
node-id
worker-id
. . .
type 1
1
node_1
node_1_wkr1
. . .
type 1
2
node_2
node_2_wkr1
. . .
. . .
type 2
1
node_2
node_2_wkr2
. . .
. . .
[0028] Slots essentially represent units of work. In one embodiment, the ‘slot’ relates to a given task. In other words, referring to the example above, service type 1 might be an age-based deletion service, and there might be a slot (task) corresponding to each directory and/or each customer with data on the system in which age-based deletion needs to occur.
[0029] In another embodiment, the ‘slot’ relates to a time slice (time period) for performing a service—in other words, a single-task service that is performed periodically. For example, if the service-type were for refreshing a view in couchdb, the slots could refer to each time slice during which the view needed to be refreshed. Thus a given worker on a given node would sign up to perform the refresh at slot (time slice) 1 , while another worker would sign up to perform the refresh at slot (time slice) 2 . In this way, the performance of the periodic service is time-divided amongst workers for fault-tolerance and coordination.
[0030] Initially, the table may be totally empty. The first node that runs a process to look for work for service type x will insert N(x) rows in the table where N(x) is a configuration parameter defining the number of workers needed for this service type x, assuming the task table does not have rows for them. If the table already has rows but the configuration parameter has changed, the first node can adjust the number of rows accordingly.
[0031] This first node preferably also fills the node-id column of all these rows with its own ID and fills the worker-id column with the id of the worker (e.g., process or thread) on the node that will be responsible for it. This assures that if this is the only node up in the cluster, all service slots will be assigned to a node to execute it (which will be the first node). If additional nodes in a cluster come up one at a time, it is possible that all slots for all service types are performed by this same first node.
[0032] Subsequent workers on nodes looking for work will find no empty slots but will take over busy workers who have too many slots. The worker on the node looking for work executes a takeover algorithm to determine which node to take from. In one embodiment, the takeover algorithm is as follows:
1. Calculate the total points for each of other nodes. For example, given a service type 1 worker process on node 3 looking for work, and considering the sample table provided above, and for Q=1000, R=100, and S=1, it would be found that node 1 has 1000 points and node 2 has 1100 points. Note that in this implementation, total points are calculated in light of the type of worker who is seeking work; hence, if a service_type 2 worker were looking for work, the point totals would be different: e.g., node 1 has a worker of a service_type 1 (which would warrant award of R=100 points) and no worker that is of service_type 2 (so Q points would not be awarded); meanwhile, node 2 has a worker of service_type 1 (which would warrant award of R=100 points) and a worker of service_type 2 (which would warrant award Q=1000 points). 2. Identify the node with the most points; call this node_max. Continuing this example, this is node 2 with 1100 points. 3. Calculate the total points of the worker's own node; call this self_points. In this example, assume that node 3 has 0 points. 4. The algorithm determines whether to takeover as follows: take over work from node_max if node_max's points are more than T+self_points, where T is equal to Q in a preferred embodiment. In this example, node 2 is node_max with 1100 points, and node 2's 1100 points are more than T+self_points of 1000+0. So, the entry for ‘service_type 1, slot 2’ will be changed to node 3 (and associated worker on node 3) and node 3 will assume the service_type 1 and slot 2 role from now on, and node 2 will become dedicated to run service_type 2.
[0037] By assigning more points (Q>>R) to nodes with same service, the algorithm favors taking over a slot from a node with the most slots of the same type. By requiring a take-over target to have more than T points than self (where preferably T=Q), we prevent slot thrashing between two nodes because after taking over (and thus adding Q points to itself), the takeover node still has less work than the take-over target. (Otherwise, the target node may take this slot back!)
[0038] Subsequently, if a new service_type ‘y’ is desired, the first node to run a process to look for work of that service_type y will insert N(y) rows, and the approach described above can take place.
[0039] Using the foregoing approaches, node and worker distribution automatically adjusts itself over time among many service types (which can be dynamically added) with a top priority to run a given service_type on different nodes if possible, and a second priority to run workers of different service types on different nodes also if possible.
[0040] Note that, in one embodiment, a single SQL query can be used and is sufficient to implement the above take-over algorithm (including point calculations, ranking, comparison, and task table update for the take-over); thus further minimizing communication overhead.
[0041] Those skilled in the art will understand that they can adjust the assigned points for each service_type that has a different workload characteristics. Hence, Q, R, and S may vary by service_type.
[0042] In an alternative embodiment, a leader is involved. For example, a leader process can assign slots (tasks or time slices) to nodes who ask the leader for work. Instead of the requesting worker or node itself calculating the takeover algorithm, the leader periodically calculates the point values. When asked for work, the leader consults the current point values and decides whether to take work from a given node and provide it to the requesting one. In another alternative embodiment, the leader does not wait until someone asks, but instead assigns the work to the node/worker that the leader believes should be working on it. If the worker is too slow (as indicated by missing a time deadline for a checkpoint or work completion), the leader reassigns the task elsewhere, based the point values in the takeover algorithm.
[0043] The following sample SQL code illustrates one implementation of the takeover algorithm:
[0000]
// select worker with more work than self
// must be called after setting m_task_type
void op_multi_worker::set_take_over_target_query( )
{
take_over_target = “(select worker from (select sum(case when
param=‘worker’”
// 1000 points if worker of same task type
“ and task_type=‘“+m_task_type+”’ then 1000 else (case when ”
// 100 points if worker of other task type
“param=‘worker’ then 10 else (case when param=‘monitor’ and ”
// 1 point if a view_query monitor
“task_type=‘view_query’ then 1 else NULL end) end) end) as
score,worker”
“ from ” TASKS_TABLE “ where worker NOTNULL and (param=‘worker’ or ”
// total the points for each node then get the node with the most point
“param=‘monitor’) group by worker order by score desc limit 1) where ”
// it's a target if its pts are more than 1000 + my total points
“score > 1000+(select (case when score ISNULL then 0 else score end)
from”
// I get 0 pt if I'm not a worker or monitor
“ (select sum(case when param=‘worker’ and task_type=‘”+m_task_type+
“’ then 1000 else (case when param=‘worker’ then 10 else (case when ”
“param=‘monitor’ and task_type=‘view_query’ then 1 else NULL end) end)
”
“end) as score from “ TASKS_TABLE ” where worker=‘“+myipa+”’)))”;
take_over_mon_target = “(select id from (select id,count(*) as score,worker
from ”
TASKS_TABLE “ where “ IS_MY_M_MON_TYPE ” group by worker ”
“order by score desc limit 1) where score > 1+(select count(*) from ”
TASKS_TABLE “ where “ IS_MY_M_MON_TYPE ” and worker=‘“+myipa+”’)) ”;
}
[0044] The teachings hereof may, without limitation, facilitate load-balancing via improved distribution of workers of multiple different service types among available nodes in a cluster, as well as the dynamic addition of service types. The teachings hereof apply equally well from a single-node cluster to large clusters with thousands of nodes or more. The number of needed workers per type, the number of service types, and the nodes that are available can change dynamically and the teachings hereof can still be applied.
[0045] It is noted that the foregoing are benefits that may be obtained through the practice of the teachings hereof, but are not necessary to be achieved or required for the practice of the teachings hereof
[0046] Computer Based Implementation
[0047] The subject matter described herein may be implemented with computer systems, as modified by the teachings hereof, with the processes and functional characteristics described herein realized in special-purpose hardware, general-purpose hardware configured by software stored therein for special purposes, or a combination thereof
[0048] Software may include one or several discrete programs. A given function may comprise part of any given module, process, execution thread, or other such programming construct. Generalizing, each function described above may be implemented as computer code, namely, as a set of computer instructions, executable in one or more microprocessors to provide a special purpose machine. The code may be executed using conventional apparatus—such as a microprocessor in a computer, digital data processing device, or other computing apparatus—as modified by the teachings hereof. In one embodiment, such software may be implemented in a programming language that runs in conjunction with a proxy on a standard Intel hardware platform running an operating system such as Linux. The functionality may be built into the proxy code, or it may be executed as an adjunct to that code.
[0049] While in some cases above a particular order of operations performed by certain embodiments is set forth, it should be understood that such order is exemplary and that they may be performed in a different order, combined, or the like. Moreover, some of the functions may be combined or shared in given instructions, program sequences, code portions, and the like. References in the specification to a given embodiment indicate that the embodiment described may include a particular feature, structure, or characteristic, but every embodiment may not necessarily include the particular feature, structure, or characteristic.
[0050] FIG. 1 is a block diagram that illustrates hardware in a computer system 100 on which embodiments of the invention may be implemented. The computer system 100 may be embodied in a client device, server, personal computer, workstation, tablet computer, wireless device, mobile device, network device, router, hub, gateway, or other device.
[0051] Computer system 100 includes a microprocessor 104 coupled to bus 101 . In some systems, multiple microprocessor and/or microprocessor cores may be employed. Computer system 100 further includes a main memory 110 , such as a random access memory (RAM) or other storage device, coupled to the bus 101 for storing information and instructions to be executed by microprocessor 104 . A read only memory (ROM) 108 is coupled to the bus 101 for storing information and instructions for microprocessor 104 . As another form of memory, a non-volatile storage device 106 , such as a magnetic disk, solid state memory (e.g., flash memory), or optical disk, is provided and coupled to bus 101 for storing information and instructions. Other application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) or circuitry may be included in the computer system 100 to perform functions described herein.
[0052] Although the computer system 100 is often managed remotely via a communication interface 116 , for local administration purposes the system 100 may have a peripheral interface 112 communicatively couples computer system 100 to a user display 114 that displays the output of software executing on the computer system, and an input device 115 (e.g., a keyboard, mouse, trackpad, touchscreen) that communicates user input and instructions to the computer system 100 . The peripheral interface 112 may include interface circuitry and logic for local buses such as Universal Serial Bus (USB) or other communication links.
[0053] Computer system 100 is coupled to a communication interface 116 that provides a link between the system bus 101 and an external communication link. The communication interface 116 provides a network link 118 . The communication interface 116 may represent an Ethernet or other network interface card (NIC), a wireless interface, modem, an optical interface, or other kind of input/output interface.
[0054] Network link 118 provides data communication through one or more networks to other devices. Such devices include other computer systems that are part of a local area network (LAN) 126 . Furthermore, the network link 118 provides a link, via an internet service provider (ISP) 120 , to the Internet 122 . In turn, the Internet 122 may provide a link to other computing systems such as a remote server 130 and/or a remote client 131 . Network link 118 and such networks may transmit data using packet-switched, circuit-switched, or other data-transmission approaches.
[0055] In operation, the computer system 100 may implement the functionality described herein as a result of the microprocessor executing program code. Such code may be read from or stored on a non-transitory computer-readable medium, such as memory 110 , ROM 108 , or storage device 106 . Other forms of non-transitory computer-readable media include disks, tapes, magnetic media, CD-ROMs, optical media, RAM, PROM, EPROM, and EEPROM. Any other non-transitory computer-readable medium may be employed. Executing code may also be read from network link 118 (e.g., following storage in an interface buffer, local memory, or other circuitry).
[0056] A client device may be a conventional desktop, laptop or other Internet-accessible machine running a web browser or other rendering engine, but as mentioned above a client may also be a mobile device. Any wireless client device may be utilized, e.g., a cellphone, pager, a personal digital assistant (PDA, e.g., with GPRS NIC), a mobile computer with a smartphone client, tablet or the like. Other mobile devices in which the technique may be practiced include any access protocol-enabled device (e.g., iOS™-based device, an Android™-based device, other mobile-OS based device, or the like) that is capable of sending and receiving data in a wireless manner using a wireless protocol. Typical wireless protocols include: WiFi, GSM/GPRS, CDMA or WiMax. These protocols implement the ISO/OSI Physical and Data Link layers (Layers 1 & 2) upon which a traditional networking stack is built, complete with IP, TCP, SSL/TLS and HTTP. The WAP (wireless access protocol) also provides a set of network communication layers (e.g., WDP, WTLS, WTP) and corresponding functionality used with GSM and CDMA wireless networks, among others.
[0057] In a representative embodiment, a mobile device is a cellular telephone that operates over GPRS (General Packet Radio Service), which is a data technology for GSM networks. Generalizing, a mobile device as used herein is a 3G- (or next generation) compliant device that includes a subscriber identity module (SIM), which is a smart card that carries subscriber-specific information, mobile equipment (e.g., radio and associated signal processing devices), a man-machine interface (MMI), and one or more interfaces to external devices (e.g., computers, PDAs, and the like). The techniques disclosed herein are not limited for use with a mobile device that uses a particular access protocol. The mobile device typically also has support for wireless local area network (WLAN) technologies, such as Wi-Fi. WLAN is based on IEEE 802.11 standards. The teachings disclosed herein are not limited to any particular mode or application layer for mobile device communications.
[0058] It should be understood that the foregoing has presented certain embodiments of the invention that should not be construed as limiting. For example, certain language, syntax, and instructions have been presented above for illustrative purposes, and they should not be construed as limiting. It is contemplated that those skilled in the art will recognize other possible implementations in view of this disclosure and in accordance with its scope and spirit. The appended claims define the subject matter for which protection is sought.
[0059] It is noted that trademarks appearing herein are the property of their respective owners and used for identification and descriptive purposes only, given the nature of the subject matter at issue, and not to imply endorsement or affiliation in any way.
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In a distributed computing system, the allocation of workers to tasks can be challenging. In embodiments described herein, nodes in such a system can execute takeover algorithms that provide efficient, automated, and stable allocation of workers to tasks.
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FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] This invention relates to thermal transfer media and to methods of making and using thermal transfer media.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] The following prior art is made of record: U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,541,340; 4,828,638; 4,944,827; 5,464,289; 5,196,030; 5,658,647; 5,661,099; 5,707,475; 5,788,796; 6,067,103; 6,246,326; 6,296,022; and 6,460,992; and also Paxar 5300ZT Operation/Maintenance and Parts List, January 1995 and User's Manual Paxar Model 5300ZT-Modified Addendum Feb. 14, 2003.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0003] The invention relates to improved thermal transfer media and to improved methods of making and using thermal transfer media. The transfer media of the invention are useful for transferring printing to a wide variety of flexible or rigid surfaces or substrates such as fabric, painted surfaces, metal, wood, plastics, composite materials, and so on.
[0004] It frequently happens that a product manufacturer will have a variety of products that need to be printed or marked with information, and that some of the information to be printed remains constant over many or all products in the product line while other information may vary from product-to-product within the product line. The information that is the same from product-to-product in the product line can be termed “fixed information” and the information that varies from product-to-product can be termed “variable information.”
[0005] When the product manufacturer uses transfers to transfer printed information onto the products, without the present invention, the product manufacturer is required to use a different transfer containing both fixed and variable information for each different product within the product line. This requires each product manufacturer to stock tens, hundreds, or thousands of different transfers, one transfer for each different product, although the products may vary by only a small amount of information, for example a serial number, a date code, country of origin, and/or size, and so on. This can become an enormous burden and expense for both the transfer media manufacturer and the product manufacturers. The transfer media manufacturer has the burden and expense of generating, identifying, tracking, handling and perhaps storing or inventorying possibly a tremendous number of different transfers for each product manufacturer and each product manufacturer in turn has the burden and expense of identifying, tracking, handling, and storing or inventorying a tremendous number of transfers.
[0006] When using the transfers of the invention, the product manufacturer simply determines the fixed information and variable information and then again places an order for a transfer medium printed with only fixed information but which is capable of receiving any desired variable information. The transfer media manufacturer then generates a large number of transfers containing only fixed information, and thereafter variable information can be added either by the transfer media manufacturer upon instruction from the product manufacturer, or the variable information can be printed by the product manufacturers. In this way, the desired variable information is printed as needed.
[0007] While the information is described in connection with the application of transfers to fabrics or garments, there is no intention to thereby limit the invention. For example, a garment manufacturer may make many different garments in many different sizes. The garment manufacturer may find it necessary or desirable to mark the garments with information, such as a logo, material content, country of origin, washing instructions, bleaching instructions, ironing instructions, drying instructions, various types of codes including code numbers, and size. Frequently most or all this information except size is common to a large number of garments made by that garment manufacturer, however, it is possible for any or most of the normally fixed information to change. For example, a product manufacturer may make products in different countries so that country of origin information can be variable information, and so on.
[0008] A series of transfers or images disposed along the length of a transfer web can be partially printed or preprinted with the same information, namely, fixed information. Later, as the need arises, the partially printed transfer medium such as a transfer web can be printed with various additional variable information. For example, each printed image of fixed information on the transfer web can be supplemented with variable information, such as size information. A long web of transfer medium printed with fixed information produced in a long production run by a transfer media manufacturer can simply be wound into a large roll and subsequently printed with variable information or the long transfer medium with fixed information can be cut into shorter lengths and wound into two or more rolls which may be easier to handle and/or to distribute to different locations. The transfer medium of the invention can be printed with fixed information on a high volume basis in one location, for example the transfer media can be printed at the transfer media manufacturer's location, and thereafter the variable information can be printed on an as-needed basis at the same location or at different locations by various parties such as a subcontractor or the garment manufacturers themselves. It is not uncommon for a manufacturer such as a garment manufacturer to have different factories or locations where items requiring marking with both fixed and variable information are desired or required to be printed on a garment. The roll(s) of transfer media can be sent to these different factories or locations and the variable information can be printed there. The transfer medium of the invention is particularly suited to all these situations because previously prepared partially printed transfer medium containing only fixed information can be efficiently tailored to include variable information. When a fully printed transfer medium is needed, the large roll, or the small roll, as the case may be, of partially printed transfer medium is passed through a relatively low-cost, small footprint, short-run printer that prints all the variable information. For example, partially printed transfer medium on either a large or a small roll can be threaded into a short-run printer. The printer prints, for example, size information of one size, e.g., 2X/2XG, 50-52 on some or all of the images in the variable-information zones on the transfer medium in that roll. It may be that only part of the roll will need to be printed with variable information of the size indicated above, so some or all of the remainder of this transfer medium roll can be printed with information of a different size, e.g., size X/XL, 46-48. Thus, a length of transfer medium will have been printed with the same fixed information and differing variable information. This obviates the need for a large inventory of fully printed transfer media printed with both fixed and variable information. It should be noted that while large, expensive, long-run equipment suitable for long production runs can produce long webs of transfer medium, it is not well suited to produce short runs because such long-run equipment needs to be repeatedly stopped, changed over to print different variable information and restarted. This changeover results in some waste of transfer medium, and the more frequently the equipment needs to be stopped, changed over and restarted, the less efficient the equipment is. Also, such long-run equipment creates more waste than the above-described short-run printers.
[0009] According to the invention, the improved thermal transfer medium and improved method of making such a transfer medium containing both fixed and variable information can be used to apply printed information to a fabric, and the printed label is capable of undergoing repeated laundering. In one preferred embodiment, the fixed information is printed with a screen printing ink in a screen printing process, and the variable information is printed with a hot stamp ink in a hot stamp process. While screen printing processes are frequently referred to as silk screen processes, the screen material used today comprises other materials such as synthetic polyester. Therefore, the process is referred to as a screen process. Irrespective of the printing technology used, the inks should have the desired elasticity to perform well when applied to garments, which are inherently subject to stretching. It is also preferred to provide a protective coating having sufficient elasticity, which protects the printed information during laundering.
[0010] In particular in one embodiment, the improved thermal transfer medium is made by providing a carrier web, wherein one side of the carrier web has a release coating both in one or more fixed-information zone(s) capable of receiving fixed information and in one or more variable-information zone(s) capable of receiving variable information, optionally applying a protective coating over the release coating in the fixed information zone(s) and in the variable information zone(s), printing fixed information over any protective coating in the fixed-information zone(s), optionally applying a contrasting-color coating over the printed fixed information in the fixed-information zone(s), applying an adhesive coating both to the fixed-information zone(s) including over the printed fixed information and the protective coating and to the variable-information zone(s) including over the protective coating, printing variable information over the adhesive in the variable-information zone(s), and optionally printing a contrasting color over the printed variable information. If the color of the surface or substrate onto which the printing is to be transferred is light in color and assuming the ink is dark in color such as black, it may not be necessary or desirable to include a contrasting-color coating such as white in the transfer. Likewise, if the color of the surface onto which the print is to be transferred is dark in color such as dark blue or black and assuming the printing ink is light in color such as white, it may not be necessary or desirable to include a contrasting-color coating such as black in the transfer. However, if the product manufacturer desires the printing to be highlighted or if it is desired to print on a dark color substrate with a dark ink, then it may be desirable for the printing to have an underlying contrasting-color coating to provide an outline or a background for good readability of the printing. In addition, in instances where the garment or other product is not subject to washing, abrasion or other rough handling, the protective coating may be omitted. Also, if the printed information on a garment has sufficient color fastness without the protective coating or if a particular application does not require it, the protective coating can be omitted.
[0011] The invention provides a thermal transfer medium in which adhesive is used to bond the printed information to the fabric or surface, wherein the printed fixed information is between an adhesive coating and a release coating, whereas the adhesive is between the printed variable information and the release coating.
[0012] One specific embodiment of a thermal transfer medium for use in a hot stamp process includes a carrier web, a uniform release coating on the carrier web, a uniform adhesive coating on the release coating, and a uniform ink coating on the adhesive coating.
[0013] Other features and advantages of the invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art upon reference to the drawings and the following detailed description.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DIAGRAMMATIC DRAWINGS
[0014] FIG. 1 is a top plan view of a fabric printed with a transfer medium in accordance with the invention;
[0015] FIG. 2 is a top plan view through the carrier-web or film side of a partially printed transfer medium printed with fixed information;
[0016] FIG. 3 is a fully printed transfer medium printed with both fixed and variable information;
[0017] FIG. 4 is an exploded a perspective view showing various stations in making a thermal transfer medium in accordance with the invention, wherein the printed information and coatings are shown in general block form for the sake of clarity;
[0018] FIG. 5 is an enlarged top plan view of one of the coatings, namely the protective coating, which is applied over a release coating;
[0019] FIG. 6 is a top plan view of the printed fixed information in a first color which is applied over the protective coating;
[0020] FIG. 7 is a top plan view of additional printed fixed information, e. g. a logo, in an optional second color.
[0021] FIG. 8 is a side elevational view showing equipment with a sequence of coating and printing stations;
[0022] FIG. 9 is a side elevational view similar to FIG. 8 ;
[0023] FIG. 10 is a sectional view of the various printing and coating layers, with cross-hatching omitted for the sake of clarity;
[0024] FIG. 11 is a side elevational view showing Stations 9 and 10 of the transfer medium making method;
[0025] FIG. 12 is a bottom plan view of one of the hot stamp printing plates shown in FIG. 11 ;
[0026] FIG. 13 is a top plan view showing the manner in which the variable printed information and the contrasting-color coating are applied to the partially printed thermal transfer medium;
[0027] FIG. 14 is a sectional view of the layers in a fully printed variable information zone, with cross-hatching omitted for the sake of clarity.
[0028] FIG. 15 is a side elevational view of Station 11 showing an arrangement for transfer printing onto a substrate, e.g., a fabric garment;
[0029] FIG. 16 is a fragmentary sectional view showing an alternative embodiment of a web of hot stamp medium by which variable printed information and adhesive can be hot stamped onto the partially printed thermal transfer medium;
[0030] FIG. 17 is a fragmentary sectional view similar to FIG. 10 , but showing an alternative embodiment of the partially printed thermal transfer medium, with cross-hatching omitted for the sake of clarity;
[0031] FIG. 18 is a sectional view of a variable information zone showing adhesive and printing having been applied using a hot stamp ribbon, together with a contrasting-color coating, with cross-hatching omitted for the sake of clarity;
[0032] FIG. 19 is a fragmentary sectional view showing another alternative embodiment of a web of hot stamp medium by which variable printed information can be hot stamped onto the partially printed thermal transfer medium, with cross-hatching omitted for the sake of clarity;
[0033] FIG. 20 is a fragmentary sectional view similar to FIGS. 10 and 17 , but showing another alternative embodiment of the invention, with cross-hatching omitted for the sake of clarity; and
[0034] FIG. 21 is a sectional view of a variable information zone showing adhesive, printing and a protective coating having been applied using a hot stamp ribbon, together with a contrasting-color coating, with cross-hatching omitted for the sake of clarity.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0035] With reference to FIG. 1 , there is shown a substrate such as a piece of flexible fabric 20 which may be part of a garment 54 ( FIG. 15 ) and a complete image comprised of printed information which has been transferred directly onto the fabric 20 from a thermal transfer medium in accordance with the invention. As indicated above, the substrate can also be comprised of various other surfaces and materials. The printed information shown in FIG. 1 includes information common to various products made by one manufacturer, in this case a particular garment manufacturer. Thus, this information is termed “fixed information”which is shown in fixed-information zones 21 through 28 . This particular manufacturer uses the same fixed information in connection with various sizes of garments. Therefore, the image also includes “variable information” in one or more variable-information zone(s) 29 . Although in this example only one variable-information zone is illustrated, another or other variable information zones can be provided. As shown, the zone 21 bears the manufacturer's logo or other identification, the zone 22 contains the manufacturer's code, zone 23 contains the country of origin of the garment, zone 24 contains washing instructions, zone 25 contains bleaching instructions, zone 26 contains drying instructions, zone 27 contains ironing instructions and zone 28 contains material content information. Variable information zone 29 contains size information.
[0036] FIG. 2 shows a thermal transfer web W partially printed with fixed information in fixed-information zones 21 T through 28 T and variable-information zone 29 T is free of variable information. The zones 21 T through 29 T correspond exactly to the zones 21 through 29 of FIG. 1 . The web W is also printed with registration marks 30 at equally longitudinally spaced apart intervals corresponding to the images on the thermal transfer web W. The images are repeated in the longitudinal direction along the web W.
[0037] FIG. 3 is like to FIG. 2 except that FIG. 3 contains variable printed information in the variable-information zone 29 T.
[0038] With reference to FIG. 4 , there is shown Station 1 which shows providing a flexible carrier preferably in the form of a carrier web C which had been wound into a roll. The carrier web C can be plastic or cellulose-based. Non-limiting examples of carrier web C include polyester or polypropylene films and papers. In the case of silicone or wax-treated papers, the step of applying a release coating R can be omitted. Station 2 shows that for each image a release coating R is applied onto or over the upper surface of the carrier web C. Release coating R can be any release coating known to persons skilled in the art. A typical release coating R can comprise a waxy substance that softens or melts to facilitate release of the material to be transferred. The release coating R can be applied at a thickness of about 0.1 to about 1 thousandths of an inch, and preferably about 0.2 to about 0.8 thousandths of an inch, after drying. Station 3 shows that a protective coating PC is applied onto or over the release coating R in each of zones 21 T through 29 T. The pattern of the protective coating PC is better illustrated in FIG. 5 , and as shown the pattern is printed in reverse. As used herein, the term “protective coating” refers to a coating that protects the printed information and is sufficiently transparent such that the printed fixed and variable information can be read by example through the coating PC. The protective coating can be clear or colorless, or it can be tinted or colored, so long as the desired printed fixed and variable information can be read for example by an individual. It is preferred that the protective coating PC be composed of or include an ink which is preferably like ink used for printing the fixed information, but is free of pigment. An important property of the protective coating is flexibility when the image is to be transferred to a flexible and/or stretchable substrate or surface such as a fabric garment. After application to a garment, the resulting thermal transfer or image will undergo deformation, for example, when the garment is put on or taken of, or washed. Therefore, in this application the protective coating is sufficiently flexible or elastic to deform. For example, the protective coating should desirably be able to conform at least 25 percent, and up to about 400 percent, in any direction without forming cracks or other imperfections. Also, the protective coating should have sufficient “memory” to return to the original size and shape after the deforming force is removed. Like the release coating R, the protective coating PC is preferably at a thickness of about 0.1 to about 1, and preferably about 0.2 to 0.8 thousandths of an inch, after drying. The chemical composition of the protective coating PC is not limited, as long as the coating has the above-described elasticity in connection with use on garments. In the event the transfer or image is applied to a solid or rigid surface which does not deform or stretch as indicated above, or the protective coating is not required to have all the above characteristics.
[0039] Station 4 shows that a first color FC, e.g. black, is printed in zones 22 T through 28 T. The printing which is done in reverse is shown in FIG. 6 . The printing in FIG. 6 in zones 21 T through 28 T falls just within the pattern shown in FIG. 5 . Therefore, all the printing will always be entirely over the protective coating PC even though registration between the protective coating and the printing is not perfect but within reasonable tolerances. The registration marks 30 are printed at the time the fixed information printing FC is done. Station 5 illustrates printing in a second color SC, e.g. red, in the fixed-information zone 21 T. Further details of the printing in zone 21 T is shown in FIG. 7 . FIG. 6 shows a phantom outline P where the printing of FIG. 7 will occur at zone 21 T. In the event that all fixed information is in one color, e.g. black, then Station 5 is eliminated. Alternatively, if there is printing in more than two colors, additional printing stations can be added. In the event one or two contrasting-color coatings or printing CC are desired, they are applied at Station 6 aligned with but preferably slightly larger than any printing applied in Stations 4 and 5 so that the printing is more readily visible. When the article to which the transfer medium is to be applied is comprised of a fabric, the ink used is preferably wash resistant such that none of the printed information is destroyed, disturbed or otherwise affected after repeated washing of the garment. The characteristics of the ink can vary according to the surface to which the transfer is to be applied, and/or to the type of printing technique which is used to print the information. The ink should preferably have the same elasticity as the protective coating PC when the transfer is used to print onto fabric garments.
[0040] Next a coating of adhesive A is applied in zones 21 T through 29 T at Station 7 . Any suitable adhesive A can be used, and the characteristics may vary depending on the nature of the surface or substrate to which the transfer is to be applied. For example, in the event the transfer is to be applied to a garment, the adhesive A is preferably about 1 to about 5, and most preferably about 1.5 to about 4 thousandths of an inch in thickness, after drying. When the transfer is applied to a fabric, the adhesive A is not limited but it should have the elastic properties of the protective coating PC and the ink or inks which comprise the fixed and variable printing. The profile of the area of adhesive A is slightly larger than the profile of the area of the protective coating in zones 21 T through 29 T. The adhesive A is a heat-activated adhesive that is wet when applied but which dries so that it is dry to the touch. In that the printed variable information 29 in the variable-information zone 29 T is under the adhesive A after the printed variable information 29 has been transferred to the intended substrate, it is necessary that the adhesive A be clear enough so that the printed variable information 29 in the variable information-zone 29 T can be read through the adhesive A. Therefore, the clearer the adhesive A the better. This is in contrast to the printed fixed information 21 through 28 in the fixed-information zones 21 T through 28 T after the printed fixed information has been transferred to the intended substrate, because the adhesive A is under the printed fixed information 21 through 28 . Therefore, in the fixed-information zones 21 T through 28 T, the clarity of the adhesive A does not affect the readability of the printed fixed information 21 through 28 . However, in the case of both the fixed information 21 through 28 and the variable information 29 it is not usually desirable to use an adhesive A that is highly visible because it provides an unnecessary background which may not be desired. In one alternative embodiment, the amount of adhesive A is less per unit area in the variable-information zone 29 T than in the fixed-information zones 21 T through 28 T so that the printed variable information, when transferred onto the substrate, is more highly visible through the adhesive A. Ways of providing less adhesive A per unit area in the variable information zone 29 T are to make the adhesive A in the variable-information zone 29 T uniform but thinner than in the fixed-information zone 29 T, or the adhesive A can be varigated.
[0041] The relative overlapping between the release coating R, the protective coating PC, the printed first color FC, the printed second color SC, the contrasting-color coating CC, and the adhesive coating A is best illustrated in FIG. 10 . FIG. 10 shows that the release coating R has a larger profile or area than the profile of the protective coating PC, that the protective coating PC has a larger profile or area than the printing FC and SC, and that the profile or areas of the adhesive A are greater than that of the protective coating PC. Following the application of the adhesive A, the partially printed web W is wound into a roll R 1 as shown at Station 8 . It is noted that the partially printed web W is flexible and dimensionally stable so that it can be rolled and unrolled as needed and the transfers or images it contains can be readily applied to contoured surfaces or to yieldable materials such as fabrics or garments. The web W can also be used to transfer images onto fabric tape.
[0042] With reference to FIG. 8 , there is diagrammatically illustrated long-run equipment 31 with stations 32 through 35 for roll-to-roll printing and coating. A carrier in the form of a carrier web C wound into a roll 36 passes successively to stations 32 through 35 after which the carrier web C is wound into a roll 37 . The carrier web C is preferably flexible, protective and clear or sufficiently transparent film so that the location of the printed information, and preferably the printing itself, is visible through the carrier web or film from the carrier-web or film side. This is useful when registering the transfer or image with the product to which transfer or image is to be applied. The stations 32 through 35 in the illustrated embodiment are equipped to be printing and coating stations. In this illustrated embodiment the printing and coating stations 32 through 35 are screen printing stations, although other printing techniques described herein can be used at these stations. There is a drier (not shown) after each station 32 through 35 so that the printing and/or coating applied at each station is dried before the web C reaches the next station and before the web C is wound into roll 37 or 39 . The station 32 applies the release coating R at each zone 21 T through 29 T for each image to be printed with information. Alternatively, the entire upper face of the carrier C can be coated with a continuous uniform release coating R or the release coating may have been applied to the carrier web C before the carrier web C is loaded into the equipment 31 . As shown, the release coating R can be applied at station 32 in the pattern shown in FIG. 4 at equally spaced intervals. In particular, the release coating R is shown to be generally a rectangle which covers all of zones 21 T through 29 T. The station 33 in FIG. 8 applies a protective coating PC over the release coating R in the pattern as shown in FIG. 4 and as shown in greater detail in FIG. 5 . The station 34 prints the fixed information shown in FIG. 6 is a first color FC over the fixed-information zones 21 T through 28 T for each image. The station 35 prints the fixed information shown in FIG. 7 in a second color SC in the fixed information zone 29 T for each image. After the carrier web C has been wound into the roll 37 , the carrier web C is rewound to provide a roll 38 shown in FIG. 9 . For a further pass of the carrier web C, the stations 32 through 35 , or some of them, are set up to add further desired coatings and/or printing. As the carrier web C is unwound from the roll 38 it passes again to the print stations 32 through 35 in succession. At the station 32 ( FIG. 9 ), a contrasting-color coating CC can optionally be applied. If two contrasting-color coatings CC are to be applied, then the station 33 can be used to apply a second contrasting-color coating CC. If only one contrasting-color coating CC is to be applied, then the station 33 can be used to apply an adhesive coating A at zones 21 T through 29 T. If the station 33 was used to apply a second contrasting-color coating, then station 34 will be used to apply the adhesive coating A. From there the partially printed thermal transfer web W is wound into a roll 39 . The coatings and printing that have been applied to the carrier web C are dry to the touch.
[0043] FIG. 10 shows the various layers of coating and/or printing that have been applied to the partially printed transfer web W, however, only zones 21 T, 24 T, 25 T, 26 T, 27 T and 29 T are shown. The first layer is the film of carrier web C. The second illustrated layer is the release coating R. All the zones 21 T through 29 T including illustrated zones 21 T, 24 T, 25 T, 26 T, 27 T and 29 T have layers comprised by the carrier web C, the release coating R and protective coating PC. In another layer, the illustrated zones 24 T, 25 T, 26 T and 27 T as well as the other fixed information zones have printed fixed information in a first color FC typically black and the zone 21 T also has printed fixed information in a second color SC, for example, red. Over the printing FC and SC is at least one layer as shown and possibly two layers of contrasting-color printing CC in illustrated zones 21 T, 24 T, 25 T, 26 T and 27 T as well as the other fixed information zones. Over the contrasting-color layers CC in zones 21 T through 28 T including illustrated zones 21 T, 24 T, 25 T, 26 T and 27 T and over the protective coating in zone 29 T, is the adhesive coating A. The thicknesses of the layers have been exaggerated for clarity. In reality all of the coatings are thin. It should be noted that the pattern of protective coating PC applied over the release coating R is wider than the printing FC and SC. This assures that if the printing is slightly out of registration it will still be aligned with the protective coating PC. Next, the profile or pattern of contrasting-color coating CC should be slightly larger than or overlap the printing FC and SC, but preferably smaller than the profile or pattern of the protective coating PC. The profile or pattern of the adhesive A is at least slightly larger than the profile or pattern of the protective coating PC.
[0044] The partially printed thermal transfer web W is now ready to be printed or overprinted with variable information. With reference to FIG. 11 , the user can use any suitable printer such as a known printer 42 to print the variable information. The printer 42 , Model 5300ZT-Modified produced by Paxar Americas, Inc., can be provided with a web WSB and also a second web HSW of hot stamp medium each one of which is shown to comprise a carrier in the form of a flexible carrier web C 1 , a uniform release coating R 1 , and a uniform ink I 1 in a color such as black or if a background color is also to be printed, a contrasting color such as white. In instances where only printing without a contrasting-color background is required, only a hot stamp medium HSB in one color ink, such as black, is used. In instances such as illustrated, a hot stamp medium HSW with ink in a light color, such as white, is also provided. The partially printed web W from a roll 43 , which has been rewound from the roll 39 , is passed over a platen 44 of the machine 42 , as shown. A hot stamp ribbon HSB bearing a dark color ink, e.g., black, is positioned to advance transversely to the direction of travel of the web W, and likewise a hot stamp ribbon bearing a light color ink, e.g., white, is positioned transversely to the direction of travel of the web W. Hot stamp print heads 46 and 47 are located opposite the platen 44 . The print heads 46 and 47 carry replaceable hot stamp plates 48 and 49 or chases with printing type (not shown) which typically bear raised indicia 50 for printing or more particularly imprinting or hot stamping variable information onto the web W. In the illustrated embodiment, the indicia 50 on the plates 48 and 49 are similar except that the indicia on the plate 49 have a broader profile or footprint than the indicia 50 on the plate 48 , so that the printing made by the plate 49 overlaps the printing made by the plate 48 to provide a contrasting-color background. The web W is brought to rest while the movable print heads 48 and 49 stamp the variable information onto the partially printed web W. Thereafter, the print heads 46 and 47 move away from the platen 44 to enable the hot stamp media HSB and HSW to be advanced in the direction of arrows 51 . The print heads 46 and 47 are spaced so that the variable-information zones 29 T of image I and identical image I′ are printed simultaneously. The print heads 46 and 47 are registered with adjacent images I and I′ and preferably move in unison. The spacing of the printing plates 46 and 47 is also the same as the spacing of registration marks 30 . The variable information of image I is printed with, e.g. black ink, while the same variable information of image I′ is printed with, e.g., white ink. It is noted that the W is advanced stepwise in the direction of arrow 52 following printing. Image I″ has no variable information in zone 29 T. The zones 29 T of images I and I′ are printed simultaneously by the print heads 46 and 47 ( FIG. 13 ). As best shown in FIG. 14 , the printed variable information or indicia 50 ′ printed by the hot stamp medium HSB in zone 29 T is applied over the adhesive A, and has a smaller profile than the adhesive A; and the contrasting-color 50 ″ printed by hot stamp medium HSW in zone 29 T can have a larger profile than the printing 50 ′ but a smaller profile than the adhesive A or the protective coating PC.
[0045] The fully printed web W produced by the printer 42 is wound into a roll 53 . The printed information is dry to the touch. The web W can be used directly from the roll 53 to transfer the images one-by-one onto separate garments, e.g., the garment 54 shown in FIG. 15 , or the web W can first be rewound from the roll 53 , depending upon the construction of the transfer machine. A transfer machine 55 , shown diagramatically in slightly exploded form in FIG. 15 , has a platen 56 with a platen surface 57 on which the garment 54 is placed and with which the garment 54 and the web W are registered. The fully printed web W with the carrier-web or film side up is passed between the garment 54 and a heated anvil 58 having a surface 59 . The heated anvil 58 can move toward and away from the platen surface 57 so that the printed image, which has been registered with the garment 54 , is transferred by heat and pressure from the carrier web C to the garment 54 . The heat from the platen 58 softens or melts the release coating R so that the remainder of the coatings and printing such as PC, FC, SC, A and the printing 50 ′ and 50 ″ made from ribbons HSB and HSW are transferred onto the garment 54 . In so doing the adhesive A is activated and becomes tacky and holds or bonds the transferred coatings and printed information to the garment 54 . Once applied, the adhesive A is no longer tacky. FIG. 16 shows an alternative form of thermal transfer medium, particularly hot stamp medium 60 , having a flexible carrier web C′, a uniform release coating R 1 , a uniform adhesive coating A and a uniform ink coating I 1 which can be used to print variable information on web W′ in the variable information zone 29 T over the protective coating PC. Ink I 1 and adhesive A corresponding to the indicia 50 will be hot stamped over the provisionally applied protective coating PC. The resulting layering in the variable-information zone 29 T provides carrier web C, release coating R, protective coating PC, printing 50 ′ and adhesive A as shown in FIG. 18 . Contrasting-color printing 50 ″ also shown in FIG. 18 can be applied by a thermal transfer hot-stamp ribbon like the ribbon HSW.
[0046] In the embodiment of FIG. 17 there is no coating of adhesive A on web W′ in the variable-information zone 29 T. As seen in FIG. 17 , the zone 29 T has a layer of a carrier web C, a layer of a release coating R and a layer of a protective coating PC. When variable information is printed on the transfer medium web W′ in the FIG. 17 embodiment by a printer such as in the printer 42 , the hot stamp medium 60 shown in FIG. 16 is used. Simultaneously adhesive A and ink I 1 from the hot stamp medium 60 are transferred onto the protective coating PC in zone 29 T by the heated printing plate 48 . In particular, the printing 50 ′ and the adhesive A as shown in FIG. 18 , applied simultaneously to the protective coating PC, will correspond to the indicia 50 on the printing plate or printing type on the plate 48 . The adhesive A and the printing 50 ′ have the same profile. Any printing 50 ″ has a larger profile than the adhesive A and printing 50 ′ but a smaller profile than the protective coating PC, as shown in FIG. 18 . In other respects the completely printed web W′ is like the web W.
[0047] FIG. 19 shows another alternative form of thermal transfer medium, particularly a hot stamp medium 60 ′ which can be used to print variable information in the variable-information zone 29 T directly onto an alternative form of a partially printed release coated web W″ as shown in FIG. 20 . In the embodiment of FIG. 20 , there is no coating of adhesive A or protective coating PC in the variable information zone 29 T on the web W″. When the variable information is printed by the printing plate 48 using the transfer medium 60 ′, then the protective coating PC, the variable information printing 50 ′ and the adhesive A are transferred simultaneously directly onto the release coating R in the configuration of the indicia 50 as shown in FIG. 21 . The adhesive A, the printing 50 ′ and the protective coating PC have the same profile. Any printing 50 ″ has a larger profile than the adhesive A, the printing 50 ′ and protective coating PC as shown in FIG. 21 . In other respects the web W″ is like the web W.
[0048] It should be noted that the partially printed web W, W′ or W″ can be printed with different information simply by inserting into the printer 42 one or both printing plates 48 and 49 with the desired indicia. For example, the plate 48 shown in FIG. 12 can be replaced by a similar plate bearing indicia X/XL, 46-48 in reverse. It should also be noted that when the webs W′ and W″ have transferred images onto the substrate such as the garment 54 , the adhesive A underlies the printing 50 ′ and any printing 50 ″ so there is no need for the adhesive A to be clear or transparent enough to enable the printing 50 ′ to be read, however, if there is any contrasting-color printing 50 ″ that contrasting-color printing 50 ″ still needs to be seen so the adhesive A needs to be sufficiently transparent.
[0049] It should be noted that the printing of fixed and variable information can be performed by various printing techniques, although the printing techniques of screen printing for printing the fixed information and hot stamp printing for printing the variable information are preferred. Other usable techniques include, thermal transfer printing having a print head with a line of closely spaced heating elements used with a thermal transfer ribbon, ink jet printing, flexographic printing, laser printing, and so on.
[0050] The ink I 1 can have the same characteristics following printing as the ink in the printed information in zones 21 T through 29 T applied by the equipment 31 and likewise the adhesive A applied from ribbons 60 , 60 ″ HSB, and HSW can have the same characteristics as the adhesive A applied by the equipment 31 .
[0051] When a hot stamp process is used, the ink is embossed or is driven into the adhesive A to provide hot-stamped embossments in accordance with the raised indicia 50 on the printing plate 48 so even if the essentially transparent adhesive A would present a very slight diminution of visibility or readability of the printing, the hot stamp process makes the printing even more vibrant and visible than in the event certain other techniques for printing on the adhesive A are used.
[0052] In the event it is desired to produce a transfer medium web W, W′, or W″ with information such as country of origin 23 or material content 28 in addition to size 29 being variable information, then zones 23 T and/or 28 T and 29 T can be printed in the printer 42 after the partially printed transfer medium W, W′ or W″ is produced, and in that event suitable printing plates tailored to print all such variable information will be used.
[0053] Although coatings R, PC, A are referred to, these coatings can be and are applied by screen printing and therefore, they can be considered to be printed.
[0054] Other embodiments and modifications of the invention will suggest themselves to those skilled in the art, and all such of these as come within the spirit of this invention are included within its scope as best defined by the appended claims.
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There is disclosed thermal transfer media containing both fixed and variable printed information, and method of making and using such a thermal transfer medium. The fixed information is printed in one or more fixed-information zone(s) preferably on a web during a long production run and thereafter as the need arises the variable information is printed or imprinted in one or more variable information zone(s) on sections of the web during shorter production runs. The transfer medium is particularly suited for printing onto fabrics that are subject to repeated home laundering and commercial dry cleaning.
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TECHNICAL FIELD
[0001] Embodiments of the present invention relate generally to low noise block converter feedhorns for use in a satellite broadcast/reception system, and more particularly to a band-translating low noise block converter feedhorn having a single local oscillator.
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0002] This application incorporates the following applications by reference as if fully set forth herein: U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/256,472, filed Oct. 20, 2005; and U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/140,330, filed May 27, 2005, both naming Edmund F. Petruzzelli as inventor.
BACKGROUND
[0003] Modern tuning devices, such as those used in set top boxes to receive satellite transmissions, often have multiple tuners. The use of multiple tuners permits a set top box to perform several functions that would otherwise be difficult or impossible. For example, a multi-tuner set top box may display a picture-in-picture output or may record one program while another is sent from the set top box for display on a display device.
[0004] Multi-tuner set top boxes typically employ band stacking and translation to process multiple signals originating from multiple sources, such as two or more satellite transmitters. Briefly, band stacking is the process of placing two discrete signal bands on a single cable. The discrete signals occupy different frequencies of the input and are often separated by a guard zone, which is a frequency band containing no signal data. Band translation is the operation of combining band stacked signals into one or more outputs and may include, for example frequency mixing and/or frequency translating of one or more signals.
[0005] For example, if a set top box has two tuners, it may receive signals from two separate satellites. Each satellite generally transmits a left-hand circular polarized signal and a right-hand circular polarized signal. Thus, if a set top box has two tuners, it may receive four signals—two from each satellite. The two signals from each satellite may be band stacked into a single input signal, thus yielding two input signals in total (one for each satellite). These band stacked signals may then be translated to yield two different stacked outputs. The first stacked output may contain, for example, the left-hand circular polarized feed from each of the first and second satellites while the second stacked output may contain the right-hand circular polarized feed from each of the satellites. Band stacking and band translation are more thoroughly described in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/256,472, filed Oct. 20, 2005; and U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/140,330, filed May 27, 2005, both naming Edmund F. Petruzzelli as inventor.
[0006] The process of band stacking generally requires a relatively high-frequency signal produced by a local oscillator in a low noise block converter feedhorn (“LNB F”) of a customer's receiving system. However, accurate high-frequency local oscillators can be expensive. Further, it is more difficult to produce an accurate high-frequency local oscillator than a low-frequency local oscillator, and high-frequency local oscillators may have a shorter service life. Accordingly, there is a need in the art for an improved low noise block converter feedhorn.
SUMMARY
[0007] Certain embodiments may take the form of a circuit, electrical device or other apparatus for band stacking and/or band translating multiple transmissions. Such transmissions may be, for example, satellite transmissions, terrestrial transmissions, signals carried across a wired network such as a cable network, and so forth. One example of an apparatus embodying an exemplary embodiment is a low noise block feedhorn.
[0008] As one example, two sets of left-hand polarized and right-hand polarized signals may be accepted by an embodiment. One left-hand polarized signal and one right-hand polarized signal may be band stacked such that the left-hand polarized signal occupies a first band frequency and the right-hand polarized signal occupies a second frequency, thereby permitting the two signals to be transmitted simultaneously across a single transmission line as a first unique signal (e.g., the two may be combined into a single signal). The second left-hand polarized signal and second right-hand polarized signal may likewise be combined into a second unique signal for transmission.
[0009] The first and second unique signals may be stacked as a first stacked output and a second stacked output by a band translating circuit.
[0010] One embodiment may take the form of a low noise block converter feedhorn, comprising: a signal receiver operative to receive at least a first input signal and a second input signal; a first mixer operative to receive the first input signal from the signal receiver, further operative to mix the first input signal with a first reference signal to create a first translated signal; and a second mixer operative to receive the second input signal from the signal receiver, further operative to mix the second input signal with the first reference signal to create a second translated signal; a third mixer operative to mix the first translated signal with a second reference signal to create a third translated signal; and a first combiner operative to stack the third translated signal and second translated signal into a first single stacked signal.
[0011] Another embodiment may take the form of a method for converting at least a first incoming transmission and a second incoming transmission to an outgoing transmission, comprising the operations of: receiving a first incoming transmission; receiving a second incoming transmission; multiplexing the first incoming transmission with a first reference signal to create a first multiplexed signal; multiplexing the second incoming transmission with a second reference signal to create a second multiplexed signal; multiplexing the second multiplexed signal with a third reference signal to create a third multiplexed signal; and diplexing the second and third multiplexed signals to create a first band-stacked signal.
[0012] Yet another embodiment may take the form of an apparatus for converting at least one right-hand polarized signal and at least one left-hand polarized signal into a stacked output, comprising: a first signal receiver for receiving a first right-hand polarized signal and a first left-hand polarized signal; a first signal generator; a first multiplexer electrically connected to the first signal generator and the first signal receiver; a second multiplexer electrically connected to the first signal generator and the first signal receiver; and a band translating circuit electrically connected to the first and second multiplexers, the band translating circuit outputting at least a first stacked output.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0013] Various details of the embodiments disclosed herein may be better understood on reading the following detailed description of non-limiting embodiments, and on examining the accompanying drawings, in which:
[0014] FIG. 1 is an exemplary block diagram illustrating components of an example of a broadcast satellite television system;
[0015] FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a multiple-satellite band translating system connected to a dual-tuner television converter device;
[0016] FIG. 3 is a block diagram of a multiple-satellite band translating system connected to a multiple-tuner television converter device in accordance with an embodiment;
[0017] FIG. 4 is a block diagram of a low noise block converter embodiment employing a band translating system;
[0018] FIG. 5 is a first block diagram of a low noise block converter embodiment employing a band translating system incorporating a multiplexed signal to generate band stacked signals, in accordance with an embodiment;
[0019] FIG. 6 is a second block diagram of a low noise block converter embodiment employing a band translating system incorporating a multiplexed signal to generate band stacked signals, in accordance with an embodiment;
[0020] FIG. 7 is a third block diagram of a low noise block converter embodiment employing a band translating system incorporating a multiplexed signal to generate band stacked signals, in accordance with an embodiment; and
[0021] FIG. 8 is a fourth block diagram of a low noise block converter embodiment employing a band translating system incorporating a multiplexed signal to generate band stacked signals, in accordance with an embodiment.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0022] In this specification, embodiments will be described using methods and systems related to subscriber satellite television service. This detailed description is not limited to any specific embodiment described herein. Various embodiments may also be applicable to cable television systems, broadcast television systems or other television systems. Certain embodiments are also described in terms of digital video recorder (DVR) devices. These embodiments may also be applicable to digital versatile disc (DVD) recording devices or other television recording devices. It should be understood that embodiments can apply elsewhere, such as in personal computing devices (handheld or otherwise). While the various embodiments have been particularly shown and described, it should be appreciated that various other changes in the form and details may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.
[0023] As a general matter, the disclosure uses the term “signal.” The referenced signal may be any digital or analog signal. Accordingly, signals may include, but are not limited to, a bit, a specified set of bits, an A/C signal, or a D/C signal. Uses of the term “signal” in the description may include any of these different interpretations. It should also be understood that the term “connected” is not limited to a physical connection but can refer to any means of communicatively or operatively coupling two devices.
[0024] As another general matter, the disclosure uses the terms “television converter,” “receiver,” “set-top-box,” “television receiving device,” “television receiver,” “television recording device,” “satellite set-top-box,” “satellite receiver,” “cable set-top-box,” “cable receiver,” and “television tuner” to refer interchangeably to a converter device or electronic equipment that has the capacity to acquire, process and distribute one or more television signals transmitted by broadcast, cable, telephone or satellite distributors. DVR and “personal video recorder (PVR)” refer interchangeably to devices that can record and play back television signals and that may implement trick functions including, but not limited to, fast-forward, rewind and pause. As set forth in this specification and the figures pertaining thereto, DVR and PVR functionality or devices may be combined with a television converter. The signals transmitted by these broadcast, cable, telephone or satellite distributors may include, individually or in any combination, internet, radio, television or telephonic data or information. A television converter device may be implemented as an external self-enclosed unit, a plurality of external self-enclosed units or as an internal unit housed within a television. Further, various embodiments described herein can apply to analog and digital satellite set-top-boxes.
[0025] As yet another general matter, as used here, the term “television” refers to a television set or video display that may contain an integrated television converter device (e.g., an internal cable-ready television tuner housed inside a television) or, alternatively, that is connected to an external television converter device (e.g., an external set-top-box connected via cabling to a television). A further example of an external television converter device is the EchoStar Dish PVR 721, Part Number 106525, combination satellite set-top-box and DVR.
[0026] It should also be understood that satellite television signals may be very different from broadcast television or other types of signals. Satellite signals may include multiplexed, packetized, and modulated digital signals. Once multiplexed, packetized and modulated, one analog satellite transmission may carry digital data representing several television stations or service providers. Some examples of service providers include HBO®, CSPAN®, ABC®, CBS®, or ESPN®.
[0027] Further, the term “channel,” as used in this description, may employ a different meaning from its normal connotation. The term “channel” is used herein to denote a particular carrier frequency or “sub-band” which can be tuned to by an appropriate tuner. In particular, note that “channel” does not refer to a single program/content service (e.g., CNN®, HBO®, CSPAN®). Similarly, “tuning” herein refers to receiving a channel (as previously defined) having multiple services thereon. A single satellite will typically have multiple transponders (e.g., 32 transponders) each one broadcasting a channel or band of approximately 24 to 27 MHz (0.024-0.027 GHz) in a broader frequency “band” of approximately 500 MHz. Thus a band of 0.5 GHz may contain numerous sub-bands or channels of roughly 24-27 MHz and each channel in turn may carry a combined stream of digital data comprising a number of content services.
[0028] The block diagrams shown in the various Figures of this description are for illustration only and are not intended to represent the only possible process flows and system configurations. In particular, it should be understood that operations may be added, omitted and recorded as may be suitable to a particular application. Also, individual components may be added, omitted, replaced and interrelated as may be suitable to a particular application. All details appurtenant to implementing the exemplary systems and methods that are well understood in the art are omitted for simplicity and clarity.
[0029] FIG. 1 is a simplified block diagram illustrating components of an example of a broadcast satellite television system that may be used to implement various features described herein. In particular, FIG. 1 generally illustrates a client device 100 as part of a satellite broadcast system. In this example, a broadcast service 170 provides programs and program information, via one or more satellites 160 , to the client device 100 . The broadcast service 170 may include a processor 172 , which is discussed further below. The client device 100 may include suitable circuitry, other hardware and/or software to receive a signal(s) from the satellite(s) 160 , such as a satellite dish or antenna (not shown).
[0030] The signal(s) from the satellite(s) 160 may carry multiple channels of programs, program information (such as electronic programming guide data), and/or other information, such as conditional access data. The signal(s) from the satellite(s) 160 received at the client device 100 may be processed such that the data and/or the channels may be viewed on a display device 150 , such as a television set or monitor.
[0031] The client device 100 may include a first tuner unit 102 and a second tuner unit 104 , each of which may comprise a tuner, a demodulator, and any other device or circuitry for selecting channels and modifying the data format for processing and/or displaying on the display device 150 . While one of the first and second tuner units 102 , 104 is selected for displaying programs and/or program information on the display device 150 , the other of the first and second tuner units 102 , 104 may be considered to be latent (with respect to displaying data). It should be understood that any number of tuner units may be employed, with such units not currently being used for displaying being considered latent.
[0032] The client device 100 may also include a processor 106 for controlling various operations of the client device 100 and/or the other components thereof. The client device 100 may also include a storage device 110 , which may have a program and/or associated data stored thereon, in addition or alternatively to such program and/or data rendered on the display device 150 . The storage device 110 may also be used to store user preferences, set-up information and/or other criteria 112 , as discussed further below, usually specific to the client device 100 .
[0033] Regardless of the particular implementation of the client device 100 and/or the broadcasts system in general, a system for selectively receiving at least part of a program based on events that occur in the program is contemplated. In operation, as discussed above, one of the first and second tuner units 102 , 104 may be currently presenting a program for display and the other may be considered to be latent. The latent tuner unit may be used to monitor either an audio stream or a video stream, or both, of a program that is being transmitted on a channel to which the latent tuner unit is set.
[0034] It should be understood that the non-latent tuner unit may also be used to monitor the audio stream and/or video stream of the program being received thereby, but such is not described for the sake of simplicity and brevity. Such an approach may allow a user to view a program and to selectively record the program or part of the program as described herein with respect to the latent tuner unit.
[0035] As a general, simplified example, a program received by the first tuner unit 102 may be displayed and the second tuner unit 104 may be considered to be latent. The processor 106 of the client device 100 and/or the processor 172 of the broadcast service 170 may be configured to monitor programs received by the second tuner unit 104 . For the sake of simplicity and brevity, operation of the processor 106 of the client device 100 is described herein. However, it should be understood that any or all client-side operations may be performed as broadcast service-side operations, as appropriate or desired.
[0036] FIG. 2 presents a block diagram of a multiple-satellite band translating system connected to a dual-tuner television converter device. FIG. 3 then presents a block diagram of a multiple-satellite band translating system connected to a multiple-tuner television converter device in accordance with a particular embodiment described herein. FIGS. 2 and 3 represent only two examples of the n-number of tuner configurations that are possible using band translation technology. It should also be understood that the arbitrary, n-number of tuner configurations do not require an even number of tuners and that band translation for an odd number of tuners is also possible and within the scope of this document. Further, the n-number of tuners may reside in devices (e.g., a personal computer) other than a television converter device in the form of a satellite set-top box (“STB”).
[0037] Band translation switch 202 is connected to dual tuner television converter device 204 via separator 206 . Cascade outputs (not shown) from band translation switch 202 allow band translation switch 202 to be connected with other band translation switches or conventional switches.
[0038] Band translation switch 202 receives RF input from four satellite dishes 210 , 212 , 214 and 216 . Band translation switch 202 might be connected to a lesser or greater number of such satellite dishes. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 2 , each satellite dish points to a different satellite. Dish 210 points to a satellite located at 119 degrees west longitude, dish 212 points to a satellite located at 110 degrees west longitude, dish 214 to a satellite located at 61.5 degrees west longitude and dish 216 to a satellite located at 148 degrees west longitude. All four satellites in this particular embodiment are in geosynchronous orbit (e.g., zero degrees latitude, low or zero eccentricity and 40,000 kilometers orbital radius with no relative angular velocity relative to a point on the surface of the Earth). However, should DBS systems evolve to include the ability of satellite dishes to track moving satellites (for example, the Molniya system) the band translation switch 202 may still be used without alteration. The band translation switch 202 may also be used without alteration in other television systems or communication systems now known or later developed, as circumstances require.
[0039] The output from exemplary dish 210 is sent to power divider 218 . In the embodiment depicted in FIG. 2 , power divider 218 is a four way power divider, supporting a total of four tuners, for example, two television converter devices each having dual tuners. However, the power dividers of band translation switch 202 may be scaled from four outputs to six, allowing switch 502 to support up to six tuners, such as would be present in a three dual-tuner television converter device system.
[0040] The outputs from the power dividers 218 are sent to source selection switches 220 and 222 . In one embodiment, two additional source selection switches (not pictured) are also present in band translation switch 202 . Every source selection switch receives the signals from every satellite dish 210 , 212 , 214 , and 216 , in this embodiment. Note that since the signals received are polarized (left-hand, right-hand, vertical, horizontal or other polarization), each dish is actually bandstacking and sending to the source selection switches 220 , 222 two pre-stacked bands of data. Thus in this embodiment source selection switch 220 , for example, may be receiving up to eight 0.5 GHz wide bands of data (two bands per satellite dish) but will be selecting the output from one satellite only (two bands of data) for transmission to the next stage of processing.
[0041] The output from source selection switch 220 goes to low band translator 224 (LBT). LBT 224 includes signal path switch 228 allowing bypass of the low band translation function, depending upon which band of the two pre-stacked bands received from switch 220 is the desirable band. If translation is desired, signal path switch 228 causes band translation at frequency mixer 238 . If translation of the frequency bands is not desired, signal path switch 228 will bypass frequency mixer 238 and the translation function will not occur.
[0042] Translation is accomplished in frequency mixer 238 by summation-difference with a 3.1 GHz signal obtained from clock/frequency generator 232 , which may be made of a phase locked loop 234 and an oscillator 236 . (In some embodiments, only the phase locked loop or the oscillator are present in the generator 232 ). The translated or bypassed band is then passed through low pass filter 242 (LPF). LPF 242 ensures that the signal sent from low band translator 224 is cut off beginning at approximately 1450 MHz. In present embodiment, the operative connection from low band translator 224 to frequency stacker 246 is by way of LPF 242 , with such circuitry, wiring or cables as is in turn required between these components, however, in other embodiments the operative connection may be only circuitry, wiring, coaxial cable or other cabling.
[0043] In a like manner, the output from satellite selector switch 222 is sent to high band translator 226 . Switch 230 either sends the signal to frequency mixer 240 (once again driven by local oscillator 236 ) or bypasses the high band translation operation. The output from high band translator 226 is sent to high pass filter 244 which cuts off frequencies below approximately 1650 MHz.
[0044] Note that signal path switches 228 and 230 thus have at least two positions: first positions in which band translators 224 and 226 are in the circuit; and second positions in which signal path switches 228 and 230 cause the band translators 224 and 226 to be bypassed, in which case the translators are said to be “out of the circuit.”
[0045] The two signals are combined after LPF 242 and HPF 244 in frequency stacker 246 , then sent to separator 206 . The tuner 247 is programmed to accept frequencies from 950 MHz to 1450 MHz while tuner 250 is programmed to accept frequencies from 1650 MHz to 2150 MHz, effectively re-dividing the signal on that basis. The 0.2 GHz bandwidth between 1450 MHz and 1650 MHz is referred to as a “guard band” and usually contains the quickly degrading frequencies cut off by LPF 242 and HPF 244 : these cut off frequencies may drop by many dB before crossing the guard bandwidth, at which reduced level they do not significantly impact the signal being read by the other tuner.
[0046] In operation, tuners 248 and 250 may signal to band translation switch 202 a satellite and polarity on which may be found the desired service for each tuner. (In alternative embodiments, one tuner may transmit all commands discussed herein while the second tuner passively receives data and/or responds to the first tuner's commands, thus acting as a slave tuner.) Source selection switches 220 and 222 may each select the proper satellite dish, which may be the same or a different dish. Each satellite switch 220 , 222 will pass both bands from the selected satellite (pre-stacked from the different polarity signals sent on the same frequency to the dishes) to the band translators 224 , 226 . Low band translator 224 generally determines if the signal to be sent to tuner 248 is already in the lower (950-1450 MHz) band and if so, it will bypass translation and simply send the signal to LPF 242 , which will filter out the higher frequency band. However if the signal is in the higher frequency band of 1650-2150 MHz, then signal path switch 228 will send the signal to frequency mixer 238 to down-convert the frequency of the desired signal to the lower band. (Note that in this event, the undesired lower frequency signal will have its frequency reduced from the lower band to an even lower frequency range (sub 950 MHz), below what tuner 248 recognizes.)
[0047] High band translator 226 (HBT) will carry out the converse process: it generally determines if the signal to be sent to tuner 250 is already in the higher band and if so, will bypass high band translation and simply send the signal to HPF 244 . On the other hand, if the signal which is desired by tuner 250 (programmed to accept the higher frequency band) is in the lower frequency band, then switch 230 will send the signal to frequency mixer 240 to up-convert the frequency of the desired signal to the higher range. In this case, the higher of the two bands sent to HBT 226 will be translated to a value above the highest frequency (2.15 GHz) which tuner 250 typically does not recognize.
[0048] The result is that either tuner may request any frequency band from any satellite and yet receive it in the frequency range for which that tuner has already been programmed, thus eliminating the need for television converter device 204 to accept frequency bands as they arrived from the satellite dishes.
[0049] While only one television converter device 204 is shown, band translation switch 202 equipped with four-way power dividers 218 , for example, that can support two entirely independent dual tuner television converter devices via additional source selection switches, LBT, LPF, HBT, HPF and a frequency stacker. As stated earlier, by means of six-way power dividers, three dual tuner television converter devices could be supported. It should be appreciated that several n-tuner configurations are possible.
[0050] Note that LPF 242 , HPF 244 and frequency stacker 246 effectively amount to a diplexer. However, band translation switch 202 may have additional circuitry (intermediate band translators, intermediate bandpass filters, etc.) so as to function as a multiplexer; that is, to stack more than two bands into the output frequencies. Such a configuration might require tuners having additional spectrum recognition abilities and/or constraints on the use of coaxial cable (which might have shorter allowable runs, additional features to increase bandwidth or may be replaced with other forms of connection) but would not exceed the scope of the invention as claimed herein. In such a system, band translation switch 202 may support more than two tuners in a single television converter device on a single coaxial cable. For example, a first frequency band and a second frequency band of a single coaxial cable may be sub-divided so as to contain two frequency bands in each of the first and second frequency bands. In this example, four tuners in a single television converter device may then receive the four output frequency bands. Band translation switch 202 may also be reconfigured to support multiple-tuner television converter device configurations.
[0051] In operation, it is possible that the two bands stacked for transmission to the dual tuner television converter device might come from different satellites or the same satellites, or might even be the same band, bandstacked onto itself. The original frequencies of the two bands may even become reversed in the band translation switch. In any embodiment, however, each tuner can receive its desired band in the frequency band it is pre-programmed to receive. Each tuner then performs RF tuning to the appropriate sub-band/channel, demodulating and demultiplexing; and digitally processing the chosen program service from among those program services on the channel.
[0052] The control system of switch 202 is also depicted. In operation, control signal detection and transmission interface 252 will detect control signals sent by tuners 248 and 250 and cooperate with microcontroller 254 . In the present two-tuner embodiment, the control signals sent by tuners 248 and 250 will be designated as master and slave. For example, a master or primary control signal may be sent by tuner 248 , while a slave or secondary signal is sent by tuner 250 . Alternatively, the second tuner 250 may transmit nothing and merely receive data. Designation of control signals as master and slave may reduce the processing time of the control signal detection and transmission interface 252 and microcontroller 254 . In another embodiment, the control signals sent by tuners 248 and 250 may operate independently. Microcontroller 254 has control authority over signal path switches 228 and 230 , satellite selection switches 220 and 222 and control signal detection and transmission interface 256 . Interface 256 may be a second control signal detection and transmission interface separate from interface 252 , or in alternative embodiments the two structures may be combined. For example, the mere presence or absence of a signal may be used, respectively, to indicate a master or slave primary control signal.
[0053] In operation, signals sent from tuners 248 and 250 are used by microcontroller 254 to control the satellite selection switches 220 and 222 ; by this structure the appropriate satellite signals are sent to LBT 224 and HBT 226 . Microcontroller 254 also controls signal path switches 228 and 230 independently from each other in order to determine whether band translation occurs in each translator; as a result of this, the band requested by tuners 248 , 250 , arrives at the tuner in the correct frequency band. In addition to signals sent from tuners 248 , 250 to microcontroller 254 , other signals are sent from tuners 248 , 250 having preambles which indicate that they are to be passed through to the low noise block feedhorn (LNBF) at the satellite dish.
[0054] As set forth earlier, FIG. 3 depicts a block diagram of a multiple-satellite band translating system connected to a multiple-tuner television converter device in accordance with an exemplary embodiment.
[0055] Band translation switch 302 is connected to a four tuner television converter device 304 via separator 306 . Cascade outputs 334 from band translation switch 302 allow band translation switch 302 to be connected with other band translation switches or conventional switches in a manner similar to the embodiment previously discussed with reference to FIG. 2 .
[0056] Band translation switch 302 receives RF input from four satellite dishes 310 , 312 , 314 and 316 . Band translation switch 302 might be connected to a lesser or greater number of such satellite dishes. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 3 , each satellite dish points to a different satellite. Dish 310 points to a satellite located at 119 degrees west longitude, dish 312 points to a satellite located at 110 degrees west longitude, dish 314 to a satellite located at 61.5 degrees west longitude and dish 316 to a satellite located at 148 degrees west longitude. All four satellites in this particular embodiment are in geosynchronous orbit, as defined above. However, should DBS systems evolve to include the ability of satellite dishes to track moving satellites (for example, the Molniya system) the band translation switch 302 may still be used without alteration. The band translation switch 302 may also be used without alteration in other television systems or communication systems now known or later developed, as circumstances require.
[0057] The output from exemplary dish 310 is sent to power divider 308 . In the embodiment depicted in FIG. 3 , power divider 308 is a four-way power divider and supports a total of four tuners in a single television converter device. It should be understood, however, that n-number of tuners is possible and that placement of the n-number of tuners need not occur in the same television converter device. For example, two television converter devices may each have dual tuners. Likewise, the power dividers of band translation switch 302 may also be scaled from four outputs to six, allowing switch 302 to support up to six tuners, such as would be present in a three dual-tuner television converter device system.
[0058] The outputs from the power dividers, such as power divider 308 , are sent to source selection switches 326 , 328 , 330 , and 332 . Every source selection switch receives the signals from every satellite dish 310 , 312 , 314 , and 316 , in this embodiment. Note that since the signals received are polarized (left-hand, right-hand, vertical, horizontal or other polarization), each dish is actually bandstacking and sending to the source selection switches 326 , 328 , 330 , and 332 four pre-stacked bands of data or a bank of independent polarization bands. Thus in this embodiment source selection switch 326 , for example, may be receiving up to eight 0.5 GHz wide bands of data (two bands per satellite dish) but will be selecting the output from one satellite only (two bands of data) for transmission to the next stage of processing.
[0059] The output from source selection switch 326 goes to low band translator (LBT) 336 . LBT 336 includes frequency mixer 338 . Band translation is accomplished in frequency mixer 338 by summation-difference with a signal obtained from low band oscillator unit (LBOU) 398 : a local oscillator path switch; a phase locked low band translation oscillator 376 ; a phase locked high band translation oscillator 378 ; and an oscillator control 382 . Local oscillator path switch 380 allows appropriate translation depending upon the desired band set forth by the oscillator control 382 . If high band translation is desired by the oscillator control 382 , phase locked translation oscillator 376 translates the signal using a frequency of approximately 2675 MHz to 3175 MHz and creates a signal at approximately 1025 MHz from frequency mixer 338 . If low band translation is desired by the oscillator control 382 , phase locked oscillator 378 converts the signal at a frequency of approximately 1975 MHz to 2475 MHz and creates a 1025 MHz signal from an output of the frequency mixer 338 . It should be appreciated that other band translation and bypass structures are possible within the LBOU. Further, several other translation and bypass signal oscillation frequencies are possible for use in various embodiments and fall within the scope of this disclosure. The translated band is then passed through band pass filter (BPF) 352 . BPF 352 ensures that the signal sent from low band translator 336 is cut off at frequencies below approximately 950 MHz and above 1100 MHz and passes the desired channel at 1025 MHz with little or no attenuation.
[0060] In a like manner, the output from satellite selector switch 928 may be sent to a second band translator (SBT) 340 . SBT 340 includes frequency mixer 342 . Band translation is accomplished in frequency mixer 342 by summation-difference with a signal obtained from low mid-range band oscillator unit (LMBOU) 301 : a local oscillator path switch 391 ; a phase locked low band translation oscillator 384 ; a phase locked high band translation oscillator 386 ; and an oscillator control 388 . Local oscillator path switch 391 allows appropriate translation depending upon the desired band set forth by the oscillator control 388 . If high band translation is desired by the oscillator control 388 , phase locked translation oscillator 384 translates the signal using a frequency of approximately 3025 MHz to 3525 MHz and creates an approximately 1375 MHz signal from frequency mixer 342 . If low band translation is desired by the oscillator control 388 , phase locked oscillator 386 converts the signal at a frequency of approximately 2325 MHz to 2825 MHz and creates a 1375 MHz signal from frequency mixer 342 . Additionally, it should be appreciated other band translation and bypass structures may be implemented within the LMBOU and/or other embodiments. Further, several other translation and bypass signal oscillation frequencies are possible and within the contemplated scope. The translated band is then passed through low mid-range pass filter (LMPF) 354 . LMPF 354 ensures that the signal sent from SBT 340 is cut off at frequencies below approximately 1300 MHz and above 1450 MHz and passes the desired channel at 1025 MHz with little or no attenuation.
[0061] Similarly, the output from satellite selector switch 330 is sent to a third band translator (TBT) 344 . TBT 344 includes frequency mixer 346 . Band translation is accomplished in frequency mixer 646 by summation-difference with a signal obtained from high mid-range band oscillator unit (HMBOU) 396 : a local oscillator path switch 372 ; a phase locked low band translation oscillator 368 ; a phase locked high band translation oscillator 370 ; and an oscillator control 374 . Local oscillator path switch 372 allows appropriate translation depending upon the desired band set forth by the oscillator control 374 . If high band translation is desired by the oscillator control 374 , phase locked translation oscillator 368 translates the signal using a frequency of approximately 3375 MHz to 3875 MHz and creates an approximately 1725 MHz signal from frequency mixer 346 . If low band translation is desired by the oscillator control 374 , phase locked oscillator 370 converts the signal at a frequency of approximately 2675 MHz to 3175 MHz and creates a signal at approximately 1725 MHZ from frequency mixer 346 . One skilled in the art will recognize that other band translation and bypass structures are possible within the HMBOU. Further, other translation and bypass signal oscillation frequencies are possible and within the scope of this document. The translated band is then passed through high mid-range pass filter (HMPF) 356 . HMPF 356 ensures that the signal sent from TBT 344 is cut off at frequencies below approximately 1650 MHz and above 1800 MHz and passes the desired channel at 1725 MHz with little or no attenuation.
[0062] Finally, to describe the last translator of this embodiment, the output from satellite selector switch 332 is sent to a high band translator (HBT) 348 . HBT 348 includes frequency mixer 350 . Band translation is accomplished in frequency mixer 350 by summation-difference with a signal obtained from high band oscillator unit (HBOU) 395 : a local oscillator path switch 364 , a phase locked low band translation oscillator 360 , a phase locked high band translation oscillator 362 and an oscillator control 366 . Local oscillator path switch 364 allows appropriate translation depending upon the desired band set forth by the oscillator control 366 . If high band translation is desired by the oscillator control 366 , phase locked translation oscillator 360 translates the signal using a frequency of approximately 3725 MHz to 4225 MHz and creates an approximately 2075 MHZ signal from frequency mixer 350 . If low band translation is desired by the oscillator control 366 , phase locked low band translation oscillator 362 converts the signal at a frequency of approximately 3025 MHz to 3525 MHz and creates an approximately 2075 MHz signal from frequency mixer 350 . The translated band is then passed through high band pass filter (HBPF) 358 . HBPF 358 ensures that the signal sent from HBT 348 is cut off at frequencies below approximately 2000 MHz and above 2150 MHz and passes the desired channel at 2075 MHz with little or no attenuation.
[0063] In the present embodiment, the operative connection from band translators 336 , 340 , 344 and 348 to frequency stacker 390 is by way of BPF 352 , LMPF 354 , HMPF 356 and HBPF 358 , with such circuitry, wiring or cables as are in turn required between these components, however, in other embodiments the operative connection may be only circuitry, wiring, coaxial cable or other cabling.
[0064] The four signals are combined from BPF 352 , LMPF 354 , HMPF 356 and HBPF 358 in frequency stacker 390 ; the combined signal then is sent to splitter 306 . Tuner 318 is programmed to accept frequencies from 950 MHz to 1100 MHz (centered at 1025 MHz), tuner 320 is programmed to accept frequencies from 1300 MHz to 1450 MHz (centered at 1375 MHz), tuner 322 is programmed to accept frequencies from 1650 MHz to 1800 MHz (centered at 1725 MHz) and tuner 324 is programmed to accept frequencies from 2000 MHz to 2150 MHz (centered at 2075 MHz). (It should be understood that these frequencies, like all frequencies mentioned herein, are exemplary rather than limiting. Alternative embodiments may employ different tuner, translation, and/or other frequencies.) Each tuner 318 , 320 , 322 , and 324 effectively re-divides the signal by these frequency programming ranges. The 0.2 GHz bandwidth between 1450 MHz and 1650 MHz, for example, is referred to as a “guard band” and usually contains the quickly degrading frequencies cut off by LMPF 354 and HMPF 356 . These cut off frequencies may drop by many dB before crossing the guard bandwidth, at which reduced level they typically do not significantly impact the signal being read by the other tuner.
[0065] In operation, tuners 318 , 320 , 322 and 324 will signal to band translation switch 302 which satellite and polarity on which may be found the desired service for each tuner. Source selection switches 326 , 328 , 330 and 332 will each select the proper satellite dish, which may be the same or a different dish. Each satellite switch 326 , 328 , 330 and 332 will pass both bands from the selected satellite (pre-stacked from the different polarity signals sent on the same frequency to the dishes) to the band translators 336 , 340 , 344 , and 348 .
[0066] The result of the embodiment described above is that either tuner may request any frequency band from any satellite and yet receive it in the frequency range for which that tuner has already been programmed, thus eliminating the need for television converter device 604 to accept frequency bands as they arrived from the satellite dishes.
[0067] Note that BPF 352 , LMPF 354 , HMPF 356 , BPF 358 and frequency stacker 390 effectively amount to a multiplexer; that is, more than two bands are stacked into multiple output frequencies. It should be appreciated that this multiplexer configuration typically requires tuners to have additional spectrum recognition abilities and/or constraints on the use of coaxial cable (which may have shorter allowable runs, additional features to increase bandwidth or may be replaced with other forms of connection) that are within the scope as set forth herein. In such a system, as is evident from FIGS. 2 and 3 , a band translation switch may support more than two tuners in a single television converter device on a single coaxial cable. As is also evident from the drawings, band translation switches may also be reconfigured so as to support one or more single tuner television converter devices from a single coaxial cable carrying a signal from one or more satellite dishes.
[0068] The control system of switch 302 is also depicted. In operation, control signal detection and transmission interface 392 will detect control signals sent by tuners 318 , 320 , 322 and 324 and cooperate with microcontroller 394 . In this embodiment, the control signals sent by tuners 318 , 320 , 322 and 324 operate independently. Several control signaling paradigms are possible in various embodiments. Microcontroller 394 has control authority over band translation oscillator control 366 , 374 , 382 , 388 and control signal detection and transmission interface 397 . Interface 397 may be a second control signal detection and transmission interface separate from interface 392 , or in alternative embodiments the two structures may be combined.
[0069] In operation, signals sent from tuners 318 , 320 , 322 and 324 are used by microcontroller 394 to control the low band translation oscillators 360 , 368 , 376 , 384 and high band translation oscillators 362 , 370 , 378 , 386 ; by this structure the appropriate satellite signals are sent to LBT 336 , SBT 340 , TBT 344 and HBT 348 . In addition to signals sent from tuners 318 , 320 , 322 and 324 to microcontroller 394 , other signals are sent from tuners 318 , 320 , 322 and 324 having preambles which indicate that they are to be passed through to the LNBF at the satellite dish.
[0070] In particular, one of tuners 318 , 320 , 322 and 324 may request a particular channel or program, for example in response to a user input. The tuner then may instruct the microcontroller 394 , which is electrically connected to all switches 326 , 328 , 330 , 332 , to determine which satellite input 310 , 312 , 314 , 316 provides the desired channel or program. (Alternatively, the tuner itself may make this determination and pass the desired satellite input to the microcontroller.) The microcontroller stores the frequency range of each tuner 318 , 320 , 322 , 324 and thus may electrically connect the proper satellite input to the band translator 336 , 340 , 344 , 348 that translates signals into the tuner's frequency range. Essentially, each tuner has a dedicated band translator that translates an input signal into a frequency within the frequency band accepted by the tuner.
[0071] For example, presume that tuner 318 accepts frequencies from 950 MHz to 1100 MHz and centered at 1025 MHz, as generally discussed above. Further presume that band translator 336 translates an input signal to have a frequency within this range, as again described above. Accordingly, band translator 336 is dedicated to frequency shifting (e.g., translating) an input signal to a frequency recognized and accepted by the tuner 318 . Because switch 326 is connected both to band translator 336 and each of the satellite inputs 310 , 312 , 314 , 316 , at the direction of the microcontroller 394 the switch 326 may connect any input to the band translator 336 . Thus, once tuner 318 requests a particular channel or program, the microcontroller may instruct the switch 326 to connect the corresponding input to the band translator 336 . The band translator, in turn, translates the input signal's frequency into one accepted by the tuner 318 .
[0072] Thus, in short, each tuner has a dedicated band translator and each band translator may translate any of the input signals as necessary. The result of this particular embodiment described is that either tuner may request any frequency band from any satellite and yet receive it in the frequency range for which that tuner has already been programmed, thus eliminating the need for television converter device 304 to accept frequency bands as they arrived from the satellite dishes.
[0073] Note that BPF 352 , LMPF 354 , HMPF 356 , HBPF 358 and frequency stacker 390 effectively amount to a multiplexer; that is, more than two bands (“subbands”) are stacked into multiple output frequencies. It should be appreciated that this multiplexer configuration typically requires tuners to have additional spectrum recognition abilities and/or constraints on the use of coaxial cable (which may have shorter allowable runs, additional features to increase bandwidth or may be replaced with other forms of connection) that are within the scope as set forth herein. In such a system, as is evident from FIGS. 2 and 3 , a band translation switch may support more than two tuners in a single television converter device on a single coaxial cable. As is also evident from the drawings, band translation switches may also be reconfigured so as to support one or more single tuner television converter devices from a single coaxial cable carrying a signal from one or more satellite dishes.
[0074] The control system of switch 302 is also depicted. In operation, control signal detection and transmission interface 392 will detect control signals sent by tuners 318 , 320 , 322 and 324 and cooperate with microcontroller 394 . In this embodiment, the control signals sent by tuners 318 , 320 , 322 and 324 operate independently. Several control signaling paradigms are possible in various embodiments. Microcontroller 394 has control authority over band translation oscillator control 366 , 374 , 382 , 388 and control signal detection and transmission interface 397 . Interface 397 may be a second control signal detection and transmission interface separate from interface 392 , or in alternative embodiments the two structures may be combined.
[0075] In operation, signals sent from tuners 318 , 320 , 322 and 324 are used by microcontroller 394 to control the low band translation oscillators 360 , 368 , 376 , 384 and high band translation oscillators 362 , 370 , 378 , 386 ; by this structure the appropriate satellite signals are sent to LBT 336 , SBT 340 , TBT 344 and HBT 348 . In addition to signals sent from tuners 318 , 320 , 322 and 324 to microcontroller 394 , other signals are sent from tuners 318 , 320 , 322 and 324 having preambles which indicate that they are to be passed through to the LNBF at the satellite dish.
[0076] In the band translation switches described herein, at least two switching protocols may be used: proprietary 13/18 switching and the DiSEqC 2.0 protocol. In the former technique, television converter devices send proprietary commands to the band translation switch by varying the length and pattern of the 13 volt or 18 volt potential. Based on the commands sent, the band translation switch selects the appropriate signal to send back to the sending television converter devices. Referring once again to FIG. 3 , the 13/18 polarity may be passed directly by switch 302 to dish/LNBFs 310 , 312 , 314 , 316 , or switch 302 may maintain constant polarity. In one embodiment presently contemplated, the DiSEqC 2.0 protocol is used. The DiSEqC 2.0 protocol, unlike the 13/18 polarity method, allows for bidirectional communication among the five components of the switching system. Television converter devices 304 provide the current to operate switch 302 and the LNBFs located at dish/LNBFs 310 , 312 , 314 , 316 . In other embodiments, switch 302 may be integrated with, included within or housed inside of an LNBF. Under either protocol, television converter devices 304 are capable of independent operation in which the activities of one box do not effect the activities of the other. Under either protocol, tuners are capable of independent operation in which the activities and band selected by one tuner do not effect the activities of the other.
[0077] FIG. 4 depicts a band-stacked low-noise block converter (LNB) embodiment of the method for band translation. In this embodiment, LNB 474 contains band translation block 402 and is connected to satellites 464 , 466 that receive, respectively, signals from satellites located at 119 degrees west longitude and 110 degrees west longitude. Dish 464 receives signals that are left-hand circular polarized (LHCP) in the frequency band range of 12.2 to 12.7 GHz and right-hand circular polarized (RHCP) in the frequency band range of 12.2 to 12.7 GHz. Likewise, dish 466 also receives signals that are left-hand circular polarized (LHCP) in the frequency band range of 12.2 to 12.7 GHz and right-hand circular polarized (RHCP) in the frequency band range of 12.2 to 12.7 GHz. Alternatively, in another embodiment, dish 464 may receive a single polarity band that comprises a single satellite signal. Various embodiments may employ several satellite orbital locations and radio frequency bands in addition to those described herein. LNB 474 is optionally connected via Aux LNBF Input 468 to a band-stacked LNB 470 input (but may be connected in a variety of different manners in alternative embodiments).
[0078] LNB 474 may include circuitry to maintain signal bands, including amplifiers 460 , 462 , 434 , 432 , 458 , 456 , 428 , 430 . It should be appreciated that the signal processing circuitry shown is exemplary; alternative configurations may be employed in various embodiments. LNB 474 also includes signal frequency mixers 436 and 438 that are connected via local signal oscillator 446 . Local signal oscillator 446 , operating in this embodiment at a signal frequency of 14.35 GHz, band-stacks the received LHCP signals 448 , 452 from two independent satellite dishes 464 , 466 into signals 422 , 420 . Similarly, LNB 474 also includes signal frequency mixers 442 and 440 that are connected via local signal oscillator 444 . Local signal oscillator 444 , operating in this embodiment at a signal frequency of 11.25 GHz, band-stacks the received RHCP signals 450 , 454 from two independent satellite dishes 464 , 466 into signals 424 , 426 . Frequency stackers 416 and 418 then combine signals 420 and 426 and 424 and 422 as respective pairs. (In the present embodiment, each combiner combines only two bands, although this may vary in other embodiments.) LNB 474 also includes band translation block 402 . Band translation block 402 receives combined signals and processes the requests for specific bands contained within the received signals. Alternative circuit elements and different combinations of existing elements may be used in alternative embodiments, including non-stacked frequency bands.
[0079] Band-stacked output signals from LNB 474 are identified as port 1 404 and port 2 406 . Port 1 404 and port 2 406 may be connected to individual or multiple tuners that may request delivery of specific signal bands. Furthermore, the signals carried on output ports 404 and 406 from LNB 474 may also be connected to other RF processing elements, including but not limited to DiSEqC 2.0/XMT switching protocol detection unit 408 , processing unit 412 , voltage supplies 414 and power management unit 410 .
[0080] FIG. 5 generally depicts a band-stacked LNB embodiment employing an alternate architecture having a single local oscillator instead of two local oscillators, as shown (for example) in the embodiment of FIG. 4 . The embodiment accepts even and odd signals 500 , 502 , 504 , 506 from a first and second satellite 508 , 510 . Each signal is fed into a distinct amplifier 512 , 514 , 516 , 518 to generate an amplified signal. It should be noted that each satellite signal has a polarity and is received from a satellite at a particular position, as described above. One of each signal pair is a “low” signal and the other is designated the “high” signal. For example, in the signal pair from satellite 508 , even signal 500 is the high signal and odd signal 502 is the low signal. It should be noted that the particular embodiment shown in FIG. 5 operates generally with a set top box having two tuners, one tuned to satellite 1 's broadcast and one tuned to satellite 2 's broadcast. (Alternatively, one tuner may function as a master and one as a slave as described above, and/or both tuners may be tuned to the same broadcast.) For simplicity's sake, the signal processing of the high and low signals 500 , 502 from satellite 1 508 will be discussed. The same operations generally occur on the second satellite's signals 504 , 506 . A “high” signal may be, for example, a right-hand circular polarized signal and a “low” signal may be a left-hand circular polarized signal, or vice versa.
[0081] The high signal, once amplified by the amplifier, 512 , is added to a reference signal by the signal mixer 520 . In particular, the high signal is added to (e.g., band-translated with) an 11.25 GHz signal generated by the local oscillator 528 , which may be either a phase-locked loop or digital resonance oscillator. The local oscillator 528 (LO) generates the 11.25 GHz signal which is then fed into a splitter 530 . (The splitter 530 may also function to buffer the signal from the LO). As shown in FIG. 5 , the split signal is transmitted from the splitter 530 to each mixer 520 , 522 , 524 , 526 so that each of the received high and low signals may be band-translated with the 11.25 GHz signal, as generally described above. The output of the mixer 520 , for example, is a band-translated signal having a frequency range generally of 950 to 1450 MHz. Thus, the absolute frequency of the satellite input signal ranges from 12.2 GHz to 12.7 GHz. It should be noted that both the low and high signals are mixed with the 11.25 GHz signal, unlike the operations of the embodiment shown generally in FIG. 4 . Thus, after passing through mixer 520 , the high signal's frequency ranges from 950 to 1450 MHz. Similarly, after being operated on by mixer 522 , the low signal's frequency likewise ranges from 950-1450 MHz. These signals may be amplified by respective amplifiers 532 , 534 .
[0082] As may be appreciated, the low and high signals have approximately the same frequency ranges after the operations of the mixers 520 , 522 and amplifiers 532 , 534 . Band-stacking the low and high signals at this point would result in degradation as the two signals would effectively overlie one another. Accordingly, the high signal, upon exiting amplifier 532 , is band-translated with a 3.1 GHz signal by mixer 540 to yield a signal having a frequency between 1650 and 2150 MHz.
[0083] The 3.1 GHz signal is produced by the band translating circuit 552 and split (and, optionally, buffered) by splitter 546 . The splitter 546 transmits the 3.1 GHz signal to the mixer 540 , which in turn employs the 3.1 GHz signal to translate the high signal in a manner similar to that previously described with respect to FIGS. 2-4 . The resulting high signal, having been translated twice, is band-stacked with the low signal by diplexer 548 .
[0084] The output of diplexer 548 is a band-stacked signal ranging from 950 to 2150 MHz, combining two separate and unique signals, namely the low and high signals previously discussed. The high signal is spectrally inverted while the low signal remains non-inverted. The two signals are separated by a “guard band” of approximately 200 MHz: one signal ranges across a frequency band of 950 to 1450 MHz and the second, inverted signal ranges across a frequency band of 1650 to 2150 MHz. The separation of the two signals by the guard band, and the functions of the guard band, are generally discussed above. It should be noted that, in certain embodiments, the high band signal may not be spectrally inverted. Any of the embodiments discussed herein may employ a non-inverted high signal.
[0085] The same operations are generally performed on the low and high signals received from the second satellite 510 as are performed on the signals received from the first satellite 508 .
[0086] Band translating circuit 552 accepts the band-stacked signals from combiners 548 and 550 and outputs a first and second stacked output 554 , 556 as generally described above. Essentially, band translating circuit 552 operates in the same manner as the band translation block 402 of FIG. 4 .
[0087] FIG. 6 depicts another embodiment of a band-stacking LNBF. The embodiment of FIG. 6 operates in the same fashion as that of FIG. 5 with one difference. Instead of translating the high signal received from each satellite 600 , 602 twice (for example., as shown in FIG. 5 with respect to first mixer 520 and second mixer 540 ), the high signal is translated only once by mixer 604 . A 14.35 GHz signal is fed into mixer 604 (and, incidentally, mixer 606 for the high signal from the second satellite 602 ) for a single translation operation. The embodiment generates this 14.35 GHz signal by adding a 3.1 GHz reference signal to an 11.25 GHz reference signal. In particular, the band translating circuit 610 produces a 3.1 GHz signal (taken from the local oscillator of the circuit 610 ), which is split and, optionally, buffered by splitter 612 . Splitter 612 transmits this signal to mixers 614 and 616 .
[0088] Mixers 614 and 616 also receive an 11.25 GHz signal from a second splitter 618 , which in turn receives the signal from local oscillator 620 . The operation of local oscillator 620 and splitter 618 mirrors that of local oscillator 528 and splitter 530 of FIG. 5 . Mixers 614 and 616 then add the two reference signals together to produce the 14.35 GHz output that is fed to mixers 604 and 606 , and ultimately used to translate the high signals from each satellite.
[0089] Amplification, stacking and output of the exemplary LNBF of FIG. 6 is otherwise the same as the embodiment of FIG. 5 .
[0090] FIG. 7 depicts yet another embodiment of an LNBF. In general, the embodiment of FIG. 7 operates in the same manner as the embodiment of FIG. 5 , except that the 3.1 GHz signal used by mixers 702 , 704 is generated by a dedicated local oscillator 700 instead of being pulled from band translating circuit 706 . In all other respects, the operation is identical.
[0091] FIG. 8 depicts still another embodiment of an LNBF. Again, the embodiment accepts signal pairs from a first satellite 800 and a second satellite 802 . The embodiment performs the same operations on the signals from the first satellite 800 as described previously with respect to FIG. 5 . The signals from the second satellite 802 , however, are processed somewhat differently.
[0092] Initially, both the high and low signals are amplified by amplifiers 812 and 814 . Next both the high and low signals are mixed with a 6.2 GHz reference signal by mixers 816 , 818 . The 6.2 GHz signal is produced by doubling, via a doubler 806 , the 3.1 GHz signal intrinsic to the band translating circuit 804 . The resulting signals are again amplified (by amplifiers 820 and 822 , respectively) before being fed into yet more mixers 824 , 826 . Mixers 824 , 826 add the high and low signals to a 10.15 GHz signal outputted by a local oscillator 830 . The local oscillator 830 transmits the 10.15 GHz reference signal to a splitter 832 , which splits it and feeds the split signal to both of the mixers 824 , 826 .
[0093] The low signal exits mixer 826 and is transmitted to the diplexer 838 . The high signal, however, is transmitted from mixer 824 to mixer 836 . Mixer 836 translates the high signal with a 3.1 GHz reference signal outputted by splitter 834 . Translation has been previously described in this document. Once translated, the high signal is also fed to diplexer 838 . The diplexer 838 band stacks the high and low signals of the second satellite 802 in the manner previously described. Likewise, diplexer 840 band stacks the high and low signals of the first satellite 800 .
[0094] The band translating circuit accepts band-stacked signals from the diplexers 838 , 840 and translates them, in the manner previously described, to produce stacked outputs 844 , 846 . These stacked outputs 844 , 846 are similar to those of prior figures.
[0095] FIG. 9 depicts a band translating embodiment 900 employing non-stacked inputs. Generally, the embodiment receives a first high signal and first low signal. Each of the first high signal 902 and first low signal 904 are mixed with an 11.25 GHz reference signal by first and second mixers 906 , 908 , respectively. The 11.25 GHz reference signal may be generated, for example, by a local oscillator or dielectric resonator oscillator 910 .
[0096] The outputs of the first and second mixers 912 , 914 may optionally be amplified and take the form of first and second non-stacked signals. Both of the first and second non-stacked signals occupy a frequency band of approximately 950-1450 MHz.
[0097] Similarly, the embodiment of FIG. 9 may also receive a second high signal 916 and second low signal 918 . The second high and low signals may be, for example, 17 GHz signals having a right-hand and left-hand polarity, respectively. (In some embodiments, the polarities may be reversed.) The second high and low signals may be mixed with a 16.35 GHz reference signal by third and fourth mixers 920 , 922 , respectively, to produce third and fourth non-stacked signals 930 , 932 , each within a 950-1450 MHz frequency band.
[0098] The 16.35 GHz reference signal may be generated in the present embodiment by doubling the output of a 8.175 GHz oscillator 924 via a doubler 926 .
[0099] A band translating circuit 928 accepts the first, second, third and fourth non-stacked signals 912 , 914 , 930 , 932 and operates generally as described above to produce two stacked outputs. Accordingly, it should be understood that certain embodiments may translate signals without band stacking the signals.
[0100] Although the present invention has been described with respect to particular embodiments, apparatuses and processes, it should be understood that these are illustrative rather than limiting. Variations on the embodiments, apparatuses and processes described herein may be created without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention. Further, it should be noted that all frequencies and signals discussed herein are provided by way of example and not limitation. Alternative embodiments may vary frequencies or any other signal characteristic as necessary or desired. It should also be noted that frequency mixing and/or frequency translating, as described herein, are examples of band translating in accordance with this disclosure.
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A circuit, electrical device or other apparatus for band stacking and/or band translating multiple transmissions. Such transmissions may be satellite transmissions, terrestrial transmissions, signals carried across a wired network such as a cable network, and so forth. Two sets of left-hand polarized and right-hand polarized signals may be accepted by an embodiment. One left-hand polarized signal and one right-hand polarized signal may be band stacked such that the left-hand polarized signal occupies a first frequency and the right-hand polarized signal occupies a second frequency, thereby permitting the two signals to be transmitted simultaneously across a single transmission line as a first unique signal. The second left-hand polarized signal and second right-hand polarized signal may likewise be combined into a second unique signal for transmission. The first and second unique signals may be stacked as a first stacked output and a second stacked output by a band translating circuit.
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CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
This application claims the priority, under 35 U.S.C. §119, of German Patent Application DE 10 2006 049 648.5, filed Oct. 20, 2006; the prior application is herewith incorporated by reference in its entirety.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method of controlling a powder sprayer having a fan jet nozzle configuration in a printing press. The invention also relates to a printing press having a powder sprayer.
German Published, Non-Prosecuted Patent Application DE 100 01 590 A1 describes a powder sprayer with a fan jet nozzle configuration. That powder sprayer includes nozzle heads disposed in a row. Each nozzle head includes two nozzles, each of which emits a powdered-air jet. A blower tube emitting compressed-air jets is disposed above the nozzle heads. The emission speed of those compressed-air jets is approximately twice as high as the speed of the powdered-air jets. Together, the compressed-air jets form a supportive fan jet that is free of powder and surrounds the powdered-air jets on all sides. The supportive fan jet screens the powdered-air jets off against turbulent flows that are caused by the movement of a gripper conveying the printed sheet. That ensures that the powdered-air jets reach the printed sheet, unaffected by the turbulent flows. However, if printed sheets made of paper are processed, the print quality may suffer as compared to printed sheets made of board. Although the momentum exerted by the supportive fan jet on the printed sheets is suitable for board sheets, it is too strong for paper sheets. The momentum affects the transportation of the paper sheets, which consequently begin to flutter. Problems arise, in particular, when both sides of the paper sheets have just been printed. In many printing presses, a sheet-guiding device is disposed opposite the powder sprayer, which means that the freshly printed upper side of the sheets faces the powder sprayer and the lower side of the sheets, which has also been recently printed, faces the sheet-guiding device. Due to the fluttering, the paper sheets may hit the sheet-guiding device, causing the printed image on the lower side of the sheets to become smeared. That means a considerable loss of print quality.
German Published, Non-Prosecuted Patent Application DE 199 37 090 A1, corresponding to Patent Abstracts of Japan Publication No. 2001070842 A, describes a method of powdering printed sheets wherein a powdered-air jet is generated by a blown-air generator. During operation, the output of the blown-air generator is varied to adapt the output of the blown-air generator, inter alia, to the conveying speed of the printed sheets or to the machine speed. The pressure of the powdered-air jet is adjustable between 0.1 bar and 0.5 bar (i.e. approximately between 1.5 psi and 7.3 psi).
German Patent DE 42 37 111 B4 describes a powder sprayer that is controlled by a programmed control unit. The control unit includes a keyboard for inputting basic parameters for an upcoming print job. Those basic parameters include, for example, the format of the sheets to be printed and the conveying speed.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is accordingly an object of the invention to provide a method of controlling a powder sprayer and a printing press having a powder sprayer, which overcome the hereinafore-mentioned disadvantages of the heretofore-known methods and devices of this general type and in which a fan jet nozzle configuration ensures that a high level of print quality is maintained at all times.
With the foregoing and other objects in view there is provided, in accordance with the invention, a method of controlling a powder sprayer having a fan jet nozzle configuration, which may also be referred to as a surrounding jet nozzle configuration, in a printing press. The method comprises controlling the fan jet nozzle configuration as a function of operating parameters of the printing press.
As a result of this feature, the air supply to the fan jet nozzle configuration can be varied from print job to print job in order to adapt the air supply during operation to the requirements of the respective print job in an optimum way and to avoid adverse effects on the transportation of the sheets due to the powder sprayer. Thus, for every print job, the print quality remains on the same high level.
In accordance with another mode of the invention, the operating parameters are different printed sheet grammages, i.e. different specific masses per unit of area of the printed sheets. The printed sheet grammages may differ from print job to print job, for example if light-weight paper sheets are processed in one print job and heavy board sheets are processed in another print job. In this case, the air supply to the fan jet nozzle configuration can be adapted to the different printed sheet grammages.
In accordance with a further mode of the invention, the operating parameters are settings of the printing press as far as perfecting or double-sided printing and straight printing or one-sided printing are concerned. In this case, the printing press is a perfecting press with a reversing device for reversing the printed sheets. The reversing device may be adjusted in a desired way, in that it reverses the printed sheets in the perfecting mode and transports the printed sheets without reversing them in the straight-printing mode. The fan jet nozzle configuration may be controlled in such a way that the air supply in the perfecting mode differs from the air supply in the straight-printing mode. As a result, the sheets are conveyed smoothly and without disruption caused by the powder sprayer even in the perfecting mode.
In accordance with an added mode of the invention, the emission speed of supportive fan jets of the fan jet configuration is modified as a function of the operating parameters. If the operating parameters are the varying printed sheet grammages, the emission speed of the supportive fan jets emitted by the fan jet nozzle configuration is modified as a function of the printed sheet grammages, that is to say when the printing press is switched from processing printed sheets of lower grammage to processing printed sheets of higher grammage, the emission speed of the supportive fan jets is increased. In the other case, i.e. if the operating parameters are the settings of the printing press in terms of perfecting or straight printing, the emission speed of the supportive fan jets of the fan jet nozzle configuration is modified as a function of the settings, that is to say when the printing press is switched from the perfecting mode to the straight-printing mode, the emission speed of the supportive fan jets is increased.
In accordance with an additional mode of the invention, the emission speed of powdered-air core jets of the fan jet nozzle configuration remains unchanged when the emission speed of the supportive fan jets is modified. The supportive fan jets may be generated by a first blown-air generator and the powdered-air core jets may be generated by a second blown-air generator.
The two developments that have been mentioned in the last two paragraphs are based on the concept that the fan jet nozzle configuration includes a plurality of fan jet nozzles and each of the fan jet nozzles includes a core jet nozzle channel and a fan jet nozzle channel surrounding the core jet nozzle channel. Each fan jet nozzle emits the powdered-air core jet from the core jet nozzle channel, which is a blown-air jet mixed with powder for powdering the printed sheets. The fan jet nozzle channel of each fan jet nozzle emits the supportive fan jet, which is a blown-air jet without powder. As viewed in the flow direction of the supportive fan jet, the latter has a substantially annular profile in the interior of which the powdered-air core jet is located. The fan jet nozzle channels of the fan jet nozzles are connected to the first blown-air generator, which supplies the fan jet nozzle channels with the blown air of relatively high pressure of the supportive fan jets. The core jet nozzle channels are connected to the second blown-air generator, which supplies the blown air of relatively low pressure of the powdered-air core jets to the core jet nozzle channels. The blown air supplied by the second blown-air generator is mixed with powder, for example through the use of an injector, in order to form the powdered-air core jets.
With the objects of the invention in view, there is concomitantly provided a printing press, for implementing the method, comprising a powder sprayer having a fan jet nozzle configuration. A control unit controls the fan jet nozzle configuration in dependence on operating parameters of the printing press.
Other features which are considered as characteristic for the invention are set forth in the appended claims.
Although the invention is illustrated and described herein as embodied in a method of controlling a powder sprayer and a printing press having a powder sprayer, it is nevertheless not intended to be limited to the details shown, since various modifications and structural changes may be made therein without departing from the spirit of the invention and within the scope and range of equivalents of the claims.
The construction and method of operation of the invention, however, together with additional objects and advantages thereof will be best understood from the following description of specific embodiments when read in connection with the accompanying drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING
FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic, longitudinal-sectional view of a complete printing press including a sheet delivery and a powder sprayer disposed therein;
FIG. 2 is a diagrammatic and schematic view of the powder sprayer; and
FIG. 3 is a sectional view of the powder sprayer taken along a line III-III of FIG. 2 , in the direction of the arrows and representing a nozzle bar and a nozzle head disposed thereon.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Referring now to the figures of the drawings in detail and first, particularly, to FIG. 1 thereof, there is seen a printing press 1 including printing units 2 to 5 and a sheet delivery 6 . The sheet delivery includes a chain conveyor 7 , which deposits printed sheets on a delivery pile 8 . Moreover, the printing press 1 includes a reversing device 9 , which can be switched from a straight-printing mode, in which only one side of the sheets is printed, to a perfecting mode, in which both sides of the sheets are printed. In the straight-printing mode without sheet reversal, both the printing units 2 and 3 located upstream of the reversing device and the printing units 4 and 5 located downstream of the reversing device print on the front side of the printed sheets. In the perfecting mode, the printed sheets are printed on the front side in the upstream printing units 2 and 3 and on the back side in the downstream printing units 4 and 5 . The sheet delivery 6 includes a powder sprayer 10 , which powders the printed sheets as they are conveyed past by the chain conveyor 7 .
FIG. 2 shows that the powder sprayer includes a nozzle bar 11 that has surrounding jet nozzles or fan jet nozzles 12 disposed thereon. The fan jet nozzles 12 are disposed in a row over the width of the printed sheet. Together, they form a fan jet nozzle configuration 13 . The nozzle bar 11 is connected to a first blown-air generator 21 , and to a second blown-air generator 22 through a metering device 23 . The metering device 23 includes an injector 24 , which introduces the powder into the blown air generated by the second blown-air generator 22 to form a powder/air mixture. The blown-air generators 21 , 22 , which belong to the powder sprayer 10 , may be disposed outside the printing press 1 and are controlled by an electronic control unit 25 .
FIG. 3 shows that each of the fan jet nozzles 12 is constructed in the form of a nozzle head 14 attached to the nozzle bar 11 . Each fan jet nozzle 12 includes an outer fan jet nozzle channel 15 , which has a substantially annular cross section, and an inner core jet nozzle channel 16 , which is surrounded by the fan jet nozzle channel 15 .
The outer fan jet nozzle channel 15 is connected to the first blown-air generator 21 through a supportive-air line 17 . The core jet nozzle channel 16 is connected to the second blown-air generator 22 through a powdered-air line 18 . The supportive-air line 17 and the powdered-air line 18 are formed of air channels formed in the nozzle bar 11 and of hose or tube lines connected to the nozzle bar 11 . The outer fan jet nozzle channel 15 emits a supportive-air fan jet 19 from its opening and the core jet nozzle channel 16 emits a powdered-air core jet 20 from its opening.
In a non-illustrated modified embodiment, the fan jet nozzle configuration is formed of a row of core jet nozzle channels that is disposed between an upstream row of fan jet nozzle channels and a downstream row of fan jet nozzle channels, as viewed in the direction of sheet travel. The core jet nozzle channels emit powdered-air core jets, which are locked in between two blown-air curtains emitted by the two rows of fan jet nozzle channels, to form supportive-air fan jets.
The powder sprayer 10 operates as follows:
The second blown-air generator 22 supplies blown air at a pressure of between 0.5 bar and 1.0 bar to the powdered-air line 18 . However, the effect of the second blown-air generator 22 is unavoidably reduced by the injector 24 . As a result, the total of the forces, which result from the differentiation of the momentum of the powdered-air core jets 20 as a function of time, only range between 0.1 Newton and 2.0 Newton, preferably between 0.5 Newton and 1.0 Newton. The forces may be measured at the openings of the core jet nozzle channels 16 , and their number corresponds to the total number of nozzle heads 14 of the nozzle bar 11 . The total of the forces can be said to be the resultant force. The first blown-air generator 21 supplies blown air at a pressure of approximately 0.2 bar to the supportive-air line 17 . This pressure is comparatively low, so that a central blown-air supply of the printing press 1 may be used as the first blown-air generator 21 . The second blown-air generator 22 may be a compressor that is separate from the central blown-air supply. The total of the forces, which results from a differentiation of the momentum of the supportive-air fan jets 19 as a function of time, ranges between 0.5 Newton and 18.0 Newton, preferably between 2.0 Newton and 6.0 Newton. These forces may be measured at the openings of the fan jet nozzle channels 15 , and the number of these forces corresponds to the total number of fan jet nozzles 12 of the nozzle bar 11 , which is 24 in the given example.
The momentum of the supportive-air fan jets is not only varied in dependence on the machine speed, the format of the printed sheets, the settings of the delivery, and a powder removal by suction, but also in dependence on the grammage of the printed sheets and on whether the printing press 1 is being operated in the straight-printing mode or in the perfecting mode.
Sheets of higher grammage require a higher supportive-air momentum than sheets of lower grammage. Once the grammage of the printed sheets of the upcoming print job have been input into the electronic control unit 25 , the latter automatically adjusts the output of the first blown-air generator 21 in such a way that the blown-air generator 21 generates the air pressure required for the necessary supportive-air momentum in the supportive-air line 17 .
A higher supportive-air momentum is needed in the straight-printing mode than in the perfecting mode. Once the mode of operation of the printing press 1 for the upcoming print job has been input at the control unit 25 , for example the straight-printing mode, the electronic control unit 25 adjusts the reversing device 9 and the first blown-air generator 21 in a corresponding way.
It is an advantage that the powdered air and the supportive air are supplied from separate sources and that it is not the momentum of both air lines that is increased but only the momentum of the supportive-air line 17 . This means that the existing central blown-air supply (first blown-air generator 21 ) of the printing press 1 can be used to increase the momentum. The momentum of the powdered air generated by the second blown-air generator 22 may be maintained at a constant minimum value. The total momentum of the air required to stabilize the powdered-air jet is primarily generated by the outer supportive air rather than by the inner powdered air. This feature reduces cost and saves construction space. Of course, it is possible to adjust the amount of powder introduced into the printing press, which is also referred to as a characteristic powder curve, in a manner corresponding to the respective effectiveness of the powder application.
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A method of controlling a powder sprayer having a fan jet nozzle configuration in a printing press, includes controlling the fan jet nozzle configuration as a function of operating parameters of the printing press. A printing press having a powder sprayer is also provided.
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This application is a National Stage Entry of International Application No. PCT/KR2014/010302, filed Oct. 30, 2014, and claims the benefit of Korean Application No. 10-2013-0129956, filed on Oct. 30, 2013, and Korean Application No. 10-2014-0148459, filed Oct. 29, 2014, all of which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety for all purposes as if fully set forth herein.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
(a) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a manufacturing method of an organic zinc catalyst having more uniform and finer particle size and showing a more improved activity in a polymerization process for manufacturing a polyalkylene carbonate resin, and a manufacturing method of the polyalkylene carbonate resin using the organic zinc catalyst obtained by the manufacturing method of the organic zinc catalyst.
(b) Description of the Related Art
Since the industrial revolution, modern society has been built by consuming a large amount of fossil fuels, but on the other hand, carbon dioxide concentration in the atmosphere has increased, and further, this increase has been more accelerated by environmental destruction such as disforestation, etc. Global warming is caused by an increase of greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide, freon, and methane in the atmosphere, such that it is significantly important to reduce the atmospheric concentration of carbon dioxide highly contributing to global warming, and several studies into emission regulation, immobilization, etc., have been conducted on a global scale.
Among the studies, a copolymerization of carbon dioxide and epoxide developed by Inoue, et al., is expected as a reaction for solving the problems of global warming, and has been actively researched in view of immobilization of chemical carbon dioxide and in view of the use of carbon dioxide as a carbon resource. Particularly, a polyalkylene carbonate resin obtained by the polymerization of carbon dioxide and epoxide has recently received significant attention as a kind of biodegradable resins.
Various catalysts for manufacturing the polyalkylene carbonate resin have been researched and suggested for a long time, and as representative examples thereof, zinc dicarboxylate-based catalysts such as a zinc glutarate catalyst, etc., in which zinc and dicarboxylic acid are combined to each other have been known.
Meanwhile, the zinc dicarboxylate-based catalyst, as a representative example, a zinc glutarate catalyst is formed by reacting a zinc precursor with a dicarboxylic acid such as a glutaric acid, etc., and has a shape of fine crystalline particle. The zinc dicarboxylate-based catalyst having the crystalline particle shape has a difficulty in being controlled to have a uniform and fine particle size in a manufacturing process thereof. For reference, when it is possible to control the catalyst particle size to be finer, surface area is more increased and active sites of a catalyst surface are more increased in the same amount of catalyst, which is preferred. However, it is difficult to control the catalyst particle size to be fine and uniform.
Due to the above-described reasons, the existing known zinc dicarboxylate-based catalysts have a relatively large particle size and a non-uniform particle shape in many cases, and accordingly, when a polymerization process for manufacturing the polyalkylene carbonate resin is performed by using the zinc dicarboxylate-based catalyst, a sufficient contact area between reaction materials and the catalyst is not secured, such that there is a drawback in that a polymerization activity is not sufficiently implemented. Further, there are many cases in which an activity of the existing zinc dicarboxylate-based catalyst itself is not sufficient, either.
Further, the zinc dicarboxylate-based catalyst has difficulty in dispersing and controlling the catalyst particles in a reaction solution due to non-uniformity of the particle size.
The above information disclosed in this Background section is only for enhancement of understanding of the background of the invention and therefore it may contain information that does not form the prior art that is already known in this country to a person of ordinary skill in the art.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention has been made in an effort to provide a manufacturing method of an organic zinc catalyst having more uniform and finer particle size and showing a more improved activity in a polymerization process for manufacturing a polyalkylene carbonate resin, and an organic zinc catalyst obtained by the manufacturing method of the organic zinc catalyst.
In addition, the present invention has been made in an effort to provide a manufacturing method of the polyalkylene carbonate resin using the organic zinc catalyst obtained by the manufacturing method.
An exemplary embodiment of the present invention provides a manufacturing method of an organic zinc catalyst including: forming a zinc dicarboxylate-based catalyst by reacting a zinc precursor with C3-C20 dicarboxylic acid,
wherein the reaction step is performed under a condition in which the number of moles of the dicarboxylic acid is more than that of the zinc precursor in a reaction system, throughout the entire reaction steps.
Another embodiment of the present invention provides an organic zinc catalyst in a particle shape having an average particle size of 0.8 μm or less and a particle size standard deviation of 0.2 μm or less, wherein the organic zinc catalyst is a zinc dicarboxylate-based catalyst obtained by reacting a zinc precursor with C3-C20 dicarboxylic acid.
Yet another embodiment of the present invention provides a manufacturing method of a polyalkylene carbonate resin including: polymerizing an epoxide and a monomer including carbon dioxide in the presence of the organic zinc catalyst as described above.
Hereinafter, the manufacturing method of the organic zinc catalyst according to exemplary embodiments of the present invention, the organic zinc catalyst obtained by the same, and the manufacturing method of the polyalkylene carbonate resin using the organic zinc catalyst are described in detail.
According to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a manufacturing method of an organic zinc catalyst including: forming a zinc dicarboxylate-based catalyst by reacting a zinc precursor with C3-C20 dicarboxylic acid, wherein the reaction step is performed under a condition in which the number of moles of the dicarboxylic acid is more than that of the zinc precursor in a reaction system, throughout the entire reaction steps.
Here, “a condition in which the number of moles of the dicarboxylic acid is more than that of the zinc precursor in a reaction system, throughout the entire reaction steps” means that a condition in which the number of moles of the dicarboxylic acid is always more than that of the zinc precursor in the reaction system (e.g., in a reactor) where a reaction thereof is performed, is maintained from a starting time for a reaction of the zinc precursor and the dicarboxylic acid up to an ending time for the reaction thereof, regardless of a total used amount (the number of moles) of the zinc precursor and the dicarboxylic acid required for manufacturing the organic zinc catalyst. As described below in more detail, in order to maintain the condition, the total used amount of the dicarboxylic acid may be added at the reaction time, or in the case of the zinc precursor, the total required amount may be separately added several times.
Meanwhile, as results from continuous experiments, the present inventors surprisingly confirmed that in the process of manufacturing the zinc dicarboxylate-based catalyst by reacting the zinc precursor with the dicarboxylic acid, when the reaction is performed in a state controlled so that the dicarboxylic acid is present in an excess amount (a molar excess amount) as compared to the zinc precursor during the entire reaction processes, the zinc dicarboxylate-based catalyst having a finer and more uniform particle size and showing a more improved activity than that of the existing catalysts could be manufactured.
It is considered that the reason is because when the reaction step is performed in a state in which the dicarboxylic acid is present in an excess amount (hereinafter, referred to as a molar excess state of the dicarboxylic acid), the reaction is slowly performed in a state in which respective zinc or precursor molecules or ions thereof are surrounded by dicarboxylic acid molecules or ions having excess amounts in the reaction system, such that the zinc or the precursor components thereof which are the catalytically active components hardly agglomerate with each other, and all react with the dicarboxylic acid components, thereby forming active sites of the catalyst.
Further, due to the reaction as performed above, it is thought that a possibility in which the respective zinc dicarboxylate-based catalyst particles agglomerate with each other in the manufacturing method thereof is decreased, thereby finally forming finer and more uniform catalyst particles. In addition, due to the reaction as performed above, it is expected to form the zinc dicarboxylate-based catalyst particles showing different crystalline characteristics from those of the existing catalyst particles.
To this end, according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, it was consequently confirmed that the zinc dicarboxylate-based organic zinc catalyst showing a more excellent activity could be obtained in the catalyst particle shape having the finer and more uniform particle size. In addition, due to the finer and uniform particle size of the catalyst particles, dispersing and controlling the catalyst particles in the reaction solution may be easily performed. Accordingly, the organic zinc catalyst may be preferably applied to the manufacturing of the polyalkylene carbonate resin by the reaction of carbon dioxide with epoxide.
On the other hand, it was confirmed that even though the total used amount of the dicarboxylic acid for manufacturing the organic zinc catalyst is larger than that of the zinc precursor, when the above-described condition, that is, the condition in which the dicarboxylic acid is present in the molar excess amount throughout the entire reaction steps, is not satisfied (for example, a case in which the dicarboxylic acid is slowly added and reacted with the zinc precursor such as Comparative Example to be described below, etc.,—since only a portion of the dicarboxylic acid is added to the reaction system at least at the reaction time, the molar excess amount of the dicarboxylic acid may not be maintained), the organic zinc catalyst having an agglomerated particle size as compared to the organic zinc catalyst obtained by the exemplary embodiment may be merely manufactured, which had a relatively poor activity.
Meanwhile, in the manufacturing method of the exemplary embodiment, several ways may be applied so that the condition in the reaction system is maintained as the state in which the dicarboxylic acid is present in the molar excess amount, throughout the entire reaction steps.
First, as a first way, the dicarboxylic acid may be used in a sufficient molar excess amount relative to the total used amount as compared to the zinc precursor, and in addition, the above-described molar excess amount condition of the dicarboxylic acid may be maintained throughout the entire reaction steps by adding the total used amount of the dicarboxylic acid at the reaction time. More specifically, the dicarboxylic acid may be used at a molar ratio of about 1.05 to 1.5, or about 1.1 to 1.3 relative to 1 mol of the zinc precursor, and in addition, the total used amount of the dicarboxylic acid may be added at the reaction time. By controlling the total used amount as described above, the reaction step is performed while maintaining the molar excess state of the dicarboxylic acid, thereby manufacturing the organic zinc catalyst in the zinc dicarboxylate-based catalyst shape having a more uniform and finer particle size and showing an improved activity.
Further, as a second way, the reaction step is performed in a liquid medium in which reaction materials including the zinc precursor and the dicarboxylic acid are present (for example, in a solution or a dispersion liquid in which the reaction materials are dissolved or dispersed), wherein the reaction step may be performed by separately adding the solution or the dispersion liquid containing the zinc precursor to the solution or the dispersion liquid containing the dicarboxylic acid two or more times. That is, some amount of the solution or the dispersion liquid containing the zinc precursor may be firstly added to perform the reaction, and then the remaining amount of the solution or the dispersion liquid containing the zinc precursor may be separately added later to perform the remaining reaction, such that the entire reaction steps may be performed while maintaining the molar excess state of the dicarboxylic acid in the reaction system, thereby manufacturing the organic zinc catalyst in the zinc dicarboxylate-based catalyst shape having a more uniform and finer particle size and showing an improved activity.
Here, the step of separately adding the solution or the dispersion liquid containing the zinc precursor two or more times is not particularly limited, and may be performed by several methods.
First, in an example, the total used amount of the zinc precursor may be separated into two to ten parts, and each of the obtained solutions or the obtained dispersion liquids containing the zinc precursor may be added to the solution or the dispersion liquid containing the dicarboxylic acid two to ten times at an equal time interval during the reaction. Here, preferably, each of the solutions or the dispersion liquids may be obtained by separating the total used amount of the zinc precursor into two to five parts, and may be separately added two to five times. Accordingly, it is possible to manufacture the organic zinc catalyst showing a more improved activity, etc., by effectively maintaining the molar excess condition of the dicarboxylic acid in the reaction system while more increasing productivity of the catalyst manufacturing process.
In another example, the entire reaction step may be performed by uniformly dropping the solutions or the dispersion liquids containing the zinc precursor in droplet forms onto the solution or the dispersion liquid containing the dicarboxylic acid.
Meanwhile, by applying the above-described first method (controlling of the total used amount) and the above-described second method (separate addition of the zinc precursor) together, the condition in which the molar excess condition of the dicarboxylic acid is always maintained throughout the entire reaction steps may be more appropriately achieved.
Meanwhile, in the manufacturing method of the organic zinc catalyst according to the exemplary embodiment as described above, the zinc precursor may be any zinc precursor used for manufacturing zinc dicarboxylate-based catalysts in the art without particular limitation. Specific examples of the zinc precursor may include zinc oxide, zinc sulfate (ZnSO 4 ), zinc chlorate (Zn(ClO 3 ) 2 ), zinc nitrate (Zn(NO 3 ) 2 ), zinc acetate (Zn(OAc) 2 , zinc hydroxide, etc.
Further, as the dicarboxylic acid reacting with the zinc precursor, any C3-C20 dicarboxylic acid may be used. More specifically, an aliphatic dicarboxylic acid selected from the group consisting of a malonic acid, a glutaric acid, a succinic acid, and an adipic acid, or an aromatic dicarboxylic acid selected from the group consisting of a terephthalic acid, an isophthalic acid, a homophthalic acid, and a phenylglutaric acid may be used, and various C3-C20 aliphatic or aromatic dicarboxylic acids may be used in addition thereto. However, in view of an activity, etc., of the organic zinc catalyst, the dicarboxylic acid is preferably the glutaric acid and the zinc dicarboxylate-based organic zinc catalyst is preferably the zinc glutarate-based catalyst.
In addition, when the reaction step of the zinc precursor and the dicarboxylic acid is performed in a liquid medium, any organic or aqueous solvent that is known to be capable of uniformly dissolving or dispersing the zinc precursor and/or the dicarboxylic acid may be used as the liquid medium. Specific examples of the organic solvents may include at least one solvent selected from the group consisting of toluene, hexane, DMF, ethanol and water.
In addition, the reaction step of the zinc precursor and the dicarboxylic acid may be performed at a temperature of about 50 to 130° C. for about 1 to 10 hours. In addition, as previously described, the zinc precursor is separately added at the equal time interval in the total reaction time, such that the molar excess state of the dicarboxylic acid in the reaction system may be maintained throughout the entire reaction steps. By performing the reaction step under the reaction condition, the zinc dicarboxylate-based organic zinc catalyst having more uniform and finer particle size and showing improved physical properties may be manufactured at a high yield.
The manufacturing method of the organic zinc catalyst obtained by the above-described method is optimized as described above, such that the catalyst may be manufactured in a uniform particle shape having an average particle size of about 0.8 μm or less, or about 0.5 to 0.7 μm, and a particle size standard deviation of about 0.2 μm or less, about 0.1 μm or less, or about 0.05 to 0.1 μm, as compared to the existing catalyst manufactured by the existing method and having a particle size of about 1 to 2 μm. As described above, the organic zinc catalyst has more uniform and finer particle size, such that the organic zinc catalyst may have an increased surface area of about 1.8 m 2 /g or more, or about 1.8 to 2.5 m 2 /g as compared to the existing catalyst having a surface area of about 1.1 to 1.3 m 2 /g. Accordingly, when the organic zinc catalyst is used as the catalyst at the time of manufacturing the polyalkylene carbonate resin by a copolymerization of carbon dioxide and epoxide, contact areas of catalyst particles and reaction materials may be more increased, thereby showing an improved activity.
Meanwhile, according to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a manufacturing method of a polyalkylene carbonate resin including: polymerizing an epoxide and a monomer including carbon dioxide in the presence of the organic zinc catalyst manufactured by the method of the above-described exemplary embodiment.
In the manufacturing method of the resin, the organic zinc catalyst may be used in a non-uniform catalyst form, and the polymerizing step may be performed in an organic solvent by solution polymerization. Accordingly, a heat of reaction may be appropriately controlled, and a molecular weight or a viscosity of the polyalkylene carbonate resin to be preferably obtained may be easily controlled.
In the solution polymerization, as the solvent, at least one selected from the group consisting of methylene chloride, ethylene dichloride, trichloroethane, tetrachloroethane, chloroform, acetonitrile, propionitrile, dimethylformamide, N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone, dimethyl sulfoxide, nitromethane, 1,4-dioxane, hexane, toluene, tetrahydrofuran, methyl ethyl ketone, methyl amine ketone, methyl isobutyl ketone, acetone, cyclohexanone, trichloroethylene, methyl acetate, vinyl acetate, ethyl acetate, propyl acetate, butyrolactone, caprolactone, nitropropane, benzene, styrene, xylene, and methyl propasol may be used. Among these examples of the solvent, when methylene chloride or ethylene dichloride is used as the solvent, the polymerization reaction may be more effectively performed.
The solvent may be used at a weight ratio of about 1:0.5 to 1:100 preferably, at a weight ratio of about 1:1 to 1:10 relative to the epoxide.
Here, when the ratio is less than about 1:0.5, which is excessively small, the solvent does not appropriately function as a reaction medium, such that it may be difficult to obtain the above-described advantages of the solution polymerization. Further, when the ratio is more than about 1:100, the concentration of epoxide, etc., is relatively decreased, such that productivity may be deteriorated, and a molecular weight of a finally formed resin may be decreased, or a side reaction may be increased.
Further, the organic zinc precursor may be added at a molar ratio of about 1:50 to 1:1000 relative to the epoxide. More preferably, the organic zinc precursor may be added at a molar ratio of about 1:70 to 1:600, or about 1:80 to 1:300 relative to the epoxide. When the molar ratio is excessively small, it is difficult to show a sufficient catalytic activity at the time of the solution polymerization. On the contrary, when the molar ratio is excessively large, since an excessive amount of the catalyst is used, the reaction is not efficiently performed, by-products may occur, or back-biting of the resin by heating in the presence of the catalyst may occur.
Meanwhile, as the epoxide, at least one selected from the group consisting of C2-C20 alkylene oxide unsubstituted or substituted with halogen or C1-C5 alkyl group; C4-C20 cycloalkylene oxide unsubstituted or substituted with halogen or C1-C5 alkyl group; and C8-C20 styrene oxide unsubstituted or substituted with halogen or C1-C5 alkyl group may be used. Representatively, as the epoxide, C2-C20 alkylene oxide unsubstituted or substituted with halogen or C1-C5 alkyl group may be used.
Specific examples of the epoxide include ethylene oxide, propylene oxide, butene oxide, pentene oxide, hexene oxide, octene oxide, decene oxide, dodecene oxide, tetradecene oxide, hexadecene oxide, octadecene oxide, butadiene monoxide, 1,2-epoxy-7-octene, epifluorohydrine, epichlorohydrine, epibromohydrine, isopropyl glycidyl ether, butyl glycidyl ether, t-butyl glycidyl ether, 2-ethylhexyl glycidyl ether, allyl glycidyl ether, cyclopentene oxide, cyclohexene oxide, cyclooctene oxide, cyclododecene oxide, alpha-pinene oxide, 2,3-epoxy norbornene, limonene oxide, dieldrin, 2,3-epoxypropylbenzene, styrene oxide, phenylpropylene oxide, stilbene oxide, chlorostilbene oxide, dichlorostilbene oxide, 1,2-epoxy-3-phenoxypropane, benzyloxymethyl oxirane, glycidyl-methylphenyl ether, chlorophenyl-2,3-epoxypropyl ether, epoxypropyl methoxyphenyl ether, biphenyl glycidyl ether, glycidyl naphthyl ether, and the like. As the most representative example, ethylene oxide is used as the epoxide.
In addition, the above-described solution polymerization may be performed at about 50 to 100° C. and about 15 to 50 bar for about 1 to 60 hours. Further, it is more preferable to perform the solution polymerization at about 70 to 90° C. and about 20 to 40 bar for about 3 to 40 hours.
Meanwhile, since the remaining polymerization process and condition except for the above description may follow general polymerization condition, etc., for manufacturing the polyalkylene carbonate resin, additional descriptions thereof will be omitted.
According to the present invention, the catalyst manufacturing process is optimized, such that the organic zinc catalyst for manufacturing the polyalkylene carbonate resin having a more uniform and finer particle size and showing an excellent activity may be manufactured and provided.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIGS. 1 and 2 are scanning electron microscope (SEM) images of organic zinc catalysts obtained from Example 1 and Comparative Example 1, respectively.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS
Hereinafter, preferable Examples of the present invention will be provided for better understanding of the present invention. However, the following Examples are provided only for illustration of the present invention, and should not be construed as limiting the present invention by the examples.
Example 1: Manufacture of Organic Zinc Catalyst (Molar Ratio of ZnO and Glutaric Acid=1:1.2)
7.93 g (0.06 mol) of a glutaric acid and 0.1 mL of acetic acid were added to 100 mL toluene in a 250 mL size round bottom flask, and dispersed under reflux. Then, the mixture was heated at a temperature of 55° C. for 30 minutes, and 4.1 g (0.05 mol) of ZnO was added to 50 mL of toluene, and dispersed. The reaction was performed by firstly adding 25 vol % of the ZnO dispersion liquid to the glutaric acid dispersion liquid, then after 1 hour, adding another 25 vol % out of 75 vol % of the ZnO dispersion liquid to the glutaric acid dispersion liquid, and after 1 hour, adding the third 25 vol % of the ZnO dispersion liquid to the glutaric acid dispersion liquid. Next, after 1 hour, the other 25 vol % of the ZnO dispersion liquid was lastly added to the glutaric acid dispersion liquid. The mixed solution was heated at 110° C. for 2 hours. A white solid was produced, filtered and washed with acetone/ethanol, and dried in a vacuum oven at 130° C.
According to the above-described method, the organic zinc catalyst of Example 1 was manufactured. A scanning electron microscope (SEM) image of the organic zinc catalyst of Example 1 was shown in FIG. 1 . It was confirmed from the SEM analysis that the organic zinc catalyst of Example 1 had an average particle size of about 0.5 μm and a particle size standard deviation of about 0.13 μm.
Example 2: Manufacture of Organic Zinc Catalyst (Molar Ratio of ZnO and Glutaric Acid=1:1.5)
9.91 g (0.075 mol) of a glutaric acid and 0.1 mL of acetic acid were added to 100 mL toluene in a 250 mL size round bottom flask, and dispersed under reflux. Then, the mixture was heated at a temperature of 55° C. for 30 minutes, and 4.1 g (0.05 mol) of ZnO was added to 50 mL of toluene, and dispersed. The reaction was performed by firstly adding 25 vol % of the ZnO dispersion liquid to the glutaric acid dispersion liquid, then after 1 hour, adding another 25 vol % out of 75 vol % of the ZnO dispersion liquid to the glutaric acid dispersion liquid, and after 1 hour, adding the third 25 vol % of the ZnO dispersion liquid to the glutaric acid dispersion liquid. Next, after 1 hour, the other 25 vol % of the ZnO dispersion liquid was lastly added to the glutaric acid dispersion liquid. The mixed solution was heated at 110° C. for 2 hours. A white solid was produced, filtered and washed with acetone/ethanol, and dried in a vacuum oven at 130° C.
According to the above-described method, the organic zinc catalyst of Example 2 was manufactured. The organic zinc catalyst of Example 2 was confirmed by SEM analysis. As a result, it was confirmed that the organic zinc catalyst of Example 2 had an average particle size of about 0.8 μm and a particle size standard deviation of about 0.19 μm.
Example 3: Manufacture of Organic Zinc Catalyst (Molar Ratio of ZnO and Glutaric Acid=1:1)
6.61 g (0.05 mol) of a glutaric acid and 0.1 mL of acetic acid were added to 100 mL toluene in a 250 mL size round bottom flask, and dispersed under reflux. Then, the mixture was heated at a temperature of 55° C. for 30 minutes, and 4.1 g (0.05 mol) of ZnO was added to 50 mL of toluene, and dispersed. The reaction was performed by firstly adding 25 vol % of the ZnO dispersion liquid to the glutaric acid dispersion liquid, then after 1 hour, adding another 25 vol % out of 75 vol % of the ZnO dispersion liquid to the glutaric acid dispersion liquid, and after 1 hour, adding the third 25 vol % of the ZnO dispersion liquid to the glutaric acid dispersion liquid. Next, after 1 hour, the other 25 vol % of the ZnO dispersion liquid was lastly added to the glutaric acid dispersion liquid. The mixed solution was heated at 110° C. for 2 hours. A white solid was produced, filtered and washed with acetone/ethanol, and dried in a vacuum oven at 130° C.
According to the above-described method, the organic zinc catalyst of Example 3 was manufactured. The organic zinc catalyst of Example 3 was confirmed by SEM analysis. As a result, it was confirmed that the organic zinc catalyst of Example 3 had an average particle size of about 0.6 μm and a particle size standard deviation of about 0.18 μm.
Example 4: Manufacture of Organic Zinc Catalyst (Molar Ratio of Zinc Nitrate (Zn(NO 3 ) 2 ) and Glutaric Acid=1:1.2)
The organic zinc catalyst of Example 4 was manufactured by the same method as Example 1 except for using 11.36 g (0.06 mol) of Zn(NO 3 ) 2 ) instead of using ZnO, as the zinc precursor. The organic zinc catalyst of Example 4 was confirmed by SEM analysis. As a result, it was confirmed that the organic zinc catalyst of Example 4 had an average particle size of about 0.8 μm and a particle size standard deviation of about 0.20 μm.
Comparative Example 1: Manufacture of Organic Zinc Catalyst (Molar Ratio of ZnO and Glutaric Acid=1:1)
6.61 g (0.05 mol) of a glutaric acid, 4.1 g (0.05 mol) of ZnO and 0.1 mL of acetic acid were added to 150 mL toluene in a 250 mL size round bottom flask, and dispersed under reflux. Next, the mixed solution was heated at 55° C. for 3 hours, and further heated at 110° C. for 4 hours. A white solid was produced, filtered and washed with acetone/ethanol, and dried in a vacuum oven at 130° C.
According to the above-described method, the organic zinc catalyst of Comparative Example 1 was manufactured. A scanning electron microscope (SEM) image of the organic zinc catalyst of Comparative Example 1 was shown in FIG. 2 . It was confirmed from the SEM analysis that the organic zinc catalyst of Comparative Example 1 had a particle size of about 1 to 2 μm and a particle size standard deviation of about 0.4 μm or more.
Comparative Example 2: Manufacture of Organic Zinc Catalyst (Molar Ratio of ZnO and Glutaric Acid=1:1.2)
7.93 g (0.06 mol) of a glutaric acid and 0.1 mL of acetic acid were added to 100 mL toluene in a 250 mL size round bottom flask, and dispersed under reflux. Then, the mixture was heated at a temperature of 55° C. for 30 minutes, and 4.1 g (0.05 mol) of ZnO was added to 50 mL of toluene, and dispersed. The reaction was performed by firstly adding 25 vol % of the glutaric acid dispersion liquid to the ZnO dispersion liquid, then after 1 hour, adding another 25 vol % out of 75 vol % of the glutaric acid dispersion liquid to the ZnO dispersion liquid, and after 1 hour, adding the third 25 vol % of the glutaric acid dispersion liquid to the ZnO dispersion liquid. Next, after 1 hour, the other 25 vol % of glutaric acid dispersion liquid was lastly added to the ZnO dispersion liquid. The mixed solution was heated at 110° C. for 2 hours. A white solid was produced, filtered and washed with acetone/ethanol, and dried in a vacuum oven at 130° C.
According to the above-described method, the organic zinc catalyst of Comparative Example 2 was manufactured. The organic zinc catalyst of Comparative Example 2 was confirmed by SEM analysis. As a result, it was confirmed that the organic zinc catalyst of Comparative Example 2 had an average particle size of about 1.7 μm and a particle size standard deviation of about 0.43 μm or more.
Polymerization Example
Polyethylene carbonates were polymerized and manufactured by performing the following method and using the catalysts of Examples 1 to 4 and Comparative Examples 1 and 2.
First, 0.4 g of each catalyst and 8.52 g of dichloromethane (methylene chloride) were added to a high-pressure reactor in a glove box, and 8.9 g of ethylene oxide was added. Then, the mixture was pressed in the reactor by a pressure of 30 bar using carbon dioxide. The polymerization reaction was performed at 70° C. for 3 hours. After the reaction was completed, unreacted carbon dioxide and ethylene oxide were removed together with dichloromethane which is a solvent. In order to measure an amount of the manufactured polyethylene carbonate, the remaining solid was completely dried and quantified. Each activity and yield of the catalysts according to the polymerization results were shown in Table 1 below.
TABLE 1
Molar ratio of
Activity of catalyst
ZnO:Glutaric
Yield
(g-polymer/g-
acid
(g)
catalyst)
Example 1
1:1.2
20.9
52.3
Example 2
1:1.5
16.5
36.2
Example 3
1:1
20.1
50.3
Example 4 a)
1:1.2
14.3
35.8
Comparative
1:1
11.9
29.8
Example 1
Comparative
1:1.2
10.2
25.5
Example 2 b)
a) Example 4: Zn(NO 3 ) 2 was used instead of using ZnO;
b) Comparative Example 2: Glutaric acid was separately added to ZnO dispersion liquid.
Referring to Table 1 above, it was confirmed that the catalysts of Examples 1 to 4 had more excellent activity than that of Comparative Examples 1 and 2. In addition, from the catalysts of Examples 1 to 4, the polyethylene carbonate could be manufactured at an excellent yield.
While this invention has been described in connection with what is presently considered to be practical exemplary embodiments, it is to be 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.
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The present invention relates to a manufacturing method of an organic zinc catalyst having more uniform and finer particle size and showing a more improved activity in a polymerization process for manufacturing a polyalkylene carbonate resin, and a manufacturing method of the polyalkylene carbonate resin using the organic zinc catalyst obtained by the manufacturing method of the organic zinc catalyst, the manufacturing method of an organic zinc catalyst including: forming a zinc dicarboxylate-based catalyst by reacting a zinc precursor with C3-C20 dicarboxylic acid, wherein the reaction step is performed under a condition in which the number of moles of the dicarboxylic acid is more than that of the zinc precursor in a reaction system, throughout the entire reaction step.
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FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to methods and apparatus for ejecting munitions from carrier housings, primarily for military purposes.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Carrier weapon systems are those which employ a carrier unit containing one or more munitions to deliver those munitions to a point where they are separately deployed by ejection from the carrier housing.
Various mechanisms have been devised to release and eject munitions from carrier weapon systems. Such mechanisms require two basic features to carry out that task. First, the munitions are engaged to the carrier housing and remain so until they are to be deployed. Thus, it is necessary to disengage the munitions from the housing when the time of deployment arrives. Second, the munitions must be ejected from the housing.
Until now, these devices have employed separate sources of energy to effect the disengagement and ejection. The use of two separate systems to perform the two operations adds to the failure rate of such carrier weapons, and compromises their reliability.
In addition, prior devices have not coordinated the events of disengagement and ejection to minimize the shock and acceleration loads imparted to the munition. This has become an increasingly important consideration in light of the sensitivity of modern munitions to shock and acceleration. Among the damages which may be caused by insufficient protection from these dangers is a degradation of the ability of the munition's target sensors to perform accurately.
It is therefore one object of this invention to provide a method and system for release and ejection of munitions from a carrier weapon housing, characterized by the minimum possible shock and acceleration loads on the munition upon release and ejection.
It is also an object of the invention to provide such a munition release system wherein the disengagement and ejection of the munition from the housing are effected by the same source of energy, to achieve reliability of operation.
A third object of the invention is to provide proper timing between disengagement and ejection functions.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention provides a munition release system having a housing on which munitions can be mounted in locking engagement. Mechanisms for disengaging and ejecting the munitions from the housing at a predetermined time are provided. These mechanisms operate in response to release of gas from a single gas generator. The gas released from the generator first disengages the munition from the housing through any of several mechanisms, and then ejects the munition from the housing by inflating an inflatable bag located between the housing and the munition. The use of a single energy source, i.e., the gas generator, to effect both the disengagement and the ejection minimizes the possibility of failure and enhances reliability.
Coordination of the disengaging and ejection events so that the former occurs just prior to the latter minimizes the shock and acceleration load exerted on the munition. This coordination is assured by using a mechanism for allowing gas flow into the inflatable bag which is triggered by a higher pressure than the mechanism for disengaging the munition, or by movement of a mechanical barrier after sufficient travel to insure munition disengagement. Thus, inflation of the bag will not occur until the munition is disengaged from the housing.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a schematic view of the carrier weapon system of the invention;
FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the system for disengaging and ejecting munitions according to a first embodiment of the invention;
FIG. 3 shows a cross-sectional view of the first embodiment of the invention along lines 3--3 of FIG. 2, at the shear pin;
FIG. 4 shows a cross-sectional view of the first embodiment of the invention along lines 4--4 of FIG. 2, at the forward engaging lock pins;
FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the first embodiment of the invention, similar to that of FIG. 2, showing the invention after disengagement and in a partially inflated state;
FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the inflatable bag mechanism of the invention, taken along lines 6--6 of FIG. 2;
FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of the inflatable bag mechanism of the invention, similar to that of FIG. 6, shown in a partially inflated state;
FIG. 8 shows a cross-sectional view of one possible means for controlling the flow of gas into the inflatable bag;
FIG. 9 shows a cross-sectional view of means for controlling the flow of gas into the inflatable bag, taken along lines 9--9 of FIG. 8;
FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view of the system for disengaging and ejecting munitions according to a second embodiment of the invention;
FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view of the second embodiment of the invention, similar to that of FIG. 10, showing the invention after disengagement and in a partially inflated state;
FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view of the engagement mechanism according to a third embodiment of the invention;
FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional view of the engagement mechanism according to a fourth embodiment of the invention;
FIG. 14 is a detail view of the engagement mechanism according to the third embodiment of the invention shown in FIG. 12;
FIG. 15 is a cross-sectional view of the engagement mechanism according to the third embodiment of the invention, taken along lines 15--15 of FIG. 14;
FIG. 16 is a cross-sectional view of an engagement mechanism useful in the third and fourth embodiments of the invention;
FIG. 17 is a cross sectional view of the system for disengaging and ejecting munitions according to a fifth embodiment of the invention, similar to that of FIGS. 12-15;
FIG. 18 is a cross-sectional view of the fifth embodiment of the invention, similar to that of FIG. 17, showing the invention after a release of gas and before ejection;
FIG. 19 is a cross-sectional view of the fifth embodiment of the invention, similar to that of FIG. 17, showing the invention after ejection;
FIG. 20 is a cross-sectional view of the engagement mechanism according to a sixth embodiment of the invention;
FIG. 21 is a cross-sectional view of the sixth embodiment of the invention, similar to that of FIG. 20, showing the invention after ejection; and
FIG. 22 is a cross-sectional view of the engagement mechanism according to a seventh embodiment of the invention.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
FIG. 1 shows a carrier weapon system according to the invention having three munitions 1, mounted within housing 2. According to the invention these munitions are engaged to the housing at first, and are then disengaged and ejected in response to a release of gas from gas generator 3. Numerous means for carrying out this desired process are disclosed in FIGS. 2-18.
According to the embodiment shown in FIG. 2, the disengagement and ejection of the munition is accomplished through use of a piston 4 within channel 5 of the housing. The piston is disposed to receive gas from the generator 3 and is forced toward the front of the weapon in response to a release of gas; equivalent configurations could be used which force the piston to the rear.
A shear pin 6 is used to initially restrain piston 4, and is designed to fracture at a predetermined level of force on the piston from the release of gas. FIG. 3 shows a detailed view of the shear pin mounted within the housing 2 and restraining the forward end of piston 4.
The munition 1 is engaged to the housing 2 by means of lock pins 7, as shown in FIG. 2. One end of the lock pins is permanently mounted on the munition, while the other end is releasably engaged to the piston 4. FIG. 4 shows this mounting arrangement of the three munitions. Lock pins 7 are engaged to piston 4 by pin heads 8. The pin heads interlock with slots 9 in the piston, as shown in FIG. 2.
An inflatable bag 10 is used to eject the munition from the housing. Inflation is achieved through the release of gas from gas generator 3. The disengagement and ejection steps are therefore performed in response to a common energy source. The gas reaches bag 10 through burst disc 11 and burst port 12. Burst disk 11 is a structurally weakened portion of piston 4, which may initially be out of alignment with burst port 12 of the housing. The burst disk would then be aligned with the burst port when the piston shifts in response to the release of gas.
FIG. 5 shows the operation of the first embodiment of the invention in response to the release of gas. Once a sufficient level of force is exerted on the piston, the shear pin fractures and the piston moves from the first position of FIG. 2 to a second position as shown in FIG. 5. Disengagement of lock pins 7 is effected by this movement of the piston because the slots 9 with which the pin heads 8 interlock are wider at one end than the other. Thus, the lock pins and the munition are released when the piston moves from the first position, where the narrow ends of the slots engage the pin heads, to the second position, where the wide ends of the slots do not engage the pin heads.
Inflation of the bag 10 occurs when burst disk 11 aligns with burst port 12 as a result of the piston moving from a first to a second position, and further when enough pressure has built up in the piston to burst the disk. By coordinating the structural strength of the shear pin 6 and burst disk 11, and by locating the burst disk along the piston to align with the burst port only in the second position of the piston, it is possible to select the timing of disengagement and ejection as desired. Alternatively, the system could function without a burst disk 11 by merely assuring a sufficient seal between piston 4 and channel 5 so that gas does not enter the bag 10 prematurely. Preferably the ejection occurs shortly after disengagement, in order to provide the smoothest launch of munitions.
FIGS. 6 and 7 show the inflatable bag 10 of the invention before and during inflation, respectively. Securing means 13 sealingly connect the bag to the housing. The securing means 13 may consist of a metal strip or bar around the perimeter of the bag and fixed to the housing, as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, or may be any of a number of means for sealingly mounting such a bag which would be apparent to one skilled in the art. Before ejection, the bag 10 is collapsed as shown in FIG. 6. Preferably, the munition rests on support structures 14 rather than on the bag, to prevent damage to the bag.
FIGS. 8 and 9 show detailed views of a burst disk 11 and burst port 12, after disk 11 has burst. Preferably a screen 15 and baffle 16 are located in the burst port, to protect the inflatable bag from damage caused by the stream of gas. The screen protects the bag from particles in the gas stream, while the baffle deflects the gas and protects the bag from the heat of the gas by preventing direct impact with the bag and by cooling the gas.
Another embodiment for engaging the munition to the housing is shown in FIGS. 10 and 11. In this embodiment of the invention, a pushrod mechanism is used to secure and release the munition 1. Rod 21 is connected at a first end to the forward end of piston 4, and at a second end to the center of plate 22. Another rod 23 is connected toward the periphery of the plate for each munition which is to be released. This rod 23 is inserted into a receptor 24 in the nose of munition 1, thereby securing the forward end of the munition. When piston 4 moves to its second position as shown by FIG. 11, the rod withdraws from the receptor 24 and disengages the munition.
This rod 23 may be used to secure the forward end of the munition, while the rear end is secured by an additional rod member, a locking pin as disclosed previously, or other means such as a spring-loaded pressure plate against the rear of the munition. The inflatable bag operates in the same manner as previously discussed to eject the munition.
Further embodiments of the invention are shown in FIGS. 12 and 13, respectively. These embodiments both employ a strap 31 or similar restraining means wrapped around the munition 1. The strap 31 is anchored to the housing on both sides of the munition at anchors 32. Along the straps between the anchors is at least one juncture 33 joining two or more sections of the strap together in restraint of the munition. FIGS. 14 and 15 show one such juncture in detail. The strap sections on either side of the juncture have eyelets 34 aligned with and adjacent to one another. A rod means 35, similar to that used in the embodiment of the invention shown in FIGS. 10 and 11, is inserted through the eyelets to join the strap sections together. Because the rod in these embodiments extends along the length of the munition, unlike the embodiment of FIGS. 10 and 11, it may be desirable to use guide supports 36 to stabilize the rod. Movement of the piston from its first position to its second position withdraws the end 37 of the rod from the eyelets 34, thereby separating the strap sections from each other and enabling the munition to be disengaged from the housing by the airbag.
Another means for joining and separating the strap sections from one another is shown in FIG. 16. Tabs 38, similar in function to the eyelets shown in FIGS. 12-15, are employed. Instead of withdrawing the end of the rod from the tabs, weakened sections 39 of the rod are designed to be moved into alignment with the tab 38 when tension is exerted on the rod by movement of the piston. These weakened sections are preferably formed of plastic. Once in position the major restraint strength has been removed and the weakened sections 39 can be broken by the ejection action of the bag and munition with minimal shock to the munition.
Yet another embodiment of the invention is shown in FIGS. 17 through 19. FIG. 17 shows the invention before the release of gas, while FIGS. 18 and 19 show the invention during and immediately after inflation of the bag, respectively. As shown in FIG. 17, the munitions 1 rest on supports 14 and are held in place by straps 31. Straps 31 are engaged by rods 23 connected to plate 22, which is connected to piston rod 21. Piston rod 21 is engaged to piston 26, which is movable within channel 27. Piston 26 moves from a first position to a second position within channel 27 in response to the entry of gas into channel 27 from gas generator 3. Burst disk 28 prevents entry of gas into channel 27 until a predetermined pressure is reached. When disk 28 bursts and piston 26 moves within channel 27, rods 23 disengage from straps 31, releasing the munitions. The munitions are ejected when piston 26 has moved past gas ports 29, as shown in FIG. 21, allowing gas to inflate bags 10.
The timing of the disengagement and ejection events is coordinated by the use of a shear pin 25 to restrain piston 26 in a first position within channel 27 until a predetermined pressure is reached on the piston. Timing is further affected by the geometric relationship between the piston 26 and the gas ports 29 as the piston moves past the gas ports. Acceleration of the munition in the ejection process is a function of the shear pin, the volume of channel 27, the size of the gas ports 29, the type of inflatable bag used, and the type of gas propellant used.
FIGS. 20-22 depict further embodiments of the invention, each of which may be used either as part of a carrier weapon system or as part of a weapon release system on board an aircraft. Such on-board uses would include mounting under the wings or fuselage, or in the bomb bays, of airplanes or helicopters. In these cases, the housing which carries the munition is not a carrier weapon but a structural attachment of the aircraft which is not itself released from the aircraft.
In FIGS. 20 and 21, piston 51 is displaced in response to the release of gas from the generator. Pushrod 52 sets linkage 53 in motion, which in turn moves latch means 54 inward. These latch means engage a munition 1 until the latch means are opened inwardly, at which time the munition is released, as shown in FIG. 21. Normally the latch means are urged outwardly by springs 55, as shown in FIG. 20.
In conjunction with the piston which disengages the munition, an inflatable bag 10 is used to eject the munition. This operates in the same manner as the inflatable bag ejection mechanism disclosed previously. However, a burst disc 57 or similar pressure-operated valve is disposed in the housing 2 and not in a piston, because there is no piston within channel 5 in this embodiment. As a result the burst disc is exposed to gas pressure throughout the disengagement step, and the coordination of the burst disk strength with the pressure at which piston 51 operates to release the munition determines the relative timing of the disengagement and ejection events. Alternatively, the system may be provided with a second burst disk 58 at the end of channel 5 to control the timing of the events. Burst disk 58 would be of a lower burst pressure than burst disk 57 in order to release the munition before ejecting it.
FIG. 22 illustrates yet another embodiment of the invention. Inflation of the bag exerts pressure against plate 61, setting linkage 62 in motion. The bag is mounted so that it also inflates in a direction away from plate 61, in order to eject the munition. Timing of the disengagement and ejection steps here depends upon the resistance of plate 61 and linkage 62. By minimizing that resistance, the pressure on plate 61 required to release the munition is lessened, and the munition will be released sooner in the inflation of the bag.
Although the various embodiments of the present invention are primarily intended for use in carrier weapon systems, the invention may be used for other munition release applications as well, and is not limited to carrier weapons.
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A munition release system for carrier weapons is disclosed. Mechanisms for disengaging and ejecting munitions from the carrier housing operate in response to a common gas generator. Disengagement from the housing is effected just prior to ejection. Use of a common gas source improves reliability, while coordinated disengagement and ejection minimizes forces exerted on the munitions.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention generally relates to office partition systems and workstation construction and, more particularly, is concerned with a multi-panel system having a panel connection system.
It is conventional practice to employ multi-panel systems to divide and arrange office space into separate workstations. The multi-panel systems typically incorporate a number of large generally planar-shaped modular panels and hardware for connecting the panels end-to-end. The connected panels provide free-standing wall units which serve as partitions and, in turn, support other office furnishings, such as shelves and desks.
Representative of multi-panel systems found in the prior art are the ones disclosed in U.S. Patents to Timmons (4,269,005), Morrison (4,567,698) and Zacky et al (4,625,483). While many multi-panel systems of the prior art appear to generally achieve their particular design objectives, most embody several drawbacks which make them less than an optimum panel system.
Many of the multi-panel partition systems rely on features, such as grooves or channels, built into the structure of the panels to align and connect panels together. Such features tend to make manufacture of the panels more complex and costly. Also, most of the multi-panel systems have height-adjustable support pedestals mounted adjacent to respective opposite lower corners of each panel which are used for leveling the panel system. As the panels are being connected together during installation, the adjacent pedestals on respective connected panels have to be adjusted to the same height more or less concurrently in order to avoid potential binding and damage to the connecting components and to provide a wall which is level. This makes installation of the multi- panel system more time-consuming, difficult and tedious to carry out. Further, many multi-panel systems employ structurally inadequate components between the vertical edges of the connected panels for supporting in cantilevered fashion other workstation components, such as shelves, cabinets and work surfaces. The inadequacy of these components can contribute to panel sagging and misalignment.
A further drawback to many prior art partition systems of this general type is the lack of rigidity in the connection between adjacent panels, which results in an overall system which is wobbly and unstable. In some cases, the individual panels themselves lack rigidity, and when this is combined with a poor connection system between adjacent panels, an unacceptable partition system results.
A further drawback of many prior art systems is that the panels can be inserted in only one way with one side of the panel facing outwardly and the other facing inwardly. If a panel is designed with one type of surface on one side, such as fabric, and another type of surface on the other side, such as a wood-grain or other type of non-fabric surface, the proper type of surface must be put on each side of the panel at the factory. If this is not done correctly, then the panel will be reversed, and this fact may not be discovered until the system is being assembled at the job site. Accordingly, a panel system wherein the individual panels are reversible is of significant advantage.
Consequently, a need still exists for panel connection system which is rigid, quick, easy and simple to install and eliminates the above-mentioned drawbacks of prior multi-panel systems.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention provides a panel connection system designed to satisfy the aforementioned needs. The connection system of the present invention makes it easy to set up and level the panels as they are installed and, conversely, makes it easy to change the panel arrangement. Also, the connection system minimizes the number of parts needed to be assembled and adjusted during installation of a multi-panel system, provides for automatic and accurate alignment of the panels, and achieves reliable and rigid connections of the panels together. Further, the apparatus has built-in features which serve to alert the installer if fastening of all components of the panel connection system has not been completed.
The panel connection apparatus of the present invention encompasses several different features useful in a multi-panel system. Although these features of the panel connection system are advantageously incorporated together to realize their overall benefits, improvement of multi-panel system construction can also be obtained by employment of certain of the features separately.
The multi-panel system in which the features of the panel connection apparatus are useful includes panels each having a frame structure with top and bottom edges and opposite side edges. The features of the panel connection apparatus generally relate to a panel top cap assembly, panel top and bottom connector assemblies and panel interlock assembly.
The top cap assembly of the panel system includes a decorative cap member which is frictionally connected to a connector member that spans between adjacent panels so as to rigidly interconnect the panels and ensure proper alignment. This avoids a disadvantage that is present in many prior art panel systems wherein adjacent panels are connected to each other along their edges or are connected to a common post where there is no interconnection member that extends horizontally to provide the desired alignment.
More particularly, the top cap retainer member of one form of the invention includes a pair of spaced downwardly projecting flanges extending longitudinally of the cap retainer member. The attachment member includes a pair of upwardly projecting flanges extending longitudinally of the attachment member. The lower edges of the retainer member flanges are generally in-turned, whereas the upper edges of the attachment member flanges are generally out-turned such that the respective edges define cam surfaces which engage and cause yieldably flexing of the flanges of the resiliently flexible one of the retainer and attachment members for achieving the frictional interfitting of the flanges with one another.
In order to provide for an extremely rigid connection between one panel and an adjacent panel, the connection system includes a connector member that spans between adjacent panels and has a very tight interference fit with brackets connected to the top edges of the adjacent panels. When the connector member is clamped against the U-shaped brackets by means of threaded fasteners, the adjacent panels are accurately aligned and rigidly held against any movement in directions normal to the planes of the panels.
Each of the panel top and bottom connector assemblies of the panel connection apparatus according to a preferred embodiment includes a pair of panel bracket members adapted for attachment upon adjacent portions of the top edges of the panels, and the panel connector member of the top cap assembly is adapted for interengagement within and rigid attachment to the panel bracket members so as to span therebetween and rigidly interconnect and accurately align the panels with one another. Further, each of the panel bracket members of the top and bottom connector assemblies includes a pair of spaced flanges and each panel connector member of each of the top and bottom connector assemblies includes a pair of spaced flanges. The spacing between the flanges of the respective pairs thereof is such that the panel connector member is adapted to insert in a nested relation within the panel bracket members with the connector member flanges with an interference fit. The flanges of either the connector member or the bracket member are resiliently yieldable for permitting yieldable flexing thereof to achieve insertion of the connector member.
The bottom panel connector assembly located at the bottom edges of the panels includes a pedestal coupled to the connector member. The pedestal extends downwardly therefrom for engaging a support surface, and is adjustable relative to the connector member for leveling the panels relative to the support surface.
The panel interlock assembly of the panel connection apparatus according to one form of the invention includes a pair of vertical channel members each connected to a respective panel side edge and having interconnected walls defining respective first and second diagonally opposite corner portions, the first and second corner portions of one channel member being interfittable with the second and first corner portions of the other channel member by merely moving the side edge of one panel toward the adjacent side edge of the other panel. A pair of clamp members, one being attached to a bottom side of the connector member of the top connector assembly and projecting downwardly therefrom and the other being attached to a top side of the connector member of the bottom connector assembly and projecting upwardly therefrom, are interfittable within the respective open top and bottom ends of the channel defined in the vertical channel members and clamp and retain the respective corner portions of the channel members at their respective interfitted relation with one another.
More particularly, each of the walls of the second pair thereof of the channel members has a row of holes defined therein for receiving a hanger for supporting an object therefrom. The channel members include respective middle walls which extend generally across the middle of the channel and overlap with one another so as to block passage of light through the holes in the channel members and across the channel therein.
These and other advantages and attainments of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon a reading of the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the drawings wherein there is shown and described an illustrative embodiment of the invention.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
In the course of the following detailed description, reference will be made to the attached drawings in which:
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a multi-panel system employing panel connection apparatus in accordance with the principles of the present invention;
FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the panel connection apparatus in conjunction with a pair of panels being shown in fragmentary form with portions broken away and vertically foreshortened;
FIG. 3 is a side elevational view, in vertically foreshortened form, of one panel of the multi-panel system of FIG. 1, with some of the components of the panel connection apparatus of FIG. 2 being mounted on the panel;
FIG. 4 is a top plan view of the panel of FIG. 3;
FIG. 5 is an enlarged side elevational view, with parts broken away, of a panel bottom connector assembly of the panel connection apparatus of FIG. 2;
FIG. 6 is an enlarged side elevational view of a connector member used in a panel top connector assembly of the panel connection apparatus of FIG. 2;
FIG. 7 is a top plan view, with parts broken away, of the connector member of FIG. 6;
FIG. 8 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a panel top cap assembly of the panel connection apparatus being associated with the top connector assembly of FIG. 2;
FIG. 9 is an enlarged top plan view of a pair of vertical channel members used in a panel interlock assembly of the panel connection apparatus of FIG. 2; and
FIG. 10 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of an upper one of a pair of clamp members used in the panel interlock assembly of the panel connection apparatus of FIG. 2.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Referring now to the drawings, and particularly to FIGS. 1 and 2, there is shown in FIG. 1 a multi-panel assembly, generally designated 10, which employs a plurality of modular panels 12 rigidly held together along each of their adjacent vertical edges by a panel connection apparatus, generally indicated as 14 in FIG. 2. Also illustrated in FIG. 1 in phantom outline are modular workstation components or accessories such as a shelf 16 and a worksurface 18 which are supported by parts of the panel connection apparatus 14 as will be described hereinafter. Each panel 12 has a generally planar-shaped frame structure 12A comprising a plurality of rectangular steel tubing members 13 that are welded together to form a rectangular frame as shown in FIG. 3. Tubing members 13 are relatively massive and, when they are welded together to form a rectangular frame 12A, form a structure which is extremely rigid and forms the structural base to which the fabric or other type of skin 15 is attached. Frame 12A includes top and bottom edges 12B, 12C and opposite side edges 12D, 12E. In accordance with the present invention and the panel connection apparatus 14 includes a panel top cap assembly 20 (FIG. 8), panel top and bottom connector assemblies 22, 24 (FIG. 2) and a panel interlock assembly 26 having components which respectively mount to and interconnect the top, bottom and side edges 12B-12E of the panels 12.
More particularly, referring to FIGS. 2 and 6-8, the panel top connector assembly 22 of the panel connection apparatus 14 includes a pair of panel bracket members 28 and a panel connector member 30. The bracket members 28 are respectively rigidly attached upon adjacent portions of the top edges 12B of the panels 12. Each bracket member 28 includes an elongated generally planar mounting portion 32 and a pair of spaced flanges 34 integrally attached to opposite edges of the mounting portion 32. The flanges 34 project upwardly therefrom and extend longitudinally therealong. Also, a threaded upstanding stud 36 is affixed to the middle of each bracket member 28. Each bracket member 28 is generally U-shaped in cross-section with its flanges 34 extending in generally slightly tapered, but nearly parallel relation to one another and perpendicular relation to the mounting portion 30.
The connector member 30 of the panel top connector assembly 22 is adapted for an interference fit within and rigid attachment to the bracket members 28 so as to span therebetween and rigidly interconnect and automatically accurately align the panels 12 with one another. The connector member 30 includes an elongated generally planar mounting portion 38 and a pair of spaced flanges 40 integrally attached to opposite edges of the mounting portion 38. The flanges 40 project upwardly therefrom and extend longitudinally therealong. Also, the mounting portion 38 has a pair of longitudinally spaced openings 42 therein. The connector member 30 is generally U-shaped in cross-section with its flanges 40 extending in generally flared, divergent relation to one another.
As best illustrated in FIG. 8, the spacing between the flanges 34 of each of the bracket members 28 is slightly less than between the flanges 40 of the connector member 30 such that when the connector member is inserted in a nested relation within the bracket members 28, the connector member flanges 40 are placed in an interference fit with the flanges 34 of the bracket members 28. Also, by inserting the threaded studs 36 of the bracket members 28 through the openings 42 in the connector member 30 and then threadably attaching a nut 44 on the stud 36, the connector member 30 will be drawn down between the flanges 34 of the bracket members 28 until its mounting portion 38 overlies the mounting portions 32 of the bracket members 28. The flanges 34, 40 of either one or both of the bracket members 28 and connector member 30 are resiliently yieldable for permitting yieldable flexing thereof to achieve insertion of the connector member 30 therein, frictional interengagement of the corresponding flanges 34, 40 with one another, and rigid attachment of the connector member 30 at its mounting portion 38 with the mounting portions 32 of the bracket members 28. The interference fit between flanges 34 and 40 results in an extremely rigid connection between adjacent panels 12 and ensures that the panels are aligned accurately so that there is no misalignment along the line of sight when looking down a row of interconnected panels 12.
Referring still to FIGS. 6-8, the panel top cap assembly 20 includes an elongated decorative cap member 46 (see also FIG. 1), a top cap retainer member 48, and a springable attachment member 50. The decorative cap members 46 are adapted to extend along and overlie adjacent portions of the top edges 12B of the panels 12. The top cap retainer members 48 are attached by fasteners 52 at mounting portions 54 to undersides of decorative cap members 46. The retainer members 48 each have a pair of spaced downwardly projecting flanges 56 which extend longitudinally of the retainer member 48 and are integrally connected to opposite edges of the mounting portion thereof.
The springable attachment member 50 of the top cap assembly 20 has a generally planar mounting portion 57 rigidly mounted by plug welds 58 to the upper side of the mounting portion 38 of the connector member 30. Also, the attachment member 50 has a pair of upwardly projecting flanges 60 extending longitudinally of the attachment member 50 and integrally connected to opposite sides of its mounting portion 54 and extending upwardly therefrom.
The flanges 60 of the attachment member 50 are capable of resiliently flexing away from one another for frictional interfitting with the flanges 56 of the retainer members 48 upon installation of the decorative cap members 46 along the top edges 12B of the panels 12 in overlying relation to the panel top edges and the connector member 30 thereon. More particularly, the lower edges 56A of the retainer member flanges 56 are generally in-turned, whereas the upper edges 60A of the attachment member flanges 60 are generally out-turned such that the respective edges 56A, 60A define cam surfaces which engage and cause yieldably flexing of the attachment member flanges 60 for achieving the frictional interfitting of the flanges 56, 60 with one another.
Referring to FIGS. 2 and 5, the panel bottom connector assembly 24 of the panel attachment apparatus 14 includes a pair of panel bracket members 62 and a panel connector member 64 substantially identical in construction and function to the bracket members 28 and connector member 30 of the panel top connector assembly 24. A detailed description of these components of the bottom connector assembly 24 is set forth above. However, in addition to the similar bracket and connector members 28, 30, the bottom connector assembly 24 includes a pedestal 66 and a pair of wiring raceway cover hanger members 68 not found in the top connector assembly 22. The pedestal 66 is connected to the bottom connector member 64 and extends downwardly therefrom and includes a depending vertical leg tube 70 rigidly attached at a midway location to the underside of the bottom connector member 64 and an elongated glide 72 threadably adjustable relative to the tube 70 and thereby to the connector member 64. By rotating the glide 72, it will thread into the tube so that the level of the panels 12 connected together by the apparatus 10 can be set relative to the support surface.
The hanger members 68 of the panel bottom connector assembly are loosely slidably mounted by a plurality of spaced rivets 74 attached to and depending below the mounting portion of the bottom connector member 64. Openings 76 in the bottom connector member 64 are aligned with openings (not shown) in the hanger members 68. Thus, when threaded studs 78 on the bottom edges 12C of the panels are received through the openings and nuts 80 are tightened thereon to rigidly connect the bottom connector member 64 to the bottom bracket members 62, the nuts 80 also rigidly attach the hanger members 68 to the bottom connector member 64. If hanger members 68 are still loose when the wire raceway cover 69 is installed, this provides an indication to the installer that nuts 80 have not been sufficiently tightened to rigidly secure the entire assembly together.
Referring now to FIGS. 2-4, 9 and 10, the panel interlock assembly 26 of the panel connection apparatus 14 includes a pair of vertical channel members 82, 84 and a pair of top and bottom clamp members or brackets 86, 88. The vertical channel members 82, 84 are substantially identical to one another but are employed with one axially rotated 180 degrees relative to the other. Each of the channel members 82, 84 is connected to one of the respective adjacent panel side edges 12D, 12E and is composed of interconnected walls 90, 92 which define first and second diagonally opposite right-angular corner portions 94, 96 and 98, 100 respectively. The first and second corner portions 94, 96 of the interconnected walls 90 of the one channel member 82 interfit respectively with the second and first corner portions 100, 98 of the other channel member 84 merely by moving the side edge 12D of one panel 12 toward the adjacent side edge 12E of the other panel 12. The channel members 82, 84 when interfitted together have a generally rectangular cross-sectional configuration and define a channel 102 therebetween being open at its top and bottom ends 102A, 102B.
With the channel member corner portions 94, 96 and 98, 100 interfitted as seen in FIG. 9, the respective interconnected walls 90, 92 of the respective channel members 82, 84 define a first pair of spaced opposite walls 90A, 92A of the respective channel members 82, 84 at which they are connected to the panel side edges 12D, 12E and a second pair of spaced opposite walls 90B, 92B of the respective channel members 82, 84 extending at right angles to the walls 90A, 92A and between the panel side edges 12D, 12E. The channel 102 is defined by the first and second pairs of walls.
The first pair of spaced opposite walls 90A, 92A have right-angle edge flanges 90C, 92C respectively thereon which together with the walls 90A, 92A form the first corner portions 94, 98 of the interconnected walls 90, 92 of the channel members 82, 84. Each of the walls 90B, 92B of the second pair thereof of the channel members 82, 84 has a row of vertically spaced holes 104 defined therein for receiving a hanger (not shown) for supporting an object therefrom, such as the shelf 16 and work surface 18 (FIG. 1). The second pair of spaced opposite walls 90B, 92B also have L-shaped edge flanges 90D, 92D thereon which together with the walls 90B, 92B form the second corner portions 96, 100 of the interconnected walls 90, 92 of the channel members 82, 84. The second corner portions 96, 100 and the channel members 82, 84 respectively interfit inside of the first corner portions 98, 94, of the channel members. Further, the L-shaped edge flanges 90D, 92D on the walls 90B, 92B include respective middle walls 90E, 92E which extends generally across the middle of the channel 102 and overlap with one another so as to block passage of light through the holes 104 in the channel member walls 90B, 92B and across the channel 102 therebetween.
As seen in FIGS. 2 and 6, the top and bottom clamp brackets 86, 88 of the panel interlock assembly 26 are respectively attached to a bottom side of the connector member 30 of the top connector assembly 22 and a top side of the connector member 64 of the bottom connector assembly 24. The clamp brackets 86, 88 include bases 106, 108 and four springable fingers 110, 112 with in-turned tips 114, 116 projecting respectively downwardly and upwardly therefrom. The fingers 110, 112 of clamp brackets are spaced apart relative to the cross-sectional size of the channel 102 to tightly frictionally interfit within the respective open top and bottom ends 102A, 102B of the channel 102 defined by the assembled vertical channel members 82, 84 and engaged with at least one pair of the opposite corner portions 94, 96 and 98, 100 thereof for clamping and retaining the respective corner portions of the channel members 82, 84 at their respective interfitted relation with one another by forcing the channel members in the directions of the arrows in FIGS. 9 and 10.
It will be understood therefore that the connector members 30, 64 of the top and bottom connector assemblies 22, 24 serve to rigidly connect and accurately align the panels 12 with one another at their top and bottom four corner edges 12A, 12B. The channel members 82, 84 and clamp brackets 86, 88 of the interlock assembly 26 serve to augment the connection provided by the top and bottom connector assemblies 22, 24 by also pulling and holding the panels 12 together end to end at the adjacent sides 12D, 12E thereof. Thus, the primary function of these three assemblies 22, 24, 26 is to provide maximum rigidity and true alignment as well as pulling the panels 12 together. The vertical channel members 82, 84, when supporting other accessories in cantilevered fashion, are interlocked so as to resist the panels being pulled apart by the load. If the top connector member 30 is not properly installed, this will be visible because the top cap member 46 will not fit properly along the top edges of the panels.
Other advantages of the panel connection apparatus 14 described above as employed in the multi-panel system 10 alignment are as follows: 1. Set up and leveling of the panel system 10 is easier due to the use of a single leveling glide or pedestal at the panel joint by the bottom connector assembly 24. Most prior art panel systems utilize two leveling glides per panel which greatly increases the number of glides to level during installation. 2. The slotted walls of the vertical channel members 82, 84 are attached to the panel sides which reduces the number of parts associated with installation, and offers greater accuracy in the location of the slots relative to the panel. 3. The top and bottom connector assemblies are the same parts with the exception of the use of the top spring attachment member, the bottom pedestal and the raceway cover hanger members. 4. The interlock channel members have a "built-in" sight barrier that prevents light from passing from one side of the panels to the other through the panel "reveal" or gap. This feature eliminates the need of adding a blinder.
Substantially, the panel attachment apparatus 14 is used for connecting panels together to form corners except that channels 82 are disposed 90° apart on a corner post 85.
While this invention has been described as having a preferred design, it will be understood that it is capable of further modification. This application is, therefore, intended to cover any variations, uses, or adaptations of the invention following the general principles thereof and including such departures from the present disclosure as come within known or customary practice in the art to which this invention pertains and falls within the limits of the appended claims.
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A panel connection apparatus useful in a multi-panel system includes features which improve the rigidity and simplicity of construction and ease of installation of the panel system. The features of the panel connection apparatus relate to a panel top cap assembly, a panel interlock assembly and panel top and bottom connector assemblies which interconnect and support frame structures of adjacent panels at adjacent portions of their top and bottom edges and opposite side edges.
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This application is a continuation of application Ser. No. 07/828,046, filed Jan. 30, 1992 now abandoned.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is directed to starch oil type sizing composition and glass fibers that have been treated with the composition.
Glass fibers are produced by flowing molten glass via gravity through a multitude of small openings in a precious metal plate, called a bushing. During their formation these fibers are treated with a sizing composition which serves to protect the fibers from abrasion with each other. The term sizing means an aqueous chemical treatment which is applied to the glass fibers to impart certain properties as discussed below. After their formation and treatment, the fibers are gathered together into strands and wound on a "forming package". The forming packages are usually dried in either an oven or at room temperature to remove the moisture from the fibers. The fibers are then typically wound onto a bobbin via conventional textile twisting techniques such as a twist frame.
The sizing composition serves also to improve the performance of the fibers during further processing. Such further processing can include weaving of the fibers, which involves removing the fiber from the bobbin and guiding the fiber over or through a series of guide bars and other points of physical contact where wear could occur. Examples of the manifestation of such wear can be seen in the buildup of broken filaments or "fuzz" on the contact points, an increase in static electricity, poor quality of the woven product, as well as the shedding of the sizing from the fibers, or the breaking of the strand itself during weaving.
The strands of treated glass fiber may also be used in non woven applications such as the manufacture of fiber glass reinforced tape. In this application the strand can undergo abrasion and wear similar to that experienced in the woven applications as it is removed from the bobbin and processed.
It is an object of this invention to produce strands of glass fiber having a moisture reduced residue of a starch oil type sizing composition which results in improved processibility of the fibers with reduced fuzz production, reduced shedding, and greater strand integrity.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The objects of the invention are accomplished by strands of treated glass fibers where the treatment is an aqueous starch oil composition. There are two starches present, one of which is a highly crosslinked low amylose non-ionic corn starch. The second starch is a high amylose corn starch which has been derivatized with propylene oxide. Another component of the size in addition to the water, starch and oil is a silane coupling agent. Lubricants are present which increase the lubriciousness of the fibers. There may also be present emulsifiers, humectants, defoamers and a biocide to prevent organic growth on the treated fibers due to the presence of organic materials in the size such as the starches.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
One of the starches to be used in the present invention is a high amylose corn starch which has been modified with propylene oxide to produce hydroxyl propyl corn starch. A suitable material is sold by National Starch under the name Hi-set 369.
The second starch to be used is a highly crosslinked non-ionic low amylose corn starch. Such a starch is sold by American Maize under the name Amaizo 2213. High and low amylose in the context of this invention refers to starches with greater than or equal to 50% amylose and those with less than 50% amylose, respectively. The combined weight percent of the starches on a non-aqueous basis is in the range of about 50 to 60 wt %.
Examples of a non-ionic lubricant to be used in the present invention include waxes and vegetable oils hydrogenated to various degrees such as cotton seed oil, corn oil, soybean oil, etc. Any wax known to those skilled in the art for the treatment of glass fibers may be used, non-exclusive examples of which are paraffin wax, animal waxes, mineral waxes, petroleum derivative waxes, and synthetic waxes. The oil used in the preferred embodiment is a partially hydrogenated soybean oil. The wax used in the preferred embodiment is a paraffin wax.
Humecants which may be used in the present invention include polyalkylene polyols and polyoxyalkylene polyols. The humectant that is used in the alternative preferred embodiments is polyethylene glycol. A suitable polyethylene glycol is Carbowax 300 available from Union Carbide.
Any emulsifier known to those skilled in the art to be useful in emulsifying waxes and oils in water may be used. Non-exclusive examples are those which are non-ionic and have a hydrophilic/lipophilic balance (HLB) in the range of about 8 to 20 or any mixture with an HLB in this range. A suitable non-ionic emulsifier is Tween 81 which is sorbitan mono-oleate, with an HLB of about 10 and which is an ethylene oxide derivitive of sorbitol ester. The combined weight percent of the lubricants and emulsifier on a non-aqueous basis is in the range of about 23 to 33 wt % and the lubricants alone are between 22 and 28%.
The silane useful in this invention is an organic/inorganic compound used as a coupling agent between the predominantly organic size and the inorganic glass. Typical examples are gamma amino propyl triethoxy silane and gamma glycidoxy propyl trimethoxy silane. The silane may be hydrolized to some degree before use by reacting it with a suitable carboxylic acid. The weight percent of the silane coupling agent on a non-aqueous basis in the size is in the range of about 2 to 7 wt %.
Another lubricant which is present is a polyamino functional polyamide resin, a typical example of which is Versamid 140 from General Mills. Versamid 140 is the salt of a polyamino functional polyamide resin which is formed from the condensation reaction product of a polycarboxylic acid and a polyamine which has greater than two amine groups per molecule, and a carboxylic acid having 1 to 5 carbon atoms. The weight percent of the lubricant on a non-aqueous basis is in the range of about 6 to 12 wt %.
Yet another lubricant which may be present is a cationic one such as an amine salt of a fatty acid which has 4 to 26 carbon atoms and in all cases an even number of carbon atoms per molecule, or alkylimidazoline derivatives such as described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,200,815, 2,267,965, 2,268,273, and 2,355,837 hereby incorporated by reference. In the fatty acid amine salt lubricant the fatty acid moiety of the salt has between 12 and 22 carbon atoms. The amines useful for forming the salt are tertiary amines of substantially low molecular weight, for example, the alkyl groups attached to the nitrogen atom should be between 1 and 6 carbon atoms. Examples of such an amine salt of a fatty acid lubricant are the products available from Emery Industries, Inc including those designated 6717, 4046D, and 6760. The lubricant in the preferred embodiment is Emery 6717. A non-exclusive example of the alkylimidazoline derivative is the reaction product of stearic acid, tetraethylene pentamine and acetic acid which is available as Caton X.
Any biocide known to those skilled in the art to control orgasmic growth in sizing solutions and on the glass fibers treated therewith may be present. Non-exclusive examples of which are organotin bactericides and methylene thiocyanate bactericides and chlorinated compounds. A typical example is a chlorinated material designated as CL-2141 and marketed by Chemtreat.
A defoamer may also be used and any defoamer known to those skilled in the art for controlling foaming in starch oil treating solutions may be used. Mazu DF-136 is a proprietary polyether-triglyceride available from PPG Industries Inc..
In the preparation of the starches for the starch oil treating composition the starches are mixed together with water. The mixture is then cooked by any method known to those skilled in the art. The method used in the preferred embodiment is a jet cooker. The jet cooker injects steam directly into the starch and water mixture as it travels in a pipe. The downstream temperature is controlled at a specific value by the regulation of the addition rate of the steam to the mixture, The mixture is held at the cooking temperature for a particular time which allows the cooking to advance to the desired degree. Cooking is stopped by cooling the mixture in a water cooled heat exchanger. The starch and water mixture is then directed to a main mixing tank.
Other components are prepared separately and then added to the mixture of starches and water. The wax, oil and emusifier are mixed with demineralized water and emulsified by any suitable means. One method of emulsification is by circulating the mixture through a high pressure homogenizing pump and returning it to the same vessel. By this method the quality of the emulsion may be monitored until the mixture forms an emulsion with particles within a particular range. When the proper emulsion has formed, the pump discharge can be routed to the main mix tank holding the starches. Another method of emulsifying the mixture is to agitate it in a tank using a high shear mixer such as an Eppenbach mixer. Again, once the desired emulsion particle size is achieved, the mixture can be transferred to the main tank containing the starches.
The polyamino functional polyamide resin is mixed with water and a carboxylic acid, in this case acetic acid, and added to the main tank. The other lubricants must be mixed with water until dissolved and then it may be added to the main tank. The silane is prepared in a like manner; it is mixed in a separate tank with water and acetic acid and then added to the main tank. The biocide may be added directly to the main tank.
The sizing composition of this invention may be prepared by any other suitable method known to those skilled in the art and applied to glass fibers during their formation. The glass fibers may have any diameter capable of commercial manufacture, the most common being between 3 and 30 microns. The batch glass material from which the fibers are made can be any composition known to those skilled in the art. The most common batch material is that known as E-glass or 621 glass, though other batch compositions such as high or low boron glass are also suitable. The sizing composition may be applied and the fibers gathered together to form strands by any method known to those skilled in the art. The fibers are then dried in an oven or at room temperature such that the moisture content of the sizing on the fibers is reduced to less than 15 wt % of the glass and sizing.
PREFERRED EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION
The aqueous sizing composition was prepared from the ingredients listed in example A in table 1 to produce about 1000 gallons of the sizing mixture. Quantities are approximate. Alternate embodiments are also shown in Table 1 and are labeled as B, C and D.
TABLE 1______________________________________ A B C Amnt Amnt Amnt DIngredient (lbs) (lbs) (lbs) Amnt(lbs)______________________________________Hi-set 369 82 297.6 279.3 279.3Amaizo 2213 232.6 33.1 51.4 51.4Paraffin wax 68.3 132.3 0.0 0.0Eclipse 102 68.3 0.0 127.9 127.9Carbowax-300 0.0 37.5 37.5 37.5Tween 81 27.4 9.9 12.8 12.8Emery 6717 12.3 9.9 9.9 0.0Cation X 0.0 0.0 0.0 23.1Versamid 140 45.6 43 33.1 33.1Acetic acid (Vers.) 12.3 9.9 9.9 9.9Mazu DF 136 0.0 8.4 0.0 0.0A-187 24.0 19.8 20.9 20.9Acetic acid (A-187) 1047 ml 1047 ml 1047 ml 1047 mlCL-2141 80 ml 80 ml 80 ml 80 ml______________________________________
The aqueous composition was prepared by adding the starches to an agitated mixing or slurry tank to which was previously added 430 gallons of demineralized water.
Cooking of the starches takes place by pumping the starch mixture from the slurry tank through a jet cooker in which steam is injected directly into the starch mixture. The steam addition rate is controlled to give an exit temperature of about 255° F. (124° C.) and the exit pressure is controlled at approximately 27 psig. The residence or dwell time of the starch mixture at the cooking temperature is about 11 seconds to cook it and it then is cooled by passing it through a water cooled heat exchanger controlled to yield an exit temperature of about 170° F. (77° C.). The starch mixture is then directed to a main mix tank. Demineralized water in an Mount of 100 gallons is used to wash the slurry tank to thoroughly remove the raw starch from the tank as well as to flush any remaining starch from the Jet cooker. This wash water is flushed into the main mix tank also. In addition to the above method, any other method of cooking starch, such as open kettle cooking, known to those skilled in the art may be used to obtain the same degree of cooking as this method.
In the embodiments which contain polyethylene glycol, it is added to the main mix tank after the cooked starch.
About 5 gallons of demineralized water is then added to a separate emulsion tank, the temperature is set at about 175° F. (79° C.) and the paraffin wax is added. After the specified temperature has been reached and the wax has melted, the Eclipse 102 oil and the Tween 81 emusifier are added and the mixture is agitated for 30 seconds. For the alternative embodiments the preparation is very similar. For embodiment B only the wax is melted and then is mixed with the emulsifier and for embodiments C and D, no wax is added and the oil is mixed with the emulsifier. An additional 36 gallons of about 175° F. (79° C.) demineralized water is then added and the mixture is circulated through an homogenizing pump to emulsify the mixture. The pump discharge is recirculated to the same tank from which it takes suction. Once the ingredients have been emulsified to the point where the particle size is in the range of about 1 to 3 microns, the pump discharge is directed to the main mix tank.
To another tank, 30 gallons of approximately 145° F. (63° C.) demineralized water is added and agitation is begun. The Emery 6717 lubricant is then added and agitation is continued until it dissolves, at which point the mixture is transferred to the main mix tank.
To another tank, 30 gallons of about 145° F. (63° C.) demineralized water is added and agitation is begun. Acetic acid in the amount shown above is added and then the Versamid 140 lubricant is added and the mixture agitated until the Versamid dissolves. The mixture is then transferred to the main mix tank.
To another tank, 45 gallons of approximately 60° to 80° F. (16° to 27° C.) demineralized water is added and agitation begun. The indicated amount of acetic acid is then added. The A-187 silane is added at a rate not to exceed 1 gpm and the solution is agitated until it clears; usually at least 5 minutes. The mixture is then added to the main mix tank.
The CL-2141 biocide can be added directly to the main mix tank as can the defoamer in embodiment B. Demineralized water is then added to the main mix tank in an amount sufficient to bring the total amount of sizing prepared to about 1000 gallons, and agitation is continued for an additional 10 minutes.
The sizing composition was applied to the fibers immediately after formation below the bushing using an applicator. An example of an applicator suitable for this application is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 2,728,972, hereby incorporated by reference. After the application of the sizing, the fibers are gathered together to form a strand composed of multiple fibers. The strands used in this application contain 200 fibers though other multiples of fibers could be used. The fibers used in this application are preferably of G diameter (10 microns) though other diameters may be used. The strands are then wound onto a forming package placed on a winder which rotates at a speed in the range of about between 4,000 and 6,000 rpm.
After the forming package has reached its capacity it is removed from the winder and an empty package put in its place to begin the process again. The forming package is then dried in an oven or at room temperature to remove the water from the package to a point where the moisture content is below 15 wt % of the glass. The forming package is then mounted on a twist frame machine and the glass fiber strands are transferred to a bobbin. During this step a slight twist is imparted to the strand.
Many hundreds of thousands of yards of treated glass fiber strands of the present invention have been woven by processors with good results in strand integrity, shedding characteristics and low fuzz production.
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An aqueous starch oil sizing composition is provided which produces improved processibility in woven and non-woven applications. The sizing combines a high amylose corn starch which has been derivatized with propylene oxide, with a low amylose highly crosslinked corn starch. The sizing also includes lubricants which may be oils or waxes and a lubricant which is the salt of a polyamino functional polyamide resin. Other emusifiers, humectants, lubricants, defoamers, and biocides may be present. The size also includes a silane coupling agent such as gamma glycidoxy propyl trimethoxy silane which can be hydrolyzed. Strands of glass fiber which have been treated with this size have shown a reduced tendency to shed the size from the strands, a reduction in the buildup of broken filaments or "fuzz" on processing equipment and reduced strand breakage.
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