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This is a continuation of application Ser. No. 09/721,359 filed Nov. 22, 2000 now abn. which is a continuation-in-part of application Ser. No. 09/651,038 filed Aug. 30, 2000 now abn. and these prior applications are hereby incorporated herein by reference.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a ridge row ventilation system for angled tile roofs to facilitate the exhausting of hot air from the attic space beneath the angled tile roof. The ridge row vent of the current invention is equally suitable for roof tiles with a semi-circular cross section, commonly referred to as barrel tile, or flat tiles.
Typically, tile roofs have been constructed with the tiles laid in rows called courses. Adjacent courses overlap each other to allow rain to run off the roof. Such roofs are known for their durability. The primary problem with such roofs is the venting of hot air from the attic space under the tile roof. Previous construction techniques had the last or top row terminate at the ridge row or header board so there is no ventilation slot. A curved tile or cap tile is then secured to the ridge row header board. This cap tile curves downwardly to within a few inches of the top row of roof tiles on either side of the ridge row header board. Just prior to the cap tile being nailed to the header board, the space between the edge of the cap tile and the top row of roof tiles is filled with mortar to act as a sealer to prevent rain or other inclement weather from blowing under the edge of the cap tile.
This system works reasonably well in providing a weather tight roof but leaves much to be desired in allowing venting of the hot air in the attic space under the roof. With this system, hot air cannot be vented from the attic space beneath the roof. Therefore, there exists a need for a tile roof ridge vent that is economical, easy to install and efficiently vents the hot air from the attic space under the tile roof. Additionally, such a tile roof ridge vent with an external baffle would be desirable in high wind or hurricane prone areas to ensure wind driven water does not enter the ridge vent. It is the construction and method of use of such tile roof ridge vents to which the present invention is directed.
2. Description of Related Art
U.S. Pat. No. 4,558,637 to R. E. Mason discloses a roof ridge ventilator that uses a preformed metal louver that is installed under a roof ridge. Other types of roof ridge ventilators using a preformed louver installed under a roof ridge are shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,685,285 to C. A. Cooper and U.S. Pat. No. 4,903,445 to J. P. Mankowski.
A system using a filter in combination with a ventilator is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,326,318 to M. J. Rotter.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,697,842 to M. P. Donnelly discloses a ventilator system using a system of interlocking blocks to elevate the ridge row and improve ventilation.
A venturi system specifically directed to tile roofs is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,766,071 to H. G. Kirkwood.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The tile roof ridge row vent of the present invention and the method of its use and construction is designed for use with a tile roof using either barrel tile or flat tile. The tile roof ridge row vent is designed to ventilate the interior space under a tile roof to the exterior. It includes an elongate member having a vertical section and a side section. The vertical section and side section are connected to allow air flow therebetween. The vertical section has a lower sealing skirt that extends under the top row of roof tiles and the side section includes plurality of ventilation openings angled downwardly and outwardly to allow air to exit the vent while preventing rain or other inclement weather from entering the vent.
The tile roof ridge row vents are designed for use with an angled roof having a first plurality of roofing tiles arranged in overlapping courses located on one side of the angled roof and a second plurality of roofing tiles arranged in overlapping courses located on an adjacent side of an angled roof. The roof terminates in a ridge row header board disposed between the first plurality of roofing tiles and the second plurality of roofing tiles. The roofing tiles terminate just short of the ridge row to form ventilation slots adjacent the ridge row header on each side. The ridge row vents are attached to the ridge row header board with the ridge row vents disposed over the ventilation slots to facilitate air flow from the interior space under the roof to the exterior. A plurality of ridge row cap tiles are secured to the ridge row header to prevent ingress of inclement weather and a sealing mortar is applied between the ridge row vents and the roofing tiles. The ridge row vents are formed of an injection molded plastic and typically are four feet in length. Additional ridge row vents are laid end to end along the length of the ridge row to allow full venting of the hot air in the attic space under the roof.
A second embodiment is shown for use with a single sided or mansard type roof. A third embodiment is shown for use with an angled roof and includes an external baffle added to the ridge row vent. This external baffle angles upwardly and outwardly away from the ridge row vent and ensures wind driven rain will not enter the ridge row vent. It is particularly suited for high wind or hurricane prone areas. A fourth embodiment utilizing the ridge row vent with the external baffle is shown for use with a mansard type roof.
One object of the present invention is to provide a ridge row vent particularly suited for use with tile roofs that is economical and allows full venting of the attic space under the tile roof.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a ventilation system for a tile roof that works with curved or flat tiles.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a ridge row vent particularly suited for use with tile roofs that is easy to install.
A still further object of the present invention is to provide a ridge row vent with an external baffle for use in high wind or hurricane prone areas.
Other objects and advantages of the present invention are pointed out in the claims annexed hereto and form a part of this disclosure. A full and complete understanding of the invention may be had by reference to the accompanying drawings and description of the preferred embodiments.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
These and other objects and advantages of the present invention are set forth below and further made clear by reference to the drawings, wherein:
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the tile roof ridge vent installed on a typical angled roof.
FIG. 2 is a section view of the tile roof ridge vent of FIG. 1, taken along lines 2 — 2 .
FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the tile roof ridge vent, partly in section.
FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the tile roof ridge vent installed on a single side or mansard style roof with flat tiles.
FIG. 5 is a section end view of the tile roof ridge vent of FIG. 4, taken along lines 5 — 5 .
FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the tile roof ridge vent installed on a typical angled roof.
FIG. 7 is a section view of the tile roof ridge vent of FIG. 6, taken along lines 7 — 7 .
FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the tile roof ridge vent, partly in section.
FIG. 9 is a perspective view of the tile roof ridge vent installed on a single side or mansard style roof with flat tiles.
FIG. 10 is a section end view of the tile roof ridge vent of FIG. 9, taken along lines 10 — 10 .
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
With reference to the drawings, and particularly to FIG. 1, a perspective view of a typical angled roof is shown. Ridge row vent of the present invention is denoted generally by numeral 10 . Ridge row vents 10 are disposed on each side of ridge row header 12 of angled roof 14 . Ridge row header 12 sits atop ridge board 16 . Roof rafters 18 abut and are secured to ridge board 16 by nailing or suitable means as is well known by those of ordinary skill in the art and define the angle of the roof 20 . Decking or sheathing 22 is secured to rafters 18 by suitable means as nailing. Each side 24 of roof 20 is covered by a plurality of roofing tiles 26 laid in overlapping rows or courses 28 and secured to decking or sheathing 22 by suitable means such as nailing. Although roofing tiles 26 are shown as being semicircular in cross section, tiles 26 could be flat and work equally well. Ridge row cap tiles 30 are secured to ridge row header 12 by suitable means as nailing.
As best seen in FIG. 2, the upper end of roofing tiles 26 are sealed to ridge row vent 10 by mortar 32 . Decking or sheathing 22 terminates a short distance, typically ¾″ to 1″, from ridge row header 12 and ridge board 16 to form ventilation slot 34 . Hot air within the attic space below roof 20 can then flow upward through ventilation slots 34 and out through ridge row vents 10 . The height of ridge row header 12 and the size of ridge row cap tiles 30 are chosen so that air gap 36 is left to allow the aforementioned hot air to vent to the outside air.
Details of ridge row vent 10 are best seen in FIG. 3 . Ridge row vent 10 is composed of vertical section 38 and side section 40 molded as a unitary structure of a suitable thermal set plastic. Vertical section 38 and side section 40 are connected by air channel 42 allows the free flow of air upwardly and outwardly through ventilation openings 44 . Side section 40 with ventilation openings 44 is angled downwardly to minimize the ingress of weather elements such as blowing rain or snow. Primary baffle supports 45 are positioned periodically within ventilation openings 44 . Positioned between primary baffle supports 45 are secondary baffles 45 a. Secondary baffles 45 a help to prevent the ingress of inclement weather, such as blowing rain or snow. Any inclement weather entering through secondary baffles 45 a, is stopped by the downward slope of ventilation openings 44 and can then run back out ventilation opening 44 . Vertical section 38 includes securing points or buttons 46 integrally formed on the rear of vertical section 38 . Securing points or buttons 46 allow proper spacing of ridge row vent 10 with respect to ridge row header 12 and ensure air channel 42 is positioned over ventilation slots 34 . Sealing skirt 48 is also integrally formed on the lower portion of vertical section 38 . Sealing skirt 48 can be bent to accommodate varying roof angles. At one end of ridge row vent 10 and formed on sealing skirt 48 is lip seal 49 . Lip seal 49 is designed to overlap sealing skirt 48 when ridge row vents 10 are laid end to end and prevent any leakage between adjacent ridge row vents 10 . Sealing skirt 48 is nailed to decking or sheathing 22 underneath roofing tiles 26 . As noted above, mortar 32 is applied between sealing skirt 48 and the upper end of roofing tiles 26 to ensure blowing rain or other inclement weather does not get underneath roofing tiles 26 to decking 22 .
A second embodiment showing roof ridge vent 10 in conjunction with a single sided or mansard style roof 50 is shown in FIG. 4 . Those items which are the same as in the first embodiment retain their numerical designations. Ridge row vents 10 are disposed on the side of ridge row header 12 of mansard roof 50 . Ridge row header 12 sits atop header board 52 . Roof rafters 18 abut and are secured to header board 52 by nailing or suitable means as is well known by those of ordinary skill in the art and define the angle of mansard roof 50 . Decking or sheathing 22 is secured to rafters 18 by suitable means as nailing. Side 54 of mansard roof 50 is covered by a plurality of roofing tiles 56 laid in overlapping rows or courses 58 and secured to decking or sheathing 22 by suitable means such as nailing. Although roofing tiles 56 are shown as being flat, tiles 56 could be of a semicircular cross section and work equally well. Ridge row cap tiles 30 are secured to ridge row header 12 by suitable means as nailing.
As best seen in FIG. 5, the upper end of roofing tiles 26 are sealed to ridge row vent 10 by mortar 32 . Decking or sheathing 22 terminates a short distance, typically ¾″ to 1″, from ridge row header 12 and header board 52 to form ventilation slot 34 . Hot air within the attic space below roof 50 can then flow upward through ventilation slot 34 and out through ridge row vents 10 . The height of ridge row header 12 and the size of ridge row cap tiles 30 are chosen so that air gap 36 is left to allow the aforementioned hot air to vent to the outside air. The opposite side of roof 50 is closed off by suitable sealing means as flashing 60 , well known to those of ordinary skill in the art.
A third embodiment showing high wind area ridge row vent 100 in conjunction with a typical angled roof is shown in FIG. 6 . Those items which are the same as in the previous embodiments retain their numerical designations. High wind area ridge row vents 100 are disposed on each side of ridge row header 12 of angled roof 14 . Ridge row header 12 sits atop ridge board 16 . Roof rafters 18 abut and are secured to ridge board 16 by nailing or suitable means as is well known by those of ordinary skill in the art and define the angle of the roof 20 . Decking or sheathing 22 is secured to rafters 18 by suitable means as nailing. Each side 24 of roof 20 is covered by a plurality of roofing tiles 26 laid in overlapping rows or courses 28 and secured to decking or sheathing 22 by suitable means such as nailing. Although roofing tiles 26 are shown as being semicircular in cross section, tiles 26 could be flat and work equally well. Ridge row cap tiles 30 are secured to ridge row header 12 by suitable means as nailing.
As best seen in FIG. 7, the upper end of roofing tiles 26 are sealed to high wind area ridge row vents 100 by mortar 32 . Decking or sheathing 22 terminates a short distance, typically ¾″ to 1″, from ridge row header 12 and ridge board 16 to form ventilation slot 34 . Hot air within the attic space below roof 20 can then flow upward through ventilation slots 34 and out through high wind area ridge row vents 100 . The height of ridge row header 12 and the size of ridge row cap tiles 30 are chosen so that air gap 36 is left to allow the aforementioned hot air to vent to the outside air.
Details of high wind area ridge row vent 100 are best seen in FIG. 8 . High wind area ridge row vent 100 is composed of vertical section 102 and side section 104 molded as a unitary structure of a suitable thermal set plastic. Vertical section 102 and side section 104 are connected by air channel 106 that allows the free flow of air upwardly and outwardly through ventilation openings 108 . Side section 104 with ventilation openings 108 is angled downwardly to minimize the ingress of weather elements such as blowing rain or snow. Primary baffle supports 110 are positioned periodically within ventilation openings 108 . Positioned between primary baffle supports 110 are secondary baffles 112 . Secondary baffles 112 help to prevent the ingress of inclement weather, such as blowing rain or snow.
High wind area ridge row vents 100 also include external baffle 114 positioned adjacent ventilation openings 108 . External baffle 114 is molded integrally as part of high wind area ridge row vent 100 . External baffle 114 includes bottom channel 116 , side lip 118 and upper lip 120 . Side lip 118 and upper lip 120 are angled upwardly and outwardly from channel 116 to direct wind and wind driven water away from secondary baffles 112 . Drain slots 122 are molded into external baffle 114 at the juncture of bottom channel 116 and side lip 118 to ensure drainage of any water away from secondary baffles 112 . Any inclement weather entering through secondary baffles 112 , is stopped by the downward slope of ventilation openings 108 and can then run back out ventilation opening 108 and drain slots 122 .
Vertical section 102 includes securing points or buttons 124 integrally formed on the rear of vertical section 102 . Securing points or buttons 124 allow proper spacing of high wind area ridge row vents 100 with respect to ridge row header 12 and ensure air channel 106 is positioned over ventilation slots 34 . Sealing skirt 126 is also integrally formed on the lower portion of vertical section 102 . Sealing skirt 126 can be bent to accommodate varying roof angles. At one end of high wind area ridge row vents 100 and formed on sealing skirt 102 is lip seal 128 . Lip seal 128 is designed to overlap sealing skirt 126 when high wind area ridge row vents 100 are laid end to end and prevent any leakage between adjacent high wind area ridge row vents 100 . Sealing skirt 126 is nailed to decking or sheathing 22 underneath roofing tiles 26 . As noted above, mortar 32 is applied between sealing skirt 126 and the upper end of roofing tiles 26 to ensure blowing rain or other inclement weather does not get underneath roofing tiles 26 to decking 22 .
A fourth embodiment showing high wind area ridge row vent 100 in conjunction with a single sided or mansard style roof 50 is shown in FIG. 9 . Those items which are the same as in the previous embodiments retain their numerical designations. High wind area ridge row vents 100 are disposed on the side of ridge row header 12 of mansard roof 50 . Ridge row header 12 sits atop header board 52 . Roof rafters 18 abut and are secured to header board 52 by nailing or suitable means as is well known by those of ordinary skill in the art and define the angle of mansard roof 50 . Decking or sheathing 22 is secured to rafters 18 by suitable means as nailing. Side 54 of mansard roof 50 is covered by a plurality of roofing tiles 56 laid in overlapping rows or courses 58 and secured to decking or sheathing 22 by suitable means such as nailing. Although roofing tiles 56 are shown as being flat, tiles 56 could be of a semicircular cross section and work equally well. Ridge row cap tiles 30 are secured to ridge row header 12 by suitable means as nailing.
As best seen in FIG. 10, the upper end of roofing tiles 26 are sealed to high wind area ridge row vent 100 by mortar 32 . Decking or sheathing 22 terminates a short distance, typically ¾″ to 1″, from ridge row header 12 and header board 52 to form ventilation slot 34 . Hot air within the attic space below roof 50 can then flow upward through ventilation slot 34 and out through high wind area ridge row vents 100 . The height of ridge row header 12 and the size of ridge row cap tiles 30 are chosen so that air gap 36 is left to allow the aforementioned hot air to vent to the outside air. The opposite side of roof 50 is closed off by suitable sealing means as flashing 60 , well known to those of ordinary skill in the art.
The novel method of use and construction of my tile roof ridge row vent will be readily understood from the foregoing description and it will be seen that I have provided a novel ridge row vent for use with tile roofs of various types. Furthermore, while the invention has been shown and described with respect to certain preferred embodiments, it is obvious that equivalent alterations and modifications will occur to others skilled in the art upon the reading and understanding of the specification. The present invention includes all such equivalent alterations and modifications, and is limited only by the scope of the appended claims.
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A tile roof ridge row vent and the method of its use and construction are disclosed. The ridge row vent is designed for use with either barrel tile or flat tile. The tile roof ridge row vent includes an elongate member having a vertical section and a side section connected to allow air flow therebetween. The vertical section has a lower sealing skirt that extends under the top row of roof tiles and the side section includes plurality of ventilation openings angled downwardly and outwardly to allow air to exit the vent while preventing rain or other inclement weather from entering the vent. A second embodiment is shown for use with a single sided or mansard type roof. A third embodiment is shown for use in high wind and hurricane prone areas with an angled roof and includes an external baffle added to the ridge row vent. A fourth embodiment utilizing the ridge row vent with the external baffle is shown for use with a mansard type roof.
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CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application claims priority to co-pending German Patent Application No. 101 47 177.7-23 entitled “Verfahren und Vorrichtung zum Herstellen einer Schale aus fett- und/oder zuckerhaltiger Masse in einer Form,” filed Sep. 25, 2002.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0002] The present invention generally relates to a method of producing an edible shell made of a mass containing fat and/or sugar in a mould. The fluidized mass is filled into the mould in a way as it corresponds to the amount of the mass being necessary for producing the shell. The mass is dislocated or moved along the wall of the mould. The mass hardens or solidifies to form the shell. Finally, the solid shell is removed from the mould. It may be filled with another mass, it may be covered, coated or otherwise processed, and it may be packed.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0003] A method and an apparatus for producing a shell of an edible mass are known from British Patent No. 207 974. The mass in its fluidized condition is filled into the mould being opened in an upward direction. The mould includes a stiff, undeformable body especially being made of metal. The mould is partially filled with such an amount of the mass as it is determined for the production of the shell. A dislocating element is lowered onto the fluidized mass from above such that the mass fills the intermediate space between the dislocating element and the mould being opened towards an upward direction to the rim. The dislocating element is designed as a stamp element, and it is connected to a cooling circuit to cool the mass in this way and to solidify the mass. It is a problem that the mass in its fluidized condition directly contacts the dislocating element until the shell hardens. To remove the stamp-like dislocating element from the solid shell, the stamp-like dislocating element is provided with a lubricant which may be a fluid or a solvent. Alcohol, terpine, edible parafines, water and gelantine are mentioned as such separating agents. These separating agents are used in the region of the stamp element. The mould is not being cooled, and it is not treated with a separating agent.
[0004] European Patent Application No. 0 589 820 A1 shows a method of producing shell-like hollow bodies being made of chocolate or another mass containing fat. The mass in its fluidized condition is poured into a stiff mould. Preferably, the mould is made of hard polycarbonate. A stamp element being movable in an upward direction and in a downward direction and being directed to a cooling circuit is lowered to contact the fluidized mass being contained in the mass. The stamp element has a temperature of less than 0° C. (32° F.) and it remains in the mass dislocated by the stamp element for a certain period of time, mostly between 1 and 10 seconds. The temperature of the mould preferably is less than the temperature of the mass. Chocolate masses and other masses containing fat which contract during solidification may be comparatively easily removed from a mould. This is achieved by turning the mould, and by knocking out the shells. With this known method, shells of vary uniform wall thickness may be produced. The shells may be easily removed from the strongly cooled stamp element.
[0005] German Patent No. 198 52 262 C2 teaches a stamp unit for imprinting shells with opened hollow moulds to be filled with liquid chocolate mass. The stamp element is lowered from above to directly contact the liquid chocolate mass. The stamp element is being cooled. The stamp element has a core of copper and a cover of aluminum to have a positive effect on heat conductivity.
[0006] From Canadian Patent No. 2,063,042, it is known to pour liquid chocolate mass into an elastic membrane-like mould, and to let the mass solidify in the mould. In this way, bodies made of chocolate may be produced, the bodies including undercuts. For removal of the bodies, the elastic mould is expanded by use of vacuum such that the solid body of chocolate falls out of the mould. It is also possible to use stamp-like ejecting elements to contact and deform the mould during ejection of the solid chocolate articles such that the solid chocolate bodies are released. However, it is not possible to produce shell-like hollow bodies in this way.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0007] The present invention relates to a method and an apparatus for producing a shell of an edible mass.
[0008] The method includes the steps of filling the fluidized mass into a mould, the mould at least being partly made of an elastic and resilient material, and dislocating the mass contained in the mould without directly contacting the mass until the mass has at least partly solidified to form a shell.
[0009] The apparatus includes at least one mould at least being partly made of an elastic and resilient material. The mould includes an inner side and an outer side. The inner side is designed and arranged to be contacted by the mass when the mass has been filled into the mould. At least one dislocating element is designed and arranged to contact the outer side without directly contacting the mass. The dislocating element is designed and arranged to temporarily deform the mould in an elastic way.
[0010] The present invention also relates to a method of producing a shell of an edible mass including the steps of filling the fluidized mass into a mould, the mould at least being partly made of an elastic and resilient material, elastically deforming the mould and the mass contained therein with a dislocating element contacting the mould at its side facing away from the mass and deforming the mould in an upward direction until the fluidized mass has reached a predetermined position and until the mass has at least partly solidified at the predetermined position, the mass being dislocated in the mould without being contacted by the dislocating element, removing the dislocating element from contact to the mould such that the mould reaches its initial position due to its resilient properties and such that the shell attains its predetermined shape, and removing the shell from the mould when the mass has solidified.
[0011] The present invention also relates to an apparatus including at least one mould being designed and arranged to be at least partly filled with the fluidized edible mass, the mould including an inner side and an outer side, the inner side being designed and arranged to be contacted by the mass when the mass has been filled into the mould, the mould at least being partly made of an elastic and resilient material. At least one dislocating element is designed and arranged to contact the outer side without directly contacting the mass, the dislocating element being designed and arranged to temporarily and elastically deform the mould in an upward direction until the fluidized mass has reached a predetermined position and until the mass has at least partly solidified at the predetermined position, the mass being dislocated in the mould without being directly contacted by the dislocating element, the dislocating element being designed and arranged to be removed from contact to the mould such that the mould reaches its initial position due to its resilient properties and such that the shell attains its predetermined hollow shape.
[0012] The term “fluidized mass” or “mass in its fluidized condition” is to be understood herein in a broad sense. Such a fluidized mass is to be understood to include all semi-fluid, fluid, pasty, mushy or similar masses which—usually under the influence of heat—are introduced into a mould, and which—usually due to cooling—later form a solid, shell-like hollow body in the mould. For example, such masses may be chocolate masses, caramel masses, fondant masses, fruit masses, jelly masses, nougat masses and the like. It is also possible to use masses containing sugar, for example candy masses. In most cases, the solid shell is not the finished product. Usually, it will be filled with one or more additional masses, it will be covered, or it will be processed in other ways to produce an edible product of the food and candy industry.
[0013] With the novel method and apparatus, it is possible to produce shell-like hollow bodies being made of a mass containing fat and/or sugar in which the problem of the mass and the shell, respectively, sticking to a dislocating element, and the problem of removing the shell from a dislocating element has been solved, and with which the solid shell may be removed from the mould even in the case of masses which are difficult to be handled.
[0014] The present invention uses the novel concept of dislocating the mass contained in the mould from below instead of from above as it is known in the prior art. For this purpose, a mould is used which, on the one hand, is designed to be opened in an upward direction to be capable of pouring the fluidized mass into the mould from above. The mould is not made of hard, undeformable plastic, but instead of an elastic material. For example, the mould may be designed to have comparatively thin walls and a design similar to a membrane. The mould may be deformed by a dislocating element being moved from below in an upward direction. The dislocating element contacts the mould at the side facing away from the mass such that the fluidized mass is lifted in the mould until it features the rim of the shell to be formed. The mould is at least partly reversed in an upward direction without the mass being removed from the mould. The shell is produced by controlled lowering of the dislocating element under simultaneous solidifying of the mass along the wall of the mould. The material of the mould has to have certain resilient properties to ensure that it reaches its initial position during the backstroke of the dislocating element and to let the still fluidized portion of the mass enter the bottom region of the mould such that this mass may solidify at this place. Especially, the mould may be made of a silicone material, or at least portions thereof may be made of silicone. The mould has a cup-like, especially semi-circular design. The wall thickness may be especially in a range of approximately 1 to 2 mm. The mould may also have a truncated cone design, or even a square or a rectangular cross section, preferably including rounded comers.
[0015] The dislocating element may be any element with which the elastic mould may be deformed in an upward direction. The dislocating element in its simplest embodiment may be mechanically designed as a stamp element having a rounded upper surface. The temperatures of the components have to be taken into account. The mass in its fluidized condition will be filled into the mould at a respective temperature. The mass will be uniformly distributed in the mould to form a horizontal liquid level. The dislocating element is moved centrically with respect to the axis of the mould in a forward stroke from below towards an upward direction, the fluidized mass further being distributed and lifted in the mould such that it reaches the predetermined rim portion in the mould. At this place, the solidifying process of the mould is initiated. This solidifying process may be further accelerated by additionally cooling the mould. This condition may be maintained for a plurality of seconds until solidification of the shell occurs in the rim portion. The dislocating element is moved in a downward direction determined with respect to time and coordinated with the kind and the solidifying properties of the mass. The solid shell forms starting at the rim portion and continuing in a downward direction. Finally, the mould due to its resilient properties regains its initial position. Afterwards, the shell also hardens in the bottom portion. It is desired to attain approximately uniform wall thickness of the shell with this backstroke. However, it is also possible to produce the shell to have a greater amount of mass in the bottom portion.
[0016] It is an important advantage of the novel method that only the mould contacts the mass. Consequently, there are no problems of the mass sticking to a dislocating element and of removing the mass from the dislocating element since the mass is deformed only contacting the mould. The novel method allows for a great fill factor, meaning shells having comparatively thin walls and respective volumes may be produced. A fill factor of approximately up to 60 percent may be reached. Such a shell makes it possible to locate a substantial amount of a different mass or of different masses in the shell. It may make sense to cool the mould in some way to accelerate or to control the hardening process of the mass. It is not necessary to cool the dislocating element. There also are no problems related to special designs of the dislocating element as they are known from the prior art. In the novel method, the dislocating element always remains clean since it does not contact the mass. The wall thickness of the shell may be controlled by choosing the amount of the mass being introduced into the mould and by choosing the period of time during which the stamp element is located in its upward position. In this way, it is possible to produce shells of different wall thicknesses in one mould. The novel method also allows for short process times, meaning a substantial amount of shells may be produced. Using a mould of an elastic, resilient material, as for example silicone, also provides for the advantage or being capable of removing the solid shell from the mould in a simple way. Removing may be realized in an upward direction or in a downward direction after turning the mould. It is also possible to at least partly use a reversing process of the mould in addition. In such a case, the mould being made of an elastic, deformable, resilient material has a double function, meaning a first function during shaping of the shell and a second function during removal of the solid shell from the mould.
[0017] It is especially preferred to reverse the mould in its portion being made of an elastic, resilient material by a dislocating element in an upward direction, the dislocating element contacting the mould at the side of the mould facing away from the mass.
[0018] The dislocating element serves to at least partly deform the mould in an upward direction, or in other words to at least reverse portions of the mould in an upward direction. The desired movement will be finished when the mass in its fluidized condition has reached the rim portion of the shell, and when it has reached its solid condition at this place. The rim portion of the shell to be formed does not necessarily have to be the rim portion of the mould. In many cases, the mould is located adjacent to a majority of moulds all being designed as impressions being located in a plate-like body. The moulds are connected to a horizontal plate. Consequently, only the impressions being formed by the moulds have to have the elastic, deformable design. The plate-like body may be designed as a stiff body.
[0019] The backstroke of the dislocating element initiates the restoring process of the mould to reach its initial position. The backstroke is conducted in a way that the dislocating effect of the fluidized mass is cancelled, and the mould reaches its initial shape. This process is coordinated with the hardening portions of the shell.
[0020] It may be of special importance to the novel reversing method to use a cold gas, especially cold air, such that it contacts the side of the mould facing away from the mass. Blowing the cold gas onto the mould serves to cool the mass and to locally solidify the mass. The blowing process may take place in a clocked manner only at certain method steps, or also during the entire shaping process of the shell. It also serves to minimize the increased amount of mass in the bottom portion of the mould.
[0021] The mould is of special importance to the present invention. The mould is a cup-like impression or opening. It is made of an elastic material having sufficient resilient properties. The wall thickness of the mould is at least partially designed such that it may be deformed and reversed, respectively, to shape the shell. The mould is only partly filled with the mass. First of all, the mass is distributed in the mould to form a horizontal liquid level. This initial distributing process my be positively influenced or accelerated by a vibrational process and a shaking process, respectively, especially when pasty or honey-like flowing masses are to be processed to form the shell. An especially preferred material for the mould is silicone. However, it is also possible to use other elastic plastic materials or other elastic resilient materials. The novel mould cooperates with a novel dislocating element being located at the side of the mould facing away from the mass and below the mould to contact the mould during the deformation process and the reversing process, respectively. The dislocating element never contacts the mass. It may have various designs. For example, it may be designed as a mechanically driven stamp element, a inflatable cushion, a piston rod of a piston/cylinder unit or a toothed rod being movable by an electric motor. The dislocating element is located below the mould and to be vertically movable with respect to the mould. The dislocating element is effective from below towards an upward direction, and it deforms the mould together with the mass contained in the mould.
[0022] In an especially simple and preferred exemplary embodiment of the novel apparatus, the dislocating element may be designed as a mechanical stamp element reversing the elastic portion of the mould in an upward direction during its upwardly directed stroke, and allowing for the mould regaining its initial position during a downwardly directed backstroke. It is possible to cool the mould and/or the dislocating element and the stamp element, respectively. When the dislocating element is designed as a mechanical stamp element, the stamp element may also be connected to a cooling circuit. Usually, it is sufficient to blow cool air onto the mould from below to cool the mass.
[0023] The dislocating element is located to a drive for moving the dislocating element, the drive being designed and arranged to be controlled with respect to the continuing solidifying process of the mass forming the shell. The drive is associated with a control unit determining the upwardly directed forward stroke and the downwardly directed backward stroke of the dislocating element. The stroke movement does not have to be uniform. It may be realized in different sections at different velocities to take the solidifying properties of the mass in the mould into account. It also makes sense when the dislocating element at the upper dead center of its movement remains for a certain period of time until solidifying of the mass begins in the rim portion of the mould. This period of time during which the dislocating element does not move may be in a range of approximately between 1 to 30 seconds.
[0024] To minimize the increased amount of the mass in the bottom portion of the shell, a unit for blowing in cold gas during and/or after the mould reaching its initial position may be located above the mould. The gas may for example be cold air, nitrogen or the like. The cold gas does not only serve to cool the mass. In the case of especially flowable masses, the gas may also be used for contactless shaping, especially in the bottom portion of the mould and of the shell, respectively. It is especially preferred when at least the elastically deformable portion of the mould has thin walls, and when the mould is supported by an annular supporting body at the side of the mould facing away from the mass. The supporting body supports portions of the thin wall of the elastically deformable mould. The supporting body makes it possible to design the mould to have especially thin walls, and to design the mould to be a membrane-like element within a mould not being made of a deformable, but instead of a stiff material, for example of metal. It is only of importance to the reversing process that this part of the mould is deformable to allow for contactless displacement of the fluidized mass being contained in the mould and in this part of the mould, respectively, with the dislocating element. Usually, the supporting body is made of metal, and it has a central opening. It may fulfill a centering function for the dislocating element being designed as a stamp such that it is ensured that the dislocating element engages the mould in the vertical axis of the mould and such that the mass is dislocated to all sides in a uniform way. At the same time, the supporting body is a simple possibility for cooling the mould. The supporting body may have a hollow design, and it may be connected to a cooling circuit such that a cooling medium flows through the hollow supporting body.
[0025] Other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent to one with skill in the art upon examination of the following drawings and the detailed description. It is intended that all such additional features and advantages be included herein within the scope of the present invention, as defined by the claims.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0026] The invention can be better understood with reference to the following drawings. The components in the drawings are not necessarily to scale, emphasis instead being placed upon clearly illustrating the principles of the present invention. In the drawings, like reference numerals designate corresponding parts throughout the several views.
[0027] [0027]FIG. 1 is a schematic view of a cross section of one novel mould after filling in the fluidized mass.
[0028] [0028]FIG. 2 is a view of the mould according to FIG. 1 after lifting the dislocating element.
[0029] [0029]FIG. 3 is a view of the relative position of the elements after partly lowering the dislocating element.
[0030] [0030]FIG. 4 is a view during the solidifying process of the mass in the bottom portion.
[0031] [0031]FIG. 5 is a view of the mass being located in the mould and solidifying to form a shell.
[0032] [0032]FIG. 6 is a view of the mould including the shell and an additional mass.
[0033] [0033]FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of the mould after a covering process.
[0034] [0034]FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view directly before removing the product from the mould.
[0035] [0035]FIG. 9 is a schematic view of the product before placing it in a packing material.
[0036] [0036]FIG. 10 is a similar view as FIG. 1, but illustrating a different exemplary embodiment.
[0037] [0037]FIG. 11 is a similar view as FIG. 2, but illustrating a different exemplary embodiment of the novel mould and a dislocating element being connected to a cooling circuit.
[0038] [0038]FIG. 12 is a schematic view of another exemplary embodiment of the novel dislocating element.
[0039] [0039]FIG. 13 is a schematic view during removal of the finished product from the mould.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0040] FIGS. 1 - 13 are schematic illustrations. They are illustrated as cross-sectional views only for reasons of making it easier to understand the construction of the novel apparatus and the function of the novel method. They only show one single mould. It is to be understood that one usually uses plates including a majority of such moulds, the moulds being located in the plate one next to the other in a uniform pattern.
[0041] Referring now in greater detail to the drawings, FIG. 1 illustrates a novel mould 1 . The mould 1 includes a cup-like impression 2 being designed to be opened in an upward direction. The mould 1 with its impression 2 may be designed to be rotationally symmetric with respect to a vertical axis 3 . The mould 1 is illustrated as a single mould although it usually is located next to a majority of identical moulds in a uniform pattern to be capable of producing a plurality of shells and of shell-like hollow bodies, respectively. The mould 1 at least in the portion of the cup-like impression 2 is made of an elastic plastic material. The cup-like wall 4 may be connected to a plate 5 being more or less designed as a stiff body. The plate 5 is only partly illustrated. However, it is to be understood that a majority of the moulds 1 is located in the plate 5 .
[0042] A fluidized mass 7 (FIG. 1) is poured into the mould 1 from above to produce a shell 6 (FIG. 5). The fluidized mass 7 partly fills the impression 2 of the mould 1 . The amount of the mass 7 is coordinated with the size and the wall thickness of the shell 6 to be produced. The mass 7 may for example be a caramel mass, a fondant mass, a fruit mass, a jelly mass, a chocolate mass, a candy mass, a hard sugar mass or a different partly fluid, pasty or honey-like flowing mass. The mass 7 in its fluidized condition reaches the impression 2 of the mould 1 , and it initially reaches the impression 2 until the mass 7 has been distributed in the impression 2 to form a horizontal liquid level 8 in the mould 1 . Distribution may be increased or accelerated by vibrational measures or by shaking measures. However, usually this is not required. The temperature of the mass 7 is of importance. The mass 7 is introduced into the impression 2 of the mould 1 at a predetermined temperature above the solidifying temperature of the mass 7 .
[0043] As it is to be seen from FIG. 2, a dislocating element 9 is located below the mould 1 , meaning at the side of the mould 1 facing away from the mass 7 . The dislocating element 9 in its simplest form may be designed as a mechanical stamp element 10 . The dislocating element 9 has a radius being substantially less than the radius of the impression 2 . It may be designed to be rounded in its upper portion, as this is illustrated. However, it may also include an impression in this portion. The dislocating element 9 in its starting position is located below the mould 1 such that the mould 1 has its initial shape without any influences by the dislocating element 9 . For this purpose, the mould 1 is at least partially made of a material having respective resilient properties allowing for the mould 1 reaching its initial starting position when there is no contact to the dislocating element 9 .
[0044] The dislocating element 9 is lifted with respect to the mould 1 in the direction of arrow 11 in a way controlled with respect to time and the path such that it deforms and dislocates, respectively, the mould 1 together with the mass 7 contained in the mould 1 . The upward stroke of the dislocating element 9 according to arrow 11 is ended in the upper dead center. The dislocating element 9 may remain in this position for a certain period of time being sufficient to allow for the fluidized mass 7 in the portion of a rim 12 of the shell 6 to be formed to solidify, and to stick to the wall 4 of the mould 1 . The remaining mass 7 still has its fluidized condition.
[0045] The dislocating element 9 is then moved in a downward direction according to arrow 13 in a way coordinated with the solidifying process of the fluidized mass 7 which takes place from above in a downward direction. In this way, the shell 6 being made of the mass 7 solidifies, further portions of the shell 6 hardening after the rim of the shell 6 . The lowering process of the dislocating element 9 according to arrow 13 may take place in a continuous way or in a step-like way, also at changing velocities, and coordinated with a kind of the properties of the mass 7 as well as with the shape of the mould 1 . Finally, there is a condition as illustrated in FIG. 5. The entire mass 7 has solidified to form the solid shell 6 . The mould 1 due to its resilient properties has reached its initial position, as illustrated in FIG. 1, and by removing the dislocating element 9 from contact to the mould 1 . It is to be understood that the dislocating element 9 during its upward movement according to arrow 11 (FIG. 2) as well as during its downward movement according to arrow 13 (FIG. 3) is moved in a way centric with respect to the axis 3 .
[0046] Especially in the case of the shell 6 having a semicircular, cup-like design requiring a respective design of the mould 1 with its impression 2 , there will be a certain increased amount of mass material in the portion of the bottom of the mould 1 and of the impression 2 , respectively, depending on the kind of the mass 7 which is used. Usually, the shell 6 will have an increased wall thickness in the region of the bottom 14 than it is the case in the region of the rim 12 . To counteract this increased mass amount in the region of the bottom 14 and to realize approximately uniform wall thickness of the shell 6 , the mould 1 may be associated with a unit 15 for blowing in a cold gas distributing in the impression 2 of the mould 1 according to arrows 16 . The cold gas may be cold air or any other inert gas, for example nitrogen in the gaseous condition. The additional blowing step of cold gas may be realized in a clocked manner to be used only during short periods of time, for example directly after having reached the initial position of the mould 1 after its regaining movement. At this point in time, the mass portions at the bottom 14 are still liquid or at least partially liquid. These mass portions may be cooled by the stream of gas being directed in a downward direction, and they also may be dislocated in the mould 1 to minimize the increased amount of mass in the region of the bottom 14 . Consequently, wall thickness of the shell 6 along the height of the shell 6 is more uniform. However, additionally cooling and dislocating in the mass 7 is only necessary for some masses. It is also possible to cool the mould 1 alternatively or in addition, for example by a stream of cool gas coming from below, as it is indicated in FIG. 1 by arrows 17 and 18 . The mould 1 may also be cooled in different ways to have a positive influence or to control the solidifying process of the mass 7 to form the solid shell 6 .
[0047] After the solidifying process of the shell 6 has been completely finished according to FIG. 5, a second mass 19 , for example a nougat mass, may be poured into the hollow space 21 of the shell 6 according to arrow 20 , as this is illustrated in FIG. 6. The hardening process of the shell 6 may also be controlled by moving the mould 1 with the shell 6 through a section of a cooling channel.
[0048] [0048]FIG. 7 illustrates another possible step during manufacture of an edible product. This step is the application of a cover 22 . Such a cover mass is poured onto the product according to arrows 23 . During this additional producing step of a finished product, a stream of cooled air may be directed onto the mould 1 from below according to arrow 17 (FIG. 7). However, it is also possible to cool with cool gas after placing the cover mass on the shell 6 , as this is illustrated in FIG. 4 with respect to the mass 7 forming the shell 6 . Finally, the masses 7 and 19 and the cover 22 will harden such that the product may be removed from the mould 1 .
[0049] [0049]FIG. 8 illustrates an ejector element 24 which may be designed as a stiff body. The ejector element 24 is controlled to be moved in an upward direction according to arrow 25 . The elastic material of the mould 1 has a positive effect on the removal of the shell 6 from the mould 1 . The finished product may be easily removed from the mould 1 even in the case of masses 7 which are difficult to be processed, especially sugar masses. It is to be understood that it is also possible to remove shells 6 which are empty from the mould 1 in the same way as this has been described with respect to FIG. 8. It is possible to arrange a suction element 26 above the mould 1 , the suction element 26 being moved according to double arrow 27 and transporting the shell 6 .
[0050] Then, as this is indicated in FIG. 9, the product may be moved in a downward direction to reach an impression 28 of a packing material 29 by the suction element 26 . It is to be understood that the suction element 26 is connected to a vacuum source (not illustrated), and that it is respectively controlled.
[0051] [0051]FIG. 10 illustrates another exemplary embodiment of the novel mould 1 . It is referred to the above description. The mould 1 according to FIG. 10 includes a supporting ring 30 as an additional component. The supporting ring 30 may be made of a material with good heat conductivity properties, and it may be connected to a tempering circuit to have an influence on the temperature of the mould 1 in its contact portions to the supporting ring 30 . However, this does not have to be a cooling circuit, it is also possible to temper the wall 4 of the mould 1 in the desired way and during certain periods of time to achieve exact control of the solidifying process of the mass 7 to the shell 6 . The supporting ring 30 usually is designed as an annular body. It includes an opening 31 being located centrically with respect to the axis 3 . The opening 31 may be used as a centering guiding element for the dislocating element 9 and for the stamp element 10 , respectively, as this is to be seen from FIG. 11. It is also possible to design the supporting ring 30 as a closed body and to be movable such that it only contacts the wall 4 of the mould 1 at times during which the dislocating element 9 does not contact the wall 4 .
[0052] [0052]FIG. 11 illustrates another exemplary embodiment of the novel apparatus. The dislocating element 9 and the stamp element 10 , respectively, is cool. It is connected to a cooling circuit being indicated by arrows 32 , 33 . For this purpose, the stamp element 10 includes a channel 34 . FIG. 11 also shows that the surface of the stamp element 10 being directed in an upward direction may also have a different design than it is illustrated in FIG. 2. In this way, there even is a greater effect on deformation and reversing of the mould 1 with its wall 4 in an upward direction.
[0053] [0053]FIG. 12 illustrates another exemplary embodiment of the novel apparatus in a schematic view. It illustrates an intermediate position being similar to the one in FIG. 3, but showing a mass having different flowing properties. An inflatable balloon 35 is used as the dislocating element 9 , the balloon 35 being arranged in a stationary tube 36 . Its starting position is illustrated by a broken line. Inflating of the balloon 36 results in the wall 4 of the mould 1 being reversed in an upward direction in a centric way with respect to the axis 3 .
[0054] [0054]FIG. 13 illustrates another exemplary embodiment of the apparatus for producing shells 6 or other products. In contrast to the illustration of FIG. 8 in which the product is lifted in an upward direction, FIG. 13 illustrates the mould 1 in a turned position as it is known from knocking melted chocolate articles out of the mould 1 . The mould 1 with the shell 6 or the product contained therein is moved with respect to a roller 37 . The elastic design of the mould 1 has a positive effect on the step of removing the product from the mould 1 . The product falls out of the mould 1 according to arrow 38 . The product may be placed on a conveyor belt or the like. It is to be understood that it is possible to use a different element instead of the roller 37 , for example a rod being designed and arranged being movable in a vertical direction.
[0055] Many variations and modifications may be made to the preferred embodiments of the invention without departing substantially from the spirit and principles of the invention. All such modifications and variations are intended to be included herein within the scope of the present invention, as defined by the following claims.
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A method of producing a shell of an edible mass includes the steps of filling the fluidized mass into a mould, the mould at least being partly made of an elastic and resilient material, and dislocating the mass contained in the mould without directly contacting the mass until the mass has at least partly solidified to form a shell. An apparatus for producing a shell of an edible mass includes at least one mould at least being partly made of an elastic and resilient material. The mould includes an inner side and an outer side. The inner side is designed and arranged to be contacted by the mass when the mass has been filled into the mould. At least one dislocating element is designed and arranged to contact the outer side without directly contacting the mass. The dislocating element is designed and arranged to temporarily deform the mould in an elastic way.
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FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The invention describes a method of heating a preform. The invention also describes a driving arrangement, a preform heating system and a computer program for heating a preform.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] Nowadays, the majority of beverage containers are lightweight plastic bottles of a material such as PET (polyethylene terephthalate), manufactured in a two-step process. In a first step, so-called hollow “preforms” are created from the raw material, e.g. by a slow, high-temperature extrusion process. In a second step the ‘walls’ of these hollow preforms are heated again—this time to a temperature below their re-crystallization point, i.e. below about 130° C.—and then formed into the desired bottle-shapes via blow-moulding.
[0003] In most state of the art preform heating ovens, this heating is carried out using halogen lamps, for which a significant portion of the broad emission spectrum lies in the infrared region. During the heating process, heat energy is ‘deposited’ in the preform material. The infrared heating technique, while technically well-developed, has the drawback of limited energy efficiency. One reason for the poor energy efficiency is that the radiation emitted by the halogen lamps cannot effectively be directed or focused. The main reason, however, is the poor matching of the emission spectrum of the halogen lamps to the absorption spectrum of the preform material, which results in absorption of energy in inappropriate regions of the preform, for example in its outer surface. This results in higher temperatures in some regions of the preform wall, while other regions are insufficiently heated. For example the outside surface of the preform may become very hot while the inside surface is insufficiently heated. Furthermore, the distribution of deposited energy inside the preform wall does not necessarily result in the same distribution of temperatures on account of the thermal conductivity of the material. Such temperature gradients or hot spots make it difficult to ensure an even quality of the subsequent blow-moulding stage, and may even result in damage to the outer surface of the preform. Therefore, some prior art processes even resort to an additional cooling of the preforms during the heating-process (for example by forced-air cooling); a measure which is obviously costly and inefficient from the point of view of energy consumption, and therefore undesirable. Alternatively, in prior art ovens, an unwanted temperature gradient may be dealt with by “equilibration phases”, i.e. time-delays during which thermal conduction inside the preform material should lead to an equalization of the temperatures in the preform wall. These equilibration phases typically take several seconds (up to ten). However, including these phases into the heating process means that the total process time is lengthened, thereby increasing the overall cost of the preform heating process.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0004] Therefore, it is an object of the invention to provide a more economical and effective preform heating process which avoids the problems mentioned above.
[0005] The object of the invention is achieved by the method of heating a preform according to claim 1 and by a driving arrangement according to claim 10 .
[0006] According to the invention, the method of heating a preform—characterized by a radius, a material thickness, and a preform material absorption spectrum—comprises the steps of selecting a desired effective absorption coefficient for the preform on the basis of the desired temperature profile, the preform radius, and the material thickness, and generating a laser radiation beam with a wavelength spectrum compiled on the basis of the absorption coefficients of the absorption spectrum, i.e. on the basis of at least one absorption coefficient of the absorption spectrum, to satisfy the effective absorption coefficient. The method further comprises the step of directing the laser radiation beam at the preform to heat the preform. Here, a preform is to be understood to be any “preformed” object or workpiece, preferably cylindrical in shape and hollow, which is to be heated in order to be softened for a subsequent blow-moulding step. An example of such a preform might be an essentially cylindrical hollow PET element from which a beverage container is to be made. Also, the “effective absorption coefficient” may be regarded as a function of absorption coefficients of the absorption spectrum of the preform material at specific wavelengths of light.
[0007] The term “wavelength spectrum” of the laser radiation is to be understood to mean the “set” of radiation wavelengths of the laser radiation beam with their relative intensities, whether these are discrete wavelengths, or a wavelength range covering a continuum in the range. As the wavelength of a photon may be equally described by its energy or frequency, the terms “energy spectrum” or “frequency spectrum” of the laser radiation can be regarded as equivalent to the term “wavelength spectrum”. Therefore, as will be explained below, a wavelength spectrum may, for example, be ‘compiled’ by choosing laser radiation sources with appropriate wavelengths or wavelength ranges and mixing or superimposing the radiation from these laser radiation sources at suitable levels of intensity.
[0008] The effective absorption coefficient is to be understood to be equivalent to the actual absorption (for example in a preform) for an incoming radiation spectrum, calculated for all pertinent wavelengths of radiation. The effective absorption coefficient α eff for a given radiation spectrum can be expressed using the following equation:
[0000]
α
eff
=
-
1
t
·
ln
[
∑
λ
w
λ
·
exp
(
-
α
λ
·
t
)
]
(
1
)
[0009] where t is the material thickness (in this case the wall thickness of the preform), λ is a wavelength of a laser radiation component, α λ is the known absorption coefficient for that material at that wavelength (obtained, for example, from an absorption spectrum for that material), and w λ is the weighting factor for that wavelength. In equation (1), absorption at discrete wavelengths is assumed, and the effective absorption coefficient is expressed as a sum. Evidently, the absorption could equally well occur over a wavelength continuum, in which case the effective absorption coefficient would be expressed as a corresponding integral. In either case, the total of all weighting factors together should give unity or 1.0.
[0010] By appropriate choice of the wavelengths and/or the weighting factors for each wavelength to be used, equation (1) can be used in reverse i.e. to ‘compile’ or ‘assemble’ a radiation spectrum that leads to an effective absorption coefficient with a desired value, for example as determined by a certain desired distribution of absorbed energy.
[0011] The ‘resolution’ of the effective absorption coefficient may depend to some extent on the capabilities of the laser radiation sources available, and how well these can be matched to the absorption coefficients of the material being heated. Obviously, when using a laser radiation source that comprises many differently tuned individual laser radiation sources, radiation can be generated at wavelengths resulting in an appropriate absorption in the material, so that the desired effective absorption coefficient α eff can be reproduced to a high degree of accuracy. However, even in systems with only a limited number of available wavelengths, the degree of freedom offered by the weighting factors may be put to good effect to obtain a close approximation of the desired value of the effective absorption coefficient α eff .
[0012] An advantage of the method according to the invention is that the energy contained in the laser radiation beam and applied to the preform will be optimally deposited, i.e. absorbed by the preform. Compared to prior art heating techniques, in the method according to the invention, the energy is more evenly, preferably essentially evenly, deposited throughout the preform material. Since the effective absorption coefficient for a preform is chosen on the basis of that preform's radius and material thickness, the effective absorption coefficient exactly suits that type of preform. Using this effective absorption coefficient as a target or goal, it is then possible to ‘compile’ a laser radiation beam comprising a laser radiation wavelength spectrum, which laser radiation beam, when directed at the preform, will heat the preform according to the effective absorption coefficient.
[0013] Surprisingly, it has been observed that the effective absorption coefficient necessary to achieve a desired temperature profile in the preform wall does not necessarily coincide with the values of greatest absorption recorded in the absorption spectrum for that preform material.
[0014] Therefore, the effective absorption coefficient (and further parameters) may preferably be chosen such that the energy absorption density is essentially uniform throughout the body of the preform. This allows a more energy-efficient heating process compared to prior art approaches, in which an excess of infrared energy is radiated in the direction of the preform but wasted to a large extent. Also, using the method according to the invention, a local overheating in regions of the preform is avoided, so that the inefficient and costly cooling required by prior art approaches is not needed.
[0015] The driving arrangement according to the invention for controlling a laser radiation generating unit of a preform heating system comprises an input interface for obtaining preform geometry parameters, a preform absorption spectrum, and a desired temperature profile or temperature gradient for the preform, and a selection arrangement for selecting an effective absorption coefficient on the basis of the preform geometry parameters and the desired temperature profile, and a laser parameter compiler module for compiling a laser wavelength spectrum on the basis of corresponding absorption coefficients of the preform material to satisfy the effective absorption coefficient, and for selecting a laser beam width for the laser radiation beam on the basis of the desired relative effective absorption coefficient. The driving arrangement also comprises an output interface for providing a laser radiation generating unit with control signals pertaining to the chosen laser radiation wavelength spectrum and the laser beam width.
[0016] The dependent claims and the subsequent description disclose particularly advantageous embodiments and features of the invention.
[0017] As the effective absorption coefficient depends on the radius of the perform, the effective absorption coefficient is preferably derived in a two-step manner: in a first step, a desired relative effective absorption coefficient for the preform is selected on the basis of the desired temperature profile, the preform radius, and the material thickness. In a second step, the effective absorption coefficient is subsequently derived from the relative effective absorption coefficient.
[0018] The term “relative effective absorption coefficient” (α eff ·R) is to be understood to be the effective absorption coefficient α eff multiplied by the radius R of the preform. It is a value that gives an indication of the manner in which heat energy is absorbed by the preform. A set of relative effective absorption coefficient values can be determined independently of the preform material, and may be visualized as a region of points in a point space bounded by a range given by the ratio of preform thickness to preform radius; and by the ratio of a laser radiation beam width to the preform radius. This will be explained later in greater detail with the aid of the diagrams.
[0019] Accordingly, the selection arrangement of the driving arrangement preferably comprises a selection module for selecting a relative effective absorption coefficient on the basis of the preform geometry parameters and the desired temperature profile, and a derivation module for deriving the effective absorption coefficient from the relative effective absorption coefficient.
[0020] Although the relative effective absorption coefficient can be chosen from a wide range encompassed by extremes, for example a laser beam that is extremely narrow or extremely wide, or a preform wall that is extremely thin or extremely thick relative to the radius, generally a desirable relative effective absorption coefficient will lie within a smaller realistic range. According to the invention, therefore, the method of heating a preform comprises generating a laser radiation beam comprising laser radiation with a wavelength spectrum compiled (on the basis of one or more absorption coefficients of the absorption spectrum of the preform material) to satisfy an effective absorption coefficient, such that the laser radiation beam, when directed at the preform, heats the preform according to a desired relative effective absorption coefficient in the range 1.0 to 4.0, more preferably in the range 2.0 to 3.5, and most preferably in the range 2.5 to 3.0. For the usual types of preforms then, with walls that are neither extremely thick nor extremely thin, a useful relative effective absorption coefficient can be chosen for a desired temperature profile to be obtained using a practicable laser beam width. Preferably, if the desired temperature profile can be achieved with the chosen relative effective absorption coefficient, this may be chosen from the upper range given, since observations have shown that such value from that range, when used as a basis for compiling the laser beam, results in a very favourable energy absorption density throughout the preform during heating. The effective absorption coefficient can be obtained on the basis of laser radiation of just a single wavelength; however it may be more beneficial to use several laser wavelengths to compile a suitable spectrum that satisfies the desired effective absorption coefficient, since the use of several lasers allows a more flexible adaptation of the radiation spectrum to changing requirements, for example changing from one preform material to another, or changing from one preform size to another, etc.
[0021] The width of a laser radiation beam can extend from a near point (when the laser beam is generated as a narrow beam) to a wide line (when, e.g., the laser beam is fanned out). The intensity of the laser radiation arriving at the destination (in this case, a preform) will depend on the effective width of the laser beam. Usually, a wide beam has less sharply defined edges than a narrow beam. Typically, the irradiance of the laser radiation is strongest in the centre of the beam, and drops off towards the outer edges of the beam. The ‘useful’ width of a laser beam can be defined in a number of ways, for example by using the “full width at half maximum” (FWHM), i.e. the width of the beam between two points at which the irradiance of the beam is at half its maximum.
[0022] During development of the inventive method, it has been observed that the width of the laser beam directed at the preform also influences the heating process. A narrow point-like beam of radiation may heat a ‘spot’ area of the preform, while a wide fan-shaped beam of radiation may heat a ‘strip’ area of the preform. Furthermore, the laser beam width also influences the temperature profile inside the preform wall: with a narrow beam, it is easier to achieve a higher temperature at the inside of the preform wall than at the outside, while it is very much more difficult to obtain such a temperature gradient using a wide laser beam. Therefore, in the method according to the invention, a beam width for the laser radiation beam is preferably determined such that the value of beam width divided by the value of preform radius is less than or equal to 0.5, more preferably less than or equal to 0.1, and the step of generating laser radiation to give the laser radiation beam comprises shaping the laser radiation beam according to the determined beam width. Choosing a value of relative beam width in that range allows a favourably high choice of relative effective absorption coefficient, as described above.
[0023] Usually, because of the complex electronics involved, a laser radiation source will be at a fixed location relative to the preforms which may be transported to pass by the laser radiation source at an appropriate velocity. Usually, the preforms are held vertically and moved horizontally through an oven, but it is clear that an oven can be constructed in which the preforms can be held and transported in any suitable manner. Since the preforms are generally moved past the laser radiation sources, these evidently cannot entirely surround the preforms. To ensure even heating, therefore, a preform is preferably rotated about a longitudinal axis whereby the orientation of the longitudinal axis is essentially transverse to a major axis of the incoming laser radiation beam. For example, the laser radiation beam may be directed horizontally at the preforms passing by, and the preforms may be rotated about a vertical axis so that a major axis of the laser radiation beam strikes the preform essentially perpendicularly to the preform surface.
[0024] A certain ‘temperature profile’ can be obtained with the chosen spectral composition and shape of the laser beam. For example, it has been observed that a particular preform may exhibit a higher temperature on the outside than on the inside when heated using a ‘wide’ beam and when the laser beam spectrum has been compiled to satisfy a relative effective absorption coefficient with a value from the upper range given above, for example a value of about 4.0. That same preform may exhibit a higher inside temperature when heated using a narrow beam and when the laser beam spectrum has been compiled in order to create a relative effective absorption coefficient with a value from the lower range specified above, e.g. a value close to 2.0. In a particularly preferred embodiment of the invention, therefore, the desired relative effective absorption coefficient is chosen on the basis of a specific temperature gradient to be achieved, during heating, between an outer region and an inner region of the preform. For example, a controller of a preform heating system may decide that the preforms are best heated such that the insides of the preform are hotter than the outsides. Using this as a performance target, and knowing the preform geometry, the controller can choose a corresponding relative effective absorption coefficient and an appropriate beam width so that the laser radiation beam is compiled with a suitable wavelength spectrum and regulated accordingly.
[0025] While the compiled laser radiation results in a temperature gradient satisfying the desired temperature profile, for example ‘slightly hotter on the inside than on the outside’, the absolute values of temperature can be influenced by the irradiation duration. Exposing the preform to the laser radiation for a longer duration will result in higher temperatures throughout the preform, while the overall temperature gradient continues to satisfy the desired temperature profile.
[0026] Using the method according to the invention, a higher temperature can be reached on the inside of the preform than on the outside, so that a subsequent blow-moulding step can be performed, and so that the quality of the finished product—for example beverage containers—is satisfactorily high. Furthermore, a very even heating of the preform body can also be achieved, in contrast to the prior art techniques which often result in a too hot outer surface of the preform.
[0027] However, depending on, for example, the material of the preform, the occurrence of total internal reflection in the wall of the preform may lead to a situation in which the temperature at an inner surface or region of the preform is too high.
[0028] In the following, a number of approaches are described with which the temperature at the inside of the preform can be ‘fine-tuned’. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the temperature of the inner region of the preform is regulated by means of a refractive element with a specific refractive index, which refractive element is located in a cavity of the preform. Such a refractive element may simply be a rod or similar object inserted into the cavity of the preform, and shaped in such a way that it neatly fits the cavity. Preferably, the material of the refractive element is chosen such that the refractive index of the refractive element closely matches that of the preform. For example, the refractive element can be of the same material as the preform or of a material very similar to that of the preform. Then, any radiation passing through the preform will no longer undergo total internal reflection at the inner surface of the preform, but will pass through the refractive element and continue, on the other side, to emerge through the body of the preform. In this way, it is ensured that an undesirable excess of energy is not deposited at the inner regions of the preform. The refractive element can be a solid, but could equally well be a liquid such as a suitable oil, or even water, depending on the desired refractive properties.
[0029] Use of a refractive element located in the preform cavity can effectively distribute the laser radiation energy. Depending on the preform material, preform geometry, and choice of laser radiation source, however, it may be desirable to ‘dispose’ of some excess portion of the laser radiation. Therefore, in a further preferred embodiment of the invention, the temperature of the inner region of the preform can be regulated by means of a thermal absorber positioned in a cavity of the preform, which thermal absorber absorbs a portion of the laser radiation energy. In this way, the excess energy is not simply redirected to another region of the preform, but can be partially or completely ‘removed’. The material of the absorber can be chosen on the basis of its absorptive properties, for example to absorb laser radiation of all wavelengths used, or some or most of the wavelength used. The thermal absorber can be a solid, a liquid, or any suitable state. For example, the preforms can be suspended with their open ends facing upward on their path through the oven, and the thermal absorber can simply be water poured into the cavity and later poured out again before the preform is shaped by blow-moulding.
[0030] The preforms are usually rotated about an axis, as described above, so that the heat energy of the laser radiation is effectively distributed throughout the body of the preform. In a further preferred embodiment of the invention, the thermal absorber comprises a half-cylinder of energy-absorbing material, which half-cylinder is essentially stationary relative to the preform.
[0031] The driving arrangement is preferably equipped with a memory for storing information pertaining to relative effective absorption coefficients for different preform geometries, laser beam widths, and resulting temperature profiles. Such a memory can store the information in the form of look-up tables (LUTs) or graphs, as appropriate. For example, relative effective absorption coefficient data can be gathered for a variety of preform geometries, laser beam widths, and temperature gradients, and stored as a collection of points. At a later stage, using a different preform geometry, a relative effective absorption coefficient can be determined by interpolation between suitable points of the previously gathered data. Naturally, the data stored in the memory could be updated or augmented by new data points at any time.
[0032] A preform heating system according to the invention, in particular a bottle-blowing apparatus for heating preforms, comprises a laser radiation generating unit for generating a laser radiation beam comprising laser radiation components at a number of wavelengths, and a driving arrangement as described above for controlling the laser radiation generating unit, and a beam controller for directing the laser radiation beam at the preform to heat the preform.
[0033] Any suitable laser radiation source could be used to generate the required beam of laser radiation. Preferably, the laser radiation beam should include several different wavelengths or wavelength ranges at variable intensities, so that a variable wavelength spectrum can be compiled to suit the type of preform being heated. A suitable laser radiation generating unit could comprise, for example, a plurality of semiconductor lasers, which are compact and can be arranged over a relatively small area (compared to infrared halogen lamps, which are quite bulky) suitable for irradiating the preforms. Furthermore, semiconductor lasers are relatively economical. A particularly suitable type of semiconductor laser is a vertical cavity surface emitting laser (VCSEL), since a VCSEL can be tuned to deliver radiation of a certain wavelength by appropriate choice of the active medium and the reflector layers, as will be known to the skilled person. Therefore, the laser radiation generating unit of a preform heating system according to the invention preferably comprises a plurality of VCSELs, for example a set of VCSELs each covering a range of wavelengths in different regions of the light spectrum, in particular in the infra-red range of the spectrum. With such a bank of VCSELS, it is particularly straightforward to ‘mix’ or ‘compile’ a wavelength spectrum with wavelengths matched to a certain preform, so that the preform can be optimally heated. The wavelength spectrum compiled for such a laser radiation source can comprise discrete wavelengths, or a continuum of wavelengths, as appropriate.
[0034] For certain types of preform, it may be sufficient to generate radiation within a narrow range of wavelengths for a ‘fine-tuning’ of the heating process, while a basic heating is carried out with an alternative source of heat. Therefore, in a further preferred embodiment of the invention, the preform heating system, in addition to the laser radiation generating unit described above, comprises an infrared radiation source such as a number of halogen lamps.
[0035] In a further aspect of the present invention a computer program for heating a preform is presented, wherein the computer program comprises program code means for causing a preform heating system as defined in claim 12 to carry out the steps of a method of heating a preform as defined in claim 1 , when the computer program is run on a computer controlling the preform heating system.
[0036] It shall be understood that the preform heating system of claim 12 , the method of heating a preform of claim 1 and the computer program of claim 15 have similar and/or identical preferred embodiments, in particular, as defined in the dependent claims.
[0000] It shall be understood that a preferred embodiment of the invention can also be any combination of the dependent claims with the respective independent claim.
[0037] Other objects and features of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed descriptions considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. It is to be understood, however, that the drawings are designed solely for the purposes of illustration and not as a definition of the limits of the invention.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0038] FIG. 1 shows a simplified transverse cross section and a simplified longitudinal cross section through a preform;
[0039] FIG. 2 shows the development of undesirable overheating in an outer region of a preform heated in a prior art technique;
[0040] FIG. 3 shows a simplified absorption spectrum of an exemplary material used in manufacturing preforms;
[0041] FIG. 4 shows an irradiance distribution of a laser radiation beam relative to a transverse cross section through a preform, indicating the paths taken by laser radiation through the preform when heated using the method according to the invention;
[0042] FIG. 5 shows a set of characteristic curves of relative effective absorption coefficients used in the method according to the invention;
[0043] FIG. 6 a shows a cross-section through a preform and the paths taken by two exemplary radiation rays through the preform;
[0044] FIG. 6 b shows a cross-section through a preform and a refractive element for refracting laser radiation in a preform heating method according to the invention;
[0045] FIG. 6 c shows a cross-section through a preform and a first thermal absorber for absorbing laser radiation in a preform heating method according to the invention;
[0046] FIG. 6 d shows a cross-section through a preform and a second thermal absorber for absorbing laser radiation in a preform heating method according to the invention;
[0047] FIG. 7 shows a bottle-blowing apparatus including a driving arrangement according to an embodiment of the invention;
[0048] FIG. 8 a shows a ray-tracing simulation for a preform cross-section and a first heating profile using the method according to the invention;
[0049] FIG. 8 b shows a ray-tracing simulation for a preform cross-section and a second heating profile using the method according to the invention.
[0050] In the drawings, like numbers refer to like objects throughout. Objects in the diagrams are not necessarily drawn to scale.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS
[0051] FIG. 1 shows a transverse cross-section and a longitudinal cross-section through the body 3 of a preform 1 . Such a preform 1 , intended for use as a beverage container or bottle, already features a threaded neck 2 , which, contrary to the body 3 of the preform 1 , is usually not subjected to any heating and thus remains largely unaffected by the subsequent blow-moulding of the heated preform body 3 . The cavity 4 of the preform 1 can be used to fixate the preform 1 during its path through the oven or furnace, as a bottle-blowing apparatus is usually termed, for example by a rod or pin upon which the preform is placed. While being heated, the preform may be rotated about its longitudinal axis 5 . When heated in the oven, the body 3 of the preform 1 becomes hot and softens as a result, so that, in a subsequent treatment step, air forced into the cavity 4 of the preform 1 under a certain pressure causes the preform body 3 to expand. Suitable shaping means external to the preform 1 may serve to shape the beverage container, for example to give grooves or indentations for ease of holding of the container. In prior art halogen ovens, in which infrared radiation is emitted by a plurality of halogen light bulbs lining the walls of the oven, the preforms are heated essentially by thermal conduction from the outside to the inside. Because thermal conduction can be fairly slow, it is often a problem that the outer regions H of a preform become overheated by the time the inner regions are sufficiently warm for the subsequent blow-moulding step. This unwanted excessive heating is shown by the region H in the wall of the preform 1 in FIG. 2 .
[0052] FIG. 3 shows an absorption spectrum for a PET-material as it is typically used in the manufacture of preforms. The graph shows the absorption coefficient α (per mm) against wavelength λ (in nanometres). The peaks in the graph occurring at certain wavelengths—for example at approx. 1700 nm and 1900 nm—correspond to high absorption, so that radiation at those wavelengths is particularly well absorbed, so that the energy in the radiation at those wavelengths is converted to heat energy in the body of the preform. Radiation at other wavelengths, for example in the region between 400 nm and 1000 nm, effectively passes through the preform without being absorbed. The absorption coefficients at particular wavelengths can be determined experimentally, for example using the relationship
[0000]
α
λ
=
-
1
t
m
·
ln
(
I
λ
I
0
)
(
2
)
[0053] in which α λ is the absorption at wavelength λ, I 0 is the incoming radiation intensity (if the reflectivity of the material is non-negligible, the incoming intensity must be corrected accordingly), I λ is the transmitted intensity, and t m is the thickness of the test material. Such data is characteristic of the material and is usually supplied by the manufacturer or can be easily measured.
[0054] FIG. 4 illustrates the irradiance distribution of a laser radiation beam L directed at a preform 1 along a major axis 40 transverse to a longitudinal axis (not shown) of the preform 1 . Here, the preform 1 is shown in transverse cross-section, with a radius R and a wall thickness t, with the centre of the preform 1 placed at the intersection of an x-axis and a y-axis. The z-axis is orthogonal to the plane given by the x- and y-axes, and corresponds to the longitudinal axis about which the preform 1 might be rotated while passing through the oven. The laser radiation L exhibits a normal or Gaussian distribution I laser (y, z) proportional to exp(−(y 2 +z 2 )/B 2 ), with an effective laser beam width B at which the intensity has dropped to a fraction 1/e of its maximum. Since only the radial dependence of the energy absorption density is relevant for the invention, the z-dependence of I laser will be neglected in the following considerations.
[0055] The paths t 1 , t 2 and t 3 are exemplary laser radiation rays on their way through a layer in the preform wall within a radius r given by
[0000] r=R−t+γ·t (3)
[0000] where 0≦γ≦1. On its way through a material thickness Δt, the intensity of the laser radiation is reduced by a factor e −α·Δt , leading to an additional dependency in the x-direction. To determine the total energy absorption P (i) in the annular region 41 of the preform 1 owing to the laser radiation absorbed along the paths t 1 , t 2 , an integral over the absorption density must be calculated, giving the following expression:
[0000]
P
(
i
)
=
2
-
α
[
R
2
-
y
2
-
(
R
-
t
)
2
-
y
2
]
·
sinh
{
α
[
(
R
-
t
+
γ
·
t
)
2
-
y
2
-
(
R
-
t
)
2
-
y
2
]
}
(
3.1
)
[0056] Similarly, for the path t 3 in the annular region 41 , the total energy absorption P (ii) is given by
[0000]
P
(
ii
)
=
2
-
α
[
R
2
-
y
2
]
·
sinh
{
α
[
(
R
-
t
+
γ
·
t
)
2
-
y
2
]
}
(
3.2
)
[0057] Integrating equation (3.1) from |y|=0 to R−t, and integrating equation (3.2) from |y|=R−t to R−t+γ·t, weighted with the in-plane Gaussian distribution exp(−y 2 /B 2 ) of the laser radiation L, yields the following expression for energy absorption in a plane of a hollow cylinder with inner radius R−t and thickness γ·t:
[0000]
P
sum
=
2
∫
0
R
-
t
P
(
i
)
-
y
2
B
2
y
+
2
∫
R
-
t
Rt
+
t
+
γ
t
P
(
ii
)
e
-
y
2
B
2
y
(
3.3
)
[0058] Finally, dP sum /dγ must be calculated, since the absorption is a function of the depth within the preform wall. Because P sum is proportional to the integral P(r) of the absorption density from r=R−t to r=R−t+γ·t, it follows that, since dP sum /dγ= 2 πr·t·P(r),
[0000]
P
(
r
)
=
1
π
·
t
·
(
R
-
t
+
γ
·
t
)
{
∫
0
R
-
t
∂
P
(
i
)
∂
γ
-
y
2
B
2
y
+
∫
R
-
t
R
-
t
+
γ
·
t
∂
P
(
ii
)
∂
γ
-
y
2
B
2
y
}
(
3.4
)
[0059] As long as the ratio between energy absorption densities at the inside and outside is greater than 1, i.e.
[0000]
P
(
r
=
R
-
t
)
P
(
r
=
R
)
>
1
(
4
)
[0060] the inside or inner region of the preform will be heated, as desired, to a relatively greater degree than the outside or outer region of the preform.
[0061] Characteristic relative variables can be obtained by expressing certain descriptive parameters in terms of one common parameter. Here, the preform wall thickness t, the laser beam width B, and the absorption coefficient α eff are combined with the preform outer radius R to give the following dimensionless combinations:
[0062] t/R relative preform thickness
[0063] B/R relative laser beam width, and
[0064] α eff ·R relative effective absorption coefficient,
[0065] For a variety of different preform geometries and laser beam widths, therefore, values of the relative effective absorption coefficient, for which
[0000]
P
(
r
=
R
-
t
)
P
(
r
=
R
)
=
1
(
5
)
[0066] is true, can be calculated and plotted to give a series of characteristic curves, as shown in FIG. 5 . This figure shows a set of graphs of the relative effective absorption coefficient α null ·R, obtained such that condition (5) is satisfied, and for which the following applies (for a given preform-radius R):
[0000]
P
(
r
=
R
-
t
)
P
(
r
=
R
)
>
1
for
α
<
α
null
P
(
r
=
R
-
t
)
P
(
r
=
R
)
<
1
for
α
<
α
null
(
6
)
[0067] The term “null” in context of α null means that there is essentially no difference in energy absorption levels between an inside region and an outside region of the preform.
[0068] To verify the validity of the above calculations, the temperature gradient between the outside regions and the inside regions of a preform was measured for different values of the preform-characteristic geometrical parameter t/R and for different values of the relative laser-beam width B/R. These experimental measurements, obtained by pyrometry, gave a direct indication of the energy absorption densities P(r=R) and P(r=R−t) that matched the predicted values obtained using the above formulae.
[0069] On the basis of the characteristic curves of FIG. 5 , it is possible to determine a realistic range within which the condition given by equation (4) is satisfied for a particular preform, since each curve represents a relative effective absorption coefficient α null ·R. An effective absorption coefficient α eff chosen from ‘below’ a characteristic α null ·R curve and used as the performance target for assembling a corresponding laser radiation beam—using equation (1) and equation (2) and the absorption spectrum for that material—will result in a stronger heating of the inner region of the preform. On the other hand, basing the laser radiation beam compilation on an effective absorption coefficient α eff from ‘above’ the α null ·R curve will result in a stronger heating of the outer region.
[0070] For example, consider a preform with a radius of 10 mm and a preform characteristic geometrical parameter t/R=0.5, i.e. the radius of the preform is twice as large as the wall thickness of the preform. This geometry corresponds to the dotted vertical line originating from the point 0.5 on the x-axis. A relative laser beam width B/R of 0.5, i.e. the laser beam is only half as wide as the preform, is associated with the characteristic α null ·R curve 51 , which intersects the dotted line at a value of about 2.4. With the preform radius of 10 mm, this gives an effective absorption coefficient α eff of about 0.24, which can be used as the target for which wavelengths and intensities are chosen to satisfy equation (1). Real values for the absorption coefficients to substitute in place of α λ (for the selected laser wavelengths λ 1 , λ 2 , . . . , λ n ) are deduced from the absorption spectrum of the preform material. Weighting factors w 1 , w 2 , . . . , w n , with a combined total of 1.0, are chosen such that the entire sum (or integral, as appropriate) in equation (1) yields the chosen value of α eff .
[0071] With this value of effective absorption coefficient α eff , chosen from the intersection on the characteristic α null ·R curve 51 , an even heating of the preform can be ensured. On the other hand, if it is desired to heat the inner surfaces of the preform to a greater extent than the outer surfaces, a relative effective absorption coefficient α eff ·R should be chosen from below the characteristic α null ·R curve 51 , for example a value of 2.0, giving an effective absorption coefficient α eff of 0.2 for our example. By using this value of effective absorption coefficient as a target for which to compile the laser radiation beam, the desired temperature profile is obtained. Equally, a heating profile in which the outer regions are heated to a greater extent than the inner regions can be obtained by choosing a relative effective absorption coefficient α eff ·R from above the characteristic α null ·R curve 51 , for example a value of 3.0, giving an effective absorption coefficient α eff of 0.3, which is then used in equation (1) as a target for which to determine the desired wavelengths and to chose the appropriate intensities. In most practical cases, since preform geometries are rarely extreme, i.e. the wall thickness of a preform is rarely very thin or very thick relative to the radius, and since a laser beam width is usually neither very wide nor very point-shaped, a favourable relative effective absorption coefficient α eff ·R and a practicable relative beam width B/R can be chosen from within the rectangle 50 enclosed by the dotted line.
[0072] As mentioned already, the method according to the invention allows a favourably higher temperature to be reached at the inner preform region compared to the outer preform region. In the following, a number of measures are described which can be implemented if it is judged expedient to limit or reduce the level of heating at the inner preform regions.
[0073] FIG. 6 a shows a hollow preform 1 and two exemplary incident rays L 1 , L 2 of laser radiation. A first ray L 1 enters the wall of the preform 1 and undergoes total internal reflection (TIR) at the inner preform/air interface, before exiting the preform 1 as a refracted ray L 11 . A second ray L 2 enters the wall of the preform 1 and undergoes refraction while passing through the wall, the cavity 4 , and the wall again before exiting the preform 1 as a refracted ray L 21 . As the diagram shows, the effective path length inside the material may become relatively long, but also spatially concentrated for rays undergoing TIR, resulting in an increased absorption within a region H 1 . This region H 1 may therefore become somewhat too hot. To ensure that the temperature at the inner surface or region of the preform does not become too high during a heating process according to the invention, even if the desired temperature profile specifies that the preform should be ‘hotter on the inside’, a suitable element can be inserted into the cavity of the preform to prevent overheating. In the following diagrams, for the sake of clarity, a distinct gap is shown between the additional element and the preform, but in practice the element could be designed to closely or exactly fit the cavity.
[0074] FIG. 6 b shows a cross-section through a preform 1 in which a refractive element 60 has been inserted into the cavity. Here, the refractive element 60 is chosen for its favourable refractive index, which is close to or identical to that of the preform 1 . For instance, the refractive element 60 can be of the same material as the preform 1 , and can be formed to essentially exactly fit the cavity of the preform 1 . In this way, a ray L 1 entering the preform will not undergo TIR as was the case in FIG. 6 a , but will pass through the refractive element 60 (losing some of its energy on the way) before re-entering the preform wall at a distance further away and then exiting the preform as the refracted ray L 12 .
[0075] In another approach to suppress ‘excess’ absorption in the inner regions of a preform, instead of redirecting the laser radiation rays, the excess energy of the rays can be absorbed by a suitable thermal absorber placed within the cavity of the preform 1 . FIG. 6 c shows a preform 1 containing such a thermal absorber 61 . The radiation rays L 1 , L 2 pass through the wall of the preform 1 before arriving at the thermal absorber 61 , where their energy is absorbed so that these rays are effectively ‘terminated’ by the absorber 61 . FIG. 6 d shows a preform 1 with a refractive element 62 that only occupies about half of the cavity. This might be more economical, particularly if only the preform—and not the absorber 62 —is rotated, for example in the direction RD shown, while passing through the oven. A radiation ray L 2 that passes through the wall of the preform 1 and enters the cavity 4 will strike the flat face of the thermal absorber 62 and be terminated. The thermal absorber 61 , 62 can be any suitable material, even water. For example, if a preform is suspended with its neck end or opening facing upward, the cavity 4 can simply be filled with water before the preform enters the oven.
[0076] FIG. 7 shows a block diagram of a preform heating system 10 using a driving arrangement 7 according to the invention. The driving arrangement 7 comprises an input interface 70 for inputting preform geometry parameters, for example preform radius R and wall thickness t. A system controller could enter these parameters manually through a keyboard, for example, or cause them to be retrieved from a database 71 of previously stored information. Further parameters such as data describing the absorption spectrum of the preform-material (if the material type is known), and a desired temperature profile T d for the preform to be heated could also be entered manually or retrieved from the database 71 . The parameters can be supplied as suitable digital input. A selection module 72 selects or determines a relative effective absorption coefficient α eff ·R on the basis of the preform parameters and the desired temperature profile. Again, information describing the feasible relative effective absorption coefficients can be retrieved from a database 71 or memory 71 . A derivation module 73 derives an effective absorption coefficient α eff from the relative effective absorption coefficient α eff ·R, and a laser parameter compiler module 74 compiles a wavelength spectrum with a number of laser wavelengths λ 1 , λ 2 , . . . , λ n . The intensity of each laser radiation component is defined by weighting factors w 1 , w 2 , w n , chosen by the laser parameter compiler module 74 to satisfy the effective absorption coefficient α eff , according to equation (1), on the basis of the corresponding absorption coefficients of the absorption spectrum of the preform material. The laser parameter compiler module 74 also determines a laser beam width B on the basis of the desired or achievable relative effective absorption coefficient α eff ·R. A laser control unit 75 , acting as an output interface 75 between the driving unit 7 and the laser radiation generation unit 9 , converts the chosen laser radiation wavelengths λ 1 , λ 2 , . . . , λ n , weighting factors w 1 , w 2 , . . . . , w n , and beam width B into suitable control signals for the laser radiation generator 9 and a beam shaper 76 . The laser radiation generator 9 , in this case a bank of VCSELs, is driven to generate laser radiation at the desired wavelengths λ 1 , λ 2 , . . . . , λ n and with the desired intensities, and the beam shaper 76 shapes the radiation output by the VCSELs to give a laser radiation beam L at the desired beam width B, and directs the laser radiation beam L at a series of preforms 1 as they are transported in a direction D through an oven of the preform heating system 10 . For the sake of simplicity, the laser radiation L is represented by an arrow, but the skilled person will know that the laser radiation can be emitted from the beam shaper 76 as a ‘slice’ or ‘wedge’ as high as the bank of VCSELs and as broad as determined by the laser beam width B. Modules such as the selection module 72 , derivation module 73 , and laser parameter compiler module 74 have been shown as distinct units, and together comprise a configuration arrangement for the laser radiation generating unit 9 , but it will be clear to the skilled person that these modules can easily be realised as software modules or hardware modules and can be combined as desired.
[0077] FIG. 8 a shows a ray-tracing simulation for a preform cross-section and a first heating profile using the method according to the invention. Dark areas represent areas of poor energy absorption, while light areas represent areas of high absorption. The simulation shows the effect of heating a preform using a laser beam chosen according to a desired temperature profile to give an essentially homogenous or even energy absorption density throughout the body of the preform. As can be seen in the image, the energy deposition would be fairly evenly distributed throughout the preform.
[0078] FIG. 8 b shows a ray-tracing simulation for a preform cross-section and a second heating profile, in this case according to a heating profile to give a higher energy absorption density in the inner region of the preform, and a lower energy absorption density in the outer region of the preform. The image shows that the energy deposition would be significantly higher in the inner regions of the preform. Heating the preform in this way can result in improvements in a subsequent stretch blow-moulding stage.
[0079] Although the present invention has been disclosed in the form of a number of preferred embodiments, it is to be understood that additional modifications or variations could be made to the described embodiments without departing from the scope of the invention. For example, the preform heating system shown in the diagram could also include a number of halogen lamps for providing a ‘basic’ thermal irradiation, and the laser radiation source can then be used to specifically enhance selected portions of the radiation spectrum (i.e., increase the weighting factors w i at the laser-wavelengths λ 1 , λ 2 , . . . . , λ n ) to achieve a desired temperature profile, e.g. to more strongly heat the inner regions of the preform.
[0080] For the sake of clarity, it is to be understood that the use of “a” or “an” throughout this application does not exclude a plurality, and “comprising” does not exclude other steps or elements. A “unit” or “module” can comprise a number of units or modules, unless otherwise stated.
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The invention describes a method of heating a preform ( 1 ) characterized by a radius (R), a material thickness (t), and a material absorption spectrum, which method comprises the steps of selecting, depending on a desired temperature profile, a desired effective absorption coefficient for the preform ( 1 ) on the basis of the preform radius (R) and material thickness (t); generating a laser radiation beam (L) comprising radiation with a wavelength spectrum compiled on the basis of absorption coefficients of the absorption spectrum to satisfy the effective absorption coefficient and directing the laser radiation beam (L) at the preform ( 1 ) to heat the preform ( 1 ). The invention further describes a driving arrangement ( 7 ) for controlling a laser radiation generating unit ( 9 ) of a preform heating system ( 10 ), a preform heating system ( 10 ), and a computer program.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates generally to an apparatus and a method for conserving fuel during dynamic braking of locomotives (i.e., for operating the locomotives so that less fuel is used than would be used by heretofore conventional controlled dynamic braking). The invention relates more particularly, but not by way of limitation, to such apparatus and method utilizing a respective dynamic braking proportioning unit on each diesel locomotive of a train consist.
In the railroad industry attention has been given to ways of conserving fuel during the operation of trains because, for example, of the money that can be saved when fuel is saved. This attention to fuel conservation has been directed, at least in part, to ways of operating in more fuel efficient manners the locomotive propulsion or driving mechanisms which drive electrical traction motors to which the locomotive wheels are connected. That is, this focus has been on controlling the operation of the engines, such as through throttle setting control. Examples of this focus are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,344,364 to Nickles et al. and the references cited therein.
Another focus of this attention to fuel conservation would be on how to obtain fuel conservation from control of the locomotive stopping or braking mechanisms. Many conventional diesel locomotives are equipped with dynamic braking systems. A principle behind these dynamic braking systems is the utilization of the electrical traction motors as electrical generators to generate electrical power in response to the mechanical rotation imparted by the turning locomotive wheels connected to the traction motors, which generated power is dissipated within a large resistance grid located within the locomotive so that the dissipation causes a retarding force to act against the turning locomotive wheels.
These dynamic braking systems are designed to consume a substantial amount of power, such as up to 3000 horsepower. This creates a great deal of heat within the resistance grid. To maintain the resistance grid of a locomotive at an acceptable temperature level, cooling fans mounted on the locomotive are used. These fans are operated by the diesel engine(s) of the locomotive; therefore, fuel must be consumed during dynamic braking to power and the engine(s) to drive the fans. A typical fuel consumption rate per locomotive is 25 gallons per hour during dynamic braking as compared to a fuel consumption rate of 5 gallons per hour during locomotive idling. This difference in fuel consumption is especially significant because a typical train consist has more than one locomotive so that the consumption differential is multiplied by the number of locomotives in dynamic braking, which is the total number of locomotives for any level of conventional dynamic braking.
In such a typical train consist wherein more than one diesel locomotive is used to provide propulsion and braking for the train consist, the locomotives are mechanically and electrically coupled together. The electrical connection includes a trainline comprising several electrical conductors along which control signals are sent from the controlling locomotive at the command of the engineer. With respect to dynamic braking, it is controlled through a lever at the engineer's control stand. When the engineer moves this lever into a dynamic braking position, two of the wires within the electrical trainline are energized. In conventional dynamic braking operation, the signals along these two wires are provided in common to all of the coupled locomotives to obtain similar dynamic braking from each locomotive. Thus, all of the locomotives operate at the higher dynamic braking, fuel consumption rate regardless of how much braking is needed.
As is known to the art, one of the wires energized during dynamic braking is designated "B" and is referred to as the brake setup line. The other wire is given the letter designation "BC" and is referred to as the brake control line. When the dynamic braking lever is moved into its initial position, the B wire is immediately energized to the 74VDC level, which is the maximum voltage used on the conventional trainline known to the art. When a locomotive receives this signal, all the engines of the locomotive respond to increasing from idle speed to braking speed for driving the cooling fans (as knwon to the art, the engines are first disconnected from the alternators which drive the traction motors). The BC wire is a proportional signal, derived from the amount of movement of the engineer's dynamic braking control lever; it ranges from 0VDC (no braking) to 74VDC (full dynamic braking) for a conventional trainline.
To illustrate the effect of conventional dynamic braking, a train consist powered by four diesel locomotives is used as an example. It is assumed that each locomotive is capable of consuming 3,000 horsepower during dynamic braking, and that each locomotive consumes 5 gallons per hour when its engines are idling and 25 gallons per hour when they are driving the cooling fans during dynamic braking. Under these assumptions and the foregoing type of operation, a total of 100 gallons per hour would be consumed by the four locomotives under all dynamic braking conditions once the B wire has been energized to indicate dynamic braking (i.e., B=74VDC). This consumption rate is irrespective of what the BC signal is. This is shown in the following table:
TABLE I______________________________________ Individual Braking Horsepower Consumption by LocomotiveLever Volts Number GPHPosition B BC 1 2 3 4 Total______________________________________Idle 0 0 0 0 0 0 20 0% 74 0 0 0 0 0 10025% 74 18.5 750 750 750 750 10050% 74 37.0 1500 1500 1500 1500 10075% 74 55.5 2250 2250 2250 2250 100100% 74 74.0 3000 3000 3000 3000 100______________________________________
In view of the foregoing, there is the need for a more efficient way of operating the locomotives during dynamic braking so that the maximum fuel consumption is not used at all levels of dynamic braking.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention overcomes the above-noted and other shortcomings of the prior art by providing a novel and improved apparatus and a novel and improved method for conserving fuel during dynamic braking of locomotives. The present invention allows a locomotive within a train consist to operate at a less fuel consuming power level until dynamic braking is needed from that locomotive.
The apparatus of the present invention is useful in a train consist including a plurality of locomotives, each of which locomotives comprises dynamic braking means for dynamically braking the respective locomotive and through all of which locomotives a common electrical trainline is connected so that a master brake control signal, defining a total required dynamic braking within a range between no dynamic braking and full dynamic braking, is provided over the trainline to each locomotive when the train consist is to be dynamically braked. This apparatus comprises: means, responsive to the master brake control signal, for determining which of the dynamic braking means of the locomotives are to be actuated in response to the master brake control signal; means, responsive to the means for determining, for defining a portion of the total required dynamic braking to be provided by each of the dynamic braking means which are to be actuated; and means, responsive to the means for defining, for providing to each dynamic braking means which is to be actuated a respective slave brake control signal defining to the respective dynamic braking means the respective portion of the total required dynamic braking to be provided thereby.
The method of the present invention has utility within the aforementioned environment, which more specifically includes both the brake setup signal, B (having a magnitude similarly designated), and the brake control signal, BC (having a magnitude similarly designated), of a 74-volt trainline. This method comprises: assigning to each locomotive a respective unique number, X; specifiying to each locomotive the total number, Y, of locomotives within the plurality of locomotives; and performing the following steps independently in each locomotive: converting the brake control signal into a respective output control signal, having a magnitude BC', for controlling the dynamic braking means of the respective locomotive, the converting including: determining whether B=74 and whether BC>74(X-1)/Y for the respective locomotive; and generating the output control signal if B=74 and BC<74(X-1)/Y for the respective locomotive, wherein the output control signal has a magnitude: BC'=[BC-(74(X-1)/Y)]Y, if 0<[BC-(74(X-1)/Y)]Y≦74, or BC'=74, if [BC-(74(X-1)/Y)]Y>74; and communicating BC' to the dynamic braking means of the respective locomotive.
The step of performing the following steps independently in each locomotive further includes: detecting whether B=0 or B=74; generating a second output control signal with a voltage B'=74 if B=74 and BC>74(X-1)/Y for the respective locomotive; generating B'=0 if B=0 or BC≦74(X-1)/Y; and communicating B' to the dynamic braking means of the respective locomotive.
Therefore, from the foregoing, it is a general object of the present invention to provide a novel and improved apparatus and a novel and improved method for conserving fuel during dynamic braking of locomotives. Other and further objects, features and advantages of the present invention will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art when the following description of the preferred embodiment is read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a block diagram of the preferred embodiment of the apparatus of the present invention.
FIGS. 2(a)-2(e) are graphs showing the total dynamic braking needed [FIG. 2(a)] and the dynamic braking obtained from each locomotive throughout the full range of operation of the dynamic brake control lever [FIGS. 2(b)-()].
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
For conventional diesel locomotives mechanically connected within a train consist, a trainline comprising a plurality of electrically conductive wires is established throughout the locomotives. The conventional trainline carries direct current voltage signals, having voltage magnitudes between 0VDC (the minimum trainline voltage) and 74VDC (the maximum trainline voltage), to the locomotives for various control or informational purposes.
Two wires of the conventional trainline are used to control the dynamic braking of the locomotives. The brake set-up wire or line carries the brake setup signal (this wire, its signal and the magnitude thereof are all designated by the letter "B"). The standard B signal is an on/off signal designating whether the train is or is not in a dynamic braking mode. Specifically, B=74VDC=B max =on/dynamic braking mode; B=0VDC=B min =off/non-dynamic braking mode). The brake control wire or line carries the brake control signal (this wire, its signal and the magnitude thereof are all designated by the letter group "BC"). The standard BC signal has a voltage variable within a range between 0VDC=BC min (no dynamic braking) and 74VDC=BC max (full dynamic braking) to designate the total required amount of dynamic braking. There two wires and how they control the conventional dynamic braking of a conventional diesel locomotive are known to the art.
To obtain the fuel conservation advantages of the present invention, the conventional B and BC signals communicated over the trainline to all of the locomotives of a train consist are interrupted and replaced in each locomotive by a respective set of two slave control signal (sometimes referred to herein as the B' and BC' signals, respectively). Because two slave control signals are generated within each locomotive for use only by that locomotive, the magnitudes of these signals can differ from locomotive to locomotive even though all the locomotives of the train consist receive the identical master B and BC signals. This is achieved in the preferred embodiment apparatus of the present invention by means of individual dynamic braking proportioning units, each of which is disposed on a respective locomotive. Each unit is connected electrically to the B and BC wires of the common trainline and to the conventional B and BC inputs of the dynamic braking means of the respective locomotive, which dynamic braking means provides the dynamic braking for the respective locomotive and is of a type known to the art. Thus, each of these units receives the "master" B and BC signals from the common trainline and each, in response thereto, provides the respective "slave" B' and BC' signals.
Broadly, the apparatus of the present invention includes means, responsive to the master brake control signal, for determining which of the dynamic braking means of the locomotives within the train consist are to be actuated in response to the master brake control signal; means, responsive to the means for determining, for defining a portion of the total required dynamic braking to be provided by each of the dynamic braking means which are to be actuated; and means, responsive to the means for defining, for providing to each dynamic braking means which is to be actuated a respective slave brake control signal defining to the respective dynamic braking means the respective portion of the total required dynamic braking to be provided thereby. These means are provided by the dynamic braking proportion units.
Each of the dynamic braking proportioning units includes: input means for receiving the brake setup signal and the brake control signal communicated to the respective locomotive; control means, connected to the input means, for computing in response to the brake setup signal and the brake control signal the portion, if any, of the total required dynamic braking to be provided by the respective locomotive and for generating an output control signal in response thereof; and output means, connected to the control means, for communicating to the dynamic braking means of the respective locomotive the output control signal so that the dynamic braking means of the respective locomotive provides the computed portion, if any, of the total required dynamic braking. The preferred embodiment of the input means, the output means, and the control means will be described with reference to FIG. 1, wherein one dynamic braking proportioning unit is generally identified by the reference numeral 2.
The input means is generally identified in FIG. 1 by the reference numeral 4. The input means 4 includes the wires and any connection devices, or other conductor means, by which the conventional B and BC lines of the trainline are connected to the unit 2. As illustrated in FIG. 1, the master B signal is input through a conductor 6, and the master BC signal is input through a conductor 8.
The output means is generally identified in FIG. 1 by the reference numeral 10. The output means 10 includes the wires and any connection devices, or other conductor means, by which the dynamic braking means of the respective locomotive is connected to the unit 2. As illustrated in FIG. 1, the slave B' signal is output to the respective dynamic braking means through a conductor 12, and the slave BC' signal is output to the respective dynamic braking means through a conductor 14.
The control means, generally identified by the reference numeral 16 for the preferred embodiment shown in FIG. 1, implements the fuel conserving concept of the present invention whereby a locomotive is left to operate at a lower power level, and thus a lower fuel consumption rate, until its dynamic braking is needed. This is achieved in the following manner.
Each locomotive is assigned a respective unique number, X, which defines a relative position of the respective locomotive within the plurality of locomotives. The total number, Y, of locomotives is also specified. In the preferred embodiment, X is a whole number and 0<X≦Y. For a train consist which includes four locomotives, for example, the head locomotive would have X=1 and Y=4, the next locomotive would have X=2 and Y=4, the next locomotive would have X=3 and Y=4, and the last locomotive would have X=4 and Y=4.
In each locomotive the common master BC signal is converted into the respective output control signal, BC', for controlling the dynamic braking means of the respective locomotive based on the following logic for the preferred embodiment.
EVENT 1
If:
(1) B=74VDC (i.e., B=dynamic mode operation, which is B max in the preferred embodiment) and
(2) BC>74(X-1)/Y for the respective locomotive and its value of X [i.e., BC≦BC max (X-1)/Y for the preferred embodiment],
then:
(3) B'=74VDC and
(4) BC'=[BC-(74(X-1)/Y)]Y VDC for the respective locomotive and its value of X;
provided, however, that if from equation (4) BC'>74, then BC' is set equal to 74VDC for that locomotive.
EVENT 2
If:
(5) B=74VDC and
(6) BC≦74(X-1)/Y for the respective locomotive and its value of X,
then:
(7) B'=0VDC and
(8) BC'=0VDC.
EVENT 3
If:
(9) B=0VDC,
then:
(10) B'=0VDC and
(11) BC'=BC.
If Event 1 exists with respect to any particular locomotive, the unit 2 generates B' and BC' as defined by equations (3) and (4), thereby providing dynamic braking to the train consist from that particular locomotive.
The existence of Event 2 with respect to any particular locomotive means that no dynamic braking is needed from that locomotive for that particular setting of the master brake control signal; therefore, both the B' and BC' signals are set at 0VDC to prevent the locomotive from entering the dynamic braking mode wherein fuel would be consumed at a higher rate. Thus, although the master B and BC signals call for dynamic braking, a locomotive coming within Event 2 is left to operate at a lower engine speed.
The existence of Event 3 means that the master brake setup signal is not indicating a dynamic braking mode; therefore, the B' signal would likewise be maintained at 0VDC, but the BC' signal would be allowed to track the BC signal which might be conveying other, non-dynamic braking information.
Referring to the example of four locomotives (wherein the dynamic braking fuel consumption rate is 25 gallons per hour and the non-dynamic braking fuel consumption rate is 5 gallons per hour), the following table shows how the four locomotives would provide dynamic braking in accordance with Events 1 and 2 (i.e., it is assumed that B=74VDC so that the trains consist is in a dynamic braking mode):
TABLE II__________________________________________________________________________ Locomotive Number (X =) GPHLever 1 2 3 4 Saved vs.Position B' BC' HP B' BC' HP B' BC' HP B' BC' HP Total Table I__________________________________________________________________________ 0% to 25% 74 0-74 0-3000 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 40 6025+% to 50% 74 74 3000 74 0-74 0-3000 0 0 0 0 0 0 60 4050+% to 75% 74 74 3000 74 74 3000 74 0-74 0-3000 0 0 0 80 20 75+% to 100% 74 74 3000 74 74 3000 74 74 3000 74 0-74 0-3000 100 0__________________________________________________________________________
The dynamic braking information of Table II is graphically shown in FIGS. 2(a)-2(e). These graphs and the table clearly show how, for a four locomotive group, only one of the locomotives is used to provide dynamic braking when only up to 25% of the maximum dynamic braking is needed. When up to 50% of the maximum dynamic braking is needed, a second locomotive is used. When up to 75% of the maximum is needed, a third locomotive is used along with the first two. Above 75%, all four locomotives are used. Therefore, until the fourth locomotive is placed in the dynamic braking mode (i.e., until B' for the fourth locomotive=74VDC), there is a net fuel saving from the dynamic braking control provided by the present invention as compared to the conventional dynamic braking operation such as is illustrated in Table I.
The foregoing logic is implemented in the preferred embodiment by conventional components which are identified in FIG. 1. These components include a microcomputer 18, which comprises suitable microprocessor and memory components of types as known to the art. Stored within a portion of the memory would be a program implementing the logic set forth hereinabove with reference to Events 1, 2 and 3; it is contemplated that such a program would be readily obtainable by those skilled in the art given the description of the invention set forth herein.
To obtain the master BC input for the microcomputer 18, the unit 2 includes a conventional analog-to-digital converter 20. The converter 20 comprises an input 22 connected to the conductor 8 for receiving the master BC signal. The converter 20 also comprises an output 24 connected to the microcomputer 18. The analog-to-digital converter 20 is, in the preferred embodiment, a type capable of handling 74 VDC inputs.
The logic level (i.e., no dynamic braking mode/dynamic braking mode) of the master B signal is communicated to the microcomputer 18 through a conventional binary input isolation device 26 of a type as known to the art for converting a 74VDC signal to a level compatible with the microcomputer 18. The input isolation device 26 comprises an input 28 connected to the conductor 6 and an output 30 connected to the microcomputer 18.
The unique relative locomotive position number, X, is input into the microcomputer 18 through a conventional switch 32, such as a single digit decade switch of a type as known to the art. Thus, the switch 32 provides means for communicating to the microcomputer 18 a respective number assigned to the respective locomotive.
The total locomotive number, Y, is input into the microcomputer 18 through a switch 34, such as a single digit decade switch of a type as known to the art. The switch 34 defines a means for communicating to the microcomputer 18 the total number of locomotives in the train consist.
Having the aforementioned inputs, the microcomputer, programmed in a manner as would be readily obtainable by those skilled in the pertinent arts to implement the logic described herein, performs the previously described logic to determine the required B' and BC' outputs for the respective locomotive. This microcomputer 18 with the specified input information thus provides means for determining whether the magnitude of the BC signal is greater than the mathematical product of the voltage magnitude of the master brake control signal representing full required dynamic braking (i.e., BC max =74 in the preferred embodiment) multiplied by the quantity [(X-1)/Y]. This is mathematically expressed in equation (2), above. The microcomputer 19 with the specified input information also provides means for computing BC' in accordance with equation (4) and its proviso, above. More specifically, the microcomputer 18 with the specified input information provides means for generating both B' and BC' in accordance with equations (3) and (4), (7) and (8), and (10) and (11) for the respective events defined by equations (1) and (2), (5) and (6), and (9).
The B' signal is output through a conventional binary output isolation device 36 of a type as known to the art and capable of outputting 74VDC levels. The device 36 includes an input 38 connected to the microcomputer 18, and the device 36 includes an output 40 connected to the output means 10; therefore, the output isolation device 36 communicates the B' control signal to the output means 10. The B' control signal is in effect a binary logic value (i.e., on or off).
The BC' output signal is output through a conventional digital-to-analog converter 42 capable of producing 74VDC output levels. The converter 42 has an input 44 connected to the microcomputer 18, and the converter 42 has an output 46 through which the BC' signal is provided to the output means 10.
The output 40 of the output isolation device 36 and the output 46 of the digital-to-analog converter 42 are shown in FIG. 1 connected to respective inputs of a system override circuit 48. Also, one or more control signals through output 50 of the microcomputer 18 is/are provided to one or more respective inputs of the system override circuit 48 to control the operation of the circuit 48. The function of the circuit 48 is to connect the outputs 40, 46 to the output means 10, and thus to communicate the B' and BC' signals to the output means 10 under normal operating conditions when the master brake setup signal, B, indicates operation in the dynamic braking mode. If Event 3 occurs, or if the unit 2 detects an inappropriate state within itself, then the microcomputer 18 would control the circuit 48 to connect the master B and BC signals directly to the output means 10, thereby bypassing the control means 12 of the unit 2. In essence the circuit 48 would consist of suitable switching mechanisms, such as relays operable in response to one or more control signals from the microcomputer 18.
It is contemplated that the present invention could be implemented using the equipment shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,344,364.
The preferred embodiment of the method of the present invention comprises methodological steps in accordance with the logic of Events 1, 2 and 3. The method more broadly comprehends controlling the operation of a group of locomotives so that not all of the locomotives need be used for all levels of dynamic braking that might be required, thereby conserving fuel at certain dynamic braking levels relative to what would be required at such levels by conventional dynamic braking operation.
From the foregoing, it is apparent that the system of the units 2, each of which is disposed in a respective locomotive of a group of locomotives forming at least part of a train consist, controls the locomotives so that individual locomotives may be left at a lower (e.g., idle) power level to reduce the fuel consumption of the overall groups of locomotives during certain levels of dynamic braking. Thus, the present invention is well adapted to carry out the objects and attain the ends and advantages mentioned above as well as those inherent therein. While a preferred embodiment of the invention has been described for the purpose of this disclosure, changes in the construction and arrangement of parts and the performance of steps can be made by those skilled in the art, which changes are encompassed within the spirit of this invention as defined by the appended claims.
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A respective microcomputer-based dynamic braking proportioning unit is disposed on each locomotive of a group of locomotives of a train consist. Each unit is connected to the brake setup and brake control wires of a trainline communicating with all of the locomotives, and each unit is connected to the dynamic braking equipment of its respective locomotive. Each unit includes two data entry mechanisms, such as switches, by which the respective microcomputer is advised of the total number of locomotives and of a unique number identifying the respective locomotive within the group. From the two signals from the trainline and the total locomotive and unique locomotive identification data, the respective microcomputer determines and outputs appropriate dynamic brake equipment control signals for the respective locomotive. These control signals are generated so that not all of the locomotives necessarily need to be placed in a dynamic braking mode for all levels of total dynamic braking required, thereby allowing any unneeded locomotive to be operated at a lower fuel consuming power level.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a polyvinyl chloride resin composition for powder molding and also to a process for producing the same.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The recent trend in the automotive interior covering materials for crash pad, armrest, headrest, console box, meter hood, door trim, etc. is toward those materials which are light in weight, soft to the touch, and have a high quality appearance provided by embossing which resembles a leather-like finish and a stitch-like pattern.
These covering materials are conventionally produced by the powder slush molding method which consists of contacting a powder composition with a heated mold, thereby causing particles to fuse together, and removing excess powder remaining unfused, said powder composition being formed by dry-blending polyvinyl chloride resin, plasticizer, stabilizer, pigment, etc.
The product of powder slush molding is usually backed with a polyurethane layer to be made into a covering material. The thus obtained covering material has the disadvantage of poor adhesion between the polyvinyl chloride resin layer and the polyurethane layer.
In order to overcome this disadvantage, there has been proposed an improved powder slush molding method which employs a polyvinyl chloride resin composition containing polypropylene glycol or a modified product thereof, i.e., polyether polyol (Japanese Patent Kokai No. 136542/1986).
This molding method, however, is not satisfactory because the resin composition does not adhere uniformly to the mold or the excess of the resin composition is not removed uniformly after fusing. Thus the resulting molded article greatly fluctuates in thickness and has an irregular back surface.
With the foregoing in mind, the present inventors carried out a series of experiments which led to the finding that it is possible to produce a covering material which has uniform thickness and good adhesion to the polyurethane layer if the resin composition for powder molding is incorporated with a specific compound, that is, saccharide. The present invention was completed on the basis of this finding.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the present invention to provide a polyvinyl chloride resin composition for powder molding which comprises (A) granular polyvinyl chloride resin, (B) particulate polyvinyl chloride resin, and (C) saccharide.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a method for producing said resin composition.
It is further another object of the present invention to provide a method for producing a covering material from said resin composition.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
According to the present invention, the resin composition contains component A which is a granular polyvinyl chloride resin, such as homopolymers of vinyl chloride, copolymers of vinyl chloride with a copolymerizable monomer (e.g., ethylene, propylene, and vinyl acetate), and graft copolymers of ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer with vinyl chloride. These examples are not limitative. Two or more polymers may be used in combination with one another.
The granular polyvinyl chloride resin usually has a particle diameter of 100-150 μm. It is usually produced by suspension polymerization or bulk polymerization.
According to the present invention, the resin composition contains component B which is a particulate polyvinyl chloride resin, such as homopolymers of vinyl chloride and copolymers of vinyl chloride with a copolymerizable monomer (e.g., ethylene, propylene, and vinyl acetate). Two or more polymers may be used in combination with one another. Component B is intended to coat the granules of component A.
The particulate polyvinyl chloride resin usually has a particle diameter of 0.1-10 μm. It is usually produced by emulsion polymerization or micro-suspension polymerization.
According to the present invention, the resin composition contains component C which is a saccharide represented by C n H 2n O n (where n is an integer of 3-9). It includes monosaccharides (such as triose, tetrose, pentose, hexose, heptose, octose, and nonose), sugar alcohols as the reduction products of monosaccharides, oligosaccharides (such as maltose and cyclodextrin), and polysacharides (such as glycogen).
Component C should be used in an amount of 0.05-6 parts by weight to 100 parts by weight of components A and B together.
The polyvinyl chloride resin composition of the present invention may be prepared by dry-blending component A with adjuvants and component C and then incorporating the dry blend with component B, or by dry-blending component A with adjuvants and then incorporating the dry blend with a mixture of components B and C. The dry-blending is usually carried out at 60°-130° C. and the subsequent incorporation is usually carried out at 40°-80° C.
The mixture of components B and C should preferably be prepared by mixing the latex (as a polymerization product) with component C (or an aqueous solution thereof), followed by spray drying. The spray-dried product may be crushed by a microatomizer.
In the case where component C is added by dry-blending, the amount of component C should be 0.6-6 parts by weight, preferably 1-5 parts by weight, for 100 parts by weight of components A and B together. In the case where component C is added in the form of mixture with component B, the amount of component C should be 0.05-0.6 part by weight, preferably 0.1-0.5 part by weight, to 100 parts by weight of components A and B together.
According to the present invention, the resin composition may be incorporated with optional adjuvants such as blowing agent, blowing auxiliary, filler, and pigment, in addition to the plasticizer and stabilizer.
The plasticizer includes dialkyl phthalates, with the alkyl group containing 9-11 carbons (such as diisodecyl phthalate and diisoundecyl phthalate) and trialkyl trimellitates, with the alkyl group containing 7-11 carbons (such as trioctyl trimellitate, tri-2-ethylhexyl trimellitate, and tridecyl trimellitate). Any other plasticizers can be used which are ordinarily incorporated into resin compositions for powder molding. The plasticizer should usually be used in an amount of 40-120 parts by weight for 100 parts by weight of the polyvinyl chloride resin.
The stabilizer includes the compounds, particularly carboxylates, of metals such as zinc, barium, sodium, potassium, calcium, lithium, and tin. They should preferably be used in combination with one another. The stabilizer may be used in combination with any of magnesium oxide, magnesium hydroxide, hydrotalcite, zinc oxide, barium oxide, calcium oxide, barium phosphate, and the like. The stabilizer may also be used in combination with an antioxidant (derived from phenols, thioethers, phosphites, etc.), a light stabilizer (derived from diketo compounds, salicylic acid, benzophenone, benzotriazole, etc.), and an epoxy compound. They are not specifically limited so long as they are selected from those which have been used for resin compositions for powder molding. The stabilizer should usually be used in an amount of 3-15 parts by weight to 100 parts by weight of the polyvinyl chloride resin.
The blowing agent includes those of thermal decomposition type, such as azodicarbonamide, p,p'-oxybisbenzenesulfonylhydrazide, p-toluenesulfonylhydrazide, and benzenesulfonylhydrazide, of which the first one is most desirable. They may be used in combination with one another.
The blowing agent should usually be used in an amount of 1-10 parts by weight to 100 parts by weight of the polyvinyl chloride resin.
The blowing agent may be used in combination with a blowing auxiliary, if necessary. It includes zinc oxide, inorganic zinc salt (such as zinc nitrate), zinc fatty acid soap (such as zinc octoate and zinc stearate), and urea. They may be used in combination with one another. The blowing auxiliary should usually be used in an amount of 0.2-3 parts by weight to 100 parts by weight of the polyvinyl chloride resin.
The invention has been described in its general form. The polyvinyl chloride resin composition for powder molding offers the advantage of forming a uniform layer on the mold surface, permitting the smooth removal of excess powder from the mold. The resulting molded article has good adhesion to a polyurethane layer when it is made into a covering material in the subsequent process.
EXAMPLES
To further illustrate the invention, and not by way of limitation, the following examples are given.
Non-Foamable Resin Composition for Powder Molding
EXAMPLE 1
Preparation of Resin Composition
A supermixer was charged with 90 parts by weight of granular polyvinyl chloride resin (produced by suspension polymerization, having an average particle diameter of 120 μm and an average degree of polymerization of 800). After heating to 80° C. with uniform stirring, the resin was dry-blended with 70 parts by weight of trimellitic ester plasticizer, 3 parts by weight of Ba-Zn stabilizer, and 2 parts by weight of sorbitol. Mixing was continued until the temperature of the mixture reached 125° C. Then the mixture was cooled to 50° C. The mixture was uniformly incorporated with 10 parts by weight of particulate polyvinyl chloride resin (prepared by microsuspension polymerization, having an average particle diameter of 1 μm and an average degree of polymerization of 1300). Thus there was obtained a non-foamable resin composition for powder molding.
Preparation of Single-Layer Sheet
The non-foamable resin composition was sprinkled over a nickel flat mold which had just been removed from a Geer oven at 280° C. after preheating to 240° C. for 10 minutes. About 13 seconds later, excess powder (remaining unfused) was removed, and the mold was heated again in a Geer oven at 240° C. for 1 minute. After cooling, the layer of the resin composition was released from the mold. Thus there was obtained a molded sheet.
The resin composition was evaluated as follows. The results are shown in Table 1.
Methods of Evaluation
(1) Removability of excess powder
Evaluated by observing the back of the molded sheet. The resin composition is rated as "good" if it gives rise to a molded sheet of uniform thickness and adheres to the mold uniformly.
The resin composition is rated as "poor" if it gives rise to a molded sheet of uneven thickness and adheres to the mold unevenly.
Evaluated by filling the resin composition (level, about 75 g) into an aluminum cup (73 mm in inside diameter and 25 mm high), heating the cup on a hot plate at 240° C. for 2 minutes, upsetting the aluminum cup, and measuring the amount of the resin composition remaining in the aluminum cup.
(2) Adhesion of the single-layer sheet to semirigid polyurethane resin
Evaluated by ageing the single-layer sheet at 50° C. and 50% RH for 7 days, backing the single-layer sheet with an approximately 10 mm thick layer of semirigid polyurethane resin in a polyurethane foaming mold, cutting a 25-mm wide test piece out of the sample, and measuring the 180° peel strength between the layer of the polyvinyl chloride resin and the layer of the semirigid polyurethane resin.
The molding composition is rated as "good" if peeling occurs in the material (which indicates good adhesion at the interface).
The molding composition is rated as "poor" if peeling occurs at the interface (which indicates poor adhesion at the interface).
EXAMPLES 2 AND 3 AND COMPARATIVE EXAMPLES 1 AND 2
Preparation of Resin Compositions
Resin compositions were prepared in the same manner as in Example 1 except that the amount of sorbitol was changed as shown in Table 1.
Preparation of Single-Layer Sheets
Each of the resin compositions was made into a single-layer sheet in the same manner as in Example 1. The results of evaluation are shown in Table 1.
TABLE 1______________________________________ Comparative Example No. Example No. 1 2 3 1 2______________________________________Sorbitol (pbw) 2 1 5 0 7Adhesion good good good poor goodRemovability ofexcess powderBack of sheet good good good good poorAmount adhering 25.6 25.5 26.1 24.8 27.7to cup (g) (A) (A) (A) (B) (A)Difference between 0.8 0.7 1.3 0 2.9(A) and (B), (g)______________________________________
EXAMPLE 4
The same procedure as in Example 1 was repeated except that the resin composition was prepared with 2 parts by weight of mannitol in place of sorbitol. The resulting molded sheet exhibited good adhesion to the polyurethane layer. The amount of powder adhering to the cup was 25.3 g (which is larger than that in Comparative Example 1 by 0.5 g). The back of the molded sheet showed no sign of uneven thickness.
EXAMPLE 5
The same procedure as in Example 1 was repeated except that the resin composition was prepared with 2 parts by weight of glucose in place of sorbitol. The resulting molded sheet exhibited good adhesion to the polyurethane layer. The amount of powder adhering to the cup was 25.5 g (which is larger than that in Comparative Example 1 by 0.7 g). The back of the molded sheet showed no sign of uneven thickness.
COMPARATIVE EXAMPLE 3
The same procedure as in Example 1 was repeated except that the resin composition was prepared with 2 parts by weight of polypropylene glycol in place of sorbitol. The resulting molded sheet exhibited good adhesion to the polyurethane layer. The amount of powder adhering to the cup was 31.8 g (which is larger than that in Comparative Example 1 by 6.8 g). The back of the molded sheet appeared to be of uneven thickness.
COMPARATIVE EXAMPLE 4
The same procedure as in Example 1 was repeated except that the resin composition was prepared with 2 parts by weight of polyether polyol (Sumiphen 3063 made by Sumitomo Bayer Urethane Co., Ltd.) in place of sorbitol. The resulting molded sheet exhibited good adhesion to the polyurethane layer. The amount of powder adhering to the cup was 35.7 g (which is larger than that in Comparative Example 1 by 10.7 g). The back of the molded sheet appeared to be of uneven thickness.
EXAMPLE 6
Preparation of Saccharide-Containing Particulate Polyvinyl Chloride Resin)
A 100-liter autoclave with glass lining was charged with 40 kg of deionized water and 920 g of polyvinyl chloride in the form of latex having an average particle diameter of 0.3 μm. The atmosphere in the autoclave was replaced with nitrogen under reduced pressure. The autoclave was further charged with 34 kg of vinyl chloride monomer. The autoclave was heated to start polymerization. Throughout the period of polymerization, hydrogen peroxide in a total amount of 0.004 wt % (of the amount of vinyl chloride monomer) and Rongalite in a total amount of 1.0 equivalent mol (with respect to hydrogen peroxide) were introduced into the autoclave at a constant rate through separate inlets. After the rate of polymerization had reached 12%, sodium lauryl sulfate (as an emulsifier) was continuously added to the autoclave at a ratio of 0.03% (of the amount of vinyl chloride monomer) every hour until polymerization was complete. Polymerization was suspended when the polymerization pressure decreased by 1 kg/cm 2 from the saturated vapor pressure of vinyl chloride at the polymerization temperature, and unreacted monomer was recovered. The amount of sodium lauryl sulfate added was 0.3 wt % of the amount of polymer produced, and the average particle diameter of the polymer was 1.0 μm.
The thus obtained latex (containing 3 kg of polyvinyl chloride resin) was incorporated with an aqueous solution prepared by dissolving 150 g of sorbitol in hot water at 80° C. Then the latex was adjusted to pH 7 with sodium carbonate.
Finally, the latex was spray-dried at a rate of 37 g/min using a rotational disc atomizer (12 cm in diameter), with the inlet temperature and outlet temperature kept at 160° C. and 60° C., respectively. The dried product was crushed using a microatomizer. Thus there was obtained a white powder.
(The above-mentioned procedure was used in the following example for the production of saccharide-containing particulate vinyl chloride resin.)
Preparation of Resin Composition
A supermixer was charged with 90 parts by weight of granular polyvinyl chloride resin (produced by suspension polymerization, having an average particle diameter of 120 μm and an average degree of polymerization of 800). After heating to 80° C. with uniform stirring, the resin was dry-blended with 70 parts by weight of trimellitic ester plasticizer and 3 parts by weight of Ba--Zn stabilizer. Mixing was continued until the temperature of the mixture reached 125° C. Then the mixture was cooled to 50° C. The mixture was uniformly incorporated with 10 parts by weight of the particulate polyvinyl chloride resin (prepared as mentioned above). Thus there was obtained a non-foamable resin composition for powder molding.
Preparation of Single-Layer Sheet
The non-foamable resin composition was sprinkled over a nickel flat mold which had just been removed from a Geer oven at 280° C. after preheating to 240° C. for 10 minutes. About 13 seconds later, excess powder (remaining unfused) was removed, and the mold was heated again in a Geer oven at 240° C. for 1 minute. After cooling, the layer of the resin composition was released from the mold. Thus there was obtained a molded sheet. The results of evaluation are shown in Table 2.
EXAMPLES 7 AND 8 AND COMPARATIVE EXAMPLES 5 AND 6
Preparation of Resin Compositions
Resin compositions were prepared in the same manner as in Example 6 except that the amount of sorbitol was changed to 30, 120, 0, and 300 g, respectively.
Preparation of Single-Layer Sheets
Each of the resin compositions was made into a single-layer sheet in the same manner as in Example 6. The results of evaluation are shown in Table 2.
TABLE 2______________________________________ Comparative Example No. Example No. 6 7 8 5 6______________________________________Sorbitol (pbw) 0.5 0.1 0.4 0 1.0Adhesion good good good poor goodRemovability ofexcess powderBack of sheet good good good good poorAmount adhering 26.3 25.9 26.5 25.0 28.1to cup (g) (A) (A) (A) (B) (A)Difference between 1.3 0.9 1.5 0 3.1(A) and (B), (g)______________________________________
EXAMPLE 9
The same procedure as in Example 6 was repeated except that the resin composition was prepared with 60 g by weight of mannitol in place of sorbitol. The resulting molded sheet exhibited good adhesion to the polyurethane layer. The amount of powder adhering to the cup was 25.6 g (which is larger than that in Comparative Example 5 by 0.6 g). The back of the molded sheet showed no signs of uneven thickness.
EXAMPLE 10
The same procedure as in Example 6 was repeated except that the resin composition was prepared with 60 g by weight of glucose in place of sorbitol. The resulting molded sheet exhibited good adhesion to the polyurethane layer. The amount of powder adhering to the cup was 26.0 g (which is larger than that in Comparative Example 5 by 1.0 g). The back of the molded sheet showed no signs of uneven thickness.
Foamable Resin Composition for Powder Molding
EXAMPLE 11
Preparation of Foamable Resin Composition
A supermixer was charged with 90 parts by weight of granular polyvinyl chloride resin (produced by suspension polymerization, having an average particle diameter of 120 μm and an average degree of polymerization of 800). After heating to 80° C. with uniform stirring, the resin was dry-blended with 70 parts by weight of trimellitic ester plasticizer, 3 parts by weight of Ba--Zn stabilizer, 1.5 parts by weight of azodicarbonamide, 1 part by weight of zinc oxide, and 2 parts by weight of sorbitol. Mixing was continued until the temperature of the mixture reached 125° C. Then the mixture was cooled to 50° C. The mixture was uniformly incorporated with 10 parts by weight of particulate polyvinyl chloride resin (prepared by microsuspension polymerization, having an average particle diameter of 1 μm and an average degree of polymerization of 1300). Thus there was obtained a foamable resin composition for powder molding.
Preparation of Double-Layer Sheet from the Non-Foamable Resin Composition and the Foamable Resin Composition
The sorbitol-free non-foamable resin composition (prepared in Comparative Example 1) was sprinkled over a nickel flat mold which had just been removed from a Geer oven at 280° C. after preheating to 240° C. for 10 minutes. About 5 seconds later, excess powder (remaining unfused) was removed. The foamable resin composition was sprinkled over the mold. About 15 seconds later, excess powder (remaining unfused) was removed, and the mold was heated again in a Geer oven at 240° C. for 1 minute so as to effect foaming. After cooling, the double-layer of the resin composition was released from the mold. The results of evaluation of the double-layer sheet are shown in Table 3.
Method of Evaluation
(1) Adhesion of the double-layer sheet to semirigid polyurethane resin
Evaluated by ageing the double-layer sheet at 25° C. and 50% RH for 1 day, backing the double-layer sheet with an approximately 10 mm thick layer of semirigid polyurethane resin in a polyurethane foaming mold, cutting a 25-mm wide test piece out of the sample, and measuring the 180° peel strength between the layer of the polyvinyl chloride resin and the layer of the semirigid polyurethane resin. (The 180° peel strength was measured at 23° C. and at a pulling rate of 200 mm/min.)
Evaluations of other items were carried out in the same manner as in Example 1.
EXAMPLES 12 AND 13 AND COMPARATIVE EXAMPLES 7 AND 8
Preparation of Foamable Resin Compositions
Foamable resin compositions were prepared in the same manner as in Example 11 except that the amount of sorbitol was changed as shown in Table 3.
Preparation of Double-Layer Sheets
Each of the foamable resin compositions was made into a double-layer sheet in the same manner as in Example 11. The results of evaluation are shown in Table 3.
TABLE 3______________________________________ Comparative Example No. Example No. 11 12 13 7 8______________________________________Sorbitol (pbw) 2 1 5 0 7Peel strength, kg/25 mm 0.55 0.45 0.65 0.20 0.70Removability ofexcess powderBack of sheet good good good good poorAmount adhering 26.1 25.7 26.5 25.0 28.0to cup (g) (A) (A) (A) (B) (A)Difference between 1.1 0.7 1.5 0 3.0(A) and (B), (g)______________________________________
EXAMPLE 14
The same procedure as in Example 11 was repeated except that the foamable resin composition was prepared with 2 parts by weight of mannitol in place of sorbitol. The peel strength between the double-layer sheet and the polyurethane layer was 0.55 kg/25 mm. The amount of powder adhering to the cup was 25.6 g (which is larger than that in Comparative Example 7 by 0.6 g). The back of the molded sheet showed no signs of uneven thickness.
EXAMPLE 15
The same procedure as in Example 11 was repeated except that the foamable resin composition was prepared with 2 parts by weight of glucose in place of sorbitol. The peel strength between the double-layer sheet and the polyurethane layer was 0.50 kg/25 mm. The amount of powder adhering to the cup was 26.0 g (which is larger than that in Comparative Example 7 by 1.0 g). The back of the molded sheet showed no signs of uneven thickness.
COMPARATIVE EXAMPLE 9
The same procedure as in Example 11 was repeated except that the foamable resin composition was prepared with 2 parts by weight of propylene glycol in place of sorbitol. The peel strength between the double-layer sheet and the polyurethane layer was 0.40 kg/25 mm. The amount of powder adhering to the cup was 32.1 g (which is larger than that in Comparative Example 7 by 7.1 g). The back of the molded sheet appeared to be of uneven thickness.
COMPARATIVE EXAMPLE 10
The same procedure as in Example 11 was repeated except that the foamable resin composition was prepared with 2 parts by weight of polyether polyol in place of sorbitol. The peel strength between the double-layer sheet and the polyurethane layer was 0.30 kg/25 mm. The amount of powder adhering to the cup was 35.8 g (which is larger than that in Comparative Example 7 by 10.8 g). The back of the molded sheet appeared to be of uneven thickness.
EXAMPLE 16
Preparation of Foamable Resin Composition
A supermixer was charged with 90 parts by weight of granular polyvinyl chloride resin (produced by suspension polymerization, having an average particle diameter of 120 μm and an average degree of polymerization of 800). After heating to 80° C. with uniform stirring, the resin was dry-blended with 70 parts by weight of trimellitic ester plasticizer, 3 parts by weight of Ba-Zn stabilizer, 1.5 parts by weight of azodicarbonamide, and 1.5 parts by weight of zinc oxide. Mixing was continued until the temperature of the mixture reached 125° C. Then the mixture was cooled to 50° C. The mixture was uniformly incorporated with 10 parts by weight of particulate polyvinyl chloride resin (prepared by microsuspension polymerization, having an average particle diameter of 1 μm and an average degree of polymerization of 1300) which contains 2 parts by weight of sorbitol to 100 parts by weight of the particulate polyvinyl chloride resin. Thus there was obtained a foamable resin composition for powder molding.
Preparation of Double-Layer Sheet from the Non-Foamable Resin Composition and the Foamable Resin Composition
The sorbitol-free non-foamable resin composition (prepared in Comparative Example 1) was sprinkled over a nickel flat mold which had just been removed from a Geer oven at 280° C. after preheating to 240° C. for 10 minutes. About 5 seconds later, excess powder (remaining unfused) was removed. The foamable resin composition was sprinkled over the mold. About 15 seconds later, excess powder (remaining unfused) was removed, and the mold was heated again in a Geer oven at 240° C. for 1 minute so as to effect foaming. After cooling, the double-layer of the resin composition was released from the mold. The results of evaluation of the double-layer sheet are shown in Table 4.
EXAMPLES 17 AND 18 AND COMPARATIVE EXAMPLES 11 and 12
Preparation of Foamable Resin Compositions
Foamable resin compositions were prepared in the same manner as in Example 16 except that the particulate polyvinyl chloride resin was replaced by the one which contains sorbitol in an amount of 1, 4, 0, and 10 parts by weight, respectively, to 100 parts by weight of the particulate polyvinyl chloride resin.
Preparation of Double-Layer Sheets
Each of the foamable resin compositions was made into a double-layer sheet in the same manner as in Example 16. The results of evaluation are shown in Table 4.
TABLE 4______________________________________ Comparative Example No. Example No. 16 17 18 11 12______________________________________Sorbitol (pbw) 0.2 0.1 0.4 0 1.0Peel strength, kg/25 mm 0.65 0.55 0.75 0.20 0.90Removability ofexcess powderBack of sheet good good good good poorAmount adhering 26.5 26.1 26.1 25.0 28.1to cup (g) (A) (A) (A) (B) (A)Difference between 1.5 1.1 1.3 0 3.1(A) and (B), (g)______________________________________
EXAMPLE 19
The same procedure as in Example 16 was repeated except that the particulate polyvinyl chloride resin was replaced by the one which contains 2 parts by weight of mannitol to 100 parts by weight of particulate polyvinyl chloride resin. The peel strength between the double-layer sheet and the polyurethane layer was 0.65 kg/25 mm. The amount of powder adhering to the cup was 26.2 g (which is larger than that in Comparative Example 11 by 1.2 g). The back of the molded sheet showed no signs of uneven thickness.
EXAMPLE 20
The same procedure as in Example 16 was repeated except that the particulate polyvinyl chloride resin was replaced by the one which contains 2 parts by weight of glucose to 100 parts by weight of particulate polyvinyl chloride resin. The peel strength between the double-layer sheet and the polyurethane layer was 0.60 kg/25 mm. The amount of powder adhering to the cup was 25.5 g (which is larger than that in Comparative Example 11 by 1.5 g). The back of the molded sheet showed no signs of uneven thickness.
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Disclosed herein is a polyvinyl chloride resin composition for powder molding which comprises granular polyvinyl chloride resin (as component A), particulate polyvinyl chloride resin (as component B), stabilizer, plasticizer, and saccharide (as component C). Disclosed also herein is a process for producing said resin composition by mixing granular polyvinyl chloride resin (as component A), particulate polyvinyl chloride resin (as component B), stabilizer, plasticizer, and saccharide (as component C). The resin composition is suitable for the production of covering materials for automotive interior.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention concerns a method for determination of imaging parameters for the acquisition of an image of an examination subject with the use of an image acquisition device. The invention can be used in particular (but not exclusively) in the planning of examinations in a magnetic resonance (MR) system in which imaging parameters must be set for the acquisition of the individual MR images.
2. Description of the Prior Art
With increasing complexity of MR imaging methods, it is increasingly difficult and time-consuming for the operator to generate protocols with imaging sequences in which the set imaging parameters deliver the desired contrast and the required image quality. Variants of a three-dimensional acquisition method with the use of the gradient echo technique—such as, for example, turbo-flash imaging (MPRAGE—magnetization prepared rapidly acquired gradient echoes)—are examples. The setting of the imaging parameters is particularly difficult when optimized, central k-space scanning methods, variable flip angles and/or different preparation pulses are used in such imaging sequences. As a result, the image quality of the measured MR image may become clinically unusable given a change of an imaging parameter (such as, for example, the change of an excitation flip angle by 1°).
Protocol development, i.e. the determination of suitable imaging parameters for specific imaging sequences, essentially ensues with the use of a testing strategy in which, starting from an existing protocol that delivers an average image quality, the imaging parameters are iteratively optimized by measurements (data acquisitions) using measurement phantoms or using volunteer test subjects. This process is very time-consuming and cost-intensive, particularly in the case of imaging sequences with very long acquisition times. This is particularly true in the field of pediatric imaging, since there the MR-relevant tissue parameters differ distinctly form those for adults; dedicated imaging parameters must thus be determined, but test subject measurements naturally can be made only in a very limited manner in pediatrics.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is therefore an object of the present invention to achieve optimized imaging parameters in a simple and fast manner.
This object is achieved in accordance with the invention by a method for determination of imaging parameters for the acquisition of a magnetic resonance image of an examination subject, wherein in a first step initial imaging parameters are established, typically by the operator. Signal intensities for tissue types that should occur in at least one part of the examination subject of which the MR image should be acquired are subsequently calculated with the use of these initial imaging parameters. The imaging parameters for the acquisition of the magnetic resonance image are then adapted with the use of these calculated signal intensities. The contrast to be expected and the image quality to be expected can be calculated from the calculated signal intensities without an actual measurement (data acquisition). The time expenditure for the calculation typically lies in the range of a few seconds or less. It is no longer necessary to conduct the measurement (possibly lasting multiple minutes) in order to receive an overview of how a measured MR image would look with the set initial imaging parameters. The present invention is not limited to the application with MR images. Theoretically, it is also applicable in the acquisition of any other image acquisition technique (such as, for example, in computed tomography). Due to the large number of adjustable parameters in the image generation by means of magnetic resonance, however, the selection of the correct imaging parameters can be difficult, such that MR images represent a preferred application example of the invention.
According to one embodiment, a simulation image that represents at least one part of the examination subject of which the magnetic resonance image should be acquired is generated on the basis of the calculated signal intensities, but the generation of a simulation image that is displayed to the user is not absolutely necessary. The optimization or adaptation of the imaging parameters can ensue solely on the basis of numerical values that can be calculated from the calculated signal intensities.
If a simulation image is calculated, then in another embodiment it is also possible to calculate and display a simulation image automatically for the selected imaging parameters given selection of a measurement protocol with predetermined imaging parameters. The operator therefore receives a first impression of the selected imaging parameters. Furthermore, it is also possible for a simulation image for each displayed image acquisition protocol to be displayed to the operator, so the operator in turn receives a better overview of the various measurement protocols.
If the calculated simulation image is displayed to the operator, the operator can virtually optimize the imaging parameters online and modify them in further steps so that overall a satisfactory image contrast with satisfactory signal-to-noise ratio is achieved. As an alternative to the calculation and display of a simulation image, it is also possible to determine and display only important image parameters such as contrast, sharpness and signal-to-noise.
For the calculation of the simulation image, the tissue proportions of a body region in the examination subject that should be considered for the calculation of the simulation image are advantageously determined. Furthermore, the body region should lie at least partially within the region of the examination subject of which the magnetic resonance image should be generated. This means that the body region to be examined should be fundamentally known with the proportions of the various tissues. Furthermore, the MR parameters such as T1 relaxation time, T2 relaxation time and proton density are advantageously determined for the tissue types considered for the calculation. For example, data known from the literature or values that are measured once and stored can be used. For example, a schematic image that, for example, is a segmented magnetic resonance image, can be used to determine the tissue proportions that should be considered for the calculation. Through segmentation of MR images it is possible in a known manner to separate different tissue types from one another. The proportion of a tissue or the proportions of all tissues in the total signal thus can be determined. Alternatively, schematic images (for example from anatomy atlases) can be used that allow a differentiation of the tissue types to be considered and are digitally available in a suitable form.
According to an embodiment of the invention, the signal intensity for every tissue type to be considered in k-space is determined. In one embodiment this signal intensity can be calculated on the basis of Bloch equations. As is explained below, the calculated signal intensity is a weighting for each k-space point and for each tissue proportion. An explicit solution of the Bloch equations is possible here based on the temporal sequence of the excitation and refocusing pulses. Furthermore, it is possible to suffice with an only approximate solution of the Bloch equations or an estimation of the signal evolution. Since the signal acquisition ensues in k-space (Fourier space), the calculated intensity value represents the calculated signal value in k-space. Furthermore, the proportions of each considered tissue proportion are determined in k-space, and the simulation image is determined by determining the signal intensity of the tissue type and the proportion of the tissue for at least one k-space value for each tissue type in question. If the quantity ratio of each tissue with the associated signal intensity is known for all tissue types that are expected to be present, for example, the simulation image can be calculated from this information.
As mentioned above, the tissue proportions to be considered can be calculated with the use of a schematic image that schematically reproduces the body region or the image plane to be examined. According to one embodiment of the invention, it is possible to generate from the schematic image a tissue proportion image for each tissue proportion to be considered. This means that a partial image for each tissue type, i.e. a partial tissue image, is generated from the segmented magnetic resonance image. As an alternative, it is also possible that such tissue proportion images are already present for each tissue proportion instead of the schematic image with the different tissues. After the calculation of the individual tissue proportion images, these can be normalized in an additional step. Various tissue proportions can be present at an image point. An example of tissue for which this is suitable is grey and white brain matter. By the normalization of the individual tissue proportion images it is ensured that the proportions of the individual tissue proportion images add to 100% in total. As an alternative, the normalization to the proton density is also possible, such that (for example) partial volume effects (i.e. finitely large image points contain more than one tissue type or proportionate air) can be considered.
In a further step, the resolution of the individual tissue proportion images can be adapted so as to correspond to the resolution of the MR image of the examination subject that should be acquired later. The tissue proportion images can then be Fourier-transformed in k-space, so it can be established at each k-space point, has the portion that each tissue proportion has of the total signal. The individual k-space data sets of the tissue proportion images represent an imaging of the individual tissue types in the measurement domain. These are weighted with the signal intensities mentioned above. A tissue-dependent signal intensity then can be generated for each tissue type in k-space by multiplication of the signal intensity for each tissue with the Fourier-transformed tissue proportion image. The simulation image can be calculated via addition of the tissue-dependent signal intensities in that a Fourier back-transformation ensues in image space.
To minimize the computation expenditure, the simulation image for a slice plane can be generated, or only a few representative simulation images for the various slices can be calculated. Furthermore, it is possible to calculate a simulation image respectively for each of the three orthogonal slice images (such as, for example, transverse, sagittal and coronary).
Furthermore, it can be very complicated to take the entire imaging sequence into account in the calculation of the signal intensity, i.e. to consider the entire progression of the gradient and radio-frequency pulses. To reduce this complication, it is possible to limit the simulation to a temporal sub-range of the imaging sequence. This sub-range can be, for example, the smallest repeating unit in the imaging sequence. Due to the periodicity of the measurement workflow with the repetition of excitation pulses and gradient switchings, it can suffice to simulate the smallest repeating unit from the imaging sequence. The signal intensity for the entirety of k-space can be determined from the simulation together with the k-space scan scheme predetermined by the measurement sequence (and thus known).
According to one embodiment, the initial imaging parameters are input by the user, and the imaging parameters can be modified and optimized by the user in light of the simulation image. However, it is just as likely that the user will predetermine boundary conditions for individual imaging parameters as well as, for example, a contrast response, and the imaging parameters are iteratively calculated using predetermined criteria. Exemplary criteria for this are the signal-to-noise ratio, the contrast response and what is known as the pixel function or point spread function (PSF). For example, the iterative method can be operated with a target function that should be optimized. For example, given such optimization methods it is possible to minimize the target function.
Furthermore, the invention concerns a device for optimization of the imaging parameters with a unit to establish the initial imaging parameters and a computer for calculation of the signal intensities. The device operates as described above. The invention likewise concerns a computer program product encoded with programming instructions that implement the method that is described above upon execution in a computer system.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 schematically illustrates an MR system with a device for simulation of an MR image in accordance with the invention.
FIG. 2 is a flowchart that schematically shows a workflow embodiment for optimization of the imaging parameters in accordance with the invention.
FIG. 3 shows an exemplary schematic image and a simulation image and the effectively acquired MR image in accordance with the invention.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
FIG. 1 schematically shows a magnetic resonance system with which the imaging parameters can be optimized in an effective manner. Such a magnetic resonance system possesses a basic magnetic field 10 for generation of a polarization field B 0 . An examination person 11 on a bed 13 is moved into the MR system to examine a body region 12 . To generate MR images, the system possesses a radio-frequency coil system 14 for radiation of RF pulses for excitation of the magnetization arising in the polarization field. Gradient coils 15 are provided for spatial resolution of the MR signal. To control the radiation of the RF pulses, an RF unit 16 is provided to switch the gradient fields of a gradient unit 17 . Furthermore, a central control unit 18 is provided to control the measurement and the measurement workflow, which control unit 18 can be operated by an operator (not shown) via an input unit 19 . The MR image is displayed on a display unit 20 . The functioning of an MR system is sufficiently known to those skilled in the art, such that details regarding the generation of the MR image need not be described in detail herein. The operator can input the imaging parameters via the input unit to generate an MR image. Such imaging parameters are, for example, repetition time, echo time, field of view, excitation flip angle etc. In order to now ensure that the measured MR image has a satisfactory image quality given a change of an imaging parameter, a simulation unit 21 is provided that calculates an image with the contrast and image quality to be expected, which image can then be displayed on the display unit 20 .
Details as to how an MR image is simulated in the simulation unit 21 with the use of the set imaging parameters are presented in connection with FIGS. 2 and 3 .
For the optimization method it is required to calculate an image based on a measurement protocol, which image corresponds to an actual measurement in contrast and image quality. For this purpose, a schematic image 30 is necessary that represents a segmented image that schematically reproduces the body region to be examined and in which an individual value (for example a grey value) is associated with each tissue type to be considered. Instead of the schematic image 30 , multiple partial images can be used of which each precisely represents one tissue type. For example, the proportion of the associated tissue type can be coded in the pixel value of each partial image. Given three-dimensional acquisitions of the head with fast gradient echo sequences (known as MPRAGE imaging methods), a large number of imaging parameters can be modified, for example the type of the preparation of the magnetization (inversion recovery, double inversion recovery, T2 preparation, saturation recovery), preparation parameters such as inversion and saturation times, turbo-factor, flip angle parameters for the calculation of the variable flip angles, pixel bandwidth, etc. In order to acquire these three-dimensional images with optimal signal response, the signal response can now be simulated, wherein the tissue proportions are calculated based on the scheme image 30 . As an example, a schematic image that is a segmented MR image of the brain is shown in image 41 in FIG. 3 . Using the schematic image, a tissue proportion image 31 can now be generated for every tissue type occurring in the image, or for each tissue type that should be considered in the calculation. In the head, for example, it can be sufficient to consider three different tissue types in order to be able to calculate the most important clinical contrasts, namely the grey and white brain matters and fluid. In this application case, this would mean that three tissue proportion images 31 are generated. Each tissue proportion image shows only partial regions composed of a particular tissue type. The normalization of the individual partial images ensues in Step 32 . Since multiple (different) tissues can be represented in a single pixel, the individual partial images must be normalized so that the total intensity is equal to 100%. Given transitions between tissue and air or given fluctuations of the local tissue density, individual pixels can also exhibit intensities that total less than 100%. In Step 33 the partial images are then interpolated based on the resolution set in the measurement protocol. In the shown exemplary embodiment, the interpolation occurs at the indicated point. However, it is also possible to implement the interpolation after the transformation in k-space (described later) or before generation of the partial images. In Step 34 , each partial image is transformed in k-space via a Fourier transformation. This leads to k-space data 35 of each tissue proportion image. These data 35 indicate which tissue type has a signal portion at which k-space coordinates. In a next step 36 it must now be determined which signal intensity the signal of each tissue type has at each k-space coordinate, meaning that the weighting of the k-space data with the signal intensity occurs. This ensues by multiplication of each k-space coordinate of each transformed partial image with the associated signal intensity value. The calculated signal intensity value should correspond optimally well with the MR measurement signal upon acquisition of an MR image with the set imaging parameters. This intensity value can be calculated with the aid of a Bloch simulation, for example. In principle, the measurement workflow composed of excitation and refocusing pulses, magnetization preparations and gradient switchings can be numerically simulated for this, and in fact using the MR parameters known for each individual tissue type. For example, this can mean a simulation run for each tissue. The required signal intensity at the point in time of each data acquisition is obtained from this simulation. The associated k-space coordinate is therefore also known from the workflow of the measurement sequence since this results from the gradient switching. In order to keep the computation effort low, it can be necessary to not record the complete workflow of a measurement sequence in a Bloch simulation. However, due to the periodicity this is also not necessary since it is sufficient to simulate a representative part of the imaging sequence. If the MPRAGE sequence mentioned above is resorted to, the measurement workflow hereby consists of a preparation phase with subsequent readout train. This pair with a duration of (typically) 1-10 seconds is continuously repeated over a few minutes. In the repetition, different lines of k-space are filled in succession; however, the selection of the k-space lines has no influence on the Bloch simulation. For this reason it is sufficient to implement the Bloch simulation for a repetition and to effect the association of the signal intensities so determined with those in other (not simulated) repetitions via the associated scheme predetermined by the imaging sequence. If it is desired to incorporate equilibrium states, the simulation can also be calculated via a few repetitions (for example five). It is also possible to automatically establish the number of simulated repetitions N. If the magnetization of the start value at repetition N is compared with repetition N−1, the number of the required repetitions can be concluded from the deviation of the number. For example, if the deviation is smaller than a predetermined percentage, the repetitions can be stopped. The signal intensities can be calculated in a similar manner for other sequence types. For example, the calculation for a fast spin echo imaging (TSE, Turbo Spin Echo) turns out to be similar to that for the MPRAGE sequence; the representative part of the sequence likewise consists of a preparation and the readout train. For a gradient echo sequence, the representative part consists of a single excitation and the following detection. However, in this example it is necessary to consider equilibrium states and to simulate some repetitions (for example between 20 and 30). If the gradient echo sequence of additional sequence parts influencing the contrast is interrupted (such as, for example, fat suppression, regional saturation, etc.), the smallest repeating sequence block represents the representative part to be simulated.
The magnitude that a tissue proportion has in the total signal is now calculated for each tissue proportion in Step 36 . This information is contained in the signal intensity value, wherein each k-space coordinate of each Fourier-transformed tissue proportion image is multiplied with the associated signal intensity value in Step 36 . In Step 37 , the transformed signal proportion images are then added in order to obtain the simulation image in Step 38 after a Fourier back-transformation into image space. Due to the linearity of the Fourier transformation, it is also possible to effect the addition of the k-space data according to Step 36 after the back-transformation into image space before Step 39 . The simulation image calculated according to Step 38 can then be shown to the operator. An example of such a simulation image is recognizable in image 42 of FIG. 3 . For demonstration purposes, in image 43 an MR image is presented that was measured with the imaging parameters that correspond to the imaging parameters of the simulation image. As can be seen by a comparison of images 42 and 43 , the contrast response can be simulated relatively well. In Step 39 , an optimization of the imaging parameters can then ensue using the calculated image. This means that either the operator changes the imaging parameters himself and starts a new simulation or, given satisfactory contrast, adopts the imaging parameters for the measurement sequence. However, in another exemplary embodiment it is also possible for the operator to only provide boundary conditions for the imaging parameters and to define the desired contrast, i.e. T1 weighting, T2 weighting or proton density weighting. Iterative images are now calculated with the calculation method described above and are automatically evaluated with regard to contrast quality and image quality. The imaging parameters can then be automatically modified dependent on the result of the evaluation and the next iteration can be implemented. The automatic evaluation can also already ensue on the basis of the determined intensity/weighting data and without knowledge of the spatial distribution of the tissue types (i.e. without scheme image); an iterative determination of optimal parameters thus can also ensue without explicit calculation of iterative images, which entails a significant reduction of the computation effort and thus an acceleration of the individual iteration steps.
The signal intensity for each readout interval individually results from the Bloch simulation for each tissue type. If, for example, the I echoes or an echo train of a MPRAGE sequence are acquired by the simulation, the signal intensities of the echo number i and tissue type Gj are obtained:
I(Gj, i)
The known association scheme Z of the sequence associates an echo number i with each k-space coordinate (kx, ky): Z(kx, ky)=i. The signal intensity I(Gj, kx, ky) for each tissue type can be associated with each k-space coordinate with this information:
I ( Gj, kx, ky )= I ( Gj, Z ( kx, ky ))
This information already suffices for determination of essential image quality parameters such as signal, contrast or point spread function (see below); information about the spatial distribution of the tissue types (scheme image, tissue proportion images) are not yet necessary here:
Signal S ( Gj )= I ( Gj, kx= 0, ky= 0)
Contrast K ( G 1, G 2)= S ( G 1)/ S ( G 2)
PSF: PSF ( Gj )=Sum — {kx }(( I ( Gj, kx, ky=Ky/ 2)− S ( Gj ))/ S ( Gj )^2
(Ky indicates the number of the ky coordinates, meaning that the summation ensues over the central k-space column. Alternatively, the summation can also proceed over the central k-space line. Combined summations as well as related evaluations of the PSF are conceivable.)
Calculation of simulated images proceeds according to the following. Starting from the (possibly normalized) tissue proportion images B(Gj, x, y), the k-space data B(Gj, kx, ky)=FT(B(Gj, x, y)) are calculated. FT designates the Fourier transformation. The k-space data are weighted with the previously determined signal intensities:
W ( Gj, kx, ky )= B ( Gj, kx, ky )* I ( Gj, kx, ky )
The simulation image SB is obtained via summation and back-transformation:
SB ( x, y )= FT ^{−1}(Sum — jW ( Gj, kx, ky ))
For an automatic optimization it is necessary to indicate a target function to be optimized and a method to be used that iteratively modifies the optimization parameters such that the target function is maximized or minimized, for example. In a preferred embodiment, a minimization of the target function ensues, wherein in principle every known minimization method can be used. However, the simplex minimization method has proved to be particularly suitable since it requires no information about the mathematical derivations of the target function according to the optimization parameters, and even in a multi-parameter space the method can work from local minima to find the absolute minimum. For example, the following optimization parameters can be used: the point spread function of the individual tissue types, the signal-to-noise ratio as well as the contrast, i.e. the ratio of the signal amplitudes of the individual tissue types. It is necessary to include the evaluation parameters point spread function (PSF), signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and contrast (K) in the target function, wherein the dependency on the tissue type (G) is added given the first two. For example, the individual contributions can contribute multiplicatively or in a weighted addition.
Z=PSF ( G 1)* PSF ( G 2)* . . . * PSF ( Gn )* SNR ( G 1)* . . . * SNR ( Gn )* K i)
Z=a 1 *PSF ( G 1)+ . . . + an*PSF ( Gn )* b 1 *SNR ( G 1)+ . . . + bn*SNR ( Gn )+ c*K ii)
The evaluation of the contrast can ensue, for example, based on the amplitude ratios of the central k-space data of the individual tissue types, i.e. a ratio of the calculated signal intensities (see above). For example, if a good contrast is required between grey and white brain matter (GM or, respectively, WM), the contrast function K=I(GM, kx=0, ky=0)/I(WM, kx=0, ky=0) can be minimized. The solution I(GM, kx=0, ky=0)=0 may possibly be precluded by the evaluation of the SNR; the evaluation of the SNR can likewise ensue over the amplitudes of the central k-space data. For example, the requirement of high SNR of GM an WM demands the minimization of SNR(GM)=1/S(GM) and of SNR(WM)=1/S(WM). The dependency of the SNR on the pixel bandwidth can, for example, be taken into account via the multiplication with the root of the bandwidth.
The evaluation of the point spread function is somewhat more complex: the ideal case (delta peak in image space) is reflected by a constant amplitude of the signal intensity in k-space. Deviations from this constant function manifest themselves in image space in an expansion of the point spread function (the images become blurry). The evaluation of the point spread function can therefore be registered, for example as a sum of the squares of the distances of the actual k-space amplitude from a constant: PSF(GM)=Sum_{kx} ((I(GM, kx, ky=Ky/2)−S(GM))/A(GM))^2, A(GM)=1/N Sum_{kx} (I(GM, kx, ky =Ky/2)) or A(GM)=S(GM). The signal intensities I required to calculate PSF already exist with the results of the Bloch simulations.
The method described herein are not limited to specific measurement sequences, but rather are applicable in principle to all imaging methods under the cited boundary conditions.
As can be recognized from the images shown in FIG. 3 , the schematic image, the simulation image and the actual measurement show a large correlation of simulated and measured data. A parameter optimization is therefore possible without implementing tedious test subject measurements that would have lasted over 30 minutes in the example shown in FIG. 3 .
The invention enables a time-saving and simple imaging parameter optimization.
Although modifications and changes may be suggested by those skilled in the art, it is the intention of the inventor to embody within the patent warranted hereon all changes and modifications as reasonably and properly come within the scope of his contribution to the art.
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In a method and computerized device for determination of imaging parameters for the acquisition of a magnetic resonance image of an examination subject, initial imaging parameters are established, a calculation is made, based on the initial imaging parameters, of signal intensities for tissue types that occur at least in a portion of the examination subject, and the imaging parameters for the acquisition of the magnetic resonance image under are adapted dependent on the calculated signal intensities.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to a system for driving a thermal head employed in a thermal recording apparatus.
In a heat-sensitive recording apparatus or thermal transfer type recording apparatus, the thermal head is selectively driven to record video data. The driving of a thermal head is, in general, limited by the power supply capacity. Let us consider a thermal head which records a line with 1728 dots. Assuming that, in recording data, with this thermal head, a current of 40 mA is required per dot, when a line is recorded in two printing cycles (i.e., using a two-cycle printing system), it can be determined from simple multiplication that the power supply capacity must be 34.6 A. The provision of a power source having such a large capacity is not economical, and may prevent miniaturization of the apparatus.
In order to overcome these difficulties, a system in which the thermal head is driven in a divisional manner, with the number of cycles being determined from the ratio of the current required to allow all the heat generating elements of the thermal head to generate heat simultaneously to the power source capacity, has been proposed in the art. However, the system is disadvantageous in that the recording speed is made low because the thermal head is driven uniformly in a divisional manner.
In order to eliminate the above-described drawback, another thermal head driving system is known in the art in which the number of printing cycles is changed according to the number of dots to be printed. In this system, when the number of dots to be printed corresponds to a current value which meets or is less than the power source capacity of the recording apparatus, a two-cycle printing operation, for example, (the general recording operation) is carried out. When the number of dots to be printed would exceed the power source capacity, the printing operation is carried out using an increased number of cycles (four cycles, eight cycles, sixteen cycles and so forth) depending on the number of dots to be printed. Accordingly, in this system, it is impossible to only slightly change the number of printing cycles. Therefore, at worst, when the number of dots to be printed is increased merely by one, the number of cycles is doubled and accordingly the recording speed is reduced to half. That is, this system is low in power source usage efficiency and is insufficient in recording speed.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In view of the foregoing, an object of this invention is to provide a thermal head driving system for a recording apparatus with a power source having a relatively small capacity, in which, irrespective of the number of dots to be printed, the power source is efficiently utilized to perform recording operations at high speed.
The foregoing object and other objects of the invention have been achieved by the provision of a thermal head driving system in which, according to the invention, a capacitor is connected in parallel with the output side of a DC source, so that the DC source and the capacitor supply current to the thermal head, and the charging time of the capacitor is changed by a period of time corresponding to the amount of discharge of the capacitor, which changes according to the number of dots to be printed, whereby the utilization efficiency of the DC source is increased.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a circuit diagram showing the essential components of an electrical circuit of a recording apparatus according to this invention;
FIG. 2 is a voltage waveform diagram describing the relation between drive pulses and capacitor charge and discharge operations;
FIG. 3 is a characteristic diagram showing one example of the relation between the repetition period and the average currents applied to all the heat generating elements;
FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing an electrical circuit of a video signal processing section;
FIG. 5 is a characteristic diagram showing one example of the relation between black rates and repetition periods T; and
FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing one modification of the image signal processing section.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
FIG. 1 shows the essential components of an electrical circuit of a recording apparatus according to the invention. In this apparatus, one end of each heat generating element 2 of a thermal head 1 is connected through a diode 3 to a common source driver 4. Current for driving the thermal head 1 is applied to the source driver 4 by a DC source 5 and a large capacity capacitor 6 connected in parallel with the output side of the DC source. The source driver 4 comprises a switching transistor. Driving current is supplied to the thermal head only during the period in which a drive pulse, indicated at 7, is applied to the base of the switching transistor.
The other ends of the heat generating elements 2 are connected to sink drivers 8 comprising switching transistors. Video signals, indicated at 9, in the main scanning direction of the recording apparatus, are applied to the sink drivers 8, respectively. In response to these video signals, the sink drivers 8 are selectively switched on and off, so that the heat generating elements 2 are selectively energized, to achieve the thermal recording operation.
In this thermal recording system, a two-cycle printing system is employed in which two drive pulses 7 are produced in recording a line, as shown in part (a) of FIG. 2, in which the pulse width of the first drive pulse 7 1 is 1 ms, and that of the second drive pulse 7 2 is 0.9 ms. When the thermal head 1 is driven by the drive pulses 7 1 and 7 2 , its substrate is heated. The recording sheet is shifted prior to recording the next line. Accordingly, a time period for heat radiation and shifting the recording sheet is provided before the next recording operation is started. The period of time (repetition period) for recording one line, including the time period described above will be represented by T. The capacitor 6 should be discharged during the period of time when drive pulses 7 1 and 7 2 are provided in the period T, and should be charged as much as required for recording the next line during the remaining period of time. Part (b) of FIG. 2 shows the variation of the voltage at the positive terminal A of capacitor 6 (FIG. 1) due to the above-described charging and discharging operation.
In the system according to the invention, the DC source 5 as well as the capacitor 6 supply current to the thermal head 1. Accordingly, the required current supply of the DC source 5 can be decreased by increasing the repetition period T. FIG. 3 indicates the variation of the average, per unit time, of the current supplied to all heat generating elements (or the average currents), i.e., the variation of the current supply mentioned above, in the case where the minimum repetition period T is set to 2.5 ms. It is apparent from FIG. 3 that, when the capacity of the power source is limited, the repetition period T should be increased, and that, by continuously changing the repetition period according to the number of dots to be printed, the DC source can be maximally utilized to effectively supply current.
FIG. 4 shows an electrical circuit of a video signal processing section, which is used for efficient utilization of the DC source. A video signal 11, which is binary-coded according to the density distribution of an original, is supplied to a video signal processing circuit 12. In the circuit 12, serial video signals for one line as obtained by raster scanning are rearranged according to the thermal head driving system employed. In this case, a two-cycle printing system is employed in which, in each cycle, with respect to one continuous heat generating body, a recording operation is carried out at every other bit. Therefore, in the video signal processing circuit 12, serial video signals of 1728 bits per line are alternately thinned to leave every other bit (e.g. divided into odd and even bits) to provide first and second video signals 9 1 and 9 2 . The first video signals 9 1 are supplied to a shift register (not shown), where they are subjected to a serial-parallel conversion. The video signals thus rearranged are applied to the sink drivers 8 of FIG. 1, so that the first cycle of the line recording process is accomplished. Similarly, the second video signals 9 2 are applied to the shift register, and the second cycle of the process of recording the same line is carried out.
The first and second video signals 9 1 and 9 2 outputted by the video signal processing circuit 12 are also applied to a black rate counting circuit 13. The black rate counting circuit 13 operates to count the number of bits representative of black picture elements in the video signals 9 1 and 9 2 (i.e., the number of "black" bits), and to output this number as a count value signal 14. The count value signal 14 is supplied, as a synchronizing signal for line synchronization, to a synchronizing circuit (not shown), and is further supplied to a drive pulse generating circuit 15.
In the drive pulse generating circuit 15, the first drive pulse 7 1 is generated for 1 ms, and is applied to the source driver 4, so that the above-described recording operation using the first video signals 9 1 is carried out; and then the second drive pulse 7 2 is generated for 0.9 ms, so that a recording operation using the second video signals 9 2 is conducted. Therefore, when the repetition period T has passed after the rise of the first drive pulse 7 1 , the drive pulse generating circuit 15 produces drive pulses 7 1 and 7 2 for the next line. The period T is varied by the count value signal 14.
Where the capacity of the DC source 5 is 10A and the black rate, which is the ratio of the number of black bits to the number of printable dots, is represented by R B , the relationship between this data and the repetition period T is: ##EQU1## In this embodiment, the minimum value of the repetition period T is set to 2.5 ms. Therefore, as is clear from the above relation, the black rate R B may be up to around 0.39 (39%) at this speed.
FIG. 5 indicates the relationship between the black rate R B and the repetition period T. Setting of the period T with respect to the black rate determined by the count value signal 14 as shown in FIG. 5 can be realized by providing an arithmetic unit adapted to calculate T values from the aforementioned equation, in the drive pulse generating circuit 15. As the black rate becomes larger than 39%, the repetition period T is gradually increased, so that the voltage of the capacitor 6 may be restored to a predetermined value before the next line is recorded. As the repetition period T is continuously changed so that the DC source 5 supplies a current of 10 A at all times, the thermal head is most efficiently driven.
FIG. 6 shows an alternative arrangement of the electrical circuit of the video signal processing section, for describing one modification of the thermal head driving system. In this modification, the voltage V at the positive terminal A in FIG. 1 is converted into a digital signal 14 by an A/D (analog-to-digital) converter 17. The digital signal 14 is applied to the synchronizing circuit (which operates similarly to that of the above-described embodiment) and to a drive pulse generating circuit 18. The drive pulse generating circuit 18 monitors the voltage V at the terminal A of the capacitor 6, so as to produce drive pulses 7 1 and 7 2 for the next line when the voltage V is restored to a predetermined value. However, it should be noted that in case the voltage V is restored before the shortest repetition period has elapsed, the circuit 18 provides the drive pulses 7 1 and 7 2 for the next line only after the lapse of the minimum repetition period. In this modification, the period T is again continuously changed, so that the thermal head is efficiently driven.
As is apparent from the above description, according to the invention, limitations in the power supply capacity are overcome by varying the printing cycle repetition period. Therefore, the system of this invention can record a given line using a relatively small number of printing cycles when compared with a system in which the number of cycles is changed. Accordingly, the circuit for driving the thermal head in a divisional manner is made unnecessary or can be simplified. Furthermore, even when recording on a recording sheet which is in motion, the problem of the dots being printed such that they are greatly shifted in the auxiliary scanning direction is not caused. Thus, the recorded image is of improved quality.
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A thermal recording apparatus operates to efficiently utilize a smaller capacity power supply by the provision of a capacitor in parallel with the power supply source. The capacitor is discharged during printing cycles and is recharged in the interval between the end of one line printing operation and the beginning of the next. This interval is increased in proportion to the percentage of black bits printed in a given line, such that the capacitor may be sufficiently charged and the power supply efficiently used.
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This application claims the benefit of the Patent Korean Application No. P2004-91272 and p2004-91273 both filed on Nov. 10, 2004, which is hereby incorporated by reference as if fully set forth herein.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a combination dryer, and more particularly, to a new type of a combination dryer which enables air in a drying drum and a cabinet to circulate continuously for drying the laundry more smoothly and which is suitable for being built-in as well as preventing changes of interior environments.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
In general, a dryer is an electric home appliance which can dry cloth items, cloths and beddings (hereinafter, ‘the laundry’). The dryer dries the laundry by supplying hot air to the washed laundry continuously.
FIG. 1 illustrates a conventional tumble dryer out of related art dryers.
The related art tumble dryer includes a body 101 a drying drum 20 , a door 40 , a motor 50 , a drying heater 60 and a fan 70 .
The body 10 defines an exterior of the tumble dryer and the drying drum 20 is rotatably mounted inside of the body 10 .
Also, an opening 11 is formed in front of the body 10 , and the door 40 is coupled for opening/closing the opening 11 .
The motor 50 is secured to an inner downside of the body 10 for creating a driving force to rotate the drying drum 20 and the fan 70 .
The drying heater 60 is mounted on an inner portion of a hot air supply channel 91 for heating air flowing within the hot air supply channel 91 . The hot air supply channel 91 guides a hot air passage supplied into the drying drum 20 .
The fan 70 discharges dry air flowing inside of the drying drum 10 to an outside, and is provided in communication with a hot air discharge channel 92 .
Thus, once the fan 70 is put into operation, external air is guided by the hot air supply channel 91 and heated by passing through the drying heater 60 to be drawl into the drying drum 10 .
Thereby, the damp laundry introduced into the drying drum 10 is getting dried by the heated external air gradually.
The air having dried the laundry by being circulated within the drying drum 10 is guided by the hot air supplying channel 92 to be discharged outside.
Once drying is completed by the repeated performance of the above process, the fan 70 and the drying heater 60 are stopped to finish a drying cycle.
However, the related art tumble dryer has a problem that a tangled portion of the laundry is not dried smoothly, because the drying cycle is performed in a state of the laundry being introduced together at one time.
There is another problem that it is impossible to keep the laundry for a long time in the related art tumble dryer.
Thus, recently demands have been increasing accordingly for a new type of a combination dryer having a drying capacity thereof enlarged as well as capable of keeping the laundry for a long time. There are various combination dryers provided with tumble dryers having auxiliary cabinet dryers provided therewith, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 2004-0194339 A1 or U.S. Pat. No. 2004-0154194.
The above combination dryer has a cabinet dryer provided on a top of a conventional dryer having a rotatory drum. The cabinet dryer has space for the laundry and receives hot air used to dry or keep the laundry for a long time.
The cabinet dryer is employed to dry the laundry or keep the laundry therein for a long time after receiving hot air from the tumble dryer.
However, the combination dryer described above may cause a problem that the combination dryer cannot be supplied for being built-in, because the air having dried the laundry is discharged outside of the combination dryer.
That is, since space for being built-in should be formed large enough to maintain a sufficient distance with a wall for discharging air smoothly, a design of an exterior may deteriorate.
Furthermore, since the air discharged from the combination dryer is a high-temperature humid air, internal environment may not be the high temperature humid one which a user does not want.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, the present invention is directed to a combination dryer and a method thereof that substantially obviates one or more problems due to limitations and disadvantages of the related art.
An object of the present invention is to provide a combination dryer that enables air for drying in a tumble dryer and a cabinet dryer to be circulated continuously, such that changes of interior environment are prevented for being built-in.
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.
To achieve these objects and other advantages and in accordance with the purpose of the invention, as embodied and broadly described herein, a controlling method of a combination dryer comprises a controlling process for selectively operating a drying cycle and a refreshing cycle. The refreshing cycle includes a step of supplying condensed water stored in the condensed water storing chamber into a heating part: a step of generating steam for generating steam by evaporating the condensed water of the heating part: and a step of supplying steam for supplying the steam into the drying drum and/or the laundry keeping space.
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
The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide a further understanding of the invention and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this application, illustrate embodiment(s) of the invention and together with the description serve to explain the principle of the invention. In the drawings:
FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an inner structure of a conventional tumble dryer.
FIG. 2 is a diagram schematically illustrating an exterior of a combination dryer according to a first embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 3 is a block diagram schematically illustrating, the combination dryer according to the first embodiment of the present.
FIG. 4 is a sectional view from a side illustrating an extending part of a cabinet dryer of the combination dryer according to the first embodiment of the present invention.
FIGS. 5 to 7 are flow charts schematically illustrating a controlling process of the combination dryer according to the first embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 8 is a block diagram schematically illustrating a combination dryer according to a second embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 9 is a block diagram schematically illustrating the combination dryer according to a third embodiment of the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
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.
As shown in FIGS. 2 to 4 , a combination dryer according to a first embodiment of the present invention includes a tumble dryer 100 , a cabinet dryer 200 , and a controller 300 .
The tumble dryer 100 performs only a drying cycle of the laundry. The tumble dryer 100 includes a drying drum 110 capable of rotating and agitating, a hot air supplying pipe, a hot air supplying part 130 , and an air condensing part 140 .
The hot air supplying pipe as a pipe guiding an inflow of high-temperature hot air is connectedly in communication with inside space of the drying drum 110 , the air condensing part 140 and a cabinet dryer 200 .
The hot air supplying pipe includes a first supplying pipe 121 for supplying hot air into the drying drum 110 , a second supplying pipe 122 for receiving and supplying the air having passed through the air condensing part 140 to the first supplying pipe 121 , and a third supplying pipe 123 for receiving and transmitting the air discharged from the drying drum 110 to the air condensing part 140 .
A filtering part 124 may be further provided in the third supplying pipe 123 for filtering foreign substances contained in the flowing air.
Also, the hot air supplying part 130 is provided in the second supplying pipe 122 for generating hot air.
The hot air supplying part 130 includes a drying heater 131 for heating the air flowing inside of the second supplying pipe 122 , a fan 132 for forcibly ventilating the air within the second supplying pipe 122 .
Preferably, the fan 132 is provided in a portion of the second supplying pipe 12 where air is drawn into the drying heater 131 .
That is for minimizing damage of the fan 132 due to hot air.
Also, the air condensing part 140 condenses the air flowing along the hot air supplying pipe to radiate heat of the air. The air condensing part 140 includes a condenser 141 and an air condensing fan 142 .
The condenser 141 receives the hot air from the third supplying pipe 123 , and includes a pipe having a plurality of branched portions and a cooling pin.
The air condensing fan 142 ventilates external air toward the condenser 141 .
Thus, the humid air passing through the condenser 141 is condensed through heat-exchanging with external air supplied by driving of the air condensing, fan 142 , while flowing along a pipe way of the condenser 141 .
The cabinet dryer 200 is mounted on a top of the tumble dryer 100 , with a predetermined space having lots of the laundry kept therein.
The cabinet dryer 200 includes a body 210 , a keeping the laundry space 220 , an opening/closing door 230 , a hot air inlet pipe 241 , and an air outlet pipe 242 .
The body 210 defines an exterior of the cabinet dryer 200 , and is formed to allow a front thereof to be opened.
An extending part 250 may be further provided in the body 210 for extending to reach an inside of the tumble dryer 100 .
The extending part 250 is employed for hanging the long laundry such as pants or a coat so that the long laundries may not overlap one another, and preferably extends toward one side so as not to affect rotation of the drying drum 110 .
Also, the laundry keeping space 220 forms space for keeping the laundry, and includes a plurality of racks 221 and a bar 222 .
At that time, each rack 221 is detachable from the body 210 and formed for seating various kinds of the laundries thereon. The bar 222 is coupled along a front and a rear of a first side of upper space within the body 210 .
The opening/closing door 230 is employed for opening/closing the opened front of the body 210 .
A first end of the hot air inlet pipe 241 is connected to a portion of the second supplying pipe 122 where air is discharged, and a second end thereof is connectedly in communication with the space 220 keeping the laundry therein for transmitting the hot air from the second supplying pipe 122 into the space 220 keeping the laundry therein.
Preferably, an air channel valve 125 may be further provided in the second supplying pipe 122 for choosing and guiding a direction of the air flowing into the first supplying pipe 121 and/or the hot air inlet pipe 241 .
Also, a first end of the air outlet pipe 242 is in communication with the laundry keeping space 220 , and a second end thereof is connected to the third supplying pipe 123 to discharge the high-temperature humid air having passed through the laundry within the space 220 .
At that time, an auxiliary exhaustion fan (not shown) may be further provided in the air outlet pipe 242 .
The controller 300 according to the present invention controls operations of the tumble dryer 100 and the cabinet dryer 200 .
At that time, the controller 300 may be provided in at least one of the tumble dryer 100 and the cabinet dryer 200 and it is preferred but not necessary that the controller 300 is provided only in the tumble dryer as shown in embodiments of the present invention.
If the controller 300 is provided in both the tumble dryer 100 and the cabinet dryer 200 , the control parts 300 are connected by a data cable (not shown) to make possible to intercommunicate information.
Also, the controller 300 may control the tumble dryer 100 and the cabinet dryer 200 respectively, and may control the tumble dryer 100 and the cabinet dryer 200 to communicate each other.
A controlling process of a combination dryer according to the present invention will be described.
Once a drying cycle is required through the controller 300 , the controller 300 identifies an object of the drying cycle. According to the results of the identification, each various controlling process is performed.
The identification of the object is to identify whether only the tumble dryer 100 performs a drying cycle, or only the cabinet dryer 200 performs a drying cycle, or both of the tumble dryer 100 and the cabinet dryer 200 perform each drying cycle.
First of all, referring to the flow chart of FIG. 5 , a controlling process in case that the object of the drying cycle is identified to be only the tumble dryer 100 will be described.
If the object of the drying cycle is identified to be only the tumble dryer 100 , an air channel valve 125 is controlled so as to have hot air flow into a first supplying pipe 121 (S 110 ). That is, the hot air is prevented from flowing into the hot air inlet pipe 241 .
Under that condition, the drying heater 131 is controlled to be heated. Hence, the air flowing within the second supplying pipe 122 is heated.
Also, the fan 132 is controlled to rotate. Hence, the hot air within the second supplying pipe 122 is supplied into the drying drum 110 of the tumble dryer 100 through the first supplying pipe 121 (S 120 ).
The hot air within the drying drum 110 is supplied to the laundry within the drying drum 110 for drying the laundry, and continuously discharged to an outside of the drying drum 110 through the third supplying pipe 123 .
At that time, the hot air discharged to an outside of the drying drum 110 contains much moisture, as well as the temperature thereof being reduced.
Thus, the air containing the much moisture passes through the condenser 141 along the third supplying pipe 123 .
At that time, driving of the air condensing fan 142 is controlled. Hence, external air is ventilated toward the condenser 141 . Then, the humid air passing through the condenser 141 heat-exchanges with the external air to be condensed (S 130 ). Thus, the air becomes dry.
The dry air having passed through the air condensing part 140 is re-drawn into the second supplying pipe by driving the fan 132 , and passes through the drying heater 131 .
Thereby, hot air is continuously created, and the created hot air is supplied into the drying drum 110 to perform a drying cycle repeatedly.
Although the user may stop the drying cycle described above at his/her discretion, preferably the drying cycle is performed repeatedly for a predetermined time period.
If the drying cycle is performed only for the predetermined time period, it is preferred but not necessary that in a state of stopping the drying heater 131 , not stopping all operations temporarily, air not heated is circulated to reduce a temperature of the drying drum 110 (S 140 ).
That is, controlling to continuously drive the fan 132 and the air condensing fan 142 enables the temperature of the drying drum 110 to reach a safe temperature more quickly.
That control may be performed until the temperature of the drying drum 110 reach a predetermined temperature, or continuously performed during the predetermined time period.
Once the temperature of the drying drum 110 reaches the predetermined temperature, the fan 132 and the air condensing fan 142 are stopped (S 150 ), to finish the drying cycle.
Next, referring to a flow chart of FIG. 6 , a controlling process in case the object of the drying cycle is identified to be only the cabinet dryer will be described in detail.
First of all, once the object for drying cycle is identified to be only the cabinet dryer 200 , the air channel valve 125 is controlled so as to make the hot air flow only into the hot air inlet pipe 241 (S 210 ). That is, the hot air is not flown into the first supplying pipe 121 .
In that state, the drying heater 131 is controlled to radiate heat for heating the hot air within the second supplying pipe 122 .
Also, at that time, the fan 132 is controlled to rotate. Hence, the high temperature air, in other words, the hot air within the second supplying pipe 122 is supplied into the laundry keeping space 220 of the cabinet dryer 200 through the hot air inlet pipe 241 (S 220 ).
Thus, the hot air is supplied to the laundry within the laundry keeping space 220 to dry the laundry, and then is transmitted to the third supplying pipe 123 through the air outlet pipe 242 , after being discharged outside of the dryer 200 .
The hot air discharged outside of the space 220 may contain a large quantity of moisture, as well as the temperature thereof is reduced, while passing through the laundry.
Hence, the air with much moisture passes through the condenser 141 of the air condensing part 140 along the third supplying pipe 123 .
At that time, the driving of the condensing fan is controlled. Thereby, external air is drawn toward the condenser 141 and the humid air passing through the condenser 141 heat-exchanges with the external air to be condensed (S 230 ). Thus, the air becomes dry.
Continuously, the dry air having passed through the air condensing part 140 is re-drawn into the second supplying pipe 122 by driving the fan 132 , and then passes through the drying heater 131 .
Thereby, hot air is generated repeatedly and also the generated hot air is supplied into the laundry keeping space 220 to dry the laundry repeatedly.
The drying cycle described above may be stopped by the user at his/her discretion, and preferably the drying cycle is repeated for a predetermined time period.
In case the drying cycle is performed for the predetermined time period, preferably it is better to control to reduce the temperature in the laundry keeping space 220 by circulating the air which is not heated in a state of stopping only the drying heater 131 's radiating heat (S 240 ) than to stop all of the functions temporarily.
That is, preferably controlling to drive the fan 132 and the air condensing fan 142 repeatedly allows the temperature of the space 220 to reach a safe temperature more quickly.
Preferably, that controlling is performed repeatedly until the temperature of keeping space 220 reaches the predetermined temperature, or during the predetermined time period.
Once the temperature of the drying drum 110 reaches the predetermined temperature, the fan 132 and the air condensing fan 142 are stopped (S 250 ) to complete the drying cycle.
Next, referring to the flow chart of FIG. 7 , a controlling process in case the object of the drying cycle is identified to be both of the tumble dryer 100 and the cabinet dryer 200 will be described in detail.
First of all, once the object of the drying cycle is identified to be the tumble dryer 100 and the cabinet dryer 200 , the air channel valve 125 is controlled so as to help hot air flow into both of the first supplying pipe 121 and the hot air inlet pipe 141 (S 310 ).
In that state, the drying heater 131 is controlled to radiate heat, and then the air within the second supplying pipe 122 is heated.
Also, at that time, the fan 132 is controlled to rotate. Hence, the hot air within the second supplying pipe 122 is supplied into the drying drum 110 of the tumble dryer 100 and the laundry keeping, space 220 of the cabinet dryer 200 through the first supplying pipe 121 and the hot air inlet pipe 241 (S 320 ).
The hot air within the drying drum 110 and the laundry keeping space 220 is supplies to the laundry within the drying drum 110 and the laundry keeping, space 220 to dry the laundry, and continuously discharged outside of the drying drum 110 and the cabinet dryer 200 through the third supplying pipe 123 and the air outlet pipe 242 .
The air discharged through the air outlet pipe 242 is transmitted to the third supplying pipe 123 , and then meets the air flowing along the third supplying pipe 123 .
At that time, the hot air discharged outside of the drying drum 110 and the laundry keeping space 220 has the temperature thereof reduced in the middle of passing through the laundry, and maintains a large quantity of moisture.
Thus, the air having much moisture passes through the condenser of the air condensing part 140 along the third supplying pipe 123 .
At that time, the driving of the air condensing fan 142 is controlled. Thereby, external air is drawn toward the condenser 141 , and the humid air passing through the condenser 141 exchanges heat with the external air to be condensed. Thereby, the air becomes dry.
The dry air having passed through the air condensing part 140 is re-drawn into the second supplying pipe 122 by the repeated driving of the fan 132 , and after that passes through the drying heater 131 .
Thereby, hot air is created repeatedly, and also the generated hot air is supplied into the drying drum 110 and the laundry keeping space 220 through the first supplying pipe 121 and the hot air inlet pipe 241 so as to perform a drying cycle for the laundry repeatedly.
The drying cycle for the laundry described above may be stopped by the user at his/her discretion, and it is preferred but not necessary that the drying cycle is performed for the predetermined time period repeatedly.
Preferably, in case the drying cycle is performed for the predetermined time period, it is better to circulate the air not heated for reducing the temperature of the drying drum 110 and the laundry keeping space 220 in a state of stopping the drying heater 131 (S 320 ) than to stop all of the functions temporarily.
That is, the fan 132 and the air condensing fan 142 may be controlled to drive continuously so as to help the temperature of the drying drum 110 and the laundry keeping space 220 reach a safe temperature more quickly.
Controlling the fan 132 and the air condensing fan 142 to drive continuously may be performed until the temperature of the drying drum 110 and the space 220 reach the predetermined temperature by identifying the temperature repeatedly, or during the predetermined time period.
Once the temperature of the drying drum 110 reach the predetermined temperature, the fan 132 and the air condensing fan 142 are stopped (S 350 ) to complete the drying cycle.
On the other hand, FIG. 8 shows a combination dryer according to a second embodiment of the present invention.
That is, according to the second embodiment of the present invention, a steam generating part 310 is further provided for generating steam. Also, inner space of the steam generating part 310 and the cabinet dryer 200 is connected by a steam supplying pipe 320 .
The steam generating part 310 supplies steam to the laundry kept within the cabinet dryer 200 to have the laundry refreshed, and is provided in at least one of the tumble dryer 100 and the cabinet dryer 200 .
The steam generating part 310 includes a water chamber 311 for storing water to generate steam, a water supplying pipe 312 connected to the water chamber 311 for receiving water from the water chamber 311 a heating part 313 having predetermined space for storing the water received from the water supplying pipe 312 , and heating element 314 provided within the heating part 313 for heating and evaporating the water into steam.
The water chamber 311 may be connected to the water pipe for receiving water, or the user may supply water to the water chamber 311 directly.
Alternatively, as not shown the steam generated in the steam generating part 310 may be supplied to the tumble dryer 100 .
A refreshing cycle in the combination dryer according, to the second embodiment of the present invention will be described.
First, in case of performing a refreshing cycle such as smoothing out wrinkles and sterilizing the laundry, the steam generating part 310 is operated for generating steam.
In other words, the water supplied to the heating part 314 from the water chamber 311 is evaporated by heating the heating element 314 for generating steam.
The steam generated in the steam generating part 310 is supplied into the laundry keeping space 220 of the cabinet dryer 200 through the steam supplying pipe 320 .
Hence, the refreshing cycle is performed for the laundry kept within the space 220 of the cabinet dryer 200 .
On the other hand, the steam generating part 310 according to the second embodiment of the present invention may cause a problem that the user should supply water for generating steam consistently.
Furthermore, the first embodiment of the present invention may cause a problem that an auxiliary structure is needed for draining the condensed water, because the air condensing part 140 according to the first embodiment is operated for condensing hot humid air to generate much condensed water.
Therefore, a technical feature according to a third embodiment of the present invention is that the condensed water generated in the air condensing part is used to generate steam.
That is, as shown in FIG. 9 , according to a combination dryer of the third embodiment, a condensed water storing chamber 150 is further provided in the combination dryer of the first embodiment. The condensed water storing chamber 150 is connected to the air condensing part 140 , the cabinet dryer 200 and the drain pipe 160 .
The condensed water generated in the air condensing part 140 and in the cabinet dryer 200 is drawn into the condensed storing chamber 150 through the drain pipe 160 .
Preferably, a pump 161 is further provided in the drain pipe 160 for forcibly pumping the condensed water to transmit the condensed water to the condensed water storing chamber 150 .
Also, the combination dryer of the third embodiment further includes a steam generating part 410 for generating steam after receiving the condensed water stored in the condensed water storing chamber 150 , and a steam supplying pipe 420 for supplying the steam generated in the steam generating part 410 to the cabinet dryer 200 .
At that time, the steam generating part 410 is provided in either of the tumble dryer 100 and the cabinet dryer 200 , and includes a condensed water supplying pipe 412 for receiving water from the condensed water storing chamber 150 , a heating part 413 having a storing space for contemporarily storing the water received through the condensed water supplying pipe 412 , and a heating element 414 provided within the heating part 413 for heating and evaporating the stored water into steam.
Especially, it is preferred but not necessary that an opening/closing valve 415 is further provided in the condensed water supplying pipe 412 for selectively opening/closing the inflow of the water supplied into the heating part 414 .
A refreshing cycle of the combination dryer according to the third embodiment of the present invention will be described.
First, when operating a refreshing cycle such as smoothing out wrinkles or sterilizing the laundry, an air passage of the condensed water supplying pipe 412 is opened by controlling of the opening/closing valve 415 for supplying the water n the condensed storing chamber 150 to the heating part 413 .
Also, heating the heating part 414 evaporates the water supplied to the heating part 413 for generating steam.
At that time, the steam generated within the heating part 413 is supplied into the laundry keeping space 220 of the cabinet dryer 200 through the steam supplying pipe 420 .
Thus, the laundry within the space 220 is refreshed by the hot steam.
Also, preferably the fan 132 is driven for helping the hot humid air within the cabinet dryer 200 flown into the condenser 141 .
Hence, condensed water is regularly supplied into the condensed water storing chamber 150 , and steam is generated by using the condensed water without difficulty.
The condensed water is generated while the humid air is passing through the condenser of the air condensing part, and the condensed water is supplied into the condensed water storing chamber 150 through the drain pipe 160 . Alternatively, the water remaining within the laundry keeping space 220 of the cabinet dryer 200 may be supplied into the condensed water storing chamber 150 .
As described before, the combination dryer according to each embodiment of the present invention has an advantageous effect that the combination dryer of the present invention is suitable for being built-in, because it makes the air flowing the tumble dryer and the cabinet dryer circulated continuously, not discharged to all outside, thereby not changing interior environment.
Furthermore, the combination dryer of the present invention has an advantageous effect of enhancing an exterior design, because space for being built-in is not necessarily formed large, compared with the total size of the combination dryer.
Still further, the combination dryer of the present invention has an advantageous effect of drying the laundry smoothly, because the moisture in the air may be removed by condensing the humid air discharged from the drying drum and the cabinet dryer and.
That is, the hot air supplied into the tumble dryer and the cabinet dryer becomes dry, thereby enabling the laundry dried more smoothly.
Still further, the combination dryer according to the second and third embodiment of the present invention has an advantageous effect of smoothing out wrinkles and sterilizing the laundry, because a refreshing cycle for the laundry within the cabinet dryer is possible.
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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A combination dryer and operation method are disclosed. The combination dryer and operation method for a combination dryer enable air in a drying drum and a cabinet for drying the laundry to circulate continuously and enable water generated in the circulation process to be used to perform a refreshing cycle.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an improvement in a card cage assembly, also commonly called a printed wire board module. Such assemblies include electrical connectors rigidly secured to a panel. Printed wiring boards mounted in card guides may be pushed into contact with the electrical connectors. This assembly may be used singularly or in a series of assemblies with common back panels and side plates. Through the use of connecting bars, (i.e., a front bar, a clamping bar, and a rear bar) the electrical connectors, back panels, side plates, and card guides are secured together to make up the assembly.
2. Brief Description of the Prior Art
It is common in the data processing industry to use card cage assemblies to hold printed wire boards having electrical circuitry. The assemblies normally have connecting bars for holding the electrical connectors in place so that the printed wire boards held by card guides can be secured to the electrical connectors. These assemblies have been made without regard to the design and construction of the connecting bars and how the card cage is assembled. Little consideration was given to the cost and labor required in securing the back panel and the side plates to the connecting bars or to the need for rigidly securing the ends of the electrical connectors to the connecting bars without developing stresses in the back panel which could cause malfunctions.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The subject invention eliminates the aforesaid problems, thereby improving the overall durability and quality of the assembly and reducing the cost and labor in the construction of the assembly.
The improved card cage assembly includes a back panel, side plates, card guides, an elongated rear bar, an elongated clamping bar, electrical connectors having end portions secured to the rear bar and the clamping bar, and an elongated front bar; the front bar and the clamping bar supporting the card guides. Broadly described, the improved card cage assembly includes extruded channels formed along the longitudinal axis of the front bar and the rear bar for receiving thread-forming screws which secure the back panel and the side plates to the connecting bars.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
While the specification concludes with claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming that which is regarded as the present invention, details of a preferred embodiment of the invention along with its further objects and advantages may be more readily ascertained from the following detailed description when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein:
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the improved card cage assembly; and
FIG. 2 is a side view of the improved card cage assembly.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
In FIG. 1, the improved card cage assembly is designated by general reference character number 10. Assembly 10 includes a back panel 12, a rear bar 14, a clamping bar 16, a front bar 18, an electrical connector 20, a lower card guide 22, an upper card guide 24, and a side plate 26. The back panel 12 is secured to the rear bar 14 by thread-forming screws 28. Also shown is an insulating strip 30 disposed between the back panel 12 and the rear bar 14. Contacts 32 attached to back panel 12 provide an electrical contact with the connector 20. While only a set of contacts 32 are shown, it is to be understood that the back panel 12 may contain a large number of contacts 32. The side plate 26 is secured to the rear bar 14 and the front bar 18 by thread-forming screws 34. Printed wire boards which are not shown in this figure are slid into the card guide slots 36 until they are electrically connected to the connector 20.
Referring now to FIG. 2, this figure more clearly shows a cross-sectional view of the rear bar 14, the connecting bar 16, and the front bar 18. The rear bar 14 is illustrated by having a first side portion 36, a second side portion 37, a top portion 38, a bottom portion 39, and an end portion 40. Formed in the first side portion 36 along the longitudinal axis of the bar 14, is an extruded U-shaped channel 41 for receiving the thread-forming screws 28 for securing the back panel 12 to the first side portion 36 of the rear bar 14. The second side portion 37 of the rear bar 14 also has an extruded U-shaped channel 42 with a nut strip retaining channel 43 formed therein. The retaining channel 43 holds a nut strip 44 for receiving a threaded screw 46 for securing the clamping bar 16 to the rear bar 14. While a threaded screw 46 is used, it should be mentioned that a thread-forming screw may also be used for engaging nut strip 44. The extruded U-shaped channels 41 and 42 at end portion 40 also receive thread-forming screws 34, shown in FIG. 1, for securing the side plate 26 to the rear bar 14. The rear bar 14 and the clamping bar 16 are illustrated having flanged portions 48 and 50 disposed adjacent to one end of the electrical connector 20. When threaded screw 46 is inserted into an aperture 49 in the bar 16 and threaded into the nut strip 44 thereby connecting the clamping bar 16 to the rear bar 14, the flanged portions 48 and 50 are drawn one toward the other rigidly clamping one end of the electrical connector 20. This same operation also occurs at the opposite end of connector 20. To eliminate back panel stress, which was caused when the back panel 12, the rear bar 14, and the clamping bar 16 were secured together with a single securing means, the back panel 12 and the clamping bar 16 are each separately secured to the rear bar 14.
A spacer plate 51 is shown secured between flanged portions 52 and 54 of the rear bar 14 and the clamping bar 16. This spacer plate 51 is used to prevent any twisting along the longitudinal axis of the rear bar 14 and clampng bar 16 when they are secured together in the assembly 10. When the card cage assembly 10 is stacked together in a series of assemblies, the one end of an adjacent connector 20 is used in place of the spacer plate 51.
The clamping bar 16 is illustrated having a first side portion 56, a second side portion 58, a top portion 60, a bottom portion 62, and end portion 64. The second side portion 58 is shown having an upper U-shaped slot 66 and a lower U-shaped slot 68 for receiving one end of either the upper card guide 24 or the lower card guide 22, whichever the case may be, or both guides should it be necessary to stack the assemblies one upon the other.
Referring now to the front bar 18 which includes a first side portion 70, a second side portion 72, a top portion 74, a bottom portion 76, and an end portion 78. The first side portion 70 has U-shaped slots 80 and 82 for receiving one end of either the upper card guide 24 or the lower card guide 22, whichever the case may be. The top portion 74 and bottom portion 76 include extruded channels 84 and 86 along the longitudinal axis of the bar 18. The channels 84 and 86 receive the thread-forming screws 34, shown in FIG. 1, at the end portion 78 of the front bar 18 for securing the side plate 26 thereto. The second side portion 72 of the front bar 18 has an extruded elongated T-shaped member 88 for attaching a retaining clip should it be required to hold the printed wire boards more firmly in place.
Changes may be made in combination and arrangement of the elements as heretofore set forth in the specifications and shown in the drawings. It being understood that the changes may be made in the embodiments disclosed without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention as defined in the following claims.
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An improved card cage assembly used in data processing equipment to hold printed wire boards containing electrical circuitry. The improved assembly has a rear bar and a front bar with extruded channels formed therein. The channels receive thread-forming screws and a nut strip for ease in construction and for the elimination of back panel stresses.
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This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/977,115, filed Oct. 3, 2007, the entire contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to tetraaza phenalen-3-one compounds which inhibit poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP).
BACKGROUND
The present invention relates to inhibitors of the nuclear enzyme poly(adenosine 5′-diphospho-ribose) polymerase [“poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase” or “PARP”, which is also referred to as ADPRT (NAD:protein (ADP-ribosyl transferase (polymerising)) and PARS (poly(ADP-ribose) synthetase) and provides compounds and compositions containing the disclosed compounds. Moreover, the present invention provides methods of using the disclosed PARP inhibitors to treat cancer.
There is considerable interest in the development of PARP inhibitors as chemosensitizers for use in cancer therapy and to limit cellular damage after ischemia or endotoxic stress. In particular, potentiation of temozolomide cytotoxicity observed in preclinical studies with potent PARP-1 inhibitors reflects inhibition of base excision repair and subsequent cytotoxicity due to incomplete processing of N 7 -methylguanine and N 3 -methyladenine. There is now a body of preclinical data demonstrating that the cytotoxicity of temozolomide is potentiated by coadministration of a PARP inhibitor either in vitro or in vivo. Plummer, et al., Clin. Cancer Res., 11(9), 3402 (2005).
Temozolomide, a DNA methylating agent, induces DNA damage, which is repaired by O 6 -alkylguanine alkyltransferase (ATase) and poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase-1 (PARP-1)-dependent base excision repair. Temozolomide is an orally available monofunctional DNA alkylating agent used to treat gliomas and malignant melanoma. Temozolomide is rapidly absorbed and undergoes spontaneous breakdown to form the active monomethyl triazene, 5-(3-methyl-1-triazeno)imidazole-4-carboxamide. Monomethyl triazene forms several DNA methylation products, the predominate species being N 7 -methylguanine (70%), N 3 -methyladenine (9%), and O 6 -methylguanine (5%). Unless repaired by O 6 -alkylguanine alkyltransferase, O 6 -methylguanine is cytotoxic due to mispairing with thymine during DNA replication. This mispairing is recognized on the daughter strand by mismatch repair proteins and the thymine excised. However, unless the original O 6 -methylguanine nucleotide in the parent strand is repaired by ATase-mediated removal of the methyl adduct, thymine can be reinserted. Repetitive futile rounds of thymine excision and incorporation opposite an unrepaired O 6 -methylguanine nucleotide causes a state of persistent strand breakage and the MutS branch of mismatch repair system signals G2-M cell cycle arrest and the initiation of apoptosis. The quantitatively more important N 7 -methylguanine and N 3 -methyladenine nucleotide alkylation products formed by temozolomide are rapidly repaired by base excision repair. Plummer, et al., Clin. Cancer Res., 11(9), 3402 (2005).
Chemosensitization by PARP inhibitors is not limited to temozolomide. Cytotoxic drugs, generally, or radiation can induce activation of PARP-1, and it has been demonstrated that inhibitors of PARP-1 can potentiate the DNA damaging and cytotoxic effects of chemotherapy and irradiation. Kock, et al., 45 J. Med. Chem. 4961 (2002). PARP-1 mediated DNA repair in response to DNA damaging agents represents a mechanism for drug resistance in tumors, and inhibition of this enzyme has been shown to enhance the activity of ionizing radiation and several cytotoxic antitumor agents, including temozolomide and topotecan. Suto et al., in U.S. Pat. No. 5,177,075, disclose several isoquinolines used for enhancing the lethal effects of ionizing radiation or chemotherapeutic agents on tumor cells. Weltin et al., “Effect of 6(5H)-Phenanthridinone, an Inhibitor of Poly(ADP-ribose) Polymerase, on Cultured Tumor Cells”, Oncol. Res., 6:9, 399-403 (1994) disclose the inhibition of PARP activity, reduced proliferation of tumor cells, and a marked synergistic effect when tumor cells are co-treated with an alkylating drug. PARP-1 is thus a potentially important therapeutic target for enhancing DNA-damaging cancer therapies.
PARP inhibitors can also inhibit the growth of cells having defects in the homologous recombination (HR) pathway of double-stranded DNA repair. See Bryant et al., “Specific killing of BRCA2-deficient tumours with inhibitors of poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase,” Nature 434, 913 (2005); Farmer et al., “Targeting the DNA repair defect in BRCA mutant cells as a therapeutic strategy,” Nature 434, 917 (2005). This effect operates without the presence of chemosensitizers. Id. Known states associated with HR defects include BRCA-1 defects, BRCA-2 defects, and Fanconi anemia-associated cancers. McCabe et al., “Deficiency in the Repair of DNA Damage by Homologous Recombination and Sensitivity to Poly(ADP-Ribose) Polymerase Inhibition,” Cancer Res. 66. 8109 (2006). Proteins identified as associated with a Fanconi anemia include FANCA, FANCB, FANCC, FANCD2, FANCE, FANCF, FANCG, FANCL, and FANCM. Id. For reviews, see Zaremba et al., “PARP Inhibitor Development for Systemic Cancer Targeting,” Anti - Cancer Agents in Medicinal Chemistry 7, 515 (2007) and Lewis et al., “Clinical poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase inhibitors for the treatment of cancer,” Curr. Opin. Investigational Drugs 8, 1061 (2007).
Large numbers of known PARP inhibitors have been described in Banasik et al., “Specific Inhibitors of Poly(ADP-Ribose) Synthetase and Mono(ADP-Ribosyl)-Transferase”, J. Biol. Chem., 267:3, 1569-75 (1992), and in Banasik et al., “Inhibitors and Activators of ADP-Ribosylation Reactions”, Molec. Cell. Biochem., 138, 185-97 (1994). However, effective use of these PARP inhibitors, in the ways discussed above, has been limited by the concurrent production of unwanted side-effects. See Milam et al., “Inhibitors of Poly(Adenosine Diphosphate-Ribose) Synthesis; Effect on Other Metabolic Processes,” Science, 223, 589-91 (1984).
In addition to the above, PARP inhibitors have been disclosed and described in the following international patent applications: WO 00/42040; WO 00/39070; WO 00/39104; WO 99/11623; WO 99/11628; WO 99/11622; WO 99/59975; WO 99/11644; WO 99/11945; WO 99/11649; and WO 99/59973. A comprehensive review of the state of the art has been published by Li and Zhang in IDrugs 2001, 4(7): 804-812 (PharmaPress Ltd ISSN 1369-7056).
The ability of PARP-inhibitors to potentiate the lethality of cytotoxic agents by chemosensitizing tumor cells to the cytotoxic effects of chemotherapeutic agents has been reported in, inter alia, US 2002/0028815; US 2003/0134843; US 2004/0067949; White A W, et al., 14 Bioorg. and Med. Chem. Letts. 2433 (2004); Canon Koch S S, et al., 45 J. Med. Chem. 4961 (2002); Skalitsky D J, et al., 46 J. Med. Chem. 210 (2003); Farmer H, et al, 434 Nature 917 (14 Apr. 2005); Plummer E R, et al., 11(9) Clin. Cancer Res. 3402 (2005); Tikhe J G, et al., 47 J. Med. Chem. 5467 (2004); Griffin R. J., et al, WO 98/33802; and Helleday T, et al, WO 2005/012305.
The induction of peripheral neuropathy is a common factor in limiting therapy with chemotherapeutic drugs. Quasthoff and Hartung, J. Neurology, 249, 9-17 (2002). Chemotherapy induced neuropathy is a side-effect encountered following the use of many of the conventional (e.g., Taxol, vincritine, cisplatin) and newer chemotherapies (e.g. velcade, epothilone). Depending on the substance used, a pure sensory and painful neuropathy (with cisplatin, oxaliplatin, carboplatin) or a mixed sensorimotor neuropathy with or without involvement of the autonomic nervous system (with vincristine, taxol, suramin) can ensue. Neurotoxicity depends on the total cumulative dose and the type of drug used. In individual cases neuropathy can evolve even after a single drug application. The recovery from symptoms is often incomplete and a long period of regeneration is required to restore function. Up to now, few drugs are available to reliably prevent or cure chemotherapy-induced neuropathy.
There continues to be a need for effective and potent PARP inhibitors which enhance the lethal effects of chemotherapeutic agents on tumor cells while producing minimal side-effects.
In addition, PARP inhibitors have been reported to be effective in radiosensitizing hypoxic tumor cells and effective in preventing tumor cells from recovering from potentially lethal damage of DNA after radiation therapy, presumably by their ability to prevent DNA repair. U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,032,617; 5,215,738; and 5,041,653.
Recent publications suggest that PARP inhibitors kill breast cancer cells that are deficient in breast cancer associated gene-1 and -2 (BRCA1/2). These studies suggest that PARP inhibitors may be effective for treating BRCA1/2-associated breast cancers. [Farmer et al., Nature 2005, 434, 917; DeSoto and Deng, Intl. J. Med. Sci. 2006, 3, 117; Bryant et al., Nature, 2005, 434, 913.]
There continues to be a need for effective and potent PARP inhibitors which enhance the lethal effects of ionizing radiation and/or chemotherapeutic agents on tumor cells, or inhibit the growth of cells having defects in the homologous recombination (HR) pathway of double-stranded DNA repair, while producing minimal side-effects.
SUMMARY OF INVENTION
The present invention provides compounds described herein, derivatives thereof and their uses to inhibit poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase (“PARP”), compositions containing these compounds and methods for making and using these PARP inhibitors to treat the effects of the conditions described herein.
The present invention also provides a tetraaza phenalen-3-one compound of Formula (I), or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof:
wherein R is
(a) NR 1 R 2 , wherein R 1 is selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, C 1 -C 6 straight or branched chain alkyl, C 2 -C 6 straight or branched chain alkenyl, C 3 -C 8 cycloalkyl, C 1 -C 6 alkoxy, C 2 -C 6 alkenyloxy, phenyl, phenoxy, benzyloxy,
NR A R B (C 1 -C 6 straight or branched chain alkyl), NR A R B (C 2 -C 6 straight or branched chain alkenyl), (C 1 -C 6 straight or branched chain alkyl)carbonyl, (C 2 -C 6 straight or branched chain alkenyl)carbonyl, (C 3 -C 8 cycloalkyl)carbonyl,
(C 1 -C 6 straight or branched chain alkyl)oxycarbonyl, (C 2 -C 6 straight or branched chain alkenyl)oxycarbonyl, (C 3 -C 8 cycloalkyl)oxycarbonyl,
arylcarbonyl, sulfonyl, arylsulfonyl, aryl(C 1 -C 6 straight or branched chain alkyl),
aryl(C 2 -C 6 straight or branched chain alkenyl), aryl(C 3 -C 8 cycloalkyl),
(C 1 -C 6 straight or branched chain alkyl)aryl, (C 2 -C 6 straight or branched chain alkenyl)aryl, (C 3 -C 8 cycloalkyl)aryl, aryl,
heterocyclyl, heterocyclyl(C 1 -C 6 straight or branched chain alkyl), and heterocyclyl(C 2 -C 6 straight or branched chain alkenyl); wherein each heterocyclyl has between 1 and 7 heteroatoms independently selected from O, N, or S, and wherein each of R A and R B are independently selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, C 1 -C 6 straight or branched chain alkyl, C 2 -C 6 straight or branched chain alkenyl, and C 3 -C 8 cycloalkyl;
and R 2 is selected from the group consisting of C 1 -C 6 straight or branched chain alkyl, C 2 -C 6 straight or branched chain alkenyl, C 3 -C 8 cycloalkyl, C 1 -C 6 alkoxy, C 2 -C 6 alkenyloxy, phenyl, phenoxy, benzyloxy, NR X R Y (C 1 -C 6 straight or branched chain alkyl), NR X R Y (C 2 -C 6 straight or branched chain alkenyl), (C 1 -C 6 straight or branched chain alkyl)carbonyl, (C 2 -C 6 straight or branched chain alkenyl)carbonyl, (C 3 -C 8 cycloalkyl)carbonyl, (C 1 -C 6 straight or branched chain alkyl)oxycarbonyl, (C 2 -C 6 straight or branched chain alkenyl)oxycarbonyl,
(C 3 -C 8 cycloalkyl)oxycarbonyl, arylcarbonyl, sulfonyl, arylsulfonyl, aryl(C 1 -C 6 straight or branched chain alkyl), aryl(C 2 -C 6 straight or branched chain alkenyl), aryl(C 3 -C 8 cycloalkyl), (C 1 -C 6 straight or branched chain alkyl)aryl, (C 2 -C 6 straight or branched chain alkenyl)aryl, (C 3 -C 8 cycloalkyl)aryl, aryl,
heterocyclyl, heterocyclyl(C 1 -C 6 straight or branched chain alkyl), and heterocyclyl(C 2 -C 6 straight or branched chain alkenyl); wherein each heterocyclyl has between 1 and 7 heteroatoms independently selected from O, N, or S, and wherein each of R X and R Y are independently selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, C 1 -C 6 straight or branched chain alkyl, C 2 -C 6 straight or branched chain alkenyl, and C 3 -C 8 cycloalkyl;
wherein R 1 and R 2 are independently substituted with between 0 and 4 substituents, each independently selected from halo, C 1 -C 6 straight or branched chain alkyl, C 2 -C 6 straight or branched chain alkenyl, C 1 -C 6 alkoxy, trifluoromethyl, trifluoroethyl, and amino; and provided that R 1 and R 2 may not both be methyl, and R 2 may not be (phenyl)prop-1-yl when R 1 is hydrogen; or
(b) aryloxy, substituted with between 0 and 4 substituents, each independently selected from the group consisting of halo, C 1 -C 6 alkoxy, trifluoromethyl, trifluoroethyl, C 1 -C 6 straight or branched chain alkyl, C 2 -C 6 straight or branched chain alkenyl, C 3 -C 8 cycloalkyl, NR C R D , NR C R D (C 1 -C 6 straight or branched chain alkyl), and NR C R D (C 2 -C 6 straight or branched chain alkenyl), wherein each of R C and R D is independently selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, C 1 -C 6 straight or branched chain alkyl, C 2 -C 6 straight or branched chain alkenyl, and C 3 -C 8 cycloalkyl; and when more than one substituent is of the form NR C R D , each occurrence of R C and R D is independently selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, C 1 -C 6 straight or branched chain alkyl, C 2 -C 6 straight or branched chain alkenyl, and C 3 -C 8 cycloalkyl; or
(c) a heterocyclyl having between 1 and 7 heteroatoms independently selected from O, N, or S; and having between 0 and 4 substituents independently selected from the group consisting of halo, haloalkyl, hydroxyl, nitro, trifluoromethyl, trifluoroethyl, C 1 -C 6 straight or branched chain alkyl, C 2 -C 6 straight or branched chain alkenyl, C 1 -C 6 alkoxy, C 2 -C 6 alkenyloxy, phenyl, phenoxy, benzyloxy, amino, thiocarbonyl, cyano, imino, NR E R F (C 1 -C 6 straight or branched chain alkyl), NR E R F (C 2 -C 6 straight or branched chain alkenyl) sulfhydryl, thioalkyl, dioxa-spiroethyl, (C 1 -C 6 straight or branched chain alkyl) carbonyl, (C 2 -C 6 straight or branched chain alkenyl)carbonyl, (C 1 -C 6 straight or branched chain alkyl)oxycarbonyl, (C 2 -C 6 straight or branched chain alkenyl)oxycarbonyl, arylcarbonyl, sulfonyl, arylsulfonyl, aryl(C 1 -C 6 straight or branched chain alkyl), aryl(C 2 -C 6 straight or branched chain alkenyl), aryl(C 3 -C 8 cycloalkyl), (C 1 -C 6 straight or branched chain alkyl)aryl, (C 2 -C 6 straight or branched chain alkenyl)aryl, (C 3 -C 8 cycloalkyl)aryl, aryl, heterocyclyl, heterocyclyl(C 1 -C 6 straight or branched chain alkyl), and heterocyclyl(C 2 -C 6 straight or branched chain alkenyl), wherein each heterocyclyl has between 1 and 7 heteroatoms independently selected from O, N, or S, wherein each of R E and R F is independently selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, C 1 -C 6 straight or branched chain alkyl, C 2 -C 6 straight or branched chain alkenyl, and C 3 -C 8 cycloalkyl; and when more than one substituent is of the form NR E R F each occurrence of R E and R F is independently selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, C 1 -C 6 straight or branched chain alkyl, C 2 -C 6 straight or branched chain alkenyl, and C 3 -C 8 cycloalkyl; wherein each of said 0-4 substituents is independently substituted with between 0 and 4 further substituents, and each said further substituent is independently selected from halo, C 1 -C 6 straight or branched chain alkyl, C 2 -C 6 straight or branched chain alkenyl, C 3 -C 8 cycloalkyl, C 1 -C 6 alkoxy, trifluoromethyl, trifluoroethyl, and amino; provided that R has at least one substituent when R is an N-piperidinyl, N-pyrrolidinyl or an N-morpholinyl group.
In some embodiments each ring of each heterocyclyl of Formula (I) is independently 5-7 atoms in size.
Some embodiments include one, two or three nitrogen atoms in at least one ring of the heterocyclyl of Formula (I).
In some embodiments, the heterocyclyl of Formula (I) comprises 1-3 rings. In some embodiments, the heterocyclyl has 1-7 heteroatoms independently selected from O, N, and S. In some embodiments, the heterocyclyl comprises 1-2 rings. In some embodiments, the heterocyclyl comprises one ring. In some embodiments, the various occurrences of the heterocyclyl of Formula (I) each independently comprise 1-3 rings. In some embodiments, the various occurrences of the heterocyclyl of Formula (I) each independently comprise 1-2 rings. In some embodiments, the various occurrences of the heterocyclyl of Formula (I) each independently comprise one ring.
In some embodiments, the heterocyclyl of Formula (I) is selected from the group consisting of piperidinyl, piperazinyl, pyridazinyl, dihydropyridyl, tetrahydropyridyl, pyridinyl, pyrimidinyl, dihydropyrimidinyl, tetrahydrophyrimidinyl, hexahydropyrimidinyl, dihydropyrazinyl, tetrahydropyrazinyl, pyrrolidinyl, imidazolidinyl, pyrazolidinyl, pyrrolyl, dihydropyrolyl, imidazolyl, dihydroimidazoyl, pyrazolyl, dihydropyrazolyl, azepanyl, [1,2]diazepanyl, [1,3]diazepanyl, [1,4]diazepanyl, indolyl, dihydroindolyl, isoindolyl, dihydroisoindoly, dihydroquinolyl, tetrahydroquinolyl, dihydroisoquinolyl, and tetrahydroisoquinolyl; or subsets thereof.
The present invention also relates to a pharmaceutical composition comprising (i) a therapeutically amount of a compound of Formula (I) and (ii) a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier.
The present invention provides compounds which inhibit the in vitro and/or in vivo polymerase activity of poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP), and compositions containing the disclosed compounds.
The present invention provides methods to inhibit, limit and/or control the in vitro and/or in vivo polymerase activity of poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) in solutions cells, tissues, organs or organ systems. In one embodiment, the present invention provides methods of limiting or inhibiting PARP activity in a mammal, such as a human, either locally or systemically.
In one embodiment, the invention provides a chemosensitization method for treating cancer comprising contacting the cancer cells with a cytotoxicity-potentiating tetraaza phenalen-3-one compound of Formula (I) or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof and further contacting the tumor or cancer cells with an anticancer agent.
An embodiment of the present invention provides a chemosensitization method wherein a first dose of at least one compound of Formula (I) or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof is administered singly or repeatedly to a patient in need thereof, and wherein subsequently a second dose of at least one chemotherapeutic agent is administered singly or repeatedly to said patient after a time period to provide an effective amount of chemosensitization.
An aspect of the present invention provides a pharmaceutical formulation comprising the compound of Formula (I) in a form selected from the group consisting of Non-limiting examples of such chemotherapeutic agents are recited below, pharmaceutically acceptable free bases, salts, hydrates, esters, solvates, stereoisomers, and mixtures thereof. According to a further aspect, the pharmaceutical formulation further comprises a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier and, optionally, a chemotherapeutic agent. The following embodiments are for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to limit in any way the scope of the present invention. In one embodiment, a pharmaceutical formulation of the invention comprises a compound of the invention in a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier. In another embodiment, a pharmaceutical formulation of the invention comprises a pharmaceutically acceptable salt of a compound of the invention in a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier. In another embodiment, a pharmaceutical formulation of the invention comprises a compound of the invention and one or more chemotherapeutic agents in a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier. In another embodiment, a pharmaceutical formulation of the invention comprises a pharmaceutically acceptable salt of a compound of the invention and one or more chemotherapeutic agents in a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier. Non-limiting examples of such chemotherapeutic agents are recited below.
According to additional aspects of the invention, the chemosensitizing compound and the chemotherapeutic agent are administered essentially simultaneously.
According to an aspect of the invention, the chemotherapeutic agent is selected from the group consisting of temozolomide, adriamycin, camptothecin, carboplatin, cisplatin, daunorubicin, docetaxel, doxorubicin, interferon-alpha, interferon-beta, interferon-gamma, interleukin 2, irinotecan, paclitaxel, a taxoid, dactinomycin, danorubicin, 4′-deoxydoxorubicin, bleomycin, pilcamycin, mitomycin, neomycin and gentamycin, etoposide, 4-OH cyclophosphamide, a platinum coordination complex, topotecan, therapeutically effective analogs and derivatives of the same, and mixtures thereof. According to a specific aspect, the chemotherapeutic agent is temozolomide.
In another embodiment, the present invention provides methods of treating the effect of cancer and/or to radiosensitize cancer cells to render the cancer cells more susceptible to radiation therapy and thereby to prevent the tumor cells from recovering from potentially lethal damage of DNA after radiation therapy, comprising administering to a subject an effective amount of a compound of Formula (I) or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof. A method of this embodiment is directed to specifically and preferentially radiosensitizing cancer cells rendering the cancer cells more susceptible to radiation therapy than non-tumor cells.
The present invention also provides a method of treatment of cancer in a subject in need thereof comprising administering to the subject a therapeutically effective amount of a compound of Formula (I) or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof, wherein the cancer cells have a defect in repair of double-stranded DNA scission. In one embodiment, the defect in repair of double-stranded DNA scission is a defect in homologous recombination. In one embodiment, the cancer cells have a phenotype selected from the group consisting of a BRCA-1 defect, a BRCA-2 defect, a BRCA-1 and BRCA-2 defect, and Fanconi anemia.
In another embodiment, the present invention provides methods of treating BRCA1/2-associated breast cancer comprising administering a compound of Formula (I) or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof.
According to one embodiment of the invention, the compound for use in the chemosensitization method of the invention, the radiosensitization method of the invention, or the treatment of cancer wherein the cancer cells have a defect in repair of double-stranded DNA scission method of the invention, is a compound selected from Formula (I) or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof. In another aspect, the compound is selected from the group consisting of
and pharmaceutically acceptable salts thereof.
The present invention also provides means to treat chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy. According to an aspect of the invention, the compounds of the present invention are administered prior to, or together with, the administration of at least one chemotherapy agent to prevent the development of neuropathy symptoms or to mitigate the severity of such symptoms. According to a further aspect, the compounds of the present invention are administered after the administration of at least one chemotherapeutic agent to treat a patient for the symptoms of neuropathy or to mitigate the severity of such symptoms. In another aspect, the present invention provides a method to retard, delay, or arrest the growth of cancer cells in a mammal, comprising the administration of a chemotherapeutic agent, and further comprising the administration of a compound of Formula (I) or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof in an amount sufficient to potentiate the anticancer activity of said chemotherapeutic agent.
Still other aspects and advantages of the present invention will become readily apparent by those skilled in the art from the following detailed description, wherein it is shown and described preferred embodiments of the invention, simply by way of illustration of the best mode contemplated of carrying out the invention. As will be realized the invention is capable of other and different embodiments, and its several details are capable of modifications in various obvious respects, without departing from the invention. Accordingly, the description is to be regarded as illustrative in nature and not as restrictive.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 .—The oral administration of PARP-1 inhibitor Compound 13+TMZ demonstrating the enhance survival of mice bearing the B16 melanoma model.
FIG. 2 .—The oral administration of PARP-1 inhibitor Compound 13+TMZ demonstrating the enhanced survival in the intracranial SJGBM glioma model.
FIG. 3 .—The oral administration of PARP-1 inhibitor Compound 37+TMZ demonstrating the enhance survival of mice bearing the B16 melanoma model.
FIG. 4 .—The oral administration of PARP-1 inhibitor Compound 37+TMZ demonstrating the enhanced survival in the intracranial SJGBM glioma model.
FIG. 5 .—The oral administration of PARP-1 inhibitor Compound 37+radiation demonstrating inhibition of tumor growth in the model of head and neck cancer.
FIG. 6 .—The oral administration of PARP-1 inhibitor Compound 37 demonstrating inhibition of growth of BRCA1 mutant tumors
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
The present invention provides compounds described herein, derivatives thereof and their uses to inhibit poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase (“PARP”), compositions containing these compounds and methods for making and using these compounds to treat, prevent and/or ameliorate the effects of cancers by potentiating the cytotoxic effects of ionizing radiation on tumor cells.
The present invention provides compounds described herein, derivatives thereof and their uses to inhibit poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase (“PARP”), compositions containing these compounds and methods for making and using these compounds to treat the effects of cancers by potentiating the cytotoxic effects of chemotherapeutic agents on tumor cells.
The present invention provides a chemosensitization method for treating tumor and/or cancer cells comprising contacting said cancer cells with a compound of Formula (I) and further contacting said cancer cells with an anticancer agent.
The present invention provides compounds described herein, derivatives thereof and their uses to inhibit poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase (“PARP”), compositions containing these compounds and methods for making and using these compounds to inhibit the growth of cells having defects in the homologous recombination (HR) pathway of double-stranded DNA repair.
The compounds and compositions of the present invention can be used in the presence or absence of radio- or chemo-sensitizers for the treatment of cancer. The compounds and compositions are preferably used in the absence of radio- or chemo-sensitizers where the cancer has a defect in the homologous recombination (HR) pathway of double-stranded DNA repair. Such defects are associated with, and have the phenotypes of, BRCA-1 defects, BRCA-2 defects, dual BRCA-1/BRCA-2 defects, and Fanconi anemia.
Fanconi anemia is a genetically heterogeneous disease and patients with Fanconi anemia have a greatly increased risk of cancer. Eleven proteins have been associated with Fanconi anemia. FANCA, FANCB, FANCC, FANCE, FANCF, FANCG, and FANCM form a nuclear core complex. The complex interacts with FANCL to incorporate ubiquinone of FANCD2. Modified FANCD2 is need for repair of DNA cross-links. FANCd2 accumulates at sites of DNA damage and associates with BRCA-1 and BRCA-2.
Exemplary cancers that can be associated with HR defects include breast cancer and ovarian cancer. Breast cancer for treatment by the methods of the invention can include all types of breast cancer and preferably includes invasive ductal carcinoma and invasive lobular carcinoma. Ovarian cancer for treatment by the methods of the invention include all types of ovarian cancer, preferably epithelial ovarian tumors, germ cell ovarian tumors, and sex cord stromal tumors.
The compounds of the present invention can be synthesized using the starting materials and methods disclosed in U.S. application Ser. No. 10/853,714, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
Typically, the compounds, such as those of Formula (I), used in the compositions of the invention will have an IC 50 for inhibiting poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase in vitro of about 20 μM or less, preferably less than about 10 μM, more preferably less than about 1 μM, or preferably less than about 0.1 μM, most preferably less than about 0.01 μM.
A convenient method to determine IC 50 of a PARP inhibitor compound is a PARP assay using purified recombinant human PARP from Trevigan (Gaithersburg, Md.), as follows: The PARP enzyme assay is set up on ice in a volume of 100 microliters consisting of 100 mM Tris-HCl (pH 8.0), 1 mM MgCl 2 , 28 mM KCl, 28 mM NaCl, 3.0 μg/ml of DNase I-activated herring sperm DNA (Sigma, Mo.), 30 micromolar [ 3 H]nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (62.5 mCi/mmole), 15 micrograms/ml PARP enzyme, and various concentrations of the compounds to be tested. The reaction is initiated by adding enzyme and incubating the mixture at 25° C. After 2 minutes of incubation, the reaction is terminated by adding 500 microliters of ice cold 30% (w/v) trichloroacetic acid. The precipitate formed is transferred onto a glass fiber filter (Packard Unifilter-GF/C) and washed three times with 70% ethanol. After the filter is dried, the radioactivity is determined by scintillation counting. The compounds of this invention were found to have potent enzymatic activity in the range of a few nanomolar to 20 micromolar in IC 50 in this inhibition assay.
As used herein, “alkyl” means a branched or unbranched saturated hydrocarbon chain comprising a designated number of carbon atoms. For example, C 1 -C 6 straight or branched alkyl hydrocarbon chain contains 1 to 6 carbon atoms, and includes but is not limited to substituents such as methyl, ethyl, propyl, iso-propyl, butyl, iso-butyl, tert-butyl, n-pentyl, n-hexyl, and the like, unless otherwise indicated. In some embodiments, the alkyl chain is a C 1 to C 6 branched or unbranched carbon chain. In some embodiments, the alkyl chain is a C 2 to C 5 branched or unbranched carbon chain. In some embodiments, the alkyl chain is a C 1 to C 4 branched or unbranched carbon chain. In some embodiments, the alkyl chain is a C 2 to C 4 branched or unbranched carbon chain. In some embodiments, the alkyl chain is a C 3 to C 5 branched or unbranched carbon chain. In some embodiments, the alkyl chain is a C 1 to C 2 branched or unbranched carbon chain. In some embodiments, the alkyl chain is a C 2 to C 3 branched or unbranched carbon chain.
“Alkenyl” means a branched or unbranched unsaturated hydrocarbon chain comprising a designated number of carbon atoms. For example, C 2 -C 6 straight or branched alkenyl hydrocarbon chain contains 2 to 6 carbon atoms having at least one double bond, and includes but is not limited to substituents such as ethenyl, propenyl, isopropenyl, butenyl, iso-butenyl, tert-butenyl, n-pentenyl, n-hexenyl, and the like, unless otherwise indicated. In some embodiments, the alkenyl chain is a C 2 to C 6 branched or unbranched carbon chain. In some embodiments, the alkenyl chain is a C 2 to C 5 branched or unbranched carbon chain. In some embodiments, the alkenyl chain is a C 2 to C 4 branched or unbranched carbon chain. In some embodiments, the alkenyl chain is a C 3 to C 5 branched or unbranched carbon chain.
“Alkoxy”, means the group —OZ wherein Z is alkyl as herein defined. Z can also be a branched or unbranched saturated hydrocarbon chain containing 1 to 6 carbon atoms.
“Cyclo”, used herein as a prefix, refers to a structure characterized by a closed ring.
“Halo” means at least one fluoro, chloro, bromo, or iodo moiety, unless otherwise indicated.
Each of “NR A R B ”, “NR X R Y ”, “NR C R D ”, and “NR E R F ” as described herein independently encompass amino (NH 2 ) as well as substituted amino. For example, NR A R B may be —NH(CH 3 ), —NH(cyclohexyl), and —N(CH 2 CH 3 )(CH 3 ). When more than one substituent is of the form “NR A R B ”, “NR X R Y ”, “NR C R D ”, or “NR E R F ”, each occurrence of R A , R B , R C , R D , R X , or R Y is independently selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, C 1 -C 6 straight or branched chain alkyl, C 2 -C 6 straight or branched chain alkenyl, and C 3 -C 8 cycloalkyl. Such examples are for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to be limiting in any way.
“Arylcarbonyl” refers to a carbonyl radical substituted with aryl as described herein. Non-limiting examples include phenylcarbonyl and naphthylcarbonyl.
“Alkylcarbonyl” refers to a carbonyl radical substituted with alkyl as described herein. Non-limiting examples include acyl and propylcarbonyl.
“Alkoxycarbonyl” refers to a carbonyl radical substituted with alkoxy as described herein. Non-limiting examples include methoxycarbonyl and tert-butyloxycarbonyl.
“Ar” or “aryl” refer to an aromatic carbocyclic moiety having one or more closed rings. Examples include, without limitation, phenyl, naphthyl, anthracenyl, phenanthracenyl, biphenyl, and pyrenyl.
“Heterocyclyl” refers to a cyclic moiety having one or more closed rings, with one or more heteroatoms (for example, oxygen, nitrogen or sulfur) in at least one of the rings, and wherein the ring or rings may independently be aromatic, nonaromatic, fused, and/or bridged, Examples include without limitation piperidinyl, piperazinyl, pyridazinyl, dihydropyridyl, tetrahydropyridyl, pyridinyl, pyrimidinyl, dihydropyrimidinyl, tetrahydrophyrimidinyl, hexahydropyrimidinyl, dihydropyrazinyl, tetrahydropyrazinyl, pyrrolidinyl, imidazolidinyl, pyrazolidinyl, pyrrolyl, dihydropyrolyl, imidazolyl, dihydroimidazoyl, pyrazolyl, dihydropyrazolyl, azepanyl, [1,2]diazepanyl, [1,3]diazepanyl, [1,4]diazepanyl, indolyl, dihydroindolyl, isoindolyl, dihydroisoindolyl, dihydroquinolyl, tetrahydroquinolyl, dihydroisoquinolyl, and tetrahydroisoquinolyl.
“Arylalkyl” refers to an alkyl radical substituted with aryl. Non-limiting examples include benzyl, phenylethyl, and phenylpropyl.
“Alkylaryl” refers to an aryl radical substituted with alkyl. Non-limiting examples include tolyl and dimethylphenyl.
“Cycloalkyl” refers to a hydrocarbon cyclic moiety that is nonaromatic. Examples include without limitation cyclopropane, cyclobutane, cyclopentane, cyclohexane, cyclopheptane, cyclooctane, cyclopentene, cyclohexene, cycloheptene, and cyclooctene.
The term “nervous insult” refers to any damage to nervous tissue and any disability or death resulting therefrom. The cause of nervous insult may be metabolic, toxic, neurotoxic, iatrogenic, thermal or chemical, and includes without limitation, ischemia, hypoxia, cerebrovascular accident, trauma, surgery, pressure, mass effect, hemorrhage, radiation, vasospasm, neurodegenerative disease, infection, Parkinson's disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), myelination/demyelination process, epilepsy, cognitive disorder, glutamate abnormality and secondary effects thereof.
The term “neuroprotective” refers to the effect of reducing, arresting or ameliorating nervous insult, and protecting, resuscitating, or reviving nervous tissue that has suffered nervous insult.
The term “preventing neurodegeneration” includes the ability to prevent a neurodegenerative disease or preventing further neurodegeneration in patients who are already suffering from or have symptoms of a neurodegenerative disease.
The term “treating” refers to:
(i) preventing a disease, disorder or condition from occurring in an animal that may be predisposed to the disease, disorder and/or condition, but has not yet been diagnosed as having it; and/or
(ii) inhibiting the disease, disorder or condition, i.e., arresting its development; and/or
(iii) relieving the disease, disorder or condition, i.e., causing regression of the disease, disorder and/or condition.
The term “chemosensitizer”, as used herein, is defined as a molecule, such as a low molecular weight molecule, administered to animals in therapeutically effective amounts to potentiate the antitumoral activity of chemotherapeutic agents. Such chemosensitizers are useful, for example, to increase the tumor growth-retarding or -arresting effect of a given dose of a chemotherapeutic agent, or to improve the side-effect profile of a chemotherapeutic agent by allowing for reductions in its dose while maintaining its antitumoral efficacy.
The term “radiosensitizer”, as used herein is defined as a molecule, such as a low molecular weight molecule, administered to animals in therapeutically effective amounts to increase the sensitivity of the cells to be radiosensitized to electromagnetic radiation and/or to promote the treatment of diseases which are treatable with electromagnetic radiation. Diseases which are treatable with electromagnetic radiation include neoplastic diseases, benign and malignant tumors, and cancerous cells. Electromagnetic radiation treatment of other diseases not listed herein is also contemplated.
“Effective amount” refers to the amount required to produce the desired effect.
“Substituted” means that at least one hydrogen on a designated group is replaced with another radical, provided that the designated group's normal valence is not exceeded. With respect to any group containing one or more substituents, such groups are not intended to introduce any substitution that is sterically impractical, synthetically non-feasible and/or inherently unstable. In some embodiments of the invention as described herein, a substituent may substitute a radical, which said radical is itself a substituent. For example, in the compound shown below for illustrative purposes only, the piperazinyl ring is a heterocyclyl, which may be substituted with 0-4 substituents as described herein. In the example compound, the piperazinyl ring is substituted with arylsulfonyl wherein aryl is phenyl, and wherein the arylsulfonyl may be further substituted 0-4 times as described herein. In the example compound, the phenylsulfonyl moiety is further substituted with tert-butyl. Such example is given for illustrative purposes only and is not intended to be limiting in any way.
“Subject” refers to a cell or tissue, in vitro or in vivo, an animal or a human. An animal or human subject may also be referred to as a “patient.”
“Animal” refers to a living organism having sensation and the power of voluntary movement, and which requires for its existence oxygen and organic food. Examples include, without limitation, members of the human, mammalian and primate species.
Broadly, the compounds and compositions of the present invention can be used to treat or prevent cell damage or death due to necrosis or apoptosis, cerebral ischemia and reperfusion injury or neurodegenerative diseases in an animal, such as a human. The compounds and compositions of the present invention can be used to extend the lifespan and proliferative capacity of cells and thus can be used to treat or prevent diseases associated therewith; they alter gene expression of senescent cells; and they radio sensitize hypoxic tumor cells. Preferably, the compounds and compositions of the invention can be used to treat or prevent tissue damage resulting from cell damage or death due to necrosis or apoptosis, and/or effect neuronal activity, either mediated or not mediated by NMDA toxicity. The compounds of the present invention are not limited to being useful in treating glutamate mediated neurotoxicity and/or NO-mediated biological pathways. Further, the compounds of the invention can be used to treat or prevent other tissue damage related to PARP activation, as described herein.
The present invention provides compounds which inhibit the in vitro and/or in vivo polymerase activity of poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP), and compositions containing the disclosed compounds.
The present invention provides methods to inhibit, limit and/or control the in vitro and/or in vivo polymerase activity of poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) in any of solutions, cells, tissues, organs or organ systems. In one embodiment, the present invention provides methods of limiting or inhibiting PARP activity in a mammal, such as a human, either locally or systemically.
The compounds of the invention act as PARP inhibitors to treat or prevent cancers by chemopotentiating the cytotoxic effects of the chemotherapeutic agents. The compounds of the invention act as PARP inhibitors to treat or prevent cancers by sensitizing cells to the cytotoxic effects of radiation. The compounds of the invention act as PARP inhibitors to treat or prevent BRCA1/2-associated breast cancer.
The compounds of the present invention may possess one or more asymmetric center(s) and thus can be produced as mixtures (racemic and non-racemic) of stereoisomers, or as individual enantiomers or diastereomers. The individual stereoisomers may be obtained by using an optically active staring material, by resolving a racemic or non-racemic mixture of an intermediate at some appropriate stage of the synthesis, or by resolution of the compound of Formula (I). It is understood that the individual stereoisomers as well as mixtures (racemic and non-racemic) of stereoisomers are encompassed by the scope of the present invention.
The compounds of the invention are useful in a free base form, in the form of pharmaceutically acceptable salts, pharmaceutically acceptable hydrates, pharmaceutically acceptable esters, pharmaceutically acceptable solvates, pharmaceutically acceptable prodrugs, pharmaceutically acceptable metabolites, and in the form of pharmaceutically acceptable stereoisomers. These forms are all within the scope of the disclosure.
“Pharmaceutically acceptable salt”, “hydrate”, “ester” or “solvate” refers to a salt, hydrate, ester, or solvate of the inventive compounds which possesses the desired pharmacological activity and which is neither biologically nor otherwise undesirable. Organic acids can be used to produce salts, hydrates, esters, or solvates such as acetate, adipate, alginate, aspartate, benzoate, benzenesulfonate, p-toluene sulfonate, bisulfate, sulfamate, sulfate, naphthylate, butyrate, citrate, camphorate, camphorsulfonate, cyclopentane-propionate, digluconate, dodecylsulfate, ethanesulfonate, fumarate, glucoheptanoate, glycerophosphate, hemisulfate heptanoate, hexanoate, 2-hydroxyethanesulfonate, lactate, maleate, methanesulfonate, 2-naphthalenesulfonate, nicotinate, oxalate, tosylate and undecanoate. Inorganic acids can be used to produce salts, hydrates, esters, or solvates such as hydrochloride, hydrobromide, hydroiodide, and thiocyanate.
Examples of suitable base salts, hydrates, esters, or solvates include hydroxides, carbonates, and bicarbonates of ammonia, alkali metal salts such as sodium, lithium and potassium salts, alkaline earth metal salts such as calcium and magnesium salts, aluminum salts, and zinc salts.
Salts, hydrates, esters, or solvates may also be formed with organic bases. Organic bases suitable for the formation of pharmaceutically acceptable base addition salts, hydrates, esters, or solvates of the compounds of the present invention include those that are non-toxic and strong enough to form such salts, hydrates, esters, or solvates. For purposes of illustration, the class of such organic bases may include mono-, di-, and trialkylamines, such as methylamine, dimethylamine, triethylamine and dicyclohexylamine; mono-, di- or trihydroxyalkylamines, such as mono-, di-, and triethanolamine; amino acids, such as arginine and lysine; guanidine; N-methyl-glucosamine; N-methyl-glucamine; L-glutamine; N-methyl-piperazine; morpholine; ethylenediamine; N-benzyl-phenethylamine; (trihydroxy-methyl)aminoethane; and the like. See, for example, “Pharmaceutical Salts,” J. Pharm. Sci., 66:1, 1-19 (1977). Accordingly, basic nitrogen-containing groups can be quaternized with agents including: lower alkyl halides such as methyl, ethyl, propyl, and butyl chlorides, bromides and iodides; dialkyl sulfates such as dimethyl, diethyl, dibutyl and diamyl sulfates; long chain halides such as decyl, lauryl, myristyl and stearyl chlorides, bromides and iodides; and aralkyl halides such as benzyl and phenethyl bromides.
The acid addition salts, hydrates, esters, or solvates of the basic compounds may be prepared either by dissolving the free base of a compound of the present invention in an aqueous or an aqueous alcohol solution or other suitable solvent containing the appropriate acid or base, and isolating the salt by evaporating the solution. Alternatively, the free base of a compound of the present invention can be reacted with an acid, as well as reacting a compound of the present invention having an acid group thereon with a base, such that the reactions are in an organic solvent, in which case the salt separates directly or can be obtained by concentrating the solution.
“Pharmaceutically acceptable prodrug” refers to a derivative of the inventive compounds which undergoes biotransformation prior to exhibiting its pharmacological effect(s). The prodrug is formulated with the objective(s) of improved chemical stability, improved patient acceptance and compliance, improved bioavailability, prolonged duration of action, improved organ selectivity, improved formulation (e.g., increased hydrosolubility), and/or decreased side effects (e.g., toxicity). The prodrug can be readily prepared from the inventive compounds using methods known in the art, such as those described by Burgers Medicinal Chemistry and Drug Chemistry, Fifth Ed, Vol. 1, pp. 172-178, 949-982 (1995). For example, the inventive compounds can be transformed into prodrugs by converting one or more of the hydroxy or carboxy groups into esters.
“Pharmaceutically acceptable metabolite” refers to drugs that have undergone a metabolic transformation. After entry into the body, most drugs are substrates for chemical reactions that may change their physical properties and biologic effects. These metabolic conversions, which usually affect the polarity of the compound, alter the way in which drugs are distributed in and excreted from the body. However, in some cases, metabolism of a drug is required for therapeutic effect. For example, anticancer drugs of the antimetabolite class must be converted to their active forms after they have been transported into a cancer cell. Since most drugs undergo metabolic transformation of some kind, the biochemical reactions that play a role in drug metabolism may be numerous and diverse. The main site of drug metabolism is the liver, although other tissues may also participate.
Further still, the methods of the invention can be used to treat cancer and to chemosensitize and radio sensitize cancer and/or tumor cells. The term “cancer,” as used herein, is defined broadly. The compounds of the present invention can potentiate the effects of “anti-cancer agents,” which term also encompasses “anti-tumor cell growth agents,” “chemotherapeutic agents,” “cytostatic agents,” “cytotoxic agents,” and “anti-neoplastic agents”. The term “BRCA1/2-associated breast cancer” encompasses breast cancer in which the breast cancer cells are deficient in the breast cancer tumor suppressor genes BRCA1 and/or BRCA2.
For example, the methods of the invention are useful for treating cancers such as ACTH-producing tumors, acute lymphocytic leukemia, acute nonlymphocytic leukemia, cancer of the adrenal cortex, bladder cancer, brain cancer, breast cancer, cervical cancer, chronic lymphocytic leukemia, chronic myelocytic leukemia, colorectal cancer, cutaneous T-cell lymphoma, endometrial cancer, esophageal cancer, Ewing's sarcoma, gallbladder cancer, hairy cell leukemia, head and neck cancer, Hodgkin's lymphoma, Kaposi's sarcoma, kidney cancer, liver cancer, lung cancer (small and/or non-small cell), malignant peritoneal effusion, malignant pleural effusion, melanoma, mesothelioma, multiple myeloma, neuroblastoma, non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, osteosarcoma, ovarian cancer, ovary (germ cell) cancer, prostate cancer, pancreatic cancer, penile cancer, retinoblastoma, skin cancer, soft-tissue sarcoma, squamous cell carcinomas, stomach cancer, testicular cancer, thyroid cancer, trophoblastic neoplasms, uterine cancer, vaginal cancer, cancer of the vulva and Wilm's tumor.
In some non-limiting embodiments, the cancer and/or tumor cells are selected from the group consisting of brain cancer, melanoma, head and neck cancer, non small cell lung cancer, testicular cancer, ovarian cancer, colon cancer and rectal cancer.
The present invention also relates to a pharmaceutical composition comprising (i) a therapeutically effective amount of a compound of a compound of Formula (I) and (ii) a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier.
The above discussion relating to the preferred embodiments' utility and administration of the compounds of the present invention also applies to the pharmaceutical composition of the present invention.
The term “pharmaceutically acceptable carrier” as used herein refers to any carrier, diluent, excipient, suspending agent, lubricating agent, adjuvant, vehicle, delivery system, emulsifier, disintegrant, absorbent, preservative, surfactant, colorant, flavorant, or sweetener.
For these purposes, the composition of the invention may be administered orally, parenterally, by inhalation spray, adsorption, absorption, topically, rectally, nasally, bucally, vaginally, intraventricularly, via an implanted reservoir in dosage formulations containing conventional non-toxic pharmaceutically-acceptable carriers, or by any other convenient dosage form. The term parenteral as used herein includes subcutaneous, intravenous, intramuscular, intraperitoneal, intrathecal intraventricular, intrasternal, and intracranial injection or infusion techniques.
When administered parenterally, the composition will normally be in a unit dosage, sterile injectable form (solution, suspension or emulsion) which is preferably isotonic with the blood of the recipient with a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier. Examples of such sterile injectable forms are sterile injectable aqueous or oleaginous suspensions. These suspensions may be formulated according to techniques known in the art using suitable dispersing or wetting agents and suspending agents. The sterile injectable forms may also be sterile injectable solutions or suspensions in non-toxic parenterally-acceptable diluents or solvents, for example, as solutions in 1,3-butanediol. Among the acceptable vehicles and solvents that may be employed are water, saline, Ringer's solution, dextrose solution, isotonic sodium chloride solution, and Hanks' solution. In addition, sterile, fixed oils are conventionally employed as solvents or suspending mediums. For this purpose, any bland fixed oil may be employed including synthetic mono- or di-glycerides, corn, cottonseed, peanut, and sesame oil. Fatty acids such as ethyl oleate, isopropyl myristate, and oleic acid and its glyceride derivatives, including olive oil and castor oil, especially in their polyoxyethylated versions, are useful in the preparation of injectables. These oil solutions or suspensions may also contain long-chain alcohol diluents or dispersants.
Sterile saline is a preferred carrier, and the compounds are often sufficiently water soluble to be made up as a solution. The carrier may contain minor amounts of additives, such as substances that enhance solubility, isotonicity, and chemical stability, e.g., anti-oxidants, buffers and preservatives.
Formulations suitable for nasal or buccal administration (such as self-propelling powder dispensing formulations) may comprise about 0.1% to about 5% w/w, for example 1% w/w of active ingredient. The formulations for human medical use of the present invention comprise an active ingredient in association with a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier therefore and optionally other therapeutic ingredient(s).
When administered orally, the composition will usually be formulated into unit dosage forms such as tablets, cachets, powder, granules, beads, chewable lozenges, capsules, liquids, aqueous suspensions or solutions, or similar dosage forms, using conventional equipment and techniques known in the art. Such formulations typically include a solid, semisolid, or liquid carrier. Exemplary carriers include lactose, dextrose, sucrose, sorbitol, mannitol, starches, gum acacia, calcium phosphate, mineral oil, cocoa butter, oil of theobroma, alginates, tragacanth, gelatin, syrup, methyl cellulose, polyoxyethylene sorbitan monolaurate, methyl hydroxybenzoate, propyl hydroxybenzoate, talc, magnesium stearate, and the like.
The composition of the invention is preferably administered as a capsule or tablet containing a single or divided dose of the compound of Formula (I) or pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof. The composition may be administered as a sterile solution, suspension, or emulsion, in a single or divided dose. Tablets may contain carriers such as lactose and corn starch, and/or lubricating agents such as magnesium stearate. Capsules may contain diluents including lactose and dried corn starch.
A tablet may be made by compressing or molding the active ingredient optionally with one or more accessory ingredients. Compressed tablets may be prepared by compressing, in a suitable machine, the active ingredient in a free-flowing form such as a powder or granules, optionally mixed with a binder, lubricant, inert diluent, surface active, or dispersing agent Molded tablets may be made by molding in a suitable machine, a mixture of the powdered active ingredient and a suitable carrier moistened with an inert liquid diluent.
The compounds of this invention may also be administered rectally in the form of suppositories. These compositions can be prepared by mixing the drug with a suitable non-irritating excipient which is solid at room temperature, but liquid at rectal temperature, and, therefore, will melt in the rectum to release the drug. Such materials include cocoa butter, beeswax, and polyethylene glycols.
Compositions and methods of the invention also may utilize controlled release technology. Thus, for example, the disclosed compounds may be incorporated into a hydrophobic polymer matrix for controlled release over a period of days. The composition of the invention may then be molded into a solid implant, or externally applied patch, suitable for providing efficacious concentrations of the PARP inhibitors over a prolonged period of time without the need for frequent re-dosing. Such controlled release films are well known to the art. Particularly preferred are transdermal delivery systems. Other examples of polymers commonly employed for this purpose that may be used in the present invention include nondegradable ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer a degradable lactic acid-glycolic acid copolymers which may be used externally or internally. Certain hydrogels such as poly(hydroxyethylmethacrylate) or poly(vinylalcohol) also may be useful, but for shorter release cycles than the other polymer release systems, such as those mentioned above.
In an embodiment, the carrier is a solid biodegradable polymer or mixture of biodegradable polymers with appropriate time release characteristics and release kinetics. The composition of the invention may then be molded into a solid implant suitable for providing efficacious concentrations of the compounds of the invention over a prolonged period of time without the need for frequent re-dosing. The composition of the present invention can be incorporated into the biodegradable polymer or polymer mixture in any suitable manner known to one of ordinary skill in the art and may form a homogeneous matrix with the biodegradable polymer, or may be encapsulated in some way within the polymer, or may be molded into a solid implant.
In one embodiment, the biodegradable polymer or polymer mixture is used to form a soft “depot” containing the pharmaceutical composition of the present invention that can be administered as a flowable liquid, for example, by injection, but which remains sufficiently viscous to maintain the pharmaceutical composition within the localized area around the injection site. The degradation time of the depot so formed can be varied from several days to a few years, depending upon the polymer selected and its molecular weight. By using a polymer composition in injectable form, even the need to make an incision may be eliminated. In any event, a flexible or flowable delivery “depot” will adjust to the shape of the space it occupies with the body with a minimum of trauma to surrounding tissues. The pharmaceutical composition of the present invention is used in amounts that are therapeutically effective, and may depend upon the desired release profile, the concentration of the pharmaceutical composition required for the sensitizing effect, and the length of time that the pharmaceutical composition has to be released for treatment.
The compounds of the invention are used in the composition in amounts that are therapeutically effective. The compositions may be sterilized and/or contain adjuvants, such as preserving, stabilizing, welling, or emulsifying agents, solution promoters, salts for regulating the osmotic pressure, and/or buffers. In addition, they may also contain other therapeutically valuable substances, such as, without limitation, the specific chemotherapeutic agents recited herein. The compositions are prepared according to conventional mixing, granulating, or coating methods, and contain about 0.1 to 75% by weight, preferably about 1 to 50% by weight, of the compound of the invention.
To be effective therapeutically as central nervous system targets, the compounds of the present invention should readily penetrate the blood-brain barrier when peripherally administered. Compounds which cannot penetrate the blood-brain barrier can be effectively administered by an intraventricular route or other appropriate delivery system suitable for administration to the brain.
For medical use, the amount required of the active ingredient to achieve a therapeutic effect will vary with the particular compound, the route of administration, the mammal under treatment, and the particular disorder or disease being treated. A suitable systematic dose of a compound of the present invention or a pharmacologically acceptable salt thereof for a mammal suffering from, or likely to suffer from, any of condition as described hereinbefore is in the range of about 0.1 mg/kg to about 100 mg/kg of the active ingredient compound, the typical dosage being about 1 to about 10 mg/kg.
It is understood, however, that a specific dose level for any particular patient will depend upon a variety of factors including the activity of the specific compound employed, the age, body weight, general health, sex, diet, time of administration, rate of excretion, drug combination, and the severity of the particular disease being treated and form of administration.
It is understood that the ordinarily skilled physician or veterinarian will readily determine and prescribe the effective amount of the compound for prophylactic or therapeutic treatment of the condition for which treatment is administered. In so proceeding, the physician or veterinarian can, for example, employ an intravenous bolus followed by an intravenous infusion and repeated administrations, parenterally or orally, as considered appropriate. While it is possible for an active ingredient to be administered alone, it is preferable to present it as a formulation.
When preparing dosage form incorporating the compositions of the invention, the compounds may also be blended with conventional excipients such as binders, including gelatin, pregelatinized starch, and the like; lubricants, such as hydrogenated vegetable oil, stearic acid, and the like; diluents, such as lactose, mannose, and sucrose; disintegrants, such as carboxymethylcellulose and sodium starch glycolate; suspending agents, such as povidone, polyvinyl alcohol, and the like; absorbants, such as silicon dioxide; preservatives, such as methylparaben, propylparaben, and sodium benzoate; surfactants, such as sodium lauryl sulfate, polysorbate 80, and the like; colorants; flavorants; and sweeteners. Pharmaceutically acceptable excipients are well known in the pharmaceutical arts and are described, for example, in Remington's Pharmaceutical Sciences, Mack Publishing Co., Easton, Pa. (e.g., 20 th Ed., 2000), and Handbook of Pharmaceutical Excipients, American Pharmaceutical Association, Washington, D.C., (e.g., 1 st , 2 nd and 3 rd Eds., 1986, 1994, and 2000, respectively).
The present invention relates to the use of a compound of Formula (I) in the preparation of a medicament for the treatment of any disease or disorder in an animal described herein. In an embodiment, the compounds of the present invention are used to treat cancer. In a preferred embodiment, the compounds of the present invention are used to potentiate the cytotoxic effects of ionizing radiation. In such an embodiment, the compounds of the present invention act as a radiosensitizer. In an alternative preferred embodiment, the compounds of the present invention are used to potentiate the cytotoxic effects of chemotherapeutic agents. In such an embodiment, the compounds of the present invention act as a chemosensitizer. In another preferred embodiment, the compounds of the present invention are used to inhibit the growth of cells having defects in the homologous recombination (HR) pathway of double-stranded DNA repair.
Any pharmacologically-acceptable chemotherapeutic agent that acts by damaging DNA is suitable as the chemotherapeutic agent of the present invention. In particular, the present invention contemplates the use of a chemotherapeutically effective amount of at least one chemotherapeutic agent including, but not limited to: temozolomide, adriamycin, camptothecin, carboplatin, cisplatin, daunorubicin, docetaxel, doxorubicin, interferon-alpha, interferon-beta, interferon-gamma, interleukin 2, irinotecan, paclitaxel, topotecan, a taxoid, dactinomycin, danorubicin, 4′-deoxydoxorubicin, bleomycin, pilcamycin, mitomycin, neomycin, gentamycin, etoposide 4-OH cyclophosphamide, a platinum coordination complex, topotecan, and mixtures thereof. According to a preferred aspect, the chemotherapeutic agent is temozolomide.
The invention contained herein demonstrates the usefulness of the compounds and compositions of the present invention in treating and/or preventing cancer, such as by radio sensitizing and/or chemosensitizing tumor and/or cancer cells to chemotherapeutic agents, and to inhibit the growth of cells having defects in the homologous recombination (HR) pathway of double-stranded DNA repair.
The following examples are for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to limit the scope of the application.
In one embodiment, the present invention provides a tetraaza phenalen-3-one compound of Formula (I), or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof:
wherein R is
(a) NR 1 R 2 , wherein R 1 is selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, C 1 -C 6 straight or branched chain alkyl, C 2 -C 6 straight or branched chain alkenyl, C 3 -C 8 cycloalkyl, C 1 -C 6 alkoxy, C 2 -C 6 alkenyloxy, phenyl, phenoxy, benzyloxy,
NR A R B (C 1 -C 6 straight or branched chain alkyl), NR A R B (C 2 -C 6 straight or branched chain alkenyl), (C 1 -C 6 straight or branched chain alkyl)carbonyl, (C 2 -C 6 straight or branched chain alkenyl)carbonyl, (C 3 -C 8 cycloalkyl)carbonyl,
(C 1 -C 6 straight or branched chain alkyl)oxycarbonyl, (C 2 -C 6 straight or branched chain alkenyl)oxycarbonyl, (C 3 -C 8 cycloalkyl)oxycarbonyl,
arylcarbonyl, sulfonyl, arylsulfonyl, aryl(C 1 -C 6 straight or branched chain alkyl), aryl(C 2 -C 6 straight or branched chain alkenyl), aryl(C 3 -C 8 cycloalkyl),
(C 1 -C 6 straight or branched chain alkyl)aryl, (C 2 -C 6 straight or branched chain alkenyl)aryl, (C 3 -C 8 cycloalkyl)aryl, aryl,
heterocyclyl, heterocyclyl(C 1 -C 6 straight or branched chain alkyl), and heterocyclyl(C 2 -C 6 straight or branched chain alkenyl); wherein each heterocyclyl has between 1 and 7 heteroatoms independently selected from O, N, or S, and wherein each of R A and R B are independently selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, C 1 -C 6 straight or branched chain alkyl, C 2 -C 6 straight or branched chain alkenyl, and C 3 -C 8 cycloalkyl;
and R 2 is selected from the group consisting of C 1 -C 6 straight or branched chain alkyl, C 2 -C 6 straight or branched chain alkenyl, C 3 -C 8 cycloalkyl, C 1 -C 6 alkoxy, C 2 -C 6 alkenyloxy, phenyl, phenoxy, benzyloxy, NR X R Y (C 1 -C 6 straight or branched chain alkyl), NR X R Y (C 2 -C 6 straight or branched chain alkenyl), (C 1 -C 6 straight or branched chain alkyl)carbonyl, (C 2 -C 6 straight or branched chain alkenyl)carbonyl, (C 3 -C 8 cycloalkyl)carbonyl, (C 1 -C 6 straight or branched chain alkyl)oxycarbonyl, (C 2 -C 6 straight or branched chain alkenyl)oxycarbonyl,
(C 3 -C 8 cycloalkyl)oxycarbonyl, arylcarbonyl, sulfonyl, arylsulfonyl, aryl(C 1 -C 6 straight or branched chain alkyl), aryl(C 2 -C 6 straight or branched chain alkenyl), aryl(C 3 -C 8 cycloalkyl), (C 1 -C 6 straight or branched chain alkyl)aryl, (C 2 -C 6 straight or branched chain alkenyl)aryl, (C 3 -C 8 cycloalkyl)aryl, aryl,
heterocyclyl, heterocyclyl(C 1 -C 6 straight or branched chain alkyl), and heterocyclyl(C 2 -C 6 straight or branched chain alkenyl); wherein each heterocyclyl has between 1 and 7 heteroatoms independently selected from O, N, or S, and wherein each of R X and R Y are independently selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, C 1 -C 6 straight or branched chain alkyl, C 2 -C 6 straight or branched chain alkenyl, and C 3 -C 8 cycloalkyl;
wherein R 1 and R 2 are independently substituted with between 0 and 4 substituents, each independently selected from halo, C 1 -C 6 straight or branched chain alkyl, C 2 -C 6 straight or branched chain alkenyl, C 1 -C 6 alkoxy, trifluoromethyl, trifluoroethyl, and amino; and provided that R 1 and R 2 may not both be methyl, and R 2 may not be (phenyl)prop-1-yl when R 1 is hydrogen; or
(b) aryloxy, substituted with between 0 and 4 substituents, each independently selected from the group consisting of halo, C 1 -C 6 alkoxy, trifluoromethyl, trifluoroethyl, C 1 -C 6 straight or branched chain alkyl, C 2 -C 6 straight or branched chain alkenyl, C 3 -C 8 cycloalkyl, NR C R D , NR C R D (C 1 -C 6 straight or branched chain alkyl), and NR C R D (C 2 -C 6 straight or branched chain alkenyl), wherein each of R C and R D is independently selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, C 1 -C 5 straight or branched chain alkyl, C 2 -C 6 straight or branched chain alkenyl, and C 3 -C 8 cycloalkyl; and when more than one substituent is of the form NR C R D , each occurrence of R C and R D is independently selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, C 1 -C 6 straight or branched chain alkyl, C 2 -C 6 straight or branched chain alkenyl, and C 3 -C 8 cycloalkyl; or
(c) a heterocyclyl having between 1 and 7 heteroatoms independently selected from O, N, or S; and having between 0 and 4 substituents independently selected from the group consisting of halo, haloalkyl, hydroxyl, nitro, trifluoromethyl, trifluoroethyl, C 1 -C 6 straight or branched chain alkyl, C 2 -C 6 straight or branched chain alkenyl, C 1 -C 6 alkoxy, C 2 -C 6 alkenyloxy, phenyl, phenoxy, benzyloxy, amino, thiocarbonyl, cyano, imino, NR E R F (C 1 -C 6 straight or branched chain alkyl), NR E R F (C 2 -C 6 straight or branched chain alkenyl) sulfhydryl, thioalkyl, dioxa-spiroethyl, (C 1 -C 6 straight or branched chain alkyl) carbonyl, (C 2 -C 6 straight or branched chain alkenyl)carbonyl, (C 1 -C 6 straight or branched chain alkyl)oxycarbonyl, (C 2 -C 6 straight or branched chain alkenyl)oxycarbonyl, arylcarbonyl, sulfonyl, arylsulfonyl, aryl(C 1 -C 6 straight or branched chain alkyl), aryl(C 2 -C 6 straight or branched chain alkenyl), aryl(C 3 -C 8 cycloalkyl), (C 1 -C 6 straight or branched chain alkyl)aryl, (C 2 -C 6 straight or branched chain alkenyl)aryl, (C 3 -C 8 cycloalkyl)aryl, aryl, heterocyclyl, heterocyclyl(C 1 -C 6 straight or branched chain alkyl), and heterocyclyl(C 2 -C 6 straight or branched chain alkenyl), wherein each heterocyclyl has between 1 and 7 heteroatoms independently selected from O, N, or S, wherein each of R E and R F is independently selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, C 3 -C 8 straight or branched chain alkyl, C 2 -C 6 straight or branched chain alkenyl, and C 3 -C 8 cycloalkyl; and when more than one substituent is of the form NR E R F each occurrence of R E and R F is independently selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, C 1 -C 6 straight or branched chain alkyl, C 2 -C 6 straight or branched chain alkenyl, and C 3 -C 8 cycloalkyl; wherein each of said 0-4 substituents is independently substituted with between 0 and 4 further substituents, and each said further substituent is independently selected from halo, C 1 -C 6 straight or branched chain alkyl, C 2 -C 6 straight or branched chain alkenyl, C 3 -C 8 cycloalkyl, C 1 -C 6 alkoxy, trifluoromethyl, trifluoroethyl, and amino; provided that R has at least one substituent when R is an N-piperidinyl, N-pyrrolidinyl or an N-morpholinyl group.
In some embodiments each ring of each heterocycle of Formula (I) is independently 5-7 atoms in size.
Some embodiments include one, two or three nitrogen atoms in at least one ring of the heterocycle of Formula (I).
In some embodiments, the heterocyclyl of Formula (I) comprises 1-3 rings. In some embodiments, the heterocyclyl has 1-7 heteroatoms independently selected from O, N, and S.
In some embodiments, the heterocyclyl of Formula (I) is selected from the group consisting of piperidinyl, piperazinyl, pyridazinyl, dihydropyridyl, tetrahydropyridyl, pyridinyl, pyrimidinyl, dihydropyrimidinyl, tetrahydrophyrimidinyl, hexahydropyrimidinyl, dihydropyrazinyl, tetrahydropyrazinyl, pyrrolidinyl, imidazolidinyl, pyrazolidinyl, pyrrolyl, dihydropyrolyl, imidazolyl, dihydroimidazoyl, pyrazolyl, dihydropyrazolyl, azepanyl, [1,2]diazepanyl, [1,3]diazepanyl, [1,4]diazepanyl, indolyl, dihydroindolyl, isoindolyl, dihydroisoindolyl, dihydroquinolyl, tetrahydroquinolyl, dihydroisoquinolyl, and tetrahydroisoquinolyl.
In another embodiment, the present invention provides a compound selected from the group consisting of
and pharmaceutically acceptable salts thereof.
In some embodiments the invention provides the compound which is
or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof.
In some embodiments the invention provides the compound which is
or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof.
In some embodiments the present invention provides a method of chemo sensitizing cancer cells in a mammal in need of chemotherapy, comprising administering to said mammal a compound of Formula (I) as described herein, or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof. In some embodiments, said mammal is a human. In some embodiments, said administration is administration of a pharmaceutical composition comprising said compound and a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier. In some embodiments, the chemosensitization method further comprises administering to said mammal a chemotherapeutic agent. In some embodiments, said chemosensitizing compound and said chemotherapeutic agent are administered essentially simultaneously.
In some embodiments the present invention provides a method of chemo sensitizing cancer cells in a mammal in need of chemotherapy, comprising administering to said mammal a compound selected from the group consisting of compounds 7-28, 30-46, 50-66, 69, 72, 74-76, and pharmaceutically acceptable salts thereof, as described herein. In some embodiments, said mammal is a human. In some embodiments, said administration is administration of a pharmaceutical composition comprising said compound and a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier. In some embodiments, the chemosensitization method further comprises administering to said mammal a chemotherapeutic agent. In some embodiments, said chemosensitizing compound and said chemotherapeutic agent are administered essentially simultaneously.
In some embodiments, the chemotherapeutic agent of the invention is selected is selected from the group consisting of temozolomide, adriamycin, camptothecin, carboplatin, cisplatin, daunorubicin, docetaxel, doxorubicin, interferon-alpha, interferon-beta, interferon-gamma, interleukin 2, irinotecan, paclitaxel, topotecan, a taxoid, dactinomycin, danorubicin, 4′-deoxydoxorubicindeoxydoxorubicin, bleomycin, pilcamycin, mitomycin, neomycin, gentamycin, etoposide, 4-OH cyclophosphamide, a platinum coordination complex, and mixtures thereof. In some embodiments, the chemotherapeutic agent is temozolomide or a salt thereof.
In some embodiments, the present invention provides a method of radiosensitizing cancer cells in a mammal in need of radiation therapy comprising administering to said mammal a compound of Formula (I) as described herein, or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof. In some embodiments, said mammal is a human. In some embodiments, said administration is administration of a pharmaceutical composition comprising said compound and a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier.
In some embodiments, the present invention provides a method of radiosensitizing cancer cells in a mammal in need of radiation therapy comprising administering to said mammal a compound selected from the group consisting of compounds 7-28, 30-46, 50-66, 69, 72, 74-76, and pharmaceutically acceptable salts thereof, as described herein. In some embodiments, said mammal is a human. In some embodiments, said administration is administration of a pharmaceutical composition comprising said compound and a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier.
In some embodiments, the invention provides a pharmaceutical composition comprising a compound of Formula (I) as described herein, or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof, and a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier. In some embodiments, the pharmaceutical composition further comprises a chemotherapeutic agent as described herein.
In some embodiments, the invention provides a pharmaceutical composition comprising a compound selected from the group consisting of compounds 7-28, 30-46, 50-66, 69, 72, 74-76, and pharmaceutically acceptable salts thereof, as described herein. In some embodiments, the pharmaceutical composition further comprises a chemotherapeutic agent as described herein.
In some embodiments, the cancer cells treated by the chemo sensitizing and/or radiosensitizing methods of the invention are selected from the group consisting of ACTH-producing tumors, acute lymphocytic leukemia, acute nonlymphocytic leukemia, cancer of the adrenal cortex, bladder cancer, brain cancer, breast cancer, cervical cancer, chronic lymphocytic leukemia, chronic myelocytic leukemia, colorectal cancer, cutaneous T-cell lymphoma, endometrial cancer, esophageal cancer, Ewing's sarcoma, gallbladder cancer, hairy cell leukemia, head and neck cancer, Hodgkin's lymphoma, Kaposi's sarcoma, kidney cancer, liver cancer, lung cancer (small and/or non-small cell), malignant peritoneal effusion, malignant pleural effusion, melanoma, mesothelioma, multiple myeloma, neuroblastoma, non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, osteosarcoma, ovarian cancer, ovary (germ cell) cancer, prostate cancer, pancreatic cancer, penile cancer, retinoblastoma, skin cancer, soft-tissue sarcoma, squamous cell carcinomas, stomach cancer, testicular cancer, thyroid cancer, trophoblastic neoplasms, uterine cancer, vaginal cancer, cancer of the vulva and Wilm's tumor. In some embodiments, the cancer cells treated by the chemo sensitizing and/or radiosensitizing methods of the invention are selected from the group consisting of brain cancer, melanoma, head and neck cancer, testicular cancer, ovarian cancer, breast cancer, non small cell lung cancer, and rectal cancer.
In some embodiments, the invention provides a method of treating a mammal having a cancer characterized by having a defect in the homologous recombination (HR) pathway of double-stranded DNA repair, comprising administering to said mammal a compound of Formula (I) as described herein, or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof. In some embodiments, said mammal is a human. In some embodiments, said administration is administration of a pharmaceutical composition comprising said compound and a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier. In some embodiments, the cancer cells have a phenotype selected from the group consisting of i) a BRCA-1 defect, ii) a BRCA-2 defect, iii) a BRCA-1 and BRCA-2 defect, and iv) Fanconi anemia. In some embodiments, the cancer cells are selected from breast cancer or ovarian cancer.
In some embodiments, the invention provides a method of treating a mammal having a cancer characterized by having a defect in the homologous recombination (HR) pathway of double-stranded DNA repair, comprising administering to said mammal a compound selected from the group consisting of compounds 7-28, 30-46, 50-66, 69, 72, 74-76, and pharmaceutically acceptable salts thereof, as described herein. In some embodiments, said mammal is a human. In some embodiments, said administration is administration of a pharmaceutical composition comprising said compound and a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier. In some embodiments, the cancer cells have a phenotype selected from the group consisting of i) a BRCA-1 defect, ii) a BRCA-2 defect, iii) a BRCA-1 and BRCA-2 defect, and iv) Fanconi anemia. In some embodiments, the cancer cells are selected from breast cancer or ovarian cancer.
Synthetic Procedures for the Disclosed Compounds
Procedure A: Preparation of 3-nitro-phthalic acid dimethyl ester, 2
To a stirred solution of 4-nitro-isobenzofuran-1,3-dione (150 g, 0.78 mol), 1, in 2 L of MeOH was added 50 mL of concentrated sulfuric acid. The reaction was heated to reflux for 16 hours. The mixture solution was cooled to room temperature and then poured into 3 L of ice water and resulted in a heavy white precipitate. This was triturated for 15 minutes and the precipitated was filtered off and the solid was washed with water thoroughly and dried to afford 120 g of 3-nitro-phthalic acid dimethyl ester, 2, as a white solid (65%). 1 H NMR (300 MHz, DMSO-d 6 ): 8.54 (d, J=7.25 Hz, 1H), 8.42 (d, J=7.82 Hz, 1H), 7.98 (t, J=8.20 Hz, 1H), 3.99 (s, 3H), 3.98 (s, 3H). 13 C NMR: 52.03, 52.29, 111.02, 115.67, 119.08, 131.80, 133.68, 148.80, 167.64, 168.63.
Procedure B: Preparation of 3-amino-phthalic acid dimethyl ester, 3
The compound 2 (205 g, 1.0 mol) was dissolved in 2 L of MeOH. Catalytic 10% Pd/C was added and the solution was hydrogenated under H 2 (45 psi) on a Parr hydrogenation apparatus at room temperature overnight. Filtered through celite and evaporated to give a quantitative yield of 3-amino-phthalic acid dimethyl ester, 3. 1 H NMR (300 MHz, DMSO-d 6 ): 7.26 (t, J=7.33 Hz, 1H), 6.94 (d, J=8.34 Hz, 1H), 6.77 (d, J=8.33 Hz, 1H), 6.12 (s, 2H), 3.77 (s, 3H), 3.76 (s, 3H). 13 C NMR: 51.51, 51.77, 110.50, 115.16, 118.56, 131.26, 133.16, 148.28, 167.12, 168.11.
Procedure C: Preparation of 2-chloromethyl-4-oxo-3,4-dihydro-quinazoline-5-carboxylic acid methyl ester, 4
100 mL of chloroacetonitrile was set stirring in 130 mL of 1,4 dioxane at room temperature. Dry HCl gas was bubbled through the solution for thirty minutes followed by the addition of 30 g of 3-amino-1,2-phthalic acid dimethyl ester, 3. The reaction was refluxed for approximately three hours, resulting in a heavy white precipitate. The suspension was cooled with an ice bath, filtered and washed with pentane to remove any residual solvents. 30 g (83%) of an analytically pure white solid, 4, was isolated. 1 H NMR (300 MHz, DMSO-d 6 ): 7.88 (t, J=8.33 Hz, 1H), 7.79 (d, J=7.08 Hz, 1H), 7.52 (d, J=7.33 Hz, 1H), 4.60 (s, 2H), 3.84 (s, 3H); 13 C NMR: 42.21, 54.86, 119.95, 127.77, 130.86, 135.71, 136.78, 150.59, 155.70, 162.49, 171.24.
General Procedure D: Preparation of Compounds, 5
Displacement of the chloro group of compound 4 with nucleophiles such as amine using General procedure D provides the compounds 5. To a solution of the chloro compound 4 in dry DMF or MeCN is added potassium carbonate and a nucleophile such as an amine. The reaction mixture is heated to 70° C. for 12 hours and cooled to room temperature. Water is added to the reaction mixture, followed by ethyl acetate. The organic layer is collected, washed with water, brine and dried over sodium sulfate. The solvents are removed in vacuum. The residue is purified by column chromatography on silica gel using ethyl acetate/hexanes as eluent to give the products 5 in 50-95% yield. An example was given in the preparation of compound 7.
General Procedure E: Preparation of Compounds, 6
A 2,9-Dihydro-1,2,7,9-tetraaza-phenalen-3-one ring can be formed by condensation of the compounds 6 with hydrazine. To a solution of the compounds 6 in absolute ethanol is added excess anhydrous hydrazine at room temperature. The solution is refluxed for overnight and cooled to room temperature. Ice-cold water is added and white solid is separated. The solid is collected by vacuum filtration and washed with water and small amount of methanol to give white solid products 6 in 40-90% yield. An example was given in the preparation of compound 7.
Example 1
Preparation of 8-(4-hydroxy-piperidin-1-ylmethyl)-2,9-dihydro-1,2,7,9-tetraaza-phenalen-3-one, 7
Following the General Procedure D: A solution of MeCN (25 ml), 4-hydroxypiperidine (0.46 mg, 4.5 mmol), 4 (1.0 g, 3.9 mmol), and potassium carbonate (1 g, 7 mmol) was set refluxing under nitrogen and stirred overnight. Reaction mixture was evaporated to dryness and extracted with dichloromethane. Purified with a silica column using 9:1 dichloromethane/MeOH to afford 1.05 g (84%) of an off-white solid, 2-(4-Hydroxy-piperidin-1-ylmethyl)-4-oxo-3,4-dihydro-quinazoline-5-carboxylic acid methyl ester, 7a.
Following the General Procedure E: To a solution of compound 7a (1.0 g, 3.1 mmol) in EtOH (20 mL) when refluxing was added hydrazine monohydrate (7 mL, large excess) and heated overnight. Reaction was cooled to RT and H 2 O (15 mL) was added resulting in a heavy white precipitate. Filtered and washed with 1:1 EtOH/H 2 O to afford 0.6 g (64%) of an analytically pure white solid, 7. MP: 168-171° C.; MS (ES+): 300; 1 H NMR (300 MHz, CD 3 OD): 1.46-1.55 (m, 2H), 1.71-1.75 (m, 2H) 2.15-2.23 (m, 2H) 2.70-2.75 (m, 2H) 3.16-3.18 (m, 1H) 3.25 (s, 2H) 3.47-3.55 (m, 1H) 7.30-7.33 (m, 1H) 7.60-7.64 (m, 2H). Anal. Calcd. for C 15 H 17 N 5 O 2 .1.7H 2 O: C, 56.45; H, 6.06; N, 21.94. Found: C, 56.10; H, 6.00; N, 22.25.
The compound 7 can be formulated with an acid. For example: to a solution of 7 (0.6 g, 2.0 mmol) in 10 mL of 1,4 dioxane/DMF (9:1) at 90° C. was added MsOH (0.14 mL, 2.1 mmol) resulting in a heavy white precipitate. Filtered and triturated in diethyl ether to afford 0.5 g (63%) of an off-white solid, mesylate salt of 7. H NMR (300 MHz, DMSO-d 6 ): 1.55-1.58 (m, 2H), 1.78-1.82 (m, 2H), 2.15 (s, 3H), 3.15-3.50 (m, 4H), 3.63-3.65 (m, 1H), 4.04 (s, 2H), 7.24 (d, J=8.5 Hz, 1H), 7.51-7.66 (m, 2H), 11.73 (s, 1H)
Anal. Calcd. for C 15 H 17 N 5 O 2 . 1CH 3 SO 3 H. 2H 2 O: C, 44.54; H, 5.84; N, 16.23; S, 7.43. Found: C, 44.48; H, 5.76; N, 16.27; S, 7.60.
The following compounds were synthesized from the similar procedures of preparation of compound 7, using the appropriate corresponding amines.
Preparation of 8-(4-phenyl-piperazin-1-ylmethyl)-2,9-dihydro-1,2,7,9-tetraaza-phenalen-3-one, 8
Synthesized using 1-phenylpiperazine for General Procedure D. 52% overall yield for last two steps. MS (ES+): 361; 1 H NMR (300 MHz, DMSO-d 6 ): 2.65-2.68 (m, 4H), 3.19-3.22 (m, 4H) 3.39 (s, 2H); 6.78 (t, J=7.2 Hz, 1H); 6.95 (d, J=8.0 Hz, 2H), 7.19 (t, J=7.2 Hz, 2H), 7.48-7.51 (m, 1H), 7.62-7.64 (d, J=7.2 Hz, 1H), 7.75 (t, J=8.0 Hz, 1H), 11.23 (s, br, 1H), 11.78 (s, 1H); Anal. Calcd. for C 20 H 20 N 6 O 1 .2.0H 2 O: C, 60.59; H, 6.10; N, 21.20. Found: C, 60.48; H, 6.05; N, 21.35.
Preparation of 8-(4-benzyl-piperidin-1-ylmethyl)-2,9-dihydro-1,2,7,9-tetraaza-phenalen-3-one, 9
Synthesized using 1-benzylpiperazine for General Procedure D. 20% overall yield for last two steps. MS (ES−): 372; 1 H NMR (300 MHz, DMSO-d 6 ): 1.22-1.50 (m, 5H), 2.45-2.55 (m, 4H), 2.85 (d, 2H), 3.28 (s, 2H), 7.14-7.19 (m, 3H), 7.25-7.30 (m, 2H), 7.50 (d, J=7.0 Hz, 1H), 7.62 (d, J=7.7 Hz, 1H), 7.75 (t, J=7.7 Hz, 1H), 11.25 (s, br, 1H), 11.76 (s, 1H); Anal. Calcd. for C 22 H 23 N 5 O 1 : C, 70.76; H, 6.21; N, 18.75. Found: C, 70.36; H, 6.18; N, 18.63.
Preparation of 8-phenoxymethyl-2,9-dihydro-1,2,7,9-tetraaza-phenalen-3-one, 10
Synthesized using phenol for General Procedure D. 60% overall yield for last two steps. MS (ES+): 293; 1 H NMR (300 MHz, DMSO-d 6 ): 4.90 (s, br, 3H), 7.00 (t, J=6.6 Hz, 1H), 7.08 (d, J=8.2 Hz, 2H), 7.34 (t, J=7.7 Hz, 2H), 7.45 (d, J=7.7 Hz, 1H), 7.65 (d, J=7.7 Hz, 1H), 7.76 (t, J=7.2 Hz, 1H), 11.20 (s, br, 1H), 11.80 (s, 1H). Anal. Calcd. for C 16 H 12 N 4 O 2 .0.75H 2 O.0.25N 2 H 4 : C, 61.24; H, 4.66; N, 20.08. Found: C, 61.06; H, 4.27; N, 20.13.
Preparation of 8-[4-(4-fluoro-phenyl)-3,6-dihydro-2H-pyridin-1-ylmethyl]-2,9-dihydro-1,2,7,9-tetraaza-phenalen-3-one, 11
Synthesized using 4-(4-fluorophenyl)-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine hydrochloride for General Procedure D. 24% overall yield for last two steps. MS (ES+): 376; 1 H NMR (400 MHz, DMSO-d 6 ): 2.51-2.53 (s, br, 2H), 2.77 (t, J=5.4 Hz, 2H), 3.24 (s, br, 2H), 3.46 (s, 2H), 6.16 (m, 1H), 7.16 (t, J=8.8 Hz, 2H), 7.46-7.52 (m, 3H), 7.63 (d, J=7.8 Hz, 1H), 7.44 (t, J=7.8 Hz, 1H), 11.18 (s, br, 1H), 11.79 (s, 1H). A mesylate salt of 11 was prepared. 1 H NMR (400 MHz, DMSO-d 6 ): 2.34 (s, 3H), 2.84 (bs, 2H), 3.66 (m, 2H), 4.11 (m, 2H), 4.36 (s, 2H), 6.21 (m, 1H), 7.25 (t, J=8.8 Hz, 2H), 7.43 (d, J=7.4 Hz, 1H), 7.56-7.59 (m, 2H), 7.72 (d, J=7.4 Hz, 1H), 7.82 (t, J=7.5 Hz, 1H), 11.25 (s, br, 1H), 11.76 (s, 1H). Anal. Calcd. for C 21 H 18 FN 5 O 1 .1.0 CH 3 SOH. 0.2H 2 O: C, 55.62; H, 4.75; N, 14.74; S, 6.75. Found: C, 55.65; H, 4.71; N, 14.73; S, 6.74.
Preparation of 8-[4-(4-chloro-phenyl)-piperazin-1-ylmethyl]-2,9-dihydro-1,2,7,9-tetraaza-phenalen-3-one, 12
Synthesized using 1-(4-chlorophenyl)-piperazine for General Procedure D. 23% overall yield for last two steps. A mesylate salt of 12 was prepared. MS (ES+): 396; 1 H NMR (400 MHz, DMSO-d 6 ): 2.33 (s, 3H), 4.31 (s, 2H), 7.03 (d, J=9.3 Hz, 2H), 7.31 (d, J=9.3 Hz, 2H), 7.43 (d, J=8.5 Hz, 1H), 7.72 (d, J=8.5 Hz, 1H), 7.82 (t, J=7.9 Hz, 1H), 11.23 (s, br, 1H), 11.90 (s, 1H). Anal. Calcd. for C 20 H 19 ClN 6 O 1 .1.0 CH 3 SOH: C, 51.37; H, 4.72; N, 17.12; S, 6.53. Found: C, 51.27; H, 4.91; N, 17.03; S, 6.48.
Preparation of 8-(4-phenyl-3,6-dihydro-2H-pyridin-1-ylmethyl)-2,9-dihydro-1,2,7,9-tetraaza-phenalen-3-one, 13
Synthesized using 4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydro-pyridine for General Procedure D. 80% overall yield for last two steps. MS (ES+): 358; 1 H NMR (400 MHz, DMSO-d 6 ): 2.56 (m, 2H), 2.78 (t, J=5.5 Hz, 2H), 3.25 (d, J=2.6 Hz, 2H), 3.47 (s, 2H), 6.19 (s, 1H), 7.23-7.27 (m, 1H), 7.24 (t, J=7.6 Hz, 2H), 7.45 (d, J=7.1 Hz, 2H), 7.51 (d, J=8.9 Hz, 1H), 7.62 (d, J=7.1 Hz, 1H), 7.75 (t, J=8.0 Hz, 1H), 11.27 (s, br, 1H), 11.78 (s, 1H). A mesylate salt of 13 was prepared. 1 H NMR (400 MHz, DMSO-d 6 ): 2.34 (s, 3H), 2.84-2.88 (m, 2H), 3.65-3.69 (m, 2H), 4.13 (s, 2H), 4.37 (s, 2H), 6.21-6.25 (m, 1H), 7.32-7.44 (m, 4H), 7.53 (d, J=8.6 Hz, 2H), 7.72 (d, J=7.3 Hz, 1H), 7.82 (t, J=8.1 Hz, 1H), 11.30 (s, br, 1H), 11.93 (s, 1H). Anal. Calcd. for C 21 H 19 N 5 O.1.0 CH 3 SOH. 0.4H 2 O: C, 57.35; H, 5.21; N, 15.20; S, 6.96. Found: C, 57.30; H, 5.16; N, 15.29; S, 7.10.
Preparation of 8-[(3,4-dichloro-benzylamino)-methyl]-2,9-dihydro-1,2,7,9-tetraaza-phenalen-3-one, 14
Synthesized using 3,4-dichlorobenzylamine for General Procedure D. 10% overall yield for last two steps. A mesylate salt of 14 was prepared. MS (ES+): 375; 1 H NMR (300 MHz, DMSO-d 6 ): 2.33 (s, 3H), 4.06 (s, 2H), 4.33 (s, 2H), 7.39 (d, J=8.0 Hz, 1H), 7.53-7.57 (m, 1H), 7.69-7.88 (m, 4H), 11.31 (s, br, 1H), 11.91 (s, 1H).
Preparation of 8-{[2-(3-Fluoro-phenyl)-ethylamino]-methyl}-2,9-dihydro-1,2,7,9-tetraaza-phenalen-3-one, 15
Synthesized using 3-fluorophenethylamine for General Procedure D. 12% overall yield for last two steps. A mesylate salt of 15 was prepared. MS (ES+): 338; 1 H NMR (300 MHz, DMSO-d 6 ): 2.34 (s, 3H), 3.02-3.08 (m, 2H), 3.34-3.38 (m, 2H), 4.14 (s, 2H), 7.08-7.18 (m, 3H), 7.37-7.44 (m, 2H), 7.71 (d, J=7.8 Hz, 1H), 7.82 (t, J=7.8 Hz, 1H), 11.92 11.35 (s, br, 1H), (s, 1H).
Preparation of 8-[(3-trifluoromethyl-benzylamino)-methyl]-2,9-dihydro-1,2,7,9-tetraaza-phenalen-3-one, 16
Synthesized using 3-(trifluoromethyl)benzylamine for General Procedure D. 14% overall yield for last two steps. A mesylate salt of 16 was prepared. MS (ES+): 374; 1 H NMR (300 MHz, DMSO-d 6 ): 2.33 (s, 3H), 4.10 (s, 2H), 4.43 (s, 2H), 7.39 (d, J=7.6 Hz, 1H), 7.69-7.86 (m, 5H), 7.99 (s, 1H), 11.25 (s, br, 1H), 11.91 (s, 1H). Anal. Calcd. for C 19 H 18 F 3 N 5 O.1.0 CH 3 SOH.1.0H 2 O: C, 46.82; H, 4.14; N, 14.37; S, 6.58. Found: C, 46.81; H, 4.17; N, 14.64; S, 6.35.
Preparation of 8-(1,4-dioxa-8-aza-spiro[4.5]dec-8-ylmethyl)-2,9-dihydro-1,2,7,9-tetraaza-phenalen-3-one, 17
Synthesized using 4-piperidone ethylene ketal for General Procedure D. 10% overall yield for last two steps. MS (ES−): 370; 1 H NMR (300 MHz, DMSO-d 6 ): 169-1.71 (m, 4H), 2.57 (s, br, 4H), 3.35 (s, 2H), 3.87 (s, 4H), 7.51 (d, J=7.8 Hz, 1H), 7.62 (d, J=7.7 Hz, 1H), 7.74 (t, J=7.8 Hz, 1H), 11.23 (s, br, 1H), 11.76 (s, 1H). Anal. Calcd. for C 17 H 19 N 5 O 3 0.2H 2 O: C, 59.19; H, 5.67; N, 20.30. Found: C, 59.03; H, 5.60; N, 20.63.
Preparation of 8-{[2-(3,4-dichloro-phenyl)-ethylamino]-methyl}-2,9-dihydro-1,2,7,9-tetraaza-phenalen-3-one, 18
Synthesized using 3,4-dichlorophenethylamine for General Procedure D. 17% overall yield for last two steps. A mesylate salt of 18 was prepared. MS (ES−): 387; 1 H NMR (300 MHz, DMSO-d 6 ): 2.36 (s, 3H), 3.04 (t, J=8.2 Hz, 2H), 3.37 (t, J=8.1 Hz, 2H), 4.14 (s, 2H), 7.30-7.43 (m, 2H), 7.61-7.75 (m, 3H), 7.79-7.84 (m, 1H), 11.31 (s, br, 1H), 11.91 (s, 1H).
Preparation of 8-{[2-(3-trifluoromethyl-phenyl)-ethylamino]-methyl}-2,9-dihydro-1,2,7,9-tetraaza-phenalen-3-one, 19
Synthesized using 2-(3-Trifluoromethyl-phenyl)-ethylamine for General Procedure D. 39% overall yield for last two steps. A mesylate salt of 19 was prepared. MS (ES−): 387; 1 H NMR (300 MHz, DMSO-d 6 ): 3.74 (s, 3H), 3.13 (t, J=8.1 Hz, 2H), 3.30 (t, J=8.2 Hz, 2H), 4.15 (s, 2H), 7.40-7.43 (m, 1H), 7.62-7.72 (m, 4H), 7.79-7.85 (m, 1H), 11.35 (s, br, 1H), 11.92 (s, 1H).
Preparation of 8-[(1-Aza-bicyclo[2.2.2]oct-3-ylamino)-methyl]-2,9-dihydro-1,2,7,9-tetraaza-phenalen-3-one, 20
Synthesized using (S)-(−)-3-aminoquinuclidine for General Procedure D. 23% overall yield for last two steps. A mesylate salt of 20 was prepared. MS (ES+): 325; 1 H NMR (300 MHz, DMSO-d 6 ): 1.97-2.03 (m, 3H), 2.20-2.35 (m, 1H), 2.35-2.44 (m, 2H), 2.42 (s, 3H), 3.72-3.80 (m, 6H), 4.15-4.21 (m, 1H), 4.38 (s, 2H), 7.46 (d, J=7.6, 1H) 7.69-7.72 (m, 1H), 7.78-7.84 (m, 1H), 8.63 (s, br, 3H).
Preparation of 8-(4-ethyl-piperazin-1-ylmethyl)-2,9-dihydro-1,2,7,9-tetraaza-phenalen-3-one, 21
Synthesized using ethylpiperazine for General Procedure D. 35% overall yield for last two steps. A mesylate salt of 21 was prepared. MS (ES+): 313; 1 H NMR (300 MHz, DMSO-d 6 ): 1.25, (t, J=7.4 Hz, 3H), 2.41 (s, 6H), 2.51-3.87 (m, 10H), 3.87 (s, 2H), 7.70 (d, J=8.0 Hz, 1H), 7.81 (d, J=7.9 Hz, 1H), 7.91 (t, J=8.1 Hz, 1H), 9.82 (s, 1H), 11.96 (s, 1H). 13 C NMR (DMSO-d 6 ): 157.40, 155.99, 140.65, 135.96, 133.84, 126.72, 119.71, 118.65, 115.85, 56.09, 50.30, 49.05, 48.66, 8.51. Anal. Calcd. for C 16 H 20 N 6 O. 2.0 CH 3 SO 3 H. 1.2H 2 O: C, 40.84; H, 5.43; N, 15.79. Found: C, 41.09; H, 5.82; N, 15.97.
Preparation of 8-(4-methyl-piperazin-1-ylmethyl)-2,9-dihydro-1,2,7,9-tetraaza-phenalen-3-one, 22
Synthesized using methylpiperazine for General Procedure D. 29% overall yield for last two steps. A mesylate salt of 22 was prepared. MS (ES+): 299; 1 H NMR (400 MHz, DMSO-d 6 ): 2.38 (s, 3H), 2.58-2.63 (m, 2H), 3.09-3.18 (m, 4H), 3.40-3.45 (m, 2H), 3.51 (s, 2H), 7.50 (d, J=7.8 Hz, 1H), 7.67 (d, J=7.8 Hz, 1H), 7.79 (t, J=7.8 Hz, 1H), 9.53 (s, br, 1H), 11.85 (s, 1H). Anal. Calcd. for C 15 H 18 N 6 O. 1.15 CH 3 SO 3 H. 1.0H 2 O.: C, 45.44; H, 5.81; N, 19.69; S, 8.64. Found: C, 45.18; H, 5.88; N, 19.83; S, 8.68.
Preparation of 8-(4-benzyl-[1,4]diazepan-1-ylmethyl)-2,9-dihydro-1,2,7,9-tetraaza-phenalen-3-one, 23
Synthesized using 1-benzyl-[1,4]diazepane for General Procedure D. 24% overall yield for last two steps. MP: 140-142° C.; MS (ES−): 387; 1 H NMR (400 MHz, CDCl 3 ): 1.88 (m, 2H), 2.77 (m, 4H), 2.89 (m, 4H), 3.62 (s, 2H), 3.69 (s, 2H), 7.20-7.42 (m, 6H), 7.45 (s, br, 1H), 7.74 (t, J=7.8 Hz, 1H), 7.87 (d, J=7.6 Hz, 1H), 11.50 (s, br, 1H); Anal. Calcd. for C 22 H 24 N 6 O. 1.35H 2 O.: C, 64.01; H, 6.52; N, 20.36. Found: C, 64.18; H, 6.59; N, 20.46.
An HCl salt of 23 was prepared: to a solution of 23 (0.5 g) in 20 mL of dioxane was bubbled HCl gas for 30 min. The solution was stirred at room temperature overnight. After filtration, the precipitate was washed with dioxane to afford 0.25 g (48%) of analytically pure off white solid, an HCl salt of 23. 1 H NMR (400 MHz, D 2 O): 2.08 (m, 2H), 3.36 (m, 4H), 3.56 (m, 4H), 4.04 (s, 2H), 4.24 (s, 2H), 7.02 (d, 1H), 7.20-7.35 (m, 5H); 7.36 (d, 1H), 7.45 (t, 1H); Anal. Calcd. for C 22 H 24 N 6 O.2.0 HCl. 1.15H 2 O: C, 54.81; H, 5.92; N, 17.43. Found: C, 54.81; H, 5.92; N, 17.36.
Preparation of 4-(3-oxo-2,9-dihydro-3H-1,2,7,9-tetraaza-phenalen-8-ylmethyl)-[1,4]diazepane-1-carboxylic acid tert-butyl ester, 24
Synthesized using [1,4]diazepane-1-carboxylic acid t-butyl ester for General Procedure D. 30% overall yield for last two steps. MP: 219-221° C.; MS (ES−): 397; 1 H NMR (400 MHz, CDCl 3 ): 1.46 (s, 9H); 1.88 (m, 2H); 2.83 (m, 4H); 3.50 (m, 4H); 3.59 (s, 2H); 7.63 (m, 1H), 7.72-7.86 (m, 3H), 11.90 (s, br, 1H). Anal. Calcd. for C 20 H 26 N 6 O 3 . 0.5H 2 O: C, 58.95; H, 6.68; N, 20.62. Found: C, 58.83; H, 6.69; N, 20.60.
Preparation of 8-[4-(4-fluoro-benzyl)-[1,4]diazepan-1-ylmethyl]-2,9-dihydro-1,2,7,9-tetraaza-phenalen-3-one, 25
Synthesized using 1-(4-fluoro-benzyl)-[1,4]diazepane for General Procedure D. 35% overall yield for last two steps. MP: 163-165° C.; MS (ES−): 405; 1 H NMR (400 MHz, CDCl 3 ): 1.87 (m, 2H), 2.72 (m, 4H), 2.88 (m, 4H), 3.63 (s, 2H), 3.65 (s, 2H), 6.99 (t, J=8.4 Hz, 2H), 7.30 (m, 3H) 7.61 (s, br, 1H), 7.78 (m, 1H); 7.93 (d, J=7.3 Hz 1H), 10.82 (s, br, 1H). Anal. Calcd. for C 22 H 23 N 6 O. 1.5H 2 O: C, 60.96; H, 6.05; N, 19.39. Found: C, 61.07; H, 5.97; N, 19.59.
A mesylate salt of 25 was prepared. 1 H NMR (400 MHz, D 2 O): 2.06 (m, 2H), 2.70 (s, 3H), 3.06 (m, 2H), 3.24 (m, 2H), 3.46 (m, 4H), 3.65 (s, 4H), 3.74 (s, 2H), 4.33 (s, 2H), 7.25 (m, 3H), 7.46 (m, 3H), 7.62 (t, J=8.4 Hz, 1H). Anal. Calcd. for C 22 H 23 FN 6 O. 1.3 CH 3 SO 3 H. 0.5C 4 H 2 O 2 . 2.0H 2 O: C, 49.70; H, 5.97; N, 13.74; S, 6.82. Found: C, 49.40; H, 5.97; N, 13.37; S, 6.65.
Preparation of 8-[1,4]diazepan-1-ylmethyl-2,9-dihydro-1,2,7,9-tetraaza-phenalen-3-one, 26
Synthesized from compound 24. To a solution of 24 (1.5 g, 3.7 mmol) in 30 mL of CH 2 Cl 2 was added 6 mL of TFA while stirring at room temperature. After 30 minutes, the solvents were evaporated and the residue was washed with acetonitrile to afford 1.0 g (90%) of analytically pure white solid. MP: 147-149° C.; MS (ES−): 297; 1 H NMR (400 MHz, D 2 O): 1.96 (m, 2H), 2.82 (t, 2H), 3.01 (t, 2H), 3.28 (t, 4H), 3.53 (s, 2H), 7.22 (d, 1H), 7.47 (d, 1H), 7.61 (t, 1H). Anal. Calcd. for C 15 H 18 N 6 O. 1.1 CF 3 CO 2 H. 1.0H 2 O: C, 46.76; H, 4.81; N, 19.02. Found: C, 46.64; H, 4.98; N, 19.02.
Preparation of 8-[4-(2-trifluoromethyl-benzoyl)-[1,4]diazepan-1-ylmethyl]-2,9-dihydro-1,2,7,9-tetraaza-phenalen-3-one, 27
Synthesized from compound 26. To a solution of compound 26 (0.2 g, 0.6 mmol) in 5 mL of CH 2 Cl 2 was added 1 mmol of TEA and 0.8 mmol of 2-trifluoromethyl-benzoyl chloride. The reaction was stirred overnight at room temperature. After the solvents were evaporated, the residue was purified with semi-preparative HPLC to afford a solid (15% yield). MP: 140-142° C.; MS (ES−): 469; 1 H NMR (400 MHz, CDCl 3 ): 1.92-2.10 (m, 2H), 2.91-3.10 (m, 4H), 3.36-3.44 (m, 2H), 3.64-3.74 (m, 2H), 3.93 (m, 2H), 7.38 (m, 1H), 7.57 (m, 3H), 7.79 (m, 2H), 7.93 (m, 1H). Anal. Calcd. for C 23 H 21 F 3 N 6 O 2 -0.9 HCl: C, 54.89; H, 4.39; N, 16.70. Found: C, 54.93; H, 4.43; N, 16.34.
Preparation of 8-[4-(3-chloro-benzoyl)-[1,4]diazepan-1-ylmethyl]-2,9-dihydro-1,2,7,9-tetraaza-phenalen-3-one, 28
Synthesized from compound 26. To a solution of compound 26 (0.2 g, 0.6 mmol) in 5 mL of CH 2 Cl 2 was added 1 mmol of TEA and 0.8 mmol of 3-chloro-benzoyl chloride. The reaction was stirred overnight at room temperature. After the solvents were evaporated, the residue was purified with semi-preparative HPLC to afford a solid (16% yield). MP: 147-149° C.; MS (ES−): 436; 1 H NMR (400 MHz, CDCl 3 ): 1.88-2.08 (m, 2H), 2.86-3.07 (m, 4H), 3.52-3.71 (m, 4H), 3.81-3.89 (m, 2H), 7.33-7.43 (m, 4H), 7.62 (d, 1H), 7.81 (t, 1H), 7.90 (t, 1H). Anal. Calcd. for C 22 H 21 ClN 6 O 2 .0.7H 2 O: C, 54.89; H, 4.39; N, 16.70. Found: C, 54.93; H, 4.43; N, 16.34.
Preparation of 8-(4-pyridin-2-yl-piperazin-1-ylmethyl)-2,9-dihydro-1,2,7,9-tetraaza-phenalen-3-one, 30
Synthesized using 1-pyridin-2-yl-piperazine for General Procedure D. 20% overall yield for last two steps. A mesylate salt of 30 was prepared. MS (ES−): 360; 1 H NMR (400 MHz, DMSO-d 6 ): 2.37 (s, 6H), 3.52 (s, br, 4H), 3.93 (s, br, 4H), 4.30 (s, 2H), 6.93 (t, J=6.6 Hz, 1H), 7.25 (d, J=8.6 Hz, 1H), 7.47 (d, J=7.8 Hz, 1H), 7.73 (d, J=7.8 Hz, 1H), 7.82-7.91 (m, 2H), 8.16-8.18 (m, 1H), 11.96 (s, 1H). Anal. Calcd. for C 19 H 19 N 7 O. 1.9 CH 3 SO 3 H. 1.2H 2 O: C, 44.38; H, 5.17; N, 17.33; S, 10.77. Found: C, 44.21; H, 5.19; N, 17.28; S, 10.68.
Preparation of 8-{[2-(2-fluoro-phenyl)-ethylamino]-methyl}-2,9-dihydro-1,2,7,9-tetraaza-phenalen-3-one, 31
Synthesized using 2-(2-fluoro-phenyl)-ethylamine for General Procedure D. 20% overall yield for last two steps. A mesylate salt of 31 was prepared. MS (ES−): 336; 1 H NMR (400 MHz, DMSO-d 6 ): 2.41 (s, 5H), 3.02 (t, J=7.6 Hz, 2H), 3.32 (t, J=8.3 Hz, 2H), 4.16 (s, 2H), 7.19 (t, J=8.8 Hz, 2H), 7.32-7.35 (m, 2H), 7.42 (d, J=7.8 Hz, 1H), 7.71 (d, J=7.8 Hz, 1H), 7.82 (t, J=8.1 Hz, 1H), 9.10 (s, br, 1H), 11.92 (s, 1H). Anal. Calcd. for C 18 H 16 FN 5 O. 1.75 CH 3 SO 3 H. 0.75H 2 O: C, 45.70; H, 4.76; N, 13.49; S, 10.81. Found: C, 45.45; H, 4.69; N, 13.42; S, 11.10.
Preparation of 8-[4-(4-fluoro-phenyl)-piperazin-1-ylmethyl]-2,9-dihydro-1,2,7,9-tetraaza-phenalen-3-one, 32
Synthesized using 4-(4-fluoro-phenyl)-piperazine for General Procedure D. 57% overall yield for last two steps. A mesylate salt of 32 was prepared. MS (ES−): 377; 1 H NMR (400 MHz, DMSO-d 6 ): 2.40 (s, 5H), 3.45 (s, br, 4H), 3.59 (s, br, 4H), 4.37 (s, 2H), 7.03-7.15 (m, 4H), 7.44 (d, J=7.8 Hz, 1H), 7.72 (d, J=7.8 Hz, 1H), 7.83 (t, J=7.8 Hz, 1H), 9.8 (s, br, 1H), 11.94 (s, 1H). Anal. Calcd. for C 20 H 19 FN 6 O. 1.65 CH 3 SO 3 H: C, 46.85; H, 5.01; N, 15.14; S, 9.53. Found: C, 46.74; H, 5.15; N, 15.14; S, 9.53.
Preparation of 8-{[2-(4-Fluoro-phenyl)-ethylamino]-methyl}-2,9-dihydro-1,2,7,9-tetraaza-phenalen-3-one, 33
Synthesized using 2-(4-fluoro-phenyl)-ethylamine for General Procedure D. 19% overall yield for last two steps. A mesylate salt of 33 was prepared. MS (ES−): 336; 1 H NMR (400 MHz, DMSO-d 6 ): 2.38 (s, 6H), 3.06-3.10 (m, 2H), 3.30-3.34 (m, 2H), 4.18 (s, 2H), 7.19-7.22 (m, 2H), 7.34-7.42 (m, 3H), 7.71 (d, J=8.6 Hz, 1H), 7.82 (t, J=7.8 Hz, 1H), 9.6 (s, br, 1H), 11.92 (s, 1H). Anal. Calcd. for C 18 H 16 FN 5 O. 2.0 CH 3 SO 3 H: C, 45.36; H, 4.57; N, 13.22; S, 12.11. Found: C, 45.34; H, 4.58; N, 13.16; S, 11.88.
Preparation of 8-(4-acetyl-[1,4]diazepan-1-ylmethy one, 34
Synthesized using [1,4]diazepane-1-yl-ethanone for General Procedure D. 16% overall yield for last two steps. MP: 191-193° C.; MS (ES−): 339; 1 H NMR (400 MHz, CDCl 3 ): 2.11 (s, 3H), 2.84-2.93 (m, 4H), 3.56-3.76 (m, 6H), 7.66 (m, 1H), 7.83-7.92 (m, 2H), 9.3 (s, br, 1H), 11.3 (s, br, 1H). Anal. Calcd. for C 17 H 20 N 6 O 2 . 0.6H 2 O: C, 58.14; H, 6.08; N, 23.93. Found: C, 58.09; H, 6.18; N, 24.08.
Preparation of 8-(phenethylamino-methyl)-2,9-dihydro-1,2,7,9-tetraaza-phenalen-3-one, 35
Synthesized using phenethylamine for General Procedure D. 29% overall yield for last two steps. A mesylate salt of 35 was prepared. MS (ES−): 358; 1 H NMR (400 MHz, DMSO-d 6 ): 2.32 (s, 3H), 3.00-3.04 (m, 2H), 3.31-3.36 (m, 2H), 4.15 (s, 1H), 7.27-7.42 (m, 6H), 7.71 (d, J=7.8 Hz, 1H), 7.82 (t, J=7.8 Hz, 1H), 9.70 (s, br, 1H), 11.92 (s, 1H). Anal. Calcd. for C 18 H 17 N 5 O. 1.0 CH 3 SO 3 H. 1.8H 2 O: C, 50.95; H, 5.54; N, 15.64; S, 7.16. Found: C, 50.95; H, 5.54; N, 15.64; S, 7.16.
Preparation of 8-(4-phenyl-piperidin-1-ylmethyl)-2,9-dihydro-1,2,7,9-tetraaza-phenalen-3-one, 36
Synthesized using 4-phenyl-piperidine for General Procedure D. 33% overall yield for last two steps. MS (ES−): 318; 1 H NMR (400 MHz, DMSO-d 6 ): 1.87-1.93 (m, 4H), 2.37-2.46 (m, 2H), 2.56 (m, 1H), 3.10-3.14 (m, 2H), 3.54 (s, 2H), 7.17-7.34 (m, 5H), 7.56 (bs, 1H), 7.76 (t, J=7.8 Hz, 1H), 7.93 (d, J=7.8 Hz, 1H), 11.10 (s, br, 1H), 11.76 (s, 1H). A mesylate salt of 36 was prepared. 1 H NMR (400 MHz, D 2 O): 2.08 (m, 4H), 2.95 (m, 1H), 3.34 (m, 2H), 3.84 (m, 2H), 4.23 (s, 2H), 7.21-7.39 (m, 6H), 7.59 (m, 1H), 7.70 (m, 1H). Anal. Calcd. for C 21 H 21 N 50 . 1.3 CH 3 SO 3 H. 0.5H 2 O: C, 54.29; H, 5.56; N, 14.19; S, 8.45. Found: C, 54.03; H, 5.65; N, 13.98; S, 8.64.
Preparation of 8-(1,3-dihydro-isoindol-2-ylmethyl)-2,9-dihydro-1,2,7,9-tetraaza-phenalen-3-one, 37
Synthesized using isoindoline for General Procedure D. 40% overall yield for last two steps. MS (ES−): 316; 1 H NMR (400 MHz, DMSO-d 6 ): 3.77 (s, 2H), 4.04 (s, 4H), 7.20-7.30 (m, 4H), 7.49 (d, J=7.8 Hz, 1H), 7.6 (d, J=7.8 Hz, 1H), 7.74 (t, J=7.8 Hz, 1H), 11.34 (s, br, 1H), 11.78 (s, 1H). A mesylate salt of 37 was prepared. 1 H NMR (400 MHz, DMSO-d 6 ): 2.34 (s, 3H), 4.64 (s, 2H), 4.87 (s, 4H), 7.39-7.46 (m, 5H), 7.72 (d, J=7.8 Hz, 1H), 7.83 (t, J=8.1 Hz, 1H), 11.30 (s, br, 1H), 11.95 (s, 1H). Anal. Calcd. for C 18 H 15 N 5 O. 1.25 CH 3 SO 3 H. 2.0H 2 O: C, 48.83; H, 5.11; N, 14.79; S, 8.46. Found: C, 48.80; H, 5.11; N, 14.97; S, 8.71.
Preparation of 8-(4-benzenesulfonyl-[1,4]diazepan-1-ylmethyl)-2,9-dihydro-1,2,7,9-tetraaza-phenalen-3-one, 38
Synthesized from compound 26. To a solution of 26 (0.2 g, 0.67 mmol) in 5 mL of CH 2 Cl 2 was added TEA (2 mmol) and benzensulfonyl chloride (1 mmol). The mixture was stirred at room temperature over night. After the solvents were evaporated, the residue was poured into 10 mL of H 2 O and the product was purified by preparative HPLC to afford analytically pure white solid (5% yield). MP: 265-268° C.; MS (ES−): 437; 1 H NMR (400 MHz, DMSO-d 6 ): 1.79 (m, 2H), 2.50 (m, 4H), 2.79 (m, 4H), 3.51 (s, 2H), 7.44 (d, 1H), 7.62-7.79 (m, 7H), 11.1 (s, br, 1H), 11.75 (s, 1H). Anal. Calcd. for C 21 H 22 N 6 O 3 S. 0.5H 2 O: C, 56.36; H, 5.18; N, 18.78; S, 7.17. Found: C, 56.44; H, 5.12; N, 19.00; S, 7.19.
A mesylate salt of 38 was prepared. MS (ES+): 439; 1 H NMR (400 MHz, D 2 O): 2.18 (m, 2H), 2.35 (s, 6H), 3.36 (m, 2H), 3.65 (m, 6H), 4.3 (s, 2H), 7.24 (d, 1H), 7.51-7.71 (m, 7H). Anal. Calcd. for C 21 H 22 N 6 O 3 S. 1.8 CH 3 SO 3 H. 1.0H 2 O: C, 43.50; H, 5.00; N, 13.35; S, 14.26. Found: C, 43.61; H, 5.00; N, 13.15; S, 14.59.
Preparation of 8-(4-pyridin-4-yl-piperazin-1-ylmethyl)-2,9-dihydro-1,2,7,9-tetraaza-phenalen-3-one, 39
Synthesized using 1-(4-pyridyl)piperazine for General Procedure D. 10% overall yield for last two steps. MS (ES−): 360; 1 H NMR (400 MHz, DMSO-d 6 ): 2.80 (t, J=5.0 Hz, 4H), 3.61 (t, J=5.0 Hz, 4H), 3.99 (s, 2H), 6.83 (d, J=7.1 Hz, 2H), 7.42-7.45 (m, 1H), 7.73-7.81 (m, 2H), 8.26 (d, J=7.1 Hz, 2H), 11.20 (s, br, 1H), 11.90 (s, 1H). An HCl salt of 39 was prepared. 1 H NMR (400 MHz, D 2 O): 2.74-2.77 (m, 4H), 3.43 (s, 2H), 3.35-3.69 (m, 4H), 6.93 (d, J=7.1 Hz, 2H), 7.13 (d, J=8.0 Hz, 1H), 7.37 (d, J=7.8 Hz, 1H), 7.58 (t, J=7.8 Hz, 1H), 7.92 (d, J=7.1 Hz, 2H). Anal. Calcd. for C 19 H 19 N 7 O. 1.0 HCl. 2.5H 2 O: C, 51.53; H, 5.69; N, 22.14; Cl, 8.00. Found: C, 51.46; H, 5.69; N, 21.90; Cl, 8.27.
Preparation of 8-(4-benzyl-piperazin-1-ylmethyl)-2,9-dihydro-1,2,7,9-tetraaza-phenalen-3-one, 40
Synthesized using 4-benzyl-piperazine for General Procedure D. 12% overall yield for last two steps. MS (ES−): 373; 1 H NMR (400 MHz, DMSO-d 6 ): 2.44 (s, br, 4H), 3.35 (s, br, 4H), 3.48 (s, 2H), 7.23-7.34 (m, 5H), 7.49 (d, J=8.8 Hz, 1H), 7.62 (d, J=7.8 Hz, 1H), 7.74 (t, J=7.8 Hz, 1H), 11.10 (s, br, 1H), 11.77 (s, 1H). An HCl salt of 40 was prepared. 1 H NMR (400 MHz, D 2 O): 2.54-2.70 (m, 2H), 3.10-3.50 (m, 6H), 3.48 (s, 2H), 4.35 (s, 2H), 7.20 (d, J=8.1 Hz, 1H), 7.45 (t, J=7.8 Hz, 1H), 7.47-7.51 (m, 5H), 7.62 (t, J=8.1 Hz, 1H). Anal. Calcd. for C 21 H 22 N 6 O.1.0 HCl. 2.5H 2 O: C, 55.32; H, 6.19; N, 18.43. Found: C, 55.54; H, 6.08; N, 18.32.
Preparation of 8-(4-methyl-[1,4]diazepan-1-ylmethyl)-2,9-dihydro-1,2,7,9-tetraaza-phenalen-3-one, 41
Synthesized using 1-methyl-[1,4]diazepane for General Procedure D. 24% overall yield for last two steps. MS (ES−): 311; 1 H NMR (400 MHz, DMSO-d 6 ): 1-75 (m, 2H), 2.26 (s, 3H), 2.55 (m, 4H), 2.79 (m, 4H), 3.48 (s, 2H), 7.52 (d, J=8.2 Hz, 1H), 7.64 (d, J=7.2 Hz, 1H), 7.75 (t, J=8.1 Hz, 1H), 11.55 (s, 1H). Anal. Calcd. for C 16 H 20 N 6 O. 0.95H 2 O: C, 58.33; H, 6.70; N, 25.51. Found: C, 58.32; H, 6.65; N, 25.53.
Preparation of 8-[4-(1H-indol-3-yl)-piperidin-1-ylmethyl]-2,9-dihydro-1,2,7,9-tetraaza-phenalen-3-one, 42
Synthesized using 3-piperidin-4-yl-1H-indole for General Procedure D. 19% overall yield for last two steps. MS (ES−): 397; 1 H NMR (400 MHz, DMSO-d 6 ): 1.83-1.94 (m, 4H), 2.31 (m, 2H), 2.50 (s, 2H), 2.79-2.99 (m, 3H), 6.96-7.09 (m, 3H), 7.32 (d, J=8.1 Hz, 1H), 7.54-7.63 (m, 3H), 7.75 (t, J=7.3 Hz, 1H), 10.79 (s, 1H), 11.80 (s, 1H). A mesylate salt of 42 was prepared. 1 H NMR (400 MHz, DMSO-d 6 ): 2.15 (m, 4H), 2.32 (s, 3H), 3.11 (m, 1H), 3.52 (m, 2H), 3.73 (m, 2H), 4.29 (s, 2H), 7.10-7.18 (m, 3H), 7.36 (d, 1H); 7.46 (d, J=8.2 Hz, 1H), 7.69-7.83 (m, 3H), 10.91 (s, 1H), 11.93 (s, 1H). Anal. Calcd. for C 23 H 22 N 6 O. 1.0 CH 3 SO 3 H. 1.25H 2 O: C, 55.23; H, 5.62; N, 16.91; S, 6.14. Found: C, 55.27; H, 5.53; N, 16.95; S, 6.00.
Preparation of 8-[(2-pyridin-4-yl-ethylamino)-methyl]-2,9-dihydro-1,2,7,9-tetraaza-phenalen-3-one, 43
Synthesized using 4-ethylamino-pyridine for General Procedure D. 10% overall yield for last two steps. An HCl salt of 43 was prepared. MS (ES−): 319; 1 H NMR (400 MHz, D 2 O): 3.28 (t, J=7.8 Hz, 2H), 3.53 (t, J=7.8 Hz, 2H), 4.09 (s, 2H), 7.02 (d, J=8.0 Hz, 1H), 7.35 (d, J=8.0 Hz, 1H), 7.52 (t, J=8.0 Hz, 1H), 7.70 (d, J=5.3 Hz, 2H), 8.52 (d, J=5.3 Hz, 2H). Anal. Calcd. for C 17 H 16 N 6 O.1.3HCl. 2.6H 2 O. 0.1N 2 H 4 : C, 47.52; H, 5.38; N, 20.27. Found: C, 47.12; H, 5.26; N, 20.67.
Preparation of 8-(3,4-dihydro-1H-isoquinolin-2-ylmethyl)-2,9-dihydro-1,2,7,9-tetraaza-phenalen-3-one, 44
Synthesized using 1,2,3,4-tetrahydro-isoquinoline for General Procedure D. 30% overall yield for last two steps. MS (ES−): 330; 1 H NMR (400 MHz, DMSO-d 6 ): 2.81-2.90 (m, 4H); 3.52 (s, 2H), 3.72 (s, 2H), 7.05-7.25 (m, 4H), 7.51 (d, J=7.8 Hz, 1H), 7.63 (d, J=8.0 Hz, 1H), 7.74 (t, J=8.0 Hz, 1H), 11.30 (s, br, 1H), 11.91 (s, 1H). Anal. Calcd. for C 19 H 17 N 5 O: C, 68.87; H, 5.17; N, 21.13. Found: C, 68.34; H, 5.19; N, 21.30.
A mesylate salt of 44 was prepared. MS (ES−): 330; 1 H NMR (400 MHz, D 2 O): 2.80 (s, 3H), 3.31 (t, 2H), 3.85 (m, 2H), 4.47 (s, 2H), 4.68 (s, 2H), 7.23 (d, J=7.8 Hz, 1H), 7.28-7.42 (m, 4H), 7.67 (d, J=8.0 Hz, 1H); 7.80 (t, J=7.9 Hz, 1H). Anal. Calcd. for C 19 H 17 N 5 O. 1.12 CH 3 SO 3 H. 2.0H 2 O: C, 50.87; H, 5.41; N, 14.74; S, 7.56. Found: C, 50.89; H, 5.47; N, 14.84; S, 7.63.
Preparation of 8-(5,6-Dimethoxy-3,4-dihydro-1H-isoquinolin-2-ylmethyl)-2,9-dihydro-1,2,7,9-tetraaza-phenalen-3-one, 45
Synthesized using 5,6-dimethoxy-1,2,3,4-tetrahydro-isoquinoline for General Procedure D. 29% overall yield for last two steps. MS (ES−): 311; 1 H NMR (400 MHz, DMSO-d 6 ): 2.79 (s, 4H), 3.49 (s, 2H), 3.61 (s, 2H), 3.67 (s, 3H), 3.70 (s, 3H), 6.69 (d, J=8.8 Hz, 2H), 7.48 (d, J=7.6 Hz, 1H), 7.63 (d, J=7.8 Hz, 1H), 7.74 (t, J=7.6 Hz, 1H), 11.55 (s, 1H). Anal. Calcd. for C 21 H 21 N 5 O 3 : C, 64.44; H, 5.41; N, 17.89. Found: C, 64.24; H, 5.43; N, 17.98.
A mesylate salt of 45 was prepared. MS (ES−): 330; 1 H NMR (400 MHz, D 2 O): 2.82 (s, 3H), 3.21 (t, 2H), 3.65-3.85 (m, 8H), 4.48 (s, 2H), 4.60 (s, 2H), 6.75 (s, 1H), 6.83 (s, 1H), 7.38 (d, 1H), 7.71 (d, 1H), 7.82 (t, 1H). Anal. Calcd. for C 21 H 21 N 5 O 3 . 1.18 CH 3 SO 3 H. 1.75H 2 O: C, 49.70; H, 5.49; N, 13.07; S, 7.03. Found: C, 49.77; H, 5.49; N, 13.17; S, 7.03.
Preparation of 8-[4-(3-Trifluoromethyl-benzenesulfonyl)-[1,4]diazepan-1-ylmethyl]-2,9-dihydro-1,2,7,9-tetraaza-phenalen-3-one, 46
Synthesized from compound 26. To a solution of 26 (0.2 g, 0.67 mmol) in 5 mL of CH 2 Cl 2 was added TEA (2 mmol) and 3-trifluoromethyl-benzenesulfony chloride (1 mmol). The mixture was stirred at room temperature over night. After the solvents were evaporated, the residue was poured into 10 mL of H 2 O and the product was purified by preparative HPLC to afford analytically pure white solid (15% yield). MS (ES+): 507; 1 H NMR (400 MHz, DMSO-d 6 ): 1.82 (m, 2H), 2.73-2.81 (m, 4H), 3.25-3.42 (m, 6H), 7.44 (d, J=7.8 Hz, 1H), 7.63 (d, J=7.2 Hz, 1H), 7.74 (t, J=7.8 Hz, 1H), 7.89 (t, J=8.2 Hz, 1H), 8.04-8.13 (m, 3H), 11.10 (s, br, 1H), 11.75 (s, 1H). Anal. Calcd. for C 22 H 21 F 3 N 6 O 3 S. 1.1H 2 O: C, 50.21; H, 4.44; N, 15.97; S, 6.09. Found: C, 50.19; H, 4.54; N, 15.50; S, 5.97.
General Procedure F: Preparation of Compounds 47A and 47B
Displacement of the chloro group of compound 4 with piperazine or [1,4]diazepane using General procedure F provides the compound 47A or 47B. To a stirring solution of 4 (1 eq) in acetonitrile was added piperazine or [1,4]diazepane (large excess) under a blanket of nitrogen. The solution was allowed to stir overnight and then evaporated to dryness. The crude material was purified via silica plug with 9:1 dichloromethane:methanol to afford a white solid, 4-Oxo-2-piperazin-1-ylmethyl-3,4-dihydro-quinazoline-5-carboxylic acid methyl ester, 47A or 2-[1,4]diazepan-1-ylmethyl-4-oxo-3,4-dihydro-quinazoline-5-carboxylic acid methyl ester, 47B.
General Procedure G: Preparation of Compounds 48A and 48B
A reaction of amine 47A or 47B with various sulfonyl chloride yields sulfonyl amide 48A or 48B. To a stirring solution of 47A or 47B (1.0 eq) in pyridine was added various sulfonyl chloride (1.1 eq). The reaction was allowed to stir overnight and then was evaporated to dryness. The residue was then extracted with dichloromethane and washed with brine. The product was evaporated to dryness and used without further purification.
General Procedure E: Preparation of compounds 49A and 49B
A 2,9-dihydro-1,2,7,9-tetraaza-phenalen-3-one ring can be formed by condensation of the compound 48A or 48B with hydrazine. To a solution of the compounds 6 in absolute ethanol is added excess anhydrous hydrazine at room temperature. The solution is refluxed for overnight and cooled to room temperature. Ice-cold water is added and white solid is separated. The solid is collected by vacuum filtration and washed with water and small amount of methanol to give white solid products 6 in 40-90% of yield. An example was given in the preparation of compounds 49A and 49B.
Example 2
Preparation of 8-[4-(4-methoxy-benzenesulfonyl)-piperazin-1-ylmethyl]-2,9-dihydro-1,2,7,9-tetraaza-phenalen-3-one, 50
To a stirring solution of 4 (2.2 g, 8.73 mmol, 1 eq) in 200 mL of acetonitrile was added piperazine (14 g, 0.162 mol, large excess) under a blanket of nitrogen. The solution was allowed to stir overnight and then evaporated to dryness. The crude material was purified via silica plug with 9:1 dichloromethane:methanol to afford 2.0 g of a fluffy white solid, 4-Oxo-2-piperazin-1-ylmethyl-3,4-dihydro-quinazoline-5-carboxylic acid methyl ester, 47A. MS (ES−): 301; 1 H NMR (400 MHz, DMSO-t/6): 2.40-2.43 (m, 4H), 2.69-2.72 (m, 4H), 3.41 (s, 2H), 3.83 (s, 3H), 7.44 (d, J=7.2 Hz, 1H), 7.74 (d, J=8.2 Hz, 1H), 7.82 (t, J=7.8 Hz, 1H).
To a stirring solution of 47A (170 mg, 0.56 mmol, 1 eq) in 5 mL of pyridine was added 4-methoxybenzene sulfonyl chloride (130 mg, 0.62 mmol, 1.1 eq) resulting in a bright yellow solution. The reaction was allowed to stir overnight and then was evaporated to dryness. The waxy residue was then extracted with dichloromethane and washed with brine. The crude material was dissolved in 10 mL of EtOH and 5 mL of hydrazine monohydrate (large excess). This solution was refluxed overnight resulting in a heavy white precipitate which was filtered, washed with ethyl ether and dried to give an off white solid. This solid was then purified via chromatography to afford 112 mg of analytically pure compound 50. A mesylate salt of 50 was prepared. 8% overall yield for last three steps. MS (ES+): 455; 1 H NMR (400 MHz, DMSO-d 6 ): 2.34 (s, 3H), 3.19 (bs, 4H), 3.44 (bs, 4H), 3.89 (s, 3H), 4.20 (s, 2H), 7.25 (d, J=9.0 Hz, 2H), 7.72 (d, J=7.8 Hz, 1H), 7.70-7.83 (m, 4H), 11.20 (s, br, 1H), 11.93 (s, 1H). Anal. Calcd. for C 21 H 22 N 6 O 4 S. 1.5 CH 3 SO 3 H. 3.0H 2 O.0.1N 2 H 4 : C, 41.20; H, 5.29; N, 13.24; S, 12.22. Found: C, 41.07; H, 5.09; N, 13.53; S, 12.62.
The following compounds were synthesized from the similar procedures of preparation of compound 50, using the appropriate corresponding sulfonyl chloride.
Preparation of 8-[4-(3-fluoro-benzenesulfonyl)-piperazin-1-ylmethyl]-2,9-dihydro-1,2,7,9-tetraaza-phenalen-3-one, 51
Synthesized using 3-fluoro-benzenesulfonyl chloride and compound 47A for General Procedure G. A mesylate salt of 51 was prepared. 35% overall yield for last three steps. MS (ES−): 441; 1 H NMR (400 MHz, DMSO-d 6 ): 2.31 (s, 3H), 3.25 (bs, 4H), 3.39 (bs, 4H), 4.15 (s, 2H), 7.42 (d, J=7.8 Hz, 1H), 7.65-7.71 (m, 4H), 7.78-7.82 (m, 2H), 11.78 (s, 1H). Anal. Calcd. for C 20 H 19 N 6 O 3 S. 1.25 CH 3 SO 3 H. 2.4H 2 O: C, 42.43; H, 4.87; N, 13.87; S, 11.91. Found: C, 42.13; H, 4.79; N, 13.48; S, 11.89.
Preparation of 8-[4-(toluene-4-sulfonyl)-piperazin-1-ylmethyl]-2,9-dihydro-1,2,7,9-tetraaza-phenalen-3-one, 52
Synthesized using toluene-4-sulfonyl chloride and compound 47A for General Procedure G. A mesylate salt of 52 was prepared. 38% overall yield for last three steps. MS (ES−): 438; 1 H NMR (400 MHz, DMSO-d 6 ): 2.36 (s, 3H), 2.45 (s, 3H), 3.20 (bs, 4H), 3.46 (bs, 4H), 4.22 (s, 2H), 7.43 (d, J=7.8 Hz, 1H), 7.54 (d, J=7.8 Hz, 2H), 7.68-7.81 (m, 4H), 11.90 (s, 1H). Anal. Calcd. for C 21 H 22 N 6 O 3 S. 1.3 CH 3 SO 3 H. 4.0H 2 O: C, 42.25; H, 5.58; N, 13.22; S, 11.61. Found: C, 42.63; H, 5.53; N, 13.40; S, 11.90.
Preparation of 8-(4-benzenesulfonyl-piperazin-1-ylmethyl)-2,9-dihydro-1,2,7,9-tetraaza-phenalen-3-one, 53
Synthesized using benzensulfonyl chloride and compound 47A for General Procedure G. A mesylate salt of 53 was prepared. 30% overall yield for last three steps. MS (ES−): 438; 1 H NMR (400 MHz, DMSO-d 6 ): 2.70 (s, 3H), 3.36 (bs, 4H), 3.51 (bs, 4H), 4.14 (s, 2H), 7.11 (d, J=8.0 Hz, 1H), 7.40-7.70 (m, 7H), 11.90 (s, 1H). Anal. Calcd. for C 20 H 20 N 6 O 3 S. 1.2 CH 3 SO 3 H. 2.5H 2 O. 0.08N 2 H 4 : C, 43.36; H, 5.17; N, 14.67; S, 12.01. Found: C, 43.00; H, 5.17; N, 15.05; S, 12.40.
Preparation of 8-[4-(3-trifluoromethyl-benzenesulfonyl)-piperazin-1-ylmethyl]-2,9-dihydro-1,2,7,9-tetraaza-phenalen-3-one, 54
Synthesized using 3-trifluoro-benzensulfonyl chloride and compound 47A for General Procedure G. A mesylate salt of 54 was prepared. 15% overall yield for last three steps. MS (ES−): 438; 1 H NMR (400 MHz, DMSO-d 6 ): 2.32 (s, 3H), 3.26-3.35 (m, 8H), 4.10 (s, 2H), 7.43 (d, J=8.0 Hz, 1H), 7.69-7.80 (m, 2H), 7.98-8.26 (m, 4H), 11.92 (s, 1H)
Anal. Calcd. for C 21 H 19 F 3 N 6 O 3 S. 1.3 CH 3 SO 3 H. 2.0H 2 O: C, 40.99; H, 4.35; N, 12.86; S, 11.29. Found: C, 40.71; H, 4.60; N, 12.68; S, 11.50.
Preparation of 8-[4-(4-chloro-benzenesulfonyl)-piperazin-1-ylmethyl]-2,9-dihydro-1,2,7,9-tetraaza-phenalen-3-one, 55
Synthesized using 4-chlorobenzensulfonyl chloride and compound 47A for General Procedure G. A mesylate salt of 55 was prepared. 15% overall yield for last three steps. MS (ES−): 458; 1 H NMR (400 MHz, DMSO-d 6 ): 2.31 (s, 3H), 3.18 (bs, 4H), 3.40 (bs, 4H), 3.98 (s, 2H), 7.43 (d, J=7.7 Hz, 1H), 7.68-7.84 (m, 5H), 11.90 (s, 1H). Anal. Calcd. for C 20 H 19 ClN 6 O 3 S. 1.3 CH 3 SO 3 H. 2.0H 2 O: C, 41.27; H, 4.59; N, 13.56; S, 11.90. Found: C, 41.07; H, 4.66; N, 13.30; S, 11.89.
Preparation of 8-[4-(4-fluoro-benzenesulfonyl)-piperazin-1-ylmethyl]-2,9-dihydro-1,2,7,9-tetraaza-phenalen-3-one, 56
Synthesized using 4-fluorobenzensulfonyl chloride and compound 47A for General Procedure G. An HCl salt of 56 was prepared. 42% overall yield for last three steps. MS (ES−): 441; 1 H NMR (400 MHz, DMSO-d 6 ): 2.31 (s, 3H), 3.18 (bs, 4H), 3.40 (bs, 4H), 3.98 (s, 2H), 7.43 (d, J=7.8 Hz, 1H), 7.68-7.84 (m, 5H), 11.90 (s, 1H).
Preparation of 8-[4-(4-isopropyl-benzenesulfonyl)-piperazin-1-ylmethyl]-2,9-dihydro-1,2,7,9-tetraaza-phenalen-3-one, 57
Synthesized using 4-isopropylbenzensulfonyl chloride and compound 47A for General Procedure G. A mesylate salt of 57 was prepared. 22% overall yield for last three steps. MS (ES−): 465; 1 H NMR (400 MHz, DMSO-d 6 ): 1.26 (d, J=6.8 Hz, 6H), 2.33 (s, 3H), 3.01-3.05 (m, 1H), 3.16-3.32 (m, 10H), 7.41 (d, J=8.1 Hz, 1H), 7.59 (d, J=8.6 Hz, 2H), 7.68-7.80 (m, 4H), 11.89 (s, 1H). Anal. Calcd. for C 23 H 26 N 6 O 3 S. 1.35 CH 3 SO 3 H. 1.75H 2 O. 0.1N 2 H 4 : C, 46.35; H, 5.64; N, 13.76; S, 11.94. Found: C, 46.01; H, 5.62; N, 13.80; S, 12.33.
Preparation of 8-[4-(4-tert-butyl-benzenesulfonyl)-piperazin-1-ylmethyl]-2,9-dihydro-1,2,7,9-tetraaza-phenalen-3-one, 58
Synthesized using 4-tertbutylbenzensulfonyl chloride and compound 47A for General Procedure G. A mesylate salt of 58 was prepared. 23% overall yield for last three steps. MS (ES−): 480; 1 H NMR (400 MHz, DMSO-d 6 ): 1.25 (s, 9H), 2.21 (s, 3H), 3.05-3.15 (m, 8H), 3.99 (bs, 2H), 7.32 (d, J=8.1 Hz, 1H), 7.59-7.72 (m, 6H), 11.81 (s, 1H). Anal. Calcd. for C 24 H 28 N 6 O 3 S. 1.5 CH 3 SO 3 H. 2.75H 2 O: C, 45.42; H, 5.90; N, 12.46; S, 11.89. Found: C, 45.23; H, 5.76; N, 12.84; S, 12.17.
Preparation of 8-[4-(4-isopropyl-benzenesulfonyl)-[1,4]diazepan-1-ylmethyl]-2,9-dihydro-1,2,7,9-tetraaza-phenalen-3-one, 59
Synthesized using 4-isopropylbenzensulfonyl chloride and compound 47B for General Procedure G. 22% overall yield for last two steps. MS (ES−): 479; 1 H NMR (400 MHz, DMSO-d 6 ): 1.23 (d, 6H), 1.79 (m, 2H), 2.40-2.55 (m, 4H), 2.71-2.90 (m, 4H), 3.00 (m, 1H), 3.48 (s, 2H), 7.48 (m, 3H), 7.73 (m, 4H), 11.80 (s, 1H). Anal. Calcd. for C 24 H 28 N 6 O 3 S: C, 59.98; H, 5.87; N, 17.49; S, 6.67. Found: C, 60.02; H, 5.85; N, 17.55; S, 6.52.
Preparation of 8-[4-(4-chloro-benzenesulfonyl)-[1,4]diazepan-1-ylmethyl]-2,9-dihydro-1,2,7,9-tetraaza-phenalen-3-one, 60
Synthesized using 4-chloro-benzenesulfony chloride and compound 47B for General Procedure G. 8% overall yield for last three steps. MS (ES−): 472; 1 H NMR (400 MHz, DMSO-d 6 ): 1.80 (m, 2H), 2.73-2.78 (m, 4H), 3.50 (m, 4H), 3.69 (s, 2H), 7.45 (d, J=8.2 Hz, 1H), 7.71-7.83 (m, 6H), 10.95 (s, br, 1H), 11.76 (s, 1H). A mesylate salt of 60 was prepared. 1 H NMR (400 MHz, D 2 O): 1.92 (m, 2H), 2.73 (s, 5H), 3.50-3.77 (m, 8H), 4.36 (s, 2H), 7.49 (d, J=7.2 Hz, 1H), 7.75 (t, J=8.1 Hz, 2H), 7.78-7.93 (m, 4H). Anal. Calcd. for C 21 H 21 ClN 6 O 3 S. 1.61 CH 3 SO 3 H: C, 39.57; H, 4.99; N, 12.25; S, 12.20. Found: C, 39.50; H, 5.29; N, 12.57; S, 12.47.
Preparation of 8-[4-(3-fluoro-benzenesulfonyl)-[1,4]diazepan-1-ylmethyl]-2,9-dihydro-1,2,7,9-tetraaza-phenalen-3-one, 61
Synthesized using 3-fluoro-benzenesulfony chloride and compound 47B for General Procedure G. 16% overall yield for last two steps. MS (ES+): 457; 1 H NMR (400 MHz, DMSO-d 6 ): 1.79 (m, 2H), 2.70-2.81 (m, 4H), 3.26-3.40 (m, 4H), 3.48 (s, 2H), 7.45 (d, J=7.3 Hz, 1H); 7.55-7.74 (m, 6H), 11.10 (s, br, 1H), 11.75 (s, 1H). Anal. Calcd. for C 21 H 21 FN 6 O 3 S. 1.15H 2 O: C, 52.85; H, 4.92; N, 17.61; S, 6.72. Found: C, 52.88; H, 4.93; N, 17.43; S, 6.48.
Preparation of 8-[4-(4-methoxy-benzenesulfonyl)-[1,4]diazepan-1-ylmethyl]-2,9-dihydro-1,2,7,9-tetraaza-phenalen-3-one, 62
Synthesized using 4-methoxy-benzensulfonyl chloride and compound 47B for General Procedure G. 21% overall yield for last two steps. MS (ES+): 469; 1 H NMR (400 MHz, DMSO-d 6 ): 1.78 (m, 2H), 2.72-2.79 (m, 4H), 3.30-3.39 (m, 4H), 3.48 (s, 2H), 3.84 (s, 3H), 7.14 (d, J=8.2 Hz, 2H), 7.48 (d, J=8.1 Hz, 1H), 7.63 (d, J=7.2 Hz, 1H); 7.09-7.22 (m, 3H), 11.10 (s, br, 1H), 11.80 (s, 1H). Anal. Calcd. for C 22 H 24 N 6 O 4 S. 1.0H 2 O: C, 54.31; H, 5.39; N, 17.27; S, 6.59. Found: C, 54.38; H, 5.34; N, 17.28; S, 6.19.
Preparation of 8-[4-(4-tert-butyl-benzenesulfonyl)-[1,4]diazepan-1-ylmethyl]-2,9-dihydro-1,2,7,9-tetraaza-phenalen-3-one, 63
Synthesized using 4-t-butyl-benzenesulfony chloride and compound 47B for General Procedure G. 14% overall yield for last two steps. MS (ES−): 493; 1 H NMR (400 MHz, DMSO-d 6 ): 1.31 (s, 9H), 1.79 (m, 2H), 2.73-2.86 (m, 4H), 3.26-3.41 (m, 4H), 3.48 (s, 2H), 7.45 (d, J=8.6 Hz, 1H), 7.62-7.76 (m, 6H), 11.20 (s, br, 1H), 11.80 (s, 1H). Anal. Calcd. for C 25 H 30 N 6 O 3 S: C, 60.71; H, 6.11; N, 16.99; S, 6.48. Found: C, 60.78; H, 6.10; N, 17.08; S, 6.36.
Preparation of 8-[4-(4-amino-benzenesulfonyl)-[1,4]diazepan-1-ylmethyl]-2,9-dihydro-1,2,7,9-tetraaza-phenalen-3-one, 64
Synthesized using 4-nitro-benzenesulfony chloride and compound 47B for General Procedure G. 14% overall yield for last two steps. MS (ES−): 452; 1 H NMR (400 MHz, DMSO-d 6 ): 1.76 (m, 2H), 2.71-2.79 (m, 4H), 3.21-3.31 (m, 4H), 3.46 (s, 2H), 6.01 (s, 2H), 6.64 (d, J=8.6 Hz, 2H), 7.39 (d, J=8.6 Hz, 2H), 7.48 (d, J=8.0 Hz, 1H), 7.63 (d, J=7.9 Hz, 1H), 7.74 (t, J=7.8 Hz, 1H), 11.10 (s, br, 1H), 11.75 (s, 1H). Anal. Calcd. for C 21 H 23 N 7 O 3 S. 0.5H 2 O: C, 54.53; H, 5.23; N, 21.20; S, 6.93. Found: C, 54.50; H, 5.24; N, 20.84; S, 6.74.
Preparation of 8-[4-(biphenyl-4-sulfonyl)-[1,4]diazepan-1-ylmethyl]-2,9-dihydro-1,2,7,9-tetraaza-phenalen-3-one, 65
Synthesized using biphenyl-4-sulfony chloride and compound 47B for General Procedure G. 10% overall yield for last two steps. MS (ES−): 513; 1 H NMR (400 MHz, DMSO-d 6 ): 1.82 (m, 2H), 2.73-2.83 (m, 4H), 3.29-3.41 (m, 4H), 3.48 (s, 2H), 7.47-7.53 (m, 4H), 7.62 (d, J=8.1 Hz, 1H), 7.68-7.78 (m, 3H), 7.82-7.93 (m, 4H), 11.00 (s, br, 1H), 11.75 (s, 1H). Anal. Calcd. for C 27 H 26 N 6 O 3 S. 2.3H 2 O: C, 58.32; H, 5.55; N, 15.11; S, 5.77. Found: C, 58.24; H, 4.89; N, 15.10; S, 5.79.
Preparation of 8-[4-(4-amino-benzenesulfonyl)-piperazin-1-ylmethyl]-2,9-dihydro-1,2,7,9-tetraaza-phenalen-3-one, 66
Synthesized using 4-nitrobenzene sulfonyl chloride and compound 47A for General Procedure G. A mesylate salt of 66 was prepared. 35% overall yield for last three steps. MS (ES−): 438; 1 H NMR (400 MHz, DMSO-d 6 ): 2.32 (s, 3H), 3.13 (bs, 4H), 3.42 (bs, 4H), 4.18 (s, 2H), 6.71 (d, J=8.8 Hz, 2H), 7.40-7.43 (m, 3H), 7.70-7.80 (m, 2H), 11.20 (s, br, 1H), 11.92 (s, 1H). Anal. Calcd. for C 20 H 21 N 7 O 3 S. 1.3 CH 3 SO 3 H. 2.75H 2 O: C, 41.67; H, 5.20; N, 15.97; S, 12.01. Found: C, 41.76; H, 5.25; N, 15.92; S, 12.22.
General Procedure L to prepare compounds 71. To a stirring solution of 70 (1.0 eq) in THF under nitrogen was added TEA (1 mL, excess) and either sulfonyl chloride or acid chloride (1.2 eq). The reaction was allowed to stir for four hours after which time it was evaporated and extracted with CH 2 Cl 2 /H 2 O, dried and condensed. Crude material was further purified via column chromatography using 9:1 Ch 2 Cl 2 /MeOH to afford analytically pure products 71.
Example 3
Preparation of (3-oxo-2,9-dihydro-3H-1,2,7,9-tetraaza-phenalen-8-ylmethyl)-carbamic acid tert-butyl ester, 69
Procedure H to prepare 2-aminomethyl-4-oxo-3,4-dihydro-quinazoline-5-carboxylic acid methyl ester, 67. To a solution of 25 mL of 7N NH 3 (large excess) in MeOH at 0° C. was added compound 4 (1.0 g, 4.0 mmol) in a sealed tube. The mixture was then heated to 60° C. for 4 hours. The mixture was evaporated to dryness, dissolved and re-evaporated in 2×50 mL of CH 2 Cl 2 . Product was used as is without further purification.
Procedure I to prepare 2-(tert-butoxycarbonylamino-methyl)-4-oxo-3,4-dihydro-quinazoline-5-carboxylic acid methyl ester, 68. To a solution of 50 mL CH 2 Cl 2 of with 2 mL of TEA (excess), catalytic DMAP and compound 67 (from Procedure H) was added boc anhydride (2.6 g, 3 eq) at room temperature. Reaction was allowed to stir for 60 minutes, during which time all solids went into solution. The solution was evaporated to dryness and purified via column chromatography using CH 2 Cl 2 and 5% MeOH to afford 0.5 g of analytically pure compound, 68.
Procedure J to prepare 69.5 g of compound 68 was dissolved in 10 mL of hydrazine monohydrate and 25 mL of ethanol. The mixture was refluxed for four hours until no starting material was detected by TLC. Reaction was cooled, poured over 100 mL of cold water and extracted with 2×25 mL of EtOAc. Organic layers were dried with brine and then magnesium sulfate. Purified via column chromatography using 9:1 CH 2 Cl 2 /MeOH to afford 2.7 g of analytically pure compound 69. MS (ES−): 314; 1 H NMR (400 MHz, CDCl 3 ): 1.45 (s, 9H), 3.90 (s, 2H), 6.15 (bs, 1H), 6.94-7.30 (m, 3H), 12.38-12.43 (m, br, 2H). Anal. Calcd. for C 15 H 17 N 5 O 3 . 0.2H 2 O: C, 56.49; H, 5.50; N, 21.96. Found: C, 56.61; H, 5.60; N, 21.85.
Preparation of 8-aminomethyl-2,9-dihydro-1,2,7,9-tetraaza-phenalen-3-one, 70
Procedure K to prepare 70. 250 mg of compound 69 was dissolved in 10 mL of CH 2 Cl 2 along with 4 mL of TFA. The reaction was allowed to stir at room temperature overnight resulting in a heavy white precipitate, which was filtered off and washed with CH 2 Cl 2 and dried under vacuum to afford a quantitative yield of analytically pure material, a TFA salt of compound 70. MS (ES+): 216; 1 H NMR (400 MHz, D 2 O): 3.97 (s, 2H), 6.91 (d, J=8.2 Hz, 1H), 7.23 (d, J=7.8 Hz, 1H), 7.43 (t, J=8.0 Hz, 1H). Anal. Calcd. for C 10 H 9 N 5 O. 1.3 CF 3 COOH. 0.2H 2 O: C, 41.27; H, 2.86; N, 19.10. Found: C, 41.00; H, 3.04; N, 19.25.
Preparation of 4-methyl-N-(3-oxo-2,9-dihydro-3H-1,2,7,9-tetraaza-phenalen-8-ylmethyl)-benzenesulfonamide, 72
Synthesized using 4-methylbenzene sulfonyl chloride and compound 70 for General Procedure L. 20% yield for compound 72. MS (ES−): 368; 1 H NMR (400 MHz, CDCl 3 ): 2.27 (s, 3H), 3.93 (s, 2H), 7.28-7.43 (m, 3H), 7.67-7.78 (m, 4H), 11.43 (s, 1H), 11.83 (s, 1H). Anal. Calcd. for C 17 H 15 N 5 O 3 S: C, 55.27; H, 4.09; N, 18.96; S, 8.68. Found: C, 54.93; H, 4.09; N, 18.63; S, 8.33.
Preparation of N-(3-oxo-2,9-dihydro-3H-1,2,7,9-tetraaza-phenalen-8-ylmethyl)-benzenesulfonamide, 74
Synthesized using benzene sulfonyl chloride and compound 70 for General Procedure L. 25% yield for compound 74. MS (ES−): 354; 1 H NMR (400 MHz, CDCl 3 ): 3.95 (d, J=5.0 Hz, 2H), 7.44 (d, J=7.8 Hz, 1H), 7.45-7.60 (m, 3H), 7.67-7.77 (m, 2H), 7.91-7.93 (m, 2H), 8.24 (t, J=8.8 Hz, 1H), 11.24 (s, 1H), 11.83 (s, 1H). Anal. Calcd. for C 16 H 13 N 5 O 3 S. 1.0H 2 O: C, 51.47; H, 4.05; N, 18.76; S, 8.59. Found: C, 51.17; H, 4.20; N, 18.73; S, 8.31.
Preparation of N-(3-oxo-2,9-dihydro-3H-1,2,7,9-tetraaza-phenalen-8-ylmethyl)-acetamide, 75
Synthesized using acetic anhydride and compound 70 for General Procedure L. 22% yield for compound 75. MS (ES−): 256; 1 H NMR (400 MHz, DMSO-d 6 ): 1.91 (s, 3H), 4.05 (s, 2H), 7.32 (d, J=8.1 Hz, 1H), 7.49-7.81 (m, 2H), 8.40 (t, J=8.3 Hz, 1H). 11.25 (s, 1H), 11.75 (s, 1H). Anal. Calcd. for C 12 H 11 N 5 O 2 . 0.5H 2 O: C, 54.13; H, 4.54; N, 26.30. Found: C, 54.14; H, 4.52; N, 26.00.
Preparation of 4-nitro-N-(3-oxo-2,9-dihydro-3H-1,2,7,9-tetraaza-phenalen-8-ylmethyl)-benzamide, 76
Synthesized using 4-nitro-benzoyl chloride and compound 70 for General Procedure L. 25% yield for compound 76. MS (ES−): 363; 1 H NMR (400 MHz, CDCl 3 ): 3.99 (s, 2H), 7.18-7.20 (m, 1H), 7.34-7.38 (m, 1H), 7.75-7.90 (m, 2H), 8.20-8.32 (m, 2H), 8.40-8.48 (m, 3H).
In Vitro PARP Inhibitory Potency—IC 50
A convenient method to determine IC 50 of a PARP inhibitor compound is a PARP assay using purified recombinant human PARP from Trevigan (Gaithersburg, Md.), as follows: The PARP enzyme assay is set up on ice in a volume of 100 microliters consisting of 100 mM Tris-HCl (pH 8.0), 1 mM MgCl 2 , 28 mM KCl, 28 mM NaCl, 3.0 μg/ml of DNase I-activated herring sperm DNA (Sigma, Mo.), 30 micromolar [ 3 H]nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (62.5 mci/mmole), 15 micrograms/ml PARP enzyme, and various concentrations of the compounds to be tested. The reaction is initiated by adding enzyme and incubating the mixture at 25° C. After 2 minutes of incubation, the reaction is terminated by adding 500 microliters of ice cold 30% (w/v) trichloroacetic acid. The precipitate formed is transferred onto a glass fiber filter (Packard Unifilter-GF/C) and washed three times with 70% ethanol. After the filter is dried, the radioactivity is determined by scintillation counting. The compounds of this invention were found to have potent enzymatic activity in the range of a few nanomolar to 20 micromolar in IC 50 in this inhibition assay.
Using the PARP assay described above, approximate IC 50 values were obtained for the following compounds:
TABLE I
Compound
Structure
IC50 nM
7
35
8
23
9
35
10
19
11
6
12
9
13
12
14
18
15
32
16
21
17
20
18
17
19
18
20
35
21
n/a
22
35
23
39
24
51
25
26
26
41
27
43
28
29
30
13
31
28
32
31
33
n/a
34
49
35
44
36
19
37
12
38
20
39
15
40
39
41
42
42
13
43
38
44
21
45
49
46
11
50
52
51
15
52
21
53
23
54
14
55
18
56
27
57
17
58
13
59
23
60
24
61
27
62
22
63
19
64
15
65
22
66
45
69
47
72
171
74
23
75
30
76
10
Efficacy In Vivo for Compound 13
1) Mouse Intracranial Model of B16 Melanoma:
The murine melanoma cell line B16 of C57BL/6J (H-2 b /H-2 b ) origin was cultured in RPMI-1640 containing 10% fetal calf serum (Invitrogen, Milan, Italy), 2 mM L-glutamine, 100 units/ml penicillin and 100 μg/ml streptomycin (Flow Laboratories, Mc Lean, Va.), at 37° C. in a 5% CO 2 humidified atmosphere. TMZ was provided by Schering-Plough Research Institute (Kenilworth, N.J.). Compound 13 was dissolved in 70 mM PBS without potassium.
For intracranial transplantation, cells (10 4 in 0.03 ml of RPMI-1640) were injected intracranially (ic) through the center-middle area of the frontal bone to a 2 mm depth, using a 0.1 ml glass microsyringe and a 27-gauge disposable needle. Murine melanoma B16 cells (10 4 ) were injected ic into male B6D2F1 (C57BL/6×DBA/2) mice. Before tumor challenge, animals were anesthetized with ketamine (100 mg/kg) and xylazine (5 mg/kg) in 0.9% NaCl solution (10 ml/kg/ip). Histological evaluation of tumor growth in the brain was performed 1-5 days after tumor challenge, in order to determine the timing of treatment.
The compound 13 was administered per os 15 min before TMZ. Control mice were always injected with drug vehicles. In tumor-bearing mice treatment started 48 h after challenge, when tumor infiltration in the surrounding brain tissue was histologically evident. Mice were treated with compound 13 by oral gavage once a day for five days, at the doses of 10 mg/kg.
In tumor-bearing mice, treatment started on day 2 after challenge, when tumor infiltration in the surrounding brain tissue was histologically evident. Mice were treated daily with compound 13 plus TMZ for 5 days and monitored for mortality for 90 days. Median survival times (MST) were determined and the percentage of increase in lifespan (ILS) was calculated as: {[MST (days) of treated mice/MST (days) of control mice]−1}×100. Efficacy of treatments was evaluated by comparing survival curves between treated and control groups.
All procedures involving mice and care were performed in compliance with national and international guidelines (European Economy Community Council Directive 86/109, OLJ318, Dec. 1, 1987 and NIH Guide for care and use of laboratory animals, 1985).
Survival curves were generated by Kaplan-Meier product-limit estimate and statistical differences between the various groups (8 animals/group) were evaluated by log-rank analysis with Yates correction (software Primer of Biostatistics, McGraw-Hill, New York, N.Y.). Statistical significance was determined at a p=0.05 level. Differences were considered statistically significant when P<0.05.
The results indicate oral administration of 10 mg/kg compound 13 significantly increased the survival time of mice treated with compound 13+TMZ combination and was significantly higher than that observed in animals receiving TMZ as single agent (P<0.0001). No significant differences in survival times were observed between control and TMZ treated groups ( FIG. 1 ).
2) Intracranial Xenograft Model of SJGBM2 Glioma in Mice:
The compound 13 was tested in the intracranial xenograft model of SJGBM2 glioma in mice (Tentori, et al. Clin. Cancer Reser. 2003, 9, 5370). For this purpose compound 13 was given once at 15 min pre-TMZ at 10 mg/kg, po.
A dose of 10 mg/kg compound 13 was found to be efficacious ( FIG. 2 ). Its combination with TMZ increased MTS from 22.5 d (TMZ alone) to 25 d (P=0.002).
Efficacy In Vivo for Compound 37
1) Mouse Intracranial Model of B16 Melanoma:
The experiment was performed as described above for Compound 13. It was investigated whether oral administration of Compound 37 (5 mg/kg or 12.5 mg/kg), might increase the efficacy of TMZ against B16 melanoma growing at the CNS site. In mice bearing B16 melanoma, the results indicated that the mean survival time of the groups treated with Compound 3712.5 mg/kg+TMZ combination was significantly higher than that observed in animals receiving TMZ as single agent ( FIG. 3 ).
2) Intracranial Xenograft Model of SJGBM2 Glioma in Mice:
The efficacy of Compound 37 was then investigated using an orthotopic model of a human glioblastoma multiforme xenograft (SJGBM2) in nude mice. The response of SJGBM2 to TMZ, used as single agent or in combination with Compound 37 (10 mg/kg or 20 mg/kg) for five days or in combination with Compound 37 (MGI25036) 10 mg/kg for five days followed by a 14-day treatment with Compound 37100 mg/kg as single agent, is shown in FIG. 4 . The results indicate that oral administration of Compound 37 (10 mg/kg or 20 mg/kg)+TMZ significantly prolonged survival of tumor bearing mice with respect to controls or to animals treated with TMZ. It should be noted that in this tumor model TMZ was ineffective. Treatment with 10 mg/kg Compound 37+TMZ for five days followed by a high dose of Compound 37 (100 mg/kg) for 14 days significantly increased animal survival with respect to 10 mg/kg Compound 37+TMZ for five days.
3) Enhancement of Radiation Treatment of Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma
Human HNSCC cell line JHU012 was used, having been previously genetically characterized and originally derived at the Johns Hopkins University Head and Neck Laboratories from human tumor explants. The cell line was maintained in RPMI 1640 medium with 10% fetal bovine serum and 1% penicillin/streptomycin at 5% CO 2 in 37° C. humidified incubators. Experiments were performed on 6-week-old male BALB/c nude mice nu/nu. The animals were randomly divided into the following treatment groups: Group 1—controls, Group 2—Radiation alone (2 Gray (gy)/day for 2 days), Group 3—100 mg/kg Compound 37 alone orally (PO) qdx17, Group 4—30 mg/kg Compound 37 PO+Radiation, Group 5—100 mg/kg Compound 37 PO+Radiation, with each group consisting of 8 mice. Mice were anesthetized by intraperitoneal injection of 3-5 mL tribromoethanol. Tumors were established at the right flank by subcutaneous injection of 1×10 7 cells. Fourteen days post cell injection tumors were surgically exposed and measured in 3 dimensions using calipers. Compound 37 was then dosed orally in treatment Groups 3-5. In Groups 4 and 5, animals received Compound 37 15 minutes prior to radiation (2 gy/day for 2 days). At day 31 post tumor cell inoculation, tumors were again surgically exposed and measured in 3 dimensions using calipers A significant inhibition of tumor growth was observed in Group 5 treated with 100 mg/kg orally administered Compound 37+Radiation (tumor volume at end of experiment=209.04 mm 3 ) compared to the control Group 1 (tumor volume at end of experiment=585.9 mm 3 p<0.01). ( FIG. 5 ) Compound 37 at 30 mg/kg in combination with radiation had no significant effect on tumor growth inhibition compared to radiation alone ( FIG. 5 ). In addition, 100 mg/kg Compound 37 PO qdx17 alone had no significant effect on tumor growth inhibition compared to vehicle controls ( FIG. 5 ). This indicates an enhanced effect when the higher dose of Compound 37 was combined with radiation as opposed to either treatment modality alone.
4) Effect of Compound 37 on Tumor Growth in Mice Bearing BRCA-1 Deficient Tumors
1×10 6 BRCA-1 null cells were injected subcutaneously on the right flank of female nu/nu mice (6-7 weeks old; Harlan Sprague Dawley, Indianapolis Ind.). After approximately 10-14 days, the tumors were approximately 100 mm 3 . Mice were sorted into groups so that mean tumor size was similar among groups with minimum standard deviations. Dosing started the day after sorting and tumor volume was monitored three times per week. Tumors were measured in two diameters and volume calculated by (l×w) 2 /2. Mice were removed from the study when tumors reached 1500 mm 3 . “Time to Endpoint” or TTE (the number of days it takes for the tumor to reach 1500 mm 3 or greater) is the endpoint of the study. Compound 37 was weighed out every 2-3 days and solubilized in sterile bottled water (J. T. Baker, Ultrapure Bioreagent 4221-02) to 10 mg/ml. The compound was dosed orally, daily for 28 days from start of the study—day 1. A positive control was utilized, using a well known PARP inhibitor shown to be effective as a stand alone agent in the BRCA models (Bryant et al). The positive control agent was dosed at 25 mg/kg IP qdx5 from start of experiment. 100 mg/kg Compound 37 was effective in significantly retarding tumor growth in the BRCA-1 null model both times tested. When the dosing of Compound 37 was stopped at day 28, the tumors start to grow approximately 10-14 days later. Compound 37 not only significantly delayed tumor growth compared to vehicle controls but also delayed tumor growth compared to the positive control (p<0.05) in both experiments.
A study was conducted to compare the bioavailablity and brain plasma levels of various mammals administered with the disclosed compounds and a similar prior art compound. The prior art compound has the following formula:
The comparative study was conducted as follows:
PARP inhibitors in water solutions were dosed either by bolus (<1 min) intravenous injection, or by oral gavage. For dogs, intravenous and oral dosing was performed in a crossover design with a one-week washout period between dose routes. The screening dose was 30 mg/kg for each compound. For mice, three animals per time point were sacrificed by CO 2 asphyxia and blood collected by cardiac puncture. For rats and dogs, serial blood samples were taken at various time points from the indicated number of animals. For rats, the volume of blood sampled was immediately replaced with 2× volume of 1:1 donor rat blood:heparinized saline. The blood samples were transferred to heparinized containers, briefly mixed, and stored on ice until centrifugation to prepare plasma. The plasma was transferred to fresh containers and stored at ≦−70° C. until bioanalysis. In some cases brains or tumor tissue were collected after sacrifice and stored at ≦−70° C. until bioanalysis.
Plasma samples were processed by precipitation with acetonitrile, evaporation and reconstitution. Brain and tumor tissue samples were homogenized with phosphate buffered saline, pH 7.4, precipitated with acetonitrile, followed by evaporation and reconstitution. The reconstituted samples were analyzed vs. matrix calibration standards by LC-MS/MS. The bioanalytical method performance was verified by the performance of quality control samples. Generally, the plasma lower limit of quantitation was 5 ng/mL. Tissue lower limits of quantitation depended on the degree of dilution during homogenization, but usually were 15 to 20 ng/g.
Plasma, brain, and tumor concentration data were processed by noncompartmental pharmacokinetic analysis using WinNonlin Professional Version 4.1. AUC was calculated using the Linear/Log rule. Time points for the Lambda Z phase were selected by visual inspection. The slopes of terminal phases were calculated by unweighted linear regression.
Selective PARP inhibitors were tested for basic plasma and tissue pharmacokinetic properties in mice, rats, and dogs. After assessment, this family compounds appear to be orally bioavailable in all species and to penetrate brain and tumor tissue. Table 1 summarizes the oral bioavailability (PO) for compounds 8, 13, 36 and 37 and the comparative compound in mice and rats and brain/plasma ratio (B/P) for these five compounds in mice and rats.
The results of the comparative study are summarized in Table II. The results show that while the prior art compound has good bioavailability the prior art compound has a ratio of brain to plasma levels that is very low. Unexpectedly, the disclosed compounds of Formula (I) have a good ratio of brain to plasma level compared to the prior art compound. These results show the disclosed compounds are unexpectedly available to the central nervous system where needed for therapeutic benefit as compared to the prior art compound.
TABLE II
Comparison of Bioavailabity (PO) and Ratio of Brain to Plasma levels (B/P) for
selected compounds of Formula (I) relative to a related prior art compound.
Compound
PO in mice
B/P in mice
PO in rats
B/P in rats
77%
<5%
77%
<5%
49%
49%
58%
40%
61%
46%
51%
42%
75%
30-64%
50%
71-117%
81%
26%
45%
36%
The invention being thus described, it will be obvious that the same may be varied in many ways. Such variations are not to be regarded as a departure from the spirit and scope of the invention, and all such modifications are intended to be included within the scope of the following claims.
INCORPORATION BY REFERENCE
All publications, patents, and pre-grant patent application publications cited in this specification are herein incorporated by reference, and for any and all purposes, as if each individual publication or patent application were specifically and individually indicated to be incorporated by reference. In the case of inconsistencies the present invention will prevail.
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The present invention relates to tetraaza phenalen-3-one compounds which inhibit poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) and are useful in the chemosensitization of cancer therapeutics. The induction of peripheral neuropathy is a common side-effect of many of the conventional and newer chemotherapies. The present invention further provides means to reliably prevent or cure chemotherapy-induced neuropathy. The invention also relates to the use of the disclosed PARP inhibitor compounds in enhancing the efficacy of chemotherapeutic agents such as temozolomide. The invention also relates to the use of the disclosed PARP inhibitor compounds to radiosensitize tumor cells to ionizing radiation. The invention also relates to the use of the disclosed PARP inhibitor compounds for treatment of cancers with DNA repair defects.
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FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates generally to the field of radiometry, and in particular to radiometric calibration of photodetectors in space employing the sun as a deterministic source of radiation.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Planetary imagers, especially orbital earth imagers, are useful for remote sensing of atmospheric composition, geologic morphology and chemistry, crop assessment, weather prediction, and monitoring the activities of man. Monochromatic and multispectral satellite based imagers can quantify properties of the above earth characteristics, provided their solid state detector arrays are properly calibrated it relation to radiometric responsivities.
One prior art method is schematically illustrated in FIG. 2. This method utilizes a radiometric calibration assembly 9 having a an entrance port 14, a flat fold mirror 16, a lens 18, and a perforated plate 30. The perforated plate 30 is shown in detail in FIG. 3. A plurality of small apertures 32, 34, 36, 38 are formed in the otherwise opaque plate. Each aperture is of different size, but each is necessarily smaller than the image of the sun 12 formed by lens 18 (see FIG. 2). In execution of the radiometric calibration, the sun's image is caused to move to, and park upon each aperture in turn. For example, the fold mirror 16 can be steered to place a solar image 40 (see FIG. 3) upon smallest aperture 32, resulting in a discrete lowest calibration flux level being delivered to an imaging sensor array 10. The array responsivity to this flux level is measured and then fold mirror 16 can be steered to next larger aperture 34, resulting in a discrete higher calibration flux level. The array responsivity to a sequence of discrete and increasing flux levels, representative of the range of anticipated imaging flux levels is thus achieved. Detractors from this approach include time wasted in moving the solar image from aperture to aperture, and the disjoint nature of the motion from park to move to park in laborious repetition. Only a small portion of the total calibration time available is actually used in collecting flux measurements, thus detracting from the potential accuracy gainable by statistical averaging if more flux collection time were available. In addition, only one aperture can be geometrically centered, resulting in some differential nonuniformity in the flux level at the imaging array 10, as different apertures are accessed. Lastly, the discrete small number of steps characteristic of the small finite number of apertures necessitates interpolation of the inferred responsivity of the array between calibration steps, degrading accuracy in these regions.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is directed to overcoming one or more of the problems set forth above. Briefly summarized, according to one aspect of the present invention, specular feed optics image the sun upon an occulting plate, comprising an aperture in the form of a convolution mask located in the vicinity of the optical pupil of the imaging system. The solar image continuously traverses the occulting plate aperture along a transverse vector, in such a way as to achieve a customized, continuous temporal calibration flux level function. The mechanism for the transverse motion of the solar image relative to the plate aperture may be either the natural angular orbital motion of the satellite, or actuation of a small fold mirror to access the flux arriving at the satellite from the sun. One aspect of the present invention lies in the customized morphology of the aperture in the plate, defined by a mathematical convolution contour function, describing the shape of the edge of the aperture. By selective design of the aperture shape and transmittance, a wide range of desirable calibration functions can be realized. Calibration flux levels that vary linearly, logrithmically or sinusoidally with time can all be realized. The advantage of this approach is that calibration flux becomes available continuously covering a range from a minimum to a maximum desired level, with no skips in levels and no interruption of the calibration from beginning to end. Thus, a most accurate calibration is achieved in a minimum time, freeing the imager to spend a maximum amount of time collecting target data, with the most accurate radiometric information.
These and other aspects, objects, features and advantages of the present invention will be more clearly understood and appreciated from a review of the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments and appended claims, and by reference to the accompanying drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a schematic representation of an optical imaging system employing solar feed optics for radiometric calibration using a convolution mask aperture according to the present invention;
FIG. 2 is a schematic representation of an optical imaging system employing a prior art device for radiometric calibration using a plate comprising a plurality of perforations;
FIG. 3 is a schematic representation of the detailed morphology of the perforated plate used in the prior art device of FIG. 2, and further showing the conjugate image of the sun in the plane of the plate;
FIG. 4 is a schematic representation of an image of the sun;
FIG. 5 is a graphical representation of the solar radiation radial polychromatic radiance profile;
FIG. 6 is a depiction of a first convolution mask aperture and the temporal flux function associated with it;
FIG. 7 is a depiction of an alternative convolution mask aperture and the temporal flux function associated with it;
FIG. 8 is a depiction of a further alternative convolution mask aperture and the temporal flux function associated with it;
FIG. 9 is a depiction of another alternative convolution mask aperture and the temporal flux function associated with it;
FIG. 10 is a depiction of a presently preferred convolution mask aperture and the temporal flux function associated with it; and
FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram showing the calibration processing apparatus employed with the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Beginning with FIG. 1, an optical imaging system 2 is shown, in the example form of a Ritchey Chretien orbital telescope, used to image the earth's surface for geophysical assessment. Light 4 from the earth falls upon the telescope's primary mirror 6 and is reflected to secondary mirror 8, and is further reflected to imaging sensor array 10, such as a CCD imaging array. The array 10 senses the image of the earth's surface, providing electronic signals to processors to ultimately transmit telemetric signals to the ground controller for reconstruction and evaluation of the image. Because the responsivity of the sensor array elements to light from the ground scene will vary with time, it is desirable to periodically calibrate the array 10 to a deterministic source of variable controlled radiation.
Radiometric calibration assembly 9 performs this calibration function. To accomplish the calibration, the telescope is pointed away from the earth to the darkness of deep space. Light from the sun 12 passes through an entrance port 14 of the optical calibration assembly 9 and then is intercepted by a small flat fold mirror 16. The aperture of the optical calibration assembly is such that the radiometric flux from the sun fills the image plane where sensor 10 is located without vignetting. The solar flux is then reflected to solar imaging lens 18 and then falls on an occulting, plate 20 located at a hole 21 in the secondary mirror 8. A portion of the solar flux passes through a convolution aperture 23 in the occulting plate 20 to illuminate the imaging sensor array 10 with spatially uniform and temporally continuously variable calibration flux. The occulting plate 20 and hence the convolution aperture 23 is located at the focal plane of the calibration lens 18. Either moving the fold mirror 16, or the natural orbital angular motion of the telescope 2 causes the solar image to laterally traverse the aperture 23 in the occulting plate 20, effecting the desired temporal variation of the calibration flux level according to a desired temporal variation function. This is achieved as described in detail below.
To aid in understanding the operation of the calibration system according to the present invention, attention is now drawn to FIG. 4, showing a solar image 40. FIG. 4 illustrates the phenomenon referred to as solar limb darkening. The image is more radiant in the center and darker toward the image edge. FIG. 5 shows a graph 42 of the limb darkening profile across the solar diameter in term of relative solar intensity vs. normalized solar radius. The essence of our invention is to intentionally cause an image of the sun to traverse a relatively large occulting plate aperture. By controlling the motion of this image relative to the occulting plate aperture, we are able to generate a continuously variable and deterministic calibration flux level. This is in stark contrast to the prior art approach wherein the solar image was carefully made to sequentially overfill a plurality of relatively small, discrete apertures.
One example of a convolution occulting plate aperture according to the present invention is shown in FIG. 6. A relatively large rectangular convolution aperture 44 intercepts a continuously moving image 46 of the sun, resulting in a calibration flux function 48 expressed as intensity over time. The generalized relationship determining the form of this function is dictated by the simple convolution equation:
R=I.sub.s ×A, (1)
where: R is the calibration flux function, I s is the solar intensity distribution function and A is the convolution aperture transmittance function. For the rectangular convolution aperture shown in FIG. 6, A is a rectangular aperture function with unity transmittance (rect [a,b], where a and b are the length and width of the aperture). Other functional forms can be realized as described below by appropriate selection and design of the convolution aperture in the occulting plate 20.
FIG. 7 shows a convolution aperture 50 having rounded edges 52 and 54 defined by circular arcs. The convolution operation results in a calibration flux function 56 with nearly linear ascending and descending portions. Note that the rise and fall rates of the calibration flux function have been modified relative to function 48 of FIG. 6. As a further example, consider FIG. 8. Here, a convolution aperture 58 is designed with asymmetrical rounded edges 60 and 62. This yields an asymmetric calibration flux function 64, with a steeper slope on one side, and a shallower slope on the other, which could be desirable to allow both fast and slow calibration scans. As another example, consider FIG. 9. Here, a convolution aperture 66 is designed with sinusoidal edges 68 and 70. This yields an oscillatory calibration flux function 72 which has the advantage of continuously and multiply sampling a calibration flux level range of particular interest.
Apodizing filters cooperating with the occulting plate aperture may be employed to modulate the radiometric flux passing the pupil. As a final example, refer to FIG. 10. Here, a convolution aperture 74 displays a compound geometry, comprising a wedge shaped region 76 leading to a rectangular region 78. The rectangular region further incorporates an apodizing neutral density filter 80. The effect is to diminish the transmitted flux in a controlled fashion both geometrically and by apodization as the image of the sun 46 transits the convolution aperture 74, relaxing the geometric accuracy required of an otherwise extremely narrow region to a wedged shaped slit terminating in a point. This yields a calibration flux function 82 which covers an especially wide range of calibration flux levels with high accuracy and includes a portion 83 that is linear with respect to time.
By use of the convolution relationship described in equation (1), a multiplicity of customized convolution apertures can be designed to yield a wide variety of desirable radiometric calibration flux functions. Among desirable and designable calibration flux functions are temporally linear, logarithmic, exponential, sinusoidal functions and functions that are designed to optimize the signal to noise ratio of the calibration process across the range of calibration. A calibration flux function that is linear with respect to time has computational and storage efficiency advantages. For example the linear portion may be stored simply as the start and end points of the linear portion of the function, or as the slope and intercept of the linear portion. Similarly, a calibration flux function with a known functional form such as a logarithmic function can be stored as the parameters defining the function, and additionally has the advantage of covering a large range of values.
Referring to FIG. 11, the calibration flux function associated with the convolution aperture in occulting plate 20 is calculated and stored in a calibration table 84 associated with a computer 86. When the image sensor 10 is calibrated, the sensor is exposed and read out a plurality of times (e.g. 100-10,000 times during the transition of the sun) while passing an image of the sun across the convolution aperture. The response of the sensor is recorded and stored in a memory 88 associated the computer 86. The response over time of each of the pixels in the image sensor 10 is compared to the calibration flux function stored in calibration table 86 and sensor calibration parameters such as offset and gain value are computed for each sensor element in a known fashion. The sensor calibration parameters are stored in a correction table 90 and later employed to correct the output of the sensor 10.
The invention has been described with reference to preferred embodiments. However, it will be appreciated that variations and modifications can be effected by a person of ordinary skill in the art without departing from the scope of the invention.
PARTS LIST
2 earth imaging system
4 light from earth
6 primary mirror
8 secondary mirror
9 radiometric calibration assembly
10 imaging sensor array
12 light from the sun
14 entrance port
16 fold mirror
18 solar imaging lens
20 occulting plate
21 hole in secondary mirror
23 convolution aperture
30 perforated plate
32 smallest aperture in plate
34 larger aperture in plate
36 small aperture
38 small aperture
40 solar image
42 graph of solar radiance function
44 rectangular convolution aperture
46 image of sun
48 calibration flux function
50 convolution aperture
52 rounded edge
54 rounded edge
56 calibration flux function
58 convolution aperture
60 rounded edge
62 rounded edge
64 calibration flux function
66 convolution aperture
68 sinusoidal edge
70 sinusoidal edge
72 oscillatory calibration flux function
74 convolution aperture
76 wedge shaped region
78 rectangular region
80 apodizing filter
82 calibration flux function
83 linear portion of calibration flux function
84 calibration table
86 computer
88 memory
90 correction table
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A radiometric calibration system is proposed to calibrate the sensor array of a space born optical imaging system. The calibration system comprises an occulting plate with an occulting convolution aperture which executes a relative lateral motion with respect to an image of the sun, to effect a deterministic and continuously varying calibration flux level to the sensor array. The shape, size orientation and apodization of the aperture control the functional form of the temporal irradiance function reaching the sensor being calibrated. Continuous calibration functions covering a range from a minimum to a maximum desired flux level are readily achievable.
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RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This patent application is a continuation of patent application Ser. No. 11/482,698 that was filed on 07/06/2006, is entitled “LOCATION BASED FORMAT SELECTION FOR INFORMATION SERVICES”, and that is hereby incorporated by reference into this patent application.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] 1. FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0003] The invention relates to telecommunications, and in particular, to location based format selection for telecommunication information services.
[0004] 2. DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART
[0005] Telecommunication service providers increasingly offer specialized dialing services to customers. For example, some providers offer customers information services related to particular events. A customer can dial a specialized phone number for an event and their provider will connect the customer to a service that provides information related to the event. A typical information service often times includes a media unit that plays out an audio information stream to a customer over a bearer connection. In such a case, the connection between the customer handset and the media unit requires a bandwidth amount similar to any comparative voice call. Information services for sporting events, such as auto races, have become very popular.
[0006] One drawback from the perspective of a service provider is that a large number of customers could call a single information service nearly simultaneously and from a single location. In the case of wireless telecommunications, a large volume of calls to an information service could overwhelm the portion of a wireless network serving the location.
[0007] In the prior art, one solution to the above problem is to temporarily increase wireless capacity at certain venues or locations around the time of a popular event. In this manner, the bandwidth will exist to service a large number of information service calls from a particular location, in addition to any regular voice calls. Unfortunately, provisioning and deploying temporary service equipment is expensive and inefficient. Regardless, the actual bandwidth demand could still exceed that provided by temporary equipment.
[0008] Another solution in the prior art is to block any call that could cause the total bandwidth in-use to exceed the bandwidth capacity of the network. However, blocking a call regardless of whether the call is a voice call or an information service call could result in customer dissatisfaction. In addition, monitoring the available bandwidth of a wireless network on a per-call basis could be overly onerous.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0009] An embodiment of the invention helps solve the above problems and other problems by providing methods, systems, and software for providing information services in various formats, depending upon the location of a caller. In this manner, the delivery of an information service to a large number of callers within a particular geographical region or location could be optimized, rather than having to block calls or otherwise provide substandard service.
[0010] In an embodiment of the invention, a wireless transceiver receives a request message from a caller system for an information service. The information service is associated with an Internet address and an image format. A control system determines a location of the caller system. The control system selects a text message format for the information service based on the location of the caller system. The control system transmits a setup message to the information service indicating the selected text message format. In some embodiments, the control system receives a text message from the information service responsive to the set-up message, and the wireless transceiver transfers the text message to the caller system.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0011] The same reference number represents the same element on all drawings.
[0012] FIG. 1 illustrates a communication network in an embodiment of the invention.
[0013] FIG. 2 illustrates the operation of a call control system in an embodiment of the invention.
[0014] FIG. 3 illustrates a communication network in an embodiment of the invention.
[0015] FIG. 4 illustrates a communication network in an embodiment of the invention.
[0016] FIG. 5 illustrates the operation of a call control system in an embodiment of the invention.
[0017] FIG. 6 illustrates a communication network in an embodiment of the invention.
[0018] FIG. 7 illustrates a computer system in an embodiment of the invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
[0019] FIGS. 1-7 and the following description depict specific embodiments of the invention to teach those skilled in the art how to make and use the best mode of the invention. For the purpose of teaching inventive principles, some conventional aspects have been simplified or omitted. Those skilled in the art will appreciate variations from these embodiments that fall within the scope of the invention. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the features described below can be combined in various ways to form multiple embodiments of the invention. As a result, the invention is not limited to the specific embodiments described below, but only by the claims and their equivalents.
[0020] FIG. 1 illustrates communication network 100 in an embodiment of the invention. Communication network 100 advantageously provides for the provisioning and delivery of information services in a manner that optimizes the overall performance of a communication network by selecting the format of an information service based on the location of a requesting party. Based on the location of the requesting party, an information service can be provided in an appropriate format so as not to overly burden a network or portion of a network utilized for the information service.
[0021] Referring to FIG. 1 , communication network 100 includes caller system 110 in wireless communication with transceiver system 120 . Transceiver system 120 is operatively coupled to call control system 130 . Call control system 130 is operatively coupled to communication network 140 . Information service 150 is also operatively coupled to communication network 140 .
[0022] Caller system 110 could be any system or collection of systems capable of communicating with transceiver system 120 , call control system 130 , and information service 150 . Caller system 110 could be, for example, a mobile phone, personal digital assistant (PDA), handheld computing device, or pager, as well as other types of caller systems.
[0023] Transceiver system 120 could be any system or collection of systems capable of transmitting and receiving wireless communications to and from caller system 110 . In addition, transceiver system 120 could be any system or collection of systems capable of communicating with call control system 130 . In an example, transceiver system 120 could be a wireless base station or base transceiver station.
[0024] Call control system 130 could be any system or collection of systems capable of controlling sessions or calls placed to or from caller system 110 . Call control system 130 could be capable of communicating with transceiver system 120 and information service 150 . In an example, call control system 130 could comprise a base station controller, a mobile switching center, a switch, or a soft switch, or any combination thereof, as well as any other type of call control system.
[0025] Communication network 140 could be any network or collection of networks capable of transporting communications to and from caller system 110 , transceiver system 120 , call control system 130 , and information service 150 .
[0026] Information service 150 could be any system or collection of systems capable of providing an information service to caller system 110 . In an example, information service 150 could be a call server, as well as other types of platforms capable of providing information services.
[0027] In operation, a user could operate caller system 110 to initiate a session with information service 150 . For example, a user providing an input to caller system 110 associated with information service 150 , such as a telephone number, an Internet address, or the like. In such a case, caller system 110 could communicate via transceiver system 120 with call control system 130 to setup the session with information service 150 . The user and caller system 110 could be located in a specific geographic location.
[0028] Call control system 130 could communicate a setup process with information service 150 to establish the session between caller system 110 and information service 150 . Once the session has been established, information service 150 could be provided to the user.
[0029] FIG. 2 illustrates the operation of call control system 130 . As discussed, the user and caller system 110 could be located in a specific geographic location. Upon receiving a session request from caller system 110 indicating information service 150 (Step 210 ), call control system 130 could determine the location of the caller and/or caller system 110 (Step 220 ). The location of the call could be determined in a number of well known ways, such as by a location indicator, a location determination method, as well as a location query.
[0030] Upon determining the location, call control system 130 could select a format from multiple formats for the requested information service 150 (Step 230 ). Next, call control system 130 could transmit a session setup message to information service 150 indicating the selected format (Step 240 ). In response, information service 150 could provide the requested service to caller system 110 in the selected format.
[0031] FIG. 3 illustrates communication network 100 in another embodiment of the invention. In FIG. 3 , information service 150 includes audio system 151 and text system 152 . Audio system 151 could be any system or collection of systems capable of providing an information service to caller system 110 in an audio format. Text system 152 could be any system or collection of systems capable of providing an information service to caller system 110 in a text format. In one example, the text format could comprise a text messaging format.
[0032] It should be understood that other types of formats could be considered, such as video or picture image formats, as well as other types of formats. Likewise, other types of systems capable of providing an information service in the other types of formats could be considered, such as video systems or picture image systems.
[0033] In an operative example, caller system 110 could transmit a session request message to call control system 130 indicating information service 150 . Based on the location of caller system 110 , call control system 130 could select a format in which the information service could be provided to caller system 110 . For example, call control system 130 could select from either an audio format or a text format. In such a case, audio system 151 could be selected to provide the information service in an audio format, whereas text system 152 could be selected to provide the information service in a text format.
[0034] In yet another operative example, a situation wherein a large number of callers place calls nearly simultaneously to an information service from a single geographic location or region, such as a sports stadium, could occur. In such an example, a call control system could determine based on the location of the callers that the requested information service be provided to the callers in a text format, rather than in an audio format, thereby conserving bandwidth in the geographic location or region.
[0035] Advantageously, communication network 100 , and call control system 130 in particular, selects a format for a requested information service based on the location of caller system 110 . In this manner, the information services can be provisioned and delivered in a manner that optimizes the overall performance of a communication network.
[0036] FIG. 4 illustrates communication network 400 in an embodiment of the invention. Communication network 400 advantageously provides for the provisioning and delivery of information services in a manner that optimizes the overall performance of a communication network by selecting the format of an information service based on the wireless sector of a requesting party. Based on the wireless sector of the requesting party, an information service can be provided in an appropriate format so as not to overly burden a network or portion of a network utilized for the information service.
[0037] Referring to FIG. 4 , communication network 400 includes caller system 410 in wireless communication with transceiver system 420 . Transceiver system 420 is operatively coupled to call control system 430 . Call control system 430 is operatively coupled to communication network 440 . Information service 450 is also operatively coupled to communication network 440 .
[0038] Caller system 410 could be any system or collection of systems capable of communicating with transceiver system 420 , call control system 430 , and information service 450 . Caller system 410 could be, for example, a mobile phone, personal digital assistant (PDA), handheld computing device, or pager, as well as other types of caller systems.
[0039] Transceiver system 420 could be any system or collection of systems capable of transmitting and receiving wireless communications to and from caller system 410 . In addition, transceiver system 420 could be any system or collection of systems capable of communicating with call control system 430 . In an example, transceiver system 420 could be a wireless base station or base transceiver station.
[0040] It should be understood that transceiver system 420 could include multiple sub-systems wherein each sub-system could be capable of receiving communications from wireless sectors 421 , 422 , and 423 respectively. In an example, the sub-systems could comprise directional antennae, each antenna pointing in a different direction. As illustrated by FIG. 4 , transceiver system 420 could include three sub-systems, wherein each sub-system could communicate with caller systems in three one-hundred twenty degree sectors respectively. In an example, each sub-system could both transmit and receive communications. In an alternative, each sub-system could receive communications, while a central transmit sub-system could transmit communications. Other variations are possible.
[0041] Call control system 430 could be any system or collection of systems capable of controlling sessions or calls placed to or from caller system 410 . Call control system 430 could be capable of communicating with transceiver system 420 and information service 450 . In an example, call control system 430 could comprise a base station controller, a mobile switching center, a switch, or a soft switch, or any combination thereof, as well as any other type of call control system.
[0042] Communication network 440 could be any network or collection of networks capable of transporting communications to and from caller system 410 , transceiver system 420 , call control system 430 , and information service 450 .
[0043] Information service 450 could be any system or collection of systems capable of providing an information service to caller system 410 . In an example, information service 450 could be a call server, as well as other types of platforms capable of providing information services.
[0044] In operation, a user could operate caller system 410 to initiate a session with information service 450 . For example, a user providing an input to caller system 410 associated with information service 450 , such as a telephone number, an Internet address, or the like. In such a case, caller system 410 could communicate via transceiver system 420 with call control system 430 to setup the session with information service 450 . As illustrated, the user and caller system 410 could be located in sector 421 .
[0045] Call control system 430 could exchange setup communications with information service 450 to establish the session between caller system 410 and information service 450 . Once the session has been established, information service 450 could be provided to the user.
[0046] FIG. 5 illustrates the operation of call control system 430 . As discussed, the user and caller system 510 could be located in sector 421 . Upon receiving a session request from caller system 410 indicating information service 450 (Step 510 ), call control system 430 could determine the location of the caller and/or caller system 410 (Step 520 ). The location of the call could be determined in a number of well known ways, such as by a sector indicator or flag included with communications received by transceiver system 420 .
[0047] Upon determining the sector, call control system 430 could select a format from multiple formats for the requested information service 450 (Step 530 ). Next, call control system 430 could transmit a session setup message to information service 450 indicating the selected format (Step 540 ). In response, information service 450 could provide the requested service to caller system 410 in the selected format.
[0048] Advantageously, communication network 400 , and call control system 430 in particular, selects a format for a requested information service based on the wireless sector of caller system 410 . In this manner, the information services can be provisioned and delivered in a manner that optimizes the overall performance of a communication network.
[0049] FIG. 6 illustrates communication network 600 in an embodiment of the invention. Communication network 600 advantageously provides for the provisioning and delivery of information services in a manner that optimizes the overall performance of a communication network by selecting the format of an information service based on the wireless sector of a requesting party. Based on the wireless sector of the requesting party, an information service can be provided in an appropriate format so as not to overly burden a network or portion of a network utilized for the information service. In addition, communication network 600 provides a database system capable of storing format preferences in association with various wireless sectors. In an embodiment, the database system is remotely accessible by an update system.
[0050] Referring to FIG. 6 , communication network 600 includes caller system 610 in wireless communication with transceiver system 620 . Transceiver system 620 is operatively coupled to call control system 630 . Call control system 630 is operatively coupled to communication network 640 . Information service 650 is also operatively coupled to communication network 640 . Communication network 600 also includes database system 635 and update system 660 . Call control system 630 is in communication with database system 635 . Likewise, update system 660 is in communication with database system 635 .
[0051] Caller system 610 could be any system or collection of systems capable of communicating with transceiver system 620 , call control system 630 , and information service 650 . Caller system 610 could be, for example, a mobile phone, personal digital assistant (PDA), handheld computing device, or pager, as well as other types of caller systems.
[0052] Transceiver system 620 could be any system or collection of systems capable of transmitting and receiving wireless communications to and from caller system 610 . In addition, transceiver system 620 could be any system or collection of systems capable of communicating with call control system 630 . In an example, transceiver system 620 could be a wireless base station or base transceiver station.
[0053] It should be understood that transceiver system 620 could include multiple sub-systems wherein each sub-system could be capable of receiving communications from wireless sectors 621 , 622 , and 623 respectively. In an example, the sub-systems could comprise directional antennae, each antenna pointing in a different direction. As illustrated by FIG. 6 , transceiver system 620 could include three sub-systems, wherein each sub-system could communicate with caller systems in three one-hundred twenty degree sectors respectively. In an example, each sub-system could both transmit and receive communications. In an alternative, each sub-system could receive communications, while a central transmit sub-system could transmit communications. Other variations are possible.
[0054] Database system 635 could be any system or collection of systems capable of storing the identities of various sectors in association with the identities of various information services. In addition, database system 635 could be capable of storing preferred formats stored in association with the various sectors and information services. In one example, database system 635 could store the sector, information service, and format identities in translation tables. Translation tables are well known telecommunication database tables utilized for call routing. It should be understood that database system 635 could be independent of call control system 630 . However, it should also be understood that database system 635 could be integrated with call control system 630 .
[0055] Update system 660 could comprise any system or collection of systems capable of providing users with remote access and update capabilities for database system 635 . For example, update system 660 could be configured to update database system 635 with changes to translations tables. Update system 660 could be a well known remote communication process, such as FTP or Telnet. Other processes are possible.
[0056] In an embodiment, users could update database system 635 in response to real-time events. For example, an event that could attract a large crowd could be scheduled within a relatively short notice period. The event could be scheduled at a venue within sector 621 . In anticipation of the event, the owner or operator of communication network 600 could utilize update system 660 to update how requests for sessions with information service 650 are handled. Prior to the event schedule, requests from sector 621 could be handled normally. However, during the event service requests for information service 650 could be handled in an exception manner as prescribed by an update from update system 660 .
[0057] Call control system 630 could be any system or collection of systems capable of controlling sessions or calls placed to or from caller system 610 . Call control system 630 could be capable of communicating with transceiver system 620 , information service 650 , and database system 635 . In an example, call control system 630 could comprise a base station controller, a mobile switching center, a switch, or a soft switch, or any combination thereof, as well as any other type of call control system.
[0058] Communication network 640 could be any network or collection of networks capable of transporting communications to and from caller system 610 , transceiver system 620 , call control system 630 , and information service 650 .
[0059] Information service 650 could be any system or collection of systems capable of providing an information service to caller system 610 . In an example, information service 650 could be a call server, as well as other types of platforms capable of providing information services.
[0060] In operation, a user could operate caller system 610 to initiate a session with information service 650 . For example, a user could provide an input to caller system 610 associated with information service 650 , such as a dialed telephone number, an Internet address, or the like. In one example, the dialed telephone number could be a vertical service code, an abbreviated dialing code, or the like. In such a case, caller system 610 could communicate via transceiver system 620 with call control system 630 to setup the session with information service 650 . As illustrated, the user and caller system 610 could be located in sector 621 .
[0061] Call control system 630 could exchange setup communications with information service 650 and database system 635 to establish the session between caller system 610 and information service 650 . Once the session has been established, information service 650 could be provided to the user.
[0062] In an operative example, call control system 630 could receive a session request from caller system 610 . The session request could indicate the location of caller system 610 in sector 621 . In one example, signaling from transceiver system 620 separate from the session request could indicate sector 621 .
[0063] In response to the session request, call control system 630 could query database system 635 with the identity of the requested information service 650 and the location of caller system 610 . In this case, the location is sector 621 . Database system 635 could process the query with the translation tables and return a response to call control system 630 identifying a preferred format for the information service 650 with respect to requests originating from sector 621 . The preferred format could be one format of multiple formats, such as audio, text, video, and picture formats.
[0064] Upon receiving the response from database system 635 , call control system 630 could transmit a setup message to information service 650 identifying caller system 610 and the preferred format for the service. In response, information service 650 could provide the service in the preferred format. For example, an audio module in information service 650 could play-out an information stream to the user of caller system 610 . In another example, a text messaging module could generate and transmit a single or series of text messages to caller system 610 for display to the user. Either the audio play-out or the text messages could include the information relevant to information service 650 .
[0065] Advantageously, communication network 600 , and call control system 630 in particular, selects a format for a requested information service based on the wireless sector of caller system 610 . In this manner, the information services can be provisioned and delivered in a manner that optimizes the overall performance of a communication network.
[0066] FIG. 7 illustrates computer system 700 in an embodiment of the invention. Computer system 700 includes interface 720 , processing system 730 , storage system 740 , and software 750 . Storage system 740 stores software 750 . Processing system 730 is linked to interface 720 . Computer system 700 could be comprised of a programmed general-purpose computer, although those skilled in the art will appreciate that programmable or special purpose circuitry and equipment may be used. Computer system 700 may use a client server architecture where operations are distributed among a server system and client devices that together comprise elements 720 - 750 .
[0067] Interface 720 could comprise a network interface card, modem, port, or some other communication device. Interface 720 may be distributed among multiple communication devices. Interface 730 could comprise a computer microprocessor, logic circuit, or some other processing device. Processing system 730 may be distributed among multiple processing devices. Storage system 740 could comprise a disk, tape, integrated circuit, server, or some other memory device. Storage system 740 may be distributed among multiple memory devices.
[0068] Processing system 730 retrieves and executes software 750 from storage system 740 . Software 750 may comprise an operating system, utilities, drivers, networking software, and other software typically loaded onto a general-purpose computer. Software 750 could also comprise an application program, firmware, or some other form of machine-readable processing instructions. When executed by the processing system 730 , software 750 directs processing system 730 to operate as described for call control systems 130 , 430 and 630 , as well as for other elements of communication networks 100 , 400 , and 600 .
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In a communication system, a wireless transceiver receives a request message from a caller system for an information service. The information service is associated with an Internet address and an image format. A control system determines a location of the caller system. The control system selects a text message format for the information service based on the location of the caller system. The control system transmits a setup message to the information service indicating the selected text message format. In some examples, the control system receives a text message from the information service responsive to the set-up message, and the wireless transceiver transfers the text message to the caller system.
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CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
This application claims priority based on German Application No. 10 2007 015 111.1 filed on Mar. 29, 2007, which is incorporated herein by reference.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a sensor device for a fluid power apparatus and in particular a pneumatic cylinder with at least one sensor for producing at least one sensor value on the basis of a property or a condition of the fluid power apparatus, and a sensor communication means for the transmission of the at least one sensor value and to a fluid power apparatus fitted with such a sensor device.
2. Description of the Related Art
The fluid power apparatus can for example be a pneumatic cylinder, an electropneumatic hybrid drive or the like. The sensor is responsive to properties or operational states of the apparatus, as for example a position of the piston, pressures in chambers of the cylinder or the like. By way of the sensor communication means, as for instance a digital output interface, the sensor device transmits sensor values, as for example pressure values, position values or the like, of the fluid power apparatus, for example to a controller or regulator for the apparatus. The controller or regulator controls or regulates the apparatus on the basis of the sensor values. A position regulation means finds, on the basis of the sensor values, which constitute actual values, e. g. the desired target position of the piston.
In order to perform such regulation tasks the regulation means must be parameterized in an elaborate procedure. For this purpose for example sensor data, as for example measurement ranges of the sensor device, must be set in the regulation means by parameters. Furthermore elaborate parameterizing must be performed on the basis of physical properties of the fluid power apparatus to be controlled or regulated, as for example travel displacements, piston diameters or the like.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
One object of the invention is to provide a simplified operational concept for a sensor device.
In order to achieve these and/or other objects appearing from the present specification, claims and drawings, in the present invention the sensor device includes a reading means for reading apparatus identification data characterizing the fluid power apparatus and the sensor device is adapted for the transmission of the apparatus identification data by way of the sensor communication means. Moreover a fluid power apparatus fitted with such a sensor device is suitable for achieving the object of the invention.
One basic principle of the invention is that the sensor device provides an additional functionality: addition to sensor values it also transmits apparatus identification data of the apparatus, whose operational states, properties or the like are sensed by it. The sensor communication means, which is in any case present, is utilized in addition for such communication tasks. For the communication of apparatus specific identification data no separate interface and no transmission means on the fluid power apparatus is needed. The sensor may for example include a position sensor, a pressure sensor a temperature sensor or a force sensor.
The apparatus identification data may for example comprise the type of the apparatus, a serial number of the apparatus, physical quantities as for example length, effective surface of an actuator member or a piston, pressure values and more particularly maximum pressures, rated operating pressures, force output values force output values as related to the pressures set, a working stroke or the like. Furthermore kinematic data of the fluid power apparatus, f. i. speed values such as a maximum speed or a rated operating speed, a braking distance or the like may represent apparatus identification data.
The apparatus identification data may for example be saved to a sensor memory. For instance the sensor device may have a micro-controller, which comprises a sensor memory. It is furthermore possible to use a sensor memory, such as a flash memory or an E(E)Prom for the storage of the apparatus identification data.
It is an advantage furthermore for sensor identification data, which characterize the sensor device, to be saved in the sensor memory. The sensor device is responsible for the output of such sensor identification data, also via the sensor communication means. The sensor identification data may for example comprise the sensor type, the serial number, measurement ranges of the sensor, resolution, zero point or the like.
The sensor memory is able to be programmed with the respective identification data (sensor identification data) and/or apparatus identification data. For instance it may be a question of the sensor memory'S being a flash memory.
In the system of the invention the apparatus identification data are more or less saved on board the sensor device. On the fluid power apparatus itself no further means are necessary, as for example a storage chip for saving the apparatus identification data. However this possibility does exist.
The reading means of the sensor device for example comprises a receiving means for receiving of apparatus identification data transmitted by the fluid power apparatus. The reading means may be constituted by the receiving means or e comprised in the receiving means. Furthermore the reading means may be a separate means, as for example an optical reader or a wireless receiver connected to the receiving means. The apparatus identification data are stored in accordance with this part of the invention at least partly in a apparatus memory of the fluid power apparatus and are passed on to the sensor device, which communicates the apparatus identification data by way of the sensor interface.
It is admittedly possible for the receiving means to have a wired connection with the apparatus memory of the fluid power apparatus, as for example by way of electrical contacts. However it is advantageous to have a wireless connection, in the case of which the receiving means is joined in a wireless manner with the fluid power apparatus. Wireless for example means transmission by light, radio or the like. A so-called radio frequency identification (RFID) chip may be arranged on the fluid power apparatus.
Furthermore a hybrid design is possible, i. e. a part of the apparatus identification data are saved on board the sensor device in the sensor memory, whereas other data, as for example the type characteristic of the fluid power apparatus are saved in the apparatus memory. The fluid power apparatus then transmits the type characteristics to the sensor device, which then passes on such type characteristics in addition to other apparatus identification data, such as physical properties of the apparatus, by way of the sensor communication means. In this respect it is also possible for the sensor device to retrieve, on the basis of first apparatus identification data communicated by the fluid power apparatus, second apparatus identification data in its sensor memory. Accordingly the fluid power apparatus may communicate, for example, its type characteristic to the sensor device or the sensor device may read such type characteristic from the fluid power apparatus and on the basis of the type characteristic may find further apparatus identification data in the sensor memory, as for example physical properties assigned to the type characteristic, of the fluid power apparatus.
The sensor communication means preferably possesses at least one bus interface, as for example a field bus interface. It is an advantage for there also to be a second bus interface in the sensor device so that the sensor device may be concatenated with further components of the bus. Thus for example further sensor devices can be concatenated, f. i. sensor devices in accordance with the invention for the transmission of apparatus identification data or also prior art sensor devices not suitable for the transmission of apparatus identification data.
It is an advantage for the sensor device to transmit the apparatus identification data automatically, as for example as part a signing in procedure during coupling up with an automated system. The sensor device can however communicate the apparatus identification data as a response to interrogation, for example of a master control or regulation means.
Preferably the sensor memory is a non-volatile memory. Accordingly the apparatus identification data will be kept even upon a failure of the power supply.
It is an advantage however for the sensor device to have an electrical power storage means, and more particularly a long term storage means. Accordingly it is possible for the control means to be operated in a self-sustaining manner independent of an external power supply. The battery, as for example a battery with a long lifetime, is preferably able to be replaced. Owing to having the electrical energy storage means on board the sensor device simple installation is possible. Furthermore it is quite possible for the sensor device to be encapsulated so that it comes within a high electrical safety class and/or has a high degree of electromagnetic compatibility. Operation with the energy storage means is more particularly convenient in the case of a wireless sensor communication means. Accordingly no line connections are necessary in order to couple the sensor device with an automated system, a regulation system or the like. The electrical energy storage means may serve for saving the data held in the sensor memory, inter alia the apparatus identification data. In addition to the electrical energy storage means or as an alternative thereto it is possible to provide a local energy producing unit, as for example solar cells, an electrical generator operated with fluid, or the like, in the sensor device. The local energy producing unit will for example produce electric current, which is stored in a buffer storage means, as for example capacitor, of the sensor device.
For long term operation of the sensor device it is also advantageous for it also to have an energy economizing function. For instance the sensor device may after a predetermined time of inactivity switch over to an energy economy quiescent mode. On receiving an interrogating message, on a change in the condition of the fluid power apparatus to be sensed or the like, the sensor device will be reactivated and will communicate, for example sensor values, apparatus identification data or the like.
The sensor device may be an integral part of the fluid power apparatus, and for example can be integrated in its housing. For instance the sensor device may be mounted in an end plate of a pneumatic cylinder.
However a modular concept is also advantageous, that is to say the sensor device is a sensor module able to be arranged on the fluid power apparatus and more particularly detachably secured to it. The sensor device may for example be secured on an end plate or in a groove in the cylinder housing. Furthermore attachment by screwing, clipping or adhesive bonding is possible. The modular concept does however mean the advantage that the sensor device may be readily detached in the case of a failure or if it is required somewhere else.
The sensor device preferably has electrical contacts, which on arrangement on the fluid power apparatus provide a connection with the memory of the fluid power apparatus. Here, as explained above, the apparatus identification data are stored at least in part. It will be clear that wireless transmission between the apparatus memory and the sensor device arranged on the apparatus is possible.
Furthermore it is possible for the sensor module to be designed as a sort of intermediate module which while being able to be operated detached from the fluid power apparatus, nevertheless is responsive to its conditions and/or properties. More particularly in the case of this concept it is an advantage if the sensor device communicates in a wireless manner with a memory of the fluid power apparatus in order to read out the apparatus identification data from it, if the data are not alternatively held on board the sensor device in its sensor memory. The intermediate module may for example be a position measuring system, which is arranged at a certain distance from the fluid power apparatus. Furthermore it is possible for the intermediate module to be in the form of a pressure sensor which is arranged on a fluid line connected with the fluid power apparatus.
The fluid power apparatus may be designed in a variety of different forms. Thus it can for example be a power cylinder, as for example a piston rod-less power cylinder or one with a piston rod, a pneumatic servicing device, a vacuum means, as for example a suction means, a pneumatic valve or the like. The fluid power apparatus may however also be a so-called hybrid drive, that is to say a drive, which has a fluid power as for example a pneumatic, drive component or a functionally coupled electrical drive component.
In connection with the modular concept, in which the sensor device constitutes a separate unit, it is to be stressed that this configuration is also regarded as an invention in its own right in conjunction with exclusively electrical drives, that is to say as a patentable subcombination. The sensor device transmits apparatus identification data of the electrical drive by way of its sensor communication means.
It is an advantage for the sensor device to possess diagnostic means for diagnostic data concerning the fluid power apparatus, as for example wear data, data as regards the number of duty cycles, as regards pressure fluctuations indicative of an error or the like. The sensor device transmits the diagnostic data preferably by way of its sensor communication means. Furthermore a display provided on the sensor device, such as an LCD display, LED's or the like is an advantage.
Further advantageous developments and convenient forms of the invention will be understood from the following detailed descriptive disclosure of embodiments thereof in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 diagrammatically shows an automated system having two valve clusters and one central routing means.
FIG. 2 shows a fluid line with integrated electrical conductors for the connection of an actuator with a valve cluster in accordance with FIG. 1 .
FIG. 3 shows a diagrammatic side elevation of a fluid power actuator with a sensor arrangement, which transmits apparatus identification data characterizing the actuator by way of a sensor communication means.
FIG. 4 shows an actuator with a sensor device constituting a separate unit and installed on the actuator, such sensor device also transmitting apparatus identification data of the actuator by way of a sensor interface.
FIG. 5 shows an actuator with a memory, in which apparatus identification data characterizing the actuator are stored, such data being transmitted by a sensor device constituting a separate unit and being installed on the actuator, via a sensor communication interface thereof.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
The working embodiments of the invention include partially similar or functionally equivalent components which are not described twice over and are provided with the same reference numerals.
In the case of an automated system 10 valve clusters 11 a and 11 b are controlled by a central master control means 12 , as for example a routing computer 13 . The valve clusters 11 a and 11 b are connected with valve cluster communication means 14 a and 14 b for external communication on a system bus 15 , for example a field bus, by way of external interfaces 96 , for example bus interfaces. The control means 12 control the valve clusters 11 a and 11 b via the system bus 1 , which is connected in a wired or a wireless manner.
The valve clusters 11 a and 11 b comprise valve modules 16 , which are placed in a row with the communication means 14 a and 14 b . The valve modules 16 serve for fluid control of the fluid power apparatus 17 , for example pneumatic actuators 18 a and 18 b . The actuators 18 a and 18 b are pneumatic drive cylinders 66 , which as illustrated may have piston rods although designs without piston rods or with an additional electrical drive part are possible. The regulation modules 25 a and 25 b are also designed for the regulation of electrical or combined fluid power and electrical drives. Thus for example instead of the pneumatic actuator 18 d an electrical drive could be provided.
The valve clusters 11 a and 11 b are run on compressed air, for example from a compressed air source 19 . The compressed air source 19 supplies, for example, servicing apparatus 20 , as f. i. filters and oilers, which prepare compressed air for the valve clusters 11 a and 11 b . The servicing apparatus 20 is in the present case separate from the valve clusters 11 a and 11 b , although it could for example constitute components of the valve cluster 11 b.
From the central control means 12 the valve modules 16 receive control instructions for the pneumatic control of the actuators 18 a and 18 b via the system bus 15 . The communication means 14 a and 14 b transmit the control instructions so received by way of internal communication buses 21 to the valve modules 16 . The communication buses 21 serve for internal communication of the valve clusters 11 a and 11 b.
While the valve cluster 11 a is controlled exclusively externally by way of the system bus 15 , the valve cluster 11 b has a local control competence in the form of control means 22 . The control means 22 are designed in the form of control modules, which are placed in circuit between the valve modules 16 and the communication means 14 b in the form of a communication module.
Optionally it is possible for the valve cluster 11 b to have a local control means 94 for its control, f. i. of the valve modules 16 , as for example a separate control module. The communication means 14 b as well can be designed in the form of such a local control means 94 for the valve cluster 11 b . For this purpose the communication means 14 b will then for example have a processor 95 , which transmits control instructions by way of communication bus 21 , for example to the valve modules 16 .
The control means 22 control valve means 23 , which for their part control actuators 18 c and 18 d . The actuators 18 c and 18 d constitute, for example, servo drives. Admittedly the actuators 18 c and 18 d could constitute two drives independent of each other. However the actuators 18 c and 18 d are mechanically coupled with each other. In the drawing this is diagrammatically indicated since the actuator 18 d is arranged on a force output means of the actuator 18 c for example on its piston rod. A mechanical coupling may however be realized indirectly, for example if the actuators 18 c and 18 d constitute the drives of a gantry or carriage traveling in the X and the Y directions.
The valve means 23 are valves separate from the valve cluster 11 b and connected with a compressed air network 24 supplied by the compressed air source 19 with compressed air. The valve means 23 control the compressed air supply to the actuators 18 c and 18 d, which are for example pneumatic drive
cylinders. The valve means 23 and the actuators 18 c and 18 d also consitute fluid power apparatus 17 .
The control means 22 regulate the actuators 18 c and 18 d by control of the valve means 23 for regulation. The control means 22 are for example regulation modules 25 a and 25 b . The regulation modules 25 a and 25 b fit in well with the modular concept of the valve cluster 11 b . They are able to be placed in line with the valve modules 16 and the communication means 14 b . The regulation modules 25 a and 25 b are coupled at internal bus interfaces 26 with the internal communication bus 11 b . The regulation modules 25 a and 25 b may receive messages by way of the communication bus 21 , as for example control instructions from the control means 12 and may transmit messages, as for example indications, which the communication means 14 b passes on to the control means.
For their regulation tasks the regulation modules 25 a and 25 b have separate regulation communication interfaces 27 for the issue of target values 28 and the reception of actual values 29 . The communication interfaces 27 are real time interfaces. The communication interfaces 27 comprise digital bus interfaces 27 a . The valve means 23 are connected by way of bus lines 30 a and 30 b with the communication interfaces 27 so that each fluid power unit to be regulated comprising a respective valve means 23 and one of the actuators 18 c and 18 d has a separate regulator bus line 30 a or 30 b available for it. Accordingly rapid communication is possible between the units to be regulated and the assigned regulation module 25 a and 25 b . Between each regulation module 25 a and 25 b and its arrangement to be regulated 23 and 18 c or 23 and 18 d there is a separate physical connection. The actual values 29 are then transmitted by these connections.
As an alternative the regulation module 25 a could be a regulator for two actuators and regulate both arrangements 23 , 18 c and 23 and 18 d via the bus line 30 a and an optional bus line 30 c leading to the regulation module 25 a in lieu of the bus line 30 b.
The actual values 29 contain pressure sensor values 33 for example, which are generated by pressure sensors 31 of a sensor arrangement 32 of the valve means 23 . The pressure sensors 31 are for example arranged on ports of pressure lines, by which the actuators 18 c and 18 d are joined with the valve means 23 . To this extent the valve means 23 constitute sensor means. The valve means 23 transmit the pressure sensor values 33 by means of a bus coupler 34 which to this extent constitutes a sensor communication interface, on the respective bus line 30 a or 30 b to the regulation module 25 a or 25 b.
Sensor means 35 c and 35 d arranged on the actuators 18 c and 18 d produce further sensor values as actual values 29 , for example pressure values, temperature values and/or position values 36 .
The sensor means 35 c and 35 d are coupled serially with the valve means 23 via bus lines 37 a and 37 b . For this purpose it is however also possible for the connection contacts for the valve means 23 to have separate bus couplers. It is however possible for the bus lines 37 a and 37 b at the valve means 23 to be looped through to the corresponding connection contacts of the bus couplers 34 . In any case the connection of the sensor devices 35 c and 35 d and of the valve means 23 is simplified because these means are coupled with each other in series because only one connection line leads to the regulation or communication interfaces 27 .
The adjustment of parameters, in particular regulation parameters and/or a selection of the type of regulation (position regulation, pressure regulation, position regulation with slave pressure regulation) and/or a diagnosis of the modules of the valve cluster 11 b , f. i. of the regulation modules 25 a and 25 b , may be undertaken at some central position using a user device 57 , as for example a notebook. The user device 57 is able to be connected with a user device interface 58 of the communication means 14 b and is thus able to be connected with the internal communication bus 21 . Then parameters may be loaded from the user device 57 to the valve cluster 11 b , for example the regulation modules 25 a and 25 b or any other modules. Furthermore a diagnosis is possible using the user device 57 . Thus for example the regulation modules 25 a and 25 b can transmit failure messages, indications as regards a number of duty cycles already performed or other diagnostic data to the user device 57 .
It will be clear that wireless operation or diagnosis is also possible, for example using a user device 59 , which communicates with the communication means 14 b in a wireless fashion.
The putting into operation of the automated system 10 and diagnosis and/or parameterizing of the regulation modules 25 a and 25 b is simplified by an auto-identification concept. The fluid power apparatus 17 or means assigned to it, as for example sensor means 35 a . 35 b and 35 c assigned to the actuators 18 a through 18 c , comprise or constitute ident data transmission means 60 , which transmit apparatus identification data 61 a , 61 b , 61 c , 61 d and 62 to receiving means 63 for the identification data 61 a through 61 c and 62 of the valve clusters 11 a and 11 b . The identification data 61 a through 61 d characterize the pneumatic actuators 18 a , 18 b , 18 c and 18 d . The identification data 62 characterize the valve means 23 .
The apparatus identification data 62 of the valve means 23 are saved in an optionally present memory 64 . In the case of the valve means 23 assigned to the actuator 18 d in addition the apparatus identification data 61 d can be saved as well, which characterize the actuator 18 d . The actuator 18 d has f. i. no memory of its own for saving its identification data and furthermore no interface to transmit such data to the valve cluster 11 b.
The valve means 23 responsible for fluid control of the actuator 18 c communicates the apparatus identification data 16 c thereof, which it receives by way of the line 37 b , via the bus line 30 b on to the regulation communication interface 27 .
The regulator communication interfaces 27 constitute or include receiving means 63 for the apparatus identification data 62 and 61 c and also apparatus identification data 61 d of the actuator 18 d . On the basis of such apparatus identification data, which for example comprise the working strokes of the actuators 18 c and 18 d , the regulator modules 25 a and 25 b regulate the actuators 18 c and 18 d . In this respect it is possible for the regulator modules 25 a and 25 b to directly evaluate the apparatus identification data 61 c , 61 d and 62 for the generation of regulation parameters. Accordingly for example maximum pressures may serve for example for the limitation of pressure of the compressed air by pressure regulation. Furthermore it is possible, using the internal communication infrastructure, namely the internal communication bus 21 and the communication 14 b means 14 b , for the regulation modules 25 a and 25 b to transmit the respective apparatus identification data 61 b , 61 d and 62 to the user device 57 , which generates the regulation parameters therefrom and transmits same to the regulation modules 25 a and 25 b using the said communication path.
The sensor means 35 a transmits the apparatus identification data 61 a in a wireless fashion to a receiving means 63 comprised in the valve cluster communication means 14 a.
The actuator 18 b is connected by a conventional pressure line 86 and a fluid connection line 87 , which has a fluid duct 88 and data lines 89 , with the valve cluster 11 b . The data lines 89 are for example arranged in a casing 90 encircling the fluid duct 88 . On plugging in the fluid connecting line 87 contacts (not illustrated) of the valve cluster 11 b and of the sensor means 35 b are connected with the data lines 89 so that simultaneously a fluid connection and a data connection are produced between the valve cluster 11 b and the sensor device 35 b and also the actuator 18 b.
The sensor device 35 b transmits the apparatus identification data 61 b in a wired manner, f. i. by way of the data lines 89 , to a receiving means 63 , which for example is comprised in the valve module 16 driving the actuator 18 b.
For saving and transmitting the apparatus identification data 61 a through 61 d and 62 different transmission concepts and memory concepts are possible. In the case of the automated system 10 it is preferred for sensor means to transmit the apparatus identification data 61 a , 61 b , 61 c , 61 d and 62 to the receiving means 63 .
The valve means 23 comprises the pressure sensors 31 and to this extent constitutes a sensor device. Its bus coupler 34 to this extent constitutes a sensor communication means and the memory 64 with the apparatus identification data 62 and/or 61 d constitutes a sensor memory.
The apparatus identification data 61 c are not transmitted by the actuator 18 c itself but by the sensor device 35 c assigned to it. The sensor device 35 c is arranged on the housing of the actuator 18 c , for example in the longitudinal direction on the side and comprises a position sensor 65 which transmits position values 36 of an actuator member 67 c of the actuator 18 c by way of sensor communication interface 68 c . The sensor communication interface 68 c comprises a bus interface 81 , for example a bus coupler, for a bus connection by way of the valve means 23 to the regulation communication interface 27 .
The apparatus identification data 61 c , which characterize the actuator 18 c and for instance comprise the diameter of the actuator member 67 c , the travel displacement of the actuator member 67 c in a housing 69 c of the actuator 18 c or the like, are saved in a sensor memory 70 c . The memory 70 c is preferably programmable, for example by way of a programming interface 71 able to be connected with the user device 57 . The sensor communication means 68 c comprises electrical read contact as a reading means 76 c for reading the sensor memory 70 c.
The actuator 18 c need not have any intelligence of its own for saving the apparatus identification data 61 c.
The sensor means 35 c may be supplied with electrical power for example by way of its sensor communication interface 68 c , i. e. a bus coupler.
The sensor means 35 a on the contrary, which also comprises a position sensor 65 , has an electrical long term energy storage means 72 , for example a lithium battery, for long term service independent of an external power supply. Furthermore for data transmission, as for example for the transmission of position values produced by a position sensor 65 , no line connections are necessary either. The sensor device 35 a has a wireless communication means 68 a , which for example with the Wireless Fidelity (WiFi) standard.
In a sensor memory 70 a of the sensor device 35 a sensor identification data 73 are held, as for example the resolution of the position sensor 65 , an initial position and an end position of the measurement range of the position sensor 65 . Apparatus identification data 61 a of the fluid power apparatus 17 , as for example the diameter of the actuator member 67 a , the maximum force available at a force output of the actuator 67 a (f. i. at the piston rod) or the like are saved in an apparatus memory 74 of the fluid power apparatus. The apparatus memory 74 is mounted f. i. in a cover 75 a of the housing 69 a and includes a rewritable memory, f. i. an EEPROM. The apparatus memory 74 is programmed during manufacture of the fluid power apparatus 17 so that its apparatus identification data 61 a are available and for example may be read out by a reading apparatus, as for example the user device 59 .
It is an advantage to use a sensor communication interface for the transmission of the apparatus identification data stored in the fluid power apparatus, for example the actuator 18 a . A reading means 76 a , for example a data interface with electrical contacts of the sensor communication means 68 a , reads the apparatus memory 74 via electrical connections 77 .
The electrical connections 77 are automatically made during arrangement or assembly of the sensor means 35 a designed in the form of a sensor module 78 . A housing 79 of the sensor device 35 a extends as far as the housing cover 75 a so that contacts 80 of the sensor device 35 a and of the actuator 18 a touch and produce the electrical connections 77 .
Alternatively a wireless concept is possible, in which the apparatus identification data 61 are for example saved in an apparatus memory 75 ′ able to be read in a wireless manner, for example in a radio frequency identification (RFID) module. The reading means 76 is in this case a wireless reading interface, for example an RFID reading device. A transmission means of the apparatus memory 74 ′ gets the transmission power, necessary for the transmission of the apparatus identification data) 61 a , through the sensor device 35 a , for example by way of an electrical connection (not illustrated) or as transmission energy transmitted by the transmission of an interrogation message on the part of the reading means 76 .
The apparatus identification data 61 a read from the apparatus memories 74 or 74 ′ may also be first apparatus identification data, on the basis of which the sensor device 35 a finds second apparatus identification data 61 a ′ in its sensor memory 60 a . The identification data 61 a ′ are for example data, which complement the identification data 61 a . Thus for example the apparatus identification data 61 a may include the type characteristic of the actuator 18 a , on the basis of which the sensor device 35 a finds further characteristics of the actuator 18 a , as for example its mechanical properties. Furthermore in the case of every sensor device in accordance with the invention, as for example in the case of the sensor device 35 a , it is possible for the sensor device to convert or complement the sensor values on the basis of the apparatus identification data. Thus for example the sensor device 35 a may provide the position values 36 with particulars in metric units, when it has found the specific travel displacement of the actuator member 67 a on the basis of the apparatus identification data 61 a . The sensor device 35 b can specifically find a force output of the actuator 82 a on the basis of the pressure sensor values 85 and provide an output thereof in f. i. newtons as force values.
While the sensor devices 35 a and 35 c constitute sensor modules 78 able to be detachably arranged on the actuators 18 a and 18 c and therefore in case of need may be replaced by other different types of sensor devices preferably in accordance with the invention, which for example comprise pressure sensors or the like, one sensor device 35 b is an integral part of the actuator 18 b.
The sensor device 35 b has a position sensor 65 and also pressure sensors 84 , which for example are arranged at gcompressed air ports 83 a and 83 b . A sensor communication means 68 b transmits position values 36 and pressure sensor values 85 of the pressure sensor 84 in a wired manner. In principle separate data lines could be provided for this. The sensor communication means 68 b is however connected with the data lines 89 of the fluid connection line 87 .
By way of data lines 89 the sensor device 35 b transmits the position sensor values 36 and the pressure sensor values 85 and furthermore, for example on signing up with the valve cluster 11 b or on interrogation from the valve cluster 11 b , the apparatus identification data 61 b characterizing the actuator 18 b . The apparatus identification data 61 b are saved in a sensor memory 70 b of the sensor device 35 b.
The sensor device 35 b furthermore has a processor 91 , which for example counts the duty cycles of the actuator 18 b and/or detects trouble conditions on the basis of the pressure sensor values 84 , or the like. The processor constitutes a component of a diagnostic facility 93 and transmits such information as diagnostic data 92 by way of sensor communication means 68 b .
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A sensor device for a fluid power apparatus and in particular a pneumatic cylinder comprises at least one sensor for producing at least one sensor value on the basis of a property or a condition of the fluid power apparatus, and a sensor communication means for the transmission of the at least one sensor value. As regards the sensor device there is a provision such that it includes a reading means for reading apparatus identification data characterizing the fluid power apparatus and the sensor device is adapted for the transmission of the apparatus identification data by way of the sensor communication means.
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CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
This U.S. patent application claims the benefit of PCT application no. PCT/US2011/044212, filed on Jul. 15, 2011, which claims the benefit of U.S. provisional application Ser. Nos. 61/364,563, filed on Jul. 15, 2010, and 61/417,037, filed on Nov. 24, 2010. These applications are hereby incorporated by reference in their entireties.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The disclosure relates to systems, apparatuses, and methods for recharging a battery. Specifically, the methods and apparatus of the present invention are useful for recharging silver-zinc batteries.
BACKGROUND
Rechargeable batteries are known in the art and commonly used, for example, in portable electronic devices. Although conventional rechargeable batteries are useful, the systems and method used to recharge the batteries are nevertheless susceptible to improvements that may enhance or improve their service life, shelf life, and/or performance. Therefore, a need exists in the art for the development of an improved apparatus for recharging batteries and a method for charging the same.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention provides a novel method for charging rechargeable batteries. Methods of the present invention reduce capacity fade that is typically observed when rechargeable silver-zinc batteries are subject to asymmetric cycling during usage. The method of the present invention may be used for charging a battery wherein the charge profile of the battery comprises one or more voltage plateaus that are separated by one or more polarization peaks, such as those profiles observed for silver-zinc rechargeable batteries.
One aspect of the present invention provides a method of charging a rechargeable battery having multiple voltage plateaus wherein the battery has a voltage, V Batt , that is less than its highest voltage plateau comprising charging the battery with a first charging current, I 1 , wherein the first charging current, I 1 , is applied until the battery is charged to a voltage, V 1 ; and controlling the first charging current, I 1 , when the voltage of the battery is V 1 , so that the voltage of the battery is maintained at V 1 with a deviation of no more than about ±20% of V 1 , wherein voltage, V 1 , is less than the voltage of a natural polarization peak, V PP , associated with a voltage plateau, V P , that is higher than V Batt , and V 1 is greater than the voltage plateau, V P .
In some embodiments, the first charging current, I 1 , is sufficient to charge the battery to voltage, V 1 , in a period of from about 1 min to about 300 min (e.g., from about 5 min to about 300 min, or from about 10 min to about 90 min) when the battery's initial SOC is less than 40% (e.g., less than 30%) of its rated capacity. In some examples, the first charging current, I 1 , is sufficient to charge the battery to a voltage of V 1 in a period of from about 10 min to about 260 min (e.g., about 10 min to about 180 min), when the battery's initial SOC is less than 40% of its rated capacity, i.e., the battery has a DOD of more than 60%. In other examples, the first charging current, I 1 , is sufficient to charge the battery to a voltage of V 1 in a period of about 75 min or less (e.g., from about 5 min to about 75 min), when the battery's initial SOC is less than 40% of its rated capacity. In other examples, the first charging current, I 1 , is sufficient to charge the battery to a voltage of V 1 in a period of from about 15 min to about 75 min, when the battery's initial SOC is less than 40% of its rated capacity. In alternative examples, the first charging current, I 1 , is sufficient to charge the battery from a SOC of less than 30% of its rated capacity to an SOC of from about 30% to about 40% of its rated capacity in about 240 min or less. And in some examples, the first charging current, I 1 , is sufficient to charge the battery from an SOC of less than 30% of its rated capacity to a SOC of about 40% its rated capacity in less than about 240 min. In some embodiments, the first charge current I 1 is substantially constant when V Batt is less than V 1 .
In some embodiments, the first charging current, I 1 , is controlled when the voltage of the battery is V 1 , so that the voltage of the battery is maintained at V 1 with a deviation of no more than about ±20% (e.g., ±10%) of V 1 , for a period of from about 6 s to about 1500 s (e.g., from about 6 s to about 1200 s or from about 5 s to about 600 s).
Some implementations of this method further comprise charging the battery with a second charging current, I 2 , wherein the second charging current, I 2 , is applied after the first charging current, I 1 , until the battery voltage reaches a voltage, V 2 , wherein the voltage, V 2 , is greater than V P , and less than V PP ; and controlling the second charging current, I 2 , when the voltage of the battery reaches the voltage, V 2 , so that the voltage of the battery is maintained at V 2 with a deviation of no more than about ±20% of V 2 . Some embodiments of this implementation further comprise terminating the first charging current, I 1 , after the voltage of the battery is maintained at V 1 with a deviation of no more than about ±20% of V 1 , for a period of from about 6 s to about 1200 s (e.g., about 6 s to about 900 s); and applying a second charging current, I 2 , when the first charging current, I 1 , terminates. In some examples, I 2 is substantially constant until the battery is charged to a voltage, V 2 . In other examples, the charge current I 2 is substantially constant when V Batt is greater than or equal to V P and less than V 2 .
In some embodiments, the second charging current, I 2 , is applied at least until the battery is charged to a SOC of from about 80% to about 110% of the battery's rated capacity.
In other embodiments, I 1 is greater than or equal to I 2 during the period before the battery is charged to a voltage of V 1 . For example, I 1 is greater than I 2 during the period before the battery is charged to a voltage of V 1 . In other examples, I 1 is equal to I 2 during the period before the battery is charged to a voltage of V 1 .
In some embodiments, V 1 is greater than or equal to V 2 . For example, V 1 is greater than V 2 . In other examples, V 1 is equal to V 2 .
In alternative embodiments, V Batt is from about 50% to about 87% of the voltage, V 1 .
Some implementations further comprise controlling the first charging current, I 1 , when the voltage of the battery reaches a voltage, V 1 , so that the voltage of the battery is maintained at V 1 with a deviation of no more than about ±10% of V 1 for a period of from about 6 s to about 1200 s (e.g., from about 6 s to about 900 s or from about 5 s to about 600 s). Others comprise controlling the first charging current, I 1 , when the voltage of the battery reaches V 1 , so that the voltage of the battery is maintained at V 1 with a deviation of no more than about ±10% of V 1 for a period of from about 550 s to about 650 s.
In some embodiments, I 1 is about 50 mA or less. For example, I 1 is from about 5 mA to about 50 mA. In other embodiments, I 2 is less than about 50 mA. For example, I 2 is from less than about 50 mA to about 1 mA. And in some of these embodiments, the battery has a rated capacity of from about 1 Ah to about 4 Ah.
In some embodiments, I 1 is about 1 Amp or less. For example, I 1 is from about 80 mA to about 1 Amps (e.g., from about 80 mA to about 0.99 Amps). In other embodiments, I 2 is less than 1 Amp. For example, I 2 is from about 80 mA to about 0.99 Amps. In some of these embodiments, the battery has a rated capacity of from about 100 mAh to about 1000 mAh.
In some embodiments, I 1 is about 300 mA or less. For example, I 1 is from about 8 mA to about 299.99 mA. In some embodiments, I 2 is less than 300 mA. For example, I 2 is from about 4 mA to about 299.99 mA. In some of these embodiments, the battery has a rated capacity of from about 15 mAh to about 150 mAh.
In some embodiments, I 1 is about 150 mA or less. For example, I 1 is from about 3 mA to about 60 mA. In some embodiments, I 2 is less than 150 mA. For example, I 2 is from about 2 mA to about 149.00 mA (e.g., from about 2 mA to about 59.99 mA). In some of these embodiments, the battery has a rated capacity of from about 4 mAh to about 150 mAh.
In some embodiments, I 1 is about 15 mA or less. For example, I 1 is from about 0.1 mA to about 14.99 mA. In some embodiments, I 2 is less than 15 mA. For example, I 2 is from about 0.1 mA to about 14.99 mA.
In some embodiments, the voltage, V 2 , is from about 90% to about 99% of V 1 . For example, the voltage, V 2 , is from about 96% to about 98% of V 1 .
In other embodiments, V 1 is about 2.04 V or less. For example, V 1 is from about 2.04 V to about 1.96 V. In other examples, V 1 is from about 1.99 V to about 1.96 V.
In some embodiments, V 2 is about 2.03 V or less. For example, V 2 is from about 2.03 V to about 1.93 V. In other examples, V 2 is from about 1.93 V to about 1.95 V.
Some implementations exclude counting Coulombs.
Other implementations further comprise generating an electrical signal when the DOD of the battery reaches about 80% or less (e.g., the DOD is about 20% or less, or the DOD is about 10% or less).
Some implementations further comprise generating an electrical signal if the voltage of the battery is lower than V P for a period of 2 seconds or more.
And, some implementations further comprise charging the battery with a diagnostic charge current, I Diag , for a period of less than about 60 seconds (e.g., less than about 30 s, less than about 20 s, or less than about 10 s, or less than about 7 s), detecting the voltage of the battery, and terminating charging of the battery if the voltage of the battery, V Batt , is less than the initial voltage of the battery prior to being charged with the diagnostic charge current, I Diag . Some examples further comprise charging the battery with a diagnostic charge current, I Diag , for a period of less than about 60 seconds (e.g., less than about 20 s or less than about 10 s, less than about 7 s, or less than about 5 s), detecting the voltage of the battery, and terminating charging of the battery if the voltage of the battery, V Batt , is less than about 1.65 V (e.g., less than about 1.60 V or about 1.55 V or less). Some examples comprise charging the battery with a diagnostic charge current of less than about 10 mA (e.g., about 8 mA) for a period of about 60 s or less (e.g., about 30 s or less, about 20 s or less, about 10 s or less, or about 3 s), detecting the voltage of the battery, and terminating charging of the battery if the voltage of the battery is less than or equal to 1.55V. And, some examples comprise charging the battery with a diagnostic charge current of less than about 10 mA (e.g., about 8 mA) for a period of about 3 seconds, detecting the voltage of the battery, and terminating charging of the battery if the increase in the SOC of the battery is less than 0.02%. Some of these embodiments optionally comprise generating an electrical signal that may activate a visual alarm, audio alarm, vibrational alarm, or any combination thereof when the charging of the battery with I Diag is terminated, as discussed above.
In some embodiments, I Diag is from about 5 mA to about 25 mA.
Some implementations comprise charging the battery with a diagnostic charge current of less than about 10 mA (e.g., about 8 mA) for a period of less than about 10 s (e.g., less than about 5 s, or about 3 seconds), detecting the voltage of the battery, and terminating charging of the battery if the increase in the SOC of the battery is less than about 0.02%.
Another aspect of the present invention provides a method of detecting a rechargeable silver-zinc battery comprising charging the battery with a current of less than about 10 mA (e.g., about 8 mA) for a period of about 7 seconds or less, detecting the voltage of the battery, and generating an electrical signal if the voltage of the cell is less than about 1.65 V.
In some embodiments, the electrical signal activates an audio alarm or a visual alarm.
Other embodiments further comprise charging the battery with a current of about 8 mA for a period of about 3 seconds.
Another aspect of the present invention provides a method of detecting a rechargeable silver-zinc battery comprising charging the battery such that the SOC of the battery is increased by about 0.02%, detecting the voltage of the battery, and generating an electrical signal if the voltage of the battery is less than about 1.65 V.
Another aspect of the present invention provides a method of charging a rechargeable battery having multiple voltage plateaus wherein the battery has a voltage (e.g., OCV), V Batt , that is less than about 80% (e.g., less than about 70%) of the voltage of a first sequential voltage plateau, V P1 , comprising charging the battery with a recovery charging current, I recov , that is substantially constant for a period of no more than 30 min after the voltage of charging battery reaches the first sequential voltage plateau, V P1 that is greater than V Batt ; charging the battery with a first charging current, I 1 , wherein the first charging current, I 1 , is substantially constant until the battery is charged to a voltage, V 1 ; and controlling the first charging current, I 1 , when the voltage of the battery reaches the voltage, V 1 , so that the voltage of the battery is maintained at V 1 with a deviation of no more than about ±20% of V 1 , for a period of from about 6 s to about 900 s, wherein voltage, V 1 , is less than the voltage of the natural polarization peak, V PP , for a voltage plateau, V P , that is higher than V P1 , and V 1 is greater than the voltage plateau, V P .
Some embodiments further comprise charging the battery with a recovery charging current, I recov , that is substantially constant for a period of no more than 15 min after the voltage of the battery reaches the first sequential voltage plateau, V P1 , that is greater than V Batt .
Some embodiments further comprise generating an electrical signal if the voltage of the battery, V Batt , fails to reach the first sequential voltage plateau, V P1 , that is greater than V Batt after being charged with I recov for a period of from about 30 min to about 2 hr (e.g., from about 1 hr to about 2 hrs).
Some embodiments comprise charging the battery with a second charging current, I 2 , wherein the second charging current, I 2 , is substantially constant until the battery voltage reaches a voltage, V 2 , wherein the voltage, V 2 , is less than the voltage, V 1 , and greater than the first sequential voltage plateau, V P1 ; and controlling the second charging current, I 2 , when the voltage of the battery reaches the voltage, V 2 , so that the voltage of the battery is maintained at V 2 with a deviation of no more than about ±20% of the voltage V 2 .
Alternative embodiments comprise terminating the second charging current, I 2 , after a period of about 10 minutes or less from the point when the battery is charged to a capacity of from about 80% to about 150% of the battery's rated capacity.
Some embodiments exclude counting Coulombs.
And, in some embodiments, the rechargeable battery comprises an anode comprising a zinc material. In others, the rechargeable battery comprises a cathode comprising a silver material. In some embodiments, the rechargeable battery comprises a button cell, a coin cell, a cylinder cell, or a prismatic cell.
Some embodiments further comprise generating an electrical signal when the second charging current, I 2 , terminates.
Some embodiments further comprise activating a visual signal when the second charging current, I 2 , terminates.
Another aspect of the present invention provides a method of charging a rechargeable button cell having multiple voltage plateaus wherein the cell has a voltage greater than about 1.10 V and less than about 1.70 V comprising charging the cell with a first charging current, I 1 , wherein the first charging current, I 1 , is substantially constant until the cell is charged to a voltage, V 1 , that is greater than 1.70 V and less than 2.04 V; and controlling the first charging current, I 1 , when the voltage of the cell reaches the voltage, V 1 , so that the voltage of the cell is maintained at V 1 with a deviation of no more than about ±10% of V 1 for a period of from about
6 s to about 900 s.
Some embodiments further comprise charging the cell with a second charging current, I 2 , wherein the second charging current, I 2 , is substantially constant until the cell voltage reaches a voltage, V 2 , wherein the voltage, V 2 , is less than the voltage, V 1 , and greater than 1.7 V, and controlling the second charging current, I 2 , when the voltage of the cell reaches the voltage, V 2 , so that the voltage of the cell is maintained at V 2 with a deviation of no more than about ±10% of the voltage V 2 .
Other embodiments comprise terminating the second charging current, I 2 , after no more than 5 minutes from the point when the cell is charged to a capacity of from about 80% to about 150% (e.g., from about 80% to about 110%) of the cell's rated capacity.
In some embodiments, the first charging current, I 1 , is sufficient to charge the battery to the voltage, V 1 , in a period of from about 30 min to about 180 min.
Some embodiments further comprise controlling the first charging current, I 1 , when the voltage of the cell reaches the voltage, V 1 , so that the voltage of the battery is maintained at V 1 with a deviation of no more than about ±10% of V 1 for a period of from about 550 s to about 650 s.
In some embodiments, I 1 is about 50 mA or less. For example, I 1 is from about 5 mA to about 50 mA. In other embodiments, I 2 is less than about 50 mA. For example, I 2 is from less than about 50 mA to about 1 mA. And in some of these embodiments, the battery has a rated capacity of from about 1 Ah to about 4 Ah.
In some embodiments, I 1 is about 1 Amp or less. For example, I 1 is from about 80 mA to about 1 Amps (e.g., from about 80 mA to about 0.99 Amps). In other embodiments, I 2 is less than 1 Amp. For example, I 2 is from about 80 mA to about 0.99 Amps. In some of these embodiments, the battery has a rated capacity of from about 100 mAh to about 1000 mAh.
In some embodiments, I 1 is about 300 mA or less. For example, I 1 is from about 8 mA to about 299.99 mA. In some embodiments, I 2 is less than 300 mA. For example, I 2 is from about 4 mA to about 299.99 mA. In some of these embodiments, the battery has a rated capacity of from about 15 mAh to about 150 mAh.
In some embodiments, I 1 is about 150 mA or less. For example, I 1 is from about 3 mA to about 60 mA. In some embodiments, I 2 is less than 150 mA. For example, I 2 is from about 2 mA to about 149.00 mA (e.g., from about 2 mA to about 59.99 mA). In some of these embodiments, the battery has a rated capacity of from about 4 mAh to about 150 mAh.
In some embodiments, I 1 is about 15 mA or less. For example, I 1 is from about 0.1 mA to about 14.99 mA. In some embodiments, I 2 is less than 15 mA. For example, I 2 is from about 0.1 mA to about 14.99 mA.
In some embodiments, the voltage, V 2 , is from about 90% to about 99% of V 1 . For example, the voltage, V 2 , is from about 96% to about 98% of V 1 .
In other embodiments, V 1 is about 2.04 V or less. For example, V 1 is from about 2.04 V to about 1.96 V. In other examples, V 1 is from about 1.99 V to about 1.96 V.
In some embodiments, V 2 is about 2.03 V or less. For example, V 2 is from about 2.03 V to about 1.93 V. In other examples, V 2 is from about 1.93 V to about 1.95 V.
In some embodiments, the first charging current, I 1 , is modulated for a period of about 550 s to about 650 s.
Other embodiments exclude counting Coulombs.
In some embodiments, the cell comprises an anode comprising a zinc material.
In other embodiments, the cell comprises a cathode comprising a silver material
Some embodiments further comprise generating an electrical signal when the second charging current, I 2 , is terminated.
Some embodiments further comprise activating a visual signal when the second charging current, I 2 , is terminated.
Another aspect of the present invention provides a method of charging a rechargeable battery having multiple voltage plateaus and an initial SOC of greater than 50% of its rated capacity, wherein the battery has a voltage, V Batt , that is less than or equal to its highest voltage plateau comprising charging the battery with a substantially constant charging current, I 2 , until the battery is charged to a voltage, V 2 ; and controlling I 2 so that the voltage of the battery is maintained at V 2 with a deviation of no more than about ±20% of V 2 , wherein voltage, V 2 , is greater than or equal to (e.g., greater than) the voltage of a voltage plateau, V P , and less than the voltage of a natural polarization peak, V PP .
Some embodiments further comprise terminating the charging current, I 2 , when I 2 reaches a minimum threshold current, I ter . In some instances, I ter is about 95% or less (e.g., about 85% or less) of I 2 during the period when the battery being charged to V 2 . For example, terminating the charging current, I 2 reaches I ter , and I ter is about 80% to about 95% of I 2 , when the temperature is higher than about 25° C.
Other embodiments further comprise terminating the charging current, I 2 , when I 2 reaches I ter , and I ter is about 75% or less of I 2 during the period when the battery is charged to V 2 .
In some embodiments, V 2 is about 2.03 V or less (e.g., about 2 V or less).
In some embodiments, I 2 is about 6 mA.
In some embodiments, I ter is about 4.5 mA.
Another aspect of the present invention provides a method of charging a rechargeable 2.0 V silver-zinc battery comprising charging the battery with a charge current, I 2 , having a maximum amperage, I max , of about 10 mA or less (e.g., about 6 mA or less) wherein the charge current I 2 is modulated so that the voltage of the battery is restricted to about 2.03 V or less; clocking time 60 seconds after charging with second charge current, I 2 , begins; measuring the lowest amperage, I low , of charge current I 2 when time is being clocked; and arresting charge current I 2 once the battery is charged with from about 40% to about 60% (e.g., about 50%) of its rated capacity with charge current, I 2 , wherein the capacity charged to the battery is determined by integrating the charge current, I 2 , while time is being clocked; and the voltages have a deviation of ±0.5%, the current amperages have deviations of ±2%, and clocked times have a deviation of ±2%.
In some embodiments, the battery has an OCV of greater than about 1.6 V (e.g., greater than about 1.65 V) in its discharged state, i.e., immediately before charging.
Another aspect of the present invention provides a method of charging a rechargeable 2.0 V silver-zinc battery comprising charging the battery with a charge current, I 2 , having a maximum amperage, I max , of about 10 mA or less (e.g., about 6 mA or less) wherein the charge current I 2 is modulated so that the voltage of the battery is restricted to about 2.03 V or less; clocking time 60 seconds after charging with second charge current, I 2 , begins; measuring the lowest amperage, I low , of charge current I 2 when time is being clocked; and arresting charge current I 2 when the amperage of I 2 is below I end for a period of 60 continuous seconds if the amperage of I 2 is I max for a period of 2 continuous seconds while time is being clocked; or arresting charge current I 2 once the battery is charged with from about 40% to about 60% (e.g., about 50%) of its rated capacity with charge current I 2 , if I low is less than the amperage of charge current I 2 after 20 minutes has been clocked, wherein the capacity charged to the battery is determined by integrating the charge current, I 2 , while time is being clocked; or arresting charge current I 2 when the amperage of I 2 is below I end for a period of 60 continuous seconds, if I low is greater than or equal to the amperage of I 2 after 20 minutes has been clocked; or arresting charge current I 2 when the amperage of I 2 is below 1.0 V, for a period of about 5 min or less; wherein I end =I Chg +I Temp , I Chg =(T 2 ×I max )/T Chg , I Temp is the temperature compensation current, T 2 is the time necessary to charge the battery from a voltage of about 1.9 V to a voltage of about 2.0 V, I max is the maximum current charged to the battery, and T Chg is the cell time constant; and the voltages have a deviation of ±0.5%, the current amperages have deviations of ±2%, and clocked times have a deviation of ±2%.
In some embodiments, the battery has an OCV of greater than about 1.6 V (e.g., greater than about 1.65 V) in its discharged state.
Some embodiments further comprise measuring the temperature, wherein the temperature measurement has accuracy of about ±5° C. (e.g., ±2° C.).
Another aspect of the present invention provides a method of charging a rechargeable 2.0 V silver-zinc battery comprising charging the battery with first charge current, I 1 , having a maximum amperage, I max , of about 10 mA or less (e.g., about 6 mA or less); clocking time once the battery is charged to a voltage of 1.90 V; modulating the first charge current, I 1 , so that the voltage of the battery is restricted to about 2.03 V or less; arresting the first charge current, I 1 , once from between about 10 min to about 30 min (e.g., about 20 min) has been clocked; charging the battery with second charge current, I 2 , having a maximum amperage, I max , of about 10 mA or less (e.g., about 6 mA or less) wherein the second charge current I 2 is modulated so that the voltage of the battery is restricted to about 2.0 V or less; clocking time 60 seconds after charging with second charge current, I 2 , begins; measuring the lowest amperage, I low , of charge current I 2 when time is being clocked; and arresting charge current I 2 when the amperage of I 2 is below I end for a period of 60 continuous seconds if the amperage of I 2 is I max for a period of 2 continuous seconds while time is being clocked; or arresting charge current I 2 once the battery is charged with from about 40% to about 60% (e.g., about 50%) of its rated capacity with charge current I 2 , if I low is less than the amperage of charge current I 2 after 20 minutes has been clocked, wherein the capacity charged to the battery is determined by integrating the charge current, I 2 , while time is being clocked; or arresting charge current I 2 when the amperage of I 2 is below I end for a period of 60 continuous seconds, if I low is greater than or equal to the amperage of I 2 after 20 minutes has been clocked; or arresting charge current I 2 when the amperage of I 2 is below 1.0 V, for a period of about 5 min or less; wherein I end =I Chg +I Temp , I Chg =(T 2 ×I max )/T Chg , I Temp is the temperature compensation current, T 2 is the time necessary to charge the battery from a voltage of about 1.9 V to a voltage of about 2.0 V, I max is the maximum current charged to the battery, and T Chg is the cell time constant; and the voltages have a deviation of ±0.5%, the current amperages have deviations of ±2%, and clocked times have a deviation of ±2%.
Another method of the present invention provides charging a rechargeable 2.0 V silver-zinc battery having an OCV of less than 1.65 V comprising charging the battery with first charge current, I 1 , having an amperage of 10 mA or less; clocking time once the battery is charged to a voltage of 1.90 V; modulating the first charge current, I 1 , so that the voltage of the battery is restricted to 2.03 V or less, and the first charge current has a maximum amperage of about 10.0 mA or less; arresting the first charge current, I 1 , once 20 minutes has been clocked; charging the battery with second charge current, I 2 , wherein the charge current I 2 is modulated so that the voltage of the battery is restricted to 2.0 V or less, and the second charge current has a maximum amperage, I max , of about 10.0 mA or less; arresting charge current I 2 when the amperage of I 2 is below I end for a period of 60 continuous seconds or less, wherein I end =I Chg +I Temp , I Chg is the charge compensation current, I Temp is the temperature compensation current, and I Chg =(T 2 ×I max )/T Chg , T 2 is the time period beginning when the battery voltage is about 1.9 V and ending when I 2 is less than I max , and T Chg is the cell time constant; or arresting charge current I 2 when the amperage of I 2 is below 1.0 V, for a period of about 5 min or less; and wherein the voltages have a deviation of ±0.5%, the current amperages have deviations of ±2%, the temperature measurement accuracy has a deviation of no more than ±5° C., and clocked times have a deviation of ±2%.
Some of these methods further comprise measuring the temperature, wherein the temperature measurement has an accuracy of about ±2° C.
In some embodiments, the maximum amperage, I max , is about 6 mA or less. For example, I max is about 5.5 mA or less.
In other embodiments, the battery has an OCV of less than about 1.70 V (e.g., about 1.65 V or less) in its discharged state.
In some embodiments, the OCV of the battery is greater than 1.25 V prior to charging.
In other embodiments, the OCV of the battery is less than 1.25 V prior to charging.
Some embodiments further comprise charging the battery with a recovery charge current of 1.0 mA for a period of at least 20 minutes (e.g., at least 30 minutes); and arresting the recovery charge current when the battery is charged to a voltage of about 1.50 V or more (e.g., about 1.6 V).
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Certain aspects of the present invention are described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein:
FIG. 1 is a circuit diagram for battery charging circuitry that is capable of performing an exemplary method for charging a rechargeable battery or button cell according to one embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a plot of a charge curve of a rechargeable battery having at least one voltage plateau, wherein the battery voltage, V Batt , and charging current are plotted as the battery is charged with a first charge current, I 1 , and a second charge current, I 2 , according to one method of the present invention.
FIG. 3A is an exemplary plot of a charge curve of a rechargeable battery having multiple voltage plateaus, wherein the battery voltage is plotted as the battery is charged with an unclamped charging current to illustrate the natural polarization peaks of the battery, V PP1 and V PP2 , and the voltage plateaus, V P1 , V P2 , and V P3 , observed during charging.
FIG. 3B is a magnified view of one voltage plateau shown in FIG. 3A showing a representation of the relationships between the voltage plateau voltage, V P1 , the voltage, V 1 , and the voltage of the natural polarization peak, V PP1 .
FIG. 4 is a plot of a charge curve of a rechargeable battery having at least one voltage plateau, wherein the battery voltage and charging current are plotted as the battery is charged until the charge current, I 2 , reaches a terminal charge current, I ter , according to one method of the present invention where V Batt >V 1 >V P1 .
FIG. 5 is a plot of a charge curve of a rechargeable battery having at least one voltage plateau, wherein the battery is charged according to a multiple zone charging method of the present invention wherein the battery is charged to a first voltage V 1 with charge current I 1 , then battery is charged to voltage V 2 with charge current I 2 , and voltage V 1 is about equal to voltage V 2 .
FIG. 6 is a plot of a charge curve of a rechargeable battery having at least one voltage plateau, wherein the battery is charged according to a multiple zone charging method of the present invention wherein the battery is charged from a low SOC with a recovery charge current, I recov , until the voltage of the battery reaches a recovery voltage, V recov , then the battery is charged with a first charge current, I 1 , until the voltage reaches V 1 , and finally the battery is charged with a second charge current, I 2 , until the second charge current reaches I ter .
FIG. 7A is a plot of a charge curve for recharging a battery in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the invention.
FIG. 7B is a plot of a charge curve for recharging a battery experiencing a soft-short in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the invention.
FIG. 8A is a step-diagram representing one exemplary method for recharging a rechargeable battery having at least one voltage plateau according to one embodiment of the invention.
FIG. 8B is a step-diagram representing another exemplary method for recharging a rechargeable battery having at least one voltage plateau according to one embodiment of the invention.
FIG. 8C is a step-diagram representing another exemplary method for recharging a rechargeable battery having at least one voltage plateau according to one embodiment of the invention.
FIG. 8D is a step-diagram representing another exemplary method for recharging a rechargeable battery having at least one voltage plateau according to one embodiment of the invention.
FIG. 9 is a step-diagram representing another exemplary method for recharging a rechargeable battery.
FIG. 10 is a plot of a charge curve for a battery being charged with a multi-zone charge method in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the invention.
FIG. 11 is a plot of a charge curve for a battery being charged with a multi-zone charge method in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the invention.
FIG. 12 is a plot of a charge curve for a battery being charged with a multi-zone charge method in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the invention.
FIG. 13 is a plot of a charge curve for a battery having an SOC of about 50% or more being charged in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the invention.
FIG. 14 is a plot of a charge curve for a battery having an SOC of about 50% or more being charged in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the invention.
FIG. 15 is a plot of a charge curve for a battery having an SOC of about 50% or more being charged in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the invention.
FIG. 16 is a plot of a charge curve for a battery having an SOC of about 50% or more being charged in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the invention.
FIG. 17 is a plot of a charge curve for a battery having an OCV of about 1.25 V or less being charged in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the invention.
FIG. 18 is a plot of a charge-discharge curve for a battery being discharged to an SOC of less than about 40% and then being charged with a substantially constant charge current that does not clamp the battery's voltage until the battery voltage reaches the polarization peak, and then being charged according to a method of the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
The Figures illustrate exemplary embodiments of battery rechargers and methods of recharging batteries according to the present invention. Based on the foregoing, it is to be generally understood that the nomenclature used herein is simply for convenience and the terms used to describe the invention should be given the broadest meaning understood by one of ordinary skill in the art.
I. Definitions
As used herein “polarization peak” or “natural polarization peak” refers to a peak voltage value of a sharp spike in battery voltage that precedes a voltage plateau, which is observed when a rechargeable battery having a plurality of voltage plateaus, e.g., at least 2 voltage plateaus, is charged from a voltage of a first plateau to a voltage of a higher plateau with a charge current that is not controlled to clamp the battery's voltage. Exemplary voltage plateaus are illustrated in FIG. 2 , as V P , and FIGS. 3A and 3B , as V P1 , V P2 , and V P3 . Exemplary polarization peaks are illustrated in FIG. 2 , as V PP , in FIGS. 3A and 3B , as V PP1 and V PP2 , and in FIG. 18 . Note that in FIGS. 3A and 3B , the exemplary polarization peaks are observed when the charging current is substantially constant and unclamped. Without limiting the scope of the present invention, it is believed that the polarization peak occurs when the state of flux in the internal chemistry (e.g., the oxidation state of the cathode material, the anode material, or both) of a rechargeable battery is maximized while the battery is being charged with an uncontrolled current. This phenomenon is observed for silver-zinc batteries and others when a voltage plot is generated for a recharging battery when the charge current is substantially constant but not controlled to clamp the battery voltage. An example of this voltage plot is provided in FIG. 18 , wherein the polarization peak is identified in the charge section of the plot. Note that when a rechargeable battery is charged according some methods of the present invention, one or more polarization peaks will not be observed because the one or more charging currents (e.g., the first charge current, the second charge current, or both) is controlled to clamp the battery's voltage.
The term “voltage plateau”, refers to a range of battery capacities wherein the battery's voltage remains substantially unchanged, e.g., having a variance of ±10% or less or having a variance of ±5% or less, when the battery is being charged with a substantially constant charge current. Although the voltage range for a voltage plateau is generally narrow, e.g., having a variance of ±10% or less or having a variance of ±5% or less, voltage plateaus are characterized or identified by the lowest voltage on the plateau, e.g., V P . This is exemplified in FIG. 2 , as V P , and in FIGS. 3A and 3B , as V P1 and V 2 . Without limiting the scope of the invention, it is believed that voltage plateaus occur when the internal chemistry (e.g., oxidation state of the cathode or anode or both) of a battery's electrochemical cell or cells stabilizes during charging and the modest variance in the battery's voltage along the plateau is governed by kinetic effects rather than nucleation, which is believed to be prominent at voltages between plateaus. The voltage plateau phenomenon may be observed when a voltage plot is generated for a recharging battery.
The terms “control”, “controlling”, “modulate”, or “modulating”, are used interchangeably herein and refer to raising, lowering, or maintaining a charge current so that the voltage of the rechargeable battery being charged is restricted or “clamped”.
The terms “rechargeable battery”, “battery”, “electrochemical cell” and “cell” are used interchangeably herein and refer to a device capable of either deriving electrical energy from chemical reactions, or facilitating chemical reactions through the introduction of electrical energy. A battery may have one or more electrochemical cells depending on its design. For example a button cell or a coin cell is a battery having one electrochemical cell.
As used herein, “depth of discharge” and “DOD” are used interchangeably to refer to the measure of how much energy has been withdrawn from a battery or cell, often expressed as a percentage of capacity, e.g., rated capacity. For example, a 100 Ah battery from which Ah has been withdrawn has undergone a 30% depth of discharge (DOD).
As used herein, “state of charge” and “SOC” and used interchangeably to refer to the available capacity remaining in a battery, expressed as a percentage of the cell or battery's rated capacity. A battery's “initial SOC” refers to the state of charge of the battery before the battery undergoes charging or recharging.
As used herein, the terms “silver” or “silver material” refer to any silver compound such as Ag, AgO, Ag 2 O, Ag 2 O 3 , AgOH, AgOOH, AgONa, AgCuO 2 , AgFeO 2 , AgMnO 2 , Ag(OH) 2 , hydrates thereof, or any combination thereof. Note that ‘hydrates’ of silver include hydroxides of silver. Because it is believed that the coordination sphere surrounding a silver atom is dynamic during charging and discharging of the cell wherein the silver serves as a cathode, or when the oxidation state of the silver atom is in a state of flux, it is intended that the term ‘silver’ or ‘silver material’ encompass any of these silver oxides and hydrates (e.g., hydroxides). Terms ‘silver’ or ‘silver material’ also includes any of the above-mentioned species that are doped and/or coated with dopants and/or coatings that enhance one or more properties of the silver. Exemplary dopants and coatings are provided below. In some examples, silver or silver material includes a silver oxide further comprising a first row transition metal dopant or coating. For example, silver includes silver-copper-oxide, silver-iron-oxide, silver-manganese-oxide (e.g., AgMnO 2 ), silver-chromium-oxide, silver-scandium-oxide, silver-cobalt-oxide, silver-titanium-oxide, silver-vanadium-oxide, hydrates thereof, or any combination thereof. Note that the term “oxide” used herein does not, in each instance, describe the number of oxygen atoms present in the silver or silver material. For example, a silver oxide may have a chemical formula of AgO, Ag 2 O 3 , or a combination thereof. Furthermore, silver can comprise a bulk material or silver can comprise a powder having any suitable mean particle diameter.
As used herein, an “electrolyte” refers to a substance that behaves as an electrically conductive medium. For example, the electrolyte facilitates the mobilization of electrons and cations in the cell. Electrolytes include mixtures of materials such as aqueous solutions of alkaline agents. Some electrolytes also comprise additives such as buffers. For example, an electrolyte comprises a buffer comprising a borate or a phosphate. Exemplary electrolytes include, without limitation, aqueous KOH, aqueous NaOH, or the liquid mixture of KOH in a polymer.
As used herein, “alkaline agent” refers to a base or ionic salt of an alkali metal (e.g., an aqueous hydroxide of an alkali metal). Furthermore, an alkaline agent forms hydroxide ions when dissolved in water or other polar solvents. Exemplary alkaline electrolytes include without limitation LiOH, NaOH, KOH, CsOH, RbOH, or combinations thereof. Electrolytes can optionally include other salts to modify the total ionic strength of the electrolyte, for example KF or Ca(OH) 2 .
As used herein, “Ah” refers to Ampere (Amp) Hour and is a scientific unit for the capacity of a battery or electrochemical cell. A derivative unit, “mAh” represents a milliamp hour and is 1/1000 of an Ah.
As used herein, “maximum voltage” or “rated voltage” refers to the maximum voltage an electrochemical cell can be charged without interfering with the cell's intended utility. For example, in several zinc-silver electrochemical cells that are useful in portable electronic devices, the maximum voltage is less than about 2.3 V or less, or about 2.0 V. In other batteries, such as lithium ion batteries that are useful in portable electronic devices, the maximum voltage is less than about 15.0 V (e.g., less than about 13.0 V, or about 12.6 V or less). The maximum voltage for a battery can vary depending on the number of charge cycles constituting the battery's useful life, the shelf-life of the battery, the power demands of the battery, the configuration of the electrodes in the battery, and the amount of active materials used in the battery.
As used herein, an “anode” is an electrode through which (positive) electric current flows into a polarized electrical device. In a battery or galvanic cell, the anode is the negative electrode from which electrons flow during the discharging phase in the battery. The anode is also the electrode that undergoes chemical oxidation during the discharging phase. However, in secondary, or rechargeable, cells, the anode is the electrode that undergoes chemical reduction during the cell's charging phase. Anodes are formed from electrically conductive or semiconductive materials, e.g., metals, metal oxides, metal alloys, metal composites, semiconductors, or the like. Common anode materials include Si, Sn, Al, Ti, Mg, Fe, Bi, Zn, Sb, Ni, Pb, Li, Zr, Hg, Cd, Cu, LiC 6 , mischmetals, alloys thereof, oxides thereof, or composites thereof. Anode materials such as zinc may even be sintered.
Anodes may have many configurations. For example, an anode may be configured from a conductive mesh or grid that is coated with one or more anode materials. In another example, an anode may be a solid sheet or bar of anode material.
As used herein, a “cathode” is an electrode from which (positive) electric current flows out of a polarized electrical device. In a battery or galvanic cell, the cathode is the positive electrode into which electrons flow during the discharging phase in the battery. The cathode is also the electrode that undergoes chemical reduction during the discharging phase. However, in secondary or rechargeable cells, the cathode is the electrode that undergoes chemical oxidation during the cell's charging phase. Cathodes are formed from electrically conductive or semiconductive materials, e.g., metals, metal oxides, metal alloys, metal composites, semiconductors, or the like. Common cathode materials include Ag, AgO, Ag 2 O 3 , Ag 2 O, HgO, Hg 2 O, CuO, CdO, NiOOH, Pb 2 O 4 , PbO 2 , LiFePO 4 , Li 3 V 2 (PO 4 ) 3 , V 6 O 13 , V 2 O 5 , Fe 3 O 4 , Fe 2 O 3 , MnO 2 , LiCoO 2 , LiNiO 2 , LiMn 2 O 4 , or composites thereof. Cathode materials such as Ag, AgO, Ag 2 O 3 may even be sintered.
Cathodes may also have many configurations. For example, a cathode may be configured from a conductive mesh that is coated with one or more cathode materials. In another example, a cathode may be a solid sheet or bar of cathode material.
Batteries and battery electrodes are denoted with respect to the active materials in the fully-charged state. For example, a zinc-silver battery comprises an anode comprising zinc and a cathode comprising a silver powder (e.g., Ag 2 O 3 ). Nonetheless, more than one species is present at a battery electrode under most conditions. For example, a zinc electrode generally comprises zinc metal and zinc oxide (except when fully charged), and a silver powder electrode usually comprises AgO, Ag 2 O 3 and/or Ag 2 O and silver metal (except when fully discharged).
As used herein, the term “oxide” applied to alkaline batteries and alkaline battery electrodes encompasses corresponding “hydroxide” species, which are typically present, at least under some conditions.
As used herein, “resistivity” or “impedance” refers to the internal resistance of a cathode in an electrochemical cell. This property is typically expressed in units of Ohms or micro-Ohms.
As used herein, the terms “first” and/or “second” do not refer to order or denote relative positions in space or time, but these terms are used to distinguish between two different elements or components. For example, a first separator does not necessarily proceed a second separator in time or space; however, the first separator is not the second separator and vice versa. Although it is possible for a first separator to precede a second separator in space or time, it is equally possible that a second separator precedes a first separator in space or time.
As used herein, the term “capacity” refers to the mathematical product of a cell's discharge current and the time (in hours) during which the current is discharged until the cell reaches a terminal voltage.
Similarly, the terms “actual capacity” or “theoretical capacity” refer to the capacity that a battery or electrochemical cell should theoretically discharge at 100% SOC based on the amounts of electrode materials present in the cell, the amount of electrolyte present in the cell, and the surface area of the electrodes. In general terms, the capacity of a cell/battery is the amount of charge available expressed in ampere-hours (Ah) or milliampere-hours (mAh). An ampere is the unit of measurement used for electrical current and is defined as a Coulomb of charge passing through an electrical conductor in one second. The capacity of a cell or battery is related to the quantity of active materials present, the amount of electrolyte present, and the surface area of the electrodes. The capacity of a battery/cell can be measured by discharging at a constant current until it reaches its terminal voltage, which depends on the cell's intended usage.
A cell's “rated capacity” is the average capacity delivered by a cell or battery on a specified load and temperature to a voltage cutoff point, as designated by the manufacturer for the cell's intended usage. For many types of cells, industry standards establish a cell's rated capacity, which is based on the cell's intended usage. It is noted that silver-zinc cells typically have a rated capacity that is about 70% or less (e.g., about 50% or less) of the cell's actual capacity.
As used herein, “A” and “Amps” are used interchangeably and refer to a unit of electrical current, e.g., charge current.
As used herein, “s”, “sec” and “seconds” are used interchangeably and refer to a unit of time.
As used herein, “min” and “minutes” are used interchangeably and refer to a unit of time.
II. Methods of Charging a Rechargeable Cell
A. Charging Method 1:
Referring to FIGS. 2 , 3 A, 3 B, 5 , 7 A, and 7 B, one aspect of the present invention provides a method of charging a rechargeable battery having multiple voltage plateaus wherein the battery has a voltage, V Batt , that is less than its highest voltage plateau comprising:
a. Charging the battery with a first charging current, I 1 , wherein the first charging current, I 1 , is applied until the battery is charged to a voltage, V 1 ; and
b. Controlling/Modulating the first charging current, I 1 , when the voltage of the battery is V 1 , so that the voltage of the battery is maintained at V 1 with a deviation of no more than about ±20% (e.g., ±10%, ±5%) of V 1 , wherein voltage, V 1 , is less than the voltage of a natural polarization peak, V PP , associated with a voltage plateau, V P , that is higher than V Batt , and V 1 is greater than the voltage plateau, V P .
Several methods comprise additional steps such as
c. Charging the battery with a second charging current, I 2 , wherein the second charging current, I 2 , is applied until the battery voltage reaches a voltage, V 2 , wherein the voltage, V 2 , is greater than V P , and less than V PP ; and
d. Controlling/Modulating the second charging current, I 2 , when the voltage of the battery reaches the voltage, V 2 , so that the voltage of the battery is maintained at V 2 with a deviation of no more than about ±20% of V 2 .
Several methods optionally comprise terminating the charging current, I 2 , when I 2 is controlled to be about 95% or less of the charge current during the period when the battery was being charged to V 2 .
In some methods, charge current I 1 is substantially constant during the period wherein V Batt is less than or equal to V 1 . And, in some methods, charge current I 2 is substantially constant during the period wherein V Batt is less than or equal to V 2 . In these methods, charge current I 1 is greater than or equal to charge current I 2 before the battery is charged to V 1 . For instance, I 1 is greater than charge current I 2 before the battery is charged to V 1 . In other instances, I 1 is equal to charge current I 2 before the battery is charged to V 1 .
In some methods, the second charging current, I 2 , is applied at least until the battery is charged to a SOC of from about 80% to about 150% (e.g., from about 80% to about 110%) of the battery's rated capacity.
In other methods, the first charging current, I 1 , is sufficient to charge the battery to voltage, V 1 , in a period of from about 1 min to about 300 min (e.g., from about 5 min to about 300 min, from about 5 min to about 240 min, or from about 10 min to about 90 min) when the battery's initial SOC is less than 40% (e.g., less than 30%) of its rated capacity. In some methods, the first charging current, I 1 , is sufficient to charge the battery to a voltage of V 1 in a period of from about 10 min to about 260 min (e.g., about 10 min to about 180 min), when the battery's initial SOC is less than 40% (e.g., less than 30%) of its rated capacity. In other methods, the first charging current, I 1 , is sufficient to charge the battery to voltage, V 1 , in a period of about 75 min or less (e.g., from about 5 min to about 75 min or from about 15 min to about 75 min) when the battery's initial SOC is less than 40% (e.g., less than 30%) of its rated capacity.
In other methods, the first charging current, I 1 , is sufficient to charge the battery from a SOC of less than 30% (e.g., less than 20%) of its rated capacity to a SOC of from about 30% to about 40% of its rated capacity in about 240 min or less (e.g., about 180 min or less). For example, the first charging current, I 1 , is sufficient to charge the battery from a SOC of less than 30% (e.g., less than 20%) of its rated capacity to a SOC of about 40% its rated capacity in less than about 240 min (e.g., less than about 180 min).
In other methods, the first charging current, I 1 , is controlled when the voltage of the battery is V 1 , so that the voltage of the battery is maintained at V 1 with a deviation of no more than about ±20% of V 1 , for a period of from about 1 s to about 1500 s (e.g., from about 6 s to about 1500 s, from about 6 s to about 1200 s, or from about 6 s to about 900 s). For example, some methods include controlling the first charging current, I 1 , when the voltage of the battery reaches a voltage, V 1 , so that the voltage of the battery is maintained at V 1 with a deviation of no more than about ±10% of V 1 for a period of from about 6 s to about 1200 s (e.g., from about 6 s to about 900 s). Other examples include controlling the first charging current, I 1 , when the voltage of the battery reaches V 1 , so that the voltage of the battery is maintained at V 1 with a deviation of no more than about ±10% of V 1 for a period of from about 6 s to about 600 s.
Some methods further comprise:
e. terminating the first charging current, I 1 , after the voltage of the battery is maintained at V 1 with a deviation of no more than about ±20% of V 1 , for a period of from about 6 s to about 1500 s (e.g., from about 6 s to about 1200 s or from about 6 s to about 900 s); and
f. applying the second charging current, I 2 , when the first charging current, I 1 , terminates.
In other methods, V 1 is greater than or equal to V 2 . For instance, in some methods, V 1 is greater than V 2 . In another instance, V 1 is equal to V 2 .
In some methods, V Batt is from about 50% to about 87% of the voltage, V 1 .
In some methods, I 1 is about 500 Amps or less. For example, I 1 is from about 100 mA to about 500 Amps. In some of these examples, I 2 is about 500 Amps or less. For instance, I 2 is from about 100 mA to about 500 Amps. In some of these examples, the battery has a rated capacity of from about 1 Ah to about 1000 Ah.
In some methods, I 1 is about 500 mA or less. For example, I 1 is from about 20 mA to about 500 mA. In some of these examples, I 2 is about 500 mA or less. For instance, I 2 is from about 20 mA to about 500 mA. In some of these examples, the battery has a rated capacity of from about 200 mAh to about 1 Ah.
In some methods, I 1 is about 50 mA or less. For example, I 1 is from about 5 mA to about 50 mA. In some of these examples, I 2 is about 50 mA or less. For instance, I 2 is from about 5 mA to about 50 mA. In some of these examples, the battery has a rated capacity of from about 50 mAh to about 200 mAh.
In some methods, I 1 is about 25 mA or less. For example, I 1 is from about 400 μA to about 25 mA. In some of these examples, I 2 is about 25 mA or less. For instance, I 2 is from about 400 μA to about 25 mA. In some of these examples, the battery has a rated capacity of from about 4 mAh to about 50 mAh.
In some methods, I 1 is about 2 mA or less. For example, I 1 is from about 10 μA to about 2 mA. In some of these examples, I 2 is about 2 mA or less. For instance, I 2 is from about 10 μA to about 2 mA. In some of these examples, the battery has a rated capacity of from about 1 mAh to about 4 mAh.
In some methods, I 1 is about 50 mA or less. For example, I 1 is from about 500 mA to greater than 8 mA. In other examples, I 1 is from about 5 mA to about 500 mA. In some of these examples, I 2 is less than 500 mA. For instance, I 2 is from less than about 500 mA to about 1 mA. In some of these examples, the battery has a rated capacity of from about 1 Ah to about 4 Ah.
In some methods, I 1 is about 1 Amp or less. For example, I 1 is from about 1 Amps to greater than 10 mA. In other examples, I 1 is from about 10 mA to about 1 A (e.g., from about 10 mA to about 0.99 A). In some of these methods, I 2 is less than 1 Amp. For example, I 2 is less than 1 Amp to about 10 mA. In other examples, I 2 is from about 10 mA to about 0.99 A. In other examples, the battery has a rated capacity of from about 100 mAh to about 1000 mAh.
In some methods, I 1 is about 100 mA or less. For example, I 1 is from about 100 mA to about greater than 1.0 mA. In other examples, I 1 is from about 1.0 mA to about 99.99 mA. In some of these methods, I 2 is less than 100 mA (e.g., less than 75 mA). For example, I 2 is from less than 75 mA to about 5 mA. In other examples, I 2 is from about 5 mA to about 99.99 mA. In some of these methods, the battery has a rated capacity of from about 15 mAh to about 150 mAh (e.g., from about 50 mAh to about 100 mAh).
In some methods, I 1 is about 150 mA or less. For example, I 1 is from about 0.3 mA to about 60 mA. In some of these methods, I 2 is less than about 150 mA. For example, I 2 is from about 0.2 mA to about 149.99 mA. In some of these methods, the battery has a rated capacity of from about 4 mAh to about 150 mAh.
In some methods, I 1 is about 25 mA or less. For example, I 1 is from about 25 mA to greater than 0.4 mA. In some of these methods, I 2 is less than 25 mA. For example, I 2 is from less than 25 mA to about 0.2 mA. In some of these methods, the battery has a rated capacity of from about 4 mAh to about 50 mAh.
In some methods, I 1 is about 15 mA or less. For example, I 1 is from about 15 mA to greater than 0.1 mA. In some of these methods, I 2 is less than 15 mA. For example, I 2 is from less than 15 mA to about 0.1 mA. In some of these methods, the battery has a rated capacity of from about 1.0 mAh to about 15 mAh.
In some methods, I 1 is from about 3.0 mA to about 3.5 mA. In some of these methods, the battery has a theoretical capacity of from about 40 mAh to about 50 mAh (e.g., about 44 mAh). In others, the battery has a rated capacity of from about 15 mAh to about 20 mAh (e.g., about 18 mAh). And, in some embodiments, the battery stores from about 25 mWh to about 30 mWh (e.g., about 29 mWh).
In some methods, I 1 is from about 4.7 mA to about 5.6 mA. In some of these methods, the battery has a theoretical capacity of from about 50 mAh to about 60 mAh (e.g., about 57 mAh). In others, the battery has a rated capacity of from about 20 mAh to about 30 mAh (e.g., about 28 mAh). And, in some embodiments, the battery stores from about 40 mWh to about 50 mWh (e.g., about 45 mWh).
In some methods, I 1 is from about 5.4 mA to about 6.4 mA. In some of these methods, the battery has a theoretical capacity of from about 60 mAh to about 80 mAh (e.g., about 70 mA to about 80 mA or about 78 mAh). In others, the battery has a rated capacity of from about 30 mAh to about 40 mAh (e.g., about 32 mAh). And, in some embodiments, the battery stores from about 50 mWh to about 60 mWh (e.g., about 51 mWh).
In some methods, I 1 is from about 15 mA to about 24 mA. In some of these methods, the battery has a theoretical capacity of from about 250 mAh to about 275 mAh (e.g., about 269 mAh). In others, the battery has a rated capacity of from about 100 mAh to about 140 mAh (e.g., about 120 mAh). And, in some embodiments, the battery stores from about 175 mWh to about 225 mWh (e.g., about 192 mWh).
In some methods, the voltage, V 2 , is from about 85% to about 100% (e.g., from about 90% to about 100% or from about 90% to about 99%) of V 1 . For example, the voltage, V 2 , is from about 96% to about 99.5% of V 1 .
In some methods, V 1 is about 2.04 V or less. For example, V 1 is from about 1.96 V to about 2.04 V. In other examples, V 1 is from about 1.96 V to about 1.99 V.
In some methods, V 2 is about 2.03 V or less. For example, V 2 is from about 1.93 V to about 2.03 V. In other examples, V 2 is from about 1.93 V to about 1.98 V.
Several methods of recharging a rechargeable battery according to the present invention exclude Coulomb counting as a method of determining the capacity that has been charged to the battery.
Another aspect of the present invention provides a method of charging a rechargeable battery having multiple voltage plateaus, wherein the battery has a voltage, V Batt , that is less than its highest voltage plateau comprising: charging the battery with a first charging current, I 1 , wherein the first charging current, I 1 , is substantially constant until the battery is charged to a voltage, V 1 ; and controlling the first charging current, I 1 , when the voltage of the battery is V 1 , so that the voltage of the battery is maintained at V 1 with a deviation of no more than about ±20% of V 1 for a period of from about 6 s to about 1200 s (e.g., from about 6 s to about 900 s), wherein voltage, V 1 , is less than the voltage of the natural polarization peak, V PP , for a voltage plateau, V P , that is higher than V Batt , and V 1 is greater than the voltage plateau, V P .
Some methods further comprise charging the battery with a second charging current, I 2 , that is less than or equal to the first charging current, I 1 , when the battery has a voltage of less than V 1 , wherein the second charging current, I 2 , is substantially constant until the battery voltage reaches a voltage, V 2 , wherein the voltage, V 2 , is less than or equal to the voltage, V 1 , and greater than V Batt , and controlling the second charging current, I 2 , when the voltage of the battery reaches the voltage, V 2 , so that the voltage of the battery is maintained at V 2 with a deviation of no more than about ±20% of V 2 . Also, some methods also comprise terminating the second charging current, I 2 , after a period of about 10 min or less (e.g., about 5 min or less) from the point when the battery is charged to a SOC of from about 80% to about 150% (e.g., from about 80% to about 110%) of the battery's rated capacity.
In some methods, the first charging current, I 1 , is sufficient to charge the battery to voltage, V 1 , in a period of from about 5 min to about 240 min when the battery's initial SOC is less than 40% (e.g., less than 30%) of its rated capacity. In other methods, the first charging current, I 1 , is sufficient to charge the battery to a voltage of V 1 in a period of from about 10 min to about 180 min, when the battery's initial SOC is less than 40% (e.g., less than 30%) of its rated capacity. In other methods, the first charging current, I 1 , is sufficient to charge the battery to a voltage of V 1 in a period of from about 15 min to about 75 min, when the battery's initial SOC is less than 40% (e.g., less than 30%) of its rated capacity. Or, the first charging current, I 1 , is sufficient to charge the battery from a SOC of less than 30% (e.g., less than 20%) of its rated capacity to a SOC of from about 30% to about 40% of its rated capacity in about 240 min or less (e.g., about 180 min or less). For example, the first charging current, I 1 , is sufficient to charge the battery from a SOC of less than 40% (e.g., less than 30%) of its rated capacity to a SOC of about 40% its rated capacity in less than about 240 min. In other methods, the first charging current, I 1 , is sufficient to charge the battery to a voltage of V 1 in a period of about 75 min or less, when the battery's initial SOC is less than 40% (e.g., less than 30%) of its rated capacity.
In some methods, V Batt is from about 50% to about 87% of the voltage, V 1 .
Other methods further comprise controlling the first charging current, I 1 , when the voltage of the battery reaches a voltage, V 1 , so that the voltage of the battery is maintained at V 1 with a deviation of no more than about ±10% of V 1 for a period of from about 6 s to about 1200 s (e.g., from about 6 s to about 900 s or from about 550 s to about 650 s).
Optionally, some of these methods further comprise generating an electrical signal that indicates a soft short in the battery if V Batt is lower than V P (e.g. 1.90 V) for a period of more than 1 second after the battery has been charged to a voltage of V 2 .
Optionally, some of these methods further comprise charging the battery with a diagnostic charge current, I Diag , to determine whether the battery is compatible with some steps of the present charging method. One embodiment comprises charging the battery with a diagnostic charge current, I Diag , for a period of less than about 30 s, detecting the voltage of the battery, V Batt , and terminating charging of the battery if V Batt is about 1.65 V or less (e.g., less than about 1.65 V). In some methods, I Diag is greater than or equal to I 1 . In other methods, I Diag is from about 5% to about 200% greater than I 1 . In some methods, I Diag is from about 30% to about 100% greater than I 1 . And in some methods, I Diag is about equal to I 1 . Other embodiments comprise charging the battery with a diagnostic charge current, I Diag that is about 10% to about 200% higher than I 1 for a period of less than about 10 s, detecting the voltage of the battery, V Batt , and terminating charging of the battery if V Batt is about 1.60 V or less. Some methods comprise charging the battery with a diagnostic charge current, I Diag that is about 30% to about 100% higher than I 1 for a period of less than about 5 s, detecting the voltage of the battery, V Batt , and terminating charging of the battery if V Batt is about 1.55 V or less.
In some methods, the voltage, V 2 , is from about 90% to about 100% of V 1 . For example, the voltage, V 2 , is from about 96% to about 99.5% of V 1 . In other methods, V 1 is about 2.04 V or less. For example, V 1 is from about 2.04 V to about 1.96 V. Or, V 1 is from about 1.99 V to about 1.96 V.
In other methods, V 2 is about 2.03 V or less. For example, V 2 is from about 2.03 V to about 1.93 V. In other examples, V 2 is from about 1.93 V to about 1.98 V.
One aspect of the present invention provides a method of detecting a rechargeable silver-zinc battery comprising charging the battery with a diagnostic charge current, I Diag , for a period of less than about 60 s, detecting the voltage of the battery, V Batt , and terminating charging of the battery if V Batt is about 1.60 V or less (e.g., about 1.55 V or less); wherein I Diag is about 25 mA or less. In some embodiments, the battery is charged with I Diag for a period of about 7 s or less, detecting the voltage of the battery, V Batt , and generating an electrical signal if V Batt is about 1.60 V or less, wherein I Diag is from about 20 mA to about 25 mA or about 10 mA or less. In some embodiments, the electrical signal activates an audio alarm, a visual alarm, a vibrational alarm, or any combination thereof.
Referring generally to FIG. 6 , another aspect of the present invention provides a method of charging a rechargeable battery having multiple voltage plateaus wherein the battery has a voltage, V Batt , that is less than about 80% (e.g., less than about 70%) of the voltage of a first sequential voltage plateau, V P1 , comprising:
a. charging the battery with a recovery charging current, I recov , that is substantially constant for a period of no more than about 120 min (e.g., no more than 30 min, no more than about 20 min, or no more than about 15 min) after the voltage of charging battery reaches the first sequential voltage plateau, V P1 that is greater than V Batt ;
b. charging the battery with a first charging current, I 1 , wherein the first charging current, I 1 , is substantially constant until the battery is charged to a voltage, V 1 ; and
c. controlling the first charging current, I 1 , when the voltage of the battery reaches the voltage, V 1 , so that the voltage of the battery is maintained at V 1 with a deviation of no more than about ±20% of V 1 , for a period of from about 6 s to about 1200 s (e.g., from about 6 s to about 900 s),
wherein voltage, V 1 , is less than the voltage of the natural polarization peak, V PP , for a voltage plateau, V P , that is higher than V P1 , and V 1 is greater than the voltage plateau, V P .
In some methods, I recov is from about 5% to about 90% of I 1 . For example, I recov is from about 10% to about 30% of I 1 .
Some methods further comprise:
d. charging the battery with a second charging current, I 2 , that is less than the first charging current, I 1 , wherein the second charging current, I 2 , is substantially constant until the battery voltage reaches a voltage, V 2 , wherein the voltage, V 2 , is less than the voltage, V 1 , and greater than the first sequential voltage plateau, V P1 ; and
e. controlling the second charging current, I 2 , when the voltage of the battery reaches the voltage, V 2 , so that the voltage of the battery is maintained at V 2 with a deviation of no more than about ±20% of the voltage V 2 .
Other methods further comprise:
f. terminating the second charging current, I 2 , after a period of about 10 minutes or less from the point when the battery is charged to a capacity of from about 80% to about 150% (e.g., from about 80% to about 110%) of the battery's rated capacity.
And some methods further comprise generating an electrical signal that indicates that the battery is experiencing a short (e.g., a soft short or a hard short) if the voltage of the battery, V Batt , fails to reach the first sequential voltage plateau, V P1 , that is greater than V Batt after being charged with I recov for a period of from about 15 minutes to 2 hours (e.g., from about 30 min to about 120 min).
Some methods of this aspect also exclude counting Coulombs to assess the capacity that is charged to a battery.
In some methods, the rechargeable battery comprises an anode comprising a zinc material.
In other methods, the rechargeable battery comprises a cathode comprising a silver material.
Exemplary batteries that may be recharged using methods of the present invention include button cells, coin cells, cylinder cells, or prismatic cells.
The methods above may optionally include additional steps such as generating an electrical signal when the second charging current, I 2 , terminates. Some methods further include activating a visual signal, activating an audio signal, activating a vibrational signal, or any combination thereof when the second charging current, I 2 , terminates.
Referring to FIGS. 7A , 7 B, and 8 A, another aspect of the present invention provides a method of charging a rechargeable button cell having multiple voltage plateaus wherein the cell has a voltage greater than about 1.10 V and less than about 1.70 V (e.g., greater than 1.20 V and 1.70 V) comprising:
a. charging the cell with a first charging current, I 1 , wherein the first charging current, I 1 , is substantially constant until the cell is charged to a voltage, V 1 , that is greater than 1.70 V and less than 2.04 V; and
b. controlling the first charging current, I 1 , when the voltage of the cell reaches the voltage, V 1 , so that the voltage of the cell is maintained at V 1 with a deviation of no more than about ±10% of V 1 for a period of from about 6 s to about 1500 s (e.g., from about 6 s to about 1200 s).
Some methods further comprise:
c. charging the cell with a second charging current, I 2 , that is less than or equal to the first charging current, I 1 , when the battery has a voltage of less than V 1 , wherein the second charging current, I 2 , is substantially constant until the cell voltage reaches a voltage, V 2 , wherein the voltage, V 2 , is less than or equal to the voltage, V 1 , and greater than 1.7 V; and
d. controlling the second charging current, I 2 , when the voltage of the cell reaches the voltage, V 2 , so that the voltage of the cell is maintained at V 2 with a deviation of no more than about ±10% of the voltage V 2 .
And, other methods further comprise:
e. terminating the second charging current, I 2 , after no more than 5 minutes from the point when the cell is charged to a capacity of from about 80% to about 150% (e.g., from about 80% to about 110%) of the cell's rated capacity.
In some methods, the first charging current, I 1 , is sufficient to charge the battery to the voltage, V 1 , in a period of from about 1 min to about 180 min (e.g., from about 30 min to about 180 min).
Other methods further comprise controlling the first charging current, I 1 , when the voltage of the cell reaches the voltage, V 1 , so that the voltage of the battery is maintained at V 1 with a deviation of no more than about ±10% of V 1 for a period of from about 550 s to about 650 s.
In some methods, the voltage, V 2 , is from about 90% to about 100% of V 1 . For example, the voltage, V 2 , is from about 96% to about 99.5% of V 1 .
In some methods, I 1 is about 1 Amp or less. For example, I 1 is from about 1 Amps to greater than 80 mA. In other examples, I 1 is from about 80 mA to about 1 A (e.g., from about 8 mA to about 0.99 A). In some of these methods, I 2 is less than 1 Amp. For example, I 2 is less than 1 Amp to about 80 mA. In other examples, I 2 is from about 80 mA to about 0.99 A. In other examples, the battery has a rated capacity of from about 100 mAh to about 1000 mAh.
In some methods, I 1 is about 300 mA or less. For example, I 1 is from about 250 mA to about greater than 8 mA. In other examples, I 1 is from about 8 mA to about 299.99 mA. In some of these methods, I 2 is less than 300 mA (e.g., less than 250 mA). For example, I 2 is from less than 250 mA to about 4 mA. In other examples, I 2 is from about 4 mA to about 299.99 mA. In some of these methods, the battery has a rated capacity of from about 15 mAh to about 150 mAh (e.g., from about 50 mAh to about 100 mAh).
In some methods, the voltage, V 2 , is from about 1.93 V to about 1.98 V.
In some methods, I 1 is about 25 mA or less. For example, I 1 is from about 25 mA to greater than 4 mA. In some of these methods, I 2 is less than 25 mA. For example, I 2 is from less than 25 mA to about 2 mA. In some of these methods, the battery has a rated capacity of from about 4 mAh to about 50 mAh.
In some methods, I 1 is about 15 mA or less. For example, I 1 is from about 15 mA to greater than 0.1 mA. In some of these methods, I 2 is less than 15 mA. For example, I 2 is from less than 15 mA to about 0.1 mA.
In some methods, I 1 is from about 3.0 mA to about 3.5 mA. In some of these methods, the battery has a theoretical capacity of from about 40 mAh to about 50 mAh (e.g., about 44 mAh). In others, the battery has a rated capacity of from about 15 mAh to about 20 mAh (e.g., about 18 mAh). And, in some embodiments, the battery stores from about 25 mWh to about 30 mWh (e.g., about 29 mWh).
In some methods, I 1 is from about 4.7 mA to about 5.6 mA. In some of these methods, the battery has a theoretical capacity of from about 50 mAh to about 60 mAh (e.g., about 57 mAh). In others, the battery has a rated capacity of from about 20 mAh to about 30 mAh (e.g., about 28 mAh). And, in some embodiments, the battery stores from about 40 mWh to about 50 mWh (e.g., about 45 mWh).
In some methods, I 1 is from about 5.4 mA to about 6.4 mA. In some of these methods, the battery has a theoretical capacity of from about 70 mAh to about 80 mAh (e.g., about 78 mAh). In others, the battery has a rated capacity of from about 30 mAh to about 40 mAh (e.g., about 32 mAh). And, in some embodiments, the battery stores from about 50 mWh to about 60 mWh (e.g., about 51 mWh).
In some methods, I 1 is from about 15 mA to about 24 mA. In some of these methods, the battery has a theoretical capacity of from about 250 mAh to about 275 mAh (e.g., about 269 mAh). In others, the battery has a rated capacity of from about 100 mAh to about 140 mAh (e.g., about 120 mAh). And, in some embodiments, the battery stores from about 175 mWh to about 225 mWh (e.g., about 192 mWh).
In some methods, the voltage, V 2 , is from about 90% to about 100% of V 1 . For example, the voltage, V 2 , is from about 96% to about 99.5% of V 1 .
In some methods, the voltage, V 1 , is from about 1.95 V to about 1.99 V.
In other methods, the first charging current, I 1 , is modulated for a period of about 550 s to about 650 s.
In some methods, the voltage, V 2 , is from about 1.93 V to about 1.98 V.
Other methods exclude counting Coulombs as described above.
In some methods, the battery comprises an anode comprising a zinc material.
In other methods, the battery comprises a cathode comprising a silver material.
Some methods further comprise generating an electrical signal when the second charging current, I 2 , is terminated. And, other methods further comprise activating a signal (e.g., a visual signal, an audio signal, a vibrational signal, or any combination thereof) when the second charging current, I 2 , is terminated.
Some methods of the present invention are useful for recharging a battery having a relatively high initial SOC. Referring to FIG. 4 , the present invention provides a method of charging a rechargeable battery having multiple voltage plateaus and an initial SOC of greater than 50% of its rated capacity, wherein the battery has a voltage, V Batt , that is less than or equal to its highest voltage plateau comprising:
a. charging the battery with a substantially constant charging current, I 2 , until the battery is charged to a voltage, V 2 ; and
b. controlling the charging current, I 2 , so that the voltage of the battery is maintained at V 2 with a deviation of no more than about ±20% of V 2 ,
wherein voltage, V 2 , is greater than or equal the voltage of a voltage plateau, V P , that is less than the voltage of a natural polarization peak, V PP .
Some methods further comprise:
c. terminating the charging current, I 2 , when I 2 reaches I ter , wherein I ter is about 85% or less of I 2 during the period when the battery was being charged at V 2 .
Other methods further comprise further comprise:
d. terminating the charging current, I 2 , when I 2 reaches I ter , wherein I ter is about 75% or less of I 2 during the period when the battery was being charged at V 2 .
And in other methods, V 2 is about 2.0 V or less.
In some methods, I 2 is about 6 mA. In other methods, I ter is about 4.5 mA.
Other aspects of the present invention incorporate one or more of the methods above into a charge method that is useful for recharging a rechargeable cell and that operates to maximize the rechargeable cell's cycle life.
Examples of additional methods of the present invention are presented in the FIGS. 8A-8D .
One method includes the following steps:
Step 1: Measuring the SOC of the cell.
Step 2A: If the SOC of the cell is greater than about 0.0% and less than or equal to about 40% (e.g., the open circuit voltage (OCV) is greater than about 1.2 V and less than or equal to about 1.6 V), then charging the cell according to a multi-stage charge process (starting at step 3A, below).
Step 2B: If the SOC is greater than about 50% (e.g., the OCV is greater than about 1.6 V (e.g., about 1.85 V or greater)), then charging the cell according to a single stage charge process (starting at step 3B, below).
Step 2C: If the SOC is less than 30% (e.g., the OCV is about 1.2 V or less), then charging the cell according to an over-discharge recovery process (starting at step 3C, below).
Multi-Zone Charge Process
Step 3A (Zone 1 of Multi-zone Charge Process): Charging the cell with a substantially constant charge current, I 1 , having sufficient amperage to charge the cell to a SOC of from about less than 30% to about 40% of its rated capacity within about 1 hour of charging, wherein the charge current, I 1 , is controlled such that the cell is charged to a voltage, V 1 , that is less than its natural polarization peak voltage, V PP , for a period of time ending from about 6 s to about 1500 s (e.g., from about 6 s to about 1200 s, from about 6 s to about 900 s, or from about 6 s to about 600 s) after the cell is charged to a voltage of V 1 , then charging the cell according to stage 2 of the multi-zone charge process.
Step 4A (Zone 2 of Multi-zone Charge Process): Charging the cell with a substantially constant charge current, I 2 , wherein the charge current is controlled such that the voltage of the cell does not rise above a maximum voltage, V 2 that is less than its natural polarization peak voltage, V PP ; and greater than the voltage of the voltage plateau; clocking the time that the cell is charged with a charge current of I 2 , and terminating the charge current about 60 s after the battery is charged to an SOC of 85% or higher (e.g., from about 85% to about 150% or from about 85% to about 130%) of its rated capacity.
1. Single Zone Charge Process
Step 3B: Charging the cell with a charge current, I 2 , wherein the charge current is controlled such that the voltage of the cell does not rise above a maximum voltage, V 2 that is less than its natural polarization peak voltage, V PP ; and greater than the voltage of the voltage plateau; clocking the time that the cell is charged with a charge current of I 2 to a voltage of V 2 , and terminating the charge current about 60 s after the cell is charged to an SOC of 85% or higher (e.g., from about 80% to about 150% or from about 80% to about 110%) of its rated capacity.
2. Over-Discharge Recovery Process
Step 3C: Charging the cell with a constant charge current, I recov , until the cell is charged to a voltage, V P1 , of the first sequential voltage plateau (e.g., an SOC of about less than about 30% or an SOC of less than about 5% of the cell's rated capacity), followed by charging the cell according to the multi-stage charge method described above.
Each of the abovementioned charging methods (e.g., the multi-stage charge process, the single-stage charge process, or the over-discharge recovery charge process) is exemplified in FIGS. 2 , 4 , 5 , 6 , and 8 A- 8 D.
Referring now to FIG. 2 , a charge curve that is related to the “multi-zone charge mode” of a silver-zinc cell is shown according to an embodiment of the invention. In an embodiment, the charge curve includes two corresponding curves, which are plotted against time and read left-to-right. In an embodiment, the first curve, starting at about 1.65 V, is the voltage of the silver-zinc cell after charging has commenced, and, in an embodiment, the second curve, starting at about 8.5 mA is the charge current of the silver-zinc cell.
In view of what is described above, in an embodiment, recharging management circuitry, such as the circuitry illustrated in FIG. 1 , useful for practicing the method of the present invention may be located within a charging base, which may be described as a current-limited voltage source. In other embodiments, the management circuitry may be split between the charging base, the battery, an electronic device powered by the battery, or any combination thereof. Accordingly, the recharging management circuitry may include the hardware for implementing the charge method and cause the charging base to deliver the first charge current, I 1 , when the SOC of the silver-zinc cell is less than about 40%, wherein the first charge current, I 1 , is controlled so that the voltage of the battery does not exceed V 1 . When the battery is charged to voltage V 1 , and for a period of no more than 1500 s (e.g., about 1200 s, about 900 s, or about 600 s), the recharging management circuitry may cause the charging base to deliver a second charge current, I 2 , wherein the second charge current is controlled so that the cell is not charged above a second maximum voltage level, V 2 , wherein V 2 is less than or equal to V 1 . Further, in an embodiment, the charging method for charging of the silver-zinc cell may be terminated when the controlled charge current, I 2 , is less than or equal to a minimum charge current, I ter , for a period of about 60 s (e.g., from about 30 s to about 90 s, or from about 50 s to about 70 s).
Prior to describing further aspects of the method, some aspects of one or more embodiments of the system are provided. In an embodiment, the charge voltage accuracy may be within about ±2 mV between 1.900-2.000 V. In an embodiment, the voltage accuracy may be within about ±25 mV between 1.900-1.200 V. Further, in an embodiment, the charge current accuracy may be within about ±0.1 mA. Further, in an embodiment, the temperature measurement accuracy may be within about ±5° C. (e.g., ±2° C.) and be a measure of the ambient temperature; further, in an embodiment, the temperature measurement does not have to measure the cell case temperature.
In an embodiment, the following limits may also be considered in the design of one or more of the silver-zinc cell, system, and charge methods. In an embodiment, the voltage of the silver-zinc cell may not exceed 2.00 V for more than one (1) second continuously. Further, in an embodiment, any voltage excursion above the 2.00 V limit may result from a charge voltage/current transition while the charging base is stabilizing the charge voltage on the silver-zinc cell. Further, in an embodiment, the charge current, I 2 or I ter , may not fall below a “trickle” charge level of about 1 mA for more than thirty (30) minutes continuously. Further, in an embodiment, the maximum charge time (at about room temperature) of a silver-zinc cell may be about six (6) hours. Further, in an embodiment, a silver-zinc cell may be charged when ambient temperature conditions are between about approximately about 0° C. and about approximately about 40° C. Further, in an embodiment, the cell current may be integrated during charging and may not exceed 27 mAh in a single charge.
In some methods of the present invention, a discharge warning signal triggers a Coulomb count terminated cycle.
B. Charging Method 2:
Referring to FIGS. 10-17 , another aspect of the present invention provides a method of charging a rechargeable battery having multiple voltage plateaus comprising:
1) Continuously charging the battery with a modulated charge current, I 1 , wherein the charge current, I 1 , has a maximum amperage, I max , and is modulated so that the voltage of the battery is restricted to V max , which is less than the voltage of the next sequentially higher natural polarization peak, V PP , and higher than the next sequentially higher voltage plateau; and
2) Arresting the charge current, I 1 , when the charge current reaches a minimum threshold amperage for a given period of time (e.g., I 1end in FIG. 12 or I 2end in FIGS. 13-16 ).
In some embodiments, the minimum threshold amperage, I end , is calculated as follows:
I end =I Chg +I Temp ,I Chg =( T 2 ×I max )/ T Chg , wherein
I Temp is the temperature compensation current, T 2 is the time necessary to charge the battery from a voltage of from about 87% to about 96% (e.g., about 95.9%) of V max , prior to the polarization peak, to a voltage of V max (e.g., from 1.9 V to a voltage of about 2.0 V or about 2.03 V in a 2 V battery) after the polarization peak. I max is the maximum current charged to the battery, and T Chg is the cell time constant; and the voltages have a deviation of ±0.5%, the current amperages have deviations of ±2%, and clocked times have a deviation of ±2%. This calculation is discussed in detail below.
In some methods, I end is I 1end . In others, I end is I 2end .
In other embodiments, the charge current is arrested when the charge current, I 1 , has an amperage less than or equal to I end for a period of from about 30 s to about 90 s (e.g., 60 s).
In some embodiments, the charge current is arrested when the cell experiences a hard short.
In some embodiments, the charge current is arrested when the cell is determined to be other than a silver zinc cell.
In several methods, V max is 2.03 V or 2.0 V. In other methods, the charge current has a maximum amperage, I max , of about 10 mA or less (e.g., about 6 mA or less). For example, the charge current has a maximum amperage, I max , of 5.5 mA or less.
And, some methods include measuring the temperature, wherein the temperature measurement accuracy has a deviation of ±5° C.
Another aspect of the present invention provides a method of charging a rechargeable battery having multiple voltage plateaus comprising:
1) Charging the battery with a modulated charge current, I 1 , wherein the charge current, I 1 , has a maximum amperage, I max , and is modulated so that the voltage of the battery is restricted to V max , which is less than the voltage of the next sequentially higher natural polarization peak, V PP , and higher than the next sequentially higher voltage plateau;
2) Arresting charge current I 1 after a period of from about 10 min to about 30 min (e.g., about 20 min) has elapsed starting from the point when the battery has a voltage of from about 87% to about 97% of V max ; and
3) Charging the battery with a modulated charge current, I 2 , wherein the charge current, I 2 , has a maximum amperage, I max , and is modulated so that the voltage of the battery is restricted to V max .
Some embodiments further comprise arresting charge current I 2 when the amperage of I 2 is below I 2end for a period of from about 30 to about 90 (e.g., about 60) continuous seconds.
Some embodiments further comprise arresting charge current I 2 once the battery is charged to an SOC of about 50%, if the lowest amperage of I 2 , I 2low , is less than the amperage of charge current I 2 after 20 minutes has been clocked, wherein the SOC of the battery is determined by integrating the charge current while time is being clocked.
Some embodiments further comprise arresting charge current I 1 when the amperage of I 1 is below I 1min , e.g., 1.0 V, for a period of about 5 min or less.
In some embodiments, the voltages have a deviation of ±0.5%; the charge current amperages have deviations of ±2%; and clocked time has a deviation of ±2%.
Another aspect of the present invention provides a method of charging a 2.0 V rechargeable battery comprising:
1) Charging the battery with a modulated charge current I 2 , wherein the charge current, I 2 , is modulated so that the voltage of the battery is restricted to 2.0 V or less (e.g., 1.98 V), and the charge current has a maximum amperage, I max , of 6.0 mA or less (e.g., 5.5 mA or 5.0 mA);
2) Clocking time 15 seconds after charging begins (shown in FIG. 11 as T 1 );
3) Measuring the amperage of charge current, I 2 , when time is being clocked; and
4A) Arresting charge current I 2 when the amperage of I 2 is below I 2end for a period of 60 continuous seconds if the amperage of I 2 is I max for a period of 5 or more continuous seconds when time is being clocked, wherein I 2end is the temperature dependent minimum charge current necessary to maintain a voltage of 2.0 V in the battery when the battery is charged to an SOC of about 100% of its rated capacity; or
4B) Arresting charge current I 2 once the battery is charged to an SOC of about 100% to about 150%, if the amperage of I 2 is I max for a period of less than 5 continuous seconds when time is being clocked, wherein the SOC of the battery is determined by integrating the charge current while time is being clocked; or
4C) Arresting charge current I 1 when the amperage of I 1 is below I 1min (e.g., 1.0 mA), for a period of about 5 min or less,
wherein the voltages have a deviation of ±0.5%; the charge current amperages have deviations of ±2%; and clocked time has a deviation of ±2%.
Some methods further comprise charging the battery with a second modulated charge current I 2 , wherein the second charge current I 2 is modulated so that the voltage of the battery is restricted to 2.0 V or less, and the charge current amperage is restricted to a maximum amperage, I max , of 5.0 mA; clocking time when the voltage of the battery is 1.9 V; and continuously charging the battery with charge current I 2 until 20 minutes has been clocked.
In some instances, the battery being charged is a size 10, 13, 312, or 675 rechargeable silver-zinc button cell.
Another aspect of the present invention provides a method of charging a rechargeable 2.0 V silver-zinc battery comprising charging the battery with a charge current, I 2 , having a maximum amperage, I max , of about 10 mA or less (e.g., about 6 mA or less) wherein the charge current I 2 is modulated so that the voltage of the battery is restricted to about 2.03 V or less; clocking time 60 seconds after charging with second charge current, I 2 , begins; measuring the lowest amperage, I low , of charge current I 2 when time is being clocked; and arresting charge current I 2 once the battery is charged with from about 40% to about 60% (e.g., about 50%) of its rated capacity with charge current, I 2 , wherein the capacity charged to the battery is determined by integrating the charge current, I 2 , while time is being clocked; and the voltages have a deviation of ±0.5%, the current amperages have deviations of ±2%, and clocked times have a deviation of ±2%.
In some embodiments, the battery has an OCV of greater than about 1.6 V (e.g., greater than about 1.65 V) in its discharged state, i.e., immediately before charging.
Another aspect of the present invention provides a method of charging a rechargeable 2.0 V silver-zinc battery comprising charging the battery with a charge current, I 2 , having a maximum amperage, I max , of about 10 mA or less (e.g., about 6 mA or less) wherein the charge current I 2 is modulated so that the voltage of the battery is restricted to about 2.03 V or less; clocking time 60 seconds after charging with second charge current, I 2 , begins; measuring the lowest amperage, I low , of charge current I 2 when time is being clocked; and arresting charge current I 2 when the amperage of I 2 is below I end for a period of 60 continuous seconds if the amperage of I 2 is I max for a period of 2 continuous seconds while time is being clocked; or arresting charge current I 2 once the battery is charged with from about 40% to about 60% (e.g., about 50%) of its rated capacity with charge current I 2 , if I low is less than the amperage of charge current I 2 after 20 minutes has been clocked, wherein the capacity charged to the battery is determined by integrating the charge current, I 2 , while time is being clocked; or arresting charge current I 2 when the amperage of I 2 is below I end for a period of 60 continuous seconds, if I low is greater than or equal to the amperage of I 2 after 20 minutes has been clocked; or arresting charge current I 2 when the amperage of I 2 is below 1.0 V, for a period of about 5 min or less; wherein I end =I Chg +I Temp , I Chg =(T 2 ×I max )/T Chg , I Temp is the temperature compensation current, T 2 is the time necessary to charge the battery from a voltage of about 1.9 V to a voltage of about 2.0 V, I max is the maximum current charged to the battery, and T Chg is the cell time constant; and the voltages have a deviation of ±0.5%, the current amperages have deviations of ±2%, and clocked times have a deviation of ±2%.
In some embodiments, the battery has an OCV of greater than about 1.6 V (e.g., greater than about 1.65 V) in its discharged state.
Some embodiments further comprise measuring the temperature, wherein the temperature measurement has accuracy of about ±5° C. (e.g., ±2° C.).
Another aspect of the present invention provides a method of charging a rechargeable 2.0 V silver-zinc battery comprising charging the battery with first charge current, I 1 , having a maximum amperage, I max , of about 10 mA or less (e.g., about 6 mA or less); clocking time once the battery is charged to a voltage of 1.90 V; modulating the first charge current, I 1 , so that the voltage of the battery is restricted to about 2.03 V or less; arresting the first charge current, I 1 , once from between about 10 min to about 30 min (e.g., about 20 min) has been clocked; charging the battery with second charge current, I 2 , having a maximum amperage, I max , of about 10 mA or less (e.g., about 6 mA or less) wherein the second charge current I 2 is modulated so that the voltage of the battery is restricted to about 2.0 V or less; clocking time 60 seconds after charging with second charge current, I 2 , begins; measuring the lowest amperage, I low , of charge current I 2 when time is being clocked; and arresting charge current I 2 when the amperage of I 2 is below I end for a period of 60 continuous seconds if the amperage of I 2 is I max for a period of 2 continuous seconds while time is being clocked; or arresting charge current I 2 once the battery is charged with from about 40% to about 60% (e.g., about 50%) of its rated capacity with charge current I 2 , if I low is less than the amperage of charge current I 2 after 20 minutes has been clocked, wherein the capacity charged to the battery is determined by integrating the charge current, I 2 , while time is being clocked; or arresting charge current I 2 when the amperage of I 2 is below I end for a period of 60 continuous seconds, if I low is greater than or equal to the amperage of I 2 after 20 minutes has been clocked; or arresting charge current I 2 when the amperage of I 2 is below 1.0 V, for a period of about 5 min or less; wherein I end =I Chg +I Temp , I Chg =(T 2 ×I max )/T Chg , I Temp is the temperature compensation current, T 2 is the time necessary to charge the battery from a voltage of about 1.9 V to a voltage of about 2.0 V, I max is the maximum current charged to the battery, and T Chg is the cell time constant; and the voltages have a deviation of ±0.5%, the current amperages have deviations of ±2%, and clocked times have a deviation of ±2%.
Some of these methods further comprise measuring the temperature, wherein the temperature measurement has an accuracy of about ±5° C. (e.g., ±2° C.).
In some embodiments, the maximum amperage, I max , is about 6 mA or less. For example, I max is about 5.5 mA or less.
In other embodiments, the battery has an OCV of less than about 1.70 V (e.g., about 1.65 V or less) in its discharged state.
In some embodiments, the OCV of the battery is greater than 1.25 V prior to charging.
In other embodiments, the OCV of the battery is less than 1.25 V prior to charging.
Some embodiments further comprise charging the battery with a recovery charge current of 1.0 mA for a period of at least 20 minutes (e.g., at least 30 minutes); and arresting the recovery charge current when the battery is charged to a voltage of about 1.50 V or more (e.g., about 1.6 V).
Other exemplary methods are provided, as a step-diagrams, in FIGS. 8A-9 .
In some methods, the battery charger is a current limited voltage source. When cell impedance is low the charger delivers maximum allowed current as set by the charge method. As cell impedance increases, cell voltage rises to the maximum allowed voltage, and the charge current is modulated, i.e., reduced, to maintain the battery's voltage at the maximum allowed voltage.
In some methods, the charge voltage accuracy has a deviation of ±0.5% (e.g., ±10 mV between 1.200-2.000 V). In other methods, the charge current accuracy has a deviation of ±2% (e.g., ±0.1 mA between 1-5 mA). In some methods, time is measured or clocked with an accuracy of ±2% (e.g., for a 5 hour time period, the accuracy is ±0.1 hours). And, in some methods, the temperature measurement accuracy has a deviation of ±5° C. (e.g., ±2° C.). The temperature measurement does not have to measure the cell case temperature, only the ambient temperature.
In some methods, the cell voltage does not exceed 2.00 V for more than 1 second continuously. Voltage excursions above this voltage limit should be due to a charge voltage/current transition while the charger is stabilizing the charge voltage on the cell. In FIGS. 10 and 13 - 17 , the maximum charge voltage for the cell is labeled as V max . Voltage ripple is allowed in these charge methods, but the peak should not exceed 2.0V.
In some methods, V max is 1.98 V.
In some methods, the cell charge current does not fall below a minimum level, I min for more than 5 minutes continuously. The maximum charge current for the cell is I max . Current ripple is allowed but the voltage peak should not exceed 2.0 V. In some methods, I min is 1.0 mA. In other methods, I max is 5.0 mA (e.g., I max is 5.0 mA when the rated capacity of the battery is 31 mAh). In some methods, I max is 5.5 mA (e.g., I max is 5.5 mA when the rated capacity of the battery is 35 mAh).
1. Deep Discharge (Zone 1 )
Another aspect of the present invention provides a method of charging a rechargeable 2.0 V silver-zinc battery having an voltage (e.g., OCV) of less than 1.65 V comprising
1) Charging the battery with first charge current, I 1 , having an amperage of 6.0 mA or less (e.g., 5.5 mA or 5.0 mA);
2) Clocking time once the battery is charged to a voltage of 1.90 V;
3) Modulating the first charge current so that the voltage of the battery is restricted to 2.0 V or less, and the first charge current has a maximum amperage, I max , of about 10 mA or less (e.g., about 6.0 mA or less, about 5.5 mA or about 5.0 mA);
4) Continuously charging the battery with the first charge current until 20 minutes has been clocked and arresting the first charge current;
5) Charging the battery with second charge current I 2 , wherein the charge current I 2 is modulated so that the voltage of the battery is restricted to 2.0 V or less, and the second charge current has a maximum amperage, I max , of about 10 mA or less (e.g., about 6.0 mA or less, about 5.5 mA or about 5.0 mA);
6) Arresting charge current I 2 when the amperage of I 2 is below I 2end for a period of 60 continuous seconds, wherein I 2end =I Chg +I Temp , I Chg is the charge compensation current, I Temp is the temperature compensation current, and I Chg =(T 2 ×5.0 mA)/T Chg , wherein T 2 is the time necessary to charge the battery to a voltage of about 2.0 V with the second charge current, I 2 , and T Chg is the cell time constant; or
7) Arresting charge current I 2 when the amperage of I 2 is below 1.0 mA, for a period of about 5 min or less,
wherein the voltages have a deviation of ±0.5%; the current amperages have deviations of ±2%; and clocked times have a deviation of ±2%.
In some methods, a two zone approach is utilized for charging. Referring to FIGS. 11 and 12 , zone 1 includes the steps of the charge method starting from the initial steps through the steps charging the battery to a voltage, V max , that is less than the natural polarization peak. Zone 2 includes the steps of the charge method starting from about 30 s to about 90 s after the battery is charged to V max (e.g., at the end of T 1 in FIG. 11 ) and continues until the charge current is terminated. Charging is terminated when the charge current drops to a termination current level in Zone 2 . The termination current level depends on which zone the cell started charging.
In some methods, as illustrated in FIG. 11 , when the battery voltage (e.g., OCV) is less than or equal to 1.65 V prior to charge, the cell is deeply discharged, typically to a SOC of less than 50% of its rated capacity. If allowed to settle, the battery's open circuit voltage (OCV) will settle at 1.60 V. The cell is charged at I max (e.g., 5.0 mA or 5.5 mA) to a maximum voltage of V max (e.g., 1.98 V or 2.0 V). When the cell voltage reaches 1.90 V, the battery voltage is near the polarization peak, and a Polarization Peak timer, T 1 , is started. The Polarization Peak timer clocks about 20 minutes of time. While this timer is active, the charge current will rapidly drop and recover. While the T 1 timer is active, the charge current is not terminated even if the charge current falls below I min . Zone 2 is entered when T 1 timer is complete, i.e., the timer has clocked 20 minutes. After the T 1 timer is complete, the charge set points are maintained at V max (e.g., 1.98 V or 2.0 V) and I max (e.g., 5.0 mA or 5.5 mA). The charge current continues until the charge current is less than I end for 60 seconds continuously. I end is the calculated charge termination current in mA, which compensates for state of charge, cell aging, and ambient temperature. The calculation for I end is expressed in equation (1):
I end =I Chg +I Temp (1)
where I Chg is the charge compensation current, in mA, and I Temp is the temperature compensation current in mA that are provided in Tables 1A and 1B:
TABLE 1A
T Temp and I end values for 31 mAh capacity batteries.
Maximum Charge
Temperature
Time
I Temp
I 2end
>=25° C.
0.0
hr
0.6
4.0
15° C.
+1.0
hr
0.4
3.5
5° C.
+2.0
hr
0.2
3.0
0° C.
+2.5
hr
0.0
2.5
TABLE 1B
T Temp and I end values for 35 mAh capacity batteries
Maximum Charge
Temperature
Time
I Temp
I 2end
≧25° C.
0.0
hr
1.0
4.5
15° C.
+1.0
hr
0.6
4.0
5° C.
+2.0
hr
0.3
3.5
0° C.
+2.5
hr
0.0
3.0
I Chg is a calculated value based on a constant current timer, T 2 , the measured length of time the cell is charged under constant current in Zone 2 , e.g., when I 2 is substantially constant. When timer T 1 starts, timer T 2 also starts. Timer T 2 ends when charge current falls below I max after T 1 ends. The minimum value for T 2 is T 1 . I Chg is determined with equation (2):
I Chg =( T 2 ×I max )/ T Chg (2)
where T Chg is the cell time constant in hours. Note that T Chg is empirically determined for a specific cell design such as the 31 mAh button cell or the 35 mAh button cell. Some values for T Chg for 31 and 35 mAh button cells above are provided in Table 2:
TABLE 2
T Chg values for two types of rechargeable button cells.
Capacity
T chg
31 mAh
5.0 hours
35 mAh
5.5 hours
Note that a battery that is in its early stages of cycle life will have a lower impedance and will accept charge more easily, which results in a longer measured T 2 . A longer T 2 results in a larger I Chg which terminates charge sooner while the charge current is higher. A battery that is in its later stages of life will have a higher impedance and more difficulty in accepting charge, which results in a shorter T 2 . A shorter T 2 results in a smaller I Chg which terminates charge later when the charge current is lower.
2. Temperature Dependence
Higher ambient temperatures increase the conductivity of the cell which allows the battery to charge faster. Lower ambient temperatures decrease the conductivity of the battery and require more time to charge the battery to the same capacity. As a result, the value for maximum charge time may be modified to compensate for the effect temperature has on conductivity.
Tables 1A and 1B, above, detail the offsets to use with the maximum charge time based on ambient temperature. For temperatures in between the specific values indicated below, scale the offset proportionally. Regardless of temperature, the minimum charge current value remains the lowest acceptable charge current.
Some methods of the present invention further comprise measuring the temperature,
wherein the temperature measurement accuracy has a deviation of ±5° C. (e.g., ±2° C.).
3. Shallow Discharge (Zone 2 )
Another aspect of the present invention provides a method of charging a rechargeable silver-zinc battery having a rated voltage of about 2.0 V comprising:
1) Charging the battery with a modulated charge current I 1 , wherein the charge current I 1 is modulated so that the voltage of the battery is restricted to 2.0 V or less, and the charge current has a maximum amperage, I max , of 5.0 mA;
2) Clocking time 60 seconds after charging begins;
3) Measuring the lowest amperage, I 1low , of charge current I 1 when time is being clocked; and
4A) Arresting charge current I 1 when the amperage of I 1 is below I 1end for a period of 60 continuous seconds if the amperage of I 1 is I max for a period of 2 continuous seconds when time is being clocked, wherein I 1end is the temperature dependent minimum charge current necessary to maintain a voltage of 2.0V in the battery when the battery is charged to an SOC of about 100%; or
4B) Arresting charge current I 1 once the battery is charged to an SOC of about 50%, if I 1low is less than the amperage of charge current I 1 after 20 minutes has been clocked, wherein the SOC of the battery is determined by integrating the charge current while time is being clocked; or
4C) Arresting charge current I 1 when the amperage of I 1 is below I 1end for a period of 60 continuous seconds, if I 1low is greater than or equal to the amperage of I 1 after 20 minutes has been clocked; or
4D) Arresting charge current I 1 when the amperage of I 1 is below I 1min , 1.0V, for a period of about 5 min or less; and
the voltages have a deviation of ±0.5%; the charge current amperages have deviations of ±2%; and clocked time has a deviation of ±2%.
Some methods further comprise charging the battery with a second modulated charge current I 2 , wherein the second charge current I 2 is modulated so that the voltage of the battery is restricted to 2.0 V or less, and the charge current amperage is restricted to a maximum amperage, I max , of 5.0 mA; clocking time when the voltage of the battery is 1.9V; and continuously charging the battery with charge current I 2 until 20 minutes has been clocked.
Some methods further comprise charging the battery with a second modulated charge current I 2 , wherein the second charge current I 2 is modulated so that the voltage of the battery is restricted to 2.0 V or less, and the charge current amperage is restricted to a maximum amperage, I max , of 5.0 mA; clocking time when the voltage of the battery is 1.9 V; and continuously charging the battery with charge current I 2 until 20 minutes has been clocked.
If the battery OCV is greater than 1.65 V prior to charge, the battery has a relatively high state of charge. If allowed to settle, the battery's open circuit voltage (OCV) will be at 1.86 V. In this case a fixed termination charge current, I 2end , is used.
There is a wide variation in battery impedance when charge is started in Zone 2 . If the battery is nearly fully charged at the start of charge, the cell impedance is significantly lower than if the battery is near the transition zone. FIG. 13 shows a battery starting charge with a high state of charge versus the battery in FIG. 14 starting charge near the transition zone.
Because of this impedance variation, the Zone 2 filter timer, T 3 , is used. Timer T 3 starts 60 seconds after the start of charging. While T 3 is active, if the charge current reaches I max for 2 seconds continuously, I 2end (see Tables 1A and 1B) is used to terminate charge.
FIG. 13 shows an example of this since the charge current reached I max during T 3 . Charge terminated when the charge current fell below I 2end . Charging can terminate while T 3 is active if charge current has reached I max and then falls below I 2end before T 3 is complete (refer to FIG. 15 ) or any time charge current falls below I min .
Once T 3 starts, the minimum charge current, I low , is recorded and compared to the charge current when T 3 has ended. If I low is less than the charge current at the end of T 3 , 50% of C max , i.e., 50% of the SOC, is charged into the cell by integrating the charge current. Charging terminates when 50% of C max has been charged into the cell or if the charge current falls below I min . FIG. 16 shows this as the charge current never reaches I max during T 3 and charge current is less than I 2end when 50% of C max has been charged into the cell.
If I low is equal to or greater than the charge current at the end of T 3 , charging may terminate when charge current falls below I 2end . For this case, if the charge current is already below I 2end , charging may terminate immediately.
4. Over-Discharge Recovery
Another aspect of the present invention provides a method for charging a rechargeable battery having an OCV of less than 1.25 V comprising:
1) Charging the battery with a recovery charge current of 1.0 mA for a period of at least 30 minutes; and
2) Arresting the recovery charge current when the battery is charged to a voltage of 1.60 V.
When the battery OCV is less than 1.25 V, the battery has been over-discharged. In this condition, the battery may be gently charged to a minimum condition before the normal charge method can be used. The battery is charged at I recov for a minimum of 30 minutes and until the charge voltage reaches V recov . Once the charge voltage has exceeded V recov , charging may transition to normal charging. The battery may not be charged for more than 1 hour at the I recov charge rate. Sample V recov and I recov values are presented in Table 3 for both 31 mAh and 35 mAh button cells.
TABLE 3
V recov and I recov values for two rechargeable batteries.
Capacity
V recov
I recov
31 mAh,
1.60 V
1 mA
35 mAh
After the cell voltage reaches V recov , the charge current may be integrated until the maximum capacity, C max , is charged into the cell, then charging may be terminated. Subsequent charge cycles will revert back to the normal charge method. Referring to FIG. 17 . The estimated charge time is 7-8 hours at room temperature due to the slower start of charge and the maximum capacity charge target.
5. Diagnostics
a. Diagnostics—Soft Shorting
In an embodiment, one or more of the methods may also take into account a “soft short,” which is an internal short circuit caused by a zinc dendrite that momentarily pierces the separator stack but is burned back by the short circuit current. For comparative purposes, a charge curve that does not include a soft short is shown in FIG. 7A whereas a charge curve including a soft short is shown in FIG. 7B . It is noted that soft shorts are an expected failure mode for silver-zinc batteries.
Soft shorts typically occur during charging in the upper plateau at the highest voltage level across the electrodes. After each burn-back event, the zinc dendrite grows larger and is able to carry more short circuit current until the dendrite vaporizes or dissolves. A soft short progressively gets worse until it ultimately forms a “hard short,” which is described in greater detail below.
Typically, soft shorts will occur in one charge cycle and not reappear until several cycles later as it takes time for the dendrite to grow back. Initially, the soft shorts will slightly reduce the rated charge capacity of the silver-zinc cell, and, as the zinc dendrite is able to carry more current, the rated charge capacity of the silver-zinc cell will be even further reduced. Accordingly, early detection of soft shorts may allow one or more of the methods associated with the system to communicate to the user that the silver-zinc battery may have to be replaced at some point in the future.
To account for battery shorting, some methods of the present invention optionally comprise generating an electrical signal if the voltage of the battery is lower than V P for a period of 2 seconds or more, which may be indicative of a soft short in the battery.
In a multi-zone charge method, a soft short first appears in the Zone 2 charging step since the potential is highest and is most favorable to drawing current through the dendrite. If the charge voltage in Zone 2 is less than or equal to the voltage plateau, V P , (e.g., 1.90 V) for a period of more than 1 second, (e.g., about 2 seconds or more) continuously, once the battery has been charged to a voltage of V 2 , the soft short diagnostic may be confirmed. Some methods of the present invention include generating an electrical signal when the soft short is confirmed.
b. Diagnostics—Hard Shorting
In an embodiment, one or more of the methods may also take into account a “hard short,” which renders the silver-zinc cell as being inoperable as a result of the hard short completely discharging the silver-zinc cell, causing the voltage of the cell to drop to nearly 0.00V. Typically, hard shorts are caused by dendrite shorts through the separators, which are internal structures that compromise the insulating barrier between the can and lid resulting in zinc dendrite growth under or around the gasket and external conductive bridges from can to lid. Separators are typically designed to withstand dendrite growth, but at the end of life of the battery, the separators will become weaker and eventually may allow dendrites to grow through, causing a ‘hard short’.
A silver-zinc cell with a hard short can be distinguished from an over-discharged silver-zinc cell during an over-discharge recovery event (see, e.g., steps S. 302 , S. 303 ′ of the charge method 300 ). For example, if the voltage of the cell, V, does not reach the V recov within the specified time limit (e.g., within about one (1) hour, which is seen, e.g., at step S. 302 ), the charge method 300 may determine that the silver-zinc cell has a hard short and may be advanced from step S. 302 to step S. 303 ′. In an embodiment, when determining if the silver-zinc cell includes a hard short, the charge method 300 may consider a minimum OCV detection level of about 0.100V to about 0.300V.
A hard short renders the cell inoperable due to its completely discharging the cell and causing the cell voltage to drop to nearly zero (0) V.
Hard shorts are caused by dendrite shorts through the separators, internal mechanical issues that compromise the insulating barrier between the can and lid, zinc dendrites that grow under or around the gasket, and external conductive bridges from can to lid.
A cell with a hard short can be distinguished from an over-discharged cell during the Over-Discharge Recovery charge. If the cell voltage does not reach the V recov within the specified time limit, i.e., 1 hr, the cell has a hard short.
c. Detection
A high impedance cell has difficulty getting the charge capacity back into electrodes. A cell with this condition gradually requires more time to become fully charged. This results in longer charge times and lower current thresholds. Eventually, as the impedance rises, the cell will no longer charge to full capacity within 6 hours at room temperature. The capacity tends to gradually drop with each successive cycle when less charge is put back into the cell.
High impedance cells are caused by the zinc anode gradually densifying and becoming more difficult to charge, aging of the cell which affects how efficiently the electrodes accept charge and electrolyte imbalance which can occur when the separators are blocked and do not allow water transfer to efficiently occur.
In an embodiment, one or more of the methods may also take into account a silver-zinc cell having a relatively high impedance, which may result in the silver-zinc cell having difficulty in getting the charge back into electrodes. Typically, a high impedance silver-zinc cell is usually caused by the zinc anode gradually densifying and becoming more difficult to charge, thereby aging silver-zinc cell, which may affect (a) how efficiently the electrodes accept charge, and (b) electrolyte imbalance, which may occur when the separators are blocked and do not allow water transfer to efficiently occur.
In one embodiment, when I min terminates charge, the high impedance/capacity fade diagnostic is confirmed. Multiple high impedance/capacity fade warnings may be confirmed before warning the user.
d. Incorrect Battery Chemistry
As noted above, the methods of recharging batteries according to the present invention are not compatible for all types of batteries. It is appreciated that many cells having a non-silver-zinc chemistry may share the same casing geometry as that of the silver-zinc cell; as such, when designing the one or more methods, the different chemistries should be kept in mind and considered in order to prevent a user from attempting to recharge a cell having a non-compliant chemistry. For example, in an embodiment, similar cell casing may not include a silver-zinc chemistry, but rather, for example: zinc-air (ZnO 2 ), nickel-metal hydride (NiMH) or the like.
Zinc-air batteries or manganese-oxide batteries may undergo gassing or explode when some charging methods of this invention are applied to the cell. To avoid this, some charging methods of the present invention further comprise a step or series of steps that assess the chemistry of the battery being charged, and if battery is assessed to have incompatible charging characteristics, the charge method is terminated. These steps may occur upon charging the battery or upon discharging the battery.
Zinc-air and NiMH cells tend to have a slower charge voltage rise than AgZn when charged at I Diag . The rise in charge voltage can be measured and the zinc-air and NiMH cells identified. If the cell voltage before charge is between 1.25 V and 1.65 V and the cell voltage has not exceeded 1.55 V after 3 seconds of being charged at I Diag , the cell is zinc-air or NiMH. For zinc-air and NiMH cells where the cell voltage before charge is less than 1.25 V, the over-discharge recovery method is used for detection. Over-discharged zinc-air and NiMH cells will not reach V recov when charged at I recov for 1 hour. I Diag values for two batteries are provided in Table 4:
TABLE 4
I Diag values for 2 batteries.
Capacity
I Diag
31 mAh
8 mA
35 mAh
10 mA
A partially discharged Ag 2 O or silver-oxide cell looks nearly identical to AgZn during charge because the anode and cathode are the same chemistry. As a result, the Ag 2 O cell may be charged up to V 1 . When V 1 is reached, the charge current in an Ag 2 O cell will drop similar to AgZn. The differentiator is that the charge current for Ag 2 O typically drops below 1.0 mA and never recovers to a higher level. The AgZn cell also has a charge current drop when V 1 is reached, but the charge current drop is only momentary before the current rises back up again before the polarization peak timer is complete. The inflection point of the charge current is used to identify AgZn. An inflection is defined as a rise of 0.5 mA or more. A fully discharged Ag 2 O cell has a fairly slow voltage rise during charge. This is detected by measuring the voltage rise after the charge voltage has exceeded 1.80 V. The AgZn cell will reach V 1 within 5 minutes after reaching 1.80 V, but the Ag 2 O cell will take much longer. The silver-oxide chemistry may take as long as 1 hour to detect but the cell is not damaged and will take charge during this time.
A deeply discharged alkaline cell also has a slower charge voltage rise than AgZn and can be detected similar to zinc-air and NiMH. A fresh alkaline cell has an open circuit voltage closer to AgZn and Ag 2 O. As a result, it may be charged up to V 1 and then the charge current may be monitored like Ag 2 O during the polarization peak timer.
Referring to FIG. 8D , the above-mentioned charging method 400 is described in accordance with an embodiment of the invention. In an embodiment, the charging method 400 includes several branches, each including a different outcome in determining if charging of a cell interfaced with/connected to the system should or should not proceed. In circumstances where charging should not proceed, the reason may include any of the following, such as, for example: (a) an attempt to charge a cell having a non-compliant chemistry, or, for example: (b) the cell includes a compliant chemistry, but, for example, includes an impermissibly high impedance.
However, if the cell to be charged by the system includes an appropriate OCV criteria (e.g., the OCV, V, at the outset of the charging period is greater than or equal to about, for example, 1.65V) the method 400 may be advanced from step S. 401 to step S. 402 (i.e., at step S. 402 , the method 400 may be advanced to one of the “multi-stage charge mode” at step S. 102 ′ or the “single-stage charge mode” at step S. 202 ). Conversely, if, however, the cell to be charged by the system 50 does not include an appropriate OCV criteria (e.g., the OCV, V, at the outset of the charging period is less than 1.65V), the method 400 may be advanced from step S. 401 to step S. 402 ′ in order to further investigate the OCV of the cell to be charged by the system 50 .
1. Branch S. 402 ′-S. 405 ′
At step S. 402 ′, for example, the method determines if the OCV of the cell is greater than or equal to about approximately 1.2V and less than or equal to about approximately 1.45V. If the above condition at step S. 402 ′ is true, the method 400 is advanced from step S. 402 ′ to step S. 403 ′ where the cell is charged at 8 mA until the voltage of the cell is equal to about approximately 1.55V or the time of charging is about equal to three (3) seconds. The method 400 is then advanced from step S. 403 ′ to step S. 404 ′ to determine if the voltage of the cell is less than 1.55V within three (3) seconds of being charged at 8 mA. If the above condition at step S. 404 ′ is not true, then the method 400 is advanced to step S. 405 ′ where charging is ceased due to the cell potentially having a non-compliant chemistry of one of ZnO 2 , NiMH, alkaline or the like. If, however, the condition at step S. 404 ′ is true, then the method 400 is advanced from step S. 404 ′ to step S. 404 ″, which is discussed in greater detail in the foregoing disclosure.
2. Branch S. 402 ′ and S. 403 ″-S. 407 ″
Referring back to step S. 402 ′, another branch of the method 400 is discussed. At step S. 402 ′, it may be determined that the condition is not true (i.e., the OCV may be greater than or equal to 1.2V but less than or equal to 1.45V), and, as such, the method 400 is advanced from step S. 402 ′ to S. 403 ″. At step S. 403 ″, for example, the method 400 determines if the OCV of the cell is greater than about approximately 1.45 V and less than about approximately 1.65 V.
If the above condition at step S. 403 ″ is true, the method 400 is advanced from step S. 403 ″ to step S. 404 ″ where the cell is charged at 8 mA until the voltage of the cell is equal to about approximately 1.98 V or until the charge current, I, drops. The method 400 is then advanced from step S. 404 ″ to S. 405 ″ where it is determined if the cell reaches V max within five (5) minutes in reference to period of time when the cell voltage was 1.8 V.
If the above condition at step S. 405 ″ is true, then the method 400 is advanced from step S. 405 ″ to step S. 406 ″ to determine if the charge current, I, is less than 1 mA during the polarization peak timer, T 1 . If the above condition at step S. 405 ″ is true, then the method 400 is advanced from step S. 406 ″ to step S. 407 ″ where charging is ceased due to the cell potentially having a non-compliant chemistry (e.g., the cell is an alkaline cell) or the cell includes a compliant chemistry (e.g., Ag 2 O/AgZn), but, however, includes an impermissibly high impedance. Similarly, if the condition at step S. 405 ″ is not true, then the method 400 is advanced from S. 405 ″ to step S. 407 ″ where charging is ceased. Further, if the condition at step S. 406 ″ is not true, then the method is advanced from step S. 406 ″ to step S. 407 ′″, which is discussed in greater detail in the foregoing disclosure.
When considering step S. 406 ″ described above, it will be appreciated that an Ag 2 O or “silver I oxide” cell behaves nearly identical to an AgZn or “silver II oxide” cell during charging because the anode and cathode are the same chemistry; as a result, the Ag 2 O cell may be charged up to V max ; when V max is reached, the charge current in an Ag 2 O cell will drop similarly with respect to an AgZn cell. The differentiator, however, is that the charge current for an Ag 2 O cell typically drops below 1 mA and usually does not recover to a higher level. Further, the AgZn cell also has a charge current drop when V max is reached, but, however, the charge current drop is only momentary before the current rises back up again before the polarization peak timer is complete. Yet, even further, an empty Ag 2 O cell has a fairly slow voltage rise during charge, which may be detected by measuring the voltage rise after the charge voltage has exceeded 1.8 V. Further, an AgZn cell will quickly reach V max after reaching 1.8 V, but, however, the Ag 2 O cell will take much longer.
3. Branch S. 402 ′, S. 403 ″ and S. 403 ′″-S. 405 ′″
Referring back to step S. 402 ′, another branch of the method 400 is discussed. At step S. 402 ′, it may be determined that the condition is not true (i.e., the OCV may be less than 1.2 V or greater than 1.45 V), and, as such, the method 400 is advanced from step S. 402 ′ to S. 403 ″. At step S. 403 ″, for example, the method 400 determines if the OCV of the cell is greater than about approximately 1.45 V and less than about approximately 1.65 V. At step S. 403 ″, it may be determined that the condition is not true (i.e., the OCV may be less than 1.2 V), and, as such, the method 400 is advanced from step S. 403 ″ to S. 403 ′″.
At step S. 403 ′″, the cell is charged 1 mA until the cell reaches 1.6 V. The method 400 is then advanced from step S. 403 ′″ to S. 404 ′″ where it is determined if the voltage of the cell reaches 1.6 V within one (1) hour. If the above condition at step S. 404 ′″ is not true, then the method 400 is advanced to step S. 405 ′″ where charging is ceased due to the cell potentially having a non-compliant chemistry of one of ZnO 2 , NiMH, alkaline or the like. If, however, the condition at step S. 404 ′″ is true, the method is advanced to step S. 404 ″, which has been discussed above and is not repeated here for brevity purposes.
4. Branch S. 402 ′, S. 403 ″-S. 406 ″ and S. 407 ′″
Attention is now drawn to step S. 407 ′″. Step S. 407 ′″ is arrived at if the condition described above at step S. 406 ″ is not true. At step S. 407 ′″, the method 400 determines if the charge current, I, exhibits an inflection (i.e., an inflection is defined as a rise of 0.5 mA or more) during the polarization peak timer, T 1 . If the above condition at step S. 407 ′″ is true, the inflection may indicate that the cell is a silver-zinc cell and that the silver-state of the silver zinc cell is AgZn or “silver II oxide”; as such, the method 400 is advanced from step S. 407 ′″ to step S. 402 (i.e., at step S. 402 , the method 400 may be advanced to one of the “multi-stage charge mode” at step S. 102 ′ or the “single-stage charge mode” at step S. 202 ). Conversely, if, however, the condition at step S. 407 ′″ is not true, the method 400 is advanced from S. 407 ′″ to step S. 407 ″ where charging is ceased.
In some methods of the present invention, the battery assessment occurs during charging and comprises charging the battery with a charge current for a set period of time and determining whether the initial voltage rise rate meets a threshold value, and if the voltage rise rate fails to meet the threshold value, charging is terminated. For example, when a battery is discharged to an SOC of about 50% or less of the rated capacity, the battery is initially charged with a diagnostic charge current, I Diag , for a short period of time (e.g., less than 10 seconds), and the voltage of the battery is measured. If the voltage of the battery fails to meet a threshold value (e.g., about 1.65 V), then charging is terminated.
In some embodiments, any of the charging methods above further comprise charging a battery with a diagnostic charge current, I Diag , of about 8 mA for a period of less than about 7 seconds (e.g., less than about 5 seconds, or about 3 seconds), and if V Batt is less than or equal to about 1.65 V (e.g., less than or equal to about 1.55 V), then terminating the charge method.
In other embodiments, any of the charging methods above further comprise charging a battery with a diagnostic charge current, I Diag , of about 8 mA for a period of less than about 7 seconds (e.g., less than about 5 seconds, or about 3 seconds), and if the increase in SOC of the battery is not at least 0.02%, then terminating the charge method.
In one example, the assessment occurs upon discharge of the battery. For instance, at the end of discharging the battery, the change in the average battery voltage per unit time is measured when V Batt is between 1.4 V and 1.15 V (e.g., between 1.4 V and 1.2 V), and if the change is not greater than or equal to 60 mV during a period of 30 minutes or less (e.g., 15 minutes or less, 10 minutes or less, or 5 minutes or less), then an electrical signal is generated that alerts the user that the battery should not be charged according to the methods of the present invention.
One embodiment comprises determining the change in the average battery voltage per unit capacity at the end of discharging a battery, e.g., when DOD is about 70% or less, when DOD is about 90% or less, or when DOD is about 95% or less, and if the change in battery voltage per unit time is not greater than or equal to 60 mV over a 3% change in the DOD, then generating a signal, e.g., an audio signal, a visual signal, a vibration signal, or any combination thereof, that alerts the user that the battery should not be recharged according to the present invention. Or, if the change in battery voltage per unit time is greater than or equal to 60 mV over a 3% change in the DOD, then generating a signal, e.g., an audio signal, a visual signal, a vibration signal, or any combination thereof, that alerts the user that the battery should be recharged according to the present invention. Other embodiments comprise generating a signal that communicates with the charge management system and enables or disables the charging of the battery according to the methods of the present invention depending on the results of the assessment.
6. Assessing the SOC of a Recharging Battery
The capacity of a battery that is recharged according to a method of the present invention, and the associated SOC, may be calculated using equation (3), below:
Capacity = ∫ 0 T cc I cc ⅆ T + ∫ T cc T final I cv ( T ) ⅆ T ( 3 )
wherein T CC is constant current time, I CC is the substantially constant current, Icy is the controlled current, which maintains a constant voltage in the battery, and T final is the time at which the charging terminates. The capacity may be approximated using mathematical approximation methods to determine the capacities of each of the integrals in equation (3).
In some methods of the present invention, Coulomb counting may be used to determine capacity of electrical energy that is charged to a rechargeable battery.
Other methods approximate the electrical capacity based on the time necessary to charge the battery to a certain voltage.
One exemplary method of approximating a battery's capacity or determining when a battery is charged to a SOC of about 80% or more of its rated capacity for a battery that is charged to V 1 and V 2 according to several methods of the present invention is to measure the time required for the voltage of the battery to reach V 2 from the voltage V 1 . This time is then used to determine I ter by use of the equation (4), below:
I ter =I comp +m ( T V 2 −T V 1 ) Y (4)
where I comp is the minimum charge current for a given temperature, the term (T V2 −T V1 ) represents the amount of time required for the battery to charge from V 1 to V 2 , and m and Y are constants. If equation (4) gives a value for I ter that is less than I 2 then, I ter =I 2 . One way of determining Y and m is to test a population of batteries of the same general design as the batteries intended to be charged using the present method using various values for m and Y (e.g., Y is 1, Y is between 0.25 and 4.0, or Y is between 0.3 and 3) and selecting the m and Y values from batteries that demonstrate the longest cycle life. One way to determine I comp is to test a population of batteries of the same general design as the batteries intended to be charged using the present method using various values for I comp at several temperatures and choose the value I comp at each temperature such that shorting of the cell does not occur. I comp is typically a current that would fully charge a cell from 0% SOC to 100% SOC in a time period of between 5 to 200 hours (e.g. I comp is 1 mA, I comp is 10 mA to 0.01 mA, I comp is 7 mA to 0.1 mA at a temperature of 23° C.). In some examples, such as for some button cells, I comp is 1 mA at a temperature of about 23° C., m is 1 mA/hour and Y is 1.
When the battery is charged to V 2 and the charge current I 2 is controlled, the controlled I 2 charge current is terminated when I 2 equals I ter , which occurs when the battery is charged to a SOC of 80% or more (e.g., 90% or more, 95% or more, 99% or more, or about 100%) of its rated capacity.
Another exemplary method of approximating a battery's capacity or determining when a battery is charged to a SOC of about 80% or more of its rated capacity for a battery that is charged to V 1 and V 2 according to several methods of the present invention is to measure the time required for the voltage of the battery to reach V 2 from the voltage V 1 for the current charge cycle and the time to reach V 2 and V 1 from previous charge cycles. These times are then used to determine I ter by use of a piece-wise continuous equation similar in form to the equation (5), below:
I ter = I comp + m ( T V 2 - T V 1 ) Y + ∑ i = 1 n m i ( T V 2 , i - T V 1 , i ) Y i ( 5 )
where I comp is the minimum charge current for a given temperature, the term (T V2 −T V1 ) represents the amount of time required for the battery to charge from V 1 to V 2 , and m and Y are constants. If equation (5) gives a value for I ter that is less than I 2 , then I ter =I 2 . One way of determining Y and m is to test a population of batteries of the same general design as the batteries intended to be charged using the present method using various values for m and Y (e.g., Y is 1, Y is between 0.25 and 4.0, or Y is between 0.3 and 3) and selecting the m and Y values from batteries that demonstrate the longest cycle life. One way to determine I comp is to test a population of batteries of the same general design as the batteries intended to be charged using the present method using various values for I comp at several temperatures and choose the value I comp at each temperature such that shorting of the cell does not occur. I comp is typically a current that would fully charge a cell from 0% SOC to 100% SOC in a time period of between 5 to 200 hours (e.g. I comp is 1 mA, comp is 10 mA to 0.01 A, I comp is 7 mA to 0.1 mA at a temperature of 23° C.). In some examples, such as for some button cells, I comp is 1 mA at a temperature of about 23° C., m is 1 mA/hour and Y is 1. The subscript, i, in the sum of equation (5) ranges from the previous cycle to the present one, i=1, and i=n, a number further previous to the current cycle. The number n is typically less that 10 or less than 5. One way of determining Y i and m i is to test a population of batteries of the same general design as the batteries intended to be charged using the present method using various values for m i and Y i (e.g., Y i is 1, Y i is between 0.0 and 4.0, or Y i is between 0.3 and 3) and selecting the m i and Y i values from batteries that demonstrate the longest cycle life. The sum in equation (5) could also be replaced by a term that is a function of the time derivative or difference of (T V2 −T V1 ), i.e., equation (6), where Δ denotes the difference operation and x denotes the first, second, or third difference.
I ter = I comp + m ( T V 2 - T V 1 ) Y + ∑ i = 1 n m i Δ x ( T V 2 , i - T V 1 , i ) Y i Δ x i ( 6 )
when the battery is charged to V 2 and the charge current I 2 is controlled, the controlled I 2 charge current is terminated when I 2 equals I ter , which occurs when the battery is charged to a SOC of 80% or more (e.g., 90% or more, 95% or more, 99% or more, or about 100%) of its rated capacity.
Another exemplary method of approximating a battery's capacity or determining when a battery is charged to a SOC of about 80% or more of its rated capacity for a battery that is charged to V 1 and V 2 according to several methods of the present invention is to measure the time required for the voltage of the battery to reach V 2 from the voltage V 1 for the current charge cycle and the time to reach V 2 and V 1 from previous charge cycles. These times are then used to determine I ter by use of any of the known delayed feedback control methods or extended time-delay autosynchronization methods.
7. Dynamic Modulation of V 1 , V 2 , I 1 , I 2 and I ter
The charge parameters V 1 , V 2 , I 1 , I 2 and I ter are not necessarily constant from cycle to cycle but can be modulated to optimize various performance characteristics. Examples of these performance characteristics are: providing constant discharge capacity over a number of cycles, maintaining constant charge time over the life of the battery, increasing the number of cycles to a minimum capacity, healing soft shorts, and recovering performance after an over discharge event. The charge parameters, V 1 , V 2 , I 1 , I 2 and I ter , can be modulated by use of any of the known delayed feedback control methods or extended time-delay autosynchronization methods such as those described in I. Kiss, Z. Kazsu and V. Gaspar; Chaos 16 033109 (2006), which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety, where different performance characteristic from previous charge and/or discharge cycles are used with current charge parameter to modulate one or more of the charge parameters for the current charge cycle. Each of the charge parameters can be modulated by different methods at the same time. Examples of performance characteristics that can be used in the control methods are end of discharge voltage, open circuit voltage, time on standby, total charge time, average discharge voltage, I ter or T V2 −T V1 .
III. Charging Apparatus
In some embodiments, a rechargeable battery is coupled to a host device (e.g., an electronic device such as a cell phone, PDA, laptop computer, flashlight, portable audio device, and/or portable video device) that comprises a charging management system (e.g., hardware, firmware, and/or software). In other embodiments, the rechargeable battery comprises a charging management system, wherein the rechargeable battery couples to a host device, such as a cellular phone, laptop computer, portable audio device (e.g., mp3 player), or the like, that includes the battery charging management system. One such system is described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,191,522. And, in some embodiments, the charging management system or circuitry is divided among the host device (e.g., electronic device powered by the battery), the battery itself, a charging base, or any combination thereof. Although some of the foregoing disclosure is directed to a battery and a host device, it will be appreciated that the terms “battery” and “host device” are directed to an embodiment of the claimed invention and that the application-specific description of a “battery” and a “host device” should not be used to limit the scope of the claims.
In an embodiment, the battery has a rated charge capacity of about 50% or less of the cell's actual capacity. When the battery is said to be “fully charged”, the cell has a SOC of about 100% of the battery's rated capacity. When the battery powers a host device, such as an electronic device, the SOC of the battery decreases. A rechargeable battery is recharged when electrical energy is delivered to the rechargeable battery. One or more methods for recharging the rechargeable battery is described above and shown generally at 100 , 200 , 300 and 400 in FIGS. 8A-8D , respectively.
In an embodiment, the system may include, for example, a charging dock or charging base such as the charging dock or base described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,337,557. In other embodiments, the system may include recharging hardware comprising a circuit, as depicted in FIG. 1 . The rechargeable battery may be directly docked with or otherwise placed upon a charging base such that the charging base is able to directly or indirectly recharge the battery. In another example, the battery may be coupled to the electronic device, and, in an embodiment, the electronic device may be directly docked with or otherwise placed upon the charging base such that charging base is able to directly or indirectly recharge the rechargeable battery. In one embodiment, the charging base may be connected to a mains power system, which is shown generally at AC, in order to permit the rechargeable battery to be recharged.
In an embodiment, a “direct” charging method may include, for example, a “direct wired contact” including, for example, one or more electrical contacts/leads extending from, for example, one or more of the rechargeable battery, electrical device, and charging base such that the electrical contacts/leads permit power to be delivered from, for example, the mains power system to the rechargeable battery. In an embodiment, an “indirect” charging method may include, for example, “inductive charging” such that a electromagnetic field may transfer energy from, for example, the charging base that is connected to the main power system, and one or more of the rechargeable battery and electronic device.
In an embodiment, the rechargeable battery is a button battery; however, other embodiments of the present invention comprise a rechargeable battery comprising a plurality of electrochemical cells that are arranged electrically in series, and methods of charging such batteries. Other rechargeable batteries useful in the present invention also include cylindrical cells and prismatic cells.
In some embodiments, the rechargeable battery comprises two electrodes (i.e., an anode and a cathode) and an electrolyte (i.e., a substance that behaves as an electrically-conductive medium for facilitating mobilization of electrons and cations). Electrolytes may include mixtures of materials such as, for example, aqueous solutions of alkaline agents (e.g., aqueous NaOH, aqueous KOH, or a combination thereof). Some electrolytes may also comprise additives, such as buffers including a borate, phosphate, or the like. Some exemplary cathodes in batteries of the present invention comprise a silver material. And, some exemplary anodes in batteries of the present invention comprise zinc.
In an embodiment, the cathode of the rechargeable battery comprises a silver material. In an embodiment, the anode of the rechargeable battery may comprise zinc (Zn). Accordingly, in view of the potential chemistry of electrodes of the rechargeable electrochemical battery described above, the rechargeable electrochemical battery may be referred to as a “silver-zinc battery.”
In an embodiment, the silver-zinc battery includes an alkaline electrolyte comprising an aqueous hydroxide of an alkali metal. In an embodiment, the electrolyte may comprise lithium hydroxide (LiOH), sodium hydroxide (NaOH), potassium hydroxide (KOH), cesium hydroxide (CsOH), rubidium hydroxide (RbOH), or any combination thereof. Although several electrolytes are described above, it will be appreciated that the silver-zinc battery is not limited to a particular electrolyte and that the silver-zinc battery may include any desirable electrolyte.
In an embodiment, the silver-zinc battery may be recharged in a controlled manner. In an embodiment, the system for recharging the silver-zinc battery may include recharging management circuitry, that is illustrated as a circuit diagram in FIG. 1 .
In an embodiment, the recharging management circuitry permits recharging of the silver-zinc battery in a controlled manner. In an embodiment, the recharging management circuitry may be included within one or more of the silver-zinc battery, such as the battery described in U.S. Pat. No. 7,375,494, the electronic device and the charging base. In an embodiment, the recharging management circuitry may be provided as a processor, logic circuitry or a combination thereof. Some aspects of other recharging systems useful for performing the charging methods of the present invention include those described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 7,018,737; 6,181,107; 6,215,276; 6,040,684; and 6,931,266; and U.S. Patent Application Publication Nos. 20050029989; 20030040255.
In an embodiment, the recharging management circuitry, as exemplified in FIG. 1 , permits recharging of the silver-zinc battery in a controlled manner. In an embodiment, the recharging management circuitry may be included within one or more of the silver-zinc battery, the electronic device and the charging base. In an embodiment, the recharging management circuitry may be provided as a processor, logic circuitry or a combination thereof.
In an embodiment, the charge methods 100 - 400 , which may be accomplished by the recharging management circuitry for the rechargeable battery may employ one or more modulated charge currents (e.g., I 1 and/or I 2 ) that, in some embodiments, is described as constant-current, constant-voltage (CC-CV) charge currents. As seen in the charge curve plots in FIGS. 2 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 A, and 7 B, the controlled charge currents employed in the charge methods 100 - 400 charge the battery with a maximum charge current up to a charge current ceiling (e.g., I max or I 2max ) until the battery is charged to a maximum voltage (e.g., V 1 or V 2 ) at which point the charge current is continued at the maximum current or reduced, so that the voltage of the charging battery does not rise above the maximum voltage. And, when the voltage of the battery drops below the maximum voltage, the charge current is increased up to a maximum charge current until the voltage of the battery reaches the maximum voltage, the charge current is arrested, or the charging process/method enters another zone, such as in the multi-stage charge process.
Further, in an embodiment, one of, or, a communication of two or more of the charge methods 100 - 400 , which may be provided by the recharging management circuitry, for battery may include at least two different modes of charging, which may be dependent upon, for example, the capacity of the silver-zinc battery. In an embodiment, the modes of charging comprise a multi-stage charge mode (see, e.g., method 100 ) and a single-stage charge mode (see, e.g., method 200 ). Other embodiments further comprise an optional “over-discharge recovery charge mode” (see, e.g., method 300 ) and/or a “battery diagnostic investigation charge mode” (see, e.g., method 400 ).
Accordingly, it will be appreciated that because a user may utilize an electronic device for about eighteen (18) hours, the remaining balance (in time) of a twenty-four (24) hour period only leaves about six (6) hours to recharge the silver-zinc battery. As such, in designing one or more of the charge methods 100 - 400 , an embodiment of a maximum charge time of the silver-zinc battery may be about six (6) hours. Thus, it will be appreciated that, if, for example, the user operates the electronic device for about eighteen (18) hours, the user may be permitted to recharge the silver-zinc battery to about full capacity in about six (6) hours when, for example, the user is not using the electronic device and may, for example, be sleeping. In other words, a six (6) hour charging period may be referred to as an embodiment of the above-mentioned single stage charge mode.
However, in an embodiment, it will also be appreciated that, if, for example, the user operates the electronic device for a period of time (e.g., the user operates the electronic device for about eighteen (18) hours) and forgets to recharge the silver-zinc battery, the silver-zinc battery may have to be quickly recharged in order to input electrical capacity into the battery and render the electronic device operable for at least a shortened period. In such a circumstance, the recharging of the silver-zinc battery may have to be expedited in a manner such that the battery's SOC is at least partially restored over an abbreviated charging time; thereby, rendering the electronic device operable for a period of time. Accordingly, in an embodiment, one or more of the charging methods 100 - 400 may also be designed in a manner that charges a battery having an SOC of less than 40% to a SOC of about 40% within about 1 hour of charging. In other words, a one hour charging period may be referred to as an embodiment of the above-mentioned multi-stage charge mode.
OTHER EMBODIMENTS
The embodiments disclosed herein have been discussed for the purpose of familiarizing the reader with novel aspects of the invention. Although preferred embodiments of the invention have been shown and described, many changes, modifications and substitutions may be made by one having ordinary skill in the art without necessarily departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as described in the following claims.
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The present invention provides a novel method for charging silver-zinc rechargeable batteries and an apparatus for practicing the charging method. The recharging apparatus includes recharging management circuitry; and one or more of a silver-zinc cell, a host device or a charging base that includes the recharging management circuitry. The recharging management circuitry provides means for regulating recharging of the silver-zinc cell, diagnostics for evaluating battery function, and safety measures that prevent damage to the apparatus caused by charging batteries composed of materials that are not suited for the charging method (e.g., non-silver-zinc batteries).
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BACKGROUND
[0001] 1. Technical Field
[0002] The present invention relates to a surface acoustic wave filter, and in particular, to a narrow-band surface acoustic wave filter which is reduced in size.
[0003] 2. Related Art
[0004] In recent years, a surface acoustic wave filter (SAW filter) has been widely used in telecommunications field. In other words, because of its excellent features such as high performance, small size, mass production, and the like, the SAW filter is frequently used in a mobile phone or the like. FIG. 9 is a plan view illustrating a construction of a cascaded dual mode SAW filter which is constructed by cascading two primary-tertiary longitudinally-coupled dual mode SAW filters (hereinafter, referred to as the dual mod SAW filter). The cascaded dual mode SAW filter is used in an RF filter of a mobile phone or the like. On the main surface of a piezoelectric substrate 31 , IDT electrodes 32 , 33 , and 34 are disposed adjacent to each other along the propagation direction of a surface wave. On both sides of the IDT electrodes 32 , 33 , and 34 , grating reflectors 35 a and 35 b (hereinafter, referred to as a reflector) are arranged, thereby forming a first dual mode SAW filter F 1 . In this case, the IDT electrodes 32 , 33 , and 34 are respectively formed with a pair of comb-shaped electrodes each having a plurality of electrode fingers which are fitted into each other.
[0005] On the same piezoelectric substrate 31 , a second dual mode SAW filter F 2 composed of IDT electrodes 32 ′, 33 ′, and 34 ′ and reflectors 35 ′ a and 35 ′ b is formed in the same way as the first dual mode SAW filter F 1 . The first and second dual mode SAW filter F 1 and F 2 are cascaded, thereby constructing a cascaded dual mode SAW filter.
[0006] FIG. 10 illustrates filter characteristics obtained by simulation using the electrode pattern of the cascaded dual mode SAW filter shown in FIG. 9 in order to design an RF filter (in which the center frequency is 1.57542 MHz, the bandwidth is +1 MHz, and the terminal impedance is 50 Ω) for a GPS which has recently been used in an in-vehicle telephone or the mobile phone, with the piezoelectric substrate set to a 38.7° Y—XLiTaO 3 substrate, the center frequency set to 1.5 GHz, 14.5 pairs of IDT electrodes 33 and 33 ′, 9.5 pairs of respective IDT electrodes 32 , 34 , 32 ′, and 34 ′, the intersection width set to 35λ (λ is a wavelength of the surface wave), each number of reflectors 35 a, 35 b, 35 ′ a, and 35 ′ b set to 100, and the electrode film thickness set to 7.7% λ. Within the passband, a large ripple appears since a broad-band electrode pattern is used.
[0007] A technique for improving the ripple within the passband has been disclosed in JP-A-4-40705 and JP-A-7-74588. That is, as shown in FIG. 11 , IDT electrodes 42 , 43 , and 44 are disposed adjacent to each other along the propagation direction of a surface wave on the main surface of a piezoelectric substrate 41 . Further, on both sides of the IDT electrodes 42 , 43 , and 44 , reflectors 45 a and 45 b are arranged, thereby forming a first dual mode SAW filter F 1 . On the same piezoelectric substrate 41 , a second dual mode SAW filter F 2 including IDT electrodes 42 ′, 43 ′, and 44 ′ and reflectors 45 ′ a and 45 ′ b is formed in the same way as the first dual mode SAW filter F 1 . The first and second dual mode SAW filters F 1 and F 2 are cascaded. Further, between the first and second dual mode SAW filters F 1 and F 2 , capacity electrodes 46 a and 46 b are disposed to be orthogonal to the propagation direction of a surface wave. Lead electrodes extending from one side of each of the comb-shaped electrodes of the capacity electrodes 46 a and 46 b are respectively connected to lead electrodes which cascade the filters F 1 and F 2 . The other sides of the comb-shaped electrodes are respectively grounded, thereby constructing a narrow-band cascaded dual mode SAW filter. With the capacity electrodes 46 a and 46 b functioning as capacity elements, the ripple within the band disappears.
[0008] FIG. 12 shows filter characteristics obtained by simulation in a state where the constants of the dual mode SAW filter are set to be the same as those shown in FIG. 10 and the capacitance values which are formed by the capacity electrodes 46 a and 46 b are commonly set to 0.64 pF. As a result, a ripple does not exist within the passband, and the passband becomes flat.
[0009] JP-A-2002-353777 has disclosed a filter in which at least a pair of electrode fingers are thinned out from a center IDT electrode of a primary-tertiary longitudinally-coupled dual mode SAW flier and short-circuit-type floating electrodes are then disposed and a filter in which grating reflectors are disposed after thinning out such that the impedance of the filter can be matched with desired impedance by thinning out the electrode fingers.
[0010] In the narrow-band cascaded dual mode SAW filter according to the related art as shown in FIG. 11 , however, the capacity electrodes for forming capacity elements should be provided between two of the dual mode SAW filters F 1 and F 2 . Therefore, there is a problem that the cascaded dual mode SAW filter is enlarged as much as the space of where the capacity electrodes are provided.
SUMMARY
[0011] An advantage of some aspects of the invention is that it provides a surface acoustic filter in which electrode fingers included in IDT electrodes are suitably thinned out, and floating electrodes or electrode fingers connected to a comb-shaped electrode which is topologically reversed are then disposed, thereby constructing the IDT electrodes. Therefore, a capacity ratio of a SAW resonator which is formed by the IDT electrodes becomes larger than that of the construction according to the related art. In other words, the capacity ratio can be deteriorated. Accordingly, when a narrow-band cascaded dual mode SAW filter is constructed, capacity elements do not need to be inserted between stages, and the filter can be reduced in size.
[0012] According to an aspect of the invention, there is provided a surface acoustic wave filter (cascaded dual mode SAW filter) including three IDT electrodes disposed adjacent to each other along the propagation direction of a surface wave on a piezoelectric substrate and two primary-tertiary longitudinally-coupled dual mode SAW fliers cascaded and constructed by arranging grating reflectors on both sides of three IDT electrodes. At least a pair of electrode fingers are thinned out from the IDT electrodes disposed outside, and floating electrodes are then disposed.
[0013] It is preferable that two floating electrodes be disposed so as to be substituted for the pair of thinned-out electrode fingers, and be short-circuited with respect to each other.
[0014] According to another aspect of the invention, there is provided a surface acoustic wave filter (cascaded dual mode SAW filter) including three IDT electrodes disposed adjacent to each other along the propagation direction of a surface wave on a piezoelectric substrate and two primary-tertiary longitudinally-coupled dual mode SAW fliers cascaded and constructed by arranging grating reflectors on both sides of three IDT electrodes. At least one electrode finger is thinned out from the IDT electrodes disposed outside, and electrode fingers connected to the comb-shaped electrode which is topologically reversed are then disposed.
[0015] According to a still further aspect of the invention, a surface acoustic wave filter (cascaded dual mode SAW filter) including three IDT electrodes disposed adjacent to each other along the propagation direction of a surface wave on a piezoelectric substrate; and two primary-tertiary longitudinally-coupled dual mode SAW fliers cascaded and constructed by arranging grating reflectors on both sides of three IDT electrodes. At least two electrode fingers are thinned out from the IDT electrodes disposed outside, and electrode fingers connected to the comb-shaped electrode which is topologically reversed are then disposed.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0016] The invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein like numbers reference like elements.
[0017] FIG. 1 is a schematic plan view illustrating the construction of a first embodiment according to the invention.
[0018] FIG. 2 shows passband characteristics obtained by simulation based on FIG. 1 .
[0019] FIG. 3 is a plan view illustrating the construction of a first dual mode SAW filter F 1 of FIG. 1 .
[0020] FIG. 4 is a circle diagram showing impedance characteristic of the dual mode SAW filter of FIG. 3 .
[0021] FIG. 5 is a schematic plan view illustrating the construction of a second embodiment according to the invention.
[0022] FIG. 6 shows passband characteristics obtained by simulation based on FIG. 5 .
[0023] FIG. 7 is a schematic plan view illustrating the construction of a third embodiment according to the invention.
[0024] FIG. 8 shows passband characteristics obtained by simulation based on FIG. 7 .
[0025] FIG. 9 is a plan view illustrating the construction of a broad-band cascaded dual mode SAW filter.
[0026] FIG. 10 shows passband characteristics obtained by simulation based on FIG. 9 .
[0027] FIG. 11 is a plan view illustrating the construction of a narrow-band cascaded dual mode SAW filter.
[0028] FIG. 12 shows passband characteristics obtained by simulation based on FIG. 11 .
[0029] FIG. 13 is a plan view illustrating the construction of the first dual mode SAW filter F 1 of FIG. 9 .
[0030] FIG. 14 is a circle diagram showing impedance characteristic of the dual mode SAW filter of FIG. 13 .
[0031] FIG. 15 is a plan view illustrating the construction of the first dual mode SAW filter F 1 of FIG. 11 .
[0032] FIG. 16 is a circle diagram showing impedance characteristic of the dual mode SAW filter of FIG. 15 .
DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS
[0033] FIG. 1 is a plan view illustrating a cascaded dual mode SAW filter according to an embodiment of the invention. On the main surface of a piezoelectric substrate 1 , IDT electrodes 2 , 3 , and 4 are disposed to be adjacent to each other along the propagation direction of a surface wave. On both sides of the IDT electrodes 2 , 3 , and 4 , reflectors 5 a and 5 b are arranged, thereby forming a first dual mode SAW filter F 1 . Further, on the same piezoelectric substrate 1 , a second dual mode SAW filter F 2 including IDT electrodes 2 ′, 3 ′, and 4 ′ and reflectors 5 ′ a and 5 ′ b is formed in the same way as the first dual mode SAW filter F 1 . Then, the first and second dual mode SAW filters F 1 and F 2 are cascaded to construct the cascaded dual mode SAW filter.
[0034] The feature of the invention is shown in the construction of the IDT electrodes 2 , 3 , and 4 ( 2 ′, 3 ′, and 4 ′). Like a typical IDT electrode, the IDT electrode 3 ( 3 ′) is formed of a pair of comb-shaped electrodes each having a plurality of electrode fingers which are fitted into each other. In other words, the electrode fingers alternately connected to the plus comb-shaped electrode and the minus comb-shaped electrode. In the IDT electrodes 2 and 4 ( 2 ′ and 4 ′), at least a pair of electrode fingers are thinned out from a pair of comb-shaped electrodes each having a plurality of electrode fingers which are fitted into each other, and short-circuited floating electrodes are then disposed so as to construct the IDT electrodes 2 and 4 ( 2 ′ and 4 ′). Referring to the IDT electrode 2 of the embodiment shown in FIG. 1 , three pairs of electrode fingers α, β, and γ are thinned out, and three short-circuit-type floating electrodes are then disposed so as to be substituted for the thinned-out electrode fingers. The IDT electrodes 4 , 2 ′, and 4 ′ are constructed in the same way as the IDT electrode 2 .
[0035] FIG. 2 shows filter characteristics obtained by simulation using the electrode pattern shown in FIG. 1 , with the piezoelectric substrate set to a 38.7° Y—XLiTaO 3 substrate, the center frequency set to 1.5 GHz, 14.5 pairs of respective IDT electrodes 3 and 3 ′, 9.5 pairs of IDT electrodes 2 , 4 , 2 ′, and 4 ′ (which are set before thinning out and in which three electrodes are thinned out to dispose three short-circuit-type floating electrodes), the intersection width set to 35λ (λ is a wavelength), each number of reflectors 5 a, 5 b, 5 ′ a, and 5 ′ b set to 100 , and the electrode film thickness set to 7.7% λ. As shown in FIG. 2 , the flatness and insertion loss within the passband are comparable to those of FIG. 12 .
[0036] The reason why the passband becomes flat without the capacity electrodes 46 a and 46 b functioning as capacity elements, which are included in the narrow-band cascaded dual mode SAW filter shown in FIG. 11 , is examined. FIG. 3 illustrates a filter which is constructed by taking out only the dual mode SAW filter F 1 from the cascaded dual mode SAW filter shown in FIG. 1 . FIG. 4 is a circle diagram (smith chart) which is obtained by simulating the impedance characteristic of the dual mode SAW filter of FIG. 3 . Within the passband of the filter, the impedance changes in the vicinity of the real axis, if the frequency is changed. On the contrary, the impedance changes at the position separated from the real axis, outside the band.
[0037] Only the dual mode SAW filter F 1 is taken out from the broad-band cascaded dual mode SAW filter shown in FIG. 9 , and is constructed as shown in FIG. 13 . FIG. 14 is a circle diagram obtained by simulating the impedance characteristic of the filter shown in FIG. 13 . If the frequency is changed within the passband of the filter, the impedance changes at the position separated from the real axis. Even at the frequency outside the band, the impedance changes at the position separated from the real axis.
[0038] Only the dual mode SAW filter F 1 is taken out from the narrow-band cascaded dual mode SAW filter shown in FIG. 11 , and the IDT electrodes 46 a and 46 b functioning as capacity elements are respectively connected in parallel to the output lead electrode, thereby constructing a filter as shown in FIG. 15 . FIG. 16 is a circle diagram obtained by simulating the impedance characteristic of the filter shown in FIG. 15 . As shown in FIG. 16 , the impedance changes in the vicinity of the real axis within the passband, if the frequency is changed within the passband. The impedance changes at the position separated from the real axis, if the frequency is changed outside the passband.
[0039] In a filter of which the passband and attenuation band characteristic are excellent, the impedance shown within the passband substantially matches the terminal impedance. The impedance shown outside the passband does not match the terminal impedance. In other words, within the passband, the terminal impedance and the impedance of the filter match each other and the maximum power is supplied to the load, so that the loss of the filter is minimized. On the other hand, in a state where the terminal impedance and the impedance of the filter significantly mismatch outside the passband, the power supplied to the load is minimized, so that the loss of the filter increases. That is, the attenuation is shown.
[0040] When the dual mode SAW filters F 1 and F 2 shown in FIG. 1 are set to a SAW resonator, a capacity ratio assumed by the SAW resonator becomes larger (deteriorates) then the capacity ratio assumed by the dual mode SAW filters shown in FIGS. 9 and 11 , and the frequency interval between the resonant frequency and the antiresonant frequency is narrowed. Therefore, without a capacity element being added, predetermined frequency allocation is constructed on the basis of a filter theory. Accordingly, it is considered that the passband characteristic of the filter becomes flat and the insertion loss decreases.
[0041] FIG. 5 is a plan view illustrating a second embodiment according to the invention. On the main surface of a piezoelectric substrate 11 , IDT electrodes 12 , 13 , and 14 are disposed adjacent to each other along the propagation direction of a surface wave. On both sides of the IDT electrodes 12 , 13 , and 14 , reflectors 15 a and 15 b are arranged, thereby forming a first dual mode SAW filter F 1 . Further, on the same piezoelectric substrate 11 , a second dual mode SAW filter F 2 including IDT electrode 12 ′, 13 ′, and 14 ′ and reflectors 15 ′ a and 15 ′ b is formed in the same way as the first dual mode SAW filter F 1 . Then, the first and second dual mode SAW filters F 1 and F 2 are cascaded, thereby constructing a cascaded dual mode SAW filter.
[0042] Like a typical IDT electrode, the IDT electrode 13 ( 13 ′) is formed of a pair of comb-shaped electrodes each having a plurality of electrode fingers which are fitted into each other. The feature of the second embodiment is present in the construction of the IDT electrodes 12 and 14 ( 12 ′ and 14 ′). At least one electrode finger is thinned out from the pair of comb-shaped electrodes each having a plurality of electrode fingers which are fitted into each other, and electrode fingers connected to the comb-shaped electrode which is topologically reversed are then disposed, thereby constructing the IDT electrodes 12 and 14 ( 12 ′ and 14 ′). Referring to the IDT electrode 12 of FIG. 5 , two electrode fingers a and P are thinned out, and electrode fingers connected to the comb-shaped electrode which is topologically reversed are then disposed. The IDT electrodes 14 , 12 ′ and 14 ′ are constructed in the same way as the IDT electrode 12 . If the IDT electrodes are constructed in such a manner, a capacity ratio of the SAW resonator formed by the IDT 12 , 13 , and 14 ( 12 ′, 13 ′, and 14 ′) becomes larger (deteriorates) than a capacity ratio of the construction according to the related art. When the cascaded dual mode SAW filter is constructed, capacity elements do not need to be added between stages.
[0043] FIG. 6 shows filter characteristics obtained by simulation using the electrode pattern shown in FIG. 5 , with the piezoelectric substrate set to a 38.7° Y—XLiTaO 3 substrate, the center frequency set to 1.5 GHz, 14.5 pairs of IDT electrodes 13 and 13 ′, 9.5 pairs of respective IDT electrodes 12 , 14 , 12 ′, and 14 ′ (which are set before thinning out and in which two electrode fingers are thinned out and two electrode fingers connected to the comb-shaped electrode which is topologically reversed are disposed), the intersection width set to 35λ (λ is a wavelength), each number of reflectors 15 a, 15 b, 15 ′ a, and 15 ′ b set to 100 , and the electrode film thickness set to 7.7%λ. As shown in FIG. 6 , the flatness and insertion loss within the passband are comparable to those of FIG. 12 .
[0044] FIG. 7 is a plan view illustrating a third embodiment according to the invention. On the main surface of a piezoelectric substrate 21 , the IDT electrodes 22 , 23 , and 24 are disposed adjacent to each other along the propagation direction of a surface wave. On both sides of the IDT electrodes 22 , 23 , and 24 , reflectors 25 a and 25 b are arranged to form a first dual mode SAW filter F 1 . Further, on the same piezoelectric substrate 21 , a second dual mode SAW filter F 2 including IDT electrodes 22 ′, 23 ′, and 24 ′ and reflectors 25 ′ a and 25 ′ b is formed in the same way as the first dual mode SAW filter F 1 . The first and second dual mode SAW filters F 1 and F 2 are cascaded, thereby constructing the cascaded dual mode SAW filter.
[0045] The feature of the third embodiment is the construction of the IDT electrodes 22 and 24 ( 22 ′ and 24 ′). From a pair of comb-shaped electrodes each having a plurality of electrode fingers which are fitted into each other, at least one pair of electrode fingers are thinned out, and two electrode fingers connected to the comb-shaped electrode which is topologically reversed are then disposed, thereby constructing the IDT electrodes 22 and 24 ( 22 ′ and 24 ′). Referring to the IDT electrode 22 of FIG. 7 , two pairs of electrode fingers α and β are thinned out, and electrode fingers connected to the comb-shaped electrode which is topologically reversed are respectively disposed. The IDT electrodes 24 , 22 ′, and 24 ′ are constructed in the same way as the IDT electrode 22 . If the IDT electrodes are constructed in such a manner, a capacity ratio of a SAW resonator formed by the IDT 22 , 23 , and 24 ( 22 ′, 23 ′, and 24 ′) becomes larger (deteriorates) than a capacity ratio of the construction according to the related art. When the cascaded dual mode SAW filter is constructed, a capacity element does not need to be added between stages.
[0046] FIG. 8 shows filter characteristics obtained by simulation using the electrode pattern shown in FIG. 7 , with the piezoelectric substrate set to a 38.7° Y—XLiTaO 3 substrate, the center frequency set to 1.5 GHz, 14.5 pairs of IDT electrodes 23 and 23 ′, 9.5 pairs of respective IDT electrodes 22 , 24 , 22 ′, and 24 ′ (which are set before thinning out and in which two pairs of electrode fingers are thinned out and four electrode fingers connected to the comb-shaped electrode which is topologically reversed are disposed), the intersection width set to 35λ (λ is a wavelength), each number of reflectors 25 a, 25 b, 25 ′ a, and 25 ′ b set to 100, and the electrode film thickness set to 7.7%λ. As shown in FIG. 8 , the flatness and insertion loss within the passband are comparable to those of FIG. 12 .
[0047] Although the invention has been described by using lithium tantalate in which the cutting angle is 38.7°, the invention can be applied to lithium tantalate having a different cutting angle. Further, the invention can be applied to other piezoelectric materials such as lithium niobate and the like.
[0048] In addition, the cascaded dual mode SAW filter has been described. However, if the invention is applied to a one-stage dual mode SAW filter, the passband characteristic thereof becomes flat.
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A surface acoustic wave filter (cascaded dual mode SAW filter) includes three IDT electrodes disposed adjacent to each other along the propagation direction of a surface wave on a piezoelectric substrate and two primary-tertiary longitudinally-coupled dual mode SAW fliers cascaded and constructed by arranging grating reflectors on both sides of three IDT electrodes. At least a pair of electrode fingers are thinned out from the IDT electrodes disposed outside, and floating electrodes are then disposed.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a securing strap arrangement and a tensioner arrangement therefor.
2. State of the Art
Elasticated bungee straps are commonly used for securing items such as luggage, surfboards or similar to roof-racks. Such straps typically have hooks or the like at opposed ends for the purpose of attachment and securing.
An improved strap arrangement has now been devised.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
According to a first aspect the invention provides a securing strap arrangement comprising:
a) a resiliently extensible length portion; b) a substantially non-resiliently extensible length portion including means for varying the effective length of the non-resiliently extensible length portion.
In one embodiment the non-resiliently extensible length portion may comprise a web belt or the like including a buckle, slider or similar arrangement for varying the effective length of the non-resiliently extensible length portion.
In a preferred embodiment, the non-resiliently extensible portion preferably comprises:
i) a tensioner grip to stretch the extensible length portion; and ii) a tensioner grip locator portion arranged such that tensioner grip is adapted to releasably engage with the tensioner grip locator portion in one of a plurality of location positions, which location positions are spaced in the longitudinal direction of the strap arrangement.
It is preferred that the tensioner grip has one or more engagement formations adapted to matingly engage with one or more complimentary engagement formations of the grip locator portion; the engagement formations of the grip locator portion being spaced in the longitudinal direction of the strap arrangement.
Preferably the engagement formation (or formations) on the grip locator portion comprise like for like formations spaced in the longitudinal direction of the strap.
Preferably the engagement formation (or formations) of one of the grip locator portion or tensioner grip comprises a male formation; the engagement formation on the other comprising a female formation.
Desirably the engagement formations on the grip locator portion and the tensioner grip are correspondingly angled (or inclined) such that as the formations engage from a mouth portion of a female formation to a root portion of a male formation, the tension of the extensible length portion relaxes (preferably relaxes slightly only).
The tensioner grip preferably comprises a recess formation for engagement with, at any one time, one or more selected upstanding locator formations comprising a series of spaced locator formations of the grip locator portion. Beneficially the tensioner grip comprises a hand grip including one or more finger receiving formations.
It is preferred that the securing strap arrangement includes a securing formation proximate one or both ends. This provides that the arrangement may be secured to a roof-rack or the like. Beneficially, the arrangement includes a hook element approximate one or both ends.
The extensible length portion preferably comprises an elastically stretchable/relaxable length portion. The extensible length portion beneficially comprising a plurality of elastically stretchable/relaxable lengths arranged in parallel.
In a preferred embodiment the arrangement preferably further includes a length of substantially inextensible web. Beneficially, the length of substantially inextensible web is provided intermediate the tensioner grip and the extensible length portion.
Additionally or alternatively, the arrangement preferably includes length adjustment means to adjust the overall length of the strap arrangement irrespective of the stretch condition of the extensible length portion.
Beneficially the length adjustment means comprises a buckle connected to a portion of substantially inextensible web, the web feeding through the buckle to a selectable degree to adjust the effective length of the web portion.
According to a further aspect, the present invention comprises a tensioner arrangement for a securing strap arrangement, the tensioner arrangement comprising:
a) an extensible length portion; b) a tensioner grip to stretch the extensible length portion; and c) a tensioner grip locator portion arranged such that the tensioner grip is adapted to releasably engage with the tensioner grip locator portion in one of a plurality of locator positions, which location positions are spaced in the longitudinal direction of the strap arrangement.
According to a still further aspect the invention provides a connector device for connecting, releasably, a strap length portion with a stem portion of an end element (such as a hook), the stem portion being matingly received with the connector device and the stem portion and the connector device having complimentary securing formations arranged, in a first configuration to inhibit release of the stem portion and, in a second configuration permitting release or mating of the stem portions. Actuation means being provided for the connector device permitting relative reorientation of the securing formations between the first and second configurations.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The invention will now be described in a specific exemplary embodiments, by way of example only, and with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:
FIG. 1 is a plan view of an exemplary securing strap arrangement according to the invention;
FIGS. 2 a , 2 b and 2 c are upper plan view, side view and an underside view of a tensioner grip comprising the strap arrangement of FIG. 1 ;
FIG. 3 a is a plan view of a tensioner grip locator length of the strap arrangement of FIG. 1 ;
FIG. 3 b is a side view of a tensioner grip locator length of FIG. 3 a;
FIG. 4 shows, in side view, the mating relationship between the tensioner grip and tensioner grip locator length;
FIGS. 5 a and 5 b are, respectively, plan and plan cutaway views of a strap connector device according to the invention and which may comprise the strap arrangement shown in FIGS. 1 to 4 ;
FIG. 6 is a side view of the strap connector device of FIGS. 5 a and 5 b;
FIG. 7 is a cutaway sectional view of the strap connector device of FIGS. 5 a , 5 b and 6 ;
FIG. 8 is a side view of a hook connector to be received by the connector arrangement of FIGS. 5 a to FIG. 7 ; and
FIGS. 9 , 10 and 11 show alternative hook connectors.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
Referring to the drawings, and initially FIG. 1 in particular, there is shown a securing strap arrangement (generally designated 1 ) which may be used for securing items (for example surfboards, packing cases, etc to a roof-rack). The strap arrangement 1 includes at opposed ends hook connectors 2 connected to connector devices 3 which will be described in detail hereafter.
The strap arrangement includes substantially inextensible web lengths 4 , 5 ; web length 4 is connected at one end to connector device 3 and at the other end to a moulded plastics clasp connector 6 . At one end web length 4 is connected to buckle 7 , feeding via an aperture in connector device 3 back through buckle 7 so that buckle 7 is operable to adjust the effective length of web length 4 .
Web length 5 is connected at one end to a moulded plastics clasp connector 8 (similar instruction to clasp connector 6 ) and at the other end to a moulded plastics tensioner grip 9 .
Three spaced elastically extensible bungy lengths 10 a , 10 b , 10 c extend between clasp connectors 6 and 8 providing that the overall length of the strap arrangement may be adjusted elastically. The other end of the strap arrangement is provided with a tensioner grip locator length 11 , the purpose and nature of which is described in detail hereafter.
Tensioner grip locator length 11 , as shown most clearly in FIGS. 3 a , 3 b and 4 includes a series of locator elements 12 linked edge to edge by pivot formations 13 . The locator elements 12 are typically of moulded plastics construction.
Each locator element 12 includes a base portion 14 and an upstanding arcuate locator projection 15 which is inclined at an acute angle to the locator base 14 . The inclination of locator projection 15 is from a root portion 16 to a tip portion 17 in a direction away from the extensible bungy lengths 10 a , 10 b , 10 c . As shown most clearly in FIG. 4 and FIGS. 2 a , 2 b , 2 c , the tensioner grip 9 (which is again formed of moulded plastics material typically) includes a finger grip recess 18 , receiving recess 19 (for receiving a respective locator projection 15 ) and a further accommodation recess 20 . A slot 21 is provide for receiving the end of inextensible web length 5 .
In use, the receiving recess 19 is shaped and dimensioned to snugly matingly receive the locator projection 15 . In order to induce the appropriate tension in the strap arrangement overall (by stretching the bungy length 10 a , 10 b , 10 c to their maximum limit for securing) the tensioner grip portion 9 is pulled over the series of spaced locators 15 (in the direction of arrows A in FIG. 1 and FIG. 4 ). The recess 19 then locates with the most appropriate locator projection 15 for the tension applied to the strap arrangement overall. The bungee lengths 10 a , 10 b , 10 c relax back slightly retracting the tensioner grip 9 and ensuring snug and secure mating of the relevant locator projection 15 with the receiving recess 19 .
As an alternative to the specific embodiment of the grip locator length 11 and tensioner grip 9 shown in the drawings, cooperating elements comprising respective zones of multiplicity of hook and loop type formations (for example VELCRO—Registered Trade Mark) may be used. Other securing arrangement may also be used.
The invention provides that a wide variety of shaped and dimensioned articles can be secured using the strap arrangement (for example to a roof-rack or the like). This is because the overall length of the strap arrangement may be varied greatly (depending upon the length of the locator length 11 between a plurality of effective length configurations), whilst maintaining the elasticity of the arrangement (via bungy lengths 10 , 10 b , 10 c ) to provide a resilient securing feature. The effective length is therefore not limited solely by the elasticity of the bungee lengths 10 a , 10 b , 10 c.
A variety of hook connectors 2 may be provided depending upon the nature of the structure (for example a roof-rack) to which the strap is secured. Examples of such hook connectors 2 are shown in FIGS. 9 , 10 and 11 .
Referring now to FIGS. 5 a to FIG. 7 , a further novel feature is the hook connector device (generally designated 3 ) to which the hook connectors 2 are secured, and the means of connection of hook connectors 2 . As shown in the drawings, the stem ends 25 of the hook connector are provided with terminal lateral flange projections 26 and, spaced from flange connectors 26 , a further lateral stem shoulder projection 27 . The hook connector device 3 is provided with an actuator element 29 which is normally biassed to a retracted position by means of resilient springs 30 . The actuator element 29 includes a body portion 31 including a central opening 32 shaped to have a more restricted open portion 32 a and a less restricted open portion 32 b.
The stem end 25 of the hook connector 2 is introduced into the receptor recess 35 of the device 3 such that the tapered portion 36 opposed to flange 26 is forced through the more restricted opening 32 a in the body portion 31 of actuator 29 . The end 25 is then inhibited from being removed out of the receptor recess 35 because flange 26 abuts against the edge of restricted open portion 32 a.
In order to remove the hook connector element 2 from the connector device 3 , the actuator 29 is depressed (in direction of arrow B in FIG. 7 ), permitting flange 26 to be withdrawn via the less restricted open portion 32 b in the body portion 31 of actuator 29 . This arrangement provides convenient connection of a variety of hooks to the connector device 3 depending upon the framework or other arrangement to which the strap arrangement is to be secured.
There have been described and illustrated herein several embodiments of a securing strap arrangement and corresponding methods of operation. While particular embodiments of the invention have been described, it is not intended that the invention be limited thereto, as it is intended that the invention be as broad in scope as the art will allow and that the specification be read likewise. It will therefore be appreciated by those skilled in the art that yet other modifications could be made to the provided invention without deviating from its spirit and scope as claimed.
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A securing strap arrangement, typically for securing luggage or other items, has a resiliently extensible length portion, and a substantially non-resiliently extensible length portion including an arrangement for varying effective length of the non-resiliently extensible length portion. In a preferred embodiment, the arrangement includes a tensioner grip that stretches the extensible length portion, and a tension grip locator arranged such that the tensioner grip is releasably engageable with the tension grip locater in one of a plurality of location positions that are spaced apart in the longitudinal direction of the securing strap arrangement.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a system for alleviating a select shock in automatic transmission, and more particularly to a system for alleviating a select shock taking place during engagement of a friction element after a manual selector valve has been shifted from a neutral range position to any one of a plurality of drive range positions.
An automatic transmission is known wherein a driver manually shifts a manual selector valve from a neutral range position ("N" range) to a desired one of a plurality of drive range positions corresponding to a reverse range ("R" range), an automatic drive range ("D" range), a manual second range ("II" range), and a manual first range ("I" range). More specifically, all of the friction elements (clutches and brakes) are released when the neutral range position is selected, while a selected one of the friction elements is hydraulically activated when one of the drive ranges is selected.
When the driver shifts the manual selector valve from the neutral range position to one of the drive range positions under a condition where the motor vehicle is at a standstill, a predetermined friction element is engaged in response to a hydraulic fluid pressure build-up resulting from the hydraulic fluid supplied thereto from the manual selector valve. The motor vehicle is now ready for moving from a standstill. This friction element may be called as a start-up friction element.
If, during this shift of the manual selector valve, the hydraulic fluid pressure acting on the start-up friction element increases quickly, a shock taking place upon engagement of the start-up friction element becomes great since the vehicle is at a standstill. This shock is called as a selected shock.
An automatic transmission of the RE4R01A type is known. This known transmission is manufactured in Japan by NISSAN MOTOR COMPANY LIMITED. In this known automatic transmission, a N-D accumulator is provided to control a rise in the servo activating hydraulic fluid pressure acting on a start-up friction element. A forward clutch serves as the start-up friction element in this transmission.
In controlling a back-up pressure acting on the accumulator, the magnitude of the select shock is reduced if the pressure level of the back-up pressure is kept at a sufficiently low level. However, if the pressure level is lowered enough to decrease the magnitude of the select shock to a sufficiently low level, a time lag between the instant when the manual selector valve is shifted from the neutral range position to one of the plurality of drive range positions and the subsequent instant when the start-up friction element is brought into engagement becomes long.
Explaining in detail referring to the fully drawn time charts shown in FIG. 6, when the manual selector valve is shifted from the neutral range position to the drive range position at the instant t 1 under a condition where the accumulator back-up pressure P A is zero, the stroke of the accumulator piston, the hydraulic pressure P F supplied to the forward clutch for engagement of same, the transmission output torque, and the transmission input revolution speed N T vary with respect to time t after the above-mentioned instant t 1 as shown by the fully drawn line curves in FIG. 6. As is readily understood from the variation of the transmission output torque, there is a great lag between the instant t 1 and the completion of engagement of the forward clutch.
Thus, if the driver depresses the accelerator pedal immediately after the instant t 1 for quick start of the vehicle from a standstill, the engine races during the above-mentioned time lag, inducing a substantially great shock.
An object of the present invention is to shorten the above-mentioned time lag, with the magnitude of a select shock suppressed to a sufficiently low level.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In a system for alleviating a select shock in an automatic transmission according to the present invention, an accumulator back-up pressure acting on the accumulator piston in opposed relationship with a servo activating hydraulic fluid pressure acting on a start-up friction element is increased until the friction element is brought into the initial engagement stage, and it is subsequently lowered.
According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a system for alleviating a select shock occurring in an automatic transmission including a manual selector valve having a neutral range position and a plurality of drive range positions, a predetermined friction element that is brought into engagement in response to a servo activating hydraulic fluid pressure build-up resulting from supply of hydraulic fluid thereto from the manual selector valve, which supply begins with a first instant when the manual selector valve has been shifted from the neutral range position to one of the plurality of drive range positions, an accumulator including an accumulator piston with a pressure acting area which the servo activating hydraulic fluid pressure acts on, the accumulator piston being operative to stroke in response to the servo activating hydraulic fluid pressure thereby to control a rise of the servo activating hydraulic fluid pressure, the system comprising:
accumulator control valve means for delivering an accumulator back-up pressure acting on the accumulator piston in opposed relationship with the servo activating hydraulic fluid pressure; and
control means for urging said accumulator control valve means to increase said accumulator back-up pressure till a second instant when the predetermined friction element is brought into the initial engagement stage, and lowering said accumulator back-up pressure after said second instant.
More specifically, said accumulator back-up pressure keeps said accumulator back-up pressure at a predetermined increased pressure value during a predetermined time begining with the first instant when the manual selector valve has been shifted from the neutral range position to one of the plurality of drive range positions and endding with said second instant.
According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of alleviating a select shock occurring in an automatic transmission including a manual selector valve having a neutral range position and a plurality of drive range positions, a predetermined friction element that is brought into engagement in response to a servo activating hydraulic fluid pressure build-up resulting from supply of hydraulic fluid thereto from the manual selector valve, which supply begins with a first instant when the manual selector valve has been shifted from the neutral range position to one of the plurality of drive range positions, an accumulator including an accumulator piston with a pressure acting area which the servo activating hydraulic fluid pressure acts on, the accumulator piston being operative to stroke in response to the servo activating hydraulic fluid pressure thereby to control a rise of the servo activating hydraulic fluid pressure, the method comprising the steps of:
delivering an accumulator back-up pressure acting on the accumulator piston in opposed relationship with the servo activating hydraulic fluid pressure;
increasing said accumulator back-up pressure till a second instant when the predetermined friction element is brought into the initial stage of engagement; and
lowering said accumulator back-up pressure after said second instant.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a first embodiment of a system for alleviating a select shock in an automatic transmission according to the present invention;
FIGS. 2 to 4 are flow charts of a control program stored in a read only memory (ROM) of a miocrocomputer based control unit;
FIG. 5 is a time chart showing the variation of the transmission input revolution speed near the instant when the start-up friction element is brought into the initial engagement stage;
FIG. 6 are time charts showing in fully drawn line curves the variations, with regard to time, of various variables according to prior art discussed before, and in broken line curves the variations of the same variables according to the present invention;
FIGS. 7 and 8 are flow charts of alternative different control programs which may be stored in the ROM of the control unit; and
FIG. 9 is a graph showing the characteristic of time lag with respect to temperature of hydraulic fluid.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Referring to FIG. 1, there is shown a manual selector valve 10 for an automatic transmission of the conventional type including a transmission input shaft drivingly connected via a torque converter to an output shaft of an engine and an output shaft drivingly connected to vehicle driving wheels. The manual selector valve 10 has a neutral range position ("N" range), a park range position ("P" range) and a plurality of drive range positions corresponding to an automatic drive range position ("D" range), a manual second range position ("II" range), and a manual first range position ("I" range). The manual selector valve 10 is shiftable to any one of the above-mentioned range positions by a driver via a manual selector provided near the driver seat in a usual manner. The automatic transmission also includes a start-up friction element 11. Usually, a forward clutch serves as the start-up friction element since the forward clutch is hydraulically activated when the manual selector valve 10 is shifted from the neutral range position to the automatic drive range position, or manual second range position, or manual first range position. On the other hand, a reverse clutch serves as the start-up friction element when the manual selector valve 10 is shifted from the neutral range position to the reverse range position. Thus, the term "start-up friction element" is herein used to mean the above-mentioned clutches and the like. A regulated hydraulic fluid pressure, often called line pressure, is supplied to the manual selector valve 10 by a line pressure regulator valve. Under a condition where the vehicle is at a standstill, when the driver shifts the manual selector valve 10 from the neutral range position to the automatic drive range position, the hydraulic fluid is supplied to the start-up friction element 11 at a servo chamber of a servo motor thereof including a servo piston. The hydraulic fluid flows through a fluid passage 13 past an orifice 14 and it is also supplied to an accumulator 12 to act on an accumulator piston 15 against the action of an accumulator return spring 16.
The accumulator 12 is of the conventional type and includes a stepped cylindrical chamber with a large diameter section and a small diameter section. The accumulator piston 15 has a large diameter portion slidable in the large diameter section of the stepped cylindrical chamber and a small diameter portion slidable in the small diameter section of the stepped cylindrical chamber. The accumulator spring 16 is arranged to bias the accumulator piston 15 in such a direction as to oppose a force derived from the hydraulic fluid pressure acting on the accumulator piston 15 at a large diameter end area 15a thereof. If the hydraulic fluid pressure building up at the servo chamber and acting on the servo piston of the start-up friction element 11 (which pressure is hereinafter called servo activating hydraulic fluid pressure) is expressed by P F and an accumulator back-up pressure acting on a small diameter area 15b of the accumulator piston 15 is expressed by P A , the servo activating hydraulic fluid pressure P F rises as shown by the fully drawn line in FIG. 6 if the back-up pressure P A is zero. If the back-up pressure P A is increased, the rise in the servo activating hydraulic fluid pressure P F becomes quick.
The back-up pressure P A is delivered by an accumulator control valve 17 which effects pressure regulation using as a base pressure the hydraulic pressure supplied thereto from the pressure regulator valve via the manual selector valve 10. The accumulator control valve 17 is operatively associated with a duty solenoid valve 18 such that the back-up pressure P A is zero when the solenoid drive current is zero, allowing the solenoid valve 18 to be closed (that is, when the duty DUT is zero), while it inreases with an increase with an increase in the duty DUT which the duty solenoid valve 18 is opened or closed with. More specifically, the accumulator control valve 17 is of a well known pressure regulator valve which delivers an output hydraulic fluid pressure proportional to the bias force of a spring disposed in a spring chamber where a hydraulic fluid pressure variably controllable by the duty solenoid valve 18 acts. Since the hydraulic fluid pressure applied to the spring chamber assists the bias action of the spring, the output hydraulic fluid pressure varies with the hydraulic fluid pressure applied to the spring chamber.
The duty DUT is determined by a control unit 19. Supplied to the control unit 19 are output signals of a throttle sensor 20, a vehicle speed sensor 21, an inhibitor switch 22, and a transmission input revolution sensor 23. The throttle sensor 20 detects a throttle opening degree of the engine throttle valve and generates a throttle opening degree indicative signal TH. The vehicle speed sensor 21 detects the vehicle speed and generates a vehicle speed indicative signal V. The inhibitor switch 22 detects which one of the selectable range positions the manual selector valve 10 is placed at and generates a signal S indicative of the range position selected by the manual selector valve 10. The transmission input revolution speed sensor 23 detects the revolution speed of the transmission input shaft and generates a transmission input revolution speed indicative signal N T . The control unit 19 is a microcomputer based system including in the usual manner a central processor unit (CPU), a read only memory (ROM), a random access memory (RAM), and an input/output interface (I/O). Based on a control program stored in the ROM, the CPU performs arithmetic operations to determine a gear position to be established by the automatic transmission using the throttle opening information indicated by the throttle opening degree indicative signal TH and the vehicle speed information indicated by the vehicle speed indicative signal V. The ROM also stores a control program illustrated by flow charts in FIGS. 2 to 4. The CPU executes this control program to determine drive duty DUT of the duty solenoid valve 18.
FIG. 2 shows a main routine which is executed upon elapse of an operation cycle Δt (delta t) of 10 msec. At a step 31, a sub routine 1 is executed. This sub routine 1 is illustrated in FIG. 3. Referring to FIG. 3, at a step 41, the CPU of the control unit 19 determines an average N T ' of the transmission input revolution speed N T by calculating the following equation:
N.sub.T '=N.sub.T /n+(n-1)N.sub.T '/n,
where: n represents a sampling number.
FIG. 6 shows the variation of the transmission input revolution speed N T in relation to the variation of the average N T ' thereof after the manual selector valve 10 has been shifted from the neutral range position to the automatic drive range position. It has been confirmed that the deviation of N T from N T ', i.e., N T '-N T , becomes great at the initial engagement stage of the friction element 11. Thus, it has been decided that the friction element 11 has been brought into the initial engagement stage at the instant t 2 when this deviation (N T '-N T ) becomes greater than or equal to a predetermined value K.
Turning back to FIG. 2, at a step 32, the CPU makes a judgement based on the information indicated by the signal S of the inhibitor switch 22 whether or not the neutral range position (N range) is selected by the manual selector valve 10. When N range position is selected, the solenoid drive duty DUT being equal to 0% is set at a step 33. When DUT=0% is set, the solenoid valve 18 causes the accumulator control valve 17 to produce zero accumulator back-up pressure P A .
After the driver has shifted the manual selector valve 10 from N range position to one of the drive range positions, for example D range position, the judgement made at the step 32 turns out to NO, so that at a step 34, a sub routine 2 shown in FIG. 4 is executed.
Referring to FIG. 4, at a step 51, the CPU makes a judgement whether or not the deviation (N T '-N T ) obtained at the previous step 31 is greater than or equal to the predetermined value K. If the answer to the enquiry at the step 51 is YES, it is set at a step 52 that the friction element 11 has been brought into the initial engagement stage. On the contrary, if the answer is NO, it is set at a step 53 that the friction element 11 has not been brought into the initial engagement stage yet.
Turning back to FIG. 2, at a step 35, the CPU makes a judgement based on the result of the sub routine of FIG. 4 whether or not the friction element 11 has been brought into the initial engagement stage. When the answer to the inquiry at the step 35 is NO, the duty DUT being equal to 30% is set at a step 36, whereas when the answer is NO, the duty DUT being equal to 0% is set at the step 33. The accumulator back-up pressure P A is increased by the duty solenoid valve 18 via the accumulator control valve 17 up to a predetermined high value when the duty DUT is equal to 30%. This elevated pressure state begins after the answer to the inquiry at the step 32 has turned to NO and holds until the answer to the inquiry at the step 35 will turn to YES. The accumulator back-up pressure P A is lowered toward zero by setting DUT=0% at the step 33 when it is judged at the step 35 that the friction element 11 is brought into the initial engagement stage.
Referring to FIG. 6, the above-mentioned operation is further explained. At the instant t 1 when the driver shifts the manual selector valve 10 from N range position to one of the drive range positions, for example D range position, the duty DUT rises from 0% up to 30% and subsequently at the instant when the deviation (N T '-N T ) becomes equal to or greater than the predetermined value K, the duty DUT drops down to 0%.
This causes the accumulator back-up pressure P A to increase as shown by the broken line drawn curve during a time period beginning with the instant t 1 and ending at instant t 2 . The speed at which the accumulator piston strokes are decreased is shown by the broken line curve, as compared to that shown by the fully drawn line curve of the before discussed prior art. This causes the servo activating hydraulic fluid pressure P F to increase quickly at the initial stage immediately after the instant t 1 as will be readily understood from the broken line drawn curve as compared to the fully drawn line curve in FIG. 6. As will be readily understood from the rising characteristic of the transmission output torque shown by the broken line curve, the time lag till the engagement of the friction element 11 has been shortened.
Since the friction element 11 undergoes a lost stroke during the time period between t 1 and t 2 , the above mentioned quick rise of the servo activating hydraulic fluid pressure P F during this time period has nothing to do with occurrence of a select shock. Owing to this initial quick rise of the servo activating hydraulic fluid pressure P F , the speed at which the servo activating hydraulic fluid pressure increases when the friction element 11 is engaged becomes slow, so that the select shock becomes small. Thus, the above-mentioned increase of the accumulator back-up pressure P A during the time period between t 1 and t 2 causes a reduction in the time lag as well as a reduction in the magnitude of select shock.
After the instant t 2 , the duty DUT=0% is set, causing the accumulator back-up pressure P A to drop to zero. Then, the accumulator piston of the accumulator 12 resumes its normal stroke, allowing the servo activating hydraulic fluid pressure P F to increase at a gradual rate.
In the preceding example, it is judged that the time has reached the instant t 2 when the deviation N T '-N T becomes equal to or greater than the predetermined value K. Alternatively, the same judgement may be made when the transmission output torque rises a predetermined amount or when the servo activating hydraulic fluid pressure P F applied to the friction element 11 rises a predetermined amount or when the engine revolution drops a predetermined amount or when a predetermined time has passed after the instant t 1 .
FIG. 7 is the flow chart of an alternative control program wherein it is judged that the time has reached the instant t 2 upon lapse of a predetermined time T 1 after the instant t 1 .
Referring to FIG. 7, at a step 81, the CPU judges whether or not the manual selector valve 10 is placed at N range position. As long as the manual selector valve 10 is placed at N range position, a timer T is reset at a step 82, and then the duty DUT being equal to 0% is set at a step 83. This flow including the steps 81, 82, and 83 is repeated as long as the manual selector valve 10 is placed at N range position.
When the driver shifts the manual selector valve 10 from N range position to one of the drive range position, for example D range position, the control proceeds from the step 81 to a step 84 where the timer T is subject to increment so as to measure the length of time elapsed from the instant t 1 . The time length is given by multiplying the timer T with Δt (delta t). Δt is an operation cycle of this program. Then, at a step 85, the CPU judges whether or not the timer T is greater than or equal to a predetermined time T 1 (for example, 0.3 sec, that is 300 msec.). This is where it is judged whether or not the time has reached the instant t 2 . When the friction element 11 has not been brought into the initial engagement stage yet, the duty DUT being equal to 30% is set at a step 86 and subsequently when the friction element 11 has been brought into the initial engagement stage, the duty DUT being equal to 0% is set at the step 83.
The predetermined time T 1 is fixed in the program mentioned above. If it is desired to achieve more precision in control, the time T 1 should vary in inverse proportion to the temperature of the hydraulic fluid until the temperature increases to a predetermined value of 50° C., as shown by the charactistic in FIG. 9, since the commencement of engagement of the friction element 11 takes place earlier as the temperature of the hydraulic fluid increases and the viscosity of the hydraulic fluid drops.
FIG. 8 is the flow chart illustrating a control program wherein the time T 1 is variable in inverse proportion to the temperature. Thus, this control program is different from that of FIG. 7 except the addition of a table look-up operation of a table data as illustrated by the characteristic in FIG. 9. This table look-up operation is performed at a step 87. At the step 87, the table data as shown in FIG. 9 is retrieved with a temperature of the hydraulic fluid which has been obtained by read-in operation.
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In order to shorten considerable time lag, which allows racing of an engine and lowers the transmission output torque peak, an accumulator back-up pressure acting on an accumulator for a start-up friction element is increased momentarily to quickly move a servo piston after a manual selector valve has been shifted from N range position to D range, for example, until the friction element is brought into the intial engagement stage. Subsequently, the accumulated back-up pressure is lowered to soften the frictional engagement.
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CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. §119 to Korean Patent Application No. 10-2014-181948, filed on Dec. 17, 2014, in the Korean Intellectual Property Office, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
BACKGROUND
[0002] 1. Field of the Invention
[0003] The present invention provides an apparatus for recycling rinsing wastewater for electropainting, and more particularly, for electropainting which reduces sludge through physical treatment without using a coagulant.
[0004] 2. Description of the Related Art
[0005] Generally, a high-quality water source is difficult to secure due to contamination of rivers and eutrophication by reservoirs and dams and the cost for purifying water is increasing due to an increase in personnel expenses and raw material prices, therefore the cost of water has substantially increased. As a dry season and a rainy season are clearly distinguished due to unusual temperature and a deficit of water is expected in the dry season, it is necessary to secure new water sources. However, securing a new water source is challenging due to economic, social, and environmental constraints. Under these circumstances, purifying and recycling of wastewater produced manufacturing processes may be a plan capable of reducing the costs for purchasing water and treating wastewater and may function as a new water source.
[0006] Electroplating used in the process of manufacturing vehicles specifically including a rinsing step in the painting pre-treatment process is water intensive. The electropainting process improves the anti-corrosive property and corrosion resistance of a vehicle body. During the process a paint coating is forcibly applied to a body of a vehicle using an electrical phenomenon by charging the vehicle body with a negative polarity and the paint with a positive polarity. The non-adhering paint on a vehicle body painted by electropainting is removed through ultrafiltration rinsing, including a three-stage rinsing process and final rinsing process utilizing pure water, thereby ensuring painting quality. The rinsing wastewater produced during the ultrafiltration rinsing is filtered and returned to an electropainting bath where the electropaint is filtered and separated through an ultrafiltration filter and then condensed. Finally, the filtered treated-water is reused as the rinsing water.
[0007] Next, the rinsing water produced by the three-stage rinsing and final rinsing is discharged and transported for treatment at a sewage water treatment plant. Typically, the rinsing waste water contains pure water and electropaint, thereby making the rinsing water suitable for recycling through an appropriate purifying process. For example, a technique for recycling electropainting wastewater includes recycling electropainting wastewater producing high-quality recycled water however, the process is complicated and difficult to manage. Additionally, there is a need for a substantial facility due to a large wastewater collection tank and a sludge deposition tank, and significant operational expenses including purchasing chemicals, treating sludge, and the cost of electricity for operating a blower for aeration.
[0008] An alternate method for treating rinsing wastewater includes a water tank-condensing tank, a film separation apparatus, an acid injection apparatus, and a pH measuring apparatus are included. The rinsing wastewater collected in the water tank-condensing tank is treated by the film separation apparatus, and the filtered treated-water is supplied to other processes. The condensed water then flows to the water tank-condensing tank. Further, acid is automatically injected by the pH measuring apparatus and the acid injection apparatus, therefore the pH of the treated-water is maintained within a predetermined range.
[0009] Beneficially, the above mentioned technique provides simplified maintenance and requires a relatively small facility, but condensed water is continuously returned back to the water tank-condensing tank from the film separation apparatus, therefore a substantially sized tank is required. Further, the concentration of the electropaint in the rinsing wastewater to be treated increases and there is not pre-treatment apparatus before the rinsing wastewater flows into the film separation apparatus. Consequently, fouling is generated on the separation film and the duration of the filtration limited.
[0010] Another method for treating rinsing wastewater includes a purifying apparatus for securing drinkable water using a self-power source that utilizes a power generator when the power supply is limited for instance, in circumstances related to natural disasters. The purifying apparatus is divided into a power supply portion and a purifying portion, in which the purifying portion includes a water supply pump, a pre-filter, a switch valve, a micro membrane filter, a reverse osmosis filter, an active carbon filter, a chlorine tank, and a chlorine agent injection pump.
[0011] Raw water supplied by the water supply pump is pre-treated by the pre-filter, and then transported to the micro membrane filter or the reverse osmosis filter by the switch valve, and then filtered. The treated-water filtered by the micro membrane filter is treated by the active carbon filter to remove impurities including odor impurities. The treated-water that has been subjected to the micro membrane filter and the active carbon filter or the reverse osmosis filter is disinfected with chlorine which then produces drinkable water. However, the technique has been designed to produce drinkable water for emergencies. For example, the process treats raw water having limited amounts of contamination. However, the process is not effective in treating electropainting wastewater contaminated that may contain substantial quantities of recycle treated-water from painting.
[0012] In particular, the processes utilizes the pre-filter, micro membrane filter, active carbon filter, and disinfecting with chlorine. Typically, removal of the contaminants contained in electropainting wastewater with the micro membrane filter involves a substantial level of difficulty. Consequently, a substantial amount of contaminants are removed by the active carbon filter, resulting in frequent replacement of the active carbon filter. For example, active carbon filters are typically installed in two lines and the two lines are alternately operated. Alternate operation of a plurality of filters results in an increased expense attributed to purchasing new active carbon and treat wasted active carbon. Further, when treated-water is discharged containing contaminants resulting from inappropriate maintenance of the active carbon filter, excessive quantities of chlorine are used in the chlorine disinfection process, THMs Tri-halomethanes (THMs), a carcinogenic substance is produced as a byproduct in the disinfection, and the remaining chlorine may cause corrosion of facilities and products.
[0013] In the processes by the pre-filter, reverse osmosis filter, and disinfecting with chlorine, the reverse osmosis filter operating at a high pressure requires frequent backwash since fouling may be generated by electropaint. However, backwashing may be difficult due to the adhesion of the electropainting and the high-pressure operation, such that the productivity of treated-water may be reduced. Therefore, the inventor(s) has attempted to develop an apparatus for recycling rinsing wastewater for electropainting which can solve the problems requiring a substantial facility, economical efficiency, maintenance, wastewater treatment, and quality.
[0014] The above information disclosed in this Background section is merely 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
[0015] The exemplary embodiment provides an apparatus for recycling rinsing wastewater produced during electropainting which may reduce sludge through physical treatment without requiring a coagulant by including a pre-filtration unit, a micro filtration unit, an ultrafiltration unit, an active carbon filtration unit, and an ultrasonic sterilizing unit.
[0016] An exemplary embodiment provides an apparatus for recycling rinsing wastewater for electropainting which may include a pre-filtration unit that may include having a pre-filter configured to filter and remove floats and electropaint flux in rinsing wastewater transported through an inlet; a primary treated-water tank that may be connected with the pre-filter unit and may maintain primary treated-water filtered by the pre-filter unit. A micro filtration unit may be connected with the primary treatment tank and may include a micro filtration separator configured to filter and remove electropaint particles in the primary treated-water. A secondary treated-water tank may be connected with the micro filtration unit and may maintain secondary treated-water filtered by the micro filtration unit. Further, an ultrafiltration unit may be connected with the secondary treated-water tank and may include an ultrafiltration separator configured to filter and remove the remaining contaminants in the secondary treated-water and an active carbon filtration unit may be connected with the ultrafiltration unit and may have an active carbon for adsorbing and removing ions, a odor, and a minimal amount of remaining contaminants in the secondary treated-water filtered by the ultrafiltration unit. A final treatment tank may be connected to the active carbon filtration unit and may filter final treated-water via the active carbon filtration unit and an ultrasonic sterilizing unit may be attached to the final treatment tank to remove microorganisms disposed in the final treated-water.
[0017] In another aspect, a portion of the secondary treated-water disposed in the secondary treated-water tank may be used as backwashing water for backwashing the micro filtration unit. For example, the backwashing water may be transported to the backwashing water inlet of the micro filtration unit and discharged through the backwashing water outlet by the backwashing water supply pump. The backwashing water may remove electropaint on the micro filtration separator of the micro filtration unit.
[0018] In some exemplary embodiments, the final treated-water in the final treated-water tank may be used as backwashing water for backwashing the ultrafiltration unit. The backwashing water may be transported to the backwashing water inlet of the ultrafiltration unit and discharged through the backwashing outlet by the backwashing water supply pump. Additionally, the backwashing water may remove remaining contaminants on the ultrafiltration separator of the ultrafiltration unit. In another embodiment, the final treated-water in the final treated-water tank may be used as backwashing water for backwashing the active carbon filtration unit. The backwashing water may be transported to the backwashing water inlet of the active carbon filtration unit and discharged through the backwashing outlet by the backwashing water supply pump. Additionally, the backwashing water may remove ions, an odor, and a minimal amount of contaminants adsorbed on the active carbons in the active carbon filtration unit.
[0019] The ultrasonic sterilizing unit may include an ultrasonic wave generator may be configured to generate ultrasonic waves; and an ultrasonic oscillator that may be vibrated by the ultrasonic waves generated by the ultrasonic generator. In other exemplary embodiments, the backwashing water that may be discharged through the backwashing water outlet of the micro filtration unit may be kept in a condensed water tank. The backwashing water discharged through the backwashing water outlet of the ultrafiltration unit may be maintained in the secondary treated-water tank. The backwashing water discharged through the backwashing water outlet of the active carbon filtration unit may be maintained in the secondary treated-water tank.
[0020] The apparatus according exemplary embodiments may reduce sludge through physical treatment without utilizing a coagulant. Additionally, the apparatus may be installed at facilities having a limited scale, and may reduce expenses associated with purchasing a coagulant, purchasing a disinfectant, and treating sludge. The apparatus may be maintained by automatic operation, may be readily available for various facilities due to elimination of the use of a chlorine disinfectant, may suppress corrosion of a filtering device, and may increase filtration time by delaying fouling of a filtering device.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0021] FIG. 1 is an exemplary embodiment of a diagram illustrating the configuration of an apparatus for recycling rinsing wastewater for electropainting according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention; and
[0022] FIG. 2 is an exemplary embodiment of an enlarge view schematically illustrating an ultrasonic sterilizer according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0023] The present invention will be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which exemplary embodiments of the invention are shown. As those skilled in the art would realize, the described embodiments may be modified in various different ways, all without departing from the spirit or scope of the present invention.
[0024] The terms and words used in the present specification and claims should not be interpreted as being limited to typical meanings or dictionary definitions, but should be interpreted as having meanings and concepts relevant to the technical scope of the present invention based on the rule according to which an inventor can appropriately define the concept of the terms to describe most appropriately the best method he or she knows for carrying out the invention.
[0025] The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the invention. As used herein, the singular forms “a”, “an” and “the” are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms “comprises” and/or “comprising,” when used in this specification, specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof. As used herein, the term “and/or” includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items. For example, In order to make the description of the present invention clear, unrelated parts are not shown and, the thicknesses of layers and regions are exaggerated for clarity. Further, when it is stated that a layer is “on” another layer or substrate, the layer may be directly on another layer or substrate or a third layer may be disposed therebetween.
[0026] 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 the context, all numerical values provided herein are modified by the term “about.”
[0027] It is understood that the term “vehicle” or “vehicular” or other similar term as used herein is inclusive of motor vehicles in general such as passenger automobiles including sports utility vehicles (SUV), buses, trucks, various commercial vehicles, watercraft including a variety of boats and ships, aircraft, and the like, and includes hybrid vehicles, electric vehicles, plug-in hybrid electric vehicles, hydrogen-powered vehicles and other alternative fuel vehicles (e.g. fuels derived from resources other than petroleum). As referred to herein, a hybrid vehicle is a vehicle that has two or more sources of power, for example both gasoline-powered and electric-powered vehicles.
[0028] Hereinafter, an exemplary embodiment will be described in detail. The present invention provides an apparatus for recycling rinsing wastewater for electropainting which may recycle rinsing wastewater produced in electropainting, through physical treatment without utilizing a coagulant. An apparatus for recycling rinsing wastewater for electropainting according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention may include as illustrated in FIG. 1 , a pre-filtration unit 100 having a pre-filter 135 configured to filter and remove floats and electropaint flux in rinsing wastewater transported through an inlet 110 ; a primary treated-water tank 200 may be connected with the pre-filter unit 100 and may store primary treated-water filtered by the pre-filter unit 100 .
[0029] Further a micro filtration unit 300 may be connected with the primary treatment tank 200 and may include a micro filtration separator 335 for that may filter and remove electropaint particles disposed in the primary treated-water. A secondary treated-water tank 400 may be connected with the micro filtration unit 300 and may store secondary treated-water filtered by the micro filtration unit 300 . An ultrafiltration unit 500 may be connected with the secondary treated-water tank 400 and may include an ultrafiltration separator 535 that may filter and remove the remaining contaminants in the secondary treated-water. An active carbon filtration unit 600 may be connected with the ultrafiltration unit 500 and may have an active carbon 635 that may adsorb and remove ions, an odor, and a minimal amount of remaining contaminants in the secondary treated-water filtered by the ultrafiltration unit 500 . A final treatment tank 700 may connect the active carbon filtration unit 600 and may store the final treated-water 710 filtered by the active carbon filtration unit 600 and an ultrasonic sterilizing unit 800 may be attached to the final treatment tank 700 to remove microorganisms disposed in the final treated-water 710 .
[0030] In particular, the pre-filtration unit 100 may include the pre-filter 135 and a pre-filter case 130 that may fix the pre-filter 135 and may provide a treatment space for wastewater, and the pre-filter case 130 may have the inlet 110 through which electropainting wastewater may flow to the interior, a fixing rail 133 that may fix the pre-filter, and an outlet 120 through which the primary treated-water may be discharged. The micro filtration unit 300 may include the micro filtration separator 335 , a micro filtration unit case 330 that may fix the micro filtration separator 335 and may provide a treatment space for wastewater, a manometer 340 , and a backwashing water supply pump 350 . The micro filtration unit case 330 may have an inlet 310 through which the primary treated-water may flow within, an outlet 320 through which the secondary treated-water may be discharged, a backwashing water inlet 351 , and backwashing water outlet 353 .
[0031] The ultrafiltration unit 500 may include the ultrafiltration separator 535 , an ultrafiltration unit case 530 that may fix the ultrafiltration separator 535 and may provide a treatment space for wastewater, a manometer 540 , and a backwashing water supply pump 550 . The ultrafiltration unit case 530 may have an inlet 510 through which the secondary treated-water may flow within, a third treated-water outlet 520 , a backwashing water inlet 551 , and backwashing water outlet 553 . The active carbon filtration unit 600 may include an active carbon filtration unit case 630 forming an active carbon filtration layer and may provide a treatment space for wastewater, active carbons 635 , a flowmeter 640 , and a backwashing water supply pump 650 . The active carbon filtration unit case 630 may have an inlet 610 through which third treated-water may flow within, an outlet 620 through which final treated-water may be discharged, an active carbon support 637 , a backwashing water inlet 651 , and a backwashing water outlet 653 .
[0032] Moreover, some of the secondary treated-water disposed the secondary treated-water tank 400 may be used as backwashing water for backwashing the micro filtration unit 300 . The backwashing water may be transported to the backwashing water inlet 351 of the micro filtration unit 300 and may be discharged through the backwashing water outlet 353 by the backwashing water supply pump 350 connected with the secondary treated-water tank 400 . The backwashing water may flow in the opposite direction for filtration and may flow to the exterior from the interior of the micro filtration separator 335 thereby removing the electropaint particles condensed on the micro filtration separator 335 . In other words, since the micro filtration unit 300 may be configured to filter electropainting particles from the treated-water flowing to the interior from the exterior of the micro filtration separator 335 , as the filtration time elapses, the electropainting particles may be condensed on the exterior side of the micro filtration separator 335 , thereby reducing the transmission efficiency. For example, backwashing to remove the electropainting particles condensed on the micro filtration separator 335 may improve the method.
[0033] In particular, the backwashing water including the electropainting particles removed by backwashing may be transported to the condensing tank 360 through the backwashing outlet 353 of the micro filtration unit 300 . When required, the backwashing water may be returned to the micro filtration unit 300 and reused or may be transported to a sewage water treatment plant for further treatment. The backwashing for the micro filtration separator 335 may be performed with aeration and may be performed after completion of the filtration by the micro filtration unit 300 and filtration by the micro filtration unit 300 may be performed after the backwashing is completed.
[0034] Similarly, a portion of the final treated-water 710 disposed in the final treated-water tank 700 may be used as backwashing water for backwashing the ultrafiltration unit 600 and the backwashing water may be transported to the backwashing water inlet 551 of the ultrafiltration unit 500 and may be discharged through the backwashing outlet 553 by the backwashing water supply pump 550 . The backwashing water may flow in the opposite direction to that of the filtration which flows from the exterior to the interior of the ultrafiltration separator 535 . Additionally, the remaining contaminants condensed and accumulated on the ultrafiltration separator 535 may be removed.
[0035] Furthermore, the ultrafiltration separator 535 of the ultrafiltration unit 500 may be configured to filter remaining contaminants such as low-molecular resin, non-reacting substances, and organic substances from the treated-water flowing to the interior from the exterior of the ultrafiltration separator 530 . As the filtration time elapses, the remaining contaminants may form a contaminant cake layer by being condensed and accumulated on the exterior side of the micro filtration separator 535 . For example, the transmission efficiency of the ultrafiltration separator 535 may be reduced. Backwashing for removing the cake layer of contaminants condensed and accumulated on the ultrafiltration separator 535 may be required. The backwashing water including contaminants removed by the backwashing may be transported to the secondary treated-water tank 400 through the backwashing water outlet 553 of the ultrafiltration unit 500 and reused. Additionally, the backwashing water may be transported to a sewage water treatment plant and further treated. The backwashing for the ultrafiltration separator 535 may be performed with aeration and may be performed after filtration by the ultrafiltration unit 500 is completed, and filtration by the ultrafiltration unit 500 may be performed after the backwashing is completed.
[0036] Further, a portion of the final treated-water 710 disposed in the final treated-water tank 700 may be used as backwashing water for backwashing the active carbon filtration unit 600 . The backwashing water may be transported to the backwashing water inlet 651 of the active carbon filtration unit 600 and may be discharged through the backwashing outlet 653 by the backwashing water supply pump 650 . The backwashing water flowing upward opposite to that for filtration may remove ions, an odor, and a minimal amount of remaining contaminants adsorbed on the active carbons 635 . The active carbons 635 in the active carbon filtration unit 600 may adsorb ions, an odor, and a minimal amount of remaining contaminants from the treated-water, the adsorption efficiency of the surfaces of the active carbons 635 decreases as the filtration time elapses. Additionally, backwashing for removing the ions, odor, and remaining contaminants on the active carbons 635 may be required.
[0037] The backwashing water including the ions, the odor, and the minimal amount of remaining contaminants removed by the backwashing may be transported to the secondary treated-water tank 400 through the backwashing water outlet 653 of the active carbon filtration unit 600 and reused. Additionally, when necessary, the backwashing water may be transported to a sewage water treatment plant and further treated. The backwashing for the active carbon filtration unit 600 may be performed with aeration and may performed after filtration by active carbon filtration unit 600 is completed, and filtration by the active carbon filtration unit 600 may be performed after the backwashing is completed. Furthermore, when the quality of the final treated-water is not improved even after the active carbon filtration unit is backwashed, the active carbons 635 may be replaced.
[0038] Alternatively, as illustrated in FIG. 2 , the ultrasonic sterilizing unit 800 may include an ultrasonic wave generator 810 that may be configured to generate ultrasonic waves; and an ultrasonic oscillator 830 that may be configured to generate a vibration using the ultrasonic waves generated by the ultrasonic generator 810 . The ultrasonic oscillator 830 of the ultrasonic sterilizing unit 800 may be installed exterior to the final treated-water tank 700 , enabling prevention of deterioration of the sterilizing efficiency due to contamination on the ultrasonic oscillator 830 . Further, the ultrasonic oscillator 830 may be three-dimensionally installed on various sides, in addition to a side of the final treated-water tank, thereby eliminating a dead zone and maximizing the sterilizing effect of the final treated-water 710 .
[0039] The backwashing water discharged through the backwashing water outlet 353 of the micro filtration unit 300 may be maintained in the condensed water tank 360 , the backwashing water discharged through the backwashing water outlet 553 of the ultrafiltration unit 500 may be maintained in the secondary treated-water tank 400 . The backwashing water discharged through the backwashing water outlet of the active carbon filtration unit 600 may be maintained in the secondary treated-water tank 400 . Further, the primary treated-water disposed in the primary treated-water tank 200 may be supplied to the micro filtration unit by the primary treated-water supply pump 210 and the secondary treated-water in the secondary treated-water tank 400 may be supplied to the ultrafiltration unit by the secondary treated-water supply pump 410 .
[0040] The apparatus for recycling rinsing wastewater for electropainting according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention may be used for recycling wastewater produced in a rinsing process of removing foreign substances on an object painted in electropainting.
Example
[0041] The exemplary embodiment described herein provides an apparatus for recycling rinsing wastewater for electropainting and a comparative example of a chemical treatment apparatus.
[0000]
TABLE 1
Exemplary Embodiment
Comparative example
Raw
Treated-
Treatment
Raw
Treated-
Treatment
Item
wastewater
water
efficiency
wastewater
water
efficiency
Organic
1,276 mg/l
7.7 mg/l
99.4%
978 mg/l
6.8 mg/l
99.3%
substances
Floats
58.7 mg/l
0 mg/l
100%
87.3 mg/l
0 mg/l
100%
Common
10,000
0
100%
10,000
0
100%
bacteria
cfu/100 ml
cfu/100 ml
cfu/100 ml
cfu/100 ml
[0042] Table 1 compares the efficiencies of treating rising wastewater for electropainting by an exemplary embodiment of the apparatus for recycling rinsing wastewater for electropainting according to an exemplary embodiment and a comparative example of a chemical treatment apparatus.
[0043] In the exemplary embodiment, a hollow fiber type (ID 0.65 mm, OD 1.0 mm) was used for a micro filtration separator of a micro filtration unit, the size of apertures of the separator was 0.2 μm or less, flux was 45 l/m 2 -Hr or less, and operation pressure was 1.0 kgf/cm 2 or less. In the embodiment, a hollow fiber type (ID 1.2 mm, OD 1.8 mm) was used for an ultrafiltration separator of an ultrafiltration unit, the size of apertures of the separator was 0.0.1 μm or less, flux was 65 to 75 l/m 2 -Hr, and operation pressure was 2.0 kgf/cm 2 or less.
[0044] Alternatively, the chemical treatment apparatus in the comparative example includes a cohering unit, a float separating unit, a sand filtration unit, an active carbon filtration unit, an ozone oxidizing unit, a micro filtration unit, and an ultrafiltration unit. The chemical treatment apparatus of the comparative example required injecting a coagulant of about 375 ml/m 3 , a pH conditioner of about 275 ml/m 3 , and a cohering agent of about 75 ml/m 3 . As the result of the test on the embodiment and the comparative example, the embodiment treated organic substances by 99.4% and floats and common bacteria by 100%. The comparative example also treated organic substances by 99.3% and floats and common bacteria by 100%.
[0045] However, it could be found from the test that the exemplary embodiment physically treated the substances without using a chemical such as a coagulant, thereby reducing environmental contamination due to use of a chemical and it did not produce sludge unlike that the comparative example which produced a sludge of about 125 l/m 3 . Therefore, the apparatus for recycling rinsing wastewater for electropainting according to the exemplary embodiment did not produce sludge without using a chemical while being equal in treatment efficiency to the chemical treatment apparatus of the related art.
[0046] The invention was described in connection with what is presently considered to be exemplary embodiments, but on the contrary, is intended to cover various modifications and equivalents arrangements included within the sprit and scope of the appended claims. In addition it is to be considered that all of these modifications and alterations fall within the scope of the present invention and the claims to be described below.
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An apparatus for recycling rinsing wastewater for electropainting is provided. The apparatus includes a pre-filtration unit, a primary treated-water tank, a micro filtration unit, a secondary treated-water tank, an ultrafiltration unit, an active carbon filtration unit, a final treated-water tank, and an ultrasonic sterilizing unit. Accordingly, sludge is reduced through physical treatment without using a coagulant. Advantageously, the apparatus is installed at facilities having a reduced scale and provides additional facility options available due to elimination of a chlorine disinfectant. Furthermore the apparatus reduces costs for purchasing a coagulant, purchasing a disinfectant, and treating sludge, suppresses corrosion of a filtering device, and increases filtration time by delaying fouling of a filtering device.
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CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] The present application claims the benefit of the filing date of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/549,439 filed on Oct. 20, 2011, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated herein by reference.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] The present invention relates to devices used in the fixation of fractures in bones. More specifically, the present invention relates to a flexible bone plating system that rigidly fixes adjacent ends of a fractured bone while still allowing axial dynamization of the bone to promote healing of the fracture.
[0003] Typical fixation of a fracture of a long bone with a bone plate requires making an incision in the tissue, reducing the fracture, placing a bone plate on the fractured bone, and securing the bone plate to the bone with fixation elements such as screws. The bone plate immobilizes the fracture and keeps the bone in a correct position so as to allow the fracture to heal. In certain cases, the bone plate may facilitate the reduction of the fracture.
[0004] Typically, bone plates have a bone contacting surface and an upper surface facing away from the bone with a plurality of holes or apertures extending between the two surfaces. These holes or apertures may be either threaded (for use with locking screws) or non-threaded (for use with regular screws) and may be circular or oblong in shape. In traditional fracture fixation, the plates are usually fixed to the bone parts by means of threaded screws, which are driven into the bone tissue after so-called pre-drilled or pilot-drilled holes have been generated in the bone tissue. These pre-drilled holes allow for a reliable screwing procedure whereby the risk of further destroying the bone with the screw is significantly reduced. These plates generally are rigid and resistant to bending or torsioning in order to stabilize the fractured bone. However, absolute rigidity is not always desirable and it can be advantageous when an implantable bone plate is capable of a degree of freedom along the main axis of the bone plate.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0005] Various aspects of the present invention are achieved by bone fixation devices, screws, or drilling configurations that result in the capability of axial dynamization of the bone along the main axis of the bone while maintaining rigidity in other directions and restricting bending or torsioning.
[0006] In one embodiment, a bone fixation device, such as a bone plate, for affixation to a bone has a first end, a second end remote from the first end, a bone contacting surface and an upper surface facing away from the bone contacting surface. The bone fixation device also has first and second holes extending between the bone contacting surface and the upper surface, with the first hole positioned on the first end, the second hole positioned on the second end, and each hole being capable of receiving a fastener. The bone fixation device also includes a nut with a top surface, a bottom surface, and a hole extending between the top surface and bottom surface.
[0007] The first hole may be oblong with a major axis length and a minor axis length. The nut can have a width greater than the major axis length of the first hole. Alternatively, the nut can have a top portion and a bottom portion. The width of the top portion is smaller than the major axis length of the first hole and the width of the bottom portion is greater than the major axis length of the first hole.
[0008] In another embodiment, a bone fixation device, such as a bone plate, for affixation to a bone includes a first end, a second end remote from the first end, a bone contacting surface, and an upper surface facing away from the bone contacting surface. The bone fixation device also includes first and second holes extending between the bone contacting surface and the upper surface, the first hole being positioned on the first end the second hole being positioned on the second end. Each hole is capable of receiving a fastener. The bone fixation device can also include a cap with a top surface, a bottom surface, a first side wall, and a second side wall. The bottom surface of the cap defines a recess therein. The first and second side walls of the cap can each include a flange extending generally parallel to the top surface toward the opposite side wall.
[0009] In another embodiment of the invention, a method of affixing a bone fixation device to a bone with a fracture includes the step of providing the bone fixation device. The bone fixation device includes a first end, a second end remote from the first end, a bone contacting surface and an upper surface facing away from the bone contacting surface. The bone fixation device also includes first and second holes extending between the bone contacting surface and the upper surface, the first hole being positioned on the first end the second hole being positioned on the second end. Each hole is capable of receiving a fastener. The bone fixation device also includes a nut with a top surface, a bottom surface, and a hole extending between the top surface and bottom surface. This embodiment of the invention also includes the steps of placing the bone fixation device on the bone, inserting a first fastener through the first hole, through the hole in the nut, and into the bone on a first side of the fracture, and also inserting a second fastener through the second hole, and into the bone on a second side of the fracture.
[0010] In yet another embodiment of the invention, a method of affixing a bone fixation device to a bone with a fracture includes the step of providing the bone fixation device, which includes a first end, a second end remote from the first end, a bone contacting surface and an upper surface facing away from the bone contacting surface. The bone fixation device also includes first and second holes extending between the bone contacting surface and the upper surface, the first hole being positioned on the first end and the second hole being positioned on the second end, each hole being capable of receiving a fastener. The bone fixation device also includes a cap with a top surface, a bottom surface, first and second side walls, with the bottom surface of the cap defining a recess therein. This embodiment of the invention also includes the steps of placing the bone fixation device on the bone, inserting first and second fasteners through the first and second holes and into the bone on first and second sides of the fracture, respectively. This embodiment of the invention also includes the step of connecting the cap to the bone fixation device.
[0011] The step of connecting the cap to the bone fixation device can also include placing the cap over the first hole such that at least a portion of the first fastener resides within the recess of the bottom surface of the cap. The step of connecting the cap to the bone fixation device can even further include engaging a flange on the first side wall of the cap with the bone contacting surface of the bone fixation device and engaging a flange on the second side wall of the cap with the bone contacting surface of the bone fixation device.
[0012] Different embodiments of a bone fixation device include apertures into which screws are inserted to fix the bone fixation device to the bone on one side of a fracture site, and further include additional apertures that can receive screws on the opposing side of the fracture site. The additional apertures can have a means by which the screw and aperture can slightly move in a direction along the main axis of the bone while the screw remains fixed in the bone. This preferably allows for micromotion of the bone fragments on each side of the fracture to promote healing.
[0013] Different embodiments of the means by which the screw and aperture can move are within the scope of the invention. These include, for example, a floating aperture element in the bone fixation device created by cutting out material from the bone fixation device, leaving the floating aperture connected by flexure joints or another type of spring mechanism. Other means contemplated herein include an aperture made within a sliding cart in the bone fixation device which allows the screw and the sliding cart to slide within a predefined area of the bone fixation device, while the screw engaged with the aperture remains fixed relative to the segment of bone into which it is inserted.
[0014] Other embodiments of a bone fixation device to achieve the desired goals include a bone fixation device that includes flexible arm extensions, forming a cut-out section in the center, that connect opposing ends of the bone fixation device and allow the bone fixation device to flex in the direction of the main axis of the bone while maintaining rigidity in other directions.
[0015] In another embodiment, the bone fixation device includes at least one oblong hole into which a bone screw can be inserted. The oblong shape of the hole allows movement of the screw along the major axis of the oblong hole, while tilting or movement in other directions is restricted by the minor axis of the oblong hole as well as other means. Examples of the other means contemplated herein include a nut, through which the screw is inserted, which at least partially contacts the underside of the bone fixation device to provide rigidity in the desired directions. Further means include a cap and screw assembly in which the screw can move with the bone in the direction of the main axis of the bone while still being restricted from movement in other directions by the cap.
[0016] Still further embodiments of the invention are provided to achieve axial dynamization of a bone. These include screw configurations in which a top portion of the screw is narrower than a bottom portion of the screw, due to either the core diameter or the thread diameter changing along the axis of the screw. This geometry allows for reduced rigidity on the near cortex side of the bone after the screw is inserted through an aperture in a bone fixation device and further through the bone. The reduced rigidity allows the screw and bone to move along the main axis of the bone while restricting movements in other directions. Similarly, an embodiment of the invention achieves a similar result using a screw with a constant core and thread diameter, but instead creating a relatively large drill hole in the near cortex and relatively small drill hole in the far cortex of the bone.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0017] FIG. 1A illustrates a top view of one embodiment of a bone fixation device shown here as a bone plate.
[0018] FIG. 1B illustrates an enlarged view of a floating aperture element of the embodiment of the bone fixation device in FIG. 1A .
[0019] FIG. 2A illustrates a top view of an alternate embodiment of a bone fixation device in the form of a bone plate.
[0020] FIG. 2B illustrates a cross section of a cart element of the embodiment of the bone fixation device in FIG. 2A along axis A-A.
[0021] FIG. 2C illustrates a perspective view of an alternate embodiment of a bone fixation device.
[0022] FIG. 3 illustrates yet another embodiment of a bone fixation device, shown as a bone plate with flexible arm extensions.
[0023] FIG. 4A illustrates a top view of another embodiment of a bone fixation device, shown as a bone plate with an oblong screw hole.
[0024] FIG. 4B illustrates a cross-sectional side view of a screw engaged with a nut through the oblong screw hole of the bone fixation device shown in FIG. 5A .
[0025] FIG. 4C illustrates a cross-sectional side perspective view of a screw engaged in the oblong screw hole of the bone fixation device shown in FIG. 5A along with a screw cap.
[0026] FIG. 4D illustrates a bottom perspective view of the screw cap shown in FIG. 5C .
[0027] FIG. 5 illustrates a cross sectional view, along the main axis of a bone, of a bone after different diameter holes are drilled through the bone.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0028] As used herein, when referring to bones or other parts of the body, the term “proximal” means closer to the heart and the term “distal” means more distant from the heart. The term “inferior” means toward the feet and the term “superior” means towards the head. The term “anterior” means towards the front part of the body or the face and the term “posterior” means towards the back of the body. The term “medial” means toward the midline of the body and the term “lateral” means away from the midline of the body.
[0029] Referring to FIG. 1A there is shown a top view of one embodiment of bone fixation device 10 . Bone fixation device 10 includes a bone contacting surface (not shown) and a surface facing away from the bone (shown in FIG. 1 ) with a plurality of holes or apertures 12 extending between the two surfaces. Holes or apertures 12 may be either threaded (for use with locking screws) or non-threaded (for use with non-locking or compression screws) and may be any suitable shape, such as circular or oblong. Bone fixation device 10 is implanted onto a bone across a fracture site in the bone such that at least one hole or aperture 12 is positioned on each opposing side of the fracture. Bone fixation device 10 also includes one or more floating aperture elements 14 , within a slot 11 , connected to bone fixation device 10 by flexure joints 16 , described in more detail below.
[0030] Referring to FIG. 1B there is shown a close up view of floating aperture element 14 within a slot 11 of bone fixation device 10 . Each of the one or more slots 11 are created by removing material from the bone fixation device 10 around a hole or aperture 13 . The remaining material forms the one or more floating aperture elements 14 . The material is removed such that the floating aperture element 14 remains connected to the bone fixation device 10 by flexure joints 16 to allow the floating aperture element 14 to move only in the desired direction (e.g., along the main or longitudinal axis of the bone fixation device). As shown, the floating aperture element 14 is generally a rectangular shape that only contacts the bone fixation device 10 along the main axis of the device 10 . The flexure joints 16 are generally “x” shaped and integral with the bone fixation device 10 such that the floating aperture element 14 can move along the longitudinal axis of the bone fixation device 10 , even while the rest of the bone fixation device 10 is otherwise stationary. Thus, the flexure joints 16 allow the floating aperture element 14 to be stiff in some directions and flexible in others. By leveraging this asymmetric stiffness, a change in the distance between holes 12 and 13 is possible with minimal effect on the angle between the bone fixation device 10 and the bone to which it is attached. Additionally, there is minimal allowance for horizontal translation of a screw in aperture 13 as well as minimal allowance for translation of the screw in a direction normal to the bone fixation device 10 .
[0031] Although the embodiment depicted in FIGS. 1A and 1B is discussed above, one skilled in the art would recognize that design variations in the fixation device are possible. For instance, floating aperture element 14 could be other shapes such as square or circular, and the flexure joints 16 could be any shape, such as a spring shape that allows translation in the axial direction while maintaining stiffness in other directions. Likewise, the fixation device can exhibit many different shapes for use in different situations, and can employ any number of floating aperture elements 14 and slots 11 . Still further, floating aperture elements 14 and flexure joints 16 can be configured to allow translation or movement of the screw in a number of different directions, as well as to allow more or less movement. Although discussed as being created through the removal of material from device 10 , floating apertures elements 14 could be separately formed and attached to device 10 through welding or another suitable process.
[0032] Referring to FIG. 2A there is shown a top view of an alternate embodiment of a bone fixation device 20 . This embodiment is similar to that illustrated in FIG. 1A in many respects, with the main difference being the inclusion of a cart element 24 . Bone fixation device 20 includes a bone contacting surface and an upper surface facing away from the bone with a plurality of holes or apertures 22 extending between the two surfaces. Holes or apertures 22 may be either threaded (for use with locking screws) or non-threaded (for use with non-locking or compression screws) and may be any suitable shape, such as circular or oblong. Bone fixation device 20 is implanted onto a bone across a fracture site in the bone such that at least one hole or aperture 22 is positioned on each opposing side of the fracture. Bone fixation device 20 also includes one or more slots 21 . Each of the one or more slots 21 may include a cart element 24 guided by railing slots 26 of the bone fixation device 20 , described in more detail below. Each cart element 24 may be provided as a separate insert. This allows the surgeon to insert the cart element 24 into the respective slot 21 prior to or during surgery based on the surgeon's assessment of the most appropriate course of action at the time.
[0033] Referring to FIG. 2B , there is shown a cross section of the embodiment of bone fixation device 20 in FIG. 2A along axis A-A. As shown, each cart element 24 includes a hole or aperture 23 therein. Each cart element 24 also includes protrusions 28 that fit into railing slots 26 of the bone fixation device 20 . The fit between the railing slots 26 and protrusions 28 is such that the cart element 24 may slide along the length of the railing slots 26 . When a screw is fixed into a hole or aperture 22 on one side of a bone fracture and another screw is fixed in hole or aperture 23 of cart element 24 , a small degree of motion in the main or longitudinal axis of the bone fixation device 20 is possible due to the sliding capability of the cart element 24 without the introduction of shear or bending forces, which may be undesirable or detrimental to uniform bone growth. Although the cart element 24 is illustrated as having a smaller thickness than the bone fixation device 20 , the cart element may be thinner or thicker than illustrated. For example, the cart element 24 may alternately be approximately the same thickness as the bone fixation device 20 .
[0034] Referring to FIG. 2C , there is shown a perspective view of yet another embodiment of bone fixation device 20 ′. This embodiment of the bone fixation device 20 ′ has multiple cart elements 24 ′, each with a threaded hole or aperture 23 ′. As with other embodiments of the current invention, the holes or apertures may be threaded or unthreaded, and there may be one or more cart elements 24 ′ included with the bone fixation device. In this embodiment, as opposed to that shown in FIGS. 2A-B , the cart element 24 ′ includes one or more cart slots 29 that each mate with a protruding railing 27 formed in slots 21 ′. Similar to the embodiment shown in FIGS. 2A-B , the cart element 24 ′ can freely slide inside bone fixation device slot 21 ′, the cart element 24 ′ being guided by protruding railing 27 allowing motion only along the main or longitudinal axis of the bone fixation device 20 . As in the above embodiment pertaining to fixation device 10 , fixation device 20 ′ can vary from that shown, including, but not limited to, in its shape, the shape of its components and the direction in which its cart elements can slide.
[0035] Referring to FIG. 3 there is shown yet a further embodiment of a bone fixation device 30 . Bone fixation device 30 includes a bone contacting surface and an upper surface facing away from the bone with a plurality of holes or apertures 32 extending between the two surfaces. Holes or apertures 32 may be either threaded (for use with locking screws) or non-threaded (for use with non-locking or compression screws) and may be any suitable shape, such as circular or oblong. Bone fixation device 30 includes arm extensions 34 that connect opposing ends of the bone fixation device 30 and which form an opening 36 . The shape of opening 36 is dependent on the shape of the arm extensions 34 and could be, by way of example and not limitation, diamond (as shown) or “O” shaped. Screws are inserted through the holes or apertures 32 into a bone such that both the fracture and the opening 36 are flanked on each side by at least one screw. The arm extensions 34 and opening 36 provide for resistance against torsion or bending while allowing for axial dynamization along the main axis of the bone fixation device 30 . In other words, if screws are fixed into a bone through holes or apertures 32 on opposing sides of the opening 36 , the arm extensions 34 can flex and allow for the bone to move along the main or longitudinal axis of the bone fixation device 30 while the screws remain rigidly fixed in the bone through holes or apertures 32 . Preferably, the arm extensions 34 are constructed such that the two arm extensions 34 have a similar thickness as each other and as the rest of the body of the bone fixation device 30 . This allows for the same bending rigidity in a plane through the bone fixation device 30 . Again, it is to be understood that fixation device 30 may vary, including, but not limited to, in the shape of its components and its intended use.
[0036] Referring to FIG. 4A , there is shown another embodiment of a bone fixation device 40 . Bone fixation device 40 includes a bone contacting surface and an upper surface facing away from the bone with a plurality of holes or apertures 42 extending between the two surfaces. Holes or apertures 42 may be either threaded (for use with locking screws) or non-threaded (for use with non-locking or compression screws) and may be any suitable shape, such as circular or oblong. Bone fixation device 40 also includes at lease one oblong hole or aperture 46 . During implantation of the bone fixation device 40 onto a bone across a fracture site, at least one hole or aperture 42 has a screw inserted into it and through the bone, and a screw is inserted into at least one oblong hole or aperture 46 on the opposite side of the fracture site. The oblong shape of the hole or aperture 46 allows the bone and screw to move in the direction of the main or longitudinal axis of the bone fixation device 40 . Preferably, the screw includes a mechanism to limit the ability of the screw to tilt in the plate while still allowing the screw to slide within the oblong hole or aperture 46 in the direction of the main or longitudinal axis of the bone fixation device 40 , as will be described more fully below.
[0037] For instance, referring to FIG. 4B , there is shown a mechanism to allow a screw 47 to slide within the oblong hole or aperture 46 in the direction of the main or longitudinal axis of the bone fixation device 40 , while restricting tilting or movement of the screw 47 in other directions. In this illustrative embodiment, a screw 47 is inserted into the oblong hole or aperture 46 and through a nut 48 that at least partially sits under the bone fixation device 40 . Similar to the apertures 46 , the nut 48 may include an aperture that is either threaded or non-threaded. In the illustrated embodiment, the nut 48 has a top portion and a bottom portion. The bottom portion of the nut 48 is in the nature of flanges that have a width. The width of the flanges is greater than the major axis of the oblong aperture 46 such that the flanges extend beyond the aperture 46 of the bone fixation device 40 to limit the ability of screw 47 to tilt in relation to the bone fixation device. The top portion of nut 48 had a width. The width of the top portion of the nut is smaller than the major axis of the oblong aperture 46 such that the top portion fits within the oblong aperture, allowing for the screw 47 and nut 48 to move within the gap spaces 49 between the nut and the ends of oblong hole or aperture. This configuration allows for micromotion of the bone fragments in the direction of the main or longitudinal axis of the bone fixation device 40 to promote healing while restricting bending, torsion or movement in other directions which could hinder healing of the bone fracture. The bottom flanges of nut 48 may be various shapes or sizes and are largely a matter of design choice. For example, the bottom flanges of nut 48 are preferably thin relative to the thickness of the bone fixation device 40 to provide a more flush contact between the bone fixation device and the bone. In an alternate embodiment, the nut 48 can be a thin disc with a hole to accept a screw 47 . In this embodiment, the gap spaces 49 exist between the screw 47 and the bone fixation device 40 , rather than between the nut 48 and the bone fixation device.
[0038] Referring to FIG. 4C-4D , there is shown another embodiment of a mechanism to allow a screw 47 to slide within the oblong hole or aperture 46 in the direction of the main or longitudinal axis of the bone fixation device 40 , while restricting tilting or movement of the screw 47 in other directions. In this illustrative embodiment, a screw 47 is inserted into the oblong hole or aperture 46 and a screw cap 44 is connected to the bone fixation device 40 over the screw 47 . The screw cap 44 can have a generally oblong shaped recess in the underside of the top of the screw cap 47 to further facilitate sliding of the screw 47 along the main axis of the bone fixation device 40 . The screw head and the top of the screw thread of screw 47 constrains motion of the screw 47 in the direction of the short axis of the bone fixation device 50 (i.e., in the direction of the minor axis of the oblong hole or aperture 46 ). The screw cap additionally prevents the screw 47 from tilting in other directions relative to the bone fixation device 40 . The screw cap 44 may lock or otherwise engage the bone fixation device 40 , for example by way of snapping bottom portions 43 of the screw cap 44 to the bone contacting surface of the bone fixation device 40 , which acts to further constrain the motion of the screw 47 in a direction normal to the bone fixation device 40 . The bottom portions 43 of the screw cap 44 may be flanges extending inwards from the side walls of the screw cap in the direction toward the aperture 46 of the bone fixation device 40 . In the illustrated embodiment, the screw cap 44 includes two side walls projecting down from the top of the screw cap, and each side wall has two bottom portions 43 in the nature of flanges that engage the bone contacting surface of the bone fixation device 40 . The flanges extend generally parallel to the plane of the bone fixation device 40 and the top surface of the screw cap 44 . The outer surface of each side wall in the illustrated embodiment is generally orthogonal to the top surface of the screw cap 44 . The inner surface of each side wall may be of varying thickness. In the illustrated embodiment, the center of each side wall is relatively thin, while the outer portions of each side wall are relatively thick. The inner surface of each side wall may be rounded or otherwise contoured to provide clearance for the head of a screw 47 . In alternate embodiments, the two side walls could each have a single bottom portion 43 in the nature of a flange or other supporting structure to mate with the bone fixation device 40 . For example, the bone contacting surface of the bone plate 40 could alternately include notches or grooves and the side walls of the screw cap 44 could include protrusions to mate with the notches or grooves. It is to be understood that different caps 44 can be provided to allow for different movement of the screws. For example, the size and shape of the recess in the screw cap 44 may be altered to change the ability of the screw 47 housed therein to move different magnitudes in different directions. Similarly, the screw cap 44 and recess formed therein could take the form of other shapes than oblong, such as rectangular or square shapes. The screw cap 44 can be formed of a metal, plastic, or other material suitable for implantation in the human body.
[0039] Referring now to FIG. 5 , there is shown a cross section of a bone 50 along the main or longitudinal axis of the bone after a drilling procedure has been performed. In the method, a bone hole extension 56 is created in the near cortex 52 by overdrilling, for example by milling or sonic drilling. In addition, a relatively small drill hole 58 is created in the far cortex 54 of the bone 50 . If a bone fixation device with an oblong aperture, such as the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 4A , is implanted onto the bone 50 and a screw is inserted through the oblong hole of the bone fixation device and through the hole extension 56 and further through the relatively small drill hole 58 , the rigidity of the screw and bone 50 construct is reduced by allowing movement of the screw within the bone hole extension 56 . The screw, either not being in contact or being in reduced surface contact with the bone 50 on the near cortex 52 side, could thus bend elastically in the bone hole extension 56 . By creating the bone hole extension 56 in an oblong shape, a screw inserted into the bone hole extension 56 and further through the relatively small drill hole 58 could move in the direction of the main axis of the bone 50 while limiting the torsion, bending, or movement of the bone in other directions.
[0040] Although the invention herein has been described with reference to particular embodiments, it is to be understood that these embodiments are merely illustrative of the principles and applications of the present invention. It is therefore to be understood that numerous modifications may be made to the illustrative embodiments and that other arrangements may be devised without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention as defined by the appended claims.
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A bone fixation device is disclosed that permits some movement of different portions of a fractured bone when the device is affixed thereto. Various embodiments are disclosed, including bone plates that have fixed holes and floating holes therethrough for receiving bone screws, and bone plates including oblong holes allowing for screw movement.
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FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The field of art to which the invention pertains comprises the art of support structures by which to hang relatively heavy units such as ceiling fans, light fixtures, etc. from a selected ceiling location.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
In new building construction or in existing building construction where wood joist or studs are completely exposed and relatively accessible, providing additional structural support at the mounting site of a ceiling fan or relatively heavy light fixture can be readily effected by well known forms of brackets, bracing, etc. However, for ceiling mounting of a ceiling fan, relatively heavy light fixture, potted plants, etc. in existing building structures without ready access to the studs or joists, installation becomes considerably more difficult if removal of the wall or ceiling board is to be avoided.
Where the ceiling is between floors of a multi-story structure, installation can prove particularly troublesome. It has become common in order to achieve adequate support in these situations, to utilize a commercially available form of interjoist hanger assembly. The assembly is typically secured transversely between the studs/joists above a four inch box opening at the mounting site. Typically utilized in combination with the hanger assembly dependently supported at the opening is a modified electrical outlet box selected to accommodate the particular load value sought to be supported.
BACKGROUND OF THE PRIOR ART
Various devices have been proposed for interjoist hanger support that can be installed through a four inch opening normally provided in a ceiling for an electrical outlet box. Exemplifying such devices are the disclosures of U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,140,861; 3,518,421; 4,405,111; and 4,463,923. Installation of these units generally require two workman along with complete access to the work area. A form of hanger assembly capable of installation by a single workman is disclosed in my prior U.S. Pat. No. 4,909,405 incorporated herein by reference.
Another and particularly effective prior art hanger assembly for these purposes is the hanger structure disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,659,051 of which I am a co-inventor. The '051 patent is likewise incorporated herein by reference and discloses a hanger assembly utilizing a threaded expansion bolt in cooperation with a tubular sleeve for expanding the hanger unit transversely between adjacent wood joists. The assembly includes rotatably supported opposite end screws theadedly matched to the bolt threads and each surrounded by a floating swivel having axially directed prongs or teeth. When the bolt is unextended, the unit can be readily inserted through the four inch box opening in the wall board. When fully extended, the end screws and surrounding teeth can be caused to engage and secure the hanger assembly to the opposite joists or studs thereat.
A principal underlying objective in the installation of such hangers is to insure that the hanging load be sustained to the maxinum extent possible by the joists or studs to which the hanger is initially secured. For obvious reasons, it is highly desirous that an underlying ceiling of sheet rock not even share the loading and is to be avoided. Unfortunately, a characteristic of the wood joist is the tendency to bow outward in the course of installing the hanger followed in about 4-6 weeks by a tendency to relax. The adverse effect of relaxation with said prior hangers has been to permit partial withdrawal of the hanger teeth with a consequent partial transfer of the hanging load from the joists onto the ceiling below.
Despite recognition of the foregoing, an improved and superior hanger assembly structure able to preclude the foregoing transfer of load has not heretofore been known.
OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the invention to provide a novel hanger assembly for the support of hanging loads that is effective in the course of installation to resist a potential load transfer effect from subsequent joist relaxation.
It is a further object of the invention to effect the previous object with a hanger expansion structure having teeth that remain embedded in the joists in a grasping relation so as to follow the joists in the course of subsequent relaxation.
It is a still further object of the invention to effect the previous objects with a hanger structure characterized by accelerated expansion in the course of installation along with gripper teeth operative to arcuately penetrate the joist wood and effect a grasping penetration therewith.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to a novel hanger assembly for supporting a relatively heavy hanging load from the underside of a ceiling. More specifically, the invention hereof relates to such a hanger assembly which when installed, substantially if not completely, eliminates the previous adverse load transfer effects associated with subsequent relaxation of the connected joists.
The foregoing is achieved in accordance with the invention by means of a displaceable two section hanger assembly that supports an electrical junction box on which a hung load is to be disposed. The hanger is longitudinally expandable against the joists at an accelerated rate via a threaded lead screw or rod secured between the displaceable sections of the hanger. Accelerated expansion is achieved by means of an allthread lead screw with a pitch having a greater than standard lead that affords relatively greater displacement between sections per hand revolution of one hanger section relative to the other. Teeth at the opposed distal ends of the hanger are positioned circumferentially about a floating collar facing longitudinally outward. They are arcuately configured to a distal point with a predetermined geometry matched to the expansion rate of the sections and have a laterally inward cant. This configuration enables the teeth to penetrate the joists with an arcuately inward motion operably synchronized to the advance rate of the lead screw to effect a grasping penetration of the joists. Being embedded, the teeth remain secured and cannot incur even partial separation if and when the joists begin to relax. As a result of the firm grasping relation achieved by the teeth, (rather than mere penetration in the manner of the prior art), the loading imposed on the hanger assembly is thereafter sustained by the joists and cannot even minisculely be transferred to the underlying sheet rock comprising the ceiling.
The features and advantages of the invention will be appreciated by those skilled in the art upon reading the detailed description which follows in conjunction with the drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is an isometric top view of the hanger assembly in accordance with the invention;
FIG. 2 is a side elevation of the hanger assembly hereof shown in its installed relation;
FIG. 3 is an enlarged and partially sectioned side elevation of the hanger assembly as seen substantially along the lines 3--3 of FIG. 1; and
FIG. 4 is a fragmentary enlarged plan view of an individual gripper tooth as utilized on the opposite distal ends of the hanger assembly.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
In the description which follows, like parts are marked throughout the specification and drawings with the same reference numerals respectively. The drawing figures are not necessarily to scale and the proportions of certain parts may have been exaggerated for purposes of clarity.
Referring now to the drawings, the hanger assembly hereof is designated 10 and is comprised of an elongated two-part bar structure including a support bar 12 and a displacement bar 16. Interconnecting the bars is a lead screw bolt or rod 14. As best seen in FIG. 2, the expanded hanger assembly when installed extends transversely between spaced apart joists 18 and 20 and via a saddle 22 secures an electrical junction box 24 over an opening 26 in a ceiling 28. Junction box 24 is preferably of a construction U.L. approved for these purposes and may be of a type disclosed in my prior U.S. Pat. No. 4,909,405. In that construction, load bolt 30 depends through the top surface of the box to a distal end 32 on which a hanging load is to be disposed.
Rod 14, as best seen in FIG. 3, extends from a first end located within a tubular portion 33 of bar 12, through a companion sleeve nut 34 and outward past bar end 36 to be secured in coaxial pocket 38 of displaceable bar 16. In this manner, hand rotation of bar 12 in either the clockwise or counter-clockwise directions, as represented by arrows 40 (FIG. 1) will via companion nut 34, cause longitudinal displacement between bars 12 and 16 as represented by arrows 42.
For providing rest support in the course of installation, the opposed ends of the hanger assembly include leg stands 44 and 46 each having depending spread apart legs 48. The body 49 of leg stand 44 is essentially a U-shape configuration in cross-section. Included in body 49 is a central aperture 50 for mounting onto annular shoulder 52 where together with collar 54 it is retained in a free floating relation therewith by means of O-ring 56 in recess 58. Leg stand 46 is similarly mounted but also includes a counter-bore 60 for engaging flange 62 on bar 16. Longitudinally extending integrally from about the periphery of each collar 54 are a plurality of circumferentially spaced teeth 64 of configuration as will be described.
Critical to the hanger construction hereof is that the advance or expansion rate of rod 14 be directly correlated to or at least closely approximate the outward bow rate of the joists incurred during installation and that the rate of penetration to be achieved by collar teeth 64 be synchronized therewith. It is essential in this relation that displacement between bars 12 and 16 be at a rate permitting the contemplated penetration of teeth 64 and not cause teeth 64 to collapse. For these purposes, rod thread 68 comprises an allthread, also known as a modified Acme thread or coil thread of double to triple lead as compared to a standard thread. Unlike a standard thread of 1/2 inch diameter and having 13 threads to the inch that affords an advance of approximately 0.060 inches per revolution of bar 12, the rod 14 with allthreads 68 of 1/2 inch 6 threads to the inch will, by comparison produce an advance of 0.180 inches per revolution of bar 12. Correlated thereto is the shape of longitudinal teeth 64 which cant laterally inward about the circumference to a point 66 for penetrating the joist wood with an arcuate motion.
In a preferred embodiment, each tooth has an outside radius 70 of about 5/16 inches with an inside radius 72 of slightly under 1/4 inch and a base height "A" of about 0.225 inches. With this configuration, continued forced expansion of the hanger after initial contact of the teeth against the joists causes the teeth to effect an arcuately inward penetration of the joist as collar 54 is arcuately displaced about shoulder 52. With teeth 64 imposing an inward grasp on the joist, any subsequent relaxation of the joists is absorbed by the slack of threads 68 but precludes the possibility of tooth withdrawal from the joists. As a consequence, full support of the suspended load is continuously maintained with only an imperceptible, if any, portion of the load being transferred onto the ceiling below.
To effect installation, the hanger assembly 10 is first inserted through opening 26 above ceiling 28 for support thereat parallel to the ceiling by means of leg stands 44 and 46. Via a hand grip on bar 12, the assembly is first urged leftward as viewed in FIG. 2 until teeth 64 on collar 54 thereat effect an initial engagement with joist 18. Bar 12 is then hand rotated causing displacement of bar 16 until similar engagement is made with the teeth of opposite collar 54 against joist 20. Thereafter, continued rotation of bar 12 imposes a rapid advance of rod 14 causing the teeth 64 on the opposite ends to effect a rotationally inward penetration of the respective joists thereat. Once the hanger assembly is fully secured and positioned, junction box 24 can be attached via saddle 22 in a well known manner and from which a load such as a ceiling fan can ultimately be secured at the distal ends 32 of support bolts 30.
By the above description there is disclosed a novel above-ceiling hanger assembly for support of a hanging load that considerably enhances the installation of such hangers between adjacent joists. By precluding the hanging loading from even partially being transferred onto the underlying ceiling in response to subsequent joist relaxation, risk to the ceiling is avoided. Being that teeth 64 of collars 54 have incurred a rotationally inward penetration of the joists, any subsequent relaxation of the joist will enable the teeth to remain secured and follow within the thread slack accommodation of the rod. As a consequence, a long felt need in the industry has hereby been resolved in eliminating undesirable load transfer onto the ceiling below.
Since many changes could be made in the above construction and many apparently widely different embodiments of this invention could be made without departing from the scope thereof, it is intended that all matter contained in the drawings and specification shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.
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An improved hanger assembly for the support of heavy hanging loads at the underside of a ceiling. The assembly is longitudinally expandable via a threaded rod secured between relatively displaceable longitudinal bars in which the rod includes an allthread having a double to triple lead for increasing the expansion rate while teeth at the distal end of each bar are configured to arcuately displace inward of the joists in the course of joist penetration to effect a grasping penetration therewith.
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CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
This application is a 35 U.S.C. 371 National Phase Entry Application from PCT/JP2010/001113, filed Feb. 20, 2010, which claims the benefit of Japanese Patent Application Nos. 2009-042612 and 2009-239863 filed Feb. 25, 2009 and Oct. 16, 2009, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein in their entirety by reference.
The present invention relates to a tubular knitted fabric to be knitted without sewing by a flatbed knitting machine, and a knitting method thereof.
BACKGROUND ART
Conventionally, in a flatbed knitting machine, provided with at least a pair of needle beds opposed to each other interposing a needle bed gap, it is known that fabrics knitted with each needle bed are connected at both sides of knitting width and become a tubular shape as a whole if making a knitting yarn to be fed so as to round over both needle beds. Hereafter such tubular knitted fabric is to be named as a round knitted tubular fabric. By applying the round knitted tubular fabric, it becomes possible to knit firstly a glove or a sock, apparel like a sweater and so on, integrally without sewing.
An art for knitting a glove so called a mitten integrally with a flatbed knitting machine, in a state where a thumb pouch, for accommodating a thumb to be knitted as a round knitted tubular fabric, is connected within the knitting width of the mitten (for example, see Patent Literature 1). According to this art, a round knitted tubular fabric for a thumb pouch is knitted in parallel to a round knitted tubular fabric for a four finger body at separated positions to each other. Both needle beds are needed to knit a round knitted tubular fabric, so that save of stitches is difficult if overlapping of knitting needle occurs. Therefore, two round knitted tubular fabrics need to be knitted at separated positions and, after shifting the two fabrics so as to overlap each other, to be joined insides of each overlapped fabric with bind offs.
A tubular knitted fabric without sewing is able to be formed not only by rounding a knitting yarn but also by repeating flechage knits. In an outward side from a base portion to an edge portion, narrowing knitting width in series so as to remain stitches for connecting on both end sides of the knitting width, and in a homeward side from the edge portion to the base portion, widening knitting width in series so as to form stitches between the stitches for connecting remained after knitting in the outward side, a tubular knitted fabric like a finger pouch might be knitted (for example, see Patent Literature 2). Hereafter such knitted fabric is to be named as a flechage knitted tubular fabric. As for the conventional flechage knitted tubular fabric, however, its tubular width needs to be widened in order to increase its tubular height, so that it can be applicable to a finger pouch or a heel and so on of a sock but it may be difficult to apply to a finger pouch of a glove.
CITATION LIST
Patent Literature
[Patent Literature 1] U.S. Pat. No. 6,216,494
[Patent Literature 2] Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2008-121152
DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION
Technical Problem
To the glove, in which the thumb pouch is connected within the knitting width of the four finger body by the method, as disclosed in the Patent Literature 1, so as to connect the round knitted tubular fabrics with each other after being knitted on separated positions, connecting portion made by the bind off process is formed inside. The glove therefore has a problem that the appearance look of the inside boundary portion between the thumb pouch and the four finger body becomes bad, the stretch is decreased to be hardened, and the wearing feel is detracted. Such a glove, in which the thumb pouch is connected within the knitting width, is a relatively high class article, so that the fashionable quality is considered to be important and the commercial value decreases if the appearance look of the boundary portion becomes bad. Such a glove, therefore, is not knitted integrally by a flatbed knitting machine, a thumb pouch and a base fabric, which is the other part than the thumb pouch, are knitted separately and are connected each other by a sewing operation in a post-process. In the base fabric a hole is to be prepared for mounting the end portion of the thumb pouch so that the thumb pouch is mounted to the base fabric by manual procedures as knitting stitches with each other between the hole and the end portion.
Such a tubular knitted fabric, in which a base fabric combines a fingertip or the like, is able to be knitted integrally by a flatbed knitting machine but is difficult to obtain a good appearance look of a boundary portion. On the other hand, a flechage knitted tubular fabric, which is formed by a knitting method like as disclosed in the Patent Literature 2, is knitted in one side of needle bed, so that it might be relatively easy to add to an intermediate portion of a round knitted tubular fabric. However in the flechage knitted tubular fabric, in order to increase the tubular height which becomes the depth as the tubular fabric, it must be necessary to widen a tubular width at base end. In a portion where the tubular width is held constant and the tubular height is increased, it is impossible to link the outward side fabric with the homeward side fabric so that a hole might open and an appearance look might be distracted. Further, the conventional flechage knitted tubular fabric is not able to be knitted to increase the tubular height with widening the tubular width. It is therefore applicable to a finger pouch of a sock or the like, but it might be bad appearance look when forming a finger pouch of a glove or the like, and it could not to increase the tubular height under holding the tubular width constant, and there might be difficult to fit a bellied region of a human body or the like.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a tubular knitted fabric and a knitting method thereof, which can be knitted without sewing by a flatbed knitting machine, and which is easily fitted to a three-dimensional shape of a wearing region without detracting the appearance.
Technical Solution
The present invention is a tubular knitted fabric to be knitted without sewing by a flatbed knitting machine, comprising:
a fold back portion to be knitted by a flechage knitting, in which reciprocating knits with respect to a course direction are repeated, and to be provided midway in the fabric knitted continuously in a wale direction, at the fold back portion the fabric being folded back and divided into both side fabrics with respect to the wale direction, so that the one side fabric is opposed to the other side fabric, and linking parts being formed with double stitches made by stitch transferring between an end portion in the course direction of the one side fabric and its opposed end portion in the course direction of the other side fabric.
The tubular knitted fabric of the present invention further comprising
a part, which is formed over regions, each region belonging to said one side fabric or said other end side fabric, and being adjacent to said linking part between the both side fabrics, so as to continue more than three courses of stitches lining up in the wale direction, and which becomes a tube with a same diameter.
In the tubular knitted fabric of the present invention,
a part of said end portion of at least one of said one side fabric or said other side fabric in the wale direction continues to another fabric, and in a boundary part between said one side fabric in the wale direction and said part of the end portion, stitches being continuous with respect to the wale direction.
The tubular knitted fabric of the present invention further comprising
a part of fabric, which becomes a gusset, in said linking part formed between said one side fabric and said other side fabric, with respect to the wale direction.
In the tubular knitted fabric of the present invention,
said one side fabric and said other side fabric with respect to the wale direction, having a shape different at least number of courses or number of stitches for corresponding courses.
The tubular knitted fabric of the present invention further comprising
a finger pouch for accommodating a finger of a glove or a sock, being formed by linking between said one side fabric and said other side fabric with respect to the wale direction.
The tubular knitted fabric of the present invention further comprising
a heel portion of a sock for accommodating a heel of a foot, being formed by linking between said one side fabric and said other side fabric with respect to the wale direction.
Further the present invention is a knitting method to use flatbed knitting machine provided with a function of stitch transfer, in which a flechage knitted fabric, to be knitted as a row of stitches formed by repeating of reciprocating knits in a course direction, being folded back halfway of continuous knitting in a wale direction so as to make an outward side fabric to the folded back part oppose to a homeward side fabric from the folded back part, and linking the outward side fabric with the homeward side fabric at end portions of knitting width opposing to each other,
in the outward side fabric,
stitches for linking, so as to hang on different knitting needles than knitting needles which hang stitches for linking added to end portions of already knitted row of stitches, while accompanying shifts for row of stitches, being knitted by repeating to add to end portions and to hang on knitting needles, and
in the homeward side fabric,
when row of stitches, which is predetermined to correspond to the row of stitches of the outward side fabric to be added with the stitches for linking at end potions, is knitted, end portions are linked to the stitches for linking with overlapping by stitch transfer, and knitting being repeated, while the shifts accompanying to the outward side fabric being got back.
In the knitting method of the present invention,
said outward side fabric, on the way to knit different fabric which becomes a base fabric, begins to knit in a state where the base fabric pauses to be knitted, and said shift for row of stitches in said outward side fabric being done, in a direction apart out of the knitted width of the base fabric.
In the knitting method of the present invention,
before said outward side fabric are knitted and linked with the homeward side fabric, a fabric for increasing thickness is added to the outward side fabric.
In the knitting method of the present invention,
at least one of said outward side fabric and said homeward side fabric being knitted with shaping knit, in which widening or narrowing being done to the knitted row of stitches.
Advantageous Effects
According to the present invention, one side fabric and the other side fabric with respect to a wale direction are formed by being folded back at the fold back portion and opposed to each other, so that a tubular knitted fabric is formed by linking end portions in the course direction with double stitches, which are made by stitch transferring. Each side fabric of the tubular knitted fabric is formed by the flechage knitting, in which reciprocating knits are repeated, so that the tubular knitted fabric could be possible to be knitted without sewing in case of using only one of the both side needle beds, and it might be relatively easy to add to an intermediate portion of a round knitted tubular fabric, which is knitted by using both needle beds. The tubular knitted fabric to be added is not a round knitted tubular fabric, and it is not necessary to widen the tubular width in case the tubular height increases, so that, without sacrificing an appearance look, the added portion might increase thickness to its boundary part and then it might be possible to make it easy to fit to a three-dimensional of a wearing region.
Further according to the present invention, it could be possible to obtain a portion of a tube with a same diameter over three continuous courses, in which the knitting width is constant and the appearance look is good because there is no hole in the linking portion between the one side fabric and the other side fabric with respect to the wale direction.
Further according to the present invention, stitches are continuous in the wale direction at the boundary portion where the tubular knitted fabric continues to the other fabric, so that it could be possible to improve the appearance look of the boundary portion and the fitness to the wearing region.
Further according to the present invention, a part of fabric to become a gusset is provided in the linking part between the one side fabric and the other side fabric of the tubular knitted fabric with respect to the wale direction, so that, when worn to a region with movement or bulge and so on, it could be possible to give an elbowroom to such a region by providing depth.
Further according to the present invention, the one side fabric and the other side fabric with respect to the wale direction, which interpose the fold back portion of the tubular knitted fabric, have a shape different at least number of courses or number of stitches in the corresponding course, so that, when worn to a region like a joint and so on, it could be possible to obtain a three-dimensional shape capable of providing bulge and so on adjusted to a bending direction.
Further according to the present invention, to a glove or a sock, a finger pouch could be formed so as to improve an appearance look and a wearing feel when accommodating a finger.
Further according to the present invention, a heel portion of a sock as a flechage knitted tubular fabric could be formed with increased tubular height and with good appearance look.
Furthermore according to the present invention, using a flatbed knitting machine provided with a function of transferring stitches, a flechage knitted fabric, which is knitted by repeating reciprocating knits in a course direction, is folded back halfway of a wale direction to link end portions, so that the flechage knitted fabric can be knitted as a tubular knitted fabric. When an outward side fabric is knitted, a row of stitches to add stitches for linking is included in an end portion. In order that stitches for linking might be suspended by individually different knitting needles, a position of knitted row of stitches is shifted. In a homeward side fabric, to the stitches for linking, end stitches with predetermined correspondence are overlapped by stitch transferring and linked, and the shift of the outward side is returned, so that a knitted fabric, which becomes a tubular shape as a whole, can be formed. Such formed tubular knitted fabric, is able to be knitted by a flatbed knitting machine, which is provided with a front needle bed and a rear needle bed, using only one needle bed, without sewing but with a good appearance look of a boundary portion to link to other fabric. Moreover it is not necessary to connect tubular knitted fabrics each other in a boundary portion by the bind off process and so on, it is possible to intend time reduction for knitting.
Further according to the present invention, by using knitting needles, which exist in a direction apart from a base fabric being in pause for knitting and are not used to suspend stitches, a tubular knitted fabric with shifting stitches are knitted. For pulling downward in a needle bed gap and so on, under a state where influence from a suspending base fabric is hardly suffered, a tubular knitted fabric can be knitted.
Further according to the present invention, linking between an outward side fabric and a homeward side fabric, which interpose a fold back portion, is done by adding a fabric like a gusset for increasing thickness, so that a tubular knitted fabric can be knitted with elbowroom.
Further according to the present invention, a fold back portion is interposed by an outward side fabric and a homeward side fabric, and at least one of those fabrics is knitted by shaping knit, so that a three-dimensional shape, fitted to a wearing region, is obtained in a state with a good appearance look.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a simplified plan view showing schematically a knitting procedure for a glove 1 as the 1st embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a knitting diagram showing schematically a knitting procedure to knit an outward side of thumb pouch 7 of FIG. 1 with a flatbed knitting machine.
FIG. 3 is a knitting diagram showing schematically a forming procedure from the outward side of thumb pouch 7 to a homeward side of thumb pouch 10 of FIG. 1 by folding back with a flatbed knitting machine.
FIG. 4 is a knitting diagram showing schematically a knitting procedure to knit the homeward side of thumb pouch 10 with a flatbed knitting machine.
FIG. 5 is a plan view showing a state where a thumb pouch 11 opens to a wrist portion 15 side in the glove 1 of FIG. 1 .
FIG. 6 is a partial plan view showing a finger pouch 2 as a round knitted tubular fabric of the glove 1 of FIG. 1 and the thumb pouch 11 as a tubular knitted fabric with row of stitches shift in a state to compare stitches.
FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing an appearance structure of a knitted fabric 21 as the 2nd embodiment of the present invention in a simplified state.
FIG. 8 is a plan view showing a sock 31 as the 3rd embodiment of the present invention in comparison with a conventional sock 33 .
FIG. 9 is a side view showing a part of a sock 41 as the 4th embodiment of the present invention in comparison with the sock 31 of the 3rd embodiment.
FIG. 10 is an illustration showing a state of a fabric in the middle of a procedure to knit the sock 41 of FIG. 9( a ).
FIG. 11 is a knitting diagram showing a part of a knitting procedure of FIG. 10 .
FIG. 12 is a perspective view showing a whole structure of the sock 41 of FIG. 9( a ).
FIG. 13 is an illustration showing a partial knitting state of a glove 51 as the 5th embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 14 is a knitting diagram showing a part of a knitting procedure of FIG. 13 .
FIG. 15 is a side view showing a part of the glove 51 of FIG. 13 .
FIG. 16 is an illustration showing a partial knitting state of a glove 61 as the 6th embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 17 is an illustration showing a knitting procedure of the glove 61 in comparison with the glove 1 as the 1st embodiment.
FIG. 18 is a process diagram showing a knitting state of a thumb pouch 62 of the glove 61 of FIG. 16 .
FIG. 19 is a plan view showing a whole structure of the glove 61 of FIG. 16 .
DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS
Any embodiment of the present invention as a tubular knitted fabric, which does not detract from an appearance look of a boundary portion formed by adding a thumb pouch 11 of a glove 1 as shown in FIG. 1 to a palm side to be a base fabric side, is possible to be knitted integrally with a flatbed knitting machine. In the following explanation to each embodiment, corresponding parts are shown with the same referential numeral and repeated explanation might be omitted.
Embodiment 1
FIG. 1 schematically shows a simplified procedure to knit a glove 1 integrally, as the 1st embodiment of the present invention, by using a flatbed knitting machine. For the flatbed knitting machine, that provided with at least a pair of needle beds to be opposed each other interposing a needle bed gap, and provided with functions for stitch transferring between the needle bed or for racking to displace needle beds mutually, is used. Knitting of the glove 1 should be advanced upward from finger pouches 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 below to a four finger body 6 and so on.
FIG. 1( a ) shows a state in which an outward side of thumb pouch 7 has been knitted. The outward side of thumb pouch 7 , for which the four finger body 6 and a five finger body 14 to be described later are to work as base fabrics, is knitted within a knitting width of a palm as a flechage knitted fabric. The finger pouches 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , which accommodate four fingers respectively except thumb, and the four finger body 6 , are knitted as round knitted tubular fabrics in which knitting yarns made rounded in the course direction. The outward side of thumb pouch 7 is continuous to an end portion in the wale direction and is knitted by repeating reciprocation in the course direction. In the outward side of thumb pouch 7 , rows of stitches are knitted so as to be provided with a plurality of stitches inside each row, and hanging stitches 8 , 9 are added respectively to both side of each row so as to become stitches for connection and so as to be capable of connection at both side of the row of stitches. The hanging stitches 8 , 9 may be stitches formed by split knit. In order to vary knitting needles to suspend added hanging stitches 8 , 9 , positions of the row of stitches are shifted so as to be steered to a side apart from the end portion of the four finger body 6 . Forming of the hanging stitches 8 , 9 or the stitches to be connected to both side of the row of stitches, might be done with a needle bed whether suspending the row of stitches or not, a close position should be preferable in relationship to floating yarns.
FIG. 1( b ) shows a state in which a homeward side of thumb pouch 10 has been knitted so as to be folded back from the edge portion of the outward side of thumb pouch 7 . However described below, after continuing to knit the homeward side of thumb pouch 10 , the row of stitches, which has been displaced to left side of the drawing by knitting the outward side of thumb pouch 7 , would be returned to right side of the drawing. In each course of the homeward side of thumb pouch 10 , a row of stitches is formed so as to link the interval between the hanging stitches 8 , 9 , which are formed at the both side with respect to the row of stitches knitted as each course in the outward side of thumb pouch 7 opposing to the homeward side of thumb pouch 10 , and directions to form the rows of stitches are reciprocated by reversing the direction after each course. The outward side of thumb pouch 7 and the homeward side of thumb pouch 10 are linked by overlapping stitches at both side of the course direction in each flechage fabric respectively, and become a tubular knitted fabric as a whole.
FIG. 1( c ) shows a part, which is knitted after a thumb pouch 11 is formed to be a tubular fabric with the outward side of thumb pouch 7 and the homeward side of thumb pouch 10 . Boundaries between the thumb pouch 11 and a base fabric become an outside boundary part 12 and an inside boundary part 13 . At the inside boundary part 13 , stitches are continuous in the wale direction between the four finger body 6 and the outward side of thumb pouch 7 . From the inside boundary part 12 , so as to continue stitches in the wale direction of the homeward side of thumb pouch 10 , a five finger body 14 and a wrist portion 15 are knitted in a tubular shape by making knitting yarns round in the course direction and completed as the glove 1 . For the inside boundary part 13 , there is no need to bind off process and so on, it can be possible to improve appearance look and to cut down time to knit.
FIG. 2 , FIG. 3 and FIG. 4 show an example of more precise procedure used when the thumb pouch 11 of FIG. 1 is knitted with a flatbed knitting machine. In each drawing, ‘B’ and ‘F’ denote a rear needle bed and a front needle bed respectively. A grid cell denotes individual knitting needle. A blank grid cell shows that the corresponding knitting needle is an empty needle. A black circle mark in a grid cell shows a newly knitted stitch. A white circle mark in a grid cell shows a stitch suspended by the corresponding knitting needle, A ‘V’ shaped mark in a grid cell shows a hanging stitch for a knitting needle not in use and shows a tuck for a knitting needle hanging a stitch. A newly formed hanging stitch or a tuck, the ‘V’ shaped mark is drawn with a fat line. A double circle in a grid cell shows an overlapped stitch. An arrow in a grid cell shows a stitch transfer. An arrow illustrated in the right side of the drawing shows a direction for stitches to be knitted as its course direction. In addition, number of knitting needles to be used or of courses to be knitted is convenient one, so that in case a fabric is actually to be knitted, more number is used in general. Further the example is shown as that, from the finger pouch 5 for the fifth finger to the finger pouch 2 for the second finger are knitted with both the front and the rear needle bed so as to head to left side of the needle bed to right side. a palm side is knitted with the rear needle bed ‘B’ and a back of hand side is knitted with the front needle bed ‘F’ respectively, and the thumb pouch 11 is knitted by using mainly stitches of the rear needle bed ‘B’.
FIG. 2 shows a procedure for knitting the outward side of thumb pouch 7 of FIG. 1 . ‘a0’ course shows a state in which the four finger body 6 has been knitted as a round knitted tubular fabric with using the front needle bed and the rear needle bed. Knitting needles are used basically in a half gauge state. ‘a1’ course shows a state in which, with feeding knitting yarn to right ward, a row of stitches for the last course of the four finger body 6 is formed on the rear needle bed ‘B’ and a hanging stitch is finally formed at the right end of the knitting width in the front needle bed ‘F’. ‘a2’ course shows a state in which, with feeding knitting yarn to left ward reversed to the direction of ‘a1’ course, a row of stitches for the first course of the outward side of thumb pouch 7 is formed on the three knitting needles in the right side of the rear needle bed ‘B’. A hanging stitch, which is at right side to the row of stitches for the first course, has been knitted previously in ‘a1’ course. ‘a3’ course shows a stitch transferred state, in which the stitches formed on the three knitting needles in the right side of the rear needle bed ‘B’ are transferred to empty needles in the front needle bed ‘F’. ‘a4’ course shows a state, in which after racking the rear needle bed ‘B’ to shift at two needles to the front needle bed ‘F’, the stitches transferred in ‘a3’ course are returned to the rear needle bed ‘B’ by transferring from the front needle bed ‘F’. From ‘a3’ course to ‘a4’ course, the row of stitches formed on the three knitting needles in the right side of the rear needle bed ‘B’ are shifted right ward at two needles. Between the shifted row of stitches and the row of stitches which is not shifted, an empty needle is generated. In ‘a5’ course, displacement of the rear needle bed ‘B’ to the front needle bed ‘F’ is got back, and then with feeding knitting yarn to right ward, a hanging stitch is formed by using the empty needle. Following to form the hanging stitch at the left side, a row of stitches, which becomes the second course for the outward side of thumb pouch 7 , is knitted. At the right side to the row of stitches to be the second course, a hanging stitch is formed in the front needle bed ‘F’. This hanging stitch is to be formed at an empty needle so as to be more right side than the hanging stitch formed to be right side to the first course.
In ‘a6’ course, with feeding knitting yarn to left ward reversed to the direction of ‘a5’ course, a row of stitches for the third course of the outward side of thumb pouch 7 is formed. In ‘a7’ course, the stitches formed in ‘a6’ course are transferred from the rear needle bed ‘B’ to the front needle bed ‘F’. In ‘a8’ course, the rear needle bed ‘B’ is shifted left ward at two needles to the front needle bed ‘F’ and then the stitches transferred in ‘a7’ course are got back from the front needle bed ‘F’ to the rear needle bed ‘B’ so that an empty needle is generated. In ‘a9’ course, displacement of the rear needle bed ‘B’ to the front needle bed ‘F’ is got back, and then a hanging stitch is formed by using the empty needle. Following the hanging stitch, a row of stitches, which becomes the fourth course for the outward side of thumb pouch 7 , is knitted, and at right side a hanging stitch is formed on an empty needle in the front needle bed ‘F’.
Among above procedures, the rows of stitches for the outward side of thumb pouch 7 , formed in ‘a2’ course, ‘a5’ course, ‘a6’ course and ‘a9’ course, become four courses of fabric, in which the knitting width is constant and the stitches adjacent to the linking part are continuous in the wale direction. In the conventional flechage knitted tubular fabric, if the knitting width is constant, it is not possible to provide a plurality of stitches continuous for linking so that, in case a row of stitches having a constant knitting width is knitted over three courses, a hole is generated in the linking part. Additionally in the 1st embodiment, the rows of stitches are knitted with the rear needle bed ‘B’, and the both side stitches are knitted so as to form left side ones on the rear needle bed ‘B’ and right side ones on the front needle bed ‘F’. Knitting needles, to which stitches for linking are formed, are opposed, with interposing the needle bed gap, to a needle bed, which having empty needles so that it may be possible to form stitches for linking on the empty needles. Further it may be possible to form stitches for linking on empty needles adjacent to the row of stitches un the same needle bed and then to transfer the stitches for linking.
FIG. 3 shows a knitting procedure to make a fingertip of a thumb pouch 11 by a flechage knit without shift for row of stitches, at the time when the outward side of thumb pouch 7 is folded back to the homeward side of thumb pouch 10 as shown in FIG. 1( b ). ‘b0’ course shows a state in which, to a row of stitches formed by repeating the procedure of FIG. 2 on three knitting needles on right side of the rear needle bed ‘B’, left side hanging stitches on the rear needle bed ‘B’ and right side hanging stitches on the front needle bed ‘F’, are suspended respectively on five of knitting needles different form each other. In case fold back is done here, with a tubular width of three stitches in the course direction and with a tubular height of five stitches in the wale direction, a tubular knitted fabric with a constant diameter is could be formed. As for the tubular width by changing number of stitches in the row of stitches to the course direction, and as for the tubular height by changing number of hanging stitches, it is able to adjust respectively.
In ‘b1’ course, stitches are formed on three knitting needles on right side of the rear needle bed ‘B’. In ‘b2’ course, within stitches formed in ‘b1’ course, a tuck is knitted on the left side needle and stitches are formed over the two other stitches. In ‘b3’ course, a tuck is knitted over the stitch suspended on the right side stitch of the two knitting needles. In ‘b4’ course, stitches are formed on the three knitting needles. The left side and the right side knitting needles out of the three knitting needles, a stitch is formed over the double stitches formed by the tuck knit so that the stitch is got back to an ordinary one. As described here, such a technique to add a flechage knitted tubular fabric so as to increase stitches in the central par, is generally done in order to add roundness to a fingertip.
FIG. 4 shows a procedure to form the thumb pouch 11 in a tubular shape while knitting the homeward side of thumb pouch 10 of FIG. 1 . In ‘c1’ course, the stitches suspended on the three knitting needles on the right side of the rear needle bed ‘B’ are transferred to the front needle bed ‘F’. In ‘c2’ course, the rear needle bed ‘B’ is shifted right ward at two needles to the front needle bed ‘F’ and then the stitches transferred in ‘c1’ course are got back from the front needle bed ‘F’ to the rear needle bed ‘B’ so that the right end of the row of the hanging stitches is overlapped to the left end of the row of stitches. In ‘c3’ course, the rear needle bed ‘B’ is got back to a state in which the rear needle bed ‘B’ is displaced at one needle left ward to the front needle bed ‘F’, and then the right end of the row of the hanging stitches is transferred to the rear needle bed ‘B’ so that it is overlapped on the right end of the row of stitches. In ‘c4’ course, the displacement of the rear needle bed ‘B’ to the front needle bed ‘F’ is got back, and then stitches are formed on the right side three knitting needle of the rear needle bed ‘B’. By this knitting, the first row of stitches after fold back is linked. That is, a linking part is formed with double stitches by stitch transferring. Both side of the row of stitches, four hanging stitches respectively remaining states turn out.
In ‘c5’ course, ‘c6’ course, ‘c7’ course and ‘c8’ course, as like to ‘c1’ course, ‘c2’ course, ‘c3’ course and ‘c4’ course respectively, overlapping between hanging stitches and stitches, and forming new stitches are done. Both side of the row of stitches, three hanging stitches respectively remaining states turn out. As follows, in c9’ course, ‘c10’ course and ‘c11’ course, similar operations as like to ‘c1’ course, ‘c2’ course and ‘c3’ course’ course respectively are done, while shifting the rear needle bed ‘B’ so as to the position, where stitches are formed on the right side three knitting needle, is got back, and then with the row of stitches the interval between the hanging stitches 8 , 9 formed in the outward side of thumb pouch 7 . Finally as shown ‘c12’ course, the position of the three knitting needles to suspend the row of stitches is got back within the knitting width of the rear needle bed ‘B’ in ‘a0’ course.
As described above, the thumb pouch 11 is knitted in the outward side in combination of knitting rows of stitches, hanging stitches and stitches transferring, so as to shift the rows of stitches and to form hanging stitches both side of the rows of stitches, while repeating reciprocation in the course direction. In the homeward side after the fold back at the edge portion, while repeating reciprocation in the course direction, linking interval between the hanging stitches with forming the double stitches by stitch transferring, getting back the shifted rows of stitches, and then forming a tubular knitted fabric from the edge portion in series.
FIG. 5 shows a state in which the thumb pouch 11 is opened to the wrist portion 15 side with respect to the glove 1 of FIG. 1 . As the outward side of thumb pouch 7 is knitted in a manner that its stitches continue to the four finger body 6 in the course direction so that an appearance look of the inside boundary part 13 can be improved.
FIG. 6 shows a stitch structure in the vicinity of the edge portion of the thumb pouch 11 with respect to the glove 1 of FIG. 1 in a state to line up with that of the finger pouch 2 for the second finger. In the finger pouch 2 , following to a set up part 2 a on the edge part, courses 2 c are knitted so as to round, so that a wale 2 w heads from the set up part 2 a to the base end side of the finger pouch 2 . In the thumb pouch 11 , a wale 11 w continues with fold back from the outward side of thumb pouch 7 to the direction of the homeward side of thumb pouch 10 . The courses 7 c , 10 c of the outward side of thumb pouch 7 and homeward side of thumb pouch 10 . repeat reciprocation so as to be linked with the hanging stitches 8 . Both side of a boundary portion at which linking is made with hanging stitches 8 , fabrics of the outward side of thumb pouch 7 and the homeward side of thumb pouch 10 become tubular fabrics in which over three courses of stitches are continuous in the wale direction 11 w with the same diameter.
Embodiment 2
FIG. 7 shows a schematic structure of a knitted fabric with pocket 21 as the 2nd embodiment of the present invention. In the knitted fabric with pocket 21 , to intermediate portion of a base fabric 22 which is knitted in a tubular shape by round feeding of knitting yarn in a course direction, a tubular fabric of a pocket 23 , to which the present invention is to be applied, is appended.
In FIG. 7( a ), a direction of wale, when the knitted fabric with pocket 21 is knitted, is shown with chain double-dashed lines associating arrows. An anterior half side 22 a is knitted in a tubular shape as shown with a wale direction 22 aw , from downward to upward of the drawing. As reached to the position at which the pocket 23 is to be appended, knitting of the base fabric 22 pauses, the pocket 23 is knitted in a tubular shape. The pocket 23 is knitted in a manner that an outward side 23 a and a homeward side 23 b are knitted so as to fold back at the edge portion as shown by wale directions 23 aw , 23 bw . The outward side 23 a is knitted, so as to remain hanging stitches on both side of a course direction, with shifting rows of stitches, and the homeward side 23 b is knitted, so as to link hanging stitches, with getting back the shifted rows of stitches. After finishing to knit the pocket 23 , a posterior side 22 b of the base fabric 22 is knitted in tubular shape by rounding knitting yarn.
In addition, when a tubular knitted fabric like the pocket 23 is knitted to midway of the base fabric 22 in the course direction 22 , it is preferable to make knitting needles of one needle bed side empty. For this purpose, a row of stitches to form the pocket 23 might be shifted to the end portion, by rotating stitches, from the knitting needles to suspend the base fabric 22 on one side of the course direction, into the opposing needle bed, and if necessary, the stitches might be got back after forming the pocket 23 .
FIG. 7( b ) shows a state in which the pocket 23 is pressed into the inside of the base fabric 22 . To an outside boundary part 24 , a patterned fabric is attended but stitches are continuous to a wale direction. As is similar to an inside boundary part 25 , it becomes a state in which stitches are continuous to a wale direction.
In addition, although as a base fabric 22 an example of a fabric formed in a tubular shape by round knit is simply shown, the present invention is able to be likely applied to clothes to be worn on an upper half of the body or a lower half of the body, or on a entire body, formed integrally with a flatbed knitting machine. Further, in case a base fabric knitted as parts for such clothes is not a flechage knitted tubular fabric nor a tubular knitted fabric, but is to be attended a tubular knitted fabric, the present invention can be applied likely.
Embodiment 3
FIG. 8 shows a sock 31 of (a) as the 3rd embodiment of the present invention in comparison with a conventional sock 33 of (b). The socks 31 , 33 are provided with heels 32 , 34 respectively. The heels 32 , 34 are knitted halfway of knitting the socks 31 , 33 , which become base fabrics, from a toe side 31 a to an ankle side 31 b as a round knitted tubular fabric. The heel 32 , to which the present invention is to be applied, includes a constant knitting width portion 32 a . With shifting rows of stitches, the constant knitting width part 32 a is can be knitted as a tubular knitted fabric, in case even the flechage knit is used. A decrease knitting width portion 32 b is able to be knitted as the conventional flechage knitted tubular fabric without shifting the row of stitches, in a state where an outward side fabric of the constant knitting width portion 32 a has been knitted. A homeward side of the constant knitting width portion 32 a is knitted, after knitting the decrease knitting width portion 32 b , so as to get back the rows of stitches shifted in the outward side. The heel 34 is knitted as the conventional flechage knitted tubular fabric as a whole.
Supposing A is a tubular height necessary as the heels 32 , 34 , in the heel 32 , B out of A is knitted with the constant knitting width part 32 a , so that the tubular width Ca of the edge end of the heel 34 can be widened, and an elbowroom can be obtained in heel portion. In the heel 34 , to the whole of the tubular height A, the flechage knitting is done with decreasing the knitting width so that the tubular width of the edge end of the heel 34 narrows.
Embodiment 4
FIG. 9 shows a part of a sock 41 as the 4th embodiment of the present invention in comparison with the sock 31 of the 3rd embodiment. The sock 41 shown in (a) is appended a gusset 42 to the heel 32 of the sock 31 shown in (b). That is, before the heel 32 is linked on the way it is knitted as the tubular fabric with shifting rows of stitches, stitches to be a gusset 42 are knitted in, so that the gusset 42 is to lie in a portion to link the outward side and the homeward side of the tubular knitted fabric.
FIG. 10 shows a state of a fabric in the middle of a procedure to knit the sock 41 of FIG. 9( a ). The gusset 42 can be divided into a plurality of parts 42 a , 42 b , 42 c , 42 d , which are knitted with simultaneous proceeding, while the heel 32 is knitted on an outward side and on a homeward side. When the parts 42 a , 42 b , 42 c , 42 d of the gusset 42 , the round knit is done, and a fabric to become the heel 32 is knitted, as well as a part of fabric for an instep of foot side, Further, after the outward side of the heel 32 is knitted, the gusset 42 can be formed as a whole in a lot, and then a homeward side of the heel 32 can be knitted. The shape of the gusset 42 is freely adjustable, as to a triangle or a rectangle.
FIG. 11 shows a part of the knitting procedure according to FIG. 10 , as a knitting diagram. As a knitting diagram, basically, FIG. 11 is shown as well as FIG. 2 , FIG. 3 and FIG. 4 , except for number of knitting needles, so that the number differs. Further, knitting needles relating to link are shown by shading diagonally right up, and knitting needles for forming gussets are shown by shading diagonally right down. Moreover, positions of knitting needles relating to the link or the gusset, are denoted with appended symbols as ‘a’ to ‘j’ for left side and as ‘q’ to ‘z’ for right side.
In the sock 41 is knitted, on the way the toe side 31 a is knitted as the round knitted tubular fabric with using both of the front needle bed and the rear needle bed of a flatbed knitting machine, the heel 42 is knitted as a tubular fabric which continues to whole row of stitches suspended on one needle bed. At a point that the fabric of the tubular width is knitted using whole knitting width of the rear needle bed ‘B’ suspending the fabric of the sole of the toe side 31 a , this is different from the thumb pouch 11 of the 1st embodiment which uses a part of the knitting width. Except such a different point, it can be reached to ‘d1’ course, from similar state as ‘a0’ course of FIG. 2 for the toe side 31 a , that it is repeating to form hanging stitches on end portion and to shift stitches, while the outward side of the heel 32 is knitted on the rear needle bed ‘B’. ‘d1’ course is a state, in which on the knitting needles of the positions ‘g’, ‘i’ in the front needle bed ‘F’, hanging stitches for linking left side are suspended, and on the knitting needles of the positions ‘x’, ‘z’ in the rear needle bed ‘B, hanging stitches for linking right side are suspended.
In the next ‘d2’ course, with right ward yarn feeding to the front needle bed ‘F, stitches to be a part for the part 42 a of gusset 42 ′ are formed on the knitting needles of the position ‘g’, ‘i’. On knitting needles right side the position ‘j’, a row of stitches to be an outward side is formed. In the next ‘d3’ course, with left ward yarn feeding to the rear needle bed ‘B’, stitches for the part 42 a of the gusset 42 are formed on the knitting needles of the positions ‘z’, ‘x’. In the next ‘d4’ course, with right ward yarn feeding to the rear needle bed ‘B’, a tuck is made on the knitting needle of the position ‘x’ and a stitch for the part 42 a of the gusset 42 is formed on the knitting needle of the position ‘z’, In the next ‘d5’ course, with left ward yarn feeding, including knitting needles of the positions ‘i’, ‘g’, a row of stitches for the outward side of the heel 32 and the stitches for the part 42 a of the gusset 42 are formed. In the next ‘d6’ course, with left ward yarn feeding to the front needle bed ‘F’, a hanging stitch for linking left side is formed on the knitting needle of the position ‘g’ and the row of stitches for the outward side of the heel 32 on the knitting needles from the position ‘h’ to the position ‘v’.
By such procedures shown from ‘d2’ course to ‘d6’ course, the part 42 a of the gusset 42 shown in FIG. 10 can be knitted by two stitches to left side and by two stitches to right side, for two courses. As follows in a similar way, the part 42 b of the gusset 42 is knitted, for example, by four stitches to left side and by four stitches to right side, for two courses, so that the outward side of the gusset 42 , which includes the outward side of a triangular gusset, can be knitted. Although the part 42 a , 42 b are different in the number of stitches like as two stitches and four stitches, in case the numbers of stitches are equal, a rectangular gusset can be formed.
‘d7’ course shows a state in which, with left ward yarn feeding to the rear needle bed ‘B’, an outward side fabric of the heel 32 is knitted to the extent of the last course shown in FIG. 10 . In the following course, folded back, and with right ward yarn feeding to the rear needle bed ‘B’, the first course of the homeward side for the heel 32 is knitted. In ‘d8’ course, the stitches, which suspended on the knitting needles of the positions left side to the position ‘q’ in the rear needle bed ‘B’, are shifted right ward for two pitches, so that double stitches are formed on the knitting needle of the position ‘r’ and the left end of the row of stitches is linked to the outward side. The shift of the stitches is done in a manner that once the stitches are transferred from the rear needle bed ‘B’ to the front needle bed ‘F’, then the rear needle bed ‘B’ is shifted left ward for two pitches to the front needle bed ‘F’, and the stitches transferred to the front needle bed ‘F’ are got back to the rear needle bed ‘B’ by transferring again. The hanging stitch suspended on the knitting needle of the position ‘a’ in the front needle bed ‘F’ is overlapped on the stitch suspended the knitting needle of the position ‘d’ in the rear needle bed ‘B’ so that the right end of the row of stitches is linked to the outward side. The rear needle bed ‘B’ is got back right ward for two pitches to the front needle bed ‘F’. Such shift for stitches are done by a plurality of carriage running courses without yarn feeding.
In ‘d9’ course, with right ward yarn feeding to the rear needle bed ‘B’, the right side row of stitches for the homeward side of the heel 32 is formed as well as the row of stitches for four stitches, which becomes one course for the part 42 c of the gusset 42 , is formed on the right side knitting needles of the positions ‘t’, ‘v’, ‘x’, ‘z’. In ‘d10’ course, with left ward yarn feeding to the front needle bed ‘F’, the row of stitches for the homeward side of the heel 32 as well as the row of stitches for four stitches, which becomes one course for the part 42 c of the gusset 42 , is formed on the left side knitting needles of the positions ‘i’, ‘g’, ‘e’, ‘c’. In ‘d11’ course, as similar in ‘d8’ course, by shifting the row of stitches for the homeward side of the heel 32 , linking on the knitting needles of the positions ‘t’, ‘f’ is done. As follows in a similar way, knitting the homeward side of the heel 32 and knitting the parts 42 c , 42 d are done, with getting back row of stitches by transferring and with linking at end potion, so that the heel 32 , in which the gusset 42 intervenes in the linking part, is able to be knitted.
FIG. 12 shows an entire structure of the sock 41 of FIG. 9( a ). The toe side 32 a , which knitted as round knitted tubular fabric, is formed to be a base fabric, to which the heel 32 knitted as tubular fabric is formed so as to be appended, and the gusset 42 is made to intervene in the linking portion, then the ankle side 31 b is knitted as rest of the base fabric. The sock 41 can be obtained so as to adapt to fit the three dimensional shape of the foot.
In addition, the heel 32 or the like is able to be knitted not only in a symmetrical shape in relation to the center line of the knitting width, but also left-right asymmetry. In the knitted heel 32 , the angle or the depth of the gore line is changed from the left-right symmetry state, so that it can be more adapted to the left-right asymmetry shape of the foot.
Embodiment 5
FIG. 13 shows a simplified knitting state of a glove 51 as the 5th embodiment of the present invention. In the 5th embodiment, as an alternative to the thumb pouch 11 , which is appended to the glove 1 of the 1st embodiment in the way to knit the five finger body 14 from the four finger body 14 , a thumb pouch 52 is appended to the glove 51 . In the glove 51 , an outward side 52 a and a homeward side 52 b as well as a stitch increase part 52 c are knitted. The stitch increase part 52 c is, for example, appended to the outward side 52 a , so that it is possible to provide a difference in number of stitches between before and after folding back to form the tubular knitted fabric.
FIG. 14 shows a part of the knitting procedure of FIG. 13 basically as similar to FIG. 11 . Although FIG. 13 shows a state in which the stitch increase part 52 c is appended to the back of the outward side 52 a as a whole, in this knitting procedure, the stitch increase part 52 c is knitted in the shape of dispersing state insert to intermediate portion. To ‘e1’ course, knitting the outward side 52 a of the thumb pouch 52 is done, with shifting the row of stitches, while hanging stitches for linking being remained at end portions. From ‘e1’ course to ‘e4’ course, with flechage yarn feeding to the rear needle bed ‘B’, the row of stitches for the stitch increase part 52 c is formed on the knitting needles between the position ‘f’ and the position ‘v’. However, the row of stitches for the stitch increase part does not link to the end portion of the homeward side 52 b , so that, on the knitting needles of the positions ‘f’, ‘h’ for the left end portion or of the position ‘v’ to the right side end portion, stitches are not every time formed, but the tuck or the like is done, so as to prevent from leaving a hole between before and after the fold back as a tubular knitted fabric.
From ‘e5’ course to ‘e6’ course, a part of knitting procedure is shown, in the procedure the outward side 52 a is knitted with remaining on the end portion hanging stitches for linking. From ‘e8’ course to ‘e11’ course, a part of knitting procedure is shown, in the procedure, with getting back shift, the row of stitches is knitted while the end portion is linked to the outward side 52 a.
FIG. 15 shows a part of the glove 51 of FIG. 13 . The thumb pouch 52 is knitted, in a manner in which the number of stitches in the wale direction for the outward side to be continued to the four finger body 6 is more than that for the homeward side to be continued to the five finger body 14 , so that it can be fitted to the three dimensional shape of the thumb.
Embodiment 6
FIG. 16 shows a part of simplified knitting state for a glove 61 as the 6th embodiment of the present invention. When a thumb pouch 62 is knitted as a tubular knitted fabric with shifting row of stitches from a base fabric 61 a , 61 b like a body part and so on of the glove 61 , various kinds of shaping knit to be known for the flatbed knitting machine are able to be applied. That is, as shown in (a) the knitting width can be decreased in the outward side and increased in the homeward side, or as shown in (b) the knitting width can be increased in the outward side and decreased in the homeward side. Further the knitting width can be increased or decreased along the way. In case the process of increase or decrease for the knitting width is done inside apart from end portion of the knitting width, stitches of the end portion of the knitting width, are made to be continuous in the wale direction, The shaping knit by increase and decrease of the knitting width as shown in (b), is not always applied to a finger pouch, but is able to applied to the pocket 23 of the knitted fabric with pocket 21 of the 2nd embodiment, or to some occasions like to cover bulge regions of the human body.
FIG. 17 shows a knitting procedure of the glove 61 of FIG. 16 in comparison to the glove 1 as the 1st embodiment. In the glove 61 as shown in (a), from the base fabric 61 a , which becomes a four finger body, the outward sides 62 a , 62 b for the thumb pouch 62 are knitted and, after folded back, the homeward sides 62 c , 62 d are knitted. Although the outward side 62 a and the homeward side 62 d are knitted in a state in which the knitting width is constant, the outward side 62 b and the homeward side 62 c are knitted with the shaping knit, in which the narrowing and the widening are respectively done. In the outward side of thumb pouch 7 and the homeward side of thumb pouch 10 , which are shown in (b), the shaping knit is not done.
Further, the glove 61 shown in (a), finger pouches 72 , 73 , 74 , 75 , to accommodate fingers other than the thumb, is knitted as a tubular knitted fabric with shifting the row of stitches, for example, from a ground of finger pouch 74 for the fourth finger in series, a three finger body is knitted as a round knitted tubular fabric, then a finger pouch 75 for the fifth finger is knitted so as to continue to a round knitted tubular fabric for a four finger body 76 . At the first knitting time of the finger pouch 74 , yarn in for knitting yarn is performed so that an edge yarn 74 a is generated, but other finger pouch or body is knitted while setting up to follow end portion of already knitted fabric, without generating other edge yarn a base fabric 61 a can be knitted.
In the glove 1 as shown in (b), when each finger pouch 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 is knitted as a round knitted tubular fabric respectively, yarn in at front edge and yarn out at rear anchor are done, so that edge yarns 2 a , 2 b ; 3 a , 3 b ; 4 a , 4 b ; 5 a , 5 b are generated, so that some appropriate process for those is necessary.
Further the glove 1 lacks space around the finger crotches of the linking portion between the finger pouches 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 each other or the four finger body 6 , which are knitted as round knitted tubular fabrics. The glove 61 shown in (a), the stitches are continuous in the wale direction at the finger crotches, so that a thickness 77 is formed between adjacent each finger so as to have space and improve sense of wear. Further in the base fabric 61 b which becomes the five finger body, the stitches of the part 64 a are continuous to the homeward side 62 d of the thumb pouch 62 so that the part 64 a is shaped with narrowing in series so as to fit to a palm portion 64 b , so that it is possible to adapt to the three dimensional shape of the hand.
FIG. 18 shows, as a process diagram, a knitting state with shaping knit for the finger pouch of the glove 61 of FIG. 17 . Number of stitches and number of courses are for convenience of explanation, in the actual knitting fabric, they are able to be changed according to need. In ‘f0’ course, a round knitted tubular fabric as a base fabric, for eight stitches, are made suspended in a state of half gauge on the front needle bed ‘F’ and the rear needle bed ‘B’ respectively. In each needle bed, a knitting needle opposing to a knitting needle suspending a stitch is made to be an empty needle. As follows, the one pitch for shifting stitch and so on is explained as of two needles.
In ‘f1’ course, after the six stitches of the left side in the eight stitches suspended on the rear needle bed ‘B’ is shifted left ward for one pitch, with left ward yarn feeding, a hanging stitch is formed on the knitting needle which is made to an empty needle by shifting, then on the six knitting needles left side of the hanging stitch, new six stitches are formed. In ‘f2’ course, with right ward yarn feeding, a hanging stitch is formed on an empty needle in the left side of the front needle bed ‘F’, then on the six stitches of the rear needle bed ‘B’, new stitches are formed.
In ‘f3’ course, the three stitches of the right side in the newly formed six stitches in ‘f2’ course, are shifted left ward for one pitch so that the left end stitch is overlapped on the right end stitch in the three stitches remained without shifting, to reduce one stitch. Further with left ward yarn feeding, a hanging stitch is formed on the empty needle generated the left ward shifting for the right side three stitches, and on the five stitches left side of the hanging stitch, new stitches are formed. In ‘f4’ course, with right ward yarn feeding, a hanging stitch is formed on an empty needle in the left side of the front needle bed ‘F’, and then new stitches are formed on the five stitches in the rear needle bed ‘B’.
In ‘f5’ course, the newly formed five stitches in ‘f4’ course, after shifted, as a whole, left ward for one pitch, with left ward yarn feeding, a hanging stitch is formed on the knitting needle made to be an empty needle, and then new stitches are formed on the five stitches left side of the hanging stitch.
In ‘f6’ course, the three stitches of the left side in the newly formed five stitches in ‘f5’ course, are shifted right ward for one pitch so that the right end stitch is overlapped on the left end stitch in the two stitches remained without shifting, to reduce one stitch. Further with right ward yarn feeding, a hanging stitch is formed on an empty needle in the left side of the front needle bed ‘F’, and then new stitches are formed on the four stitches in the rear needle bed ‘B’.
In ‘f7’ course, the newly formed four stitches in ‘f6’ course, after shifted, as a whole, left ward for one pitch, with left ward yarn feeding, a hanging stitch is formed on the knitting needle made to be an empty needle, and then new stitches are formed on the four stitches left side of the hanging stitch. In ‘f8’ course, with right ward yarn feeding, a hanging stitch is formed on an empty needle in the left side of the front needle bed ‘F’, and then new stitches are formed on the four stitches in the rear needle bed ‘B’. In ‘f8’ course, knitting for the outward side is finished.
From ‘f9’ course, the homeward side after fold back is knitted. The hanging stitch, which is formed in left side of the front needle bed ‘F’ in ‘f8’ course, is overlapped on and linked to the left end of the four stitches in the rear needle bed ‘B’ by stitch transferring, and then with left ward yarn feeding, new stitches are formed on the four stitches in the rear needle bed ‘B’.
In ‘f10’ course, the two stitches of the right side in the four stitches in the rear needle bed ‘B’, are shifted right ward for one pitch, with right ward yarn feeding, new stitches are formed on the left side two stitches and on the right side two stitches. Knitting needles between the left side two stitches and the right side two stitches are made to be empty. To the right end of the left side two stitches, the split knit is operated and the split stitch is shifted to the adjacent empty needle. Thus, one stitch is increased in the left side.
In ‘f11’ course, the hanging stitch, which is formed in left side of the front needle bed ‘F’ in ‘f6’ course, is overlapped on the left end of the five stitches in the rear needle bed ‘B’ by stitch transferring, and then with left ward yarn feeding, new stitches are formed on the five stitches in the rear needle bed ‘B’. In ‘f12’ course, the five stitches are shifted, as a whole, right ward for one pitch. The right end of the five stitches, is overlapped on and linked to the hanging stitch, which is formed in ‘f5’ course. Next, with right ward yarn feeding, new stitches are formed on the five stitches.
In ‘f13’ course, the two stitches of left side in the five stitches in the rear needle bed ‘B’, are shifted left ward for one pitch, on the left end stitch, the hanging stitch formed in ‘f4’ course is overlapped and then linked. Next, with left ward yarn feeding, new stitches are formed on the left side two stitches and the right side three stitches. Knitting needles between the left side two stitches and the right side three stitches are made to be empty. To the left end of the right side three stitches, the split knit is operated and the split stitch is shifted to the adjacent empty needle. Thus, one stitch is increased in the right side. In ‘f14’ course, the six stitches are shifted, as a whole, right ward for one pitch. The right end of the six stitches, is overlapped on and linked to the hanging stitch, which is formed in ‘f3’ course. Next, with right ward yarn feeding, new stitches are formed on the six stitches. After ‘f15’ course, with a knitting yarn 81 fed from a yarn feeder 80 , knitting of the tubular fabric is continued. In addition, in the present embodiment, as shaping knit, the narrowing is done in ‘f3’ course and ‘f6’ course, and the widening is done in ‘f10’ course and ‘f13’ course, respectively.
FIG. 19 shows an entire structure of the glove 61 of FIG. 16 . By knitting the thumb pouch 62 and other finger pouches 72 , 73 , 74 , 75 as tubular fabrics with shifting row of stitches and including the shaping knit, the glove 61 is adapted to the three dimensional shape of the hand. Further the increase and decrease of the knitting width by the shaping knit is done inside apart from the end portion of the knitting width so that the thumb pouch 62 and other finger pouches 72 , 73 , 74 , 75 can be formed in a manner that the stitches are continued to and lined up in the wale direction respectively on the area adjacent to the linking part between the fabric of the outward side and the fabric of the homeward side. Further, the narrowing or the widening to the stitches for changing the knitting width can be done in the vicinity of the end portion of the finger pouch.
INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY
The present invention is applicable to various fabrics other than the gloves 1 , 51 , 61 explained in the 1st embodiment, in the 5th embodiment, in the 6th embodiment, the knitted fabric with pocket 21 explained in the 2nd embodiment, and the socks 31 , 41 explained in the 3rd embodiment, 4th embodiment. For example, supposing a hat in which the base fabric 22 of FIG. 7 covers a head region and two parts are appended in a manner that each part corresponds to the pocket 23 and covers an ear. Further, a tubular knitted fabric like the pocket 23 can be formed not only to intermediate portion of the base fabric 22 in the wale direction, but also to the starting end or to the terminating end.
The present invention is applicable to the tubular knitted fabric with shifting row of stitches, in which the tubular width and the tubular height are optional, connecting position and number can be freely set. Further, in each embodiment, although the half gauge knitting is done with using a two bed type flatbed knitting machine having one pair of needle beds, the all needle knitting can be done by using a four bed type flatbed knitting machine, or in case of two bed type flatbed knitting machine which has the compound needle capable of holding by slider, as a knitting needle.
REFERENCE SIGNS LIST
1 , 51 , 61 Glove
7 Outward side of thumb pouch
8 , 9 . Hanging stitch
10 . Homeward side of thumb pouch
11 , 52 , 62 . Thumb pouch
12 , 24 . Outside boundary part
13 , 25 . Inside boundary part
21 Knitted fabric with pocket
22 , 71 a , 71 b Base fabric
23 Pocket
31 , 41 Sock
31 a Toe side
31 b Ankle side
32 Heel
32 a Constant knitting width portion
32 b Decrease knitting width portion
42 Gusset
72 , 73 , 74 , 75 Finger pouch
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Disclosed is a tubular knit glove and method of flatbed knitting. The outward portion of a thumb pouch ( 7 ) is knitted while the direction of the wales continues from the end of a four finger body ( 6 ) with a reciprocating motion in the direction of the course. Rows of stitches are knit in the center and yarn-overs ( 8,9 ) are added on each side as connecting stitches. The inward portion of a thumb pouch ( 10 ) forms rows of stitches that link with the yarn-overs ( 8,9 ) when knitting back from the end of the outward portion of the thumb pouch ( 7 ). After forming a thumb pouch ( 11 ), a five finger body ( 14 ) is knit as a circularly-knit tube wherein the knitting thread revolves in the course direction completing a glove ( 1 ).
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FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The present invention relates to interconnect assemblies and methods for making and using interconnections and more particularly to interconnect assemblies for making electrical contact with contact elements on a substrate such as a semiconductor integrated circuit. More particularly, the present invention relates to methods and assemblies for making interconnections to semiconductor devices to enable test and/or burn-in procedures on the semiconductor devices.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] There are numerous interconnect assemblies and methods for making and using these assemblies in the prior art. For example, it is usually desirable to test the plurality of dies (integrated circuits) on a semiconductor wafer to determine which dies are good prior to packaging them and preferably prior to being singulated from the wafer. To this end, a wafer tester or prober may be advantageously employed to make a plurality of discreet pressure connections to a like plurality of discreet contact elements (e.g. bonding pads) on the dies. In this manner, the semiconductor dies can be tested prior to singulating the dies from the wafer. The testing is designed to determine whether the dies are non-functional (“bad”). A conventional component of a wafer tester or prober is a probe card to which a plurality of probe elements are connected. The tips of the probe elements or contact elements make the pressure connections to the respective bonding pads of the semiconductor dies in order to make an electrical connection between circuits within the dies and a tester such as an automated test equipment (ATE). Conventional probe cards often include some mechanism to guarantee adequate electrical contact for all contact elements at the bonding pads of the die regardless of the length of the contact elements or any variation in height between the two planes represented by the surface of the die and the tips of the probe pins or contact elements on the probe card. An example of a probe card having such a mechanism can be found in probe cards from FormFactor of Livermore, Calif. (also see the description of such cards in PCT International Publication No. WO 96/38858).
[0003] One type of interconnect assembly in the prior art uses a resilient contact element, such as a spring, to form either a temporary or a permanent connection to a contact pad on a semiconductor integrated circuit. Examples of such resilient contact elements are described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,476,211 and also in co-pending, commonly-assigned U.S. patent application entitled “Lithographically Defined Microelectronic Contact Structures,” Ser. No. 09/032,473, filed Feb. 26, 1998, and also co-pending, commonly-assigned U.S. patent application entitled “Interconnect Assemblies and Methods,” Ser. No. 09/114,586, filed Jul. 13, 1998. These interconnect assemblies use resilient contact elements which can resiliently flex from a first position to a second position in which the resilient contact element is applying a force against another contact terminal. The force tends to assure a good electrical contact, and thus the resilient contact element tends to provide good electrical contact.
[0004] These resilient contact elements are typically elongate metal structures which in one embodiment are formed according to a process described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,476,211. In another embodiment, they are formed lithographically (e.g. in the manner described in the above-noted patent application entitled “Lithographically Defined Microelectronic Contact Structures”). In general, resilient contact elements are useful on any number of substrates such as semiconductor integrated circuits, probe cards, interposers, and other electrical assemblies. For example, the base of a resilient contact element may be mounted to a contact terminal on an integrated circuit or it may be mounted onto a contact terminal of an interposer substrate or onto a probe card substrate or other substrates having electrical contact terminals or pads. The free end of each resilient contact element can be positioned against a contact pad on another substrate to make an electrical contact through a pressure connection when the one substrate having the resilient contact element is pressed towards and against the other substrate having a contact element which contacts the free end of the resilient contact element. Furthermore, a stop structure, as described in the above noted application Ser. No. 09/114,586, may be used with these resilient contact elements to define a minimum separation between the two substrates.
[0005] [0005]FIG. 1 shows one technique for the use of an interconnect assembly. This interconnect 101 includes a chuck structure 117 disposed above a semiconductor wafer 111 , which wafer is supported by a bellows structure 103 . The chuck structure is rigid (not deformable), and the surface of the chuck 117 which includes the contact elements 125 and 127 is also rigid. The bellows structure 103 includes an expandable bellows 105 and intake and outtake ports 107 A and 107 B. In one use of this bellows structure, a fluid, such as water 106 is passed into and out of the bellows structure 103 . A thin steel membrane 109 is welded or otherwise attached to the bellows 105 . The thin membrane may be used to exert uniform pressure against the back of wafer 111 to press the top surface of the wafer against the stop structures 121 and 123 , thereby causing electrical connections between the springs (or other resilient contact elements) on the wafer and the contact elements on substrate 117 . This uniform pressure may overcome some variations in flatness between the meeting surfaces, such as the top surface of the wafer 111 and the surface supporting the stop structures 121 and contact elements 125 and 127 . This thin steel membrane 109 also allows for the transfer of heat to or from the semiconductor wafer 111 which is disposed on top of the membrane 109 . The fluid such as water 106 , may be introduced into the bellows structure under pressure to force the membrane 109 into direct contact with the backside of the wafer 111 .
[0006] This fluid may be heated or cooled in order to control or affect the temperature of the wafer. For example, in a burn-in test of an integrated circuit (or wafer containing integrated circuits), the fluid may be heated to raise the temperature of the wafer and then cooled, and this process may be repeated over several cycles. The chuck 117 includes stop structures 121 and 123 which are proximally adjacent to contact elements 125 and 127 respectively. It may be desirable to place a thermal transfer layer between the membrane 109 and the back of the wafer 111 to improve the heat transfer efficiency between the fluid and the wafer 111 . The contact elements 125 and 127 are designed to make contact with the resilient contact elements 115 and 113 on the wafer 111 . It will be appreciated that there will typically be many more resilient contact elements and many more contact elements than those shown in FIG. 1. The chuck 117 includes wiring or other interconnection in order to connect resilient contact elements 115 and 113 , through contact elements 125 and 127 , to a tester allowing communication of power, signals, and the like between the tester and the semiconductor wafer. The chuck 117 may be held in place by a post 118 in order to allow the wafer 111 to be pressed against the chuck 117 by the expanding of the bellows 105 ; alternatively, the chuck 117 may be pressed and held by a clamshell support which contacts and covers the top of the chuck 117 with a backing plate and may also surround the sides and bottom of the bellows 105 .
[0007] [0007]FIG. 2 shows another example of an interconnect assembly 201 . In this case, a rigid chuck 203 supports a wafer of semiconductor devices 204 . The wafer includes a plurality of contact elements, such as the contact element 210 A which are designed and disposed to make contact relative to resilient contact elements on the wiring substrate 206 . The resilient contact elements 207 , 209 , and 210 are another example of a resilient element; in this case, they have a generally straight cantilever structure. The stop structures 214 , 216 , and 218 are attached to a rigid wiring substrate 206 and are designed to define the z separation between the wiring substrate 206 and the wafer 204 . A vacuum port 212 in the wiring substrate 206 allows a vacuum to be formed between the space between the wiring substrate 206 and the chuck 203 . The O-ring seal 205 ensures that a vacuum is formed between the wiring substrate 206 and the chuck 203 . When the vacuum is formed, the wiring substrate 206 is pressed down towards the wafer 204 in order to cause contact to be made between the various resilient contact elements and their corresponding contact elements on the wafer 204 .
[0008] [0008]FIG. 3 shows another example of an interconnect assembly 351 according to the present invention. In this case, a pressure bladder 355 forces the rigid wiring substrate 354 in contact with the wafer 353 . A clamp 355 A is used to press the bladder into the rigid substrate 354 . The wafer 353 sits on top of a rigid chuck 352 and includes a plurality of contact elements, such as the contact element 357 A shown in FIG. 3. As the bladder 355 forces the rigid wiring substrate 354 into contact with the wafer 353 , the stop structures 358 , 359 , and 360 are brought into contact with the top surface of the wafer 353 . This contact defines a separation between the rigid wiring substrate 354 and the semiconductor wafer 353 . When this contact occurs, the resilient contact elements 357 are brought into mechanical and electrical contact with their corresponding contact elements on the wafer 353 .
[0009] [0009]FIG. 4A shows an example of a flexible probe card device 401 . This probe card device includes a flexible or deformable substrate 402 having contact elements 403 , 404 , and 405 disposed on one side and a plurality of electrical conductive traces which creates a wiring layer on the opposite side of the flexible substrate 402 . An insulator (not shown) typically covers most of the wiring layer. The contact element 403 is electrically coupled through the via 403 A to the trace 403 B. Similarly, the contact element 404 is electrically coupled through the via 404 A to the trace 404 B on the opposite side of the flexible substrate 402 . Typically, the contact elements 403 , 404 , and 405 are formed to have approximately the same height and they may be formed by a number of techniques to create a ball grid array or other arrangements of contactors. FIG. 4B shows an example of the use of a flexible probe card device in order to probe or test a semiconductor wafer 430 . In particular, the flexible probe device 420 , which resembles the device 401 , is pressed into contact, by a force F, with the wafer 430 . Each of the respective contact elements on the flexible probe device 420 , such as the contact element 424 , makes a contact with a respective contact element, such as element 434 , on the wafer 430 in order to perform the probe test. The flexible probe device 420 is pressed into contact by use of a press 410 which creates the force F.
[0010] The press 410 has a rigid, flat surface and it presses the flexible probing substrate rigidly along the entire surface of the probing substrate 420 . Referring back to FIG. 4A, the press 410 presses against the surface of the substrate 402 which is opposite the contact elements 403 , 404 , and 405 . It will be appreciated that an insulating layer may separate the press 410 from the wiring layers 403 B, 404 B and 405 B. If one or more of the contact elements 403 , 404 , and 405 is smaller (e.g. shorter, etc.) than other contact elements, then it is possible for the smaller contact elements to not make contact when the flexible probing substrate is pressed into contact with a wafer. This is due to the fact that the rigid surface of the press 410 will press the contact elements into contact with a corresponding contact elements on the wafer up to the point when the largest contact elements on the flexible probing substrate have made contact with respective contact elements on the wafer. Thus, the smaller contact elements may not make contact.
[0011] [0011]FIG. 4C shows an example of how irregularities in contact elements and/or irregularities in the surfaces supporting the contact elements can cause a failure to make electrical connection. A force from a rigid press 410 causes the contact elements 424 A and 424 C to make contact (both mechanically and electrically). Contact elements 424 A and 424 C have been formed normally according to a desired size, but contact element 424 B is smaller (e.g. shorter) than the desired size. This difference in size may even be within manufacturing tolerances but nevertheless is relatively shorter than its neighbors. The mechanical contact of contact elements 424 A and 424 C with their corresponding contact elements 434 A and 434 C stops the movement between the layer 420 and the IC 430 , and it becomes impossible to create an electrical contact between contact element 424 B and its corresponding contact element 434 B.
[0012] Similar problems exist with the assemblies shown in FIGS. 1, 2, and 3 . In the case of the assemblies of FIGS. 1, 2, and 3 , the wiring substrate is rigid in all three cases and thus any local differential in heights of the various contact elements (or other irregularities in the two opposing surfaces) may result in a lack of contact being made. Such other irregularities may include a difference in adequate flatness between the two surfaces. The requirement to control the flatness of the two surfaces also increases the manufacturing expense for the surfaces. Furthermore, it is often difficult to achieve and maintain parallelism between the two surfaces, particularly when incorporating the need for precise x, y positional alignment control which may restrict the ability to allow for a compensating tilt. Accordingly, it is desirable to provide an improved assembly and method for making electrical interconnections and particularly in performing wafer probing and/or burn-in testing of semiconductor devices.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0013] The present invention provides an interconnect assembly and methods for making and using the assembly. In one example of the present invention, an interconnect assembly includes a flexible wiring layer having a plurality of first contact elements and a fluid containing structure which is coupled to the flexible wiring layer. The fluid, when contained in the fluid containing structure, presses the flexible wiring layer towards a device under test to form electrical interconnections between the first contact elements and corresponding second contact elements on the device under test, which may be in one embodiment a single integrated circuit or several integrated circuits on a semiconductor wafer.
[0014] In another example of the present invention, an interconnect assembly includes a flexible wiring layer having a plurality of first contact terminals and a semiconductor substrate which includes a plurality of second contact terminals. A plurality of freestanding, resilient contact elements are mechanically coupled to one of the flexible wiring layer or the semiconductor substrate and make electrical contacts between corresponding ones of the first contact terminals and the second contact terminals.
[0015] In another exemplary embodiment of the present invention, a method of making electrical interconnections includes joining a flexible wiring layer and a substrate together in proximity and causing a pressure differential between a first side and a second side of the flexible wiring layer. The pressure differential deforms the flexible wiring layer and causes a plurality of first contact terminals on the flexible wiring layer to electrically contact with a corresponding plurality of second contact terminals on the substrate.
[0016] In a preferred embodiment, a plurality of travel stop elements may be distributed on one or both of the flexible wiring layer and the substrate.
[0017] It will be appreciated that the various aspects of the present invention may be used to make electrical connection between a single pair of contact elements on two separate substrates or may make a plurality of electrical connections between a corresponding plurality of pairs of contact elements on two different substrates. Various other assemblies and methods are described below in conjunction with the following figures.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0018] The present invention is illustrated by way of example and not limitation in the figures of the accompanying drawings in which like references indicate similar elements. It is also noted that the drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale.
[0019] [0019]FIG. 1 shows an example of an interconnect assembly which uses a bellows to force a semiconductor wafer into contact with a rigid wiring substrate.
[0020] [0020]FIG. 2 shows another example of an assembly for creating an electrical interconnection between one substrate, such as a semiconductor wafer, and a rigid wiring substrate through the use of a vacuum.
[0021] [0021]FIG. 3 shows another example of an assembly for creating an electrical interconnection between one substrate, such as a semiconductor wafer, and a wiring substrate.
[0022] [0022]FIG. 4A shows an example of a flexible probing device which may be used to probe a semiconductor wafer in a probing operation.
[0023] [0023]FIG. 4B shows an example of an assembly for using a flexible probing device in order to perform a wafer probing operation.
[0024] [0024]FIG. 4C shows how a failed connection can result from the use of an interconnection assembly of the prior art.
[0025] [0025]FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view showing an example of an interconnection assembly according to one embodiment of the present invention.
[0026] [0026]FIG. 6A is a cross-sectional view showing another embodiment of an interconnection assembly according to the present invention.
[0027] [0027]FIG. 6B is a cross-sectional view of another embodiment of an electrical interconnection assembly according to the present invention.
[0028] [0028]FIG. 6C shows in partial view and in cross-sectional view an example of an electrical interconnection assembly in use according to one embodiment of the present invention.
[0029] [0029]FIG. 6D shows in cross-sectional view how a flexible wiring layer of the present invention can deform in order to provide an electrical connection despite irregularities in surfaces and/or contact elements.
[0030] [0030]FIG. 7A shows another embodiment of the present invention of an electrical interconnection assembly.
[0031] [0031]FIG. 7B shows a top view of the flexible wiring layer 705 shown in FIG. 7A.
[0032] [0032]FIG. 8 shows a partial view of another example of the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0033] The present invention relates to interconnection assemblies and methods for making interconnections and particularly to interconnect assemblies and methods for making mechanical and electrical connection to contact elements on an integrated circuit. The following description and drawings are illustrative of the invention and are not to be construed as limiting the invention. Numerous specific details are described to provide a thorough understanding of the present invention. However, in other instances, well known or conventional details are not described in order to not unnecessarily obscure the present invention in detail.
[0034] [0034]FIG. 5 shows one example of an electrical interconnection assembly according to the present invention. The assembly includes a fluid containing structure 509 which includes a chamber 519 for containing the fluid. The fluid is retained by the inner walls of the structure 509 and by the flexible wiring layer 507 which may, in one embodiment, be similar to the flexible probing device shown in FIG. 4A. Disposed below the flexible wiring layer 507 is a device under test such as the integrated circuit or semiconductor wafer 505 . The integrated circuit 505 is supported by a backing plate 503 which may be rigid. The backing plate 503 is secured to the fluid containing structure 509 by bolts 511 A and 511 B as shown in the cross-sectional view of FIG. 5. An O-ring seal 527 (or other sealing mechanisms which may be used) serves to seal the chamber 519 from leakage of fluid between the flexible wiring layer 507 and the edge of the assembly 509 . The O-ring seal 527 is under a foot of the edge of assembly 509 and is pressed into tight contact with the flexible wiring layer 507 . Fluid may be introduced into the chamber 519 through the inlet port 521 and fluid may be removed from the chamber 519 through the outlet ports 525 and 523 . Fluid which is removed from these outlet ports may be pumped or transferred to a temperature controller 515 which then provides fluid having a desired temperature to a pump and pressure controller 517 which, in turn, returns the fluid through the port 521 back into the chamber 519 . It may be desirable to maintain the fluid in a continuously circulating state in order to maintain an accurately controlled temperature and in order to maintain a desired pressure.
[0035] [0035]FIG. 5 shows the state of the interconnection assembly before introducing a fluid, such as a liquid or a gas, into the chamber 519 . In particular, the flexible wiring layer has been placed in proximity, and typically close proximity (e.g. about 75 to about 750 microns), to the contact surface of the integrated circuit 505 . Typically, the electrical contact elements on the flexible wiring layer, such as contact elements 533 A, 533 B and 533 C will not be in mechanical contact and will not be in electrical contact with the corresponding contact elements on the integrated circuit, such as the contact elements 532 A, 532 B and 532 C, when the fluid has not been introduced into the chamber 519 . After mounting the integrated circuit 505 or other device under test in proximity to the flexible wiring layer 507 , then the fluid may be introduced into the chamber 519 to create a pressure differential between one side of the flexible wiring layer 507 and the other side of the flexible wiring layer 507 , thereby pressing the flexible wiring layer into contact with the contact elements of the integrated circuit 505 . This is shown in the partial view of FIG. 6C which shows a portion of the flexible wiring layer 507 being brought into contact with the contact elements of the integrated circuit 505 which is supported by the backing plate 503 as shown in FIG. 6C. The pressure created by the fluid is represented by the pressure 690 shown in FIG. 6C. Because the flexible wiring layer is deformable, portions in local regions of the flexible wiring layer may slightly deform relative to other regions of the flexible wiring layer under the pressure of the fluid in order to create contact. When the fluid is removed from the chamber 519 , the flexible wiring layer 507 may return to its non-deformed state.
[0036] This provides a solution for the situation in which the heights of the contact elements differ enough so that using conventional assembly techniques, the smaller height contact elements will not make an electrical connection. This solution also accounts for a lack of parallelism between the two surfaces and for non-planarities in the surfaces.
[0037] As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6C, stop structures, such as stop structures 531 A, 531 B, and 531 C may be disposed on the upper surface of the integrated circuit 505 in order to define the minimum separation between the integrated circuit 505 and the local regions of the flexible wiring layer 507 . Using the stop structures to define this separation will allow the use of considerable pressure exerted by the fluid in order to ensure adequate electrical contact across the entire surface of the integrated circuit 505 without at the same time damaging the contact elements, such as the resilient, freestanding contact elements 532 A, 532 B and 532 C shown in FIG. 5. FIG. 6C shows the stop structures in action as they prevent the flexible wiring layer 507 from being pressed further towards the surface of the integrated circuit 505 by the fluid pressure 690 . In an alternative embodiment, the stop structures may be attached to the surface of the flexible wiring layer, or stop structures may be disposed on both surfaces.
[0038] [0038]FIG. 6D shows an example of how a flexible wiring layer can deform or flex in a local region in order to provide an electrical connection despite irregularities in surfaces and/or contact elements. The example of FIG. 6D shows the use of resilient contact elements, however, it will be appreciated that in an alternative example, rigid contact elements (e.g. C4 balls) may be used rather than resilient contact elements. The flexible wiring layer 507 , under the influence of the fluid pressure 690 , deforms locally around the contact element 533 B. The deformation stops when the element 533 B makes mechanical (and hence electrical) contact with the freestanding, resilient contact element 532 B, which is shorter than the freestanding, resilient contact elements 532 A and 532 C. Without the deformation, electrical connection may not occur between contact elements 534 B and 533 B (see, for example, FIG. 4C where no deformation occurs since the planar surface of press 410 is rigid). The flexible wiring layer 507 is capable of providing electrical contact between corresponding contact elements even when the surfaces are irregular (e.g. bumpy or uneven) or when they are not exactly parallel or even when the contact elements are irregular (e.g. the heights of the contact elements vary too much). When resilient contact elements are used as the connection elements between the two surfaces, they may accommodate the “local” variations or irregularities in the two surfaces (e.g. over a distance range of up to about 2000 to 5000 microns), such that the flexible wiring layer may not need to be so flexible that it deforms over such a local range, but in this case the flexible wiring layer should still be deformable enough that it can accommodate longer range variations or irregularities (e.g. a lack of parallelism between the two surfaces over a range of several inches across the flexible wiring layer).
[0039] The flexible wiring layer 507 may be used with or without stop structures. The stop structures may be desirable when the pressure differential between the two surfaces of the flexible wiring layer is so large that the contact elements could be damaged from the resulting force or when it is desirable to provide a force larger than the minimum to allow for manufacturing tolerances in the flexible wiring layer, chucks, contact elements, etc. The height and placement of the stop structures should be designed to allow for normal flexing of the resilient contact element and to allow for the flexible wiring layer to deform at least beyond a local range. The flexible wiring layer should be flexible, and/or deformable, enough to allow for local deformations. In the case where resilient contact elements are used, the flexible wiring layer should be deformable enough to mold, under pressure, to a substrate's shape (e.g. a wafer's shape) and yet still be stiff enough over a local range to not deform too much between travel stops. The flexible wiring layer should be more flexible in the case where rigid contact elements (e.g. C4 balls as in FIG. 4C) are used between the two surfaces. Furthermore, given that, in most cases, the flexible wiring layer will be used again and again for testing different ICs (or different wafers), the flexible wiring layer should be able to return to its non-deformed shape after the pressure differential is relieved. This is achieved by operating the flexible wiring layer within the elastic deformation regime of the material in the flexible wiring layer.
[0040] It will be appreciated that the flexible wiring layer 507 may be formed out of any number of materials, such as a polyimide material which allows for sufficient local flexibility and/or deformability in small areas. Furthermore, the flexible wiring layer may contain multiple wiring layers disposed between layers of insulators as is well-known in the art of creating multiple layer conductive substrates such as printed circuit boards or flexible printed circuit boards. The flexible wiring layer 507 may be used to make electrical connections with a single integrated circuit either before or after packaging of the integrated circuit or may be used to make electrical connections to one or more of the integrated circuits on a semiconductor wafer or portion of a semiconductor wafer. Furthermore, the flexible wiring layer 507 may be used to make electrical connections to a passive connector assembly such as an interposer or other type of connection substrates which do not include integrated circuits or semiconductor materials. Thus, the flexible wiring layer 507 may be used to test a single integrated circuit or one or more integrated circuits on a semiconductor wafer or on a connection substrate such as an interposer. It will be further understood that the flexible wiring layer 507 in conjunction with the assembly of the present invention may be used with various types of connection elements including, for example, resilient, freestanding connection elements such as those noted above or other types of connection elements such as bonding pads, C4 balls, elastomeric balls, pogo pins, as well as other contact elements which are known in the art and the connection elements may be disposed on one or both of the flexible wiring layer.
[0041] In the case of full wafer testing, with wide temperature variations, the material chosen for the flexible wiring layer should have a TCE (thermal coefficient of expansion) close to or identical to the TCE of silicon. This can be achieved by suitable choice of material (e.g. Upilex S or Arlon 85NT) or even further enhanced by adding well-known low expansion layers (such as Invar) to the flexible wiring layer.
[0042] [0042]FIG. 6A shows another example of an interconnection assembly according to the present invention. This interconnection assembly also includes a chamber 519 which is used to receive and contain a fluid which is used to create a pressure differential across the flexible wiring layer 507 . The flexible wiring layer 507 includes contact elements disposed on the side of the flexible wiring layer 507 which faces the integrated circuit 505 . These contact elements, such as contact element 533 C, are used to make electrical contact with corresponding contact elements on the integrated circuit 505 . As in the case of the assembly shown in FIG. 5, when fluid is introduced into the chamber 519 , the flexible wiring layer 507 is pressed towards the integrated circuit 505 such that the contact elements on the integrated circuit 505 make electrical contact with the corresponding contact elements on the flexible wiring layer 507 shown in FIG. 6A. As shown in FIG. 6A, the flexible wiring layer 507 includes several active or passive electrical devices such as devices 605 , 607 , and 609 which are attached to the side of the flexible wiring layer 507 which is not adjacent to the integrated circuit 505 . These electrical devices may be integrated circuits which are used to provide signals to or receive signals from the integrated circuit 505 or they may be other active devices or they may be passive devices (e.g. decoupling capacitors) which may by advantageously placed in close proximity to one or more contact elements on the integrated circuit 505 . This allows the capacitance of the decoupling capacitor to be small and yet achieve an adequate decoupling effect. The electrical devices may be mounted on the flexible wiring layer 507 within the chamber 519 , such as the devices 605 and 607 , or they may be mounted outside of the chamber 519 as in the case of device 609 . By mounting devices such as devices 605 and 607 within the chamber 519 on the side 611 of the flexible wiring layer 507 , these devices within the chamber may be cooled by the fluid which is introduced into the chamber 519 . It is a desirable feature to make a short length electrical contact through the flexible wiring layer. In the implementation shown in FIG. 6A, the flexible wiring layer should be capable of holding the pressurized fluid without leaking. This can be achieved by using filled vias or by inserting a continuous membrane such as silicone across the pressure plenum. In a preferred embodiment, a silicone membrane having a thickness of about 0.015 inches (380 microns) was used.
[0043] The assembly 601 shown in FIG. 6A also includes one or more cavities in which a fluid such as a gas or a liquid is allowed to flow through. These cavities 603 may be used to cool or alternatively heat the integrated circuit 505 during testing or burn-in of the integrated circuit 505 . A cavity 603 may run the entire length or only a portion of the entire length of the backing plate 503 .
[0044] It is generally desirable that the flexible wiring layer 507 be a thin layer so as to provide an acceptable thermal conductance between the fluid within the chamber 519 and the integrated circuit 505 . For example, where an extensive semiconductor wafer testing is to take place and the self-heating of the wafer is undesirable, a cooled fluid may be used within the chamber 519 to keep the integrated circuit 505 at a desired temperature. At the same time, a coolant may be circulated through the channels 603 . Alternatively, where a stress test is to be performed on the integrated circuit 505 in conjunction with the electrical testing, a heated fluid may be introduced into the chamber 519 and/or into the channel 603 . The temperature of the fluid within the chamber 519 may be controlled as well as the temperature of the fluid within the channel 603 in order to achieve a desired temperature for the testing procedures of the integrated circuit 505 .
[0045] It will be appreciated that the flexible wiring layer 507 may act as a conventional probe card in redistributing and interconnecting the contact elements on the integrated circuit to a test device such as an automatic test equipment (ATE). Thus, the flexible wiring layer 507 may provide for contact pitch transformation with its wiring layers. These wiring layers serve to interconnect the contacts on the integrated circuit with the ATE device and with the various circuits mounted on the surface 611 of the flexible wiring layer 507 , such as the devices 605 and 607 . Typically, the flexible wiring layer 507 will include a bus which delivers signals to and from the ATE, such as the bus 610 shown in FIG. 6A.
[0046] [0046]FIG. 6B shows another alternative embodiment of the present invention in which the assembly 631 includes a flexible wiring layer 633 which in this case includes stop structures, such as the stop structure 641 , and includes resilient contact elements such as the resilient contact element 639 . Thus, unlike the assembly 610 shown in FIG. 6A, the flexible wiring layer includes both stop structures and resilient contact elements which may be used to make contact with contact elements on an integrated circuit 635 , such as the contact element 637 . In all other respects, the assembly of FIG. 6B resembles the assembly of FIG. 5. It will be appreciated that the assembly of FIG. 6B may be used to test or burn-in semiconductor wafers which do not include resilient contact elements but rather include merely bonding pads or other contact elements (e.g. C4 balls) located on the surface of the semiconductor wafer.
[0047] An alternative embodiment of an assembly of the present invention may use a vacuum generated between the integrated circuit 505 and the flexible wiring layer 507 in order to create a pressure differential between one side and the other side of the flexible wiring layer 507 . For example, if a vacuum port is located in the backing plate 503 , and this port is coupled to a vacuum pump, a vacuum may be drawn in the chamber created by the rigid backing plate 503 and the flexible wiring layer 507 . If normal air pressure is maintained in the chamber 519 , when the vacuum is drawn, the flexible wiring layer 507 will be pressed toward the integrated circuit 505 , causing contact to be made between the corresponding contact terminals on the flexible wiring layer 507 and the integrated circuit 505 .
[0048] [0048]FIGS. 7A and 7B show another embodiment of an interconnection assembly which utilizes a flexible wiring layer according to the present invention. The assembly 701 shown in FIG. 7A includes a plenum which includes at least one fluid port 723 . While FIG. 7A shows port 723 on the bottom of the assembly, it will be appreciated that the port 723 may be located on the side of the assembly so that the bottom is flat and portless. The fluid port 723 provides fluid into the chamber 721 in order to deform the flexible wiring layer 705 and press it towards the device under test such as the integrated circuit 707 . The integrated circuit 707 is drawn to a vacuum chuck 709 using conventional techniques associated with vacuum chucks which are known in the art. The vacuum chuck may be used to control the wafer temperature by using techniques which are well-known in the art. In FIG. 7A, an air cooled vacuum chuck is shown. The vacuum chuck 709 includes a heat sink 711 which is mounted on the upper surface of the vacuum chuck 709 . The vacuum chuck 709 is coupled by flanges 712 to the plenum 703 as shown in FIG. 7A. In one embodiment, the vacuum chuck 709 and the heat sink 711 may be made from aluminum and the flanges 712 and the plenum 713 may be formed from titanium. In the example of FIG. 7A, the integrated circuit 707 includes resilient contact elements, such as the contact elements 737 A and 737 B, each of which are attached to contact elements 735 A and 735 B which may be bonding pads on the integrated circuit 707 .
[0049] It will be appreciated that reference being made to an integrated circuit 707 is one example of various devices under test. Rather than a single integrated circuit, the device under test shown in FIG. 7A may be a complete semiconductor wafer having many integrated circuits or a portion of such a wafer or may be a packaged integrated circuit or may be a passive interconnection substrate such as an interposer for a probe card or a wiring substrate. Thus, it will be appreciated that when reference is made to an integrated circuit in the various embodiments of the invention, that this reference is solely for the purpose of convenience and that any of these alternative devices under test may be utilized in the assemblies of the present invention.
[0050] As shown in FIG. 7A, the flexible wiring layer 705 includes stop structures 733 A and 733 B and includes the contact elements 731 A and 731 B. It will also be appreciated that the flexible wiring layer includes the various conductive traces along its surface or within its structure and includes an interconnection bus to an ATE or to another type of testing device.
[0051] The flexible wiring layer 705 is held in place within the assembly 701 by an O-ring seal 714 which is clamped at the periphery of the flexible wiring layer 705 as shown in the top view of FIG. 7B. The clamps 715 A and 715 B, as shown in the cross-sectional view of FIG. 7A, secure the O-ring to the edge of the layer 705 and these clamps are secured into the plenum 703 by bolts 716 A and 716 B. In an alternative embodiment, the O-ring seal 714 may be sandwiched between the flexible wiring layer 705 and the plenum 703 . The clamps 715 A and 715 B would be straight, rather than curved, or have an “L” shape and would secure the layer 705 tightly to the O-ring seal 714 .
[0052] The operation of the assembly 701 will now be described. Typically, the device under test, such as an integrated circuit or a complete semiconductor wafer, is placed against the vacuum chuck such that the contact elements face away from the vacuum chuck. The device under test is drawn toward the chuck by creating a vacuum within the interior of the chuck as is known in the art. Holes in the surface of the chuck draw the wafer or other device under test securely to the surface of the chuck. Then the contact elements on the device under test are aligned in x and in y and in θ relative to the contact elements on the flexible wiring layer 705 in order to allow proper contact to be made between corresponding contact elements on the layer 705 and the device under test 707 . At this point, the z spacing between the device under test 707 and the flexible wiring layer 705 may be decreased so that the two surfaces are in close proximity. Next, the chamber 721 is filled with a fluid in order to “inflate” the layer 705 such that it is pressed towards the device under test 707 causing contact to be made between corresponding contact elements between the two surfaces.
[0053] [0053]FIG. 8 shows another example of the invention. In this example, a device under test 805 is attached to a flexible layer 809 which is held in the assembly 801 . The clamps 817 A and 817 B secure the flexible layer 809 to the O-ring seal 816 , thereby providing a seal for the fluid receiving chamber 811 , which is formed by the base 814 and the layer 809 . Fluid (e.g. a liquid or pressurized air) may be introduced into the chamber 811 through the port 811 A. The fluid, when introduced, will push the layer 809 so that the device under test 805 (which may be a semiconductor wafer having resilient contact elements 807 ) is pushed toward the wiring layer 803 , which is similar to the flexible wiring layer 507 except that layer 803 need not be flexible/deformable. When the device under test 805 is pushed sufficiently toward the layer 803 , the resilient contact elements 805 make electrical contact with corresponding contact elements (e.g. contact pads 804 ) on the layer 803 . The layer 803 is attached to a chuck 802 which itself is secured to the flange 815 . In an alternative embodiment, the resilient contact elements may be attached to layer 803 and may make contact to contact pads on the device under test 805 . In other embodiments, different contact elements (e.g. balls) may be used on one or both of the surfaces.
[0054] It will be appreciated that the interconnection assembly of the present invention may be utilized for semiconductor probing, such as probing of complete semiconductor wafers, or in the burn-in of singulated integrated circuits or the burn-in of complete semiconductor wafers. In the case of probing, the assembly may be mounted in the test head and aligned in x, y, and z and θ relative to either known positions on the semiconductor wafer or known positions on a probing device such as a wafer prober which are known relative to known positions on a semiconductor wafer. Then the flexible wiring layer may be brought into close proximity with the semiconductor wafer and then inflated in order to cause electrical contact. In the case of a burn-in operation, the device under test may be mounted in the assembly and aligned with the contacts on the flexible wiring layer and then moved to a burn-in environment and connected to test equipment and then the flexible wiring layer is “inflated” or otherwise drawn towards the device under test in order to make electrical contact.
[0055] In the foregoing specification, the invention has been described with reference to specific exemplary embodiments thereof. It will, however, be evident that various modifications and changes can be made thereto without departing from the broader spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claims. The specification and drawings are accordingly to be regarded in an illustrative sense rather than in a restrictive sense.
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An electrical interconnect assembly and methods for making an electrical interconnect assembly. In one embodiment, an interconnect assembly includes a flexible wiring layer having a plurality of first contact elements and a fluid containing structure which is coupled to the flexible wiring layer. The fluid, when contained in the fluid containing structure, presses the flexible wiring layer towards a device under test to form electrical interconnections between the first contact elements and corresponding second contact elements on the device under test. In a further embodiment, an interconnect assembly includes a flexible wiring layer having a plurality of first contact terminals and a semiconductor substrate which includes a plurality of second contact terminals. A plurality of freestanding, resilient contact elements, in one embodiment, are mechanically coupled to one of the flexible wiring layers or the semiconductor substrate and make electrical contacts between corresponding ones of the first contact terminals and the second contact terminals. In another embodiment, a method of making electrical interconnections includes joining a flexible wiring layer and a substrate together in proximity and causing a pressure differential between a first side and a second side of the flexible wiring layer. The pressure differential deforms the flexible wiring layer and causes a plurality of first contact terminals on the flexible wiring layer to electrically connect with a corresponding plurality of second contact terminals on the substrate.
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BACKGROUND
The present invention relates to a security device (and method for its production) for use for example on security documents and documents of value such as banknotes, cheques, bonds, certificates, fiscal stamps, tax stamps, vouchers, and brand protection.
It is well known within security printing to use luminescent materials to produce security features. Luminescent materials are known to those skilled in the art to include materials having fluorescent or phosphorescent properties. It is also well known to use other materials that respond visibly to invisible radiation such as photochromic materials and thermochromic materials.
An example of a luminescent feature utilised within security printing can be found in EP-A-253543. This case describes a lustrous metallic ink having differing appearances in visible and UV light. Such metallic fluorescent inks have proved very successful and are widely used on security documents. They provide a metallic ink clearly visible to the public with the additional security that fluorescence provides. The ink is typically printed in a discreet area and has a single colour under UV illumination.
A different type of feature is described in GB-A-1407065, which makes use of metamerism. The case describes the use of metameric pairs of inks appearing essentially the same under a first illuminant, such as natural sunlight, but different under a second illuminant having a different spectral energy distribution, for example produced by a tungsten filament lamp. The embodiments described within the patent are all designed to display metameric properties under differing visible light conditions.
WO-A-9840223 describes a method of printing an image that is invisible under normal lighting conditions but visible under UV illumination. The image visible under UV illumination comprises at least two different colours. The image visible under UV illumination may be the same as another image visible elsewhere on the document under normal lighting condition e.g. a portrait or photograph. It is a requirement of this case that the image viewable under UV illumination is not visible under normal lighting conditions, indeed the inks used are said to be invisible.
WO-A-0078556 describes a security document having both visible and invisible information characterised in that the invisible information is personalised. Particular examples are cited as printing invisible bar codes onto driving licences, passports and other documents intended to confirm a persons identity.
EP-A-1179807 describes an anti-fraud device for documents consisting of a support and at least two printed motifs affixed to the said support, distinguished in that one of the motifs contains an ink that responds to a given wavelength by emitting a specific colour and one other motif contains an ink that reacts to the same wavelength by emitting the same colour but also reacts to a second wavelength by emitting another colour.
EP-A-1179808 describes an anti-fraud device for documents consisting of a support and at least two printed motifs affixed to the said support, distinguished in that one of the motifs contains a first ink that responds to ultraviolet radiation of a given wavelength by emitting a specific colour and one other motif contains a second ink that responds to ultraviolet radiation of the same wavelength by emitting the same colour as the first ink, and the two inks, when subjected to ultraviolet radiation of a second wavelength, emit different colours from each other.
SUMMARY
There is a continuing need to develop security devices whose presence is difficult to ascertain but which, when inspected by someone who knows where to look, are simple to examine, and at the same time are difficult to replicate.
In accordance with a first aspect of the present invention, a security device comprising two or more regions, each region containing a material or combination of materials wherein the two or more regions exhibit substantially the same visible colour under first viewing conditions as hereinbefore defined and different visible colours under second viewing conditions, the second viewing conditions comprising a combination of
a) visible light and
b) light of substantially any UV wavelength.
In accordance with a second aspect of the present invention, a security device comprising two or more regions, each region containing a material or combination of materials wherein the two or more regions exhibit different visible colours under first viewing conditions as hereinbefore defined and substantially the same visible colours under second viewing conditions, the second viewing conditions comprising a combination of
a) visible light and
b) light of substantially any UV wavelength.
In accordance with a third aspect a method of providing a security device, the method comprising printing materials on to two or more regions of a substrate, each region containing a material or combination of materials wherein the two or more regions exhibit substantially the same visible colour under first viewing conditions as hereinbefore defined and different visible colours under second viewing conditions, the second viewing conditions comprising a combination of
a) visible light and
b) light of substantially any UV wavelength.
In accordance with a fourth aspect of the present invention, a method of providing a security device, the method comprising printing materials on to two or more regions of a substrate, each region containing a material or combination of materials wherein the two or more regions exhibit different visible colours under first viewing conditions as hereinbefore defined and substantially the same visible colour under second viewing conditions, the second viewing conditions comprising a combination of
a) visible light and
b) light of substantially any UV wavelength.
In accordance with a fifth aspect of the present invention, a security device comprising two or more regions, each region containing a material or combination of materials wherein the two or more regions exhibit substantially the same visible colour under first viewing conditions as hereinbefore defined and different visible colours under second viewing conditions, the second viewing conditions comprising a combination of
a) visible light and
b) infra-red radiation.
In accordance with a sixth aspect of the present invention, a security device comprising two or more regions, each region containing a material or combination of materials wherein the two or more regions exhibit different visible colours under first viewing conditions as hereinbefore defined and substantially the same visible colour under second viewing conditions, the second viewing conditions comprising a combination of
a) visible light and
b) infra-red radiation.
In accordance with a seventh aspect of the present invention, a method of providing a security device, the method comprising printing materials on to two or more regions of a substrate, each region containing a material or combination of materials wherein the two or more regions exhibit substantially the same visible colour under first viewing conditions as hereinbefore defined and different visible colours under second viewing conditions, the second viewing conditions comprising a combination of
a) visible light and
b) infra-red radiation.
In accordance with an eighth aspect of the present invention, a method of providing a security device, the method comprising printing materials on to two or more regions of a substrate, each region containing a material or combination of materials wherein the two or more regions exhibit different visible colours under first viewing conditions as hereinbefore defined and substantially the same visible colour under second viewing conditions, the second viewing conditions comprising a combination of
a) visible light and
b) infra-red radiation.
In this specification, the term “first viewing conditions” means viewing under visible light. Visible light is preferably but not essentially white light which typically includes any of at least north sky light, general indoor light, tungsten light, fluorescent tube light or tri-band fluorescent tube light.
In this specification, the term “region” typically means a region of solid colour or a region made out of elements which are all of the same colour under the appropriate viewing conditions. However, one or more of the regions could be defined by elements such as lines or dots of more than one colour with colour matching under the appropriate viewing conditions being achieved between certain elements of one region and certain elements (or the solid colour) of another region. This will depend upon the extent to which the element within the region can be discerned as presenting a particular colour and in some cases, the region may present an overall solid colour made up of a combination of elements and a background.
By the “same visible colour” we mean that the two regions have the same colour (either as a solid colour or with elements of a particular colour as outlined above) when viewed under the appropriate viewing conditions and with the naked eye.
With this invention, we have developed a new type of security device in which the security property cannot be readily detected because of the need to use invisible UV and/or IR irradiation in connection with one of the viewing conditions but in which the regions exhibit visible colours under both viewing conditions, i.e. colours which are visible to the naked eye. Importantly, in the case of UV, any UV wavelength can be used thus avoiding the problems of the prior art when a narrow band exciting radiation was required.
In this specification, “substantially any UV wavelength” refers to wavelengths between at least 235-380 nm, preferably 200-400 nm. In the case of IR, we envisage wavelengths in the range 750 nm-1 mm.
It should be understood that when viewing under UV or IR, there will be visible light present so that colours visible under visible light also contribute to the overall appearance of each region. Also, in use, only a small is range of UV or IR wavelengths will be used even though, in the case of the UV based materials the region responds to all UV wavelengths.
In some cases, one of the regions will contain a material or materials which exhibit the same visible colour under both sets of viewing conditions. In other, more sophisticated examples, each region will contain a material or materials which exhibit different colours under the different viewing conditions. A particular advantage of the present invention is that it is difficult to determine combinations of materials which provide the required responses since under both sets of illuminating conditions, both the materials within a region will typically influence the resulting colour. Materials envisaged include pigments which are visible, luminescent, thermochromic and/or photochromic.
Typically, the two or more regions are provided on the same side of a substrate such as paper or plastics and are viewed in reflection. However, in a further embodiment of the invention, the regions can be viewed in transmission if the UV or IR source is placed behind the substrate with respect to the observer. If some other complementary visible regions are provided on the front of the substrate with respect to the viewer, both sets of regions will be viewed simultaneously in transmission and reflection respectively. The substrate can be transparent or translucent.
The regions may be spaced apart in different parts of a document, although preferably by no more than 5 mm, or they may abut or even partially overlap.
This leads to a number of further benefits over the existing prior art. There is an increasing-tendency to reduce the size of banknotes and other security documents. This problem has been most notable for security labels and revenue stamps where space for security features is extremely limited. As such, having a feature that requires both an invisible print and visible print to be printed in separate areas is not desirable. The preferred embodiments of the invention in which the regions at least abut overcomes this problem by combining both the visible and invisible elements into a single feature.
An additional benefit was found by using two rainbow printed inks which appear differently coloured in visible light. Sometimes it can be difficult to achieve a perfect colour match between two or more inks. By having an overlap region between the inks the slight difference in visual appearance is reduced to the point where the two inks appear colour matched. Such an effect can also be achieved by suitable use of half-tone or stochastic screens and indeed may employ multiple print processes.
A similar benefit is achieved by rainbow printing inks which appear differently coloured under the second viewing conditions.
The regions may be provided by offset lithography or any other known printing technique such as letterpress, intaglio, screen, digital printing, inkjet etc. Preferably, the regions are printed in a single pass although they could be printed in more than one pass or by a combination of two (or more) processes.
In one example, it has been found that both regions of solid print and/or regions of line work achieve the desired effect when produced in an interlocking type design.
In the current invention it is important to control the mixture of inks/pigments to achieve a correct balance between the desired colour in the visible spectrum and the correct colour under combined visible and invisible illumination.
In some examples, a photochromic material may be used in combination with luminescent materials. A first ink would contain only a fluorescent component whereas a second ink would contain both fluorescent and photochromic components. Here two colours would appear in visible illumination and this would remain the case under combined visible and UV illumination for a short period. As the photochromic material begins to react to the UV light in the second ink the background colour of the second ink changes and alters the fluorescent colour to the point where the two fluorescent colours appear matched.
A similar effect could be achieved using ink containing photochromic and thermochromic components. Here the two inks would appear different colours under UV illumination until the thermochromic ink is activated with heat. Once the thermochromic is activated the two colours would appear matched. Both the thermochromic and the photochromic could be reversible or irreversible. This idea could be taken further by adding photochromic and/or thermochromic components to both inks in combination with the fluorescent pigments. This would allow a wide variety of effects to created where different inks can be cycled through a number of colours before finally being coloured matched.
In some examples, the ink(s) may include a thermochromic component and no UV responsive component.
A number of options are possible when using photochromic and/or thermochromic material. Examples include:
A device having at least two regions where the first region is printed without any additional functional material. The second region is printed with a second ink containing either a photochromic or thermochromic pigment. The colour of the second region is the same as the first region under visible light illumination but different in the presence of visiabl light illumination combined with prolonged UV illumination for the photochromic or IR illumination for a thermochromic. A device having first and second regions printed with inks containing different photochromic materials. The ink is prepared such that the two regions appear the same colour under visible light illumination but different colours in the combined presence of visible light illumination and prolonged UV illumination. It is also possible to produce the reverse effect with the two regions containing photochromic materials to appear different colours under visible light illumination but the same colour in the combined presence of visible light illumination and prolonged UV illumination. A device having first and second regions both of which are printed with ink containing luminescent materials. Furthermore, one or both regions also contain a photochromic or thermochromic material. Both regions may contain the same material or different materials. Such a combination would allow for a wide range of viewing conditions. Both regions include a luminescent material while one or both of the regions also include a photochromic material (of different types if both regions).
Where photochromic and/or thermochromic materials are not used then a luminescent material (phosphorescent or fluorescent) can be provided in one region or at least two different luminescent materials can be provided in the at least two regions.
In all cases, the choice of materials must be made such that the resultant colours satisfy the above stated requirements of one of the inventive concepts.
The regions may comprise simple geometrical shapes such as squares, rectangles and the like but preferably consists of one or more of graphical patterns, indicia such as alphanumerics, security patterns and images. This reduces the area required for the device since it can be included within the overall pattern of a substrate on which it is provided. The regions may be solid or discontinuous, for example made up of dots, lines etc.
One method of attempting to replicate one embodiment of the feature would be to print background print in non-luminescent inks and then overprint with a single coloured luminescent print. This would not work as the visible pigments would interfere with the colour replay of luminescent pigments and give the effect of two different colours. Similarly an attempt to replicate an embodiment by printing a background in luminescent inks and overprint with a non-luminescent ink would not work.
Security devices according to the invention can be used in a wide variety of applications but are particularly suitable on security documents and documents of value as mentioned above.
The security devices could be provided directly on documents or in the form of transferable labels.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Examples of security devices according to the present invention will now be described in more detail by reference to the following Figures.
FIG. 1 illustrates a first embodiment of the invention when viewed in visible light;
FIG. 2 illustrates a first embodiment of the invention when viewed in a combination of visible light and non-visible illumination;
FIG. 3 illustrates a second embodiment of the invention when viewed in visible light;
FIG. 4 illustrates a second embodiment of the invention when viewed in a combination of visible light and non-visible illumination;
FIG. 5 illustrates a third embodiment of the invention when viewed in visible light;
FIG. 6 illustrates a third embodiment of the invention when viewed in a combination of visible light and non-visible illumination;
FIG. 7 illustrates a fourth embodiment of the invention when viewed in visible light;
FIG. 8 illustrates a fourth embodiment of the invention when viewed in a combination of visible light and non-visible illumination;
FIG. 9 illustrates a fifth embodiment of the invention when viewed in visible light illumination;
FIG. 10 illustrates a fifth embodiment of the invention when viewed initially in a combination of visible light and invisible illumination;
FIG. 11 illustrates a fifth embodiment of the invention when viewed after prolonged visible light and invisible illumination;
FIGS. 12A and 12B illustrate a sixth embodiment of the invention when viewed in visible light and combined visible light and invisible illumination respectively; and,
FIGS. 13A and 13B are views similar to FIGS. 12A and 12B but of a seventh embodiment.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
FIGS. 1 and 2 illustrate a first embodiment of the current invention. FIG. 1 shows the device illuminated under normal visible, typically white, light conditions. Under visible light the observer can clearly see two differently coloured regions (purple 1 and red 2 ) overlapping in a central region 3 . It should be appreciated that in the region 3 where the two colours overlap a third colour may be present due to colour mixing of the first two colours. The first colour 1 comprises one or more visible pigments in combination with at least one luminescent pigment. Likewise the second colour 2 comprises one or more visible pigments and at least one luminescent pigment. In the central region 3 the two inks overlap. Within security print this is usually achieved by a process known as rainbowing. It should however be appreciated that the overlap could also be achieved using multiple printing plates, process, printing screens or any other method known to those skilled in the art. Of course, any known printing method can be used.
When the above print is then viewed under a combination of visible light and invisible, UV, radiation only a single colour, e.g. yellow, is visible to the human eye 4 . In order to achieve this a number of factors must be taken into account. For example visible pigments affect the emission colour of the luminescent pigment in invisible radiation and the pigment body colour of the luminescent pigments may affect the colour of the visible pigments under visible light. As a result care must be taken when preparing the inks to ensure the desired effect can be achieved.
Similar care must be taken when implementing the second embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 4 . Here a single colour, brown, is viewable in visible light 5 and when this is then viewed under combined visible light and invisible, UV radiation two coloured regions, red and green, 6 , 8 become visible. This effect is achieved in a similar manner to the first embodiment with two inks being printed in a manner such that they overlap in at least one portion 7 .
FIGS. 5 and 6 show a further enhancement to the invention and illustrate how it might be utilised on a document to great effect. Here the two inks 9 , 10 are printed in such a manner so that where they overlap a visual device is created. In this example the device is a company logo but any form of indicia, logo, identifying information, numerical data or text could be used, this is simply a matter of design choice. As can clearly be seen from FIG. 5 the first ink 9 defines the left half of the logo whilst the second ink 10 defines the right half of the logo. Under visible light the device appears as two colours (red and yellow) overlapping in a central region ( FIG. 5 ). When the device is illuminated under combined visible light and invisible, UV radiation the device appears as single colour (red) 11 . This colour may be the same as one of the first two colours but is preferably different. The device offers a very strong visual confirmation as to the validity of the document.
These embodiments make it easy for the viewer by locating both the invisible and visible information in the same place.
FIGS. 7 and 8 illustrate a further embodiment again making use of a company logo. Here a single visible colour or tone (red) 12 under visible light becomes two colours (red, green) 13 , 14 when illuminated using combined visible and invisible, UV radiation.
FIGS. 9 , 10 and 11 illustrate an alternative embodiment combining both luminescent materials and another colour effect material such as a material showing photochromism or thermochromism. Considering first the combination of luminescent materials with a UV excitable photochromic material, FIG. 9 shows the device illuminated under visible light only where two colours (green and yellow) 15 , 16 , are visible. FIG. 10 shows the same device after initial illumination under combined visible light and UV radiation where the viewer will still see two colours (orange and yellow) 17 , 18 though these will preferably be different to those viewed in visible light. Finally, FIG. 11 shows the device after prolonged exposure to combined visible light and UV light where now only a single colour (orange) can be seen 19 . The effect is achieved by combining a photochromic pigment with the luminescent pigment and visible pigment in one of the inks. In this example a first ink 15 contains both visible pigments and luminescent pigments as described previously. The second ink 16 however contains visible pigments, luminescent pigments and photochromic pigments. In this example the photochromic pigment changes from invisible to visible after several seconds of exposure to combined visible and UV light. When exposed to visible light only neither the luminescent pigments nor the photochromic pigment is activated and the viewer only visualises the visible pigments. After initial exposure to combined visible and UV light the viewer will see the colour resulting from the luminescent pigments. This colour is altered to an extent by the background colour as before. After prolonged exposure to visible and UV light the photochromic pigment reacts and changes colour. This causes a change in the background colour which has an effect on the appearance of the luminescent colour. If this is carefully controlled the change in background colour can be such as to make the luminescent colour match that of the first ink.
A similar effect can be created by substituting the photochromic with a thermochromic. Here the second colour change is effected by heating the document. The heat may come from an external source of IR radiation or by the viewers hand, breath etc. In this case, UV irradiation is also continued.
FIGS. 12A and 12B illustrate a sixth embodiment in which there is a circular background region 30 having a number of circular unprinted regions 31 within it. Within each unprinted region 31 is provided a respective second region 32 with a smaller diameter than the region 31 so that there is an unprinted ring 33 defined between the regions 30 , 32 . Typical outer dimensions of the device shown in FIG. 12A is 20 mm. The unprinted regions 31 in the form of rings may have a radial dimension of about 0.5 mm.
Although the regions 31 are unprinted in this example, they may be filled in with a further print working or as a further alternative the device may be printed onto a background visible within the regions 31 .
Under visible light, the printed regions 30 , 32 have the same visible appearance. Under combined visible light and UV irradiation ( FIG. 12B ) the region 30 luminesces in a different visible colour to the visible colour with which the regions 32 luminesce.
FIGS. 13A-13B illustrate an alternative approach to that of FIG. 12 . Thus, in this case, the regions 30 , 32 present different colours when illuminated with visible light ( FIG. 13A ) but, when irradiated with a combination of visible light and UV illumination, they each luminesce such that the resultant colours from each region are substantially the same.
In all the previous examples, a luminescent material has been included in at least one of the regions. It would be possible instead to use only a photochromic or only a thermochromic material with no luminescent material.
Some examples of suitable ink formulae for use in these embodiments are described below although some adjustments may be necessary as will be readily understood by a person skilled in the art to achieve an acceptable colour match:
Purple ink luminescing yellow
Sandorin Violet BL (ex Clariant)
0.78%
Permanent Carmine FBB02 (ex Clariant)
2.58%
Scanning Compound 6 (ex Angstrom Technologies)
30%
Lumilux Red CD740 (ex Honeywell)
2.5%
Lithographic printing ink vehicle
62.5%
Antioxidant
1%
Cobalt Driers
0.64%
Red ink luminescing yellow
Sandorin Scarlet 4RF (ex Clariant)
4.32%
Novoperm Red F5RK (ex Hoechst)
0.15%
Scanning Compound 6 (ex Angstrom Technologies)
15%
Scanning Compound 4 (ex Angstrom Technologies)
2.5%
Lithographic printing ink vehicle
76.5%
Antioxidant
1%
Cobalt Driers
0.6%
Brown ink luminescing red
Graphtol Yellow RGS (ex Clariant)
6.1%
Graphtol Orange P2R (ex Clariant)
1.3%
Permanent Carmine FBB02 (ex Clariant)
3.4%
Paliogen Black L0084 (ex BASF)
4.9%
Lumilux Red CD740 (ex Honeywell)
25%
Lithographic printing ink vehicle
39%
Antioxidant
1%
Cobalt Driers
0.7%
Brown ink luminescing green
Graphtol Yellow RGS (ex Clariant)
6.1%
Graphtol Orange P2R (ex Clariant)
1.3%
Permanent Carmine FBB02 (ex Clariant)
3.4%
Paliogen Black L0084 (ex BASF)
4.9%
Scanning Compound 4 (ex Angstrom Technologies)
25%
Lithographic printing ink vehicle
39%
Antioxidant
1%
Cobalt Driers
0.7%
An example of a photochromic ink is set out below.
Blue Photochromic Ink
Photochromic pigment prepared by thermosetting the acrylate
20%
polymer in the presence of photochromic dye
(Photosol 33672, PPG Industries)
Phenolic modified resin
23.5%
Drying oil
30.5%
Alkyd resin
15.6%
High boiling point aliphatic hydrocarbon
3.4%
Wax
5%
Driers
1%
Anti-oxidant
1%
The following formulae provide inks which are purple and red under visible light while the red ink turns purple when exposed to combined visible and UV light, the “purple” ink being unchanged in appearance under combined visible and UV light. The purple colours will then match.
Purple Ink Formula
Sandorin Violet BL (ex Clariant)
0.78%
Permanent Carmine FBB02 (ex Clariant)
2.58%
Lithographic printing ink vehicle
95%
Antioxidant
1%
Cobalt driers
0.64%
Red Ink Formula
Sandorin Scarlet 4RF (ex Clariant)
4.32%
Novoperm Red F5RK (ex Hoechst)
0.15%
Blue photochromic ink described above
30%
Lithographic printing ink vehicle
63.93%
Antioxidant
1%
Cobalt driers
0.6%
The following ink formulae will allow an ink which is red under visible light to turn purple when exposed to visible and UV light and match another ink which is purple under visible light and unchanged under visible and UV light. Initially, the fluorescent colours will not match. As the photochromic material changes colour, the fluorescent emission colours will match. When the UV light is removed, the visible colours will match for a period until the photochromic materials start to change back.
Purple Ink Formula
Sandorin Violet BL (ex Clariant)
0.78%
Permanent Carmine FBB02 (ex Clariant)
2.58%
Scanning compound 6 (ex Angstrom Technologies)
30%
Lumilux Red CD740 (ex Honeywell)
2.5%
Lithographic printing ink vehicle
62.5%
Antioxidant
1%
Cobalt driers
0.64%
Red Ink Formula
Sandorin Scarlet 4RF (ex Clariant)
4.32%
Novoperm Red F5RK (ex Hoechst)
0.15%
Scanning compound 6 (ex Angstrom Technologies)
30%
Lumilux Red CD740 (ex Honeywell)
2.5%
Photochromic ink described previously
30%
Lithographic printing ink vehicle
31.5%
Antioxidant
1%
Cobalt driers
0.6%
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A security device comprises two or more regions ( 1, 2 ). Each region ( 1, 2 ) contains a material or combination of materials wherein the two or more regions exhibit substantially the same visible appearance under first viewing conditions and different visible appearances under second viewing conditions, the second viewing conditions. The second viewing conditions comprise a combination of a) visible light and b) substantially any UV wavelength.
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FIELD OF THE INVENTION
My invention relates to the generation of heat energy. More specifically, my invention relates to a process of producing and capturing heat energy at very high temperatures using a chemical reaction of inexpensive and readily available reagents in the presence of steam.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
“Heat” is a well known form of energy that is used every day to provide power throughout the world. Heat energy is obtained in many ways. Two of those include the “heat of solution” and “the heat of reaction,” both of which are well known phenomenon that generate heat energy. The “heat of solution” is defined as the amount of energy (heat) given off (or absorbed) in the formation of a solution when a solute is dissolved in a solvent. Similarly, the “heat of reaction” is the amount of heat given off (or absorbed) during the formation of a given molecule during a chemical reaction. When heat is “given off” we say the heat of reaction and/or heat of solution is exothermic. This exothermic heat release is the basis of my invention. Using the heats of solution and reaction that occur when simple acids and bases are diluted in a solvent (such as steam) and then combined I have created a process that generates large and inexpensive quantities of recoverable energy. This energy can then be used as a substitute for conventional fossil fuel and/or nuclear based power generating facilities. In fact, my process will produce heat at $0.04 per barrel compared to an equivalent heat production based crude oil selling at $35–$50 per barrel.
Although the reaction of acids and bases is well known and has been employed for many years in the production of fertilizers, such as ammonium salts (see U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,988,701; 4,370,304; and 6,117,406), I have found no references where controlling the heats of solution and/or reaction is employed as a means of generating recoverable heat energy.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
My invention is directed to a process for producing recoverable heat energy from mixing at least one acid with steam in a reactor to generate a heat of solution and then adding at least one base to the acid stream mixture to generate a heat of reaction. The total heat produced is a combination of the heats of solution and reaction. In addition, a byproduct is formed in my process by the reaction of the acid and base. This byproduct can be used as a fertilizer. The steam is introduced into the reactor at 100° C. or higher alone, before introducing the acid. My process also works if the base is added to the steam first followed by acid addition.
My invention also relates to a combination of the above described process with the generation of steam and power in what is currently referred to as a “steam cycle.” A steam cycle is a process that uses steam in a turbine to generate a work output. This combination of heat capture and a steam cycle can produce electrical power and thus eliminate the need for coal and natural gas fired boilers and nuclear reactors, which are typically the processes currently used to generate steam.
The key to my invention lies in controlling the input temperature during the mixing of the acid or base with steam and during the chemical reaction. Because acid and bases can be characterized as proton donors and proton acceptors, the very rapid movement of these protons becomes the source of the heat generated. In other words, as the input temperature increases the point velocities of the protons increase, which increases the frequency of point collisions, thus resulting in point temperatures that far exceed the overall reaction temperature of the mixture. In typical acid-base reactions it is highly desirable to maintain the overall temperature at room temperature or some slight elevated temperature to avoid a runaway reaction, which leads to a runaway temperature that causes equipment melting or worse, an explosion. As the input temperature of reactants is increased to a critical point, additional energy from the reaction is released at an exponential rate. The relationship is shown in FIG. 2 as a graph of heat energy released versus inlet temperature of steam. My invention uses this exponential relationship, in a controlled manner, to provide heat necessary to vaporize water to generate steam, which can then be used to provide useful work such as to drive a turbine to produce electricity. Cooling water is used indirectly, such as in a heat exchanger device, to control the reaction temperature, to remove the energy produced by my process and to provide the water that is converted into steam that eventually drives a turbine or other mechanical device.
Controlling the input temperature in my process involves introducing into a reactor a quantity of steam at 100° C. or higher before the acid or base is introduced into the reactor. Any acid that is a proton donor will work in my process, however, preferred acids include sulfuric, nitric, and phosphoric acids. Likewise, any base can be used, however, preferred bases included ammonia, water or other polar bases. The use of steam not only is instrumental in controlling the temperature of the process, but also provides the ignition temperature that starts and modulates the reaction. In a preferred embodiment the steam is added at a temperature of less than or equal to 1200° C. more preferably less than or equal to 350° C. The acid can be added to the process at ambient temperature and when mixed with the steam will produce a solution having a first measurable temperature higher than the steam input temperature due to the exothermic release of energy caused by the heat of solution. The base is then added to the resultant mixture of the acid and steam. The reaction process occurs over a wide pressure range, but is highly desirable at atmospheric pressure to avoid a rupture of the softened reactor shell that occurs as the higher temperatures reduce the tensile strength. Steam fills the reactor tube and acid is injected into the steam. A base is injected into the acid-steam-mixture to reduce the corrosive action.
The base is added to the reactor at or below ambient temperature, preferably at −29° C. or higher. The base is added in proximity of the acid-steam mixture. The reactor is fairly compact, but size-dependent on the attached surface area that forms the heat-exchange surface. The acid is injected into the steam vapor cloud allowing a rapid atomization of the acid and consequent reaction, the mechanism of which is undetermined. The heat producing reaction is dependent upon the input temperatures of the steam, acid and base. As the input temperatures are increased independently, heat released increases exponentially to a point where the quantity of the input streams is required to be greatly reduced. The maximum heat released is limited by the size of the heat exchanger surface. Consequently, a constant release of heat is created by reducing the quantity of input streams inversely to the temperature of the input streams. This is an exponential increase in the amount of heat released, by definition. When the base mixes with the steam/acid mixture, a chemical reaction begins and proton transfer occurs causing a dramatic rise in a second measurable temperature due to the exothermic energy release caused by the heat of reaction. Although the temperature rise of this second measurable temperature is exponential, it can be controlled to optimize the total heat production from the reactor. Temperature control can be accomplished by controlling the steam input temperature, the acid input temperature, and the base input temperature, and by decreasing the quantity of the three input streams as the input temperature of the three streams increases. The stoichiometric ratio is maintained for convenience in obtaining a useful byproduct.
As mentioned, the total heat production (the sum of the heats of solution and reaction) is recovered using a heat exchange medium, such as cooling water, that exchanges heat with the steam/acid/base reaction mixture. Any type of heat exchange configuration can be used to recover the total heat production. Preferably a fire-tube boiler or finned tube exchanger arrangement is used to remove the heat generated in the reactor. The use of cooling water is preferred because the transferred total heat production will cause the water to vaporize forming steam that can then be used in other mechanical equipment to generate energy, such as in a turbine to produce electricity. A properly designed air cooled heat exchanger may be utilized as a source of heat recovery, allowing direct replacement of gas fired power burners in conventional boilers. The heated air from the heat exchanger at 1200 F. to 1800 F. would be a suitable replacement for natural gas combustion found in many conventional hot water and steam boilers used in industry and real estate as the primary source of heat. Extremely low cost steam production would be beneficially applied in desalinization plants.
A side benefit of my process is that a useful byproduct is formed by the reaction of the acid and base. For example, if sulfuric acid and ammonia are used, then ammonium sulfate is produced, which is a commercially acceptable fertilizer. Further processing of the reaction mixture of my invention may be necessary to recover a marketable fertilizer product, however, those skilled in the art are well aware of such further refining processes.
Although I have described my process where the acid is added to the steam before the base, the process can also be operated where the base is added to the steam first, followed by the addition of acid, recognizing that water is a weak polar base and ammonia is a strong polar base. This may offer an advantage because starting with the stronger base may minimize the corrosive effect that the acid would have if it was introduced first. No significant changes in the process are needed by reversing the order of addition of the acid and base.
The invention may take form in various parts and arrangement of parts. The drawings are only for purposes of illustrating preferred embodiments and are not to be construed as limiting the invention.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 shows a schematic representation of one possible process flow scheme my invention.
FIG. 2 is a graphical presentation of the increased energy output generated by my invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
Referring now to the drawings, and specifically to FIG. 1 , one embodiment of my invention is shown schematically. In describing this flow scheme and that shown in FIG. 1 it will be assumed that the acid is added first followed by the base, but as described above the order of addition is not critical to my invention. Using a variable speed pump 2 P and an inline heater 2 H, steam is fed to reactor 1 at a temperature of 100° C. or above via line 2 . Using a variable speed pump 4 P, at least one acid is added to reactor 1 via line 4 where it combines and mixes with the steam in mixing zone 6 . The input temperature of the acid is controlled by the inline heater 4 H. Mixing can be accomplished by any means known to the art, with a static mixer being preferred. Thermocouple 30 is positioned at the outlet of mixing zone 6 to measure the solution temperature as a result of the release of energy due to the heat of solution. Using a variable speed pump 5 H, at least one base is added via line 5 and mixed with the acid/steam mixture exiting mixing zone 6 . The input temperature of the base is controlled by the inline heater 5 H. Mixing of the base with the acid/steam mixture occurs in mixing zone 7 . Again, any mixing technology can be used that is known to those skilled in the art. Upon introduction of the base to the acid/steam mixture, energy is rapidly released as a result of the heat of reaction that results from the chemical reaction of the acid and base. This energy release results in a rapid rise in solution temperature in reaction zone 8 and is measured by thermocouple 31 . Removal of the total heat production, which is a combination of the heats of solution and reaction, is accomplished by a heat exchanger 16 with a cooling medium flowing in line 13 . Preferably the cooling medium is water. The amount of energy generated in reactor 1 is sufficient to vaporize the water in line 13 to produce steam that is removed in line 14 . The steam in line 14 can be used in a variety of other downstream processes and/or equipment to perform useful work or to produce other forms of energy such as electricity.
Once the energy is removed by the cooling medium in line 13 the cooled reaction mixture is removed from the reactor via line 9 as liquid and vapor to further reclaim the heat energy in de-superheaters, condensers or waste-heat boilers (not shown), as one who knows the art will understand. Line 9 will contain a commercially useful byproduct and water. Optionally, further processing of the reaction solution can be performed to recover the byproduct. One option is to use a settling device 10 to collect a byproduct concentrate stream which is removed via line 11 . The remaining liquid reaction solution is re-circulated via line 12 and can be used to generate additional preheat feed steam by heat exchanging in exchanger 15 with all or a portion of the steam removed from reactor 1 via line 14 .
Without need for a schematic, a conventional closed loop steam system would be used as an embodiment of my invention where the steam in line 14 is used to drive a turbine to produce work output. Spent steam is removed from the turbine and used to heat exchange recycled reaction solution in line 12 and to generate more steam at the steam heater 2 H in line 2 .
Referring to FIG. 1 , the heat exchanger 16 may use a cooling medium 13 such as air to produce heated air 14 at similar temperatures to products of combustion from natural gas. The heated air 14 would be a direct replacement for the gas-fired products of combustion that are used to produce hot water and steam in large conventional boilers, as one who knows the art will understand. Using my claims for heating process and work cycle in this application, the reactor 1 and heat exchanger 16 would be sized to fit in many existing gas-fired or coal-fired boilers which provide heating for commercial, institutional buildings and larger central heating plants for building campuses, as one who knows the art will understand. The extremely low cost of operation using acids and bases for heating in place of natural gas or coal, would represent a 95% to 99% reduction in fuel costs.
Referring to FIG. 1 , the heat exchanger 16 may use a cooling medium 13 such as liquid sodium to produce a heated heat-transfer fluid 14 at similar temperatures to fluid heat-transfer products used in nuclear power generating plants. Using my claims for heating process and work cycle in this application, the reactor 1 and heat exchanger 16 would be sized to fit in many existing large nuclear boilers which produce large amounts of high pressure steam to produce work in driving large turbines to produce electrical energy, as one who knows the art will understand. The extremely low cost of operation using acids and bases for heating in place of nuclear power, would represent a 99% reduction in fuel costs.
EXAMPLE
FIG. 2 is a graphical presentation of the increased energy output generated by an experimental procedure with a crude apparatus. The method for generating the increased release of heat energy is the same as described in my claims. The apparatus consisted of a modular fire-tube pipe reactor with a split external jacket surrounding the fire-tube-reactor for preheating the ammonia, acid and water. The acid was introduced at one end and mixed with water to produce the initial heat release to warm the external jacket around the reactor. As the flow of water and acid was controlled for heat release to the jacket, the water, acid and ammonia were heated and measured at the input point to the fire tube. A direct flow of cooling water was introduced to the fire tube at a point downstream of the reactor core. The process is similar to steam-sparging for heating water.
It should be understood that the embodiments and examples disclosed herein are presented for illustrative purposes only and that many other combinations and articles that embody the methods, formulations and systems will be suggested to persons skilled in the art and, therefore, the invention is to be given its broadest interpretation within the terms of the following claims:
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Energy in the form of heat is recoverable and controllable in a process that reacts an acid and a base in the presence of steam. The recovered heat energy can be used to vaporize water to form steam which when used in conjunction with a turbine will produce electricity.
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CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
The present application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/069,426, which was filed on Mar. 1, 2005, now U.S. Pat. No. 7,201,268, issued Apr. 10, 2007, which is a division of U.S. application Ser. No. 10/742,722, filed Dec. 19, 2003, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,976,589, issued Dec. 20, 2005, which claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/444,178, filed Feb. 3, 2003.
TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention relates generally to sorting articles, and more particularly, to an apparatus for sorting disk-shaped articles.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Sorting devices of this general type exist in many different embodiments and may be used for sorting disks of widely different kinds. A common field of application is coin sorting. In this field of application, the disks are constituted by coins and their identities are represented by their denomination and may be separated by dimension, weight, electrical properties, radio-frequency identification (RFID) or any other characteristic of the coins by which they differ from the others. There are also fields of application other than coin sorting such as sorting tokens, labeling disks, electrical and optical filter disks, coil cores, and so on.
Still another field of application is the sorting of gaming chips and the like, and the invention will be illustrated by the description of the embodiment which is particularly adapted for the sorting of gaming chips. However, the applicability of the invention is not limited to the sorting of gaming chips, but also embraces sorting of other disks or disk-like articles.
Another apparatus for sorting and/or handling of disk-like members was invented in 1979, see U.S. Pat. No. 4,157,139 assigned to Bertil Knutsson. This device is called the “Chipper Champ.” The device described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,157,139, however, uses a conveyor belt to separate and distribute the articles. The apparatus is rather complex as it uses a lot of mechanical parts to separate, transport and stack the disk-like articles. In addition, after having identified the unique characteristics of the any one of the articles, the apparatus is only capable of stacking one article at any one given time. Furthermore, the device is very large and, when using the apparatus for sorting gaming chips, the device interferes with the operator as it not only reduces the available working space of the apron on a roulette table, it also impedes the movement of the dealer on the floor.
After separation, the gaming chips are stacked into a rack in which ten columns are placed in a horizontal plane at 45 degrees, one next to the other. With this device, the dealer is only able to stand to one side of the device, and not directly behind it, as the distance to the roulette table is too far to reach. This necessitates, on occasion, the dealer having to extend his arm and body laterally to retrieve chips from the farthest columns. This creates an uncomfortable and unnatural working condition.
Due to the internal mechanical design of the Chipper Champ, the device can jam, and break or damage the gaming chips.
Besides the abovementioned apparatus, other devices have been produced specifically for use within the gaming industry. One of these is called the “ChipMaster” from CARD (Casino Austria Research and Development), the “Chameleon” and the “Chipper 2000” (U.S. Pat. No. 6,075,217). The ChipMaster is only used by CARD and is a mechanically very complex device. Its operation is unique in that it pushes the gaming chips through the table but this requires substantial modification to the gaming table for it to be fitted. In addition, the device is substantial in size and is specifically designed for a roulette table. The Chameleon has been withdrawn from the market due to operational flaws and the Chipper 2000 is an exact copy of the Chipper Champ mentioned above.
The present invention is aimed at one or more of the problems identified above.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In one aspect of the present invention, an apparatus for receiving and sorting disks having a parameter is provided. The parameter of each disk has one of a plurality of values. The apparatus includes a frame, a wheel, a motor, a disk sensor, a collecting device, and an ejector. The wheel has at least one hole forming a well for receiving a disk. The motor is coupled to the frame and the wheel for controllably rotating the wheel about an axis. The disk sensor is coupled to the frame and positioned relative to the well. The sensor senses the value of the parameter of the disk and responsively generates a parameter value signal as a function of the value. The collecting device is coupled to the frame and positioned relative to the wheel. The collecting device has at least first and second collectors for receiving disks. The ejector is coupled to the frame and positioned relative to the well. The ejector ejects the disk from the well in response to receiving an eject signal. The apparatus further includes a controller coupled to the disk sensor and the ejector. The controller receives the parameter value signal and responsively sends an eject signal to the ejector to eject the disk from the well into the first collector when the parameter value signal has a first value and sends an eject signal to the ejector to eject the disk from the well into the second collector when the parameter value signal has a second value.
In another aspect of the present invention, an apparatus for receiving and sorting disks having a parameter is provided. The parameter of each disk has one of a plurality of values. The apparatus includes a frame, a wheel, a motor, a disk sensor, a collecting device, and a plurality of ejectors. The wheel has a plurality of holes forming a plurality of wells. Each well receives a disk and is rotatably coupled to the frame. The motor is coupled to the frame and the wheel and controllably rotates the wheel about an axis. The disk sensor is coupled to the frame and positioned relative to the well. The sensor senses the value of the parameter of the disk and responsively generates a parameter value signal. The collecting device is coupled to the frame and positioned relative to the wheel. The collecting device has a plurality of collectors for receiving disks. Each collector is associated with one of the values of the parameter. The plurality of ejectors are coupled to the frame and positioned relative to the plurality of wells. Each ejector ejects a disk from the well in response to receiving an eject signal. A controller is coupled to the disk sensor and the plurality of ejectors. The controller receives the parameter value signal and responsively sends an eject signal to at least one of the ejectors to eject the disk from at least one of the wells into a respective collector as a function of the parameter value signal.
In still another aspect of the present invention, a collecting device assembly for use with an apparatus for sorting disks has a first end and a second end and a plurality of collectors. Each collector has first and second ends. The first ends of the collectors are aligned with the first end of the collecting device assembly. The second ends of the collectors are aligned with the second end of the collecting device assembly. The first ends of the collectors are arranged in a semi-circle and have a first radius.
In yet another embodiment of the present invention, a method for receiving and sorting disks having a parameter is provided. The parameter of each disk has one of a plurality of values. The apparatus includes a rotating wheel. The wheel has at least one well for receiving a disk. The wheel receives a first disk in a first well. The method includes the steps of sensing the value of the parameter of the first disk and ejecting the first disk into one of a plurality of collectors when the first well is aligned with the one collector and the value of the parameter of the first disk is equal to a value associated with the one collector.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Other advantages of the present invention will be readily appreciated as the same becomes better understood by reference to the following detailed description when considered in connection with the accompanying drawings wherein:
FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an apparatus for receiving and sorting disks;
FIG. 2 is a first diagrammatic illustration of the apparatus of FIG. 1 , according to an embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 3 is a second diagrammatic illustration of the apparatus of FIG. 1 , according to an embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 4 is a top diagrammatic illustration of the apparatus of FIG. 1 , according to an embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 5 is an exploded view of a portion of the apparatus of FIG. 1 , according to an embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 6 is a diagrammatic illustration of a bottom view of a wheel of the apparatus of FIG. 1 , according to an embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 7 is a diagrammatic illustration of a base plate of the apparatus of FIG. 1 , according to an embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 8 is a diagrammatic illustration of a well of the apparatus of FIG. 1 , according to an embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 9 is a diagrammatic illustration of an ejector of the apparatus of FIG. 1 , according to an embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 10 is a diagrammatic illustration of a side view of the ejector of the apparatus of FIG. 9 , according to an embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 11 is a diagrammatic illustration of a side view of the base plate side of FIG. 7 ;
FIG. 12 is a diagrammatic illustration of an exploded view of a solenoid of the apparatus of FIG. 1 , according to an embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 13 is a diagrammatic illustration of the solenoid of the apparatus of FIG. 12 ;
FIG. 14 is a diagrammatic illustration of a collector of the apparatus of FIG. 1 , according to an embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 15 is a diagrammatic illustration of a guide of the apparatus of FIG. 1 , according to an embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 16 is a diagrammatic illustration of a receptor of the apparatus of FIG. 1 , according to an embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 17 is a diagrammatic illustration of a rack for use with the apparatus of FIG. 1 , according to an embodiment of the present invention; and
FIG. 18 is a second diagrammatic illustration of the rack of FIG. 17 .
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF INVENTION
With reference to FIG. 1 and in operation, the present invention provides an apparatus or sorting device 10 for receiving and sorting disks 12 . The disks 12 have a parameter. The disks 12 may be differentiated by the value of the parameter. For example, the disks 12 may be gaming chips, which typically have different colors representing different monetary values. It should be noted, however, that the present invention is not limited to the parameter being color. Any type of parameter that may be sensed or detected to distinguish and separate disks may be used. For example, the parameter may be, but is not limited to, one of color, an image, bar code (or other discernible pattern), or RFID created by an embedded integrated circuit (IC) chip.
With reference to FIGS. 2 and 3 , the apparatus 10 includes a housing 14 which in the illustrated embodiment, includes a frame 16 having a circular cross-section. The frame 16 may be covered by a flexible protective cover 18 .
Returning to FIG. 1 , the apparatus 10 also includes a wheel 20 and a motor 22 coupled to the frame 16 and the wheel 20 . The wheel 20 includes at least one hole forming a well (see below) for receiving one of the disks 12 . The wheel 20 is rotatably coupled to the frame 16 and is rotated about an axis 24 (see FIG. 2 ) by the motor 22 .
A disk parameter sensor 26 is coupled to the frame 16 and positioned relative to the well. The sensor 26 senses a value of the parameter of the disk 12 in one of the wells and responsively generates a parameter value signal as a function of the value. The sensor 26 is dependent upon the nature of the parameter. For example, in one embodiment, the parameter is color and the sensor 26 is a color sensor. It should be noted, however, the sensor 26 may be a digital image sensor, a bar code reader, or RFID detector, or any other suitable sensor for sensing, detecting or reading the value of the parameter. In the embodiment, discussed below, the sensor 26 is a color sensor, but the present invention is not limited to such.
The apparatus 10 further includes a collecting device 28 coupled to the frame 16 and positioned relative to the wheel 20 . The collecting device 28 includes a collecting device assembly 29 having a first end 29 A and a second end 29 B.
The collecting device 28 includes a plurality of collectors 30 (see FIG. 2 ).
In one embodiment, each collector 30 has first and second ends. The first ends of the plurality of collectors 30 are aligned with the first ends 29 A of the collecting device assembly 29 . The second ends of the plurality of collectors 30 are aligned with the second ends 29 B of the collecting device assembly 29 . The first ends of the plurality of collectors 30 are arranged in a semi-circle having a first radius. In the illustrated embodiment, the collecting device 28 is a rack 32 and the plurality of collectors 30 are column assemblies 34 . The rack 32 is described more fully below.
In another embodiment, the plurality of collectors 30 may be individual bags (not shown) connected to the frame 16 which are positioned relative to the wheel 20 for collecting the disks 12 as the disks 12 are ejected (see below).
At least one ejector 36 is coupled to the frame 16 and positioned relative to the well (see below). The ejector 36 ejects the disk 12 from the well in response to receiving an eject signal.
A controller 38 is coupled to the disk parameter sensor 26 and the ejector 36 . The controller 38 receives the parameter value signal and responsively sends an eject signal to the ejector 36 to eject the disk 12 from the well into the first collector 30 when the parameter value signal has a first value and for sending an eject signal to the ejector 36 to eject the disk 12 from the well into the second collector 30 when the parameter value signal has a second value. The plurality of collectors 30 are spaced apart at a predetermined angle, e.g., 15 degrees.
In another aspect of the present invention, the apparatus 10 may include a position sensor 40 . The position sensor 40 is coupled to the frame 16 and senses the relative position of the wheel 20 as it rotates. The position sensor 40 generates a position signal, which is delivered to the controller 38 (see below). In still another aspect of the present invention, the apparatus 10 may include a motor position sensor 22 A for sensing a position of the motor 22 (see below).
With specific reference to FIGS. 2-16 , an exemplary sorting device 50 for the sorting of gaming chips 52 , according to one embodiment of the present invention is illustrated. The gaming chips 52 are flat disks, which only differ from one another by their color and/or value.
The sorting device 50 is built in such a way that it may be positioned next to the dealer at the gaming table (not shown). This allows the dealer to rake or move the gaming chips 52 into a storage compartment 54 and pick up stacks of sorted chips 52 in batches of twenty or other pre-determined amounts, and place them onto the table before handing them out to the players. The sorting device 50 has a feed 56 into the storage compartment 54 that may also serve as a cover.
A wheel 58 rotates inside the storage compartment 54 . The wheel 58 has a plurality of holes 60 spaced apart. In the illustrated embodiment, the wheel 58 has eighteen holes 60 spaced 20 degrees apart.
Underneath each of the holes 60 in the wheel 58 , a well 62 is attached. The wells 62 immediately absorb or accept the chips 52 dropped from the storage compartment 54 . Each well 62 has an ejector compartment 104 .
The wheel 58 may also include a plurality of studs 64 located adjacent the plurality of holes 60 on the wheel 58 . The plurality of studs 64 on the wheel 58 assist in evenly distributing the chips 52 on the wheel 58 .
In addition, one or more chip reflector plates 66 may be mounted to the edge of the wheel 58 . The straight corners of the chip reflector plate 66 assist in the distribution of the chips 52 and avoid endless “running” of the chips 52 along the edge of the wheel 58 .
With specific reference to FIG. 6 , the bottom of the wheel 58 shows the eighteen attached wells 62 . Each well 62 has an associated ejector lever 68 , which is movable between first and second positions. The first position is shown in FIGS. 6 and 9 is the default position, i.e., pointing towards the center of the wheel 58 .
With specific reference to FIG. 9 , each ejector lever 68 pivots about a pivot point 68 A. The ejector lever 68 is shown in the first or default position. As described below, the ejector lever 68 may be pivoted about the pivot point 68 A in a counter-clockwise direction towards the second position to eject a chip 52 in the associated well 62 .
The wheel 58 has an upper surface 58 A and a bottom surface 58 B. A large sprocket wheel 70 is mounted to the bottom surface 58 B of the wheel 58 . An axle 72 is mounted at the center of the wheel 58 .
With specific reference to FIG. 7 , the apparatus or sorting device 10 may also include a base plate 74 mounted to the frame 16 . The base plate 74 has an aperture 76 . A shaft 78 is disposed within the aperture 76 and has an inner bore 80 .
The axle 72 slides into the inner bore 80 of the shaft 78 at the base plate 74 so that the wheel 58 may rotate. The sprocket wheel 70 is used to drive the wheel 58 forward by a drive gear 82 of a motor 83 , such as a stepper motor, fixed to the base plate 74 .
At various points, metal reference pins 84 (see FIG. 9 ) are placed at the bottom of the wheel 58 to monitor the position of the wells 62 relative to the collecting device 28 (see below), which are placed at fixed positions on the base plate 74 , outside the circumference of the wheel 58 .
In the illustrated embodiment, each well or ejector compartment 62 has an associated metal reference pin 84 mounted thereto as a reference. The metal reference pins 84 are spaced 20 degrees apart since the wells 62 are spaced 20 degrees apart. The metal reference pins 84 are detected by a synchronization sensor 94 such as a hall effect sensor, as the wheel 58 rotates.
In addition, the motor position sensor 22 A may be an encoder mounted adjacent the motor 83 , 22 . In one embodiment, 1-degree reference points are measured directly from the motor position sensor 22 A or encoder. The data collected from these reference points is used to determine when an ejector compartment 104 is aligned with a collector 30 of the collecting device 28 (which is every five degrees) so that, when needed, a chip 52 can be ejected from the well 62 into a collector 30 .
Each well 62 includes a bottom plate 88 . Each bottom plate 88 includes a small slotted cutout 90 . A color sensor 92 is mounted to the base plate 74 and reads the chip 52 when it passes the color sensor 92 .
In the illustrated embodiment, the color sensor 92 and the synchronization sensor 94 is mounted to the bottom surface 58 B of the base plate 74 adjacent an associated aperture 96 , 98 . The motor position sensor 22 A senses each 1-degree of movement of the motor 22 , 83 and generates 1-degree reference point signals.
With reference to FIG. 8 , the shape of the wells 62 is such that the diameter at the top 100 (the part of the well 62 attached to the wheel 58 ), is larger then the diameter at the bottom 102 . This creates a funnel that facilitates the collection of the chips into a stack in the well 62 .
In the illustrated embodiment, the ejector compartment 104 can just hold one chip 52 and is located at the bottom of each well 62 . As discussed below, chips 52 are ejected from the ejector compartment 104 . When chips 52 drop from the storage compartment 54 and onto the wheel 58 , the chips 52 will, after a few turns of the wheel 58 , fill up the wells 62 . Since the wheel 58 rotates constantly, the plurality of studs 64 assist with the distribution of the chips 52 . The first chip 52 that falls into an empty well 62 will land at the bottom part of the well, i.e., the ejector compartment 104 . With reference to FIGS. 6 , 9 , and 10 , each ejector compartment 104 has an associated ejector lever 68 . A spring 106 biases the ejector lever 68 to the default position. A retention clip 108 , second spring 110 , and a rubber stop 112 are arranged to absorb the sound of the returning ejector lever 68 . The retention clip 108 retains the chip 52 from falling out of the ejector compartment 104 as the wheel 58 is rotating.
With specific reference to FIGS. 2-5 and 7 , in the illustrated embodiment the collecting device 28 is a rack 32 which includes a rack assembly 116 . The rack assembly 116 includes a plurality of column assemblies 118 and a rack base portion 120 . In the illustrated embodiment, the rack assembly 116 has nine column assemblies 118 .
In operation, the ejector lever 68 pushes the chip 52 out of the ejector compartment 104 into one of the nine column assemblies 118 , which are mounted at a fixed position on the base plate 74 via the rack base portion 120 . As the chip 52 pushed out more than 50%, a flattened edge 122 of the ejector compartment 104 (see FIG. 10 ) forces the chip 52 into one of the column assemblies 118 .
The base plate 74 is placed at an angle to allow the chips 52 in the storage compartment 54 to drop directly onto the rotating wheel 58 . The shaft 78 in the center of the base plate 74 will accept the wheel axle 72 .
With specific reference to FIG. 11 , nine push-type solenoids 124 (only three of which are visible) are mounted to the base plate 74 . Also mounted to the base plate 74 are the rack assembly 116 , the motor 22 , the synchronization sensor 94 , the color sensor 92 and the motor position sensor 22 A. An empty well sensor (not shown) may also be mounted to the base plate 74 .
With specific reference to FIGS. 14-16 , the rack base portion 120 forms nine receptors 126 . The centers of the nine receptors 126 are 15 degrees apart in the bottom half of the wheel 58 . Such spacing allows the column assemblies 118 which are mounted on top of the receptors 126 , to be placed as close together as possible, limiting the circular arm motion of the dealer when he needs to remove chips 52 from the column assemblies 118 . The solenoids 124 are also placed 15 degrees apart in a direct line with the receptors 126 . The drive gear 82 drives the large sprocket wheel 70 . While the wheel 58 and the attached wells 62 are continuously rotating, the base plate 74 and the affixed solenoids 124 , receptors 126 and sensors 92 , 94 and 22 A remain in their fixed position.
The nine push-type solenoids 124 are fixed to the base plate 74 in line with the receptors 126 . With reference to FIGS. 7 , 12 and 13 , each solenoid 124 is mounted on a bracket 128 by an appropriate fastener (not shown). A shaft 130 of the push-type solenoid 124 is extended with a small plunger 132 . Two nuts 134 on the shaft 130 allow for adjustment of the stroke length. A nylon washer 136 is also mounted on the solenoid shaft 130 on which a spring 138 rests. The spring 138 will accelerate the plunger 132 in moving back to its default position when the solenoid 124 is deactivated. The plunger 132 moves through a shaft nut 140 which is screwed into the base plate 74 .
The shaft nut 140 provides operational stability. The shaft nut 140 includes a head portion 140 A and a threaded portion 140 B. The threaded portion 140 B is threaded through an aperture in the base plate 74 (not shown) and an aperture 128 A in the bracket 128 , such that the head portion 140 A is on an upper surface of the base plate 74 (see FIG. 7 ). When the solenoid 124 is assembled and activated, the plunger 132 extends through a bore 140 C of the shaft nut 140 , past the base plate 74 and the head 140 A of the shaft nut 140 .
A solenoid 124 is activated only when there is a space in between any two ejector levers 68 that are in rotation above it. As the wheel 58 rotates, when a solenoid 124 is activated, the ejector lever 68 makes contact with the plunger 132 of the solenoid 124 , which causes the ejector lever 68 to move to its outermost pivotal point (the second position) thereby simultaneously forcing the chip 52 out of the ejector compartment 104 . The timing of the ejection of the chip 52 is determined by the synchronization sensor 94 , and the controller 38 (see below).
With specific reference to FIGS. 14-16 , in one embodiment each column assembly 118 includes one of the receptors 126 , a chip guide 142 , a column 144 , and an end cap 146 . The receptors 126 and chip guides 142 form the rack base portion 120 . Each column 144 is made from three column rods 148 as shown.
In another embodiment, the rack 32 is unitarily formed (see FIGS. 17 and 18 ).
The bottom of the receptor 126 is level with the bottom of the ejector compartment 104 . With specific reference to FIG. 16 , the receptor 126 has a flange 150 at the bottom that forces a chip 52 to become wedged under the other chips 52 that are stored above it in the chip guide 142 and the column 144 .
With reference to FIG. 15 (which shows the chip guide 142 in an upside down position), the inside 142 B of the chip guide 142 is shaped like a funnel to assist in the alignment of the chips 52 into the column 144 . The bottom 142 A of the chip guide 142 is larger in diameter than the top 142 D of the chip guide 142 . A cut-out 142 C at the bottom 142 A of the chip guide 142 and the top of a reflector 126 A is required to allow a cam 152 to pass. The chip guide 142 also has a cut-out at the top 142 D to allow the chip reflector plates 66 to pass.
Returning to FIG. 14 , the end cap 146 not only contains the column rods 148 which form the column 144 , but may also contain a small Hall effect sensor built in that is used to sense a “column full” condition. When the wheel 58 is in motion, the chip color or value sensor 92 , which is mounted to the base plate 74 , determines the chip's identity through the small cutout 79 in the bottom plate 88 of the ejector compartment 104 . All data from the sensors 92 , 94 , 22 A is processed by the controller 38 , which, based upon the color value read, activates the appropriate solenoid 124 to discharge and consequently eject the chip 52 into the corresponding column assembly 118 . A small additional sensor (see above) may be used to monitor the empty status of all the wells 62 . No ejection will take place if the well 62 is empty.
In the illustrated embodiment, the synchronization sensor 94 is mounted at the base plate 74 (the “Sync A” sensor) and the motor position sensor 22 A is mounted at the stepper motor 83 (the “Sync B” sensor). The Sync A sensor 94 monitors the metal reference pins 84 mounted to the ejector compartment 104 . Every 20 degrees a metal reference pin 84 passes the sensor 94 and a Sync A pulse is generated. The Sync B sensor 22 A generates a pulse for every 1 degree rotation of the wheel.
The plurality of holes 60 on the wheel 58 are placed 20 degrees apart and the receptors 126 are placed 15 degrees apart. Columns are numbered column 1 through column 9 . Column 1 is the left-most column and the Sync A sensor 94 is placed at 20 degrees forward of column 1 . When the hole 60 (n) is positioned in front of the receptor 126 at column 1 , hole (n+3) 60 will be positioned in front of the receptor 126 at column 5 and hole (n+6) 60 will be positioned in front of the receptor 126 at column 9 . Every 20 degrees (Sync A signal) that the wheel rotates, the next hole (n+1) 60 will be positioned in front of the receptor 126 at position 1 , and so on. The alignment of a hole 60 in front of ejector column 1 happens with the Sync A signal. The Sync A sensor 94 is positioned exactly at that point that the solenoid 124 needs to be activated so that the ejector lever 68 will push the chip 52 into the receptor 126 of column 1 . When the wheel 58 moves 5 degrees forward (counting five Sync B signals), hole (n+1) 60 is now aligned with the receptor 126 of column 2 and at the same time hole (n+4) 60 is aligned with the receptor 126 of column 6 . When the wheel 58 moves forward another 5 degrees, hole (n+2) 60 is now aligned with the receptor 126 of column 3 and at the same time hole (n+5) 60 is now aligned with the receptor 126 of column 7 . When the wheel moves 5 degrees forward, hole (n+3) 60 is now aligned with the receptor 126 of column 4 and at the same time hole (n+6) is aligned with the receptor 126 of position 8 . When the wheel 58 moves forward another 5 degrees the wheel 58 has moved 20 degrees ahead and now hole (n+1) 60 is aligned with the receptor of column 1 while at the same time, hole (n+4) 60 is aligned with the receptor 126 of column 5 and hole (n+7) 60 is aligned with the receptor 126 at column 9 .
In other words, since holes 1 , 5 , and 9 are separated by a multiple of 20 degrees, at any time hole 1 is aligned with a receptor 126 , holes 5 and 9 are also aligned with a receptor 126 . Likewise, since holes 2 and 6 are separated by a multiple of 20 degrees, at any time, hole 2 is aligned with a receptor 126 , hole 6 is also aligned with a receptor 126 . The same is true for holes 3 and 7 and for holes 4 and 8 .
Whenever the plurality of holes 60 match receptor 126 positions, the respective solenoids 124 are activated when the respective chip color of a chip 52 in the respective ejector compartment 104 matches a pre-assigned color of the destination column assembly 118 . This assists in increasing the sorting efficiency. When the hole 60 (and ejector compartment 104 ) and receptor 126 are aligned, the solenoid 124 will be activated if the color of the chip 52 in the ejector compartment 104 matches the pre-assigned color of a destination column assembly 118 , which will result in its plunger 132 moving upwards from the base plate 74 . The solenoid 124 is activated by the controller 38 at a point in time when the next-arriving ejector compartment 104 contains the appropriate-colored chip 52 . Since the wheel 58 is continuously moving, the result is that the ejector lever 68 will be hit by the top of the plunger 132 of the solenoid 124 and will continue to extend outwards from its pivot point 68 A for the duration of contact with the plunger 132 . The ejector lever 68 is curved in such a way that the chip 52 will be pushed out as fast as possible. When the solenoid 124 is deactivated its plunger 132 drops back down rapidly. The ejector lever 68 will then move back to its default position by means of the spring 138 , ready for the next ejection action. The ejector lever 68 will push the chip 52 more than 50% out of the ejector compartment 104 into the receptor 126 . Since the wheel 58 is still turning, and the chip 52 is already more than 50% out of the ejector compartment 104 into the receptor 126 , the momentum of the wheel 58 will push the chip 52 into the receptor 126 , aided by the flattened edge 122 of the ejector compartment 104 . The shape of the flange 150 forces the chip 52 to become wedged underneath the stack of chips 52 already in place. This in turn forces the previously positioned chips 52 upwards. However, when the chip 52 is coming out of the ejector compartment 104 and onto the wedged bottom of the receptor 126 , the chip 52 is inclined upwards. Therefore the exit section 154 of the ejector compartment 104 is taller then the thickness of the chip 52 to allow the chip 52 to move sufficiently upwards without jamming the wheel 58 (see FIG. 10 ). The number of chips 52 that can be pushed up is limited by the power that the driving mechanism can provide, relative to the weight of the chips 52 in the column assembly 118 . The sprocket wheel 70 to motor sprocket wheel ratio of 17.14/1 provides the necessary force to push the column of chips 52 up without any difficulties. A practical limit of 100 chips 52 per column has been chosen, but the design allows for easy extension of the columns.
The chip guide 142 assists with the alignment of the chips 52 into the column assemblies 118 . The small cam 152 is mounted at the outside of each well 62 on the chip reflector plates 66 in order to assist with the alignment of the stacked chips 52 in the bottom of the receptor 126 .
While the wheel 58 turns, the color sensor 92 reads the value of the gaming chip 52 and determines into which of the nine column assemblies 118 , the chip 52 needs to be ejected. The color associated with a column assembly 118 is determined by placing the sorting device 50 in a “training mode.” The wheel 58 needs to be empty before the training mode is started. Once in the training mode, the color of the first chip 52 that is dropped into the sorting device 50 will be stored as the associated or pre-defined color assigned to column 1 . After that, the second chip 52 is dropped into the device 10 . The color of the second chip 52 is read and assigned to the second column assembly 118 , and so on.
In another aspect of the present invention, a method for receiving and sorting disks 12 having a parameter is provided. The parameter of each disk 12 has one of a plurality of values. The method includes the steps of rotating the wheel 20 . The wheel 20 includes at least one well 62 for receiving a disk 12 . The method also includes the steps of receiving a first disk 12 in a first well 62 and sensing the value of the parameter of the first disk 12 . The method further includes the step of ejecting the first disk 12 into one of a plurality of collectors 30 when the first well 62 is aligned with the one collector 30 and the value of the parameter of the first disk 12 is equal to a value associated with the one collector 30 .
The wheel 20 may include additional wells 62 for receiving additional disks 12 . The value of the parameter of the disks 12 received in the additional wells 62 are sensed and the disks 12 are ejected into a collector 30 based on color.
Disks 12 in different wells 62 may be ejected into a respective collector 30 substantially simultaneously.
For example, in the illustrated embodiment discussed above, there are eighteen wells 62 spaced along the wheel 58 at 15 degree intervals. Disks 12 are sorted and ejected into nine column assemblies 118 spaced at 20 degree intervals. Furthermore, as discussed above, whenever the first column assembly 118 , i.e., column 1 , is aligned with a well 62 , so are columns 5 and 9 . Likewise, columns 2 and 6 , columns 3 and 7 , and columns 5 and 9 are aligned with wells 62 at the same time. Thus, if any set or subset of wells 62 are aligned with column assemblies 118 and contain a chip whose parameter has a value equal to the value associated with the column assembly 118 to which it is aligned, the chips 52 in the set or sets of wells 62 may be ejected at the same time.
INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY
The sorting device according to this invention is compact, as it is designed using a rotating circular plate placed at an angle. This plate contains eighteen holes which are slightly larger than a chip, and each hole has a well or reservoir attached to it in the shape of a funnel to efficiently absorb the influx of gaming chips. The funnel allows the chips to align themselves easily. The advantage of the wells is that it pre-stores the chips and hence allows the device to be more compact and efficient. There is no practical limit to the size of the wells or the number of chips it can store. As can be seen in the existing chip sorting devices, sorting of chips is accomplished by the use of a plunger that pushes the gaming chips from a conveyor belt upwards in order to stack them into their appropriate column. The first problem with this method is that knives are used to separate the chips from the conveyor belt in order to be pushed up into the column. These knives need to be frequently replaced. This invention accomplishes the sorting and stacking with one single movement, which dramatically reduces the complexity and size of the device. This is to the benefit of the operator.
The second problem with previous devices is that the gaming chips fall initially into a chamber or receptacle before they come into contact with the “transporting” device (i.e., the conveyer belt). This causes the chips to get stuck between the immobile chamber and the moving belt and jam the machine. With the new invention, all the chips fall directly onto the moving part (i.e., the rotating disk), so there is no possibility of interference from being transferred to an additional mechanism.
In addition, while other devices separate gaming chips one by one, this invention allows for simultaneous separation from multiple wells.
Besides the motor, there are only two moving parts required to separate and stack the gaming chips. The number of receptors is configurable and can be equal to the number of wells in the wheel. Due to the fact that the receptors are positioned around and outside the disk, and the disk may be suspended with a minimal footprint, ergonomic advantages, from an operational perspective, are dramatically increased. The 135 degree circle allows the dealer to stand either to the side, or directly behind the machine, to reach the gaming chips and also the table simultaneously.
Because the column array is positioned along the lower half of the wheel's circumference, any chip entering any column is subject to gravitational force, thus allowing the radius of the entire column array to be spread along a more lateral and flatter plane than the semi-circular shape of the wheel (in a smooth V-shape rather than a conventional U-shape). This option permits easier access to the individual columns, and reduces the distance between the bottom-most column and the table edge, by allowing the machine to be placed further under the table than would be allowed with a perfect semi-circular shape.
The invention also allows for separation by either directly stacking the disk-like articles in columns in an upward motion or directly dropping them into any form of receptacle using gravity. An example of this is a coin-sorting device by which coins are separated and dispensed appropriately.
In addition to casinos, the device may be used in card rooms, for sorting chips into bags, boxes or other receptacles.
The following are considered the core elements of the invention:
a. Rotational momentum of the wheel
The device uses the natural inertia of the wheel to complete the ejection of a chip outside its original trajectory (unlike the Chipper Champ—above its original trajectory).
b. Ejection lever method
The lateral ejection method applies pressure along the entire half-circumference of the chip, thereby ensuring contact with the chip's most solid surface (unlike the Chipper Champ which applies pressure at vulnerable underside of chip).
c. Transfer mechanism eliminated
The chips fall directly onto the rotating surface of the sorting apparatus (unlike the Chipper Champ which contains incoming chips into a hopper before transferring them to the ejecting device—their conveyor belt).
d. Solid one-piece wheel
Because the wheel is a one-piece-manufactured body, it is impossible for any movement or space differential between the wells, thus eliminating any potential timing errors (unlike the Chipper Champ, where there are continual spacing and consequential timing differentials between cups and segments).
e. Arm movement
The circular shape and the outward angle of the column array allows the dealer's arm access to all the columns in the same plane (unlike the Chipper Champ where the dealer must physically reposition his body to access the outermost columns).
f. Footprint
Because the main body of the machine is located directly under the table, and does not extend downwards to the floor, the footprint is small, and thus there is no impediment to the dealer's feet (unlike the Chipper Champ, where the machine sits on the floor and occupies dealer foot space).
g. Apron Space
Because the machine is compact, it can be located entirely under the table without the need for a section to be cut out (unlike the Chipper Champ where the bulkiness of the machine necessitates a cut-out in the table to maintain proximity).
h. Dispensing Method
The dealer only has to rotate the chips through approximately 90 degrees to grasp a stack of chips (unlike the Chipper Champ—approximately 180 degrees).
i. Weight
ChipperWheel weighs about half of Chipper Champ.
j. Size/Mass
ChipperWheel is about half the mass of Chipper Champ.
k. Lateral Ejection method
Because the ChipperWheel ejects chips laterally from the wheel to the column base, there is no need for an ancillary device between the two elements (unlike the Chipper Champ which necessitates knives).
l. Gravity Option
As well as upward-stacking capability, ChipperWheel chips can be gravity-stacked downwards (unlike Chipper Champ which only has an upward option).
m. Wells
The ChipperWheel wells have multi-chip capacity (unlike the Chipper Champ-single chip capability only).
n. Chip Dispersion/Absorption
Because of the multi-chip well capability, the incoming chips are dispersed and absorbed quicker than the Chipper Champ.
o. Angle of Operation
The ChipperWheel can be rotated on differing horizontal angles, allowing greater operational flexibility (unlike the Chipper Champ which has a fixed angle).
p. Security
Any chips that are dropped by the dealer when retrieving stacks from columns will fall safely to the base of the column array (unlike the Chipper Champ where dropped chips often fall down behind the machine onto the floor and get lost).
q. Service Accessibility
Technician has easy access to the ChipperWheel, even if a live game is in play (unlike the Chipper Champ).
r. Single shaft
The ChipperWheel uses only one shaft, unlike the Chipper Champ, whose belt revolves around three separate shafts.
Obviously, many modifications and variations of the present invention are possible in light of the above teachings. The invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described within the scope of the appended claims.
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A device for sorting disks or disk-like members of different identities (e.g., roulette chips) that ejects the disks from a receptacle by means of a rotating wheel with numerous wells, such as multi-chip storage compartments. Ejection of an article from the numerous wells is achieved by an ejector lever making contact with an activated solenoid thus forcing the article at the bottom of the well, in conjunction with the momentum of the rotating wheel, into a receiving space. The disks in the receiving spaces are continually replaced by newly arriving disks, which force the previously positioned disks upwards into a column.
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FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to heliostates. More particularly, it relates to improved mirror modules for the heliostats for reflecting the solar energy onto a remote collector.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART
With the increased cost and scarcity of fossil fuels and other energy sources, much work is being done to try to use solar energy. In employing solar energy, a plurality of heliostats reflect the solar energy onto a remote collector.
Typical of such systems are those described in U.S. Patents. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,905,352 lists some fourteen earlier patents ranging from U.S. Pat. Nos. 260,657 through 3,469,837; and describes a system for collecting and transferring usable solar heat by reflecting the sun from heliostats on an elevated platform into a central receiving station.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,892,433, inventor Floyd A. Blake, describes a direct solar hydroelectric integrated system and concentrating heliostats for such a solar system. U.S. Pat. No. 3,924,604 describes a solar energy conversion system in which pivotally mounted pads reflect energy onto a elevated tower collector.
Initiallly the heliostats were large structural elements with high cost per unit area. As larger total area of reflecting surface became needed, much research was put into trying to reduce the cost per unit area. This resulted in using material such as plastic foam adhered onto a steel backing with a mirror front. While this did reduce cost significantly, it introduced a thermal error in which, because of uncontrolled differential expansion or contraction of the materials as the temperature changed, a bowing of the mirror module resulted. This made difficult keeping the mirror module focused onto the collector so as to most efficiently use the sun's energy by the collector.
All of the prior art attempts to solve this problem have resulted in intolerably increasing the cost of the mirror modules above about $2.40 per square foot. In a co-pending application by Alfred Jerome Anderson, entitled "Structural Heliostat", Ser. No. 06/138,207, filed Apr. 7, 1980, there was disclosed an improved heliostat that provided one way of curing the thermal instability through the use of front and back portions on the mirror module of the same materials so the expansion was the same. This improved version had the ability to withstand weather such as beating from hail, rain, wind and the like and enabled canting the mirror modules and provided an improved module from the standpoint of economy. This improved module still had a relatively heavy weight per mirror module, however and did not provide the following groups of features deemed desirable.
For example, it is desirable that the mirror modules have the following first group of features:
1. The mirror module should be lightweight, for example, about half the weight of the prior art modules.
2. The mirror module should resist thermal distortion because of differential expansion or contraction.
3. The mirror module should be simple and economically constructed from economical, readily available materials.
4. The mirror module should enable building larger modules and larger heliostats for a given main structural support and drive system.
In addition to this first group of features, it would be advantageous if the mirror modules were curved for focusing of the solar energy onto a target to simultaneously minimize the scattering of the solar rays because of differential expansion and contraction as the temperature changed.
It is particularly advantageous to provide the combination of a curved mirror and lightweight mirror module, simultaneously alleviating the problem of differential expansion, and providing simple and economical construction of readily available materials, and enabling building and using larger modules and hence larger heliostats.
Thus it can be seen the prior art has not been totally successful in solving the problem delineated hereinbefore and also providing the features delineated hereinbefore.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to provide a method of making a lightweight mirror module that achieves a plurality of the features not heretofore provided while simultaneously solving the problems of the prior art in providing all of the advantages of the prior art.
It is a specific object of this invention to provide an improvement in a method that provides a lightweight mirror module that has about half the weight of the prior art modules, that solves the problem with differential thermal expansion and contraction and provides all of the advantages provided by the prior art while alleviating the problems of the prior art.
These and other objects will become apparent from the descriptive matter hereinafter, particularly when taken in conjunction with the appended drawings.
In accordance with this invention there is provided an improved, lightweight mirror module for a heliostat for reflecting solar energy onto a collector and including a main support structure; means for pivoting and tilting the heliostat so as to keep the solar energy focused onto the collector; and a plurality of mirror modules for reflecting the solar energy onto the collector, the improvement comprising having the lightweight mirror module that is economically constructed from readily available, economical materials and consisting essentially of: a mirror support structure connected with the back of the mirror and consisting essentially of:
i. a plurality of longitudinally extending beams having sufficient connection surface and strength for supporting the mirror cantilevered from the main support structure of the heliostat; and
ii. a plurality of transversely extending beams connected to the longitudinally extending beams carrying a mirror;
and attachment means connecting the mirror support structure to the main support structure.
In accordance with another embodiment of this invention there is provided a method of preparing a lightweight mirror module for a heliostat comprising the steps of laying a mirror face down on a stable support bed,
a. connecting a plurality of longitudinally extending beams with the backside of the mirror such that a strip of support is provided at least 1/2 inch wise at least each 6 inches; and connecting a plurality of transversely extending beams to the plurality of respective longitudinally extending beams; and
b. connecting the respective attachment means to the transversely extending beams for connection with the main support structure.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a side elevational view, partly schematic, showing one embodiment of this invention.
FIG. 2 is a schematic side elevational view emphasizing the curvature of the respective mirrors of the mirror module of FIG. 1.
FIG. 3 shows a typical prior art reflection of solar energy onto a target.
FIG. 4 represents a reflection of the solar energy onto the target in accordance with the embodiment of FIG. 2.
FIG. 5 is a plan view of a plurality of templates emplaced on a supporting bed in accordance with one embodiment of this invention.
FIG. 6 is a side elevational view of the templates of FIG. 5 emplaced on a support bed.
FIG. 7 shows the templates inverted in accordance with a further step after FIG. 6.
FIG. 8 shows a still further step from the embodiment of FIG. 7 in which a mirror and lightweight mirror support structure have been connected.
FIG. 9 is a partial cross sectional view showing one of the longitudinally extending beams connected to a metallic sheet on the backside of the mirror.
FIG. 10 is a partial cross sectional view of another embodiment of the invention in which the longitudinally extending beam is connected with a glass substrate on the back side of the mirror.
FIG. 11 is an isometric view of the backside of a mirror module of this invention without the attachment means.
FIG. 12 is a partial side elevational view showing an attachment means for attaching to the transversely extending beams of FIG. 11.
FIG. 13 is a schematic view of a heliostat showing the canting sequence.
DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
As indicated hereinbefore, the usual system for employing solar energy includes a collector 11, FIGS. 1 and 2 for receiving and using the radiant energy from the sun. The solar system also includes a plurality of reflectors, or heliostats, for reflecting the radiant energy of the sun onto the collector 11. Ordinarily, in the prior art, the collector was supported on a tower to facilitate receiving the radiant energy from a plurality of heliostats spaced about the collector. For example, where a plurality of three or more rows of the respective heliostats were employed, the tower was at least 100 feet high, or higher. Usually it was 200 feet high.
In the prior art, the collector included a steam generator that produced steam by heating water for use in a Rankine cycle engine; or included an array of photovoltaic cells to produce electricity directly. Other type collectors can be employed and it is immaterial to this invention as to the nature of the collector. For example, where water was converted to steam, the steam was passed through turbines rotating generators generating electricity. If desired, the collector may absorb the radiant energy to convert it to heat for heating oil or other high boiling liquid that will be passed in heat exchange relationship with the water or the like.
The nature of the towers is immaterial to this invention.
If desired, respective sensors for each heliostat can be employed to direct reflected beams onto the target to insure that the sunlight is reflected onto the collector by the heliostat. On the other hand, other systems such as computer controlled heliostats are known. These types of heliostat controls are well known and need not be described herein. It is sufficient to note that the heliostat is pivoted and tilted to maintain the solar rays reflected onto the target collector.
As noted hereinbefore, the heliostat and remainder of the solar system were frequently located in terrain experiencing wide diurnal and seasonal temperature variations. These temperature variations induced uncontrolled differential thermal contraction or expansion between the mirror and supporting substrate between the lowest temperature and the highest temperature and resulted in thermal stesses and curvature effects which degraded the reflected solar energy image at the target. The type and degree of degradation was a complex function of the temperatures at assembly and maximum and minimum temperatures in situ.
Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, there is illustrated a heliostat 13 in accordance with an embodiment of this invention. The heliostat includes a main support structure 15 and means 17 for pivoting and tilting the heliostat containing a plurality of mirror modules 19.
The main support structure 13 includes a vertical support such as a post embedded in a foundation 21, like concrete. The post is ordinarily of steel pipe or the like. As will be apparent, any support structure adequate to withstand the loads imposed will be satisfactory.
The means 17 comprises the usual combination of motors, gears and pinions for rotating the heliostat with respect to the vertical axis of the post 19 and for rotating the horizontally extending arms 23 and, hence, tilting the heliostat, including the mirror modules 19. The heliostat may be fastened in a vertical or horizontal position for being stored overnight, during windstorms and the like. Suitable fastening means such as latches and the like can be employed to take the strain off the means 17 for pivoting and tilting the heliostat. The means 17 pivots and tilts the heliostat to keep the solar energy focused on the collector. This focusing may be done, as indicated, by either sensors or by computer controls. The system employed is relatively immaterial to this invention. As indicated hereinbefore, this invention is concerned with a combination mirror module that is thermally stabilized against curvature induced by temperature change, has lightweight and that has a curved mirror, as well as the other features delineated hereinbefore. For example, as can be seen in FIG. 3, the prior art type reflection resulted in diffuse patterns 25, 27. These diffuse patterns, or images, resulted from differential temperature expansion of the mirror modules resulting in curvature and separated the respective images. In contrast, as can be seen in FIG. 4, the image 29 is coherent and concentrated when reflected in accordance with the mirror module of this invention.
The method of embodiment of this invention may be understood by referring to FIGS. 5-8. Specifically, the method of preparing a mirror module for a heliostat or the like comprises a plurality of steps as follows. First a plurality of templates 31, 31a, 31b, and 31c, for example, are prepared. The templets 31-31c are sized and placed so as to support a mirror in the predetermined curvature along a plurality of predetermined lines. As can be seen in FIG. 7, the templates are preferably inverted and placed on a support bed 33. The predetermined curvature to be induced into the mirror is that of a sphere having a radius equal to twice the distance from the mirror module to the collector. For all practical purposes, the radius of curvature of the sphere will be twice the distance from the main support structure of the heliostat in its array around the collector, to the collector. Initially the templates 31-31c were formed of cellulosic material such as fiberboard and the like. It was found, however, that there was a problem of degree of moisture adsorption such that the relative thickness, hardness and the like would change. Consequently, the templates were formed of plastic such as sheets of polyethylene and the like.
The templates were emplaced on a firm support bed 33, as implied hereinbefore. In fact, preferably, the templates were inverted as illustrated in FIG. 7, similarly as implied hereinbefore, before the mirror was placed face down on the templates. Thereafter, the mirror was laid face down on the templates such that the mirror had the predetermined curvature for reflecting solar rays closely toward a target spot on the collector when installed on the heliostat. The installation of the mirror 35 can be seen in FIG. 8.
Subsequently, a mirror support structure 37 is connected with the back side of the mirror so as to maintain the predetermined curvature when the mirror is moved into position for being attached to the heliostat 13. Any mirror support structure that will maintain the predetermined curvature and that will obviate the problems of curving because of differential expansion or contraction may be employed herein. In a preferred embodiment, the support structure comprises a plurality of longitudinally extending beams 39, FIG. 11, connected with the mirror, and a plurality of transversely extending beams 41 connected with the longitudinally extending beams carrying the curved mirror. While the longitudinally extending beams and the transversely extending beams may be formed of any material that will bear the weight of the mirror cantilevered from the main support structure of the heliostat, it is preferred that they be metallic in order to be easily worked, treated to resist corrosive effects of the weather, and be readily connectable with the backside of the mirror 35. In a particularly preferred embodiment the longitudinally extending beams 39 comprise beams of the so-called hat shape cross section shape. As illustrated in FIGS. 9 and 10, the beams have a crown portion 43 with a small horizontally extending brim portion 45. The brim portions 45 are affixed, as by adhering, either to the backside of the mirror 35 directly, or may employ a metallic backing sheet 47 as illustrated in FIG. 9.
When a metallic backing sheet 47 is employed, a layer of grease such as a silicone grease 75 may be employed between the mirror 35 and the backing sheet 47. The silicone grease serves to protect the mirror back surface from moisture or other environmental damage; it serves as an adhesive; and it permits differential thermal expansion to occur between the glass mirror and metallic backing sheet which prevents thermal stresses or thermal curvatures from occurring. A metallic edge molding 76 which is applied with a soft adhesive 77 such as butyl rubber, silicone rubber, or polysulfide elastomer serves to seal the edge from rain and other environmental effect, and to securely affix the mirror glass and metallic backing sheet together. The soft edge adhesive 77 provides a good mechanical bond yet still permits any differential expansion or contraction to freely occur. The resultant configuration illustrated in FIG. 9 is, therefore, a very thermally stable configuration and temperature changes will not induce any curvatures or distortions which would degrade the reflected beam quality.
When a metallic backing sheet is not employed, as is illustrated in FIG. 10, the brim portions 45 may be affixed directly to the back of the mirror 35. However, such a configuration would provide poor protection of the backside mirror surface from environmental damage. To overcome this potential problem special, highly reflective mirrors having glass substrates 47a, FIG. 10 can be employed. With these types mirrors, the front glass is very thin with a resultant increased reflectivity for reflecting more of the solar energy that is incident thereon onto the collector. The glass substrate 47a is adhered to the mirror by any one of the conventionally employed laminating methods and such mirrors with affixed glass back sheets are commercially obtainable. While such laminated mirrors are more expensive than ordinary mirrors, the added cost is usually more than compensated by the increased reflectivity which results in more energy being delivered to the collector. The laminated glass is also stronger and more durable. Since the glass substrate serves to seal-in the mirror silvering layer, no additional protection such as the use of silicone grease and a metallic substrate is required. The brim portion 45 of the longitudinally extending beams 39 are directly bonded to the laminated mirror. Any of the suitable bonding materials can be employed. One of the preferred types of bonding materials is a room-temperature-vulcanizing silicone rubber such as RTV-548-556A base and RTV-548-557B curing agent manufactured by General Electric Company, Silicone Products Department, Waterford, N.Y. Another suitable type is the polyacrylic adhesive and catalyst such as Versilok 204, available from Hughson Chemicals, Erie, Pa. Other suitable adhesives are well known in this art and need not be detailed at length herein. These include the polymethacrylic polymers and catalysts; the resins such as the epoxy resins, urethane resins, cyanoacrylate resins, methylacrylate resins, vinyl ester resins and the acrylate resins. Suitable catalysts, also referred to as accelerators or initiators, include the N,N-dimethyl-p-toluidine, N,N-dimethyl aniline, or, for the epoxy resins, cobalt naphthenate; and methyl ethyl ketone peroxide. As is recognized these type polymers set up and adhere when they are subjected to the accelerator or catalyst and are readily available from several sources, as described in the aforementioned patent application Ser. No. 138,207. Details of that application are incorporated herein by reference for details that are omitted herefrom. While the configuration of FIG. 10 employing longitudinally extending beams adhesively bonded directly to a mirror, either plain or laminated, results in a very low cost, low weight reflective unit, this configuration does have the disadvantage that temperature changes will cause curvature changes. However, in many large-scale applications the collector 11 is of likewise a large size and the curvature change with temperature can be tolerated. One of the advantages of this invention is that the curved mirror, in and of itself, tends to alleviate problems with the differential temperature expansion and contraction; i.e., the undesirable convex curvature which causes beam divergence can be avoided by judiciously pre-curving the mirror with sufficient concavity.
Hence, the concepts embodied herein are: a lightweight, low cost configuration illustrated by FIG. 9 which offers the added advantage of being thermally stable such that no curvature change occurs with temperature; and an alternative configuration illustrated by FIG. 10 which is even lighter in weight, and lower in cost but has the disadvantage of curvature changes with temperature changes.
In any event, the longitudinally extending beams 39 are connected with the transversely extending beams 41 by any of the conventional means. Such conventional means include thermal bonding such as welding, brazing, silver soldering; adhering, as by the adhesives delineated hereinbefore, or bradding or riveting through flanged portions or the like. As illustrated, the transversely extending beams 41 are cut out to match the longitudinally extending beams and have flanges that increase the surface bonding between the two sets of beams. If desired, of course, the transversely extending and longitudinally extending beams may be bradded together, welded together, or the like.
One of the advantages of this lightweight structure serving as the mirror support structure is that the longitudinally extending beams, and even the transversely extending beams, can be suitable cambered (curved) during a roll forming operation or fabricated straight and then notched along their length to be affixed to the backside of the mirror so that the mirror maintains the induced curvature even when connected with a heliostat main structural support by the attachment means 49, FIG. 12.
In the attachment means of FIG. 12, the bolt 49 has its head end 51 affixed, as by welding, brazing or the like, to the transversely extending beam 41 and extends to penetrate through an aperture 53 that is larger than the diameter of the bolt 49. This allows for differences in expansion and contraction of the main structural support and of the mirror module 17. To accommodate this, a pair of spherical nuts 55 and spherical washers 57 are employed to allow a slight pivotal movement to the bolt 49 through the aperture 53. If desired, of course, the base may be pressed into the mirror module and a jam nut screwed downwardly on an entirely threaded bolt. Then the spherical nut and spherical washers that are illustrated allow accommodating pivotal motion on the main truss 59. As is recognized the main truss 59 is a conventionally employed truss hanging as a part of the main structural support of the heliostat.
In operation, the mirror module is formed as delineated hereinbefore. Once the attachment means are connected to the transversely extending beams 41, the mirror modules are ready to be affixed to the remainder of the main structure 15 of the heliostat, FIG. 13. As illustrated in FIG. 13, the mirror modules are canted on a horizontally positioned set of trusses to facilitate assembly, rather than being put in a vertical position and focused onto the collector. In terms of focusing, the outside edges of the respective mirror modules are attached slightly closer to the collector in order to focus the rays toward the collector. For example, if the delineated heliostat structure 15, FIG. 13, is the number one heliostat, a Starret level equivalent to the number one row will be employed to effect focusing of the mirrors with respect to the horizontal component of the focusing, or horizontal plane. As can be seen therein all of these Starret levels 61 for the horizontal focusing are labeled by the numeral 1 to show that it is the first row at a predetermined radial distance from the collector that has this focus. Expressed otherwise, the mount at which the outside edge is raised is approximately the tangent, or sine, of the angle of inclination, or focusing, with respect to the normal axis of the heliostat multiplied by the distance from the center line of the heliostat to the particular attachment point. As can be seen in FIG. 11, it is preferred to form four of the attachment points 64 with this invention to increase structural torsional rigidity of the mirror modules. In the prior art it has been conventional to employ only three attachment means. As will be understood, a heliostat is ordinarily about 24 feet square. Accordingly, it is frequently advantageous to focus the mirror modules from top to bottom, also. Accordingly, the Starret levels 63 will be for effecting the focusing of the top and bottom mirror modules, labeled 2 in FIG. 13. By similar reasoning, the penultimate mirror modules toward, respectively, the top and bottom will be canted using Starret levels 65, labeled 3. By similar reasoning, the four centermost mirror modules in the illustrated heliostat of FIG. 13 use Starret levels 67 designated by the numeral 4. In accordance with conventional practice, therefore, the respective canting of the mirror modules is effected with the respective Starret levels such that all of the mirror modules in a given row of heliostats the same radial distance from the collector have the same focusing with respect to the horizontal axis when the heliostat is in a vertical position. Similarly, the respective mirror modules have focusing with respect to the top and bottom rows of mirror modules, now two each, have the same canting. Similarly the next to the top and next to the bottom rows have the same canting with respect to the vertical axis when the heliostat is in a vertical position; and the four centermost mirror modules have the same canting with respect to the vertical axis. As will become apparent, the four centermost modules are canted less than, for example, the four top and bottom mirror modules in order to obtain focusing on the collector at a predetermined radial distance. This focusing coupled with the curved mirror effects the excellent results delineated in FIG. 4 in accordance with this invention. As implicit from the foregoing, the respective spherical nuts and washers can be moved inwardly along the bolt to effect the desired focusing with the Starret levels.
As soon as the mirror modules are connected with the structure of the heliostat, the respective heliostats are integrated into the central control system to start reflecting the sun onto the collector when desired. For example, the heliostats may be stored at night and by computer or the like brought to reflect the sunlight onto the collector in the morning as soon as the sun rises. As will be appreciated, if there is some error in reflection, the canting can be adjusted by simply screwing the spherical nuts along the bolt of the attachment means.
The following example illustrates the preferred embodiments of this invention.
EXAMPLE
In this invention, a conventional mirror was adhered to a metallic substrate 47 by silicone grease. As is recognized and as described in the aforementioned Ser. No. 138,207, the silicone greases are employed to have water repellancy and have adequate strength to support the mirror, yet have sufficient shear tolerance to permit differential expansion of the mirror and substrate when the temperature changes without inducing stresses or curvature effects. The silicone grease also is adapted to hold the mirror securely and prevent fluttering of the mirror with respect to the substrate. Of course, conventionally available mirrors with attached substrates can be employed. The templates 31-31c were cut and laid on the bed 33. The mirror was laid face down over them and the mirror support structure 37 attached as noted hereinbefore; namely through adhesion of the transversely and longitudinally extending beams to, respectively, the beams and the back of the mirror. The attachment means were affixed to the transversely extending beams 41 and were attached to the main heliostat structure 15 as delineated. Thereafter, the heliostat was connected into the main control system and a plurality of these heliostats were directed on the target. Displays such as illustrated in FIG. 4 with coherent images were obtained. In this embodiment, the longitudinally extending beams comprised galvannealed steel hat beams have brims of one-half inch length with six inch crown portions in between. The longitudinally extending members were placed so that there was only six inches between the edges of the beams. This guaranteed that at least each six inches there was a support seam at least one-half inch wide. This was found to be adequate to give the necessary properties to mirrors which were 0.093 inches thick when 0.020 inch thick steel longitudinal beams were employed. Similarly, the transversely extending beams were formed of 0.020 inch thick galvanized steel that had flanges cut out to receive the hat beams and had a U-shaped top portion that received the attachment means. With this structure the long hat beams weighed only 40 pounds (10 pounds for each beam) and the cross members weighed only three pounds for two cross beams. The mirrors weighed 56 pounds so a total of 99 pounds was all that a 4.0 foot wide by 12.0 foot long mirror module weighed. This corresponds to a unit weight of only 2.06 lb/ft2 which is approximately one-half the unit weight of conventional mirror modules.
With this same lightweight structure, highly reflective mirrors formed with only 0.025 inch front mirror with 0.068 glass back sheet were employed. The glass encased the silvering on the mirror. High reflectivity was obtained with this mirror.
Both sets of mirrors were tested for the equivalent of high wind loads. In horizontal position they were required to withstand 12 pounds per square foot. They were tested and broke at 38 pounds per square foot. In the vertical position, they are required to withstand 37 pounds per square foot. Again they were tested and broke at 38 pounds per square foot. To test against hail impact, the mirrors were pelted by one inch diameter hailstones having a velocity in the range of 75-100 feet per second. The mirrors were not damaged. It appears by having the structural support at least each six inches, the mirrors resisted the 75 feet per second velocity of one inch ice balls required for the heliostats. In addition, the pre-curved mirror modules attenuated the problem of differential expansion and obtained satisfactory focusing at a range from 32° F. to 120° F.
This example indicated that there was a slight loss in torsional stiffness requiring four tie down points instead of the three tie down points. Conventional Starret leveling could be employed.
This invention indicated that the mirror modules could be made in lengths of up to 24 feet instead of the conventional lengths of 12 feet. Moreover, because of the lightweight the sizes of the heliostats can be increased and still be driven by the conventional drive units now employed.
From the foregoing, it can be seen that this invention accomplishes the objects delineated hereinbefore. Specifically, this invention has all of the features delineated hereinbefore as desirable and not heretofore provided.
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What are disclosed are method and apparatus improvements in a heliostat for reflecting solar energy onto a collector, the heliostat having a main support structure with pivoting and tilting motors and controls and mirror modules for reflecting the solar energy. The improvement is characterized by one of a combination, or curved, or lightweight mirror module in which the curved mirror focuses the energy more precisely, attenuates differential expansion due to temperature change, yet is simple and economical to build and is light enough in weight to enable building larger modules for the heliostats, as well as building larger heliostats. The specific improvement is characterized by a curved mirror formed over a plurality of templates with longitudinal support beams holding it into the predetermined curvature with transversely extending structural beams and attachment bolt for attaching it to the heliostat. Also disclosed are specific preferred methods steps and structural components.
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FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to well logging methods in general, and more particularly to production logging systems and methods which measure multiphase flow profiles in producing wells.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
One of the primary applications of production logging is to determine oil and water flow rates at various depths in a well. These rates are calculated by measuring values of fluid properties such as oil, water and gas velocity, density and capacitance. The accuracy of these measurements is suspect and has great impact on the accuracy of the calculated downhole flow rate.
In production logging, fluid velocity is usually measured with a "spinner-type" flowmeter. The spinner is calibrated by passing the tool through a fluid-filled wellbore at a constant speed. By successively recording the resulting spinner rotational speed and the corresponding depth location, a continuous flow-survey or fluid velocity log will be obtained. Using this survey, flow rates in the wellbore at different depths can be readily determined to prepare a representative flow profile of that well. Even though spinners have been widely used for many years and have been greatly improved, they still have many disadvantages and restrictions.
Some disadvantages of spinner flowmeters are created by mechanical problems, while others are created by the properties of the fluid and the flow which is being measured. For example, the impeller of the spinner rotates on a bearing which wears and requires frequent inspection and replacement to keep frictional effects from influencing the measurements. Additionally, the spinner requires calibration which must be done downhole, necessitating multiple logging runs at various speeds. In reference to fluid properties, the spinner speed is not only affected by changes in velocity of the fluid, but also by changes in fluid viscosity, flow regime, fluid density, and temperature and pressure.
Furthermore, fluid properties in general have a substantial impact on the accuracy of all production log-derived profile techniques, especially in the measurement of multiphase fluid flow. Quantitative analyses of these multiphase flows are extremely vulnerable to error. For example, spinner type flowmeters, as described above, and basket type flowmeters, while functioning well in single phase flow, are ineffective in multiphase flow due to the flow regimes inherent in such flows. These devices may be calibrated for operation in a two phase flow environment, however, such calibration cannot accurately compensate for actual flow regimes encountered in the field. Capacitance probes, used to determine the holdup fraction in gas-liquid, or liquid-liquid type flows, thereby increasing the effectiveness of the above mentioned devices, are reliable only in wells producing with watercuts under 50%. Additionally, the capacitance probe is further limited by the fact that it is unable to distinguish oil from gas, due to the variation in dielectrics. Similarly, nuclear fluid density tools, also used to increase the effectiveness of spinner and basket type devices, fail due to the inability to effectively distinguish between oil and water. Moreover, while density and capacitance tools can be calibrated for flow regime and fluid type, again such calibration will not accurately compensate for actual flow regimes encountered in field use. Additionally, once the above measurements are made, two correlations must be used to calculate individual gas, oil, and water flow rates. The accuracy of these correlations is suspect which leads to further deviation from true flow rate values. Therefore there exists in the industry a need for a simpler, more accurate method for measuring bottomhole production rates.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
This invention is directed to providing an improved method to improve downhole measurement of oil, water, and gas flow rates in producing wells by a systematic isolation of zonal production. The method involves initially measuring the total, steady state well production rate at the surface of the wellbore. The well can be either a naturally flowing well or a low flow well augmented by artificial lift. A thru-tubing, wireline inflatable and retrievable plug or packer is next lowered into the wellbore and positioned above a preselected zone to isolate said zone. In the preferred embodiment an inflatable packer, as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,840,231 to Berzin et al., and specifically incorporated herein by reference, is used to isolate the zone by inflating the packer to expand it into sealing contact with the bore hole, blocking all flow beneath it. Surface flow rate is again measured, with the zonal production rate calculated as the difference of flow rate before and after isolation. The packer is then deflated, freeing it from contact with the wellbore, and is moved to another preselected location, where the above-referred to steps are repeated. This procedure is followed until the flow rates of all individual zones within the wellbore have been measured.
Packer, basket, and diverter-type flowmeters operate by diverting flow through the center of a tool containing a spinner. It is an object of the present invention to circumvent the associated complex downhole rate, density, and holdup measurements required by these devices. A feature of the present invention is the use of a packer to selectively isolate all the production from a specific zone. An advantage of the present invention is the ability to measure all flow rates at the surface, thereby eliminating numerous problems associated with downhole measurements.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 shows a wireline tool setup for isolating individual production zones within the wellbore.
FIG. 2 shows a packer element in its operational mode, isolating a lower production zone, allowing measurement of fluid flow from an upper production zone.
FIG. 3 shows the wireline tool in its operational mode within a formation having three production zones. The lowest production zone is isolated, allowing production fluid to flow to the surface for separation and measurement.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
In FIG. 1 there is shown a wireline setting tool 5 configured for practicing the method herein and generally known in the art. As disclosed in FIG. 1 the tool is suspended from a wireline 10 which is coupled to the tool by cable head 20. Attached adjacent to cable head 20 is collar locator 30, allowing for wellbore depth measurements. Below collar locator 30 is drive section 40 for pressurizing and depressurizing packer element 70. The drive section 40 is comprised of a compensating piston section 42 for regulating pressure in multiphase flow, and motor section 44 to drive pump 46 to pump fluid into packer 70 upon pressurization. Wellbore fluid used to pressurize packer 70 is filtered to eliminate sediment contamination by filter element 50, located below drive section 40. Below filter element 50 is the hydraulic disconnect section 60, allowing for retrieval of the wire line assembly While packer 70 is maintained in situ, enabling extended evaluation of a particular producing zone. Packer 70, located below hydraulic disconnect 60, is the preferred device for isolating production zones; it is designed as an inflatable isolation means in which the inflatable element allows passage of the tool through tubing restrictions and can then be inflated and set in the casing as an anchor and seal. This same means of isolation may also be achieved using a bridge plug device interchangeably with the above-described packer, and will be described in greater detail herein. Said devices can be collapsed, retrieved, and reset at other wellbore locators. Below Packer 70 is guide 80 and pressure gauge 90. The pressure gauge 90 allows for evaluation of the reservoir properties of a lower, isolated zone; while also giving an indication of whether there is communication between the lower isolated zone and the adjacent production zone being evaluated.
In FIG. 2, Packer 70 is shown in a downhole position inside wellbore 100. This wellbore is seen as transversing two production zones, an upper zone 110, and a lower zone 120. Packer 70, as shown is in its operative condition; having been inflated with wellbore fluids by drive section 40 shown in FIG. 1, the side walls 72 of Packer 70 are sealingly engaged with casing sidewalls 130, thereby isolating lower zone 120 from upper zone 110. It is envisioned that lower zone 120 may comprise several producing zones, all isolated from upper zone 110. Casing perforations 140 in the upper zone, create a communication path for fluid in upper production zone 110, allowing said fluid ingress into and up wellbore 100 toward the surface. Packer 70, by isolating the upper zone 110, allows measurement of the upper zone production rates only. Pressure gauge 90, fixed to the lower section of Packer 70 and extending into lower zone 120, will allow for determination of reservoir properties of the lower zone, while also aiding in determining whether there is any communication between the isolated lower and non-isolated upper zones, through differential pressure readings.
Packer 70, as herein described, must be of a robust design to effectively seal the wellbore, isolating the various production zones located within the wellbore. Such a packer is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,840,231 to Berzin et al., and is specifically incorporated herein.
In FIG. 3, the operational set-up for the method of this invention is illustrated. A wellbore 100 shown transversing through a formation 150 containing a first upper producing zone 152, a second producing zone 154 located below said first zone, and a third producing zone 156 below said second zone. For brevity only a three zone formation will be discussed; however, it is recognized that multiple subsequent zones may be contained in formation 150 and analyzed as described herein. Wellbore 100 is shown as being bounded by a casing 160, and having production tubing 170 running from the surface valves 180 at the wellhead down through the casing 160 and into formation 150. Production packers 190 are fixedly placed in the annular space between production tubing 170 and casing 160 to seal this annular space, thereby making production tube 170 the only communication path for the wellbore fluid to the surface.
At surface valve 180 wellbore production fluid flows through wellhead outlet 185 and into separator inlet 210 of three phase separator apparatus 200. Gas, water, and oil are separated and each phase exits the separator at points 240, 250, and 260 respective)y for flow parameter measurements by meters 245, 255, and 265 respectively.
In the preferred embodiment, the total production rate of the production fluid within the wellbore is first measured by allowing the fluid from all production zones to pass through production tubing 170, through outlet 185 to separator inlet 210, for measurement by the three phase separator apparatus 200 located at the surface. It is recognized that the use of surface equipment, rather than downhole equipment, for measurement of production flow, yields more accurate results since equipment size is not a factor in trying to maximize accuracy.
As shown in FIG. 3, once total flow rate Q T is determined, a wireline tool 5, as depicted in FIG. 1, is lowered into wellbore 100 to the point where the lowest level production zone, herein the third zone 156, abuts the adjacent zone located above, herein the second zone 154. Packer 70 is then inflated until it sealingly engages wellbore casing 160. Production rate Q' is then measured, Q" representing the total production rate for the wellbore absent the production rate of the lowest isolated zone. The production rate Q i for this bottom ith zone is then calculated as
Q.sub.i =|Q.sub.T -Q'|
The packer 70 is then deflated and the wireline tool is then raised to the point where the next lowest production zone, herein the second or (i+1)th zone 154 abuts the adjacent zone located above, herein the first or (i=2)th zone 152, and packer 70 is reinflated. Production rate Q" is then measured, Q" representing the total production rate for the wellbore absent the production rate of the isolated first measured zone, Q', and the next lowest zone. The production rate for this next lowest zone is then calculated as
Q.sub.i+1 =Q"-Q'|
with the first production zone value given as Q" in the three zone model described herein.
For formations having multiple production zones it is apparent that the individual zonal rates measured from the lower most production zone to the upper most production zone can be calculated using the following relationship ##EQU1## where i=production zone to be measured
Q i =individual production zone flow rate
Q mi =surface measured rate with the ith zone isolated
Q T =nonisolated wellbore flow rate, sum of all production zone rates
It is preferred, as herein described, to start measurements with the lowest production zone, and move progressively up the wellbore for subsequent measurements. However, it is recognized that this measurement sequence may be reversed or modified, with respective modification of flow calculations, to yield the same results. It is also recognized that for low flow wells, an artificial lift system may be utilized to bring wellbore fluids to the surface for measurement. Such systems are well known in the art, and the artificial lift component may be factored into the calculations for individual flow rate to give a true measured value.
Various changes or modifications as will present themselves to those familiar with the art may be made in the method described herein without departing from the spirit of this invention whose scope is commensurate with the following claims:
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A method for providing improved measurement of oil, water, and gas flow rates in producing wells using thru-tubing wireline inflatable and retrievable packers or plugs to systematically isolate producing zones within a wellbore. Surface flow rates are measured before and after zonal isolation, with the zonal production rate determined by the measured difference in flow rate before and after isolation. Surface measurement of individual production zones allows greater accuracy in measuring multiphase flows, while at the same time allowing evaluation of reservoir properties of the lower, isolated zones.
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BACKGROUND
[0001] 1. Field of Invention
[0002] The present invention relates to a wind power system for generating electrical power.
[0003] 2. Related Art
[0004] A typical wind power system includes two or three blades which rotate about an axis. The blades are provided perpendicular to the direction of wind flow, with suitable pitch so that the wind causes the blades to rotate about the axis. The rotational motion of the blades is used to drive a gear box that drives a generator, effectively converting the kinetic energy of the wind to electrical energy.
[0005] Unfortunately, typical wind power systems require large propeller-like blades, which can be inefficient, to the point of being useless. Large blades are generally required to ensure that the blades can be rotated with sufficient speed to overcome the torque inherent in the generator. Inefficiencies are created due to considerable friction in the gear box, which adds to the torque. Thus, during instances of low or moderate wind flow, the wind strength may not be able to overcome the torque.
[0006] The large blades usually cover an expansive area. Thus, the blades within this area can be subject to winds traveling in different directions. For example, wind traveling near one end of the expansive blades can be heading north while wind at the opposite end of the expansive blades can be heading south. The net effect of the different wind directions traveling across different parts of the blades can be to slow or even stop the blades causing the power output to approach zero.
[0007] Each of these factors contributes to the cost of the wind power system, operations, and maintenance, which add considerably to the cost of the power generated.
[0008] What is needed therefore is a wind power generation system, which overcomes the shortcomings of typical wind power generation systems to provide a wind power generation system, which operates in varying wind conditions, in changing wind directions and with increased efficiency.
SUMMARY
[0009] The present invention discloses a wind power generation system to operate in various wind conditions and with changing wind directions. The system provides a reliable and effective means for directing air currents into and out of fan motors/generators positioned strategically within the power generation system.
[0010] The system of the present invention operates without requiring large blades and is capable of producing power using kinetic energy from high winds, as well as low and moderate winds.
[0011] Generally, the invention includes a wind capturing device that resembles a sail in performance. The wind capturing device effectively forces captured wind to form a high pressure area on a first side of at least one fan motor/generator. The high pressure air travels across the fan motors to an area of lower pressure at a second side of the at least one fan motor/generator.
[0012] Multiple wind power generation systems can be positioned together to form a large array of power generation systems which form a power unit. In this manner, a large expansive area can be exposed to the wind. As explained in detail below, since each power system in the array operates independent of the other power systems, the direction of wind impinging on the expansive array does not adversely affect the power output.
[0013] In one aspect of the invention, a wind power system is provided including at least one motor fan having a front face and a rear face. The wind power system also includes a first wind capturing device positioned proximate to the front face configured to capture wind and create a first pressure proximate to the front face that is greater than a second pressure proximate to the rear face. The differing pressure causes the captured wind to flow across the at least one motor fan from the front face to the rear face. The wind capturing device includes deformable portions to direct the captured wind and create the first pressure.
[0014] In another aspect of the invention, a wind power system is provided including a first plurality of motor fans horizontally stacked including at least a front motor fan and a rear motor fan. The system also includes a first wind capturing sail positioned proximate to the front motor fan configured to capture wind to create a first pressure proximate to the front motor fan that is greater than a second pressure proximate to the rear motor fan which causes the captured wind to flow across the first plurality of motor fans.
[0015] Advantageously, the power generation system provides a sail-like wind capturing device that is capable of capturing winds of variable velocities and conditions, because the shape of the wind capturing device can be adjusted, similar to the manner of adjusting a wind sail. Since the sail can be sized and shaped to take full advantage of suspected wind conditions in a given application, the size of the power generator can be optimized and made smaller.
[0016] These and other features and advantages of the present invention will be more readily apparent from the detailed description of the embodiments set forth below taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0017] FIG. 1A is a simplified illustration of a perspective view of a wind power system in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;
[0018] FIG. 1B is a simplified cross sectional side view of a wind power system in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;
[0019] FIG. 1C is a simplified cross sectional side view of an embodiment of the wind power system in accordance with the present invention;
[0020] FIG. 1D is a simplified front side view of an embodiment of the wind power system in accordance with the present invention;
[0021] FIGS. 2A and 2B are simplified illustrations of an array of motor fans in accordance with embodiments of the present invention;
[0022] FIG. 3 is a simplified perspective view of an array of power systems mounted to a wind vane in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;
[0023] FIG. 4 is a simplified perspective view of a multiple array f power systems in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention; and
[0024] FIG. 5 is a graph comparing average power as a function of wind strength and wind direction between a typical system and the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0025] FIGS. 1A and 1B are simplified illustration showing a wind power system 100 in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. Wind power system 100 includes at least one motor fan 102 , which finctions as an electric drive generator, centered within wind capturing devices 104 .
[0026] The principles of the invention are described in connection with a relatively small power system 100 using any relatively small to medium sized motor fan 102 . Motor fan 102 can be a direct current (DC) generator, or an alternator producing alternating current (AC). In one embodiment, motor fan 102 is a 1 to 100 V DC motor having a capacity to generate between about 0.5 to about 10,000 Watts of electrical power. Motors suitable for use in the present invention are widely known and are available, for example, from McMaster-Carr Supply Company.
[0027] Depending upon the specific use of power system 100 , the current produced can be introduced directly into an existing power grid through the use of synchronizers or stored in an electrical storage device, such as a battery 108 . Optionally, power system 100 can be used to directly drive or power specific pieces of electrical equipment.
[0028] Referring again to FIGS. 1A and 1B , wind capturing devices 104 can include any device capable of capturing and directing wind into a fixed location. In one embodiment, wind capturing devices 104 are configured as flexible sheets capable of capturing wind in a manner resembling a sail on a sail boat. The flexible sheets may be made of typical sail materials, such as canvass, nylon and the like. The sheet of wind capturing material is positioned on the four sides of motor fan 102 to create a funneling affect. Since wind capturing device 104 is made of wind capturing materials like canvass and nylon, it has a deformability that allows wind capturing device to act similar to a sail on a sail boat when subjected to wind. Thus, like a sail, wind capturing device 104 can be deformed by the wind or by other means to form a shape capable of producing a force coefficient that attempts to maintain as high of a pressure in front of fan motor 102 as possible at all wind velocities.
[0029] The aerodynamic pressure (force per unit of sail area, P 1 ) generated by a sail is proportional to the square of the wind velocity (W 2 ), the force coefficient (C F , determined by shape and sheeting angle), and the air's density (ρ). The following formula defines these relationships:
Pressure ( P 1 )={fraction (1/2)}ρ C F W 2
[0030] The total aerodynamic pressure may be split into two components—a lift component which is perpendicular to the flow and a drag component which is in the same direction of the flow. These components are both proportional to the “sheeting” angle. As the sheeting angle decreases, drag increases to a maximum. By controlling the sheeting angle of wind capturing device 104 , pressure P 1 can be maximized at a front face 112 of motor fan 102 .
[0031] As illustrated in FIG. 1A , wind capturing device 104 can be mounted about each side of motor fan 102 . Each wind capturing device 104 can be controlled independently and made to force wind into the front face 112 of fan motor 102 by changing shape or angle. The shape changing ability of wind capturing device 104 can generally be controlled by the wind as is done with a sail or using manual or automatic techniques, which employ the use of pulleys and motors.
[0032] As illustrated in FIG. 1B , in one embodiment, wind W is captured in wind capturing devices 104 and a pressure P 1 is created proximate to front face 112 of motor fan 102 . Since a pressure P 2 exists proximate to a rear face 114 of motor fan 102 which is less than pressure P 1 , wind travels across motor fan 102 to cause the fan blades to turn, thus generating a current in the motor.
[0033] In another embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1C , a second set of wind capturing devices 110 may be mounted about rear face 114 of motor fan 102 in similar fashion to the mounting of wind capturing devices 104 relative to front face 112 .
[0034] In this embodiment, wind captured in wind capturing devices 110 creates a pressure P 3 proximate to rear face 114 of motor fan 102 . Since a pressure P 4 exists proximate to front face 112 of motor fan 102 , which is less than pressure P 3 , wind travels across motor fan 102 to cause the fan blades to turn, thus generating a current in the motor. Accordingly, wind arriving at power generation system 100 from either direction can be used to turn fan motor 102 .
[0035] Referring again to FIG. 1B , the at least one motor fan 102 can include any number of motor fans horizontally stacked. In one embodiment, motor fan 102 may include at least three horizontally stacked motor fans. The horizontally stacked motor fans include front motor fan 102 a, a rear motor fan 102 c, and optionally, one or more middle motor fans 102 b disposed therebetween. It should be understood that while three motor fans have been shown for purposes of simplicity, the principles of the invention can be used for horizontal stacks containing a plurality of fans interposed between fan motors 102 a and 102 c.
[0036] In this embodiment, as the wind travels across the front motor fan 102 a it can be assumed that not all of the wind's kinetic energy is converted to electrical power. Thus, the wind continues to pass along until it reaches middle motor fan(s) 102 b, which converts more of the wind's kinetic energy to electrical energy. Finally, any remaining wind kinetic energy is converted to electrical power, at least in part, by the remaining rear fan motor 102 c.
[0037] Depending upon the amount of power desired to be produced and the location of power system 100 , a plurality of fan motors 102 and a variety of arrangements of fan motors 102 can be used. In one embodiment, the arrangement should be such that the fan motors 102 are arranged side-by-side horizontally as shown in FIG. 1D .
[0038] In yet another embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B , a vertical stack of, for example, three vertical power systems 100 is mounted along side multiple stacks of three other power systems 100 to form an array 202 of power systems.
[0039] The configuration of power system 100 into an array of multiple power systems ranging from a two side-by-side power system configuration to N×N configurations, allows for a large expansive power unit 300 to be created. The size of power unit 300 is only limited by the power need and space available and therefore can rival any of the largest propeller-type fan structures. However, as the size of power unit 300 is increased, it becomes subject to the possibility that winds may impinge on array 202 from opposing directions as shown in FIG. 2B . However, array 202 is made of multiple power systems 100 , each of which can receive wind from a front or rear direction. Although, power unit 300 may be expansive, each power system 100 is exposed to only a small portion of the impinging winds. Thus, each power system is more likely to receive wind from only one direction and so can still independently produce electrical power.
[0040] Accordingly, the average power output from power unit 300 can be higher than typical wind power generating systems. As shown in FIG. 5 , in typical power system generators the total average power is the power generated over time relative to the strength of the wind in a single direction. However, the total power generated by power unit 300 is the average of each individual power system 100 regardless of wind direction. Thus, the average power is the sum of the absolute value of each individual power system.
[0041] Alternatively, each motor fan 102 shown in power system array 202 of FIG. 2A can be a front motor fan 102 a of a horizontally stacked configuration of power systems 100 like that shown in FIG. 1B , which forms a configuration like that shown in FIG. 4 .
[0042] In yet another embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3 , a power system 100 or alternatively, an array of power systems 202 , including wind capturing devices 104 , form power unit 300 that can be mounted to wind vane 304 so that power unit 300 can orient itself about a pivot point 306 to the wind direction W as the direction of the wind W changes. The performance of wind vane 304 is well known. The size and shape of wind vane 304 can be determined based on the size of power unit 300 . In one embodiment, an additional wind capturing device 302 may be mounted to the entire power unit 300 to provide additional funneling of wind to power unit 300 .
[0043] Having thus described embodiments of the present invention, it will be evident to those of ordinary skill in the art that modifications can be made to the embodiments described herein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention set forth in the following claims.
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A wind power system is provided including at least one motor fan having a front face and a rear face. The system also includes a first wind capturing device positioned proximate to the front face. The wind capturing device can be configured to capture wind to create a first pressure proximate to the front face that is greater than a second pressure proximate to the rear face. The pressure difference causes the captured wind to flow across the at least one motor fan from the front face to the rear face.
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CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
[0001] This application is entitled to the benefit of and incorporates by reference subject matter disclosed in International Patent Application No. PCT/JP2012/063187 filed on May 23, 2012 and Japanese Patent Application No. JP2011-135013 filed on Jun. 17, 2011.
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0002] The present invention relates to a washer nozzle provided with a nozzle that jets a washer fluid toward a surface to be washed and with a nozzle holding member that holds the nozzle, and a manufacturing method of the washer nozzle.
BACKGROUND ART
[0003] Conventionally, a vehicle, such as an automobile, is equipped with a washer device that removes dirt, such as dust, from the surface of a windshield (surface to be washed). The washer device has a pump that is actuated by operating a wiper switch disposed in a vehicle compartment, etc. The pump operates to jet a washer solution (washer fluid) out of a washer tank toward the surface to be washed through a hose and a washer nozzle. As the washer fluid is jet out, a wiper blade is reciprocated to make a wiping action. Hence dirt sticking to the surface to be washed is removed.
[0004] The washer nozzle has a nozzle that jets the washer fluid, and a so-called spread-type nozzle capable of spreading the washer fluid across a wide area of the surface to be washed is known as such a nozzle. This spread-type nozzle makes it possible to efficiently wash the surface to be washed using a small amount of the washer fluid. For example, techniques described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Publication No. 2002-067887 and Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Publication No. 2009-227209 are known as techniques related to such a spread-type nozzle.
[0005] A nozzle (jet-direction-variable spread nozzle) described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Publication No. 2002-067887 includes a lower oscillating nozzle having therein a supply port, an inner channel, a feedback channel, and a jet port, and a tabular upper lid nozzle closing the lower oscillating nozzle. The upper lid nozzle is superposed on the lower oscillating nozzle to close its channels, and both nozzles are joined together by a joining means, such as welding.
[0006] A nozzle described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Publication No. 2009-227209 includes a first split body and a second split body which have therein liquid inlet portions, liquid jet portions, and self-vibrating channels and are formed into the same shape (hemisphere). Both split bodies are abutted against each other on their sides where the channels, etc. are formed, and a molten resin is supplied to a slot formed on the periphery of abutting surfaces to join both split bodies together.
DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION
[0007] According to the nozzles described in the above-explained Patent Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Publication No. 2002-067887 and Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Publication No. 2009-227209, the planes of two members making up the nozzle (lower oscillating nozzle and upper oscillating nozzle/first split body and second split body) are abutted against each other and then both members are joined together by the joining means, such as welding. When the pressure of a washer fluid flowing through the nozzle is high, therefore, a gap may be formed between both members because both members, which are welded together on their planes in contact with each other, have joining strength that is not sufficient enough. When a gap is formed between the two members and it reduces their sealing performance, giving accurate self-vibration to the washer fluid becomes impossible. This poses such a problem that the spreading area of the washer fluid becomes irregular.
[0008] The object of the present invention is to provide a washer nozzle that enhances the sealing performance of two members making up a nozzle, thereby suppresses the irregularity of a spreading range and to provide a manufacturing method of the washer nozzle.
[0009] A washer nozzle of the present invention has a nozzle that jets a washer fluid toward a surface to be washed and a nozzle holding member that holds the nozzle, the washer nozzle comprising: a first nozzle body forming the nozzle and including a fitting recess having a bottom portion and a side wall; a second nozzle body forming the nozzle and having an opposed wall facing the side wall, the second nozzle body being fitted in the fitting recess; a channel formed between the bottom portion of the first nozzle body and one of two ends of the second nozzle body across the opposed wall, the channel allowing the washer fluid to flow therethrough; and a sealing portion formed between an opening-side of the fitting recess of the first nozzle body and the other one of the two ends of the second body across the opposed wall, the sealing portion sealing a gap between the first nozzle body and the second nozzle body.
[0010] In the washer nozzle according to the present invention, the sealing portion is continuously formed along a periphery of the nozzle.
[0011] A manufacturing method of a washer nozzle of the present invention is a manufacturing method of a washer nozzle including a nozzle that jets a washer fluid toward a surface to be washed and a nozzle holding member that holds the nozzle, the manufacturing method including: a fitting step of preparing a first nozzle body including a fitting recess having a bottom portion and a side wall and a second nozzle body having an opposed wall facing the side wall and fitting the second nozzle body in the fitting recess to form a channel allowing the washer fluid to flow therethrough between the bottom portion of the first nozzle body and one of two ends of the second nozzle body across the opposed wall; a sealing step of supplying a sealing member to a gap between an opening-side of the fitting recess of the first nozzle body and the other one of the two ends of the second body across the opposed wall to form a sealing portion between the first nozzle body and the second nozzle body; and a mounting step of fitting the nozzle completed by the sealing process in a mounting recess formed in the nozzle holding member.
[0012] In the manufacturing method of the washer nozzle according to the present invention, the sealing portion is continuously formed along a periphery of the nozzle.
[0013] According to the present invention, the washer nozzle includes a first nozzle body including a fitting recess having a bottom portion and a side wall; a second nozzle body having an opposed wall facing the side wall, the second nozzle body being fitted in the fitting recess; a channel formed between the bottom portion of the first nozzle body and one of two ends of the second nozzle body across the opposed wall, the channel allowing the washer fluid to flow therethrough; and a sealing portion formed between an opening-side of the fitting recess of the first nozzle body and the other one of the two ends of the second body across the opposed wall, the sealing portion sealing a gap between the first nozzle body and the second nozzle body. In this configuration, the nozzle bodies can be fitted together by concave-convex (male-female) fitting such that the side wall and the opposed wall are closely attached (contacted) with an insertion margin. This enhances the joining strength of both nozzle bodies and suppresses the deformation of both nozzle bodies caused by the pressure of the washer fluid. Hence the sealing performance is improved and the irregularity of the spreading range of the washer fluid is suppressed. The channels formed inside the nozzle and the sealing portion sealing the nozzle bodies together are separated from each other via the side wall (opposed wall). As a result, the deformation of the nozzle bodies occurring near the channels is hardly transmitted to the sealing portion, so that the sealing performance is maintained for a long period.
[0014] According to the present invention, the sealing portion is formed continuously along the periphery of the nozzle. For example, the sealing portion can be formed into an annual shape. As a result, for example, the strength of the sealing portion is enhanced, as compared to a case of a nozzle having two sealing portions separated from each other, and therefore the sealing performance is further improved.
BRIEF DESCRIPTIONS OF THE DRAWINGS
[0015] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing part of a vehicle equipped with a washer nozzle according to the present invention;
[0016] FIG. 2 is an enlarged perspective view of the washer nozzle of FIG. 1 ;
[0017] FIG. 3 is a sectional view of the washer nozzle of FIG. 2 ;
[0018] FIGS. 4A and 4B are enlarged perspective views of a single nozzle;
[0019] FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view of the nozzle of FIGS. 4A and 4B ;
[0020] FIGS. 6A and 6B are explanatory diagrams for explaining a sealing process of sealing the nozzle;
[0021] FIGS. 7A and 7B are perspective views of a second nozzle body according to a second embodiment;
[0022] FIG. 8 is an enlarged perspective view of a washer nozzle according to a third embodiment;
[0023] FIG. 9 is a sectional view of the washer nozzle of FIG. 8 ;
[0024] FIG. 10 is an enlarged perspective view of a single nozzle of FIG. 9 ;
[0025] FIG. 11 is an exploded perspective view of the nozzle of FIG. 10 seen from below;
[0026] FIG. 12 is an exploded perspective view of the nozzle of FIG. 10 seen from above;
[0027] FIGS. 13A and 13B are explanatory diagrams for explaining a bonding process of bonding the nozzle of FIG. 10 ; and
[0028] FIG. 14 is a perspective view of a partition member of a nozzle according to a fourth embodiment.
DESCRIPTION
[0029] Hereinafter, a first embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail referring to the drawings.
[0030] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing part of a vehicle equipped with a washer nozzle according to the present invention, FIG. 2 is an enlarged perspective view of the washer nozzle of FIG. 1 , FIG. 3 is a sectional view of the washer nozzle of FIG. 2 , FIGS. 4A and 4B are enlarged perspective views of a single nozzle, and FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view of the nozzle of FIGS. 4A and 4B .
[0031] As shown in FIG. 1 , a vehicle 10 , such as automobile, has a front glass (surface to be washed) 11 , i.e., wind shield, provided on the front side of the vehicle 10 . A DR-side (driver's seat side) wiper member 12 and an AS-side (assistant driver's seat side) wiper member 13 are swingably provided on the front glass 11 .
[0032] The DR-side wiper member 12 has a DR-side wiper blade 12 a and a DR-side wiper arm 12 b. The DR-side wiper blade 12 a is rotatably attached to the front end of the DR-side wiper arm 12 b. The AS-side wiper member 13 has an AS-side wiper blade 13 a and an AS-side wiper arm 13 b. The AS-side wiper blade 13 a is rotatably attached to the front end of the AS-side wiper arm 13 b.
[0033] On the base end of each of the wiper arms 12 b and 13 b, a link mechanism (not illustrated) is disposed, which converts the rotary motion of a wiper motor (not illustrated) into a swinging motion. When the wiper motor is driven to rotate, the wiper blades 12 a and 13 a reciprocate to make wiping actions in wiping areas 11 a and 11 b on the front glass 11 , respectively.
[0034] A hood 10 a is disposed on the front side of the vehicle 10 . On a part of the hood 10 a close to the front glass 11 , a pair of washer nozzles 14 is attached. One end of a hose (not illustrated) is connected to each of the washer nozzles 14 , while the other end of the hose is connected to a washer tank (not illustrated) via a pump (not illustrated). Each washer nozzle 14 is a so-called spread-type washer nozzle. By switching on a wiper switch (not illustrated), the washer nozzle 14 is caused to jet a washer solution (washer fluid) toward relatively wide jet areas 15 a and 15 b on the front glass 11 .
[0035] Each washer nozzle 14 has the same configuration, and, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 , is provided with a nozzle holding member 20 and a nozzle 30 that are molded out of a resin material, such as plastic, into given shapes.
[0036] The nozzle holding member 20 has a head 21 and a leg 22 , which are fixed together into an integral structure. The head 21 has a mounting recess 21 a which is open toward the front glass 11 when the washer nozzle 14 is fixed to the hood 10 a (see FIG. 1 ) and in which the nozzle 30 is fitted. The interior of the mounting recess 21 a is formed into a spherical shape so that the spherical nozzle 30 is rotatably held in the recess 21 a.
[0037] The leg 22 is formed into a cylindrical shape, and a flow channel 22 a through which the washer solution flows is formed inside the leg 22 . One end of the flow channel 22 a (upper side in FIG. 3 ) is connected to the mounting recess 21 a of the head 21 . The washer solution flowing through the flow channel 22 a is lead to the nozzle 30 mounted to the mounting recess 21 a.
[0038] On the other end of the leg 22 (lower side in FIG. 3 ), a tapered shoulder 22 b, to which one end of a hose is connected, is formed integrally. The tapered shoulder 22 b prevents the hose from slipping off. On a part of the head 21 closer to the leg 22 , a pair of engaging claws 21 b are formed integrally. The engaging claws 21 b are elastically deformed and are inserted through mounting holes (not illustrated) on the hood 10 a to fix the nozzle holding member 20 (washer nozzle 14 ) to the hood 10 a.
[0039] As shown in FIGS. 4A , 4 B and 5 , the nozzle 30 has a first nozzle body 40 and a second nozzle body 50 between which a sealing portion 60 (shaded portion in FIGS. 4A and 4B ) is formed by curing a molten resin MR (see FIGS. 6A and 6B ). Each of the nozzle bodies 40 and 50 and the sealing portion 60 is molded out of a resin material, such as plastic, into a given shape.
[0040] The nozzle 30 is formed into a spherical shape by joining the nozzle bodies 40 and 50 together by the sealing portion 60 . As shown in FIG. 3 , the nozzle 30 formed into a spherical shape is pushed with a predetermined pressure toward the mounting recess 21 a and is fitted therein. The nozzle 30 fitted in the mounting recess 21 a can be rotated therein. Through this rotation, the tilt angle of the nozzle 30 against the nozzle holing member 20 is adjusted, that is, the jet position of the nozzle 30 for jetting the washer solution onto the front glass 11 (see FIG. 1 ) is adjusted.
[0041] The first nozzle body 40 has a spherical main body 41 having a radius of curvature determined to be identical with the radius of curvature of the mounting recess 21 a, an inlet-side projection 42 projecting from the spherical main body 41 , and a jet-side projection 43 projecting opposite to the inlet-side projection 42 from the spherical main body 41 .
[0042] As shown in FIG. 5 , the spherical main body 41 has a bottom portion 41 a, around which a side wall 41 b (hatched line portion in FIG. 5 ) is formed to encircle the bottom portion 41 a. The bottom portion 41 a and the side wall 41 b jointly form a fitting recess FC in which the second nozzle body 50 is fitted. On the bottom portion 41 a, a pair of channel-forming projections 41 c are formed integrally, which extend from the inlet-side projection 42 toward the jet-side projection 43 . The channel-forming projections 41 c form a main channel (passage) MS indicated by a continuous line arrow in FIG. 5 and a pair of subchannels (passages) SS indicated by broken lines in FIG. 5 .
[0043] The inlet-side projection 42 is located inside the head 21 forming the nozzle holding member 20 , that is, located on the upstream side of the channels MS and SS (see FIG. 3 ). The inlet-side projection 42 is formed into a substantially cylindrical shape and has an inlet port 42 a located radially inside the inlet-side projection 42 . The inlet port 42 a has an opening area on its entrance side determined to be larger than an opening area on its exit side, so that a flow of the washer solution is squeezed at the exit side of the inlet port 42 a. In other words, the inlet port 42 a increases the flow velocity of the washer solution heading toward each of the channels MS and SS.
[0044] The jet-side projection 43 is located outside the head 21 making up the nozzle holding member 20 , that is, located on the downstream side of the channels MS and SS (see FIG. 3 ), and is directed toward the front glass 11 . The jet-side projection 43 is formed into a substantially cylindrical shape and has a jet port 43 a located radially inside the jet-side projection 43 . The jet-side projection 43 has an opening area on its entrance side determined to be smaller than an opening area on its exit side (not illustrated in detail), so that a flow of the washer solution is squeezed at the entrance side of the jet port 43 a. In other words, the jet port 43 a increases the flow velocity of the washer solution jetted toward the front glass 11 .
[0045] The second nozzle body 50 is formed into a shape that can be fitted in the fitting recess FC of the first nozzle body 40 . On the periphery of the second nozzle body 50 , a close-contact wall 51 (hatched line portion in FIG. 5 ) is formed as an opposed wall. When the second nozzle body 50 is fitted in the fitting recess FC, the close-contact wall 51 comes into contact with the side wall 41 b forming the fitting recess FC. By contacting the close-contact wall 51 and the side wall 41 b closely together, the interior and exterior of the nozzle 30 are hermetically sealed. This prevents the washer solution flowing through the channels MS and SS from leaking out of the nozzle 30 .
[0046] One end of the second nozzle body 50 opposite to the other end of the same across the close-contact wall 51 , i.e., the back face (far side in FIG. 5 ) of the second nozzle body 50 of FIG. 5 is formed as an abutting plane 52 . This abutting plane 52 sticks closely to the front side (this side in FIG. 5 ) of the channel-forming projections 41 c without creating any gap when the second nozzle 50 is fitted in the fitting recess FC. In this manner, the channels MS and SS are located between the bottom portion 41 a of the first nozzle body 40 and the abutting plane 52 of the second nozzle body 50 .
[0047] The other end of the second nozzle body 50 opposite to the one end across the close-contact wall 51 , i.e., the front face (this side in FIG. 5 ) of the second nozzle body 50 of FIG. 5 is formed as a spherical surface 53 . Hence, when the second nozzle 50 is fitted in the fitting recess FC, the second nozzle body 50 and the first nozzle body 40 are joined together to form a sphere.
[0048] On the spherical surface 53 of the second nozzle body 50 , a pair of jig-mounting recesses 53 a is formed. The front end of a gripping jig (not illustrated) of an automatic assembling apparatus, etc., is engage with the jig-mounting recesses 53 a. That is, as the second nozzle body 50 is being gripped by the gripping jig, while the second nozzle body 50 is being transferred to the first nozzle body 40 , the second nozzle body 50 is fitted in the fitting recess FC.
[0049] As indicated by the shaded portion of FIGS. 4A and 4B , the sealing portion 60 is formed between an edge portion 44 formed on the opening side (upper side in FIGS. 4A and 4B ) of the fitting recess FC of the first nozzle body 40 and the other end of the second nozzle body 50 opposite to the one end across the close-contact wall 51 , i.e., the spherical surface 53 . The sealing portion 60 has a bonding function of bonding the nozzle bodies 40 and 50 together and a sealing function of sealing the nozzle bodies 40 and 50 together. The sealing portion 60 is formed into a predetermined shape as the molten resin MR (see FIGS. 6A and 6B ) led in between the edge portion 44 and the spherical surface 53 is cured.
[0050] The sealing portion 60 has an annular main body 61 and a padding portion 62 . The annular main body 61 is closer to the second nozzle body 50 with respect to the inlet port 42 a, the channels MS and SS, and the jet port 43 a and is formed continuously along the periphery of the nozzle 30 into a substantially annular shape. The padding portion 62 is integrally provided with the annular main body 61 on the jet-side projection 43 side, and has a section of a substantially circular arc shape so that the padding portion 62 covers a gate plane portion 43 b formed on the jet-side projection 43 .
[0051] A gate (molten resin supply port) formed on a die (not illustrated) that is use when the sealing portion 60 is molded (when the nozzle bodies 40 and 50 are bonded) faces the gate plane portion 43 b. This causes the supplied molten resin MR from the gate to flow along the gate plain surface 43 b and into a gap between the edge portion 44 and the spherical surface 53 .
[0052] Next, the self-vibration action of the nozzle 30 , i.e., washer-solution spreading action by the channels MS and SS will be described.
[0053] The washer solution flowing through the inlet port 42 a into the nozzle 30 is split into a flow of the solution heading for the main channel MS indicated by a solid line arrow in FIG. 5 and flows of the solution heading for the subchannels SS indicated by broken line arrows in FIG. 5 . The split flows of the solution in the subchannels SS make a turn at the jet port 43 a to travel back to the inlet port 42 a and rejoin the flow of the solution in the main channel MS. In this manner, the flows of the solution in the subchannels SS are joined to the flow of the solution in the main channel MS, as feedback flows. This causes the washer solution jetted out of the jet port 43 a to vibrate. As a result, the washer solution jetted out of the jet port 43 a toward the front glass 11 spreads across a wide area.
[0054] Next, a manufacturing method of the washer nozzle 14 formed in the above manner will be described in detail, referring to the drawings.
[0055] FIG. 6A and 6B are explanatory diagrams for explaining a sealing process of sealing the nozzle.
[0056] As shown in FIG. 5 , the first nozzle body 40 and the second nozzle body 50 (components) are molded first. In the process of molding the nozzle bodies 40 and 50 , given dies (not illustrated) corresponding respectively to the nozzle bodies 40 and 50 are used and a molten resin is injected into the dies to mold the nozzle bodies 40 and 50 of given shapes (injection molding).
[0057] Subsequently, the first nozzle body 40 and the second nozzle body 50 molded by the component molding process are prepared, and the second nozzle body 50 is fitted into the fitting recess FC of the first nozzle body 40 . At this time, the side wall 41 b of the first nozzle body 40 is closely attached to the close-contact wall 51 of the second nozzle body 50 while the abutting plane 52 of the second nozzle body 50 is closely attached to the front end side of the channel-forming projections 41 c of the first nozzle body 40 . In this manner, the nozzle bodies 40 and 50 are fitted together, making the channels MS and SS between the bottom portion 41 a and the abutting plane 52 , as shown in FIG. 6B . This fitting process is performed by engaging the gripping jig of the automatic assembling apparatus, etc., with the jig-mounting recesses 53 a and controlling the gripping jig to move the second nozzle body 50 .
[0058] Following the above-described fitting process, as shown in FIG. 6A , a continuous, substantially annular slot G is formed along the periphery of the nozzle 30 between the nozzle body 40 and the nozzle body 50 (edge portion 44 and spherical surface 53 ).
[0059] Subsequently, the hot molten resin (sealing member) MR is supplied by a predetermined pressure from the gate of the die (not illustrated) into the substantially annular slot G formed by the fitting process, as indicated by a heavy line arrow. This causes the molten resin MR proceeding along the gate plane portion 43 b to reach every part of the slot G, thus melting the part of nozzle bodies 40 and 50 in contact with the molten resin MR. As a result, the peripheries of the nozzle bodies 40 and 50 in contact with the molten resin MR are systematically joined together via the molten resin MR. Hence the sealing portion 60 (annular main body 61 and padding portion 62 ) is formed between the nozzle body 40 and the nozzle body 50 . The nozzle body 40 and the nozzle body 50 are thus firmly bonded to each other, which gives the completed form of the nozzle 30 , as shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B .
[0060] Here, as shown in FIG. 6B , as a result of fitting the first and second nozzle bodies 40 and 50 together by non-level joining, an insertion margin IS is formed between the side wall 41 b and the close-contact wall 51 . Because of this insertion margin IS, a first sealed portion JS 1 where the first nozzle body 40 and the sealing portion 60 are in contact with each other and a second sealed portion JS 2 where the second nozzle body 50 and the sealing portion 60 are in contact with each other are separated from the channels MS and SS. In addition, as a result of fitting the first and second nozzle bodies 40 and 50 together by non-level joining, the second nozzle body 50 is provided as a thick-walled body with high rigidity so that it is hardly deformed.
[0061] Subsequently, the nozzle 30 completed by the sealing process is prepared and the nozzle holding member 20 assembled by a separate process is also prepared. As shown in FIG. 3 , the nozzle 30 is pushed with a predetermined pressure to fit (mount) it in the mounting recess 21 a of the nozzle holding member 20 . The nozzle 30 is fitted in such that the jet port 43 a is directed to the opening of the mounting recess 21 a. At the same time, the position of the nozzle 30 relative to the nozzle holding member 20 is adjusted so that the first nozzle body 40 is located on the lower side (closer to the leg 22 ) in FIG. 3 . In this manner, the washer nozzle 14 is completed. However, the position of the nozzle 30 may be adjusted so that the second nozzle body 50 is located on the lower side in FIG. 3 . What is required is to set the jet port 43 a in a horizontally elongated open state along the horizontal direction of the front glass 11 , as shown in FIG. 2 .
[0062] As described above, according to the first embodiment, the nozzle includes the first nozzle body 40 provided with the fitting recess FC having the bottom portion 41 a and the side wall 41 b, the second nozzle body 50 that has the close-contact wall 51 in a close contact with the side wall 41 b and that is fitted in the fitting recess FC, the channels MS and SS that are formed between the bottom portion 41 a of the first nozzle body 40 and the abutting plane 52 on the one end of the second nozzle body 50 opposite to the other end across the close-contact wall 51 and that allows the washer fluid to flow through the channels MS and SS; and the sealing portion 60 that is formed between the edge portion 44 on the opening-side of the fitting recess FC of the first nozzle body 40 and the spherical surface 53 on the other end of the second nozzle body 50 opposite to the one end across the close-contact wall 51 and that seals a gap between the first nozzle body 40 and the second nozzle body 50 .
[0063] In this manner, the nozzle bodies 40 and 50 are fitted together by non-level joining, by attaching the side wall 41 b and close-contact wall 51 closely together with the insertion margin IS formed therebetween. This thus enhances the bonding strength of both nozzle bodies, thereby suppressing the deformation of both nozzle bodies caused by the pressure of the washer solution. Hence the sealing performance is improved and the irregularity of the spreading area of the washer solution is suppressed. Because the channels MS and SS formed in the nozzle 30 are separated from the sealing portion 60 sealing the nozzle bodies 40 and 50 together, via the side wall 41 b (contact wall 51 ), making it harder to transmit the deformation of the nozzle bodies 40 and 50 near the channels MS and SS to the sealing portion 60 . As a result, the sealing performance is maintained for a long period.
[0064] Further, according to the first embodiment, the sealing portion 60 is formed as the continuous, substantially annular sealing portion extending along the periphery of the nozzle 30 . As a result, for example, the strength of the sealing portion is enhanced, compared to a case of a nozzle having two sealing portions separated from each other, and therefore the sealing performance is further improved.
[0065] A second embodiment of the present invention will then be described in detail, referring to the drawings. The components same as the components described in the first embodiment in terms of function are denoted by the same reference numerals and are omitted in further description.
[0066] FIG. 7A and 7B are perspective views of a second nozzle body according to the second embodiment.
[0067] The second embodiment is different from the first embodiment in that the channel-forming projections 41 c formed integrally on the first nozzle body 40 (see FIG. 5 ) are omitted and that, as shown in FIGS. 7A and 7B , channel-forming projections 71 identical in shape with the channel-forming projections 41 c are formed integrally on a plane portion 72 on one end of a second nozzle body 70 opposite to the other end of the same across the close-contact wall 51 . The channel-forming projections 71 extend into the first nozzle body 40 , thereby allowing their front ends to stick closely to the bottom portion 41 a of the first nozzle body 40 without creating any gap.
[0068] In this manner, the channels MS and SS (see FIG. 5 ) are formed between the bottom portion 41 a of the first nozzle body 40 and the plane portion 72 of the second nozzle body 70 . In other words, by integrating the first nozzle body 40 from which the channel-forming projections 41 c are omitted and the second nozzle body 70 , a nozzle (not illustrated) identical in shape with the nozzle 30 of the first embodiment is formed.
[0069] The nozzle of the second embodiment configured in the above manner achieves the same effect as achieved by the nozzle of the first embodiment.
[0070] The present invention is not limited to the first and second embodiments and it is needless to say that various modifications of can be made within the scope of the invention. For example, according to the first and second embodiments, the molten resin MR is supplied to the substantially annular slot G (see FIGS. 6A and 6B ) between the first nozzle body 40 and the second nozzle body 50 ( 70 ) to bond both nozzle bodies together. The present invention, however, is not limited to this configuration. The periphery of the slot G between the first nozzle body 40 and the second nozzle body 50 ( 70 ) may be bonded by other bonding means, such as an adhesive, ultrasonic welding, and hot-melt welding.
[0071] According to the first and second embodiments, the opposed wall is described as the close-contact wall 51 closely attached to the side wall 41 b. The present invention, however, is not limited to this configuration. The opposed wall may be formed as a wall with a partial gap created between the wall and the side wall 41 b. In this case, work of fitting the second nozzle body in the first nozzle body can be made easier. Because the molten resin MR making up the sealing portion 60 (see FIGS. 6A and 6B ) flows into the gap formed between the first nozzle body and the second nozzle body, the sealing performance is not impaired in this case.
[0072] According to the first and second embodiments, the front end side of the channel-forming projections 41 c ( 71 ) is closely attached to the abutting plane 52 (bottom portion 41 a ) to form the channels MS and SS. The present invention, however, is not limited to this configuration. A plate member softer than the first nozzle body 40 and the second nozzle body 50 ( 70 ) may be interposed between the front end side of the channel-forming projections 41 c ( 71 ) and the abutting plane 52 (bottom portion 41 a ). This improves the sealing performance. In this case, the channel-forming projections 41 c of the first nozzle body 40 or the channel-forming projections 71 of the second nozzle body 70 may be omitted and channel-forming projections may be formed integrally on the plate member. This facilitates molding of the first nozzle body 40 and the second nozzle body 50 ( 70 ).
[0073] According to the first and second embodiments, the washer nozzle 14 is used in a device that washes the front glass 11 of the vehicle 10 . The washer nozzle 14 of the present invention, however, is not limited to this usage. The washer nozzle 14 may be applied to devices that wash the rear glass of the vehicle 10 , windshields of airplanes, railroad cars, etc.
[0074] Next, a third embodiment will then be described in detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 8 is an enlarged perspective view of a washer nozzle according to a third embodiment, FIG. 9 is a sectional view of the washer nozzle of FIG. 8 , FIG. 10 is an enlarged perspective view of a single nozzle of FIG. 9 , FIG. 11 is an exploded perspective view of the nozzle of FIG. 10 seen from below, and FIG. 12 is an exploded perspective view of the nozzle of FIG. 10 seen from above.
[0075] As shown in FIGS. 8 and 9 , a washer nozzle 140 of the third embodiment includes a nozzle holding member 200 and a nozzle 300 each of which is molded out of a resin material, such as plastic, into a given shape.
[0076] The nozzle holding member 200 has a head 210 and a leg 220 , which are fixed together into an integral structure. The head 210 has a mounting recess 210 a which is open toward the front glass 11 when the washer nozzle 140 is fixed to the hood 10 a (see FIG. 1 ) and in which the nozzle 300 is mounted. The interior of the mounting recess 210 a is formed into a spherical shape so that the spherical nozzle 300 is held rotatably in the recess 210 a.
[0077] The leg 220 is formed into a cylindrical shape, and a flow channel 220 a through which the washer solution flows is formed inside the leg 220 . One end of the flow channel 220 a (upper side in FIG. 9 ) is connected to the mounting recess 210 a of the head 210 . The washer solution flowing through the flow channel 220 a is lead to the nozzle 300 fitted in the mounting recess 210 a.
[0078] On the other end of the leg 220 (lower side in FIG. 9 ), a tapered shoulder 220 b, to which one end of a hose is connected, is formed integrally. The tapered shoulder 220 b prevents the hose from slipping off. On a part of the head 210 closer to the leg 220 , a pair of engaging claws 210 b are formed integrally. The engaging claws 210 b are elastically deformed and are inserted through mounting holes (not illustrated) on the hood 10 a to fix the nozzle holding member 200 (washer nozzle 140 ) to the hood 10 a.
[0079] As shown in FIGS. 10 to 12 , the nozzle 300 has a first nozzle body 310 and a second nozzle body 320 each of which is formed into the same hemispherical shape. A plate-like partition member 330 is disposed between the first nozzle body 310 and the second nozzle body 320 . The nozzle 300 is formed into a spherical shape by abutting the first nozzle body 310 and second nozzle body 320 against each other via the partition member 330 and fitting both nozzle bodies together. Each of the nozzle bodies 310 and 320 and the partition member 330 is molded out of a resin material, such as plastic, into a given shape.
[0080] As shown in FIG. 9 , the spherical nozzle 300 is pushed with predetermined pressure toward the mounting recess 210 a and is fitted therein. The nozzle 300 fitted in the mounting recess 210 a can be rotated therein. Through this rotation, the tilt angle of the nozzle 300 against the nozzle holing member 200 is adjusted, that is, the jet position of the nozzle 300 for jetting the washer solution onto the front glass 11 (see FIG. 1 ) is adjusted.
[0081] Inside the nozzle 300 , as shown in FIGS. 11 and 12 , a first channel 400 and a second channel 500 , each allowing the washer solution to flow therethrough, are formed on both sides across the partition member 300 . The first channel 400 is formed on the first nozzle body 310 side with respect to the partition member 330 , while the second channel 500 is formed on the second nozzle body 320 side with respect to the partition member 330 .
[0082] The first channel 400 is composed of a first inlet portion 410 and a first self-vibrating channel 420 . A first jet port 430 that jets the washer solution is connected to the first self-vibrating channel 420 of the first channel 400 . The first channel 400 and the first jet port 430 are located between the first nozzle body 310 and the partition member 330 . The second channel 500 is composed of a second inlet portion 510 and a second self-vibrating channel 520 . A second jet port 530 that jets the washer solution is connected to the second self-vibrating channel 520 of the second channel 500 . The second channel 500 and the second jet port 530 are located between the second nozzle body 320 and the partition member 330 .
[0083] The first jet port 430 is directed toward the upper side of the front glass 11 , while the second jet port 530 is directed toward the lower side of the front glass 11 . As a result, the washer solution jetted out of the first jet port 430 reaches the upper side of the front glass 11 , while the washer solution jetted out of the second jet port 530 reaches the lower side of the front glass 11 .
[0084] Each of the inlet portions 410 and 510 has an opening area on its exit side determined to be smaller than an opening area on its entrance side, so that a flow of the washer solution is squeezed at the exit side of each of the inlet portions 410 and 510 . In other words, each of the inlet portions 410 and 510 increases the flow velocity of the washer solution heading toward each of the self-vibrating channels 420 and 520 .
[0085] Each of the jet ports 430 and 530 has an opening area on its entrance side determined to be smaller than an opening area on its exit side, so that a flow of the washer solution is squeezed at the entrance side of each of the jet ports 430 and 530 . In other words, each of the jet ports 430 and 530 increases the flow velocity of the washer solution jetted toward the front glass 11 .
[0086] The self-vibrating channel 420 has a main channel 440 extending substantially straight between the inlet portion 410 and the jet port 430 and a pair of subchannels 450 facing each other across the main channel 440 . Similarly, the self-vibrating channel 520 has a main channel 540 extending substantially straight between the inlet portion 510 and the jet port 530 and a pair of subchannels 550 facing each other across the main channel 540 . The main channels 440 and 540 and the pairs of subchannels 450 and 550 are partitioned by pairs of walls 460 and 560 , respectively. The walls 460 and 560 serve as channel-forming projections that form channels inside the nozzle 300 .
[0087] The washer solution flowing through each of the inlet portions 410 and 510 into each of the self-vibrating channels 420 and 520 is split into a mainstream MS 1 indicated by a continuous line arrow in FIGS. 11 and 12 and substreams SS 1 indicated by broken line arrows in FIGS. 11 and 12 . The split substreams SS 1 travel back to the exit side of each of the inlet portions 410 and 510 (entrance side of each of the self-vibrating channels 420 and 520 ) and rejoin the mainstream MS 1 . Through this process, vibration (self-vibration) is given to the main stream MS 1 .
[0088] In this manner, the substreams SS 1 are joined to the mainstream MS 1 , as feedback flows. This causes the washer solution jetted out of each of the jet portions 430 and 530 to vibrate. As a result, the washer solution jetted out of each of the jet portions 430 and 530 toward the front glass 11 spreads across a wide area. The mainstream MS 1 on the first nozzle body 310 side and the mainstream MS 1 on the second nozzle body 320 side are separated from each other via the partition member 330 , and therefore do not affect each other. For example, one mainstream MS 1 does not act on the other mainstream MS 1 to attenuate it. From each of the jet ports 430 and 530 , therefore, the washer solution is jetted out in a powerful manner. This manner widens the spreading area of the washer solution in the vertical direction of the front glass 11 .
[0089] Next, a manufacturing method of the washer nozzle 140 formed in the above-described manner will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.
[0090] FIGS. 13A and 13B are explanatory diagrams for explaining a bonding process of bonding the nozzle of FIG. 10 .
[0091] As shown in FIGS. 11 and 12 , the first nozzle body 310 , the second nozzle body 320 , and the partition member 330 (components) are molded first. In the process of molding the nozzle bodies 310 and 320 and the partition member 330 , given dies (not illustrated) corresponding respectively to the nozzle bodies 310 and 320 and the partition member 330 are used and a molten resin is injected into the dies to mold the nozzle bodies 310 and 320 and the partition member 330 of given shapes (injection molding). Because the first and second nozzle bodies 310 and 320 are of the same shape, they can be molded using the same die.
[0092] Subsequently, the first nozzle body 310 , second nozzle body 320 , and partition member 330 molded by the component molding process are prepared. The channel 400 side of the nozzle body 310 and the channel 500 side of the nozzle body 320 are then set facing each other, and the partition member 330 is interposed between the nozzle body 310 and the nozzle body 320 . Subsequently, the nozzle body 310 and the nozzle body 320 are moved closer to each other to hold the partition member 330 between them. As a result, the first channel 400 and the first jet port 430 are formed between the first nozzle body 310 and the partition member 330 and the second channel 500 and the second jet port 530 are formed between the second nozzle body 320 and the partition member 330 . As a result of this abutting process, as shown in FIG. 13A , a slot G 1 is formed between the nozzle body 310 and the nozzle body 320 and around the outer periphery of the partition member 330 such that the slot G 1 extends along the periphery of the nozzle 300 .
[0093] Subsequently, the hot molten resin MR 1 is supplied by a predetermined pressure from a pair of molten resin supply nozzles facing each other (not illustrated) into the slot G 1 formed by the abutting process, as indicated by arrows. As a result, as indicated by arrows in FIG. 13B , the molten resin MR 1 flows deeper into the slot G 1 to reach every part thereof, thus melting the part of nozzle bodies 310 and 320 and partition member 330 in contact with the molten resin MR 1 . As a result, the peripheries of the nozzle bodies 310 and 320 and partition member 330 in contact with the molten resin MR 1 are systematically joined together via the molten resin MR 1 . The nozzle bodies 310 and 320 and the partition member 330 are thus firmly bonded to each other, which gives the completed form of the nozzle 300 , as shown in FIG. 10 .
[0094] Subsequently, the nozzle 300 completed by the bonding process is prepared and the nozzle holding member 200 assembled by a separate process is also prepared. As shown in FIG. 9 , the nozzle 300 is pushed with a predetermined pressure to fit (mount) it in the mounting recess 210 a of the nozzle holding member 200 . The nozzle 300 is fitted in such that the jet ports 430 and 530 are directed to the opening of the mounting recess 210 a. At the same time, the first nozzle body 310 is located on the upper side (opposite to the leg 220 side) and the second nozzle body 320 is located on the lower side (close to the leg 220 side), as shown in FIG. 8 . In this manner, the washer nozzle 140 is completed.
[0095] As described above in detail, according to the third embodiment, the nozzle 300 is composed of the first nozzle body 310 and the second nozzle body 320 . The partition member 330 is disposed between the first nozzle body 310 and the second nozzle body 320 . The first channel 400 allowing the washer solution to flow therethrough and the first jet port 430 that jets the washer solution are formed between the first nozzle body 310 and the partition member 330 , while the second channel 500 allowing the washer solution to flow therethrough and the second jet port 530 that jets the washer solution are formed between the second nozzle body 320 and the partition member 330 .
[0096] In this manner, a flow of the washer solution is split into a split flow of the solution flowing through the first channel 400 and a split flow of the solution flowing through the second channel 500 with respect to the partition member 330 so that the washer solution can be jetted out of the first jet port 430 and the second jet port 530 corresponding to the channels 400 and 500 , respectively. For example, by directing the first jet port 430 toward the vertical upper side of the front glass 11 and the second jet port 530 toward the vertical lower side of the front glass 11 , the spreading area of the washer solution is widened further in the vertical direction of the front glass 11 . Hence the washer nozzle 140 can be applied to a large front glass.
[0097] According to the third embodiment, the pairs of walls 460 and 560 forming the channels 400 and 500 are formed integrally inside the nozzle bodies 310 and 320 , respectively. By abutting the nozzle bodies 310 and 320 against the partition member 330 , therefore, the channels 400 and 500 are formed inside the nozzle bodies 310 and 320 , respectively. This saves trouble of preparing and assembling separate members for forming the channels 400 and 500 , thereby improves the workability of assembling of the washer nozzle 140 .
[0098] Next, a fourth embodiment will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. The components same as the components described in the third embodiment in terms of function are denoted by the same reference numerals and further descriptions thereof will be omitted.
[0099] FIG. 14 is a perspective view of a partition member of a nozzle according to a fourth embodiment.
[0100] The fourth embodiment is different from the third embodiment in that the pairs of walls 460 and 560 of the nozzle bodies 310 and 320 (see FIGS. 11 and 12 ) are omitted and that, as shown in FIG. 14 , pairs of walls 610 and 620 identical in shape with the pairs of walls 460 and 560 are formed integrally on a partition member 600 such that the pair of walls 610 on the upper surface of the partition member 600 faces the pair of walls 620 on the lower surface of the partition member 600 . The pair of walls 610 extend into the first nozzle body 310 to form the first channel 400 (see FIG. 11 ), while the pair of walls 620 extend into the second nozzle body 320 to form the second channel 500 (see FIG. 12 ). In other words, by joining together the nozzle bodies 310 and 320 , from which the pairs of walls 460 and 560 are omitted, and the partition member 600 , a nozzle (not illustrated) identical in shape with the nozzle 300 of the third embodiment is formed.
[0101] The nozzle of the fourth embodiment configured in the above-described manner achieves the same effect as achieved by the nozzle of the third embodiment.
[0102] According to the third and fourth embodiments, the first nozzle body 310 , the second nozzle body 320 , and the partition member 330 ( 600 ) are bonded together by supplying the molten resin MR 1 to the slot G 1 (see FIG. 13 ). The bonding method is not limited to this. The first nozzle body 310 , the second nozzle body 320 , and the partition member 330 ( 600 ) may be bonded together by other bonding methods, such as bonding using an adhesive, ultrasonic welding, and hot-melt welding.
[0103] According to the third and fourth embodiments, the pairs of walls 460 and 560 are formed in the nozzle bodies 310 and 320 , respectively (third embodiment), and the pairs of walls 610 and 620 are formed on both surfaces of the partition member 600 (fourth embodiment), respectively. The method of forming the walls is not limited to this. One pair of walls may be formed on one nozzle body while the other pair of walls may be formed on one surface of the partition member, and such nozzle body and partition member may be assembled and bonded together.
[0104] According to the third and fourth embodiments, the washer nozzle 140 is applied to a device that washes the front glass 11 (see FIG. 1 ) of the vehicle 10 . The washer nozzle 140 , however, is not limited to this application. The washer nozzle 140 may be applied to devices that wash the rear glass of the vehicle 10 , windshields of airplanes, railroad cars, etc.
[0105] The washer nozzle jets the washer solution (washer fluid) through the operation of a pump making up a washer device and washes dirt, such as dust, away from the surface of a windshield (surface to be washed).
[0106] While the present invention has been illustrated and described with respect to a particular embodiment thereof, it should be appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the art that various modifications to this invention may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present.
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A washer nozzle includes: a first nozzle body ( 40 ) provided with a fitting recess (FC) having a bottom portion ( 41 a ) and a side wall ( 41 b ); a second nozzle body ( 50 ) having a close close-contact wall ( 51 ) in close contact with the side wall ( 41 b ) and fitted in the fitting recess (FC); channels (MS, SS) provided between the bottom portion ( 41 a ) and a contact plane ( 52 ) and allowing washer liquid to flow therethrough; and a sealing portion provided between the edge portion ( 44 ) of the first nozzle body ( 40 ) and the spherical surface ( 53 ) of the second nozzle body ( 50 ) and sealing between the first nozzle body ( 40 ) and the second nozzle body ( 50 ). In this manner, the nozzle bodies ( 40, 50 ) can be fitted to each other in a concave-convex fitting while the side wall ( 41 b ) and the close-contact wall ( 51 ) are in a close contact with each other, that is, the side wall ( 41 b ) and the close-contact wall ( 51 ) can be fitted to each other in a concave-convex fitting with an insertion margin provided therebetween, and as a result, the joint strength between the nozzle bodies ( 40, 50 ) can be increased to improve the sealing properties. Therefore, a variation in the spread range of the washer liquid can be reduced.
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This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/194,017 filed Feb. 9, 1994, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,496,369 the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to an apparatus and method for treating tinnitus, and in particular, to a human cerebral cortex neural prosthetic for delivering geometrically dispersed electrical signals to the patient's primary auditory cortex and/or to a human cerebral cortex or the patient's thalamus and to human cerebral cortex neural prosthetic for microinfusing geometrically dispersed portions of drugs to the patient's primary auditory cortex or the patient's thalamus.
2. Background of the Related Art
Tinnitus is a disorder where a patient experiences a sound sensation within the head ("a ringing in the ears") in the absence of an external stimulus. This uncontrollable ringing can be extremely uncomfortable and often results in severe disability. Tinnitus is a very common disorder affecting an estimated 15% of the U.S. population according to the National Institutes for Health, 1989 National Strategic Research Plan. Hence, approximately 9 million Americans have clinically significant tinnitus with 2 million of those being severely disabled by the disorder.
There are no treatments currently available that consistently eliminate tinnitus although many different types of treatments have been attempted. This wide variety of attempted treatments attests to the unsatisfactory state of current tinnitus therapy. Several more common attempts will be discussed below.
One approach involves suppression of abnormal neural activity within the auditory nervous system with various anticonvulsant or local anesthetic medications. Examples of such anticonvulsant medications include xylocaine and lidocaine which are administered intravenously. In addition, since the clinical impact of tinnitus is significantly influenced by the patient's psychological state, antidepressants, sedatives, biofeedback and counseling methods are also used. None of these methods has been shown to be consistently effective.
Another widely used approach to treating tinnitus involves "masking" undesirable sound perception by presenting alternative sounds to the patient using an external sound generator. In particular, an external sound generator is attached to the patient's ear (similar to a hearing aid) and the generator outputs sounds into the patient's ear. Although this approach has met with moderate success, it has several significant drawbacks. First, such an approach requires that the patient not be deaf in the ear which uses the external sound generator. That is, the external sound generator cannot effectively mask sounds to a deaf ear which subsequently developed tinnitus. Second, the external sound generator can be inconvenient to use and can actually result in loss of hearing acuity in healthy ears.
Yet another approach involves surgical resection of the auditory nerve itself. This more dangerous approach is usually only attempted if the patient suffers form large acoustic neuromas and tinnitus. In this situation, the auditory nerve is not resected for the specific purpose of eliminating tinnitus but is removed as an almost inevitable complication of large tumor removal. In a wide series of patients with tinnitus who underwent this surgical procedure of acoustic nerve resection, only 40% were improved, 10% were not improved and 50% were actually worse.
An alternative and somewhat more successful approach involves electrical stimulation of the cochlear. In patients who have tinnitus and have received a cochlea implant, as many as half reported some improvement in their tinnitus after implantation. Round window stimulation has also been useful in improving tinnitus in selected patients. However, the success rate of this approach has also remained relatively low.
Prior to the nineteenth century, physicians and scientists believed the brain was an organ with functional properties distributed equally through its mass. Localization of specific functions within subregions of the brain was first demonstrated in the 1800s, and provided the fundamental conceptual framework for all of modern neuroscience and neurosurgery. As it became clear that brain subregions served specific functions such as movement of the extremities, and touch sensation, it was also noted that direct electrical stimulation of the surface of these brain regions could cause partial reproduction of these functions.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is therefore an object of the invention to provide a prosthetic apparatus which can be placed in one of a patient's cerebral cortex or in the patient's thalamus to reduce the effects of tinnitus.
Another object of the invention is to provide a prosthetic apparatus which can be positioned in the brain such that electric discharges can be accurately delivered to geometrically dispersed locations in either the cortex or thalamus.
Another object of the invention is to provide a prosthetic which allows a physician to physiologically test location and function of neural prosthetic electrodes to reduce or eliminate the patient's tinnitus.
Another object of the invention is to provide a prosthetic apparatus which can be positioned in the brain such that microinfusions of a drug that reduces abnormal neural activity due to tinnitus can be administered in geometrically dispersed locations in the patient's cortex or thalamus.
Another object of the invention is to provide a prosthetic apparatus which can support a reservoir of the drug so that the microinfusions can be continuously administered.
One advantage of the invention is that it reduces or eliminates the effects of tinnitus.
Another advantage of the invention is that it can utilize a single electrode.
Another advantage of the invention is that it can utilize a single catheter.
Another advantage of the invention is that it penetrates the brain as opposed to resting on the brain surface, thus requiring significantly less current to stimulate localized areas of the cortex or the thalamus.
Another advantage of the invention is that it penetrates the brain thus requiring significantly lower doses of the drug and hence reduces unwanted side effects related to inadvertent treatment of surrounding tissue.
Another advantage of the invention is that the contacts are sufficiently closely arranged next to each other to provide high geometric resolution stimulation of the auditory cortex.
One feature of the invention is that it includes a penetrating longitudinal support or electrode.
Another feature of the invention is that it includes multiple contacts on the longitudinal support.
Another feature of the invention is that it includes a stimulation device.
Another feature of the invention is that each contact can separately introduce electrical discharges in the primary auditory cortex.
Another feature of the invention is that it utilizes a catheter to administer micro-infusions of the drugs to disperse locations in the patient's cortex or thalamus.
Another feature of the invention is that the catheter includes an electrode for recording discharges in the patient's cortex or thalamus.
Another feature of the invention is that it utilizes a drug reservoir for containing reserve portions of the drug.
Another feature of the invention is that it can include a flexible wire multicontact electrode.
Another feature of the invention is that the flexible wire multicontact electrode is inserted into the brain using a rigid introducer.
Another feature of the invention is that a flat plastic plate attached to the longitudinal support (electrode) at the site of skull attachment helps position the prosthetic in the auditory cortex. The flat plastic plate has a cup to receive a sphere coupled to leads which interconnect the contacts to a speech processor.
These and other objects, advantages and features of the present invention will become more apparent from the following description of embodiments thereof taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIGS. 1A and 1B show the orientation of a patient's primary auditory cortex in relation to the patient's cochlea and cochlear nucleus.
FIG. 2A shows a multi-contact recording/stimulating electrode system 100 for blocking and/or masking the abnormal electrical activity present in tinnitus patients according to one embodiment of the invention. FIG. 2B shows a human cerebral cortex neural prosthetic according to one embodiment of the invention.
FIG. 3A shows a side view of a plane A which intersects a coronal section with a Sylvian fissure exposed, and FIGS. 3B and 3C show the coronal section before and after tissue is digitally "peeled off" the Sylvian fissure.
FIG. 4 shows a neural prosthetic with a support having electrical contacts and its stimulation device.
FIG. 5 shows a prosthetic which includes two longitudinal supports according to another embodiment of the invention.
FIG. 6 shows a prosthetic according to yet another embodiment of the invention.
FIG. 7A shows the prosthetic of FIG. 6 as looking down on the patient's brain surface, FIG. 7B shows a closer view of a stopping piece with a cup and a lid, and FIG. 7C corresponds to FIG. 7A with the support inserted.
FIG. 8 shows another embodiment of the invention involving drug-infusion into regionally targeted locations within the brain according to another embodiment of the invention.
FIG. 9 shows a closer view of a catheter with ports or openings.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
It is presumed that patients perceive tinnitus because neurons within the central auditory system (Auditory Cortex and/or Medial Geniculate Nucleus (MGN) of the Thalamus) are firing abnormally. By using sophisticated medical imaging and neurosurgical techniques discussed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,496,369, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference, specific regions in the brain can be targeted and the abnormal electrical activity blocked or masked with stimulating electrodes or with drugs delivered through precisely placed brain catheters.
The primary auditory region of the human brain is buried deep within the Sylvian fissure. It is not visible from the brain surface and its exact location varies slightly from one person to the next. MRI and CT scanners were not invented at the time of Dr. Dobelle's experiments so the anatomy of the patient's auditory cortex could not be studied prior to surgery, and this region could only be visualized with difficulty in the operating room after the Sylvian fissure was surgically dissected. Once the buried auditory cortex was exposed, surface stimulating electrodes were placed by hand over the area thought to be the auditory cortex and the brain was stimulated in a fashion similar to that used to generate visual phosphenes.
Reproducible sound sensations were generated in the experimental subjects. Though these preliminary findings were encouraging, a range of limitations precluded further work by this group. Among the more daunting problems the Utah group faced were recruiting suitable patients for the experimental study and obtaining good stimulation characteristics from the experimental surface electrodes. The minimal stimulation threshold for eliciting sound sensations was found to be 6 milliamperes, which is too high to be tolerated chronically and is thousands of times greater than currents found subsequently to be required to generate phosphenes in visual cortex using penetrating electrodes.
Recent advances in MRI and computer technology now allow detailed preoperative imaging of human auditory cortex.
An important aspect of the cochlear implant technology, which is now highly refined, involves transducing sound into complex electrical stimulation sequences. This large body of technical knowledge developed over the last twenty years will be directly applicable to the treatment of tinnitus via the auditory cortex prosthetic device.
Normal Hearing
Mechanisms of human hearing are reviewed briefly to provide a framework for discussion of the tinnitus masking system. The auditory system is composed of many structural components that are connected extensively by bundles of nerve fibers. The system's overall function is to enable humans to extract usable information from sounds in the environment. By transducing acoustic signals into electrical signals that can then be processed in the brain, humans are able to discriminate amongst a wide range of sounds with great precision.
FIGS. 1A and 1B show a side and front view of areas involved in the hearing process. In particular, the normal transduction of sound waves into electrical signals occurs in cochlea 110, a part of the inner ear located within temporal bone (not shown). Cochlea 110 is tonotopically organized, meaning different parts of cochlea 110 respond optimally to different tones; one end of cochlea 110 responds best to high frequency tones, while the other end responds best to low frequency tones. Cochlea 110 converts the tones to electrical signals which are then received by cochlear nucleus 116. This converted information is passed from cochlea 110 into brain stem 114 by way of electrical signals carried along the acoustic nerve and in particular, cranial nerve VIII (not shown).
The next important auditory structure encountered is cochlear nucleus 116 in brain stem 114. As the acoustic nerve leaves the temporal bone and enters skull cavity 122, it penetrates brain stem 114 and relays coded signals to cochlear nucleus 116, which is also tonotopically organized. Through many fiber-tract interconnections and relays (not shown), sound signals are analyzed at sites throughout brain stem 114 and thalamus 126. The final signal analysis site is auditory cortex 150 situated in temporal lobe 156.
The mechanisms of function of these various structures has also been extensively studied. The function of cochlea 110 is the most well-understood and the function of auditory cortex 150 is the least understood. For example, removal of the cochlea 110 results in complete deafness in ear 160, whereas removal of auditory cortex 150 from one side produces minimal deficits. Despite extensive neural connections with other components of the auditory system, auditory cortex 150 does not appear to be necessary for many auditory functions.
Advanced imaging combined with an intraoperative stereotactic system now enable placement of penetrating electrodes into auditory cortex during routine epilepsy surgery without dissection of the Sylvian fissure.
Primary auditory cortex 150 in FIGS. 1A and 1B is tonotopically organized, meaning stimulation in different areas is likely to cause the patient to perceive different tones. These tones form the building blocks of complex sound phenomena such as speech. Tonotopic organization is a fundamental characteristic of the cochlea and cochlear nucleus as well, as discussed above. Auditory cortex 150, however, has its tonotopic map stretched across a larger volume of tissue (greater that twice the volume of cochlear nucleus 116). Greater tissue volume enables placement of a greater number of electrical contacts for a given tonotopic zone. This results in increased signal resolution and improved clarity of auditory sensation. Finally, because of anatomical differences, auditory cortex 150 can accommodate penetrating electrode arrays.
Stimulating Electrode
FIG. 2A shows a multi-contact recording/stimulating electrode system 100 for blocking and/or masking the abnormal electrical activity present in tinnitus patients according to one embodiment of the invention. In particular, system 100 includes a multi-contact stimulating/recording electrode 104 connected to cables 108 via connector 112. Cables 108 enter skull 116 at burr hole opening 120 of skull 116 and are connected to a stimulation device 410 positioned in subcutaneous tissue of axial skeleton (thorax or abdomen).
FIG. 2B shows a closer view of multi-contact stimulating/recording electrode 104 of electrode system 100. Electrode 104 has a first end 206a and a second end 206b which is blunt or smoothly curved. Electrode 104 has electrical contacts 220 along a longitudinal support 226. Support 226 can be anywhere from several millimeters long to several centimeters long. Electrical contacts 220 are small metal pads which can be separately electrically charged via respective wires 232a available at first end 206a. Wires 232a are coupled to stimulation device 410 (see FIGS. 2A and 4). Electrical contacts 220 are spaced approximately 10 micrometers to several millimeters apart and preferably approximately 50 to 150 micrometers apart. Application of a voltage to contacts 220 near first end 206a results in stimulating low (or high--to be determined by questioning the patient) tones in auditory cortex 150 (see FIGS. 1A and 1B), whereas application of a voltage to contacts 220 near second end 206b results in stimulation of high (or low) tones in auditory cortex 150.
Electrode 104 is stereotaxically placed into the primary auditory cortex of the patient with tinnitus. This can be done using a standard stereotaxic head frame under local anesthesia. That is, the above discussed three dimensional computerized MRI reconstruction method of FIGS. 3A-3C is used to stereotaxically place electrode 104 within the targeted region of auditory cortex 150. Correct placement is confirmed by presenting a series of tones to the patient and mapping the tonotopic responses of the neurons along electrode 104.
In deaf patients, this mapping procedure is not possible, but mapping can still be carried out using microstimulation currents delivered to various contacts along electrode 104. The deaf patient describes the relative pitch of the sounds he or she perceives following stimulation, whereby the electrically stimulated location and parameters which most closely match the patient's tinnitus are determined. This approach could be used in the thalamus (MGN) as well, but the preferred embodiment involves implantation in the cortex. Regardless of whether or not stimulating electrode 104 is placed into the correct region of the cortex or into the correct region of the MGN, electrode 104 is coupled to stimulation device 410 via cables 108 and in particular, wires 232a.
Longitudinal support 226 can be a rigid support or a flexible wire with a rigid introducer which enables the physician to introduce electrode 104 into a patient's brain and then subsequently remove the rigid introducer thereby exposing electrical contacts 220 to auditory cortex 150. Support 226 can be one of the probes shown in FIGS. 3-5 in "Possible Multichannel Recording and Stimulating Electrode Arrays: A Catalog of Available Designs" by the Center for Integrated Sensors and Circuits, University of Michigan Ann Arbor, Mich., the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Alternative electrodes such as Depthalon Depth Electrodes and interconnection cables from PMT Corporation 1500 Park Road, Chanhassen, Minn., 55317 could also be used as support 226 and electrical couplers between contacts 220 and a speech processor (410 in FIG. 4).
Electrical contacts 220 can operate as high impedance (megohms) contacts or low impedance (a few ohms to several thousand ohms) contacts. This enables the contacts to output a small (a few microamperes as opposed to a few milliamperes) current. High impedance contacts localize the potentials applied to the patient's primary auditory cortex to approximately a few hundred micrometers. The localization of applied electric charges corresponds to the tonotopic spacing of nerve cell pairs.
Electrode 104 is arranged along a longitudinal direction of auditory cortex 150. However, auditory cortex 150 is located in the transverse temporal gyrus and is buried deep within the Sylvian fissure. Consequently, its location cannot be determined simply by looking at an exposed surface of the brain. Therefore, MRI imaging techniques must be employed to reveal the exact orientation of auditory cortex 150.
A single coronal image of an individual's brain cannot reveal the exact orientation of auditory cortex 150. However, for treatment of tinnitus, a standard coronal MRI provides a fairly good estimate as to the location of the target region, whether or not the target region is the auditory cortex or the thalamus. However, if more precise targeting is desired, a series of two dimensional images must be obtained and a resulting 3-D MRI image constructed. Once such an image is constructed, the digital data making up that image can be transformed to provide a view of the Sylvian fissure. This in turn exposes auditory cortex 150 as a mole-like mound. That is, tissue on top of the digital image can be "peeled off" to expose the sylvian fissure and consequently auditory cortex 150 "pops out" of the image. This process is described in "Three-dimensional In Vivo Mapping of Brain Lesions in Humans", by Hanna Damasio, MD, Randall Frank, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.
FIG. 3A shows a side view of a plane A which intersects a coronal section 310 as well as a view of coronal section 310 with Sylvian fissure 316 exposed. FIGS. 3B and 3C show coronal section 310 before and after tissue is digitally "peeled off" to expose auditory cortex 150. One or more resulting mounds 320 is revealed in FIG. 3C and this mound corresponds to auditory cortex 150 of FIG. 1B. Mound 320 does not appear until after tissue on the underside of Sylvian fissure 316 is reconstructed to provide the 3-D image. Once the exact location and orientation of mound 320 and consequently auditory cortex 150 have been determined using these 3-D MRI image processing techniques, electrode 104 can be accurately inserted into auditory cortex 150.
FIG. 4 shows electrode 200 just prior to insertion into auditory cortex 150. In addition, FIG. 4 shows stimulation device 410 coupled to wires 238 via cable 414. Stimulation device 410 is a chronic electrical stimulation device. This stimulator device is well tested and widely available. Examples include chronic epidural stimulators made by Medtronics used for chronic back and leg pain and deep brain stimulators, as well as nearly all types of cochlear implants.
The above electrical implantation technique for tinnitus is quick and safe, e.g., over 100 auditory cortex region electrode implantations have been performed in patients being evaluated for medically intractable seizures as reported by a French epilepsy surgery group. In addition, since electrode 104 is placed in the exact site of presumed abnormal neuronal electrical activity, it is much more effective in disrupting or altering abnormal neuronal electrical activity, thereby eliminating tinnitus. Moreover, preliminary testing has shown that placement of electrode 104 within the central auditory system causes patients to perceive sounds, and this will likely be the case even in patients who are deaf from causes refractory to cochlear implantation. Also, stimulation in the auditory cortex does not impair hearing in tinnitus patients who do have good hearing.
FIG. 5 shows an electrode 510 which includes two longitudinal supports 226a and 226b according to another embodiment of the invention. Although two supports are shown, three or more such supports could be used. Longitudinal support 226a is connected to cable 108a containing wires 232a via connector 112a and longitudinal support 226b is connected to cable 108b containing wires 232b via connector 112b. Cables 108a and 108b are again connected to stimulation device 410 as in FIG. 4.
FIG. 6 shows an electrode 610 according to yet another embodiment of the invention. In particular, FIG. 6 shows longitudinal support rod 226 with first end 606a and second end 606b. End 606a is arranged in the region of auditory cortex 150 with low tones (or high tones as previously discussed) and second end 606b is arranged in the region of auditory cortex 150 with high (or low) tones in a manner similar to first end 206a and second end 206b of FIG. 2B. Here, however, longitudinal support 226 has a sphere 616 which is stopped by a stopping piece 614. This enables the physician to insert longitudinal support 226 at a wide range of angles and yet secure electrode 610 once longitudinal support 226 has been inserted.
FIG. 7A shows electrode 610 of FIG. 6 as looking down on the patient's brain surface 704. FIG. 7B shows a closer view of stopping piece 614 with a cup 708 and a lid 714 with a notch 716 for passing leads 232. FIG. 7C corresponds to FIG. 7A with support 226 inserted into surface 704 and sphere 616 resting in cup 708 "(FIG. 7B)". FIG. 7C also shows lid 714 covering sphere 616 with leads 232 extending out of notch 716.
FIG. 8 shows another embodiment of the invention involving drug-infusion into regionally targeted locations within the brain. The alternative drug-infusion treatment strategy relies on the same principal of regionally targeted treatment within the brain, but employs a different effector to eliminate the abnormal neural activity causing tinnitus. Namely, a small drug infusion catheter 801 is stereotaxically placed into either the auditory cortex or thalamus (MGN) and microinfusions of various drugs that block abnormal neural activity are infused into the targeted locations.
Referring in more detail to FIG. 8, a drug infusion catheter-recording device 800 is connected to an injectable (rechargeable) drug reservoir-pump 804 via connector 803 which is secured with sutures widely used in neurosurgery. Pump 804 is secured to the patient's skull 808 under the scalp and is not exposed to the external environment. Pump 804 has a valve 824 which can be accessed externally so that additional drugs can be injected via a syringe (not shown) without reopening the patient's scalp. Catheter 801 has multiple ports 814 from which the drugs are microinfused into the targeted brain regions.
FIG. 9 shows a closer view of catheter 801 with ports or openings 814. Catheter 801 can be made, for example, of silastic such as the catheters sold by Radionics, Codman, and Medtronics. Catheter 801 need not have a circular cross-section 817 and instead can be flat, elliptical or any other shape which facilitates broader diffusion of the drug. Catheter 801 can include a small embedded recording-stimulating electrode 819 which can be connected to stimulation device 410 so that cathether 801 can be properly positioned. Electrophysiologic recording data from this special catheter electrode will provide physiologic confirmation of proper catheter position in auditory cortex. The diameters of ports (or openings) 814 can be approximately between 10 micrometers and several millimeters and preferably between approximately 40 micrometers and 1 millimeter. The centers of ports 814 can also be tens of micrometers apart to millimeters apart and the spacing need not be uniform.
Pumps manufactured by Medtronics and Alzet can serve as injectable drug reservoir-pump 804. Examples of drugs that could be infused include anticonvulsants such as Dilantin and inhibitory neurotransmitters such as GABA and local anesthetics such as lidocaine. In high enough concentrations, these compounds should block abnormal neuronal discharges. By delivering the drugs to the specific central nervous system target, significantly higher concentrations of the drug reach their target without exposing non-targeted surrounding tissue, as compared to the concentrations which could be delivered by simply systemically administering the same drug orally or intravenously. Consequently, this strategy should result in marked improvement in efficacy while avoiding toxic side effects.
The precise amount of drug infusion depends on the type of drug but can be determined at the outset of implantation. In particular, catheter 801 is initially inserted into the targeted location in the manner described above. The patient is then asked if there is any noticeable reduction in ringing due to the tinnitus as the amount of drug infusion is manually adjusted. The amount of infusion is that amount which is required to eliminate the ringing. Once the amount is determined, the appropriate chronic infusion pump 804 is connected to catheter 801 and all incisions are closed. Post-operative modifications of infusion rates can be carried out using percutaneous radio control techniques, e.g., Medtronics.
As mentioned above, the alternative drug-infusion treatment strategy relies on the same electrode placement principals as described above with respect to FIGS. 3A-3C. Namely, a series of images must again be obtained and a resulting 3-D MRI image constructed. Once the image is constructed, the digital data making up that image can be transformed to provide a view of the Sylvian fissure. This in turn exposes auditory cortex 150 as a mole-like mound. Again, tissue on top of the digital image can be "peeled off" to expose the Sylvian fissure and consequently auditory cortex 150 "pops out" of the image.
Numerous additional modifications and variations of the present invention are possible in light of the above teachings. It is therefore understood that the invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically claimed.
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A neural prosthetic device for reducing or eliminating the effects of tinnitus is inserted into a tinnitus patient's primary auditory cortex (or thalamus). The prosthetic device includes a stimulation device for outputting processed electrical signals and an electrode arranged in the primary auditory cortex having a plurality of electrical contacts. Each of the plurality of electrical contacts independently outputs electrical discharges in accordance with the electrical signals. In another embodiment, a catheter is inserted into the tinnitus patient's primary auditory cortex or thalamus. The catheter microinfuses drugs which suppress or eliminate abnormal neural activity into disperse geometric locations in the cortex or thalamus, thereby reducing or eliminating the effects of the patient's tinnitus.
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TECHNICAL FIELD
[0001] The disclosure relates to a placing table structure used for a thin film forming apparatus to form a thin film on a subject to be processed, such as a semiconductor wafer.
BACKGROUND ART
[0002] In general, when a semiconductor integrated circuit is manufactured, various heating processes, such as film forming, etching, annealing, modifying and crystallizing process, are repeatedly performed with respect to the subject to be processed, such as the semiconductor wafer, to form a desired integrated circuit. For instance, in the case of a single type film forming apparatus, which forms a film on semiconductor wafers one by one, a placing table equipped with a resistance heater is installed in an evacuable processing container and a semiconductor wafer is loaded on a top surface of the placing table. In this state, a film forming gas is injected into a processing space so that a thin film is formed on the semiconductor wafer under a predetermined process condition.
[0003] Such a thin film can be formed through the thermal decomposition of raw material gas. For instance, the thin film can be formed through a CVD (chemical vapor deposition) process disclosed in, for example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication Nos. 2001-023966 and 2003-007694.
[0004] When the thin film is formed through the above process, the thin film is of course formed on a top surface of the semiconductor wafer. However, since the film forming gas may be introduced into a gap between a back surface of the wafer and the placing table by way of a peripheral portion and a lateral side of the wafer, the thin film may also be formed from the peripheral portion to the entire lateral side of the wafer. In other words, the thin film may be formed on a bevel portion of the wafer to a certain degree as well as a back surface of the peripheral portion of the wafer.
[0005] The thin film unnecessarily deposited on the bevel portion or the back surface of the wafer may be delaminated in the subsequent processes, so the particles are generated or contamination may occur caused by the thin film unnecessarily deposited on the bevel portion or the back surface of the wafer.
[0006] In particular, the critical dimensions of the semiconductor device have recently become finer, so the process conditions tend to be set with high step coverage to ensure the embeddability for various holes or recesses formed in the surface of the wafer. That is, the film forming gas may tend to flow through the bevel portion or the back surface of the wafer, thereby causing the above problems.
[0007] In order to solve the above problems, there is provided a method for preventing the formation of undesired thin films by introducing a purge gas such an inert gas to the peripheral portion of the wafer. However, if the purge gas which is not related to the thin film formation is introduced into the processing space, the thin film may not be formed on a local area of the wafer due to the purge gas, so that thickness uniformity of the thin film may be degraded.
[0008] In particular, a precious metal thin film is recently formed by using metal carbonyl gas as raw material gas to reduce the contact resistance. When the precious metal thin film is formed, the process condition tends to be set with the high step coverage, so it is necessary to solve the above problems to provide the precious metal thin film having high quality.
SUMMARY
[0009] The present invention has been made to solve the above problems occurring the in prior art, and an object of the present invention is to provide a placing table structure capable of preventing formation of a thin film on a bevel portion and a back surface of a subject to be processed while improving the thickness uniformity of the thin film by supplying decomposition restraint gas to a peripheral portion of the subject to be processed, while appropriately restraining the thermal decomposition of the raw material gas, when the thin film is formed by using the raw material gas causing a reversible thermal decomposition reaction.
[0010] According to the present invention, a placing table structure is installed in a processing container to place a subject to be processed thereon when a thin film is formed on the subject in the processing chamber by using a raw material gas causing a reversible thermal decomposition reaction. The placing table structure includes a placing table to place the subject on a placing surface, which is a top surface of the placing table, and a decomposition restraint gas feeding unit installed in the placing table to feed a decomposition restraint gas, which restrains the thermal decomposition of the raw material gas, to a peripheral portion of the subject placed on the placing surface of the placing table.
[0011] According to the present invention, when the thin film is formed by using the raw material gas causing the reversible thermal decomposition reaction, the decomposition restraint gas is fed toward the peripheral portion of the subject to be processed from a decomposition restraint gas feeding unit, so that the thermal decomposition of the raw material gas is restrained. Thus, the thin film can be formed on the top surface of the subject to be processed with a uniform thickness while preventing formation of the thin film on the bevel portion and the back side of the subject to be processed.
[0012] According to the exemplary embodiment of the disclosure, the decomposition restraint gas feeding unit includes a gas discharge port formed along a circumference of the placing table corresponding to the peripheral portion of the subject placed on the placing surface of the placing table, a gas path communicated with the gas discharge port, and a decomposition restraint gas source connected to the gas path to store a decomposition restraint gas.
[0013] In this case, the gas discharge port is preferably communicated with the gas path through an annular diffusion chamber formed in the placing table, along the circumference of the placing table.
[0014] For example, the gas discharge port includes an annular slit formed along the circumference of the placing table.
[0015] Alternatively, the gas discharge port includes a plurality of exhaust holes formed along the circumference of the placing table in a predetermined interval.
[0016] Also, a recess is preferably formed in the placing surface to receive the subject to be processed therein and the recess has a depth corresponding to a thickness of the subject to be processed.
[0017] Also, the placing surface is preferably formed in the circumference thereof with an annular groove to define a gas staying space to temporally stay the decomposition restraint gas.
[0018] Also, the placing table is preferably provided with a ring member having a shape of a thin ring plate and positioned at an outer peripheral portion of the subject to be processed.
[0019] In this case, the ring member is preferably movable up and down and serves as a clamp ring having an inner peripheral portion of the ring member making contact with a top surface of the peripheral portion of the subject to be processed to press the subject.
[0020] Alternatively, the ring member preferably serves as a cover ring to prevent the thin film from being formed on a region where the ring member is disposed.
[0021] Also, the placing table is preferably provided therein with a heating unit to heat the subject to be processed.
[0022] Also, the decomposition restraint gas preferably has a composition identical to a composition of a gas generated through a thermal decomposition reaction of the raw material gas.
[0023] Also, the raw material gas preferably includes a metal carbonyl raw material gas.
[0024] For example, the metal carbonyl raw material gas includes at least one selected from the group consisting of Ru 3 (CO) 12 , W(CO) 6 , Ni(CO) 4 , Mo(CO) 6 , Co 2 (CO) 8 , Rh 4 (CO) 12 , Re 2 (CO) 10 , Cr(CO) 6 , Os 3 (CO) 12 and Ta(CO) 5
[0025] Also, a thin film forming apparatus is provided to form a thin film on a subject to be processed. The thin film forming apparatus includes a processing container having a gas exhaust function, a placing table structure having one of the above features, and a gas feeding unit to feed a raw material gas causing a reversible thermal decomposition reaction to the processing container.
[0026] Alternatively, the present invention provides a method of forming a thin film on a subject to be processed, which is placed on a placing table in a processing container, by using a raw material gas causing a reversible thermal decomposition reaction. The method includes feeding the raw material gas into the processing container and feeding a decomposition restraint gas toward a peripheral portion of the subject to be processed to restrain the thermal decomposition of the raw material gas.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
[0027] FIG. 1 is a cross sectional view showing a thin film forming apparatus employing a placing table structure according to the present invention.
[0028] FIG. 2 is a plan view showing a placing surface of a placing table which is a top surface of the placing table.
[0029] FIG. 3 is a transverse sectional view showing a diffusion chamber of the placing table.
[0030] FIG. 4 is a partially-enlarged sectional view showing a part of the placing table.
[0031] FIG. 5 is a sectional view for explaining an operation of a decomposition restraint gas feeding unit.
[0032] FIG. 6 is a view showing a placing surface formed with a modified gas discharge port.
[0033] FIGS. 7A and 7B are enlarged sectional views showing the placing table including a modified ring member.
[0034] FIG. 8 is a graph showing the thickness of a thin film deposited on a peripheral portion (bevel portion) of a semiconductor wafer.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0035] Hereinafter, the placing table structure according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to accompanying drawings. FIG. 1 is a cross sectional view showing a thin film forming apparatus employing a placing table structure according to the disclosure. FIG. 2 is a plan view showing a placing surface of the placing table which is a top surface of the placing table. FIG. 3 is a transverse sectional view showing a diffusion chamber of the placing table. FIG. 4 is a partially-enlarged sectional view showing a part of the placing table. FIG. 5 is a sectional view for explaining an operation of a decomposition restraint gas feeding unit. In the following description, a Ru layer is formed as an example of a metal thin film by feeding raw material gas, such as metal carbonyl gas (Ru 3 (CO) 12 ), together with carrier gas, such as CO gas.
[0036] As shown in FIG. 2 , a film forming apparatus 2 includes a processing container 4 , which has a substantially circular sectional shape and is made from aluminum or an aluminum alloy. A shower head 6 is provided on the ceiling of processing container 4 to supply a predetermined gas, that is, film forming gas into processing container 4 . In addition, a plurality of gas injection holes 10 are formed at a gas injection surface 8 formed at the bottom surface of shower head 6 , so that the film forming gas is injected into processing space S through gas injection holes 10 .
[0037] A gas diffusion chamber 12 is formed in shower head 6 . The film forming gas introduced into gas diffusion chamber 12 is horizontally diffused and then discharged through gas injection holes 10 communicated with diffusion chamber 12 . Shower head 6 may be formed by using nickel, a nickel alloy, such as HASTELLOY (registered trademark), aluminum or an aluminum alloy. The metal carbonyl gas (Ru 3 (CO) 12 ) is used as the raw material gas to form the thin film. The raw material gas is sublimated and then carried by the carrier gas, such as the CO gas. A seal member 14 , such as an O-ring, is provided at the bonding section between shower head 6 and the upper opening of processing container 4 for the air-tightness of processing container 4 .
[0038] In addition, a loading/unloading opening 16 is formed at the sidewall of processing container 4 to load or unload the subject to be processed, such as a semiconductor wafer W, into or from processing container 4 . A gate valve 18 is installed in loading/unloading opening 16 to open or close loading/unloading opening 16 .
[0039] In addition, an exhaust space 22 is formed in the vicinity of a bottom part 20 of processing container 4 . In detail, an opening 24 having a large size is formed at the center of bottom part 20 of processing container 4 and a cylindrical partition wall 26 having a bottom part 28 may extend downward from opening 24 . Opening 24 and cylindrical partition wall 26 may define exhaust space 22 . In addition, a placing table structure 29 is uprightly installed on bottom part 28 of cylindrical partition wall 26 defining exhaust space 22 such that semiconductor wafer W to be processed can be mounted on placing table structure 29 . In detail, placing table structure 29 may include a hollow cylindrical support 30 and a placing table 32 fixedly bonded to the upper end of hollow cylindrical support 30 . Details of placing table structure 29 , which is the technical feature of the present invention, will be described later.
[0040] Opening 24 of exhaust space 22 has a diameter smaller than the diameter of placing table 32 . Thus, processing gas flowing through the outer peripheral portion of placing table 32 is introduced into the lower portion of placing table 32 and then introduced into opening 24 . Cylindrical partition wall 26 is formed at the lower lateral portion thereof with an exhaust port 34 communicated with exhaust space 22 . Exhaust port 34 is connected to an exhaust system 36 . Exhaust system 36 has an exhaust pipe 38 in which a pressure regulating valve 40 and a vacuum pump 42 are sequentially installed. Therefore, gas is exhausted from processing container 4 and exhaust space 22 , so that the pressure can be adjusted to a predetermined level.
[0041] In addition, as described above, placing table 32 is installed upright at the center of processing container 4 by cylindrical support 30 . For instance, cylindrical support 30 may include a ceramic material, such as aluminum nitride (AlN). In addition, placing table 32 may include a ceramic material, such as aluminum nitride (AlN). A circular recess 44 (see, FIG. 2 ) is formed on a placing surface 43 (see, FIG. 4 ) of placing table 32 . Circular recess 44 has a depth corresponding to the thickness of wafer W and a diameter slightly larger than the diameter of wafer W. Wafer W is received in circular recess 44 .
[0042] As shown in FIG. 4 , a groove 45 having a rectangular sectional shape can be formed at a boundary portion of circular recess 44 by cutting the boundary portion of circular recess 44 . Groove 45 has an annular (ring) shape formed along the circumference of placing table 32 . A gap between groove 45 and the outer peripheral portion of wafer W may serve as a gas stagnation space. For instance, groove 45 has a width of about 4 mm. Thus, the lower surface of the peripheral portion of wafer W narrowly faces an opening of groove 45 . In addition, groove 45 may not be formed and omitted.
[0043] In addition, a heater 46 can be installed in placing table 32 as a heating unit. For instance, heater 46 is buried in placing table 32 in a predetermined pattern shape. In this case, heater 46 can be arranged over a region having a diameter larger than a diameter of a region where semiconductor wafer W is placed. For instance, heater 46 can be arranged over the whole area of the top surface of placing table 32 . Heater 46 is connected to an electric feed bar (not shown) inserted into cylindrical support 30 , and power is applied to heater 46 from an external heat source so that the temperature of heater 46 can be controlled to the desired level. In addition, for instance, heater 46 is electrically divided into an inner zone and an outer zone concentrically surrounding the inner zone in such a manner that the temperature control (power control) can be independently performed for the inner and outer zones.
[0044] In addition, a pin elevating unit 48 is installed on placing table 32 to move up and down wafer W. In detail, a plurality of pin insertion holes 50 , for instance, three pin insertion holes 50 are provided in placing table 32 (only two pin insertion holes are shown in FIG. 1 ). Pin elevating unit 48 includes push pins 52 , which are bent in an L-shape and movably inserted into pin insertion holes 50 .
[0045] Each push pin 52 is supported by a support rod 54 extending perpendicular to push pin 52 (only two push pins are shown in FIG. 1 ). A lower end of each support rod 54 is connected to a push ring 56 having a circular ring shape and made from a ceramic material, such as alumina. Push ring 56 is supported by an upper end of an elevating rod 60 extending through bottom part 20 of processing container 4 . Elevating rod 60 can be moved up and down by an actuator 62 . That is, wafer W is moved up and down by moving elevating rod 60 up and down.
[0046] In addition, a flexible bellows 65 is provided between actuator 62 and a predetermined portion of bottom part 20 of processing container 4 where elevating rod 60 extends. Thus, elevating rod 60 can be moved up and down while keeping air-tightness in processing container 4 .
[0047] A ring member 64 prepared as a thin ring plate is placed on the top surface of placing table 32 adjacent to the outer peripheral portion of wafer W. As shown in FIG. 4 , ring member 64 may serve as a cover ring 66 for preventing the thin film from being deposited on the outer peripheral portion of placing table 32 . In addition, a diameter of an inner peripheral surface of ring member 64 is slightly larger than the diameter of wafer W. Ring member 64 (cover ring 66 ) can be made by using a ceramic material, such as nitride aluminum or alumina (Al 2 O 3 ). In addition, ring member 64 (cover ring 66 ) is fixed to the upper end of each support rod 54 . Therefore, ring member 64 (cover ring 66 ) can move up and down integrally with push pin 52 .
[0048] In addition, a decomposition restraint gas feeding unit 70 , which is the technical feature of the present invention, is installed in placing table 32 to feed decomposition restraint gas for restraining the thermal decomposition of the raw material gas. In detail, as shown in FIGS. 2 to 5 , decomposition restraint gas feeding unit 70 mainly includes a gas discharge port 72 formed along the circumference of placing surface 43 of placing table 32 corresponding to the outer peripheral portion of wafer W, a gas path 74 communicated with gas discharge port 72 , and a restraint gas source 76 for storing the decomposition restraint gas. Restraint gas source 76 is connected to gas path 74 . The decomposition restraint gas includes CO gas having an identical composition to the gas generated when the raw material gas (Ru 3 (CO) 12 ) is thermally decomposed.
[0049] Gas discharge port 72 is open at a part of placing surface 43 , that is, at the bottom surface of groove 45 . In addition, as shown in FIG. 2 , gas discharge port 72 is defined by an annular slit 78 formed along the outer circumferential portion of placing table 32 . For instance, slit 78 has a width of about 1 mm.
[0050] Gas path 74 communicated with gas discharge port 72 may include a main gas path 74 A formed through cylindrical support 30 and branch gas paths 74 B formed in placing table 32 while branching from the upper end of main gas path 74 A. Although three branch gas paths 74 B having the same angle are shown in FIG. 3 , the number of branch gas paths 74 B may not be limited to this number. In addition, a diffusion chamber 80 is formed at an immediate below of gas discharge port 72 along the outer peripheral portion of placing table 32 . The front end of each branch gas path 74 B is communicated with diffusion chamber 80 .
[0051] Thus, gas discharge port 72 is communicated with each branch gas path 74 B through diffusion chamber 80 . Accordingly, the CO gas, which is the decomposition restraint gas flowing into branch gas paths 74 B, may be diffused along the outer peripheral portion of placing table 32 in diffusion chamber 80 so that the CO gas can be uniformly discharged through gas discharge port 72 .
[0052] At this time, the discharged gas from gas discharge port 72 may be directed to the outer peripheral portion of wafer W. Therefore, the thin film may not be deposited on the outer peripheral portion of wafer W due to the decomposition restraint gas. Main gas path 74 A is wider than branch gas path 74 B. A flow rate controller 82 , such as a mass flow controller, is installed in main gas path 74 A, and opening/closing valves 84 are provided at both sides of main gas path 74 A.
[0053] In order to control the operation of thin film forming apparatus 2 , a control unit 86 including a computer may be provided. Control unit 86 controls the start and the end of gas feeding, the flow rate of gas, the process pressure, and the temperature of wafer W. Control unit 86 has a storage medium 88 for storing computer program to perform the control operation as described above. Storage medium 88 may include a flexible disc, a compact disc (CD), a CD-ROM, a hard disc, a flash memory or a DVD.
[0054] Hereinafter, the operation of film forming apparatus 2 having the above structure will be described.
[0055] First, semiconductor wafer W to be processed is loaded into processing container 4 through gate valve 18 and loading/unloading opening 16 by a transfer arm (not shown). Then, wafer W is transferred to push pin 52 , which has been moved up together with ring member 64 of pin elevating unit 48 . After that, as push pin 52 is moved down, wafer W is placed on placing surface 43 , which is the top surface of placing table 32 .
[0056] In this manner, if wafer W has been placed on placing table 32 , a predetermined gas, for instance, the raw material gas for the thin film is supplied into processing space S from shower head 6 . At this time, the flow rate of the raw material gas is controlled. Thus, processing container 4 can be maintained at the predetermined process pressure. For instance, if the Ru layer is formed, the Ru 3 (CO) 12 gas is supplied as the raw material gas together with the CO gas serving as the carrier gas.
[0057] Then, power is applied to the heater installed on the placing table 32 so that wafer W is heated to the predetermined process temperature through placing table 32 . Accordingly, the Ru layer, which is a thin metal layer, is formed on the surface of wafer W through the thermal CVD process under the process conditions of the process pressure of about 13.3 Pa, and the wafer temperature of about 200° C. to about 250° C. In addition, shower head 6 and the sidewall of processing container 4 are also heated by a heater (not shown) to the temperature of about 75° C. to about 80° C.
[0058] In general, when forming the thin film through the above procedure, the raw material gas may be diffused radially outward of processing space S formed above wafer W and then introduced into exhaust space 22 after flowing downward from the outer peripheral portion of placing table 32 . After that, the raw material gas is discharged to exhaust system 36 from exhaust space 22 through exhaust port 34 . At this time, some of the exhaust gas flows into the gap formed between the back surface of wafer W and placing surface 43 by detouring around the peripheral portion (edge portion) of wafer W, so that the thin film may be unnecessarily deposited on the region corresponding to the flowing route of the raw material gas.
[0059] For this reason, according to the conventional thin film forming apparatus of the related art, the thin film is unnecessarily deposited from the outer peripheral portion of wafer W to the entire lateral side of wafer W. Specifically, the thin film is unnecessarily deposited on bevel portion 90 (see, FIGS. 4 and 5 ) or the back surface of wafer W. In particular, if the process condition is set with the high step coverage in order to ensure the embeddability for the various holes and recesses, the thin film may be formed in a fine gap and the formation of the undesired thin film may significantly occur.
[0060] However, according to the present embodiment of the disclosure, decomposition restraint gas feeding unit 70 is installed in placing table structure 29 to feed the decomposition restraint gas, such as the CO gas for restraining the thermal decomposition of the raw material gas, to the outer peripheral portion of wafer W, so that the thermal decomposition of the raw material gas may be restrained at the outer peripheral portion of wafer W, thereby preventing the formation of the undesired thin film on the outer peripheral portion of wafer W.
[0061] Specifically, as shown in FIG. 1 , the CO gas is supplied to main gas path 74 A of gas path 74 from a decomposition restraint gas source 76 . At this time, the flow rate of the CO gas is controlled by a flow rate controller 82 . Then, the CO gas reaches placing table 32 and flows through branch gas paths 74 B.
[0062] Then, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 , the CO gas is introduced into diffusion chamber 80 formed below the peripheral portion of wafer W. The CO gas is diffused in diffusion chamber 80 along the outer peripheral portion of placing table 32 and is discharged upward through annular slit 78 of gas discharge port 72 . Thus, the CO gas is discharged toward the peripheral portion of the wafer W as indicated by an arrow 92 (see, FIG. 5 ). Thus, as mentioned above, the thermal decomposition of the raw material gas may be restrained, so that the thin film may not be deposited on bevel portion 90 or the back surface of the peripheral portion of wafer W.
[0063] In particular, since annular groove 45 is formed in placing table 32 corresponding to the peripheral portion of wafer W, as shown in FIG. 5 , if wafer W is placed on placing surface 43 , gas staying space 94 is formed between groove 45 and the outer peripheral portion of wafer W, and the CO gas discharged from gas discharge port 72 may be temporally stored in gas staying space 94 . Therefore, the density of CO may be increased in the vicinity of gas staying space 94 , so that the formation of the undesired thin film can be effectively prevented.
[0064] Hereinafter, the decomposition restraining mechanism by the CO gas of the Ru 3 (CO) 12 gas, which is the raw material gas, will be explained. The Ru 3 (CO) 12 gas performs the reversible thermal decomposition reaction according to the following chemical formula.
[0000] Ru 3 (CO) 12 Ru 3 (CO) 12 ↑
[0000] Ru 3 (CO) 12 ↑ Ru 3 (CO) 12-x |+XCO↑
[0000] Ru 3 (CO) 12-x ↑+Q→3Ru+(12-X)CO↑
[0000] Ru 3 (CO) 12 ↑+Q→3Ru+12CO↑
[0000] In the above chemical formula, “ ” represents a reversible reaction, “↑” represents a gas phase, and the elements having no “↑” represent a solid phase. “Q” represents applying calorie.
[0065] As can be understood from the above chemical formula, according to the second chemical formula, the Ru 3 (CO) 12 gas and the CO gas are reversibly generated through the thermal decomposition reaction. Thus, if the CO gas is supplied from the outside, the forward reaction (→) is restrained and the reverse reaction (←) is performed. As a result, the thermal decomposition of the Ru 3 (CO) 12 gas is restrained so that the formation of the undesired thin film may be restrained. The thermal deposition reaction may include the forward reaction and the reverse reaction, and the thermal decomposition may refer to the forward reaction.
[0066] Since the CO gas, which is the decomposition restraint gas, is an identical gas to the composition of gas generated when the raw material gas is thermally decomposed, the CO gas may not exert great influence upon the formation of the thin film, which is different from the related art using Ar gas as purge gas. Thus, the thickness uniformity of the thin film formed on the top surface of wafer W may not be degraded, but may be improved.
Modification of Gas Discharge Port 72
[0067] According to the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2 , annular slot 78 is formed as gas discharge port 72 , but the present invention is not limited thereto. For instance, the gas discharge port can be configured as shown in FIG. 6 . FIG. 6 is a view showing the placing surface formed with the modified gas discharge port. In the following description, details of the elements and structures that have been described with reference to FIG. 2 will be omitted in order to avoid redundancy and the same reference numerals will be designated to the same elements. Referring to FIG. 6 , a plurality of discharge holes 96 are formed along the circumference of placing table 32 .
[0068] The interval between discharge holes 96 is about 21 mm if exhaust hole 96 has a diameter of 1 mm, and about 31 mm if discharge hole 96 has a diameter of 1.2 mm. Preferably, discharge holes 96 have the same pitch. In this case, the CO gas can be uniformly discharged through discharge holes 96 . The effect obtained from the previous embodiment can be achieved in the embodiment shown in FIG. 6 .
Modification of Ring Member 64
[0069] According to the embodiments described above, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 , the inner peripheral portion of ring member 64 is slightly spaced apart from the edge portion of wafer W in the horizontal direction, but the disclosure is not limited thereto. FIGS. 7A and 7B are enlarged sectional views showing the placing table including the modified ring member. In the following description, details of the elements and structures that have been described with reference to FIGS. 4 and 5 will be omitted in order to avoid redundancy and the same reference numerals will be designated to the same elements.
[0070] Referring to FIG. 7A , the inner peripheral portion of cover ring 66 serving as ring member 64 may extend inward so that cover ring 66 overlaps with an edge portion of wafer W in the vertical direction by a predetermined length L 1 . That is, cover ring 66 is located above wafer W without making contact with wafer W.
[0071] In this case, an upper portion of gas staying space 94 defined by the outer peripheral surface of bevel portion (edge portion) 90 of wafer W and groove 45 are covered with the inner peripheral portion of cover ring 66 . As a result, the CO gas can stay in gas staying space 94 for a long time, so that the formation of the undesired thin film on bevel portion 90 can be effectively prevented.
[0072] Referring to FIG. 7B , ring member 64 serving as cover ring 66 may be located slightly lower than ring member 64 shown in FIG. 7A , and the inner peripheral portion of ring member 64 extends inward to serve as a clamp ring 98 . In detail, a bottom surface of the inner peripheral portion of clamp ring 98 makes contact with the top surface of the edge portion of wafer W so that the top surface of the edge portion of wafer W may be pressed against placing table 32 . To this end, preferably, a taper surface 100 is formed at the inner peripheral portion of clamp ring 98 .
[0073] In this case, the upper portion of gas staying space 94 defined by the outer peripheral surface of bevel portion (edge portion) 90 of wafer W and groove 45 are substantially covered (sealed) with the inner peripheral portion of clamp ring 98 . As a result, the CO gas can stay in gas staying space 94 for a relatively long time as compared with the case shown in FIG. 7A , so that the formation of the undesired thin film on bevel portion 90 can be effectively prevented.
Evaluation Test for the Invention
[0074] Hereinafter, the evaluation test performed with respect to the placing structure of the present invention will be described. FIG. 8 is a graph showing thickness of the thin film deposited on the peripheral portion (bevel portion) of the semiconductor wafer. The Ru layer is formed by using the placing table structure shown in FIG. 4 under the process conditions as follows: the temperature of the placing table 32 is 215° C., the flow rate of the carrier gas (CO gas) is 100 sccm, the flow rates of the decomposition restraint gas (CO gas) supplied to the peripheral portion of the wafer are three kinds of 0 sccm, 10 sccm and 100 sccm, thin film forming time is 90 sec, and the diameter of the wafer is 300 mm.
[0075] Referring to the graph shown in FIG. 8 , in the X-axis (position of the peripheral portion of the wafer), the center of the thickness at the peripheral portion of the wafer is represented as 0, the front side from the center is represented with “+” and the back side from the center is represented with “-”. The position of the wafer is schematically shown in FIG. 8 . In addition, in the Y-axis (thickness of relative thin film), the thickness of the relative thin film of the Ru layer is represented in an arbitrary unit (a.u.) and the XRF (X-ray fluorescence) is used to measure the thickness of relative thin film.
[0076] As shown in FIG. 8 , when the flow rate of the decomposition restraint gas (CO gas) is supplied to the peripheral portion of the wafer is 10 sccm, the thickness profile is substantially identical to the thickness profile when the flow rate of the decomposition restraint gas is 0 sccm, and the thickness curves are substantially overlapped with each other. That is, the formation of the undesired Ru layer may be rarely prevented.
[0077] In contrast, if the flow rate of the decomposition restraint gas is 100 sccm, as indicated by an arrow 110 , the formation of the undesired Ru layer is significantly reduced on the peripheral portion of the wafer. In detail, the thickness is reduced by 0.05 [a.u.] at the front side (+) of the peripheral portion of the wafer, and the thickness is reduced by 0.2 [a.u.] in maximum at the back side (−) of the peripheral portion of the wafer. That is, the formation of the undesired Ru layer may be effectively prevented. Therefore, when the flow rate of the decomposition restraint gas is about 1.06 sccm/cm [=100 sccm/(30 cam×π)], the effect of the present invention appears to be exhibited.
Raw Material Gas
[0078] Although the Ru 3 (CO) 12 gas, which is a material for metal carbonyl, is used as the raw material gas in the above embodiments, the disclosure is not limited thereto. The metal carbonyl raw material gas may include at least one of the elements selected from the group consisting of Ru 3 (CO) 12 , W(CO) 6 , Ni(CO) 4 , Mo(CO) 6 , Co 2 (CO) 8 , Rh 4 (CO) 12 , Re 2 (CO) 10 , Cr(CO) 6 , Os 3 (CO) 12 and Ta(CO) 5 .
Subject to be Processed
[0079] In addition, although the semiconductor wafer is used as the subject to be processed in the above embodiments, the semiconductor wafer may include a silicon substrate or a compound semiconductor substrate such as GaAs, SiC or GaN. Furthermore, the present invention is not limited to the above substrates, but may be applied to a substrate such as a glass substrate or ceramic substrate.
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Provided is a placing table structure which is disposed in a processing container and has a subject to be processed thereon so as to form a thin film on the subject in the processing container by using raw material gas which generates thermal decomposition reaction having reversibility. The placing table structure is provided with a placing table for placing the subject to be processed on a placing surface, i.e., an upper surface of the placing table structure, and a decomposition restraint gas supply means which is arranged in the placing table for the purpose of supplying decomposition restraint gas, which restraints thermal decomposition of the raw material gas, toward a peripheral section of the subject placed on the placing surface of the placing table.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to new and useful improvements in the production of sand cores and molds for foundry use and more particularly to resin and catalyst compositions used in the manufacture of sand cores and molds.
2. Brief Description of the Prior Art
The preparation of sand cores and molds for use in foundry operations is a well developed art. In the past, a variety of binders have been used for the preparation of sand cores and molds. Most sand cores and molds today are made using various condensation-type organic resins. The condensation-type organic resins are thermosetting resins and are usually acid-curable, at least under some conditions. Phenolic resins, phenolic modified furan resins, furfuryl alcohol-urea-formaldehyde resins, furfuryl alcohol-formaldehyde resins and furfuryl alcohol-urea phenol-formaldehyde resins are typical of the resins that have been used in the preparation of sand cores and molds for foundry use.
The prior art dealing with thermosetting or condensation-type resins discloses a large number of acid catalysts that have been used for effecting a condensation-type polymerization of resin precursors or monomers. It has been found, however, that all of the acids which are capable of effecting condensation-type polymerization are not equally effective in the preparation of resin-bound sand cores or molds. In fact, many of the acids which are disclosed to be satisfactory catalysts for the curing of condensation-type resins are inoperative to produce satisfactory resin-bound sand cores or molds.
Catalysts which have been used in acid catalysis or acid curing of condensation-type resins include mineral acids such as sulfuric acid, hydrochloric acid, nitric acid, phosphoric acid, etc., simple organic acids such as formic acid, acetic acid, trichloroacetic acid, trifuluoroacetic acid, etc., and strong organic acids such as the aromatic sulfonic acids, viz. benzene sulfonic acid, toluene sulfonic acid, zylene sulfonic acid, etc.
In the preparation of sand cores and molds, the various mineral acids and the simple organic acids have proved unsatisfactory for a variety of reasons. The aromatic sulfonic acids have produced satisfactory sand cores or molds but usually require a rather substantial setting or curing time. The sulfonic acids also have the disadvantage that there is a substantial evolution of aromatic hydrocarbons in the emissions from metal casting operations using sand cores or molds where the aromatic sulfonic acids have been used as catalyst for the resin binders. Accordingly, there has been a substantial need for acid catalyst or curing agents for catalysis or curing of condensation-type resin binders for sand cores or molds which will cure in a shorter period of time than the sulfonic acids without substantial reduction in strength or hardness of the sand cores or molds produced using such resins.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
One of the objects of this invention is to provide a new and improved method of producing sand cores and molds of relatively high strength in a shorter time period.
Another object of this invention is to produce improved sand cores and molds which are characterized by low emissions of volatile oxidizable organic compounds.
Another object of this invention is to provide new and improved molding compositions for the production of sand cores and molds.
Still another object of this invention is to provide new and improved methods for the production of molding compositions for use in the manufacture of sand cores and molds.
Still another object of this invention is to provide new and improved molding compositions utilizing improved acid catalysts.
Still another object of this invention is to provide new and improved acid catalysts for use in condensation polymerization of resins used in the production of sand cores or molds.
Still another object of this invention is to provide new and improved catalyst compositions containing aromatic sulfonic acids and perchloric acid and characterized by rapid cure in the polymerization of acid-curing condensation-type resins and further characterized by the production of resins having low volatile organic compound emissions when used in sand cores and molds.
Other objects of this invention will become apparent from time to time throughout the specification and claims as hereinafter related.
The above-stated objects are obtained by the formulation of catalyst compositions comprising a mixture of aromatic sulfonic acids, such as benzene sulfonic acid, toluene sulfonic acid, xylene sulfonic acid, etc, and 0.5-20% perchloric acid and the utilization of such catalyst in the curing or polymerization of condensation-type resins used in the production of sand cores or molds. Acid catalysts of this composition are characterized by producing a higher rate of cure without substantial reduction in hardness of sand cores or molds produced by admixture of condensation-type resins with sand and polymerization by admixture with an acid catalyst.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
In understanding this invention, it is necessary to distinguish in the technical literature, viz. patent literature, technical publications, trade technical literature, etc., between thermal polymerization, acid curing or acid catalysis of resins, preparation of resins containing inert fillers, and preparation of sand cores or molds in which the resin is merely a binder.
Thermosetting resins or condensation-type resins have been known for more than 90 years. These resins include phenol-formaldehyde resins, urea-formaldehyde resins, furan resins, etc. These resins can be polymerized by application of heat and pressure. These resins can also be polymerized by acid curing or acid catalysis under certaian conditions. Condensation-type resins have been used in combination with inert fillers of various types wherein the fillers are used in amounts about equal to the amount of resin. Such compositions have been used in the manufacture of molded plastic products and such resin compositions have also been used as cements or binders for cementing floor tiles or joints or the like. In the manufacture of sand cores or molds, condensation-type resins have been used as binders to secure the sand particles together. In such applications, the resins have been used in a relatively small proportion in relation to the sand. Usually, only about 0.75-2.0% of the resin will be used calculated on the weight of the sand. The resin is therefore functioning strictly as a binder for the sand particles as distinquished from resin compositions wherein the inert material is a filler.
In the preparation of sand cores or molds, sand is mixed first with an acid catalyst and then with a condensation-type resin and allowed to cure. The acid must be added to the sand. The addition of the acid to the resin, at the high concentrations used, results in an extremely violent reaction.
The condensation-type resins used have been the furan resins, phenolic resins, urea-formaldehyde resins, phenolic modified furan resins, furfuryl alcohol-formaldehyde resins, etc. The furan resins have been used extensively in the manufacture of sand cores and molds and can be cured or catalyzed by a variety of acids including phosphoric acid and various aromatic sulfonic acids, sulfamic acid, etc. Phenolic resins are substantially less expensive than the furan resins and have achieved a substantial degree of commercial acceptance. The phenolic resins, however, have a relatively long curing time and are not cured by all of the acids that are used in the curing of furan resins for sand core or sand mold production. Similar problems are encountered in the acid curing of phenolic modified resins, furfuryl alcohol-urea-formaldehyde resins, furfuryl alcohol-formaldehyde resins and furfuryl-urea-formaldehyde-phenol resins.
In Examples I-V, below, there are disclosed typical examples of the use of various acids in curing phenolic resins in the preparation of sand cores or molds (or attempts to prepare sand cores or molds).
EXAMPLE I
A foundry grade sand is mixed with 40% sulfuric acid (1.0 N), calculated on the resin binder, as catalyst. The mixture is thoroughly mixed with a low viscosity, liquid phenol-formaldehyde resole resin in a concentration of 1.25% resin based on the sand. The sand/resin/catalyst mix is then formed into test biscuits and allowed to cure at a temperature of 75-80 degrees Fahrenheit. After 2 hours, the biscuits are not cured sufficiently to pick up without breaking. Similar results are obtained when attempts are made to form the sand/resin mix into sand cores or molds. When the concentration of sulfuric acid is increased to 60% wt., based on the resin, on the sand there is no appreciable improvement in curing of the resin cores.
EXAMPLE II
A foundry grade sand is mixed with 50% wt. hydrochloric acid (1.0 N), calculated on the resin binder, as catalyst. The mixture is thoroughly mixed with a low viscosity, liquid phenol-formaldehyde resole resin at a concentration of 1.25% resin based on the sand. The sand/resin/catalyst mix is then formed into test biscuits and allowed to cure at a temperature of 80 degrees Fahrenheit. After 2 hours, the biscuits are not cured sufficiently to pick up without breaking. Similar results are obtained when attempts are made to form the sand/resin mix into sand cores or molds. After a longer curing period, very weak sand cores are produced. When the concentration of hydrochloric acid on the sand is increased to 60% wt., based on the resin, there is no appreciable improvement in the curing of the resin. It has also been noted that resins cured with hydrochloric acid tend to evolve noxious fumes when heated, thus resulting in a serious environmental hazard.
EXAMPLE III
A foundry grade sand is mixed with 50% wt. phosphoric acid (1.0 N), calculated on the resin binder, as catalyst. The mixture is then mixed with a low viscosity liquid phenol-formaldehyde resole resin at a concentration of 1.25% resin based on the sand. The sand/resin/catalyst mix is then formed into test biscuits and then allowed to cure at a temperature of 80 degrees Fahrenheit. After 2 hours, the biscuits are not cured sufficiently to pick up without breaking. Similar results are obtained when attempts are made to form the resin/sand mix into sand cores or molds. When concentrated phosphoric acid is substituted as catalyst, there is a slight improvement in curing of the resin but a satisfactory cure is not obtained in less than 2 hours.
EXAMPLE IV
A foundry grade sand is mixed with 40% wt. nitric acid (1.0 N), calculated on the resin binder, as catalyst. The mixture is thoroughly mixed with a low viscosity, liquid phenol-formaldehyde resole resin at a concentration of 1.25% resin based on the sand. The sand/resin/catalyst mix is then formed into test biscuits and allowed to cure at a temperature of 80 degrees Fahrenheit. After 2 hours, the biscuits are not cured sufficiently to handle without breaking. Similar results are obtained when the sand/resin/catalyst mix is formed into sand cores or nolds. When the concentration of the nitric acid catalyst is increased to 60% wt., based on the resin, or when the concentration of nitric acid used is increased substantially, there is no appreciable improvement in the curing of the resin. The resin can be cured at a more elevated temperature but there is a strong tendency to evolve noxious fumes. When nitric acid catalyst is stored for long periods, there is a substantial evolution of nitrogen dioxide during use. The evolution of nitrogen dioxide is unacceptable environmentally.
EXAMPLE V
A foundry grade sand with 40-60% toluene sulfonic acid catalyst, calculated on resin binder. The catalyst consisted of 67% toluene sulfonic acid, 20% methanol and 13% water and mixes easily with the sand and resin.
The sand/catalyst mixture was then mixed with a liquid phenol-formaldehyde resole resin at a concentration of 1.25% resin based on the sand. The sand/resin/catalyst mix was then formed into test biscuits and allowed to cure at a temperature of 80 degrees Farenheit. After a curing period of 45-60 minutes, the test biscuits were set sufficiently to be handled without breaking. The test biscuits were tested after 2 hours, according to standard foundry procedures, for tensile strength of 180-200 psi and core hardness of 70-80, both of which are within acceptable limits for sand core and mold manufacture.
PREPARATION OF SAND CORES AND MOLDS WITH IMPROVED CATALYST COMPOSITIONS
The following examples disclose the preparation of improved catalyst compositions comprising aromatic sulfonic acids admixed with 0.5-20% perchloric acid. These examples illustrate the preparation of improved catalysts containing perchloric acid and the use of such catalysts in the acid curing of resins used in the preparation of sand cores and molds. The resins which benefit particularly from acid catalysts of this type include phenolformaldehyde resins, phenolic modified furan resins, furfuryl alcohol-urea-formaldehyde resins, furfuryl alcohol-formaldehyde resins and furfuryl alcohol-urea-formaldehyde-phenol resins. It is also noted that the use of perchloric acid-containing acid catalysts in the preparation of sand cores and molds has the further advantage of reducing pour off emissions when the sand cores and molds are used in foundry operations. At ambient temperatures and even at slightly elevated temperatures, perchloric acid is a non-oxidizing acid. At higher temperatures, perchloric acid becomes a very efficient oxidizer. When a casting is poured into or around a mold or core which has been prepared using a perchloric acid-containing catalyst, the perchloric acid in the polymerized resin acts as an oxidizer to oxidize volatile organic compounds in the emissions from the foundry operation. The oxidization of these emissions results in a substantial reduction in the environmentally objectable emissions.
EXAMPLE VI
A foundry grade sand was mixed with 55% wt., based on the resin binder, of a catalyst consistly of 67% toluene sulfonic acid modified by admixture therewith of 10% perchloric acid (70% concentration).
The sand/catalyst mixture was then mixed with a low viscosity liquid phenol-formaldehyde resole resin at a concentration of 1.25% resin based on the sand. The sand/resin/catalyst mix was then formed into test biscuits and allowed to cure at a temperature of 81 degrees Farenheit. After a curing period of 19 minutes, the test biscuits were set sufficiently to be handled without breaking. The test biscuits were tested after 2 hours, accordingly to standard foundry procedures for tensile strength and hardness. These test biscuits had tensile strengths of 178-185 psi and core hardness of 69-78, both of which are within acceptable limits for sand core and mold manufacture.
A control was run using a resin/sand/catalyst mixture of the same composition and at the same curing temperature but using a 67% toluene sulfonic acid catalyst without addition of perchloric acid. Under these conditions and using this cataylst, a curing time of 30 minutes was required to produce test biscuits having a tensile strength and hardness as great as that produced in 19 minutes using the perchloric acid-containing catalyst.
EXAMPLE VII
In the preparation of sand cores and molds using phenolic resins which are cataylzed by aromatic sulfonic acids, it is well known that the various aromatic sulfonic acids are not exactly equivalent to each other in operation. For example, benzene sulfonic acid is a much faster catalyst than toluene sulfonic acid. It is necessary to run toluene sulfonic acid at a substantially higher concentration to produce a cure in as short a time as can be obtained with a benzene sulfonic acid catalyst, however, is that these catalysts result in the evolution of benzene which is a toxic and environmentally unacceptable emission when the sand cores or molds are used in foundry operation. In this example, it is shown that a toluene sulfonic acid catalyst, modified by addition of perchloric acid, produces results equivalent to those obtained by the much stronger benzene sulfonic acid catalyst at the same catalyst concentration.
A foundry grade sand was mixed with 40% of a perchloric acid-containing toluene sulfonic acid catalyst. The catalyst composition consisted of 67% toluene sulfonic acid to which 10% perchloric acid (70% concentration) had been added. The catalyst mixed easily with sand and resin.
The sand/catalyst mixture was then mixed with a low viscosity liquid phenol-formaldehyde resole resin at a concentration of 1.25% based on the sand. The sand/resin/catalyst mix was then formed into test biscuits and allowed to cure at temperature of 79 degrees Farenheit. After a curing period of 33 minutes, the test biscuits were sufficiently set to be handled without breaking. The test biscuits were test after 2 hours, according to standard foundry procedures, for tensile strength and hardness. These test biscuits had tensile strengths of 205-245 psi and core hardness of 82-87, both of which are within acceptable limits for sand core and mold manufacture.
A comparative run was done using the same sand/resin composition and a catalyst consisting of benzene sulfonic acid at a 40% concentration based on weight of resin. After curing under the same temperature and same curing time as justed described, the test biscuits obtained had tensile strengths of 200-245 psi and core hardness of 82-86 after 2 hours. From this comparison, it is seen that the modification of the toluene sulfonic acid catalyst by addition of 10% perchloric acid produced an acid catalyst capable of functioning as well as benzene sulfonic acid at a 40% concentration.
EXAMPLE VIII
Sand core test biscuits were prepared following the procedure of Example VII using a liquid phenol-formaldehyde resole resin of a type that is normally cured at a substantially slower rate than the resin used in Example VII. The conditions of preparation were the same as for Example VII except for the substitution of this resin. Under these conditions test speciments were obtained having a tensile strength of 225 psi and core hardness of 82 using the perchloric acid-containing toluene sulfonic acid catalyst and a tensile strength of 230 psi and core hardness of 83 using the benzene sulfonic acid catalyst.
EXAMPLE IX
The procedure of Example VI was repeated and different catalysts used for preparation of tests speciments from reclaimed sand. In one case, the catalyst used was 50% base on weight of resin, toluene sulfonic acid modified by addition of 10% perchloric acid (70% concentration). This was prepared with a catalyst comprising 70% based on weight of resin, of a mixture of benzene sulfonic acid and toluene sulfonic acid. Under the same conditions of temperature and reaction time and at a catalyst weight concentration of 50%, the test specimens obtained were substantially equal in tensile strength and core hardness.
EXAMPLE X
A foundry grade sand was mixed with 40% of a perchloric-containing sulfonic acid catalyst. The catalyst consisted of 36% toluene sulfonic acid modified by addition of 15% perchloric acid (70% concentration). This catalyst composition mixed easily with the resin.
The sand/catalyst mixture was then mixed with a low viscosity liquid phenolic modified furan resin at a concentration of 1.25% resin based on the sand. The sand/resin/catalyst mix was then formed into test biscuits and allowed to cure at a temperature of 78 degrees Farenheit. After curing for a period of 28 minutes, the test biscuits were set sufficiently to be handled without breaking. The test biscuits were tested after 2 hours, according to standard foundry procedures, for tensile strength and hardness. These test biscuits had tensile strength of 150 psi and core hardness of 83.
A comparative run was made using the same resin admixed with a 70% sulfonic acid catalyst (mixture of benzene sulfonic acid and toluene sulfonic acid) as used in Example IX. Otherwise, the run was the same just reported. The product obtained after the same reaction time had substantially the same tensile strength and core hardness.
EXAMPLE XI
Sand core test specimens were made using a phenolic resin as in Example VI and a catalyst consisting of 67% toluene sulfonic acid modified by addition of 10% perchloric acid (70% concentration). This was compared with a similar catalyst containing 10% sufluric acid (96% conc.) in place of the perchloric acid.
Under the same reaction conditions of temperature 80 degrees Farenheit, and reaction time, 35 minutes, and the same resin concentration (1.25%) and catalyst concentration (40%) the catalyst containing perchloric acid produced test specimens having a tensile strength of 250 psi and core hardness of 79 while the catalyst containing sulfuric acid produced test specimens having a tensile strength of 150 psi and core hardness of 62.
When a similar run was made with a catalyst consisting of toluene sulfonic acid and 20% hydrochloric acid, having same normality as 70% perchloric acid, the reaction time was 20% slower and the test specimens 20% lower in tensile strength than in a control run using the catalyst of Example VI.
When attempts were made to use a toluene sulfonic acid/nitric acid catalyst, the evolution of No. 2 was objectionable.
EXAMPLE XII
In this example a comparison was made in the setting time for a phenolic modified furan resin using a benzene/toluene sulfonic acid catalyst as in Example X and a toluene sulfonic acid catalyst modified by addition of 4% perchloric acid (70% concentration). The catalyst were used at a 30% concentration on the sand based on resin, and the sand/catalyst mix was mixed with resin at a 1.25% resin concentration based on weight of the sand. The setting times for both systems were substantially equal. The hardness and tensile strength of the test specimens were the same.
From these and other experiments, it has been determined that the addition of 0.5-20% perchloric acid (70% concentration), 3-15% perchloric acid is preferred, to catalyst consisting of benzene sulfonic acid, toluene sulfonic acid or xylene sulfonic acid or mixtures thereof produces a much more rapid cure without deleterious effect on the tensile strength and core hardness of sand cores and molds made from phenolic resins and phenolic-modified furan resins. The use of these catalysts is also effective in the curing of furfuryl alcohol-urea-formaldehyde resins, furfuryl alcohol-formaldehyde resins and furfuryl alcohol-urea-phenol-formaldehyde resins.
When sand cores or molds are made from resins cured with the perchloric acid/aromatic sulfonic acid catalyst compositions, the residue of perchloric acid in the polymerized resin is effective at pouring temperatures to oxidize the volatile organic compounds that are emitted and to reduce substantially the amount of objectable emissions.
While this invention has been described fully and completely with special emphasis upon several preferred embodiments it should 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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A method of producing sand cores or molds for foundry use involves coating the sand with a novel acid catalyst composition and adding acid-curing, condensation-type resin.
A novel acid catalyst composition comprises the mixture of a sulfonic acid such as benzene sulfonic acid, toluene sulfonic acid or xylene sulfonic acid, or mixtures thereof, with 0.5-20% wt. perchloric acid. A catalyst of this composition, when admixed with foundry sand and an acid-curing condensation-type resin, is a novel composition characterized by rapid cure and high tensile strength and hardness in the resulting resin-bound sand core or mold. Sand cores or molds made using this catalyst/sand/resin composition are further characterized by low emissions of oxidizable gaseous organic constituents.
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This is a continuation of application Ser. No. 09/131,383 filed Aug. 7, 1998.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
In general, the present invention relates to an inspection method using an electron beam and an inspection apparatus adopting the method. More particularly, the present invention relates to an inspection method using an electron beam suitably for inspecting a pattern such as a circuit on a substrate in a process of fabricating a semiconductor device and an inspection apparatus adopting the method.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
There exists an apparatus for observing a specimen by using an electron beam which is known as a scanning electron microscope referred to hereafter simply as an SEM. In addition, as one of apparatuses for inspecting a semiconductor device, there is known a scanning electron microscope for length measurement referred to as a length measurement SEM. However, while the ordinary SEM and the length measurement SEM are suited for observation of a limited field of vision at a high magnification, they are unsuitable for finding the location of a defect on a wafer. This is because, in order to find the location of a defect on a wafer, it is necessary to search an extremely large area of the wafer or the entire surface of the wafer with a high degree of scrutiny. It takes a very long time to search such an extremely large area by using an ordinary or length measurement SEM because the current of the electron beam thereof is small, resulting in a slow scanning speed. As a result, if such SEMs are used in a process to fabricate a semiconductor device, the time it takes to complete the processing steps becomes very long, making the SEMs apparatuses of no practical use.
As an apparatus used for solving the problems described above, there is known an inspection apparatus using an electron beam for detecting a defect on a wafer by comparison of pictures. The apparatus is characterized in that: a large current electron beam is used; a specimen stage is continuously moved while the electron beam is being radiated to a specimen; a high acceleration voltage is used to accelerate the electron beam generated by an electron source; a retarding voltage is applied to the specimen to reduce the speed of the electron beam so as to prevent the specimen from being electrically-charged; and charged particles emanating from the specimen due to the radiation of the electron beam are detected after passing through an objective lens in a so-called TTL (through the lens) system.
As a result, the apparatus described above allows a mask or a pattern on a wafer serving as a specimen to be inspected for a defect with a higher degree of efficiency than the conventional SEM. It should be noted that this related technology is disclosed in documents such as Japanese Patent Laid-open No. Hei 5-258703.
With the TTL system whereby charged particles emanating from a specimen are detected after passing through an objective lens, the distance from the specimen to the objective lens can be shortened. As a result, the objective lens can be used at a short focal distance, allowing the amount of aberration of the electron beam to be reduced and, hence, a high-resolution picture to be obtained. On the other hand, the TTL system brings about unnegligible problems such as a hindrance to the improvement of the scanning speed and a big rotation change of the electron beam accompanying a variation in specimen height, causing a resulting picture to rotate as well.
FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a relation between the retarding voltage and the efficiency of detection of secondary electrons. Curve ( 2 ) shows a relation for the TTL system. As shown by curve ( 2 ), the TTL system has a problem that, as the retarding voltage is reduced, the efficiency of detection of secondary electrons also decreases to such a small value that the problem caused by a low detection efficiency can not be ignored anymore. Secondary electrons emanating from a specimen converge after passing through a magnetic field of an objective lens. The position of convergence in the axial direction changes when the retarding voltage is modified due to a variation in electron beam radiation energy. This phenomenon is the main reason why the efficiency of detection of secondary electrons decreases.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is thus a first object of the present invention to provide an inspection method capable of increasing the speed of scanning a specimen using an electron beam and an inspection system adopting the method.
It is a second object of the present invention to provide an inspection method using an electron beam resulting in a small picture rotation and an inspection system adopting the method.
It is a third object of the present invention to provide an inspection method using an electron beam resulting in a small change in efficiency of detection of charged particles and an inspection system adopting the method.
In a configuration of the present invention, an electron beam generated by an electron source is converged on a specimen by means of an objective lens; the specimen is scanned by using the electron beam; and charged particles emanating from the specimen due to the scanning operation are detected by means of a charged particle detector provided between the specimen and the objective lens.
In another configuration of the present invention, an electron beam generated by an electron source is converged so as to generate a crossover and the electron beam is converged on a specimen by means of an objective lens provided between the crossover and the specimen; the specimen is scanned by using the electron beam; and charged particles emanating from the specimen due to the scanning operation are detected by means of a charged particle detector provided between the specimen and the objective lens.
In still another configuration of the present invention, an electron beam generated by an electron source is converged so as to generate a crossover while the electron beam is being converged on a specimen by means of an objective lens provided between the crossover and the specimen; the specimen is scanned by using the electron beam while the specimen is being moved continuously; and charged particles emanating from the specimen due to the scanning operation are detected by means of a charged particle detector provided between the specimen and the objective lens.
Then, charged particles detected by the charged particle detector are converted into an electrical signal conveying picture information and pictures are compared with each other on the basis of the picture information in order to detect a defect.
The comparison of pictures to detect a defect as described above includes comparison of a picture of an area on a specimen with a picture of another area on the same specimen and comparison of a picture of a an area on a specimen with a reference picture provided in advance.
According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, a voltage for decelerating an electron beam is applied to a specimen. The voltage works as an acceleration voltage for charged particles emanating from the specimen, causing the charged particles to tend to form parallel beams.
According to another preferred embodiment of the present invention, charged particles emanating from the specimen are deflected by a deflection electric field and a deflection magnetic field which are substantially orthogonal to each other in the same direction. The amount of deflection of an electron beam radiated to a specimen by the deflection electric field and the amount of deflection of the electron beam by the deflection magnetic field are substantially equal to each other in magnitude but have mutually opposite directions so that one of the deflections cancels the other. As a result, a disturbance to deflection of an electron beam, that is radiated to the specimen, caused by the deflection electric field and the deflection magnetic field does not substantially exist.
According to still another preferred embodiment of the present invention, since charged particles are detected without passing through an objective lens, unlike the TTL system, even if a retarding voltage is reduced, the efficiency of detection of secondary electrons does not decrease and, in addition, the rotation of a picture can be made small.
According to a further preferred embodiment of the present invention, secondary electrons of charged particles emanating from a specimen are radiated to a conductive secondary-electron generating substance for further generating secondary electrons to be detected by a charged particle detector.
According to a still further preferred embodiment of the present invention, an electron beam is put in a blanked state with a crossover of the electron beam serving as a fulcrum. If the electron beam is parallel beams with no crossover, the position of radiation of the blanked electron beam on a specimen changes, giving rise to a problem that an area adjacent to a radiation area is electrically charged inadvertently. In the case of this embodiment, however, since the electron beam is put in a blanked state with a crossover thereof serving as a fulcrum, the position of radiation of the electron beam on the specimen does not change, allowing the problem to be solved.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
An embodiment of the present invention will be described by referring to the following diagrams wherein:
FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view showing the configuration of an inspection system using an electron beam as implemented by an embodiment of the present invention in a simple and plain manner;
FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a flow of a general process of fabricating a semiconductor device;
FIGS. 3 ( a ) and 3 ( b ) are diagrams each showing an example of a picture obtained as a result of observation of a circuit pattern on a semiconductor wafer by means of an SEM in a process of fabrication of a semiconductor device;
FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing a procedure for inspecting a circuit pattern created on a semiconductor wafer;
FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a plan view of a wafer seen from a position above the wafer;
FIG. 6 is an enlarged diagram showing a portion of the wafer shown in FIG. 5;
FIGS. 7 ( a ) and 7 ( b ) are conceptual diagrams showing a blanked state of an electron beam;
FIG. 8 is an enlarged diagram similar to FIG. 6 showing a portion of the wafer shown in FIG. 5;
FIGS. 9 ( a ) to 9 ( c ) are diagrams showing pictures to be compared with each other and a result of the comparison;
FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a relation between the picture acquisition time per cm 2 and the measurement time per pixel;
FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a relation between the picture acquisition time per cm 2 and the current of an electron beam;
FIG. 12 is a diagram showing a relation between the diameter of an electron beam and the acceleration voltage; and
FIG. 13 is a diagram showing relations between the efficiency of detection of secondary electrons and the retarding voltage.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
The present invention will become more apparent from a careful study of the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment with reference to the accompanying diagrams.
FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a flow of a general process of fabricating a semiconductor device. As is obvious from the figure, in a process of fabricating semiconductor devices, steps 51 to 55 are repeated to create a number of patterns of semiconductor devices on wafers. Each of the steps to create a pattern comprises roughly a film creation step 56 , a resist coating step 57 , an exposure step 58 , a development step 59 , an etching step 60 , a resist removing step 61 and a cleaning step 62 . A circuit pattern will not be created normally on the wafer unless fabrication conditions are optimized at each of the steps.
External inspection steps 63 and 64 to inspect a circuit pattern are provided between the steps described above. When a defect is detected as a result of the inspections carried out at the steps 63 and 64 , the result of the inspections is reflected in a step in the process which has generated the defect so that generation of similar defects can be suppressed. The result of the inspection is reflected typically by letting a defect control system 65 shown in FIG. 2 transmit data to pieces of fabrication equipment of the steps 56 , 57 , 58 and 59 of the process where fabrication conditions are changed automatically in accordance with the data.
FIGS. 3 ( a ) and 3 ( b ) are diagrams each showing an example of a picture 70 obtained as a result of observation of a circuit pattern on a semiconductor wafer by means of a scanning electron microscope (SEM) in a process of fabrication of a semiconductor device. To be more specific, FIG. 3 ( a ) is a diagram showing a circuit pattern obtained as a normal result of a fabrication process and FIG. 3 ( b ) is a diagram showing a circuit pattern with a fabrication defect. For example, when an abnormality is resulted in at the film creation step 56 shown in FIG. 2, particles are stuck to the surface of a semiconductor wafer, becoming an isolated defect A on the picture shown in FIG. 3 ( b ). In addition, when fabrication conditions such as the focus and the exposure time at the exposure step 58 following the resist coating step 57 are not optimum, there will be generated spots at which the intensity and quantity of light radiated to the resist are either excessive or insufficient, resulting in a short C, a disconnection E, a thinning or an omission D on the picture shown in FIG. 3 ( b ). If a defect results on a reticule or a mask at the exposure step 58 , a shape abnormality of the pattern will be prone to generation.
In addition, if the amount of etching is not optimized or if a thin film or particles are generated at the etching step 60 , a bad aperture G is also generated besides the short C, a protrusion B and the isolated defect A. At the cleaning step 62 , abnormal oxidation is apt to occur at places like a pattern corner due to draining conditions during a drying process, resulting in a thin film residual F which is difficult to observe by means of an optical microscope.
Thus, in a wafer fabrication process, it is necessary to optimize fabrication conditions so that these kinds of defect are not generated and to early detect a generated abnormality and to feed back information on the defect to a step at which the abnormality has been generated.
As described above, in order to detect a defect like the one described above, external inspections 63 and 64 are typically carried out after the development step 59 and the resist removing step 61 respectively as shown in FIG. 2 . In these external inspections, an inspection apparatus of the present invention using an electron beam is used.
FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view showing the configuration of an inspection system using an electron beam as implemented by the embodiment of the present invention in a simple and plain manner.
In the inspection system shown in FIG. 1, an electron gun 1 comprises an electron source 2 , a drawing electrode 3 and an acceleration electrode 4 . A drawing voltage V 1 is generated between the electron source 2 and the drawing electrode 3 by a drawing power supply 5 to draw an electron beam 36 from the electron source 2 . The acceleration electrode 4 is sustained at the earth electric potential. An acceleration voltage Vacc is generated between the acceleration electrode 4 and the electron source 2 by an acceleration power source 6 to accelerate the electron beam 36 .
The accelerated electron beam 36 is converged by a first convergence lens 8 so as to generate a crossover 10 between the first convergence lens 8 and an objective lens 9 which serves as a second convergence lens. The first and second convergence lenses 8 and 9 are connected to a lens power supply 7 . The electron beam 36 is further converged by the objective lens 9 on a specimen 13 such as a semiconductor wafer placed on a specimen stage 12 which can be moved horizontally by a stage driving unit not shown in the figure and a length measuring unit 11 for position monitoring use. That is to say, the converged electron beam 36 is radiated to the specimen 13 . The configuration described above is accommodated in a container 43 which sustains a vacuum environment appropriate for radiation of the electron beam 36 .
A negative voltage is applied to the specimen 13 as a retarding voltage for decelerating the electron beam 36 by a variable deceleration power supply 14 . A voltage is further applied to the specimen 13 in the positive direction by an electrode 34 provided between the specimen 13 and the objective lens 9 . Thus, the electron beam 36 is decelerated by the retarding voltage. Normally, the electrode 34 is set at the earth electric potential and the retarding voltage can be changed arbitrarily by adjusting the variable deceleration power supply 14 .
A diaphragm 15 is provided between the first convergence lens 8 and the crossover 10 whereas a diaphragm 41 is provided between the crossover 10 and an electron beam scanning deflector 16 . The diaphragms 15 and 41 shield excessive electrons and are also useful for determination of an angular aperture of the electron beam 36 .
Provided between the crossover 10 and the objective lens 9 , the electron beam scanning deflector 16 has a function to deflect the converged electron beam 36 so as to let the electron beam 36 scan the specimen 13 . The electron beam scanning deflector 16 is provided inside the objective lens 9 at such a position that a fulcrum of the deflection thereof substantially coincides with the center of a magnetic pole gap of the objective lens 9 . As a result, the amount of deflection distortion can be reduced.
Provided between the diaphragm 15 and the electron beam scanning deflector 16 , a blanking deflector 17 is used for deflecting and blanking the electron beam 36 at a position where the crossover 10 is created. The blanking deflector 17 is connected to a scanning-signal generating unit 24 .
FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing a procedure for inspecting a circuit pattern created on a semiconductor wafer by using an inspection system provided by the present invention.
First of all, the specimen 13 is mounted on the specimen stage 12 and, then, the specimen stage 12 is moved to the inside of the container 41 . Subsequently, air is exhausted from a specimen inspection chamber inside the container 41 to put the chamber in a vacuum state and a retarding voltage is applied to the specimen 13 .
When the specimen 13 is scanned by using the converged electron beam 36 , reflected electrons and secondary electrons 33 , charged particles, emanate from the specimen 13 . The secondary electrons 33 are defined as electrons each having an energy of 50 eV or smaller.
Since positive and negative directions of the secondary electrons 33 are just opposite to those of the electron beam 36 radiated to the specimen 13 , the retarding voltage generated to decelerate the electron beam 36 works as an acceleration voltage for the secondary electrons 33 . Thus, since the secondary electrons 33 are accelerated by the retarding voltage, the directions of the secondary electrons are uniform. As a result, the secondary electrons 33 form substantially parallel beams entering an E×B (E Cross B) deflector 18 which is provided between the specimen 13 and the objective lens 9 .
Provided with a deflection electric-field generator for generating a deflection electric field for deflecting the secondary electrons 33 , the E×B deflector 18 also includes a deflection magnetic-field generator for generating a deflection magnetic field for canceling the deflection of the electron beam 36 radiated to the specimen 13 by the deflection electric field. The deflection magnetic field is generated in a direction perpendicular to the direction of the deflection electric field. Therefore, the deflection electric field works to deflect the secondary electrons 33 in almost the same direction as the deflection magnetic field. Thus, the deflection electric field and the deflection magnetic field generated by the E×B deflector 18 deflect the accelerated secondary electrons 33 without having a bad effect on the electron beam 36 radiated to the specimen 13 because of the mutual cancellation.
In order to sustain each of the deflection angles at a substantially fixed value, the deflection electric field and the deflection magnetic field generated by the E×B deflector 18 can be changed in a way interlocked with a variation in retarding voltage. Used for generating a deflection electric field and a deflection magnetic field, the E×B deflector 18 is also referred to as a deflection electric-field/deflection magnetic-field generator in some cases.
The secondary electrons 33 deflected by the deflection electric field and the deflection magnetic field generated by the E×B deflector 18 are radiated to a secondary-electron generating substance 19 , colliding with the secondary-electron generating substance 19 . The secondary-electron generating substance 19 is provided between the objective lens 9 and the E×B deflector 18 around the axis of the electron beam 36 . The secondary-electron generating substance 19 has a shape resembling a cone with the lateral cross-sectional area thereof increasing along the axis in the direction toward the electron gun 1 . The secondary-electron generating substance 19 is made of CuBeO and has a capability of generating second secondary electrons 20 five times the hitting secondary electrons in number. The second secondary. electrons 20 emanating from the secondary-electron generating substance 19 which each have an energy of 50 eV or smaller are detected by a charged particle detector 21 , being converted into an electrical signal.
The height of the specimen 13 is measured by an optical specimen-height measurement unit 22 in a real-time manner and the measured height is fed back to the lens power supply 7 through a correction control circuit 23 for correcting the focal distance of the objective lens 9 dynamically. In addition, the position of radiation of the electron beam 36 on the specimen 13 is detected by a length measurement unit 11 for position monitoring and the detected radiation position is fed back to a scanning-signal generation unit 24 through the correction control circuit 23 for controlling the position of radiation of the electron beam 36 on the specimen 13 .
FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a plan view of a semiconductor wafer 44 , an example of the specimen 13 , as seen from a position above the wafer 44 and FIG. 6 is an enlarged diagram showing a portion of the wafer 44 shown in FIG. 5 . The wafer 44 is continuously moved by a stage driving unit not shown in the figure in the y direction of x-y coordinates as indicated by an arrow y. On the other hand, an operation to scan the wafer 44 by using the electron beam 36 is carried out in the x direction indicated by an arrow x. The scanning operation comprises actual scanning sweeps and a blanked-state sweeps in the x direction which are repeated alternately.
In order to radiate the electron beam 36 to correct positions on the wafer 44 with correct timing, during a fly-back period of the scanning operation, that is, during a blanked-state sweep, the electron beam 36 is deflected and blanked by means of the blanking deflector 17 shown in FIG. 1 so that the electron beam 36 is not directed toward the wafer 44 .
An operation to scan the wafer 44 by using the electron beam 36 is started at a point A shown in FIG. 5 and carried out till a point B. While the scanning operation is being carried out, the wafer 44 is moved along with the specimen stage 12 in the y direction. Then, between the point B and a point A′, the electron beam 36 is put in a blanked state as shown by a dashed line prior to resumption of the scanning from the point A′ to a point B′. For more information refer to FIG. 6 . While repeating the actual scanning and blanked-state sweeps alternately in this way, a scanning operation is continued to a line between points C and D.
After the scanning operation from the point A to the point C on the wafer 44 has been completed, the wafer 44 is moved to the left in the x direction by a distance equal to the scanning width w, shifting the position of radiation from the point C to a point D. Then, the scanning operation by using the electron beam 36 from the point A to the point C is repeated now from the point D to the point B by repeating the actual scanning and blanked-state sweeps alternately while the wafer 44 is being moved this time in the y direction. After the scanning operation from the point D to the point B on the wafer 44 has been completed, the wafer 44 is moved to the left in the x direction by a distance equal to the scanning width w, shifting the position of radiation from the point B to a point F.
By repeating the scanning operations from the point A to the point F described above, the entire surface of the wafer 44 is scanned by using the electron beam 36 .
FIGS. 7 ( a ) and 7 ( b ) are conceptual diagrams showing a blanked state of the electron beam 36 shown in FIG. 1 .
In the present embodiment, the electron beam 36 shown in FIG. 1 is put in a blanked state with the crossover 10 of the electron beam 36 taken as a fulcrum as shown in FIG. 7 ( a ). If the electron beam 36 is deflected with a point other than the crossover 10 taken as a fulcrum in order to put the electron beam 36 in a blanked state, the position of radiation of the electron beam 36 on the wafer 44 is inadvertently shifted during the deflection. FIG. 7 ( b ) is a diagram showing a case in which the electron beam 36 is parallel beams. In this case, when the electron beam 36 is put in a blanked state, there results in a beam that can not be shielded by the diaphragm 41 during the blanking operation. Such a beam is inadvertently radiated to a small adjacent region which is not supposed to be exposed to the beam. As a result, during the blanking operation, an area naturally not supposed to experience radiation by the electron beam 36 is inadvertently exposed to the electron beam 36 to result in a wrong picture. In order to solve this problem, in the embodiment of the present invention, the electron beam 36 is deflected with the crossover 10 taken as a fulcrum during a blanking operation. As a result, the position of radiation of the electron beam 36 on the wafer 44 can be prevented from being shifted, making it possible to avoid an incorrect resulting picture.
The scanning operation of the specimen 13 or the wafer 44 by using the electron beam 36 is carried out by deflecting the electron beam 36 in the x direction while continuously moving the specimen 13 or the wafer 44 in the y direction. Instead of repeating actual scanning and blanked-state sweeps alternately as described above, consecutive actual scanning sweeps can be carried out back and forth. In this case, the sweeping speed in an onward deflection is set at a value equal to the sweeping speed in a retreat deflection. In such a scheme, the blanking deflector 17 can be eliminated and the scanning time can be shortened by periods required to blank the electron beam 36 . In this case, however, care must be exercised as follows.
FIG. 8 is an enlarged diagram similar to FIG. 6 showing scanning directions of the electron beam 36 on a portion of the wafer 44 shown in FIG. 5 . The end and start points B and B′ of a back-and-forth deflection of the electron beam 36 on the wafer 44 are exposed to the focused electron beam 36 radiated thereto during a short period of time. To put it in detail, at the end point B of a scanning sweep in the x direction from the left to the right, the movement of the electron beam 36 in the x direction is halted to wait for the position of radiation to be shifted to the start point B′ by a movement of the wafer 44 in the y direction by a distance equal to the scanning width. After the position of radiation has been shifted to the start point B′, the position of radiation is moved from the right to the left in the x direction. During the period of time to wait for the position of radiation to be shifted in the y direction to the start point B′, the radiation of the electron beam 36 is continued in the y direction along a distance on the wafer 44 from an area centering at the end point B to an area centering at the start point B′. For this reason, in the case of a specimen 13 exhibiting an electrically charging phenomenon with an extremely short time constant, the brightness of a picture taken from these areas will not be uniform. In order to make the amount of radiation provided by the electron beam 36 substantially uniform over the entire surface of the wafer 44 , the scanning speed of the electron beam 36 is controlled so that the speed along a line between the points B and B′ is set at a value higher than the speed along a line between the points A and B shown in FIG. 8 .
Next, picture processing carried out by a picture processing unit 42 shown in FIG. 1 is explained.
The picture processing unit 42 detects a defect on the specimen 13 from an electrical signal supplied by the charged particle detector 21 by way of an amplifier 25 and an A/D converter 26 . To put it in detail, the picture processing unit 42 detects the number of second secondary electrons and converts the number of second secondary electrons into an electrical signal which is amplified by the amplifier 25 before being converted by the A/D converter 26 into digital data. The digital data is stored in storage units 27 and 28 employed in the picture processing unit 42 as a picture signal. To put it concretely, first of all, a picture signal representing the number of second secondary electrons corresponding to a first inspection area on the wafer 44 is stored in the storage unit 27 .
Then, a picture signal representing the number of second secondary electrons corresponding to a second inspection area on the wafer 44 adjacent to the first inspection area with the same circuit pattern is stored in the storage unit 28 while, at the same time, the picture signal for the second inspection area is being compared with the picture signal for the first inspection area. Subsequently, a picture signal representing the number of second secondary electrons corresponding to a third inspection area on the wafer 44 is stored in the storage unit 27 while, at the same time, the picture signal for the third inspection area is being compared with the picture signal for the second inspection area stored in the storage unit 28 . These operations are repeated to store and compare picture signals for all inspection areas on the wafer 44 . It should be noted that a picture signal stored in the storage unit 28 is displayed on a monitor 32 .
A picture signal is compared with another picture signal by a processing unit 29 and a defect judgment unit 30 shown in FIG. 1 . The processing unit 29 computes a variety of statistics such as averages of picture concentration values, variances and differences among peripheral pixels for secondary-electron picture signals stored in the storage units 27 and 28 on the basis of defect judgment conditions already found. Picture signals completing the processing carried out by the processing unit 29 are supplied to the defect judgment unit 30 to be compared with each other to extract a difference signal. The defect judgment conditions found and stored in memory before are referred to in order to split the difference signal into a defect signal and a signal other than the defect signal.
FIGS. 9 ( a ) to 9 ( c ) are diagrams showing pictures 70 to be compared with each other in an example of comparison and a result of the comparison. To be more specific, FIG. 9 ( a ) shows a secondary-electron picture signal stored in the storage unit 27 and FIG. 9 ( b ) shows a secondary-electron picture signal stored in the storage unit 28 . If picture 1 shown in FIG. 9 ( a ) is subtracted from picture 2 shown in FIG. 9 ( b ), a difference picture representing a defect shown in FIG. 9 ( c ) is obtained.
As an alternative, a picture signal representing the number of second secondary electrons corresponding to an inspection area of a circuit pattern used as a standard is stored in the storage unit 27 and, then, a picture signal representing the number of second secondary electrons corresponding to an inspection area of a circuit pattern on the specimen 13 is stored in the storage unit 28 while, at the same time, the picture signal for the inspection area on the specimen 13 is being compared with the picture signal for the standard circuit pattern stored in the storage unit 27 . To put in detail, first of all, an inspection area and a desired inspection condition for a good semiconductor device are input from a control unit 31 and the inspection area of the good semiconductor device is then inspected under the inspection condition. Then, a secondary-electron picture signal for the desired inspection area is fetched and stored in the storage unit 27 . Subsequently, the specimen 13 serving as an inspection target is inspected in the same way as the good semiconductor device and a secondary-electron picture signal for the specimen 13 is fetched and stored in the storage unit 28 . At the same time, the secondary-electron picture for the specimen 13 is compared with the secondary-electron picture of the good semiconductor device stored in the storage unit 27 after the position of the former is adjusted to the latter to detect a defect.
As the good semiconductor device used in the above alternative method, a good portion of the specimen 13 , or a good wafer or a good chip other than the specimen 13 can be used. In the specimen 13 , for example, a defect may be generated due to a shift generated in adjustment of a lower-layer pattern and an upper-layer pattern in creation of a circuit pattern. If a circuit pattern is compared with another circuit pattern on the same wafer or the same chip, defects generated uniformly over the entire wafer like the defect described above are overlooked. If the picture signal for the specimen 13 is compared with a picture signal for a good device stored in advance, on the other hand, the defects generated uniformly over the entire wafer can also be detected.
The control unit 31 shown in FIG. 1 issues an operation instruction to components of the inspection system and sets conditions for the components. Thus, a variety of conditions including information on an acceleration voltage, a deflection width (or a scanning width) and a deflection speed (or a scanning speed) of the electron beam, a movement speed of the specimen stage and timing to fetch a signal output by the detector are supplied to the control unit 31 in advance.
The following is a description of differences between the inspection system using an electron beam according to the present invention and the conventional scanning electron microscope referred to hereafter simply as an SEM. In the following description, the inspection system using an electron beam according to the present invention is referred to hereafter simply as the present inspection system for the sake of convenience.
An SEM is an apparatus used for observing a very limited area, for example, an area of several tens of square μm at a high magnification over a relatively long period of observation time. Even with a length measurement scanning electron microscope referred to hereafter simply as a length measurement SEM, one of semiconductor inspection apparatuses, the user is capable of doing no more than observation and measurement of only a limited plurality of points on a wafer. On the other hand, the present inspection apparatus is equipment for searching a specimen such as a wafer for a location on the specimen at which a defect exists. Thus, since the present inspection apparatus has to inspect an extremely large area in every nook and corner, the fact that the inspection must be carried out at a high speed is an important requirement.
FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a relation between the picture acquisition time per cm 2 and the measurement time per pixel and FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a relation between the picture acquisition time per cm 2 and the current of an electron beam.
In general, an S/N ratio of an electron beam picture has a correlation with the square root of the number of radiated electrons per pixel in an electron beam radiated to a specimen. A defect to be detected from a specimen is such an infinitesimal defect that inspection by pixel comparison is desirable. From the size of a pattern to be inspected, assume that the demanded resolution of the inspection system is set at a value of the order of 0.1 μm. In this case, the pixel size is also about 0.1 μm. From this point of view and experiences gained by the inventors, it is desirable to have a raw picture prior to picture processing with an S/N ratio of at least 10 after detection by a charged particle detector. On the other hand, the length of an inspection time required in inspection of circuit patterns on a wafer is generally about 200 sec/cm 2 . If the length of a time required only for acquisition of a picture is about half the inspection time which is about 100 sec/cm 2 , the measurement time of 1 pixel is equal to or smaller than 10 nsec as shown in FIG. 10 . In this case, since the number of electrons required per pixel is 6,000, it is necessary to set the electron beam current at at least 100 nA as shown in FIG. 11 . In the case of an SEM or a length measurement SEM, even a slow picture. acquisition time per pixel does not give rise to a problem in the practical use. Thus, an electron beam current of several hundreds of pA or smaller can be used as shown in FIG. 11 .
Taking the things described above into consideration, in the embodiment of the present invention, the current of an electron beam radiated to a specimen, the pixel size, the spot size of the electron beam on the specimen and the continuous movement speed of the specimen stage 12 are set at 100 nA, 0.1 μm, 0.08 μm (a value smaller than the resolution of 0.1 μm) and 10 mm/sec respectively. Under these conditions, a high-speed inspection of 200 sec/cm 2 can be achieved by carrying out a scanning operation by using an electron beam on the same area of the specimen 13 only once instead of carrying out the scanning operation a plurality of times.
In the case of the conventional SEM or the conventional length measurement SEM, the current of an electron beam radiated to a specimen is in the range several pA to several hundreds of pA. Thus, the inspection time per 1 cm 2 would be several hundreds of hours. For this reason, the SEM or the length measurement SEM can not substantially be put to practical use for inspection of the entire surface of a specimen such as a wafer in a fabrication process.
In addition, in the embodiment with the above specifications, in order to generate a large current of the electron beam and to allow inspection to be carried out at a high speed, as the electron source 2 of the electron gun 1 , a thermal electric-field emission electron source of a diffusion supply type, that is, an electron source made of Zr/O/W as a source material, is employed. Furthermore, a measurement time of 10 nsec per pixel corresponds to a 100 MHz sampling frequency of the picture. It is thus necessary to provide a charged particle detector 21 with a high response speed commensurate with the sampling frequency of 100 MHz. As a charged particle detector 21 satisfying this requirement, a PIN type semiconductor detector is employed.
In the case of a specimen exhibiting a characteristic of low conductivity or no conductivity, the specimen is electrically charged by an electron beam radiated thereto. Since the amount of electrical charge depends on the acceleration voltage of the electron beam, this problem can be solved by reducing the energy of the electrons in the beam. In an electron-beam inspection system based on picture comparison, however, a large current electron beam of 100 nA is used. Thus, if the acceleration voltage is reduced, the amount of aberration caused by a space charge effect, that is, the amount of spreading of the electron beam in the radial direction, increases so that it is difficult to obtain a 0.08-μm spot size of the electron beam on the specimen. As a result, the resolution is deteriorated.
FIG. 12 is a diagram showing a relation between the diameter of an electron beam and the acceleration voltage at an electron beam current of 100 nA and a specimen radiation energy of 0.5 kev. In the embodiment of the present invention, in order to prevent the resolution from deteriorating and changing due to the space charge effect and to obtain a stable 0.08-μm spot size of the electron beam on the specimen, the acceleration voltage is set at a fixed value of 10 kV as shown in FIG. 12 .
The quality of a picture produced by the present inspection system is much affected by the energy of the electron beam radiated to the specimen. This energy is adjusted in accordance with the type of the specimen. When inspecting a specimen which is hardly charged electrically or when putting emphasis on the contrast of a picture in order to know an edge portion of a circuit pattern on a specimen, the amount of energy is increased. In the case of a specimen apt to be charged electrically, on the other hand, the amount of energy is decreased. It is thus necessary to find out and set an optimum radiation energy of the electron beam each time the type of a specimen to be inspected changes.
In the embodiment of the present invention, an optimum radiation energy of the electron beam radiated to a specimen 13 is set by adjusting a negative voltage applied to the specimen 13 , that is, the retarding voltage, instead of changing the acceleration voltage Vacc. The retarding voltage can be changed by adjusting the variable deceleration power supply 14 .
FIG. 13 is a diagram showing relations between the efficiency of detection of secondary electrons expressed in terms of % and the retarding voltage expressed in terms of kV. To be more specific, curve ( 1 ) shown in the figure represents a relation for a long focal distance system adopted by the embodiment of the present invention whereas curve ( 2 ) represents a relation for the TTL system adopted by the conventional inspection system. As described before, the retarding voltage should be changed in dependence on the type of the specimen and the retarding voltage exhibits an effect to accelerate secondary electrons. In the case of the TTL system, the efficiency of detection of secondary electrons varies considerably when the retarding voltage is changed as shown in FIG. 12 . In the case of the embodiment of the present invention, on the other hand, the efficiency of detection of secondary electrons does not vary considerably even if the retarding voltage is changed. This is because, in the case of the TTL system, secondary electrons emanating from a specimen pass through a magnetic field of the objective lens to be converged thereby and the position of convergence in the axial direction changes with a variation in retarding voltage. The displacement of the position of convergence is the main cause of the big change in secondary-electron detection efficiency. In the case of the embodiment of the present invention, on the other hand, since secondary electrons 33 do not pass through the magnetic field of the objective lens 9 , a change in retarding voltage does not have a big effect on the efficiency of detection of secondary electrons 33 . In this embodiment, since the rotation of a picture is small and variations in secondary-electron detection efficiency are also small, stabilization of an inspected picture is brought about as a result.
As described before, secondary electrons 33 emanating from a specimen 13 will spread if they are left as they are. Since a retarding voltage accelerates the secondary electrons 33 , putting them into substantially parallel beams, however, the efficiency of convergence of the secondary electrons 33 is improved. The secondary electrons 33 are then deflected by means of a defection electric field and a deflection magnetic field generated by the E×B deflector 18 by an angle of typically 5 degrees with respect to the center axis of the electron beam 36 , hitting the secondary-electron generating substance 19 . The collision of the secondary electrons 33 with the secondary-electron generating substance 19 further generates a large number of second secondary electrons 20 . As a result, the efficiency of detection of secondary electrons is improved considerably by virtue of the parallel beams and the collision of the secondary electrons 33 with the secondary-electron generating substance 19 .
In an apparatus such as the conventional SEM, charged particles emanating from a specimen 13 are detected after passing through the objective lens 9 . As described above, this system is referred to as a TTL (through the lens) system. According to the TTL system, by operating the objective lens at a short focal distance, the amount of aberration of the electron beam can be reduced, hence, allowing the resolution to be increased. In the case of the embodiment of the present invention, on the other hand, charged particles 33 emanating from a specimen 13 are detected by the objective lens 9 as shown In FIG. 1 . For this reason, the focal distance of the objective lens 9 is set at a large value in comparison with the TTL system. To be more specific, in the case of the conventional TTL system, the focal distance of the objective lens is set at a value of the order of 5 mm. In the case of the embodiment of the present invention, on the other hand, the focal distance is set at a value of about 40 mm. In addition, in order to reduce the amount of aberration of the electron beam, a high acceleration voltage of 10 kV is used as described earlier.
As a result, according to the embodiment of the present invention, the deflection width of the electron beam 36 radiated for acquisition of a picture of a specimen 13 , that is the width of scanning by using the electron beam 36 , can be set at a large value. In the case of the conventional TTL, for example, the deflection width of the electron beam is set at a value of the order of 100 μm. In the case of the embodiment of the present invention, on the other hand, the deflection width can be set at a value of about 500 μm.
Since the surface of a specimen 13 is not a perfectly plane surface, the height of the specimen 13 changes when the position of radiation an area on the specimen 13 to be inspected is moved. It is thus necessary to operate the objective lens 9 by always adjusting the focal distance to the surface of the specimen 13 through variation of excitation of the objective lens 9 . In the conventional TTL system, the objective lens is operated at a short focal distance by strong excitation. With a strongly excited objective lens, however, the flow of the electron beam exhibits a rotation in the horizontal direction accompanying a change in specimen height. As a result, since the resulting picture also rotates, it is necessary to compensate the picture for the rotation. In the case of the embodiment of the present invention, on the other hand, the objective lens 9 is operated at a long focal distance by weak excitation. Typically, the objective lens 9 is excited at INI(E)=9 where the symbol I is the current of the objective lens expressed in terms of amperes, the symbol N is the number of turns of a coil employed in the objective lens 9 and the symbol E is the energy of the electron beam expressed in terms of eV. As a result, even if the focal distance is adjusted little to accompany a change in height of the specimen 13 , the rotation of the electron beam 36 and, hence, the rotation of the resulting picture are so small that they can be ignored, making it unnecessary to compensate the picture for the rotation.
In the embodiment of the present invention described above, secondary electrons 33 emanating from a specimen 13 are used for creating a picture. It should be noted that a picture can also be created by using electrons reflected by the specimen 13 due to radiation of the electron beam 36 thereto and scattered on the rear side of the specimen 13 to give yet the same effect.
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Problems encountered in the conventional inspection method and the conventional apparatus adopting the method are solved by the present invention using an electron beam by providing a novel inspection method and an inspection apparatus adopting the novel method which are capable of increasing the speed to scan a specimen such as a semiconductor wafer.
The inspection novel method provided by the present invention comprises the steps of: generating an electron beam; converging the generated electron beam on a specimen by using an objective lens; scanning the specimen by using the converged electron beam; continuously moving the specimen during scanning; detecting charged particles emanating from the specimen at a location between the specimen and the objective lens and converting the detected charged particles into an electrical signal; storing picture information conveyed by the electrical signal; comparing a picture with another by using the stored picture information; and detecting a defect of the specimen.
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CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application claims the benefit of priority of German Patent Application No. DE 10 2016 101 997.6 , filed Feb. 4, 2016, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety for all purposes.
STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT
[0002] Not applicable.
REFERENCE TO A COMPACT DISK APPENDIX
[0003] Not applicable.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0004] 1. Field of the Invention.
[0005] The following description relates to a lighting device for a visual display in a rearview device of a vehicle, preferably a motor vehicle, and to a rearview device for vehicles, preferably for motor vehicles, having such a lighting device.
[0006] 2. Description of Related Art.
[0007] Lighting devices for vehicles with visual displays which are arranged in a rearview device with a mirror element, and/or behind the mirror element, are known from EP 2 463 152 A1, by way of example. The mirror element has an opening for the transmission of light from the lighting device, and the visual display is used to transmit information to a driver. This information can be a warning indicating that objects are positioned in the blind spot of the mirror element, for example.
[0008] EP 1 970 736 A1 discloses a rearview mirror for vehicles, preferably for motor vehicles, which is provided with a mirror glass mounted on a carrier plate and a display unit arranged behind the mirror glass and the carrier plate. The display unit generates, by means of at least one illuminating means, a light beam which can be coupled into a light guide which is equipped with output optics, by means of which the light beam is deflected outwards by at least one at least partially reflection-free region of the mirror glass. Input optics—e.g. in the form of a collecting lens of the light guide—ensure that the light beams are guided parallel to each other in the light guide. A reflector is also present in the light guide in the beam path of the light beams, wherein the light beams are reflected on the same by total reflection in the direction of the reflection-free region of the mirror glass, the reflector having at least two reflecting surfaces on a reflection side of the light guide, between which are configured separation surfaces which substantially lie parallel to the substantially parallel light beams. The light beams deflected via the reflection side also arrive at the deflecting optics of the light guide, which consist essentially of deflecting surfaces arranged transversely to the light beams, said deflecting surfaces deflecting the light beams towards the driver, wherein separating surfaces lie between the deflection surfaces and run substantially parallel to the light beams.
[0009] Some of the lighting devices known from the prior art use a separate reflector which is curved outwards, wherein electromagnetic radiation, such as light, is reflected on the inner surface thereof. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,076,948 describes such a reflector, which is closed with a cover element which has an opening and is arranged behind the mirror surface of an exterior rearview mirror. A light element which emits light in a specific wavelength range is located in the curvature of the reflector. The light is reflected by the curved reflector and exits through the aperture in the cover element through the mirror surface of the exterior rearview mirror.
[0010] However, the lighting devices known in the prior art have the disadvantage that distortions can arise, in particular in the form of light irradiating in undesirable directions.
SUMMARY
[0011] The problem addressed by the present invention is that of providing a lighting device for a visual display in a rearview device of a vehicle, preferably of a motor vehicle, which does not have the disadvantages described above.
[0012] This problem is addressed by a lighting device for a visual display in a rearview device of a vehicle, preferably of a motor vehicle, having at least one light element; and having at least one reflecting element included on or in a support element of the lighting device, said support element adapted to reflect incident light from the light element; and having at least one absorption element included on or in the support element of the lighting device and adapted to absorb incident light from the light element. Alternatively or in addition to the absorption element, at least one light guide element is included according to the invention, which is included on or in the support element of the lighting device and is adapted to collect incident light from the light element and to guide it to the reflecting element. In addition, the support element, the at least one reflecting element, the at least one absorption element and/or the light guide element are at least partially curved away from the at least one light element. As a result of the curving-away, there is a bulging outwards—that is, a convex outer surface—on the side facing away from the light element.
[0013] The inner surface of the reflecting element facing the incident light of the light element can have a concave curvature and/or the inner surface of the absorption element facing the incident light of the light element can have a concave curvature and/or the inner surface of the light guide element facing the incident light of the light element can have a concave curvature. The concave curvature of the reflecting element, the absorption element and/or the light guide element can be at least segmentally spherical and/or aspherical.
[0014] By means of an aspherical reflecting surface, for example, it is possible to ideally illuminate a target surface, and/or to improve the input of light into a light guide element.
[0015] A concave curvature of the absorption element can be used to prevent re-emitted light from escaping from the lighting device through an opening.
[0016] A concave curvature of the light guide element has a collecting and/or scattering effect on the incident light. This can be used to obtain a desired illumination and substantially avoid distortions.
[0017] According to the invention, the inner surface of the reflecting element, the absorption element and/or the light guide element, which faces the incident light of the light element, is at least partially patterned and/or grained and/or the inner surface of the reflecting element, the absorption element, and/or the light guide element which faces the incident light of the light element is at least partially a light-scattering surface.
[0018] The term “grained surface” means a special surface texture resulting from a roughness of the surface which scatters incident light diffusely. The grained surface texture can be incorporated and/or attached into/onto the surface by means of, for example, a primary shaping process, such as casting, eroding, etching and milling, and/or by molding methods such as blasting, brushing and embossing, and/or coating processes such as gas phase deposition and varnishing. Preference is given in this case to the production of grained plastic parts by means of injection molding using an injection mold accordingly processed in advance. The term “grained surface” is used in this context also to mean regularly or irregularly arranged microoptics, but no milling traces and/or polishing traces.
[0019] Grained surfaces appear matte rather than glossy.
[0020] A grained surface of the reflecting element can lead to a more uniform illumination resulting from scattering of the light. It is advantageous if the surface of the reflecting element is at least partly grained, since the deflection of the light and, at the same time, the scattering of the light, can take place in a space-saving manner on one surface.
[0021] A grained surface of the absorbing element can scatter incident light and thus minimize extraneous light.
[0022] A grained surface of the light guide element can optimize the illumination by scattering the light.
[0023] The term “light scattering surface” is intended to denote a diffusely scattering surface which reflects only a fraction of the light back to the at least one light element. Advantageously, the light output of the lighting device is thereby increased. In contrast to a grained surface, the light-scattering surface can also scatter light without surface roughness, for example by using white dye.
[0024] The invention also proposes that the reflecting element reflects at least 35%, preferably at least 50% and most preferably at least 70%, of the radiation power of the light of the light element incident thereon, in particular in a directed and/or diffuse manner, and/or the absorption element absorbs at least 65%, preferably at least 75% and most preferably at least 95%, of the radiation power of the incident light of the light element.
[0025] In the lighting device, the at least one reflecting element can thus reflect in a directed and/or diffuse manner at least 35% of the radiation power incident on the reflecting element. A higher total degree of reflection, preferably at least 50%, or at least 60%, or at least 70% is advantageous for optical efficiency.
[0026] The at least one absorption element can absorb more than 65% of the radiation power incident on the absorption element in the lighting device. A higher total absorption rate, preferably at least 75%, or at least 85%, or at least 95%, is advantageous for the prevention of extraneous light.
[0027] In first embodiments of the invention, it is also preferred that the support element is curved at least in some areas, and the at least one reflecting element and/or the at least one absorption element is/are arranged on or in the inner surface of the support element in the region of the curvature, or the at least one reflecting element and/or the at least one absorption element has/have a curvature which preferably corresponds substantially to the curvature of the support element.
[0028] In second embodiments, it is preferred for the support element and the at least one light guide element to each be molded individually or together with at least one curvature, and for the at least one reflecting element and/or the at least one absorption element to be arranged on or in the curvature of the light guide element.
[0029] According to the invention, it is proposed that the support element be molded together with the reflecting element and/or absorption element. For example, in the case of an absorbing substrate and/or support element, a surface can be partially coated with a reflective layer at locations which interact with light.
[0030] Furthermore, according to the invention there can be an—especially interchangeable—cover element and/or diaphragm element which is transparent in at least one region and/or has an opening in at least one region, wherein the light-transmitting region and/or the opening determine a—particularly variable—illumination contour of the lighting device.
[0031] The cover element and/or diaphragm element in this case can be adapted to cover the region curved by the support element, preferably to cover the same opaquely; and/or it can have a reflecting surface on a side facing away from the support element.
[0032] The cover element and/or diaphragm element can also be connected or connectable to the support element, and/or a housing can be provided by the cover element and/or diaphragm element and the support element, which is preferably tight or sealed.
[0033] Furthermore, the invention proposes that the at least one reflecting element has a reflective, in particular highly reflective, material, or is coated with a reflective, in particular highly reflective, material, and/or the at least one reflecting element on its surface facing the at least one light element has a light-scattering surface structure at least in parts, and/or the at least one reflecting element is comprised by the support element or is connected to—particularly detachably—the support element, and/or the support element acts as the reflecting element, and/or the at least one reflecting element has a transition from a dielectric material to air.
[0034] In this case, the reflective material can comprise chromium and/or aluminum, and/or the dielectric material can comprise a plastic, in particular PMMA.
[0035] Lighting devices according to the invention can also be characterized in that the at least one absorption element is comprised by the support element or is connected to the support element, in particular detachably, or the support element acts as the at least one absorption element, and/or the at least one absorption element is at least partially reflective.
[0036] The at least one reflecting element and the at least one absorption element can be provided in or by an element.
[0037] In this case, the at least one reflecting element and the at least one absorption element can be arranged on opposite sides of a substrate or on different sides of the light guide element.
[0038] The substrate can be deformable, in particular bendable or foldable, wherein preferably the at least one reflecting element and the at least one absorption element, when provided on opposite sides of the substrate, can both face or do face the at least one light element.
[0039] For example, the lighting device can be arranged behind a rearview element in the form of a mirror surface of an inner or outer rearview mirror. The mirror surface can be translucent in this region so that light from the lighting device can pass through the mirror surface. The term “rearview element” can also be used to designate an electronic display which performs the function of a conventional glass mirror.
[0040] The light element can, for example, be an LED, or else a different light source, which is preferably adapted to emit light in a wavelength range of 350 nm to 750 nm.
[0041] In one example, the at least one reflecting element comprises a reflective, in particular highly reflective, material, or is coated with a reflective, in particular highly reflective material, and/or the at least one reflecting element has a light-scattering surface structure on its surface facing at least one light element, and/or the at least one reflecting element is comprised by the support element or is connected, in particular detachably, to the support element.
[0042] For example, the reflecting element can contain an element from a group consisting of aluminum, silver, chromium, nickel, and alloys thereof. It can have a thickness of 0.1 to 1.0 mm, for example. Furthermore, the at least one reflecting element can be attached to a substrate. The substrate can have, for example, a thickness of 0.1 to 1.0 mm. The substrate can be made of a plastic material or a metallic material. The at least one reflecting element can be attached to the entire surface of the support element or only to a specific region of the surface of the support element. The at least one reflecting element can be attached to the entire surface of the light guide element or only to a specific region of the surface of the light guide element. Preferably several reflecting elements are included. The term “reflecting element” can also be used to designate a reflecting element that is attached directly to the surface of the support element or the light guide element—that is, without a substrate.
[0043] For example, the reflecting element can be implemented in a selective coating process. However, the at least one reflecting element can also be arranged on the support element or the light guide element by means of a chemical connection, such as, for example, an adhesive connection. Alternatively, a welded connection or a clip connection can also be used.
[0044] The lighting device according to a first exemplary embodiment also has at least one absorption element which is provided on or in the support element of the lighting device and is adapted to absorb incident light from the light element. For example, the absorbing element can have a black dye. It can have a thickness of 0.1 to 1.0 mm, for example. The at least one absorption element can be attached to the entire surface of the support element or can be attached only to a specific region of the surface of the support element. For example, the at least one absorption element can be attached to a substrate. The substrate can have, for example, a thickness of 0.1 to 1.0 mm. It can consist of a plastic material or of a metallic material. Preferably, a plurality of absorption elements is arranged on the support element of the lighting device. The term “absorption element” can also be used to designate an absorption element which is attached directly to the surface of the support element—that is, without a substrate. It is also possible, for example, for one or more absorption elements to be attached to one or more reflecting elements.
[0045] Advantageously, faulty light can be eliminated in a lighting device in which only the light-relevant surfaces have reflecting elements. As such, with a corresponding arrangement of the reflecting elements, the absorption elements and the at least one light element, a visual display, which can be a (warning) light, can be created with a sharp contour. At the same time, the luminous contour of the (warning) lights can be visible only from certain directions.
[0046] In one example, the support element is curved and the at least one reflecting element and/or the at least one absorption element is/are arranged on a concavely curved inner surface of the support element. Advantageously, the incident light of the light element can be emitted bundled due to the concave design of the support element and the reflecting and absorption elements arranged accordingly thereon. By means of a grained surface of the reflecting and/or absorption elements, the illumination region can thereby be slightly enlarged, the appearance improved and/or undesirable scattered light avoided.
[0047] In one example, the at least one reflecting element and/or the at least one absorption element has a curvature which preferably corresponds substantially to the curvature of the support element. Advantageously, the at least one reflecting element and the at least one absorption element can thus be attached directly on the curvature of the support element. For example, the substrate and/or the reflecting element and/or the absorption element can be designed to be flexible and/or designed with a corresponding curvature for this purpose.
[0048] According to a second embodiment, for example, a light guide element is used instead of an absorption element, which has a curved surface on its side opposite the light element. In this case, the reflecting element can actually be provided by the light guide element itself. Specifically, if the light guide element is made of a dielectric material such as PMMA, there is a reflection of the light coupled into the light guide element at the interface between the light guide element and the ambient air on the opposing surface. The curvature results in light bundling.
[0049] A grained surface of the reflecting element results in a more uniform appearance. In addition, extraneous light which emerges from the light guide element can be reduced, for example, with a grained surface of an absorption element.
[0050] Advantageously, a—particularly exchangeable—cover element and/or diaphragm element is included which is light-permeable in at least one region and/or has an opening in at least one region, wherein preferably the light-permeable region and/or opening determines a—particularly modifiable—illumination contour of the lighting device
[0051] For example, the cover element and/or diaphragm element can have a flat disk-shaped surface and can be designed in such a manner that it can be attached to the support element. The cover element and/or diaphragm element can be made of the same material as the support element and can be connected to the support element. For example, the at least one light element can be attached to the cover element and/or diaphragm element and designed to illuminate the surface of the support element.
[0052] Furthermore, the cover element and/or the diaphragm element can have an opaque and/or reflective coating on its inner side which faces the support element, said coating being interrupted in certain regions, such that light can pass through these regions. For example, these regions can have the geometry of a symbol to be displayed to a driver. For example, the symbol can be a letter, a warning triangle, etc. Alternatively or additionally, the cover element can also have an opening, which can also be referred to as diaphragm, through which light can pass. A desired illuminating contour can be advantageously achieved in this manner.
[0053] In one example, the cover element is adapted to cover the region curved by the support element, preferably to tightly cover the same from moisture, dust and/or extraneous light.
[0054] It can be advantageous if the at least one absorption element is at least partially reflective, such that faulty light can be prevented more efficiently. Alternatively or cumulatively, the at least one reflecting element can be at least partially absorbing, such that extraneous light can be avoided more efficiently. For example, a clear geometrical boundary between the reflecting and absorbing regions leads to a sharp brightness edge in the illumination.
[0055] Further optical elements can be arranged upstream and/or downstream of the reflecting, absorption and/or light guide elements. For example, the light propagation can be influenced in a specific manner using prisms, optics and/or microoptics.
[0056] Finally, the invention also suggests a rearview device of a vehicle, preferably of a motor vehicle, having a lighting device according to the invention.
[0057] In one example, the rearview device has at least one rearview element, wherein the at least one rearview element has a mirror element and/or a camera and/or an electronic display.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS
[0058] Further features, details and advantages of the invention are found in the following description, in which embodiments of the lighting device according to the invention are explained with reference to schematic drawings, wherein:
[0059] FIG. 1 illustrates a schematic sectional view of a lighting device known from the prior art;
[0060] FIGS. 2 a and 2 b each show a schematic sectional view of a first and second lighting device with a reflecting element and an absorption element, the reflecting element being attached directly to a support element, and alternatively to a substrate;
[0061] FIG. 3 shows a schematic sectional view of a third lighting device according to the invention, with two absorption elements and a reflecting element;
[0062] FIG. 4 shows a schematic sectional view of a fourth lighting device according to the invention, wherein the at least one reflecting element and the at least one absorption element are arranged on opposite sides of a substrate;
[0063] FIGS. 5 a and 5 b show schematic sectional views of a substrate, wherein the at least one reflecting element and the at least one absorption element are arranged on opposite sides of a substrate; and
[0064] FIGS. 6 a and 6 b each show a schematic sectional view of a fifth lighting device according to the invention, with a reflecting element which is provided by a light guide element.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0065] FIG. 1 shows a schematic view of a lighting device 100 known from the prior art. The lighting device 100 known from the prior art comprises a curved support element 102 , wherein a reflecting element 106 is attached to the complete inner surface thereof. The curved support element 102 is closed off by an opaque cover element 104 which has an opening 105 . A light element 103 which emits light onto the curved support element 102 is positioned in the space formed by the curved support surface 102 and the cover element 104 . The light is reflected by the reflecting element 106 onto the support element 102 , and exits through an opening 105 in the cover element 104 .
[0066] FIGS. 2 a and 2 b each show a schematic view of a first and second lighting device 1 according to the invention, having a reflecting element 6 and an absorption element 7 , the reflecting element 6 being attached directly to a curved support element 2 according to FIG. 2 a , and alternatively to a substrate 8 according to FIG. 2 b.
[0067] In contrast to the known lighting device 100 , in the lighting device 1 of FIG. 2 a , the reflecting element 6 is limited to a specific region of the curved support element 2 , on the one hand, and on the other hand the absorption element 7 is attached to the rest of the inner surface of the curved support element 2 . In addition, the reflection and/or absorption element can have at least one grained surface.
[0068] Since light from a light element 3 is absorbed by the absorption element 7 , and is reflected only in the region of the reflecting element 6 , it is ensured that only the light from the light element 3 which is reflected in the specific region of the reflecting element 6 emerges through an opening 5 in a cover plate 4 . This is shown by the light beams 9 in FIG. 2 a .
[0069] The lighting device 1 shown in FIG. 2 b differs from the lighting device 1 shown in FIG. 2 a not only in that the reflecting element 6 is attached to the substrate 8 , which in turn is attached to the curved support element 2 , but also in that the absorption element 7 is attached to the complete inner surface of the curved support element 2 . Alternatively, the support element 2 can also function as the absorption element.
[0070] FIG. 3 shows a schematic view of a third lighting device 1 according to the invention, having two absorption elements 7 , 7 ′ and a reflecting element 6 . FIG. 3 again shows that a reflecting element 6 is attached to a specific region of the curved support element 2 in such a manner that only the light beams 9 from the light element 3 which are reflected in the specific region emerge through the opening 5 in the cover element 4 . In this case, the specific region is limited by the two absorption elements 7 , 7 ′, which are each attached to a substrate 8 , 8 ′ in the curved support element 2 , such that the region which reflects light from the light element 3 can be determined by the position of the absorption elements 7 , 7 ′. As such, the entire inner surface of the support element can be designed in such a manner that the support element 3 and the reflecting element can be provided as one integral component.
[0071] FIG. 4 shows a schematic view of a fourth lighting device 1 according to the invention, in which the at least one reflecting element 6 and the at least one absorption element 7 are arranged on opposite sides of a substrate 8 . Before the substrate 8 is introduced into the curved support element 2 , the expansion of the reflecting element 6 and of the absorption element 7 can be determined by bending or folding a part of the substrate 8 .
[0072] FIGS. 5 a and 5 b each show schematic views of the substrate 8 , specifically before a bending, in FIG. 5 a , and after a bending, in FIG. 5 b . The at least one reflecting element 6 and the at least one absorption element 7 are arranged in this case on opposite sides of the substrate 8 . At least one of the elements has a grained surface at least in parts thereof.
[0073] A person skilled in the art knows that the substrate 8 can also have a different geometry instead of a curvature. For example, the substrate 8 can also be planar. It is also known to a person skilled in the art that even more sides than only one side of the substrate 8 can be folded over. Depending on the intended application, a person skilled in the art would also arrange the substrate 8 with the absorption element 7 in the direction of the light element 3 in the support element 2 , as an alternative to the examples shown in FIGS. 4, 5 a and 5 b.
[0074] Possible alternatives to FIGS. 2 a, 2 b, 3 and 4 can be produced by exchanging the absorption and reflecting elements. In the case of such an exchange, the areas hitherto displayed as luminous appear as dark, and vice-versa. Extraneous light would thus be undesirable only in a certain range, and would be suppressed only in this area. In addition, upstream and/or downstream optical elements can be used to direct the light to the target surface in accordance with the requirements of the reflecting elements and/or absorption elements.
[0075] FIGS. 6 a and 6 b show a fifth lighting device 10 according to the invention, which comprises a light element 13 , a diaphragm element 14 with an opening 15 and a reflecting element 16 as components of a light guide element 17 . In contrast to the embodiments according to the invention described in connection with FIGS. 2 a to 5 b , no absorption element is included as a result. Rather, the light guide element is included, which fulfills a series of functions. Thus, the light guide element 17 performs the function of a support element, which carries the reflecting element 16 in its region which is curved away from the light element 13 . Because the light guide element 17 is constructed from a dielectric material, a (total) reflection occurs at the interface between the dielectric material and the ambient air in the region, curved away, in which it comprises the reflecting element 16 . The curvature in this region ensures that the light beams 19 coupled into the light guide element 17 pass through the opening 15 .
[0076] At least one surface of the light guide element 17 has a grained surface for scattering the incident light. The grained surface can, for example, be located on the curved surface of the light guide element 17 which face away from the light element 13 , which also carries the reflecting element 16 , in order to produce a more uniform appearance. This could also be realized with a grained light exit surface, but the scattering thereon could potentially lead to undesired extraneous light. For example, surfaces of the light guide element 17 which couple light into the light guide element and/or guide it to the curved region can also be grained. As a result, the light is scattered by the reflecting element 16 even before strikes the curved region, which can lead to a more uniform appearance.
[0077] In addition, the light beams 19 are coupled into the light guide element 17 , since a curvature is also provided on the side facing the light element 13 . Both curvatures are matched to each other in such a way that the emerging light illuminates the desired region, but extraneous light is avoided.
[0078] In at least one aspect, with respect to the range of angles of the carrier means 2 , the reflecting means 6 , 16 , the absorption means 7 and/or the light guiding means 17 relative to the optical axis of the light beam coming from the lighting means 3 , 13 and impinging on the reflecting means 6 , 16 , the absorption means 7 and/or one of the faces of the light guide means 17 , the range can be from 91° to 179° at most. That is, still referring to FIGS. 6 a , 6 b , and 6 c , the obtuse angles A 1 , A 2 , and A 3 between the surface of the reflecting means 6 , 16 from the lighting means 3 , 13 impinging thereon may range from 91° to 179°. This allows the light beam to pass through the opening 15 of the diaphragm element 14 at the ideal degree and with most or all of the light passing through the opening 15 .
[0079] In addition, the preferred range of the obtuse angles A 1 , A 2 , or A 3 is dependent upon the arrangement of the opening 15 . In fact, the preferred obtuse angles A 1 , A 2 , or A 3 depend on the arrangement of the opening 15 within the diaphragm element 14 relative to the carrier means 2 , the reflecting means 6 , 16 , the absorption means 7 and/or the light guiding means 17 , as well as on the dimensions of the opening 15 . The dependency of the angles A 1 , A 2 , or A 3 to the arrangement and dimensions of the opening 15 provides the ideal degrees that would allow most or all of the light to pass through the opening 15 .
[0080] The light guide element 17 can be connected directly to the diaphragm element 14 , which results in a particularly simple construction.
[0081] In addition to the curvatures mentioned, the light guide element 17 can also have inlet optics and/or outlet optics, and/or upstream optical elements and/or downstream optical elements in order to optimize the focusing of the light beams 19 onto a target surface, for example in the direction of the eye ellipse of a driver. At the same time, the illumination of the opening in the cover element and/or diaphragm element can be optimized with directional light beams to the target surface.
[0082] Another important aspect of the invention is a homogeneous illumination of the opening in the cover element and/or diaphragm element with directional light beams to the driver's eye ellipse.
[0083] The features disclosed in the foregoing description, in the drawings, as well as in the claims can be essential both individually and in any combination for the realization of the invention in its various embodiments.
LIST OF REFERENCE NUMBERS
[0084] 1 lighting device
[0085] 2 support element
[0086] 3 light element
[0087] 4 cover element
[0088] 5 opening
[0089] 6 reflecting element
[0090] 7 , 7 ′ absorption element
[0091] 8 , 8 ′ substrate
[0092] 9 light beam
[0093] 10 lighting device
[0094] 13 light element
[0095] 14 diaphragm element
[0096] 15 opening
[0097] 16 reflecting element
[0098] 17 light guide element
[0099] 19 light beam
[0100] 100 lighting device
[0101] 102 support element
[0102] 103 light element
[0103] 104 cover element
[0104] 105 opening
[0105] 106 reflecting element
[0106] 109 light beam
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A lighting device for a visual display in a rearview device of a vehicle includes at least one light element, at least one reflecting element which is included on or in a support element of the lighting device and is adapted to reflect incident light from the light element, at least one absorption element which is included on or in the support element of the lighting device and is adapted to absorb incident light from the light element, and at least one light guide element which is included on or in the support element of the lighting device and is adapted to collect and guide incident light from the light element, where the support element, the reflecting element, the absorption element or the light guide element are at least partially curved away from the light element.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates broadly to spring operated re-wind mechanisms which are used in a great variety of domestic, industrial and power plant applications such, for example, as pull cord engine starters, hose reels, vacuum cord reels and the like, and it will be described in this specification in connection with a pull cord type engine starter mechanism.
Starter mechanisms of the pull cord type for use with mowers, outboard marine engines and the like are conventionally provided with a re-wind mechanism for returning the pull cord and its pulley to their at-rest positions, and known devices of this type almost universally use a spiral power spring as the means for providing the re-winding energy. A typical re-wind mechanism is disclosed in the patent to Mack, U.S. Pat. No. 2,564,787, and it will be seen that it includes a spiral power spring which in its normal operative position is in a spiral configuration positioned adjacent an annular retainer for the spring. Operation of the pull cord in such a mechanism causes the spring to be at least partially wound down on the central shaft from its normal position, thus storing energy which is utilized on release of the pull cord to re-wind the cord on its pulley and return the parts to condition for another start.
In addition to the spiral power spring another spiral spring is available commercially under the trademark Spirator and is described and claimed in the United States patents to Foster U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,833,027 and 2,833,534. This spring is backwound in its normal condition and throughout its entire range of operation, being normally in engagement with and bearing outwardly against a cylindrical retainer and being wound down onto a central shaft to store energy which is delivered upon return of the spring to its normal condition. This type of spring can produce much greater energy than the power spring but it is unstable in all conditions and requires special handling, and for this reason its use in re-wind mechanisms has not been proposed as it has been assumed that such use would not be possible without danger to persons installing the springs or servicing the motors, or to users.
It has therefore been the principal object of this invention to provide a spring operated re-wind mechanism which incorporates a background spring but is provided in a configuration which is not only safe to handle but permits easy and quick installation and replacement.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The invention provides a spring operated re-wind mechanism in which a backwound spiral spring is used to provide the rewinding energy, and is provided in the form of a spring cartridge which may be readily installed in or removed from the re-wind mechanisms.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is an end view of an internal combustion engine showing the re-wind mechanism provided by the invention in connection with a pull cord type of starter;
FIG. 2 is an enlarged sectional view taken on line 2--2 of FIG. 1;
FIG. 3 is an exploded view showing the parts of the re-wind mechanism, and
FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a spring cartridge as provided by the invention.
DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
A pull cord re-wind mechanism as provided by the invention is illustrated in the drawings in association with an internal combustion engine 2 having a crankshaft 4, which may have utility as the driving means for any stationary or mobile unit such, for example among the latter category, as mowers, outboard motors and the like.
The re-wind mechanism and its associated parts comprises a housing 10 which is connected to the motor by bolts or the like and which may be dome shaped. A shaft 12 extends centrally and inwardly of the housing toward and in axial alignment with the crankshaft 4. The inner surface of the housing surrounding the shaft 12 is formed as an open cylindrical recess 14, the wall 16 of which surrounds and is concentric with the housing shaft 12. A groove or recess 18 extends radially, tangentially or otherwise outwardly from the recess 14 into material of the housing which surrounds and defines the recess.
Spring means of a novel form for re-winding mechanisms are provided by the invention and comprise a spring cartridge which takes the form of a hollow cylindrical casing 20 the thickness and diameter of which are such, in the mechanism being described, that it may be snugly received within the recess 14. In its preferred form, which is shown in FIG. 4, the casing has an annular wall 22, a side wall 24 having a central opening 28 therein which is concentric with the annular wall 22 of the casing and through which the housing shaft 12 extends when the spring cartridge is in the recess 14 and the parts are assembled. Side wall 24 and the annular wall 22 are preferably formed integrally from a single piece of synthetic plastic or other suitable material providing a cup shaped casing. A tang 30 projects radially outwardly from the annular wall of the casing and is of the same size and shape as the radial groove 18 so that when the casing is positioned within the recess 14 the tang is snugly received within the groove and prevents rotation of the casing with respect to the housing.
Within the casing 20 there is positioned and held a backwound spiral spring 40 which is constructed and operable in the manner described in the Foster patents referred to above. The outer convolution of the spring is permanently held and restrained in its normal backwound condition by the annular wall 22 and the side wall 24 of the casing, and the inner part of the spring extends in an open spiral configuration toward and to the center of the casing 20. The outer end of the spring has a turned-back part 42 which is snugly received within a right-angle shaped slot 44 in the annular wall of the casing to connect the outer end of the spring to the casing, and the inner end of the spring is turned into a circle or other shape to provide an abutment 46 which is positioned within the central opening 28 of the casing.
A pull-cord assembly is provided in the re-wind apparatus being described and comprises a pulley 50 having a deep radil groove to the interior of which there is connected the inner end of a pull cord 52 the outer end of which is provided with a handle. The pulley is provided with two central hubs 54, 56 which extend axially outwardly from the opposite side faces of the pulley. Hub 54 extends from one side face of the pulley toward the spring cartridge and through the central opening 28 in the cartridge and is hollow and surrounds and is journaled on the housing shaft 12. On its outer surface and positioned within the spring 40 the outer surface of hub 54 is provided with a radially extending surface 58 which provides an abutment positioned adjacent the abutment 46 on the inner end of the spring. The second hub 56 extends from the other side face of the pulley toward the crankshaft 4 and is axially aligned therewith and is provided with means 58 which engage the crankshaft during the starting cycle of the motor.
The spring cartridge comprising the casing 20 with its exterior radial tang 30 and the backwound spring within the casing and connected at its outer end to the casing, with its inner end abutment 46 within the central opening of the casing, forms a unitary package which may be handled without danger from the spring, and which may be dropped into the housing recess 14 with the tang in groove 18, after which the pulley, spring cartridge and housing 10 may be attached to the motor for starter operation. It will be apparent that the spring cartridge may be removed and replaced at any time without difficulty or danger. In a preferred form of the invention the cartridge has the single side wall 24 with the central opening 28 in it, but it may have two side walls for certain installations, and in either case the casing with the spring within it provides a stable assembly which fulfills all of the requirements of the invention.
It will be understood that in order to cause the spring to re-wind the pull cord at least part of the backwound spring must be wound down onto the pulley hub 54 and that this is accomplished by engagement of the pulley hub abutment 58 with spring abutment 46 followed by further rotation of the pulley. The spring abutment must, of course, be moved in the proper direction to wind the spring down, and this requires that the spring cartridge be properly placed within the housing recess 14 in order to properly present the spring abutment to the hub abutment. While this may be done by observation, means are provided by the invention for facilitating this placement, and this is done by differentiation of the two sides of the spring cartridge. This is accomplished, of course, by the cartridge described above which has a closed and an open side wall. Another means comprises the provision of a spring cartridge having two side walls which are of different appearance, as by making one side wall of the cartridge from opaque material and the other side wall from transparent material. In either case proper placement will be achieved by placing the cartridge in the housing recess with a pre-determined side up.
While this specification has described a spring operated re-wind mechanism for an engine starting apparatus, it will be understood that the invention is useful with, and applicable to, any other spring operated re-wind mechanism having a fixed part, a relatively rotatable part, and a spring in which energy is stored as the parts are moved with respect to each other and which is used to restore the parts to their original condition.
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The disclosure is of a spring operated re-wind mechanism such, for example, as those used with pull cord type engine starters.
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CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application claims priority to and the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 61/011,701, filed on Jan. 22, 2008 by David Carmein; U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 61/066,650, filed on Feb. 22, 2008 by David Carmein; and U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 61/199,598, filed on Nov. 18, 2008 by David Carmein and Dawn White, each entitled Electro-Hydrodynamic Wind Energy System and each of which are hereby incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0002] In various embodiments, the present invention relates to systems and methods for electro-hydrodynamic wind energy and, more specifically, converting wind energy directly into electrical energy.
BACKGROUND
[0003] Electro-hydrodynamic (“EHD”) wind energy conversion (“WEC”) is a process wherein electrical energy is extracted directly from wind energy. Just as flakes of snow may be driven by the wind to create a “current” of snowflakes, so too may wind be hydrodynamically coupled to charged species to create a true electrical current in free space. The generated current may be connected to an electrical circuit by means of an electrostatic field to perform useful work.
[0004] EHD systems exhibit a number of advantages over conventional wind turbines. For example, conventional wind turbines have a maximum allowable wind speed beyond which their blades, mechanical components, and electrical generating equipment may be damaged. Once this maximum wind speed, or “cut-out” speed, is reached, the wind turbine's blades may begin to furl in order to avoid damage to the turbine. Typical cut-out speeds for small turbines are approximately 28 mph (12.5 m/s). Medium and large turbines may cut out at approximately 60 mph (26.8 m/s).
[0005] EHD systems, however, are solid-state devices, with no rotating machinery, shafts, bearings, gears, lubrication oil, brakes, equipment housing, and the like. Thus, EHD systems have no furling speed, and may continue to generate energy from wind even at high wind velocities. Furthermore, even though some large conventional turbines may have a high furling speed, conventional turbines may not produce more than their rated power. Consequently, their power curve is substantially flat above the furling speed, whereas EHD power continues to rise with increasing wind velocity.
[0006] At low or medium wind velocities, however, traditional EHD systems are inefficient, and may not generate as much energy as it takes to run them. For example, EHD systems require energy to create the charged species and, in the case of liquid-based charge carriers, energy to pump the liquid and hydraulically pressure spray it to create small diameter particles. Furthermore, traditional EHD systems are expensive, and may not be cost-effective at any wind velocity.
[0007] Clearly, a need exists for a cost-effective EHD system that is capable of generating net positive energy at a wide range of wind velocities.
SUMMARY
[0008] Embodiments of the present invention include systems and methods for increasing the efficiency of EHD systems while simultaneously lowering their cost. For example, a control system may be used to monitor ambient environmental conditions such as wind speed, wind direction, temperature, and humidity, and adjust parameters of the EHD in response to increase or maximize the energy extracted from the wind. In certain embodiments, various diffusers and/or airfoils may be used to increase the ambient wind velocity. Alternatively or additionally, MEMS devices may be used to create charged particles more efficiently than traditional means. Various applications may place the EHD systems in areas of consistently high wind speed, such as at high altitudes.
[0009] In general, in one aspect, a system for electro-hydrodynamically extracting energy from wind includes, an upstream collector biased at an electric potential. The electric potential induces an electric field, and an injector introduces a particle into the electric field. Wind drag on the particle is at least partially opposed by a force of the electric field on the particle. A sensor monitors an ambient atmospheric condition, and a controller changes a parameter of the system in response to a change in the atmospheric condition.
[0010] One or more of the following features may be included. The particle may carry an electric charge. The atmospheric condition may be ambient wind speed, temperature, pressure, and/or humidity. The parameter of the system may be particle size, electric charge per particle, particle flow rate, electric potential, electric field strength, and/or a separation between the upstream collector and electrical ground.
[0011] The system may further include a downstream collector, which may be larger than the upstream collector. The particle may be a droplet of a liquid, and may include a solid particle and/or a low-volatility liquid. The injector may be an electrospray injector, and may include a Taylor cone, a MEMS device, a metal needle, a plastic needle, plastic tubing, and/or a dielectric-barrier discharge device. The particle may be an ion.
[0012] The system may further include a shaped structure for increasing wind speed within the electric field. The controller may respond to changes in the atmospheric condition in real time.
[0013] In general, in another aspect, a method for electro-hydrodynamically extracting energy from wind begins with the step of biasing an upstream collector at an electric potential. The electric potential induces an electric field, and particles are injected into the electric field. Wind drag on the particles is at least partially opposed by a force of the electric field on the particles. An ambient atmospheric condition is monitored, and a parameter related to at least one of the particles and the electric field is changed in response to a change in the atmospheric condition.
[0014] One or more of the following features may be included. The atmospheric condition may be ambient wind speed, temperature, pressure, and/or humidity. The parameter may be particle size, electric charge per particle, particle flow rate, electric potential, electric field strength, and/or a separation between the upstream collector and electrical ground.
[0015] The particles may be collected with a downstream collector. Each particle may be a droplet of a liquid and the step of injecting may include injecting the droplet with an electrospray injector. The droplet of liquid may include a solid particle and/or a low-volatility liquid. The step of injecting may further include forming a Taylor cone. Wind speed may be increased within the electric field. The step of changing the parameter may occur in real time.
[0016] These and other objects, along with advantages and features of the present invention herein disclosed, will become more apparent through reference to the following description, the accompanying drawings, and the claims. Furthermore, it is to be understood that the features of the various embodiments described herein are not mutually exclusive and may exist in various combinations and permutations.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0017] The objects and features of various aspects and embodiments of the invention can be better understood with reference to the schematic drawings described below, and the claims. The drawings are not necessarily to scale, emphasis instead generally being placed on illustrating the principles of the invention. In the drawings, like reference characters generally refer to the same parts throughout the different views. In the following description, various embodiments of the present invention are described with reference to the following drawings, in which:
[0018] FIGS. 1-4 illustrate EHD systems in accordance with embodiments of the invention;
[0019] FIGS. 5-7B illustrate diffusion bodies in accordance with embodiments of the invention;
[0020] FIGS. 8-10 illustrate nozzle configurations in accordance with embodiments of the invention;
[0021] FIGS. 11-12 illustrate EHD extrusion bodies in accordance with embodiments of the invention;
[0022] FIGS. 13-14 illustrate nozzle configurations in EHD extrusion bodies in accordance with embodiments of the invention;
[0023] FIG. 15 illustrates an EHD louver in accordance with one embodiment of the invention;
[0024] FIGS. 16-19 illustrate EHD louver arrays in accordance with embodiments of the invention;
[0025] FIG. 20 illustrates a staggered EHD louver array in accordance with one embodiment of the invention;
[0026] FIG. 21 illustrates an asymmetric EHD electrode in accordance with one embodiment of the invention;
[0027] FIG. 22 illustrates a ground-based EHD system in accordance with one embodiment of the invention;
[0028] FIG. 23 illustrates a tower-mounted EHD system in accordance with one embodiment of the invention;
[0029] FIG. 24 illustrates a building-mounted EHD system in accordance with one embodiment of the invention;
[0030] FIG. 25 illustrates an airfoil-mounted EHD system in accordance with one embodiment of the invention;
[0031] FIGS. 26A-30 illustrate lighter-than-air EHD systems in accordance with embodiments of the invention; and
[0032] FIGS. 31A-31B illustrate a wind-shear-based airfoil-mounted EHD system in accordance with one embodiment of the invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0033] A basic principle of an EHD system involves using wind energy to move charged particles through an opposing electrostatic field. Moving a charged particle against a force gradient in an electrostatic field requires work. The work performed on the particle is converted into an increase in the field strength. More particularly, an ionic species, such as a positive ion, may be acted upon by the wind in an induced electrostatic field. The molecules of the wind collide with the charged ion and do work on it, causing it to move in a direction against the force imposed by the field. Consequently, the electric field strength (expressed as volts/meter) increases to a stable operating level. If the electric field is between two collectors, e.g., porous plates, meshes, or other conducting objects, the movement of charge induces its own field, and one collector becomes negative with respect to the other. As wind continues to drive the supplied stream of ions against the induced field, the voltage between the two collectors continues to climb. The electrostatic field strength stabilizes, and the work of the wind on the particles may be used to separate particles of opposing charges, entrain one species of charge, and convert the other, orphaned into an electric current. If the two collectors are electrically connected together, the current flows between them as a result of the difference in potential. If an electrical load is placed in series with the collectors, useful work may be performed. The complete electrical circuit is thus composed of the ion current, the positive collector current, the return current (which may include the ground), the load current, and the negative collector current.
[0034] The efficiency of an EHD wind-energy conversion system may be dependent on the ability of the wind to increasingly separate positive from negative charges. In terms of the physics, the wind force (in Newtons) on a water droplet can be described by the Stokes equation for laminar flow:
[0000] F d =6× ×η× v×r, (1)
[0000] where η is the viscosity of the air, v is the relative velocity of wind with respect to a particle, and r is the radius of the droplet of water. Electrostatic force (in Newtons) is a function of the number of coulombs perched on the droplet, and the strength of the electrostatic field in which it is moving:
[0000] F e =Q×∈, (2)
[0000] where Q is coulombs of charge and ∈=electric field (volts/meter).
[0035] The relative velocity of the wind with respect to a water droplet is determined by the force balance between drag force and electric field force. At steady state, those forces are in balance (i.e., equal) and the droplet is held immobile between the two opposing forces. EHD depends on the ability of the wind to push a droplet against the opposing electric field, thus performing work on the droplet. An effective EHD system allows the droplets to be pushed through the field at some optimum velocity appropriate to the wind and atmospheric conditions. During stable power output, the drag force on a water droplet is substantially equal to the electric field force on the water droplet (e.g., the system is in a steady state).
[0036] For a given wind speed, there is a droplet size, droplet charge, and field strength that extracts the maximum amount of wind energy. A droplet may be as small as possible to maximize its charge-to-mass ratio, but is also, in one embodiment, at least large enough to keep from evaporating before it completes its system circuit. In another embodiment, the droplet contains a solid material, or a material that becomes a solid when the droplet evaporates, which inherits the charge of the droplet, as explained further below.
[0037] One method of producing charged water droplets utilizes an electrospray process. The amount of charge on a droplet is determined by the efficiency of the electro spray process, with 70% of the charge limit as a typical number. Beyond the charge limit, more charge on the surface of the droplet causes the droplet to explode in what is called a “Coulombic explosion.” The size of the droplet is determined by a set of factors related to the electrospray process itself, but in general is a function of nozzle geometry, electric field strength in the vicinity of the nozzle tip, and the fluid pressure.
[0038] The droplet begins to evaporate as it leaves the nozzle. Evaporation rate is a function of temperature, pressure, and relative humidity (RH). RH is itself a function of the number of other droplets evaporating in the vicinity of the process from other nozzles.
[0039] The higher the collecting electrostatic field strength, the lower the output current is to collect wind energy. Simultaneously, the higher the field strength, the less charge is put into the air. The higher the field strength, however, the more the droplets tend to be driven back to their source nozzles. Thus, every wind speed and set of operational conditions has a maximum applied electrostatic collection field that permits operation. There is also an optimum field that permits collection of the maximum amount of energy.
[0040] Using standard sensors that provide information about incoming wind speed, air temperature, relative humidity, and pressure, we establish an EHD droplet and electric-field profile that extracts the maximum amount of energy from the wind. Operational parameters are sensed and adjusted in real-time. The system can be computer controlled, thus automating both fine and gross adjustments of key system parameters.
[0041] In addition, increasing or decreasing the CO 2 concentration in water is a means of altering pH and conductivity. For example, to increase CO 2 and lower pH, water may be trickled downward in a packed column while air is blown upward. This technique may be used to modify feed water to optimize energy generation.
[0042] In general, smaller charged particles are preferred. Unfortunately, liquid droplets on the order of 1 micron in diameter do not survive very long. They evaporate, leaving highly mobile and consequently ineffective free charge behind. One way to address this is to ensure that an evaporating particle of water leaves behind a solid or low-volatility liquid. Candidate solids include dust, pollen, manufactured items such as polymer balls, or solids formed by the final evaporation of liquid, such as salt crystals. Candidate liquids can include light oils that can be pre-agitated to droplets on the order of 0.1 to 0.01 microns in diameter, and uniformly mixed with water.
[0043] Electrospray ionization (“ESI”) works in the same fashion. A carrier fluid droplet is charged using electrospray, and the charge originally on the fluid droplet is deposited on the contained molecules of interest. The same process works for other solid species. These charged species are entrained in the wind just like their parent droplet. In one embodiment, the carrier fluid (e.g. water) is seeded with a substance intended to carry the system working charge once the carrier droplets have fully evaporated.
[0044] In a related embodiment, the nozzles are placed such that electrospray droplets encounter airborne particles after nozzle emission. Here, the charged droplet attracts generally uncharged solid particles, such as soot, pollen, dust, and other similar airborne substances, and entrains and absorbs them. The ultimate effect is the same as before, with the solids acting as charge carriers once water has evaporated. Droplets with contaminants, or residual charged contaminants, may be removed using a downstream collection grid. Employment of a downstream grid effectively performs the function of an electrostatic dust precipitator. In urban settings, such a arrangement can serve the dual purposes of energy generation and air purification by particle removal.
[0045] In other embodiments, liquids other than water are used as the charge-carrying fluid. Any fluid that can form electrospray is a candidate. There are classes of fluid, having low vapor pressure and low volatility, that may have fewer tendencies than water to evaporate during the time span of energy collection. Such fluids have the advantage that much smaller droplets may be employed without danger of complete droplet evaporation and consequent release of free charge.
[0046] In one embodiment, the working fluid is environmentally friendly and biodegradable. In other embodiments, the charge carriers are species of molecules that are beneficial to downwind elements. For example, a typical application might be to charge a type of fertilizer, so that downwind soil is fertilized.
[0047] One aspect of putting a cloud of charge into the air is that it creates a space charge that is self-repulsive. Like charges repel one another and a cloud of like charges is highly self repulsive. A space charge cloud wants to push itself apart, but it also resists a like charge being pushed into it. This is the situation with EHD particles. A particle exits a nozzle and immediately is pushed by the wind towards the cloud of charge immediately downwind.
[0048] The nominal field strength from space charge in the shape of an infinite wall is described by the following formula:
[0000] E=ρL/ 2∈, (3)
[0000] where E is the space charge field [Volts/meter] at entry to charge wall, ρ is the charge density (coulombs of charge per cubic meter), L is the thickness of the charge wall, and ∈ is the universal permittivity constant of space (i.e., 8.85E-12 Coulombs 2 /(Nm 2 )).
[0049] Geometrical aspects of the space charge field may influence its strength. For instance, space charge in the shape of a cylinder, rather than a wall, has a weaker induced electric field than a wall of charge. A flat sheet of charge, such as one that might be emitted from a single line of nozzles, may have an even lower space charge.
[0050] Space charge may be taken into account along with the other system variables such as wind speed, particle size and charge, and relative humidity (natural and induced), among others. The charge density may be controlled to account for the space charge effect. In one embodiment, control is modulated in real-time by a computer which examines all system parameters through the use of sensors and takes appropriate system action in order to optimize energy output for a given wind speed or other local environmental condition.
[0051] Space charge is directly proportional to the quantity of a specific charge, plus or minus. If plus and minus charges are mixed together, they effectively neutralize, and space charge is lessened or eliminated. In one embodiment, a nozzle configuration alternates nozzles or rows of nozzles that put out, alternately, positive and negative charges. Power is still generated by employing the standard EHD model described herein; however, as the opposing charges mingle, their charges are neutralized and space charge is minimized or eliminated. Such a space charge reduction enables more efficient wind energy collection by enabling the employment of higher charge density without the penalty of the space charge.
[0052] There are two electrostatic fields fundamental to EHD operation. One field, the electro spray field, surrounds each electro spray orifice; the other field, the collection field, opposes the motion of droplets in the wind. While these fields do indeed interact with one another, for the purpose of control we can treat them separately.
[0053] A strong collection field implies a high collection voltage. Field strength (volts/meter) depends in part on the physical relationship of upwind voltage and a downwind charge collection grid. For instance, a nozzle array operating at −200 kV with a grounded collection grid one meter away from the nozzles would have a nominal collection field of 200 kV/meter. The space charge field is added to the collection field to describe the total field that a particle experiences when passing into and through the collection zone between nozzle and downwind grid. In one embodiment, a downwind collector grid employs adjustable spacing between itself and the electrospray nozzles (upwind grid) to advantageously configure itself to an optimal distance.
[0054] For water flow rates per nozzle that are sufficiently low, as when droplet sizes are small and charge per unit mass is high, atmospheric condensation of water may be used as a water source for the EHD process. It takes energy to condense water from the air; this condensation energy must be subtracted from the total energy output. Under favorable conditions, however, such as high humidity and moderate temperatures, condensation may be used advantageously.
[0055] Condensation energy may be minimized by utilizing an air-to-air heat exchanger. Moisture-laden air coming into the condenser may be cooled by drier air exiting. Although there may be an enthalpy mismatch between the air streams, and incoming air may not be fully cooled, energy savings may be significant.
[0056] Condensation for water supply may be exploited anywhere, thus providing more freedom in system citing. Locations for condensation-supplied systems include sites with no local or municipal water, and airborne systems.
[0057] FIG. 1 illustrates one embodiment of an EHD energy capture system 100 . A charge generator 102 creates a number of particles 104 , which may be ions, water droplets, or other suitable charge-carrying particles, thereby creating a space charge 106 . The space charge 106 is porous to the wind 108 that blows through and among the charged particles 104 , driving them by hydrodynamic coupling in a direction generally the same as the wind direction. A first, upstream charged mesh 110 , porous to the wind, is charged with a polarity opposite to the space charge 106 . As the particles 104 are driven away from the upstream charged mesh 110 , the voltage of the upstream charged mesh 110 is maintained by a voltage regulation circuit 112 with respect to a second, downstream charged mesh 114 that collects the charged particles 104 . In some embodiments, as explained further below, the downstream mesh 114 may be eliminated, and its function replaced by ground or by charge recombination in the downstream air. As work is performed on the particles 104 by the wind 108 , excess positive charge near the downstream collector 114 pulls negative charges from the upstream collector 110 . The voltage regulator 112 bleeds electrons from the upstream mesh 110 to maintain a constant voltage. The current formed by the flow of electrons may be passed through a load 116 to perform useful work. In one embodiment, the creation of a positive ion at the charge generator 102 simultaneously creates an electron. The electron travels from the upstream collector 110 and moves through the load 116 to meet back up with its mate on the downstream mesh 114 .
[0058] FIG. 2 illustrates an alternative embodiment of an EHD energy capture system 200 that separates the ion source 202 from the EHD power circuit. In this embodiment, the ion source 202 provides one species of ion 204 for use in the space charge field 206 , and grounds the oppositely charged ions 208 thereby generated. As the working ions 204 are blown by the wind 210 into the space charge 206 between the upstream and downstream collectors 212 , 214 , an electrostatic field 216 is induced, and the downstream collector plate 214 collects the charges 204 . The ion source 202 may be a corona-wire ion source, the voltage of which may be decoupled from the voltage of the upstream collector 212 .
[0059] The corona effect ion source 202 may be electrically separated from the space charge 206 portion of the system 200 . The counter ions 208 created by the ion source 202 are drained to ground where they may be available to the upstream and downstream collectors 212 , 214 . With the downstream collector 214 connected to ground 218 and the upstream collector 212 connected to a load 220 , both collectors 212 , 214 may interact with electrons from ground. The space charge 206 and the motion 222 of the charged particles 204 against the electrostatic field 216 may induce a negative voltage in the upstream collector 212 . The negative bias of the upstream collector 212 may be held at working voltage by a voltage controller/regulator 224 . The current that flows through the controller 224 may be harnessed at the load 220 to perform useful work.
[0060] In one embodiment, the original charge that begins driving the process is provided by a power supply 226 in the ion source 202 . In another embodiment, stored or outside energy is used to power up the system 200 . Once in progress, wind-derived electrical energy may be bled parasitically from the main system to power the ion source 202 . In some embodiments, the ions 204 may be created at the ion source 202 and transported to a distal location using, for example, a tube or pipe constructed of, e.g., plastic or metal. The tube may have electrospray orifices along its length. Such an arrangement may be advantageous for weight reduction in systems where, for example, a heavy wave guide is undesirable.
[0061] In other embodiments, the ion source 202 is an electrospray generator, an electron-cyclotron resonance (“ECR”) ion generator (powered by microwaves), a helicon ion generator, and/or an inductively-coupled ion generator. In one embodiment, air itself is the ion source and the bulk media. An ECR ion generator, in comparison to a corona-effect ion generator, can have higher energy efficiency (expressed in coulombs of ion charge per energy input, or C/W), higher conversion efficiency (expressed in moles of target ion species created per mole of available neutral species, or moles/mole), and proportional control over a wider power band. ECR ion generation thus enables energy extraction from wind at lower wind speeds than those required by corona-based or water-droplet-based systems.
[0062] At lower wind speeds, the upstream collector 212 voltage may be lowered to prevent the ions 204 from drifting backward due to ion mobility in the lower electrostatic field. The minimum or “cut-in” wind velocity may be arbitrarily low, thus capturing wind energy at speeds comparable to or lower than those required by conventional wind turbines. Typical cut-in speeds for conventional wind turbines are around 8 mph (3.6 m/s). At low wind speeds, the EHD energy capture system may capture significantly more wind energy than a conventional wind turbine.
[0063] Proportional control of the ion source 202 over a broad range of ion output densities permits simultaneous optimization in coordination with the controlled voltage of the collectors 212 , 214 . For a given wind velocity, there is corresponding collector voltage that creates a suitably high electric field so that energy may be captured, but suitably low to prevent drawing back working ions due to charge mobility within the field. Likewise, the ion density, which induces the electric field, may be controllable within a range suitable for maximum energy extraction.
[0064] FIG. 3 illustrates one embodiment of an EHD energy capture system 300 having a single collector 302 . An electrically neutral fluid, having equal numbers of positive and negative charges, is stored in a feed source 304 . At a charge separation point 306 , positive charges are deposited on charge carriers 308 which are carried away by the wind 310 . Negative charges 310 are left behind on the collector 302 . An electric field 312 forms as a result of the force between the opposing charges. As more positive charges 308 are driven away by the wind, more negative charges 310 are left behind, thereby increasing the strength of the electric field 312 and creating a reservoir of charge that can be drained off as current 314 . If the electric field 312 becomes too strong, however, it may overcome the force of the wind 310 on the positive charges 308 , and the charges 308 will not be blown away from the collector 302 . Embodiments of this invention thus can be controlled to seek to maintain a steady-state balance, wherein the wind force is strong enough to separate the charged particles from their source.
[0065] FIG. 4 illustrates one embodiment of an EHD system 400 that uses electrospray nozzles 402 . The electrospray nozzles 402 may be filled with a working fluid 404 that is maintained at a given pressure by, for example, pumping the fluid 404 from a suitable fluid supply reservoir or receiving the fluid 404 from a pressurized source. An electrospray voltage V es and an electrospray current i es are applied to the nozzles 402 to create electrospray. In one embodiment, the electrospray voltage V es is approximately equal to 5 kV and the electrospray current i es is approximately equal to 200 nA. The electrospray current i es and voltage V es may be supplied by an electrospray power supply 406 that, in one embodiment, derives its power from the output of the EHD system 400 itself. When the EHD system 400 starts up, the power supply 406 may employ energy stored from prior output to start the system 400 .
[0066] Charged droplets 408 are created by the electrospray and may be emitted from the upstream collector 410 as a generally continuous plume of charge. The upstream collector 410 may be a screen or mesh grid, the electrospray nozzles 402 , or any other charge-bearing material near the electrospray 408 . In various embodiments, the droplets 408 are positively or negatively charged. The droplets 408 are entrained by the wind in 412 and may be carried into an electric field 414 . The electric field 414 is defined by (1) the voltage difference between a system voltage V sys on the upstream collector 410 and a downstream collector and ground 416 , and (2) the distance D between the two collectors 410 , 416 . For example, in one embodiment, V sys is 100 kV, ground is 0 V, and the grid spacing D is 0.5 meters. The electric field 414 will therefore have a strength of 100,000/(½)=200,000 volts/meter.
[0067] The system voltage V sys is created by negative charges, e.g., electrons, left behind by the positively charged fluid droplets 408 . The system 400 may also operate by creating negative droplets, thereby leaving behind positive charges on the upstream collector 410 . The more electrons left behind, the greater the negative voltage drop on the system voltage V sys , and the greater the strength of the electric field 414 . For any given wind conditions (e.g., speed and/or direction), a certain amount of drag is available to carry the charged droplets 408 through the electric field 414 . Thus, a balance between wind speed and electric field strength determines the optimal operating point of the system 400 . The strength of the electric field 414 may be varied by adding more droplets 408 per unit time and/or varying the charge per droplet 408 .
[0068] Once the system voltage V sys achieves a steady-state value, electrons left behind by the electrospray may form a current i sys and flow via a path 418 through a transformer 420 . In one embodiment, the output from the system 400 is high voltage and low current. Output from the transformer 420 will typically be lower voltage and higher current, thereby matching the requirements of a particular load 422 . The load voltage V load and the load current I load are, in one embodiment, approximately equal to 115 VAC and 30 Amps, respectively, matching the requirements of a household power supply.
[0069] Under steady-state conditions, the flow 418 of electrons from the upstream collector 410 is equal to the positive charge flow carried on the positively charged droplets 408 . This overall system current 424 may also be equal to the ground current 426 (i ground ) that neutralizes incoming positive charges 408 at the downstream collector 416 . Note that current may alternatively be defined in the direction of electron flow or opposite the direction of electron flow.
[0070] In one embodiment, the downstream collector 416 is removed from the system 400 , leaving only the upstream collector 410 . Instead of a downstream collector, the system 400 may use any electrical ground as a pool of free charges. In one embodiment, the electrical ground is the Earth. The upstream collector 410 may be conductive and porous or foraminous. The upstream collector 410 may create a capacitive couple with the electrical ground.
[0071] Eliminating the downstream collector 416 may create a much larger length for distribution of system voltage. For instance, if the nominal distance between the upstream voltage and ground is 10 meters, then the system sees an applied voltage of 200 kV/10 m=20 kV/m field. At the same time, the space charge field may not be bounded by the downwind grid, and it increases linearly with the thickness of the space charge. Elimination of the downstream collector 416 may be best suited for systems where the energy output is not space-charge limited.
[0072] In one embodiment, the system 400 includes a sensor 428 that measures ambient atmospheric parameters such as wind speed, temperature, humidity, as well as internal parameters like the strength of the electric field 414 . A control system 430 may communicate with the sensor 428 and alter a parameter of the system 400 in response to the received sensor 428 data. For example, the control system 430 may modify the rate of creation of the charged particles 408 and/or vary the amount of charge on each particle 408 in response to a changed atmospheric parameter. The control system 430 may include a local computing device/processor or a remote device/processor, and may receive data from the sensor 428 , process it, and adjust a parameter of the system 400 in real-time. The control system 430 may be programmed with a look-up table of recommended system 400 parameters for a given set of atmospheric conditions, and/or may determine optimal parameters through experimentation and feedback. For example, if the velocity of the wind 412 increases, the control system 430 may raise V sys and/or i sys in response. In some embodiments, the control system 430 increases the flow rate of the charged particles 408 in response to increasing wind speeds, particularly if the increased wind speed is less than about 25 mph. In other embodiments, the control system 430 raises the amount of charge per particle 508 with increasing wind speed (and a corresponding increase in wind drag per particle to support the increased charge). The control system 430 may also increase particle size and decrease charge per particle as wind speed increases, to take advantage of the increased wind drag, or decrease particle size as humidity increases to take advantage of the slower rate of evaporation. The control system 430 may take similar but opposite actions when wind speed decreases.
Diffuser Augmentation
[0073] FIG. 5 illustrates a cross-sectional cutaway view of one embodiment of a diffuser 500 for increasing the flow velocity and mass flow rate through a specific area of an EHD system called diffuser augmentation (“DA”). DA may use a shaped structure to force a large cross-sectional area of wind flow into a cross-sectional smaller area, thus causing an increase in the wind's velocity in the smaller area. Higher-velocity wind flow may be advantageous to charged-particle entrainment and drag forces against which the electric field is applied, and may allow a stronger electric field than would otherwise be possible.
[0074] Charged particles are entrained in the enhanced wind and create a space charge, per prior discussion, in a constrained and controlled space defined by the diffuser 500 . In the diffuser 500 , radial expansion of the wind is constrained by the walls of the diffuser 500 . In one embodiment, the walls of the diffuser 500 are charged to repel the space charge. Expansion of the space charge may prevent separation of flow from the diffuser wall as mass flows towards a downstream collector 514 . As before, a voltage field is set up between the upstream and downstream collectors 508 , 514 . Electrically connecting the collectors 508 , 514 creates a circuit from which energy may be extracted.
[0075] The diffuser 500 is one embodiment of a radially symmetric DA-EHD device. A region 502 of ambient air outside of the diffuser 500 has a bulk wind velocity V 0 . As the ambient air encounters the intake zone 504 , it assumes a new velocity V 1 in accordance with the shape of the intake zone 504 . The air within the intake zone 504 is accelerated to a new velocity V 2 as it moves toward the throat area 506 , and experiences a commensurate drop in pressure in accordance with Bernoulli's law. At the throat 506 , the wind moves through an upstream collector 508 , and charged particles are injected into the wind by a distributor 510 . The particles may be water droplets, charged dust, or simply charged species of air molecules. From the distributor 508 , a space charge is created by the moving cloud of charge. By the nature of the diffuser, and because the space charge naturally wants to expand, pressure increases and velocity decreases as flow moves toward the exit 512 of the system. The wind passes through a downstream collector 514 with a corresponding lower velocity V 3 . In one embodiment, the upstream collector 508 is a conductive ring around the high-velocity zone, thereby allowing for smoother flow of wind through the throat 506 .
[0076] The ratio of the cross-sectional area of the exit 512 to the throat 506 may be less than approximately 4.5. The velocity V 2 of the wind in the throat 506 may be approximately equal to twice the ambient wind speed V 0 , and the velocity V 3 of the wind at the exit 514 may be approximately equal to one-third of the ambient wind speed V 0 . Other geometries and values are contemplated.
[0077] FIG. 6 illustrates a partial sectional view of one embodiment of a linear DA-EHD housing 600 . Ambient wind enters the linear diffuser 600 at an intake zone 602 , accelerates at a throat 604 , and leaves at an exit 606 . An upstream collector and distributor may be positioned near the throat 604 , and a downstream collector may be positioned near the exit 606 . The linear diffuser 600 may be arbitrarily long about its longitudinal axis 608 , and may be mounted on, for example, hill tops, buildings, and the like.
[0078] FIGS. 7A-7B illustrate one embodiment of a DA-EHD balloon diffuser 700 . The balloon diffuser 700 includes a balloon 702 and a duct 704 that surrounds the balloon 702 . The front area 706 of the balloon 702 may act as an upstream collector, and the air flow may be driven into the boundary layer 708 that surrounds the flow-enhanced circumference. The duct 704 may be constructed of a light frame with fabric stretched between, and the balloon 702 may be constructed of a suitable air-impermeable membrane and filled with an appropriate gas. The balloon diffuser 700 may be used with either an air-based or a water-particle-based EHD system. In one embodiment, the balloon diffuser 700 is positioned within a cloud. The balloon diffuser may also include lifting elements, such as wing structures, to add lift to the overall structure.
[0079] The DA systems illustrated in FIGS. 5-7B feature several advantages. For example, the DA systems permit capturing energy from the nominal intake area and, in addition, the enhanced velocity at the throat permits higher electric field strengths. Furthermore, due to the enclosed nature of the DA systems 500 , 600 , 700 , the electric field may be better controlled between the collectors. The ratio of downstream to upstream collector area may better match the aspect ratio of the electric field. Inside the DA systems, the space charge is radially or transversely constrained, so that natural internal repulsion adds to velocity in the desired work direction. The diffuser sleeve prevents ionic species from migrating in from the bulk flow and prevents charge neutralization. The DA designs contemplated by the present invention may enhance EHD systems that use such charge carriers as plain air, charged dust, water droplets, or rigid foam balls. If a fluidic charge carrier is desired, the design may be adapted for closed-loop flow (by, e.g., water recycling). The DA systems may be adapted for lighter-than-air configurations.
Dielectric Barrier Discharge
[0080] In one embodiment, a dielectric barrier discharge (“DBD”) device is used as an ion source to create charged species using air alone, with no separate charge carrier. DBD may be combined with DA to create a DBD-DA EHD device that has no moving parts (other than the wind itself). DBD plasma conditions may be varied to promote creation of specific ionic species. For instance, by combining a voltage field transverse to the AC field of the DBD, ions of specific charge may be extracted to either side of the dielectric plate(s). The ions may then be employed to create an entrained space charge and the oppositely charged collector.
[0081] DBD may also be employed to charge naturally occurring dust particles. These particles occur with great abundance in the atmosphere. The mobility of a dust particle may be less that that of an air molecule, while, at the same time, the dust particle may hold a large electric charge.
[0082] An electric field transverse to the collector field lines may be modulated to motivate a charged species transverse to the flow. An ion thus perturbed may experience more collisions with the wind per unit time, and may be further influenced by those collisions generally opposite to the direction of the applied field. The ion's mobility is effectively lowered by such a means. The advantage of slowing the ion's mobility is that higher field strengths may be employed for wind energy extraction, and thereby improve energy extraction efficiency.
Injection of Charged Water Droplets Using MEMS
[0083] In various embodiments, EHD systems may inject charged water droplets into the air using micro-electro-mechanical structures (“MEMS”) that incorporate appropriate pressure, flow, and voltage conditions. In particular, MEMS-based ink jet spraying and electrospraying combine droplet formation with droplet charging.
[0084] Ink-jet technology optionally employs piezoelectrical vibration to eject ink droplets from an orifice, and then adds charge to each droplet as it finds its way to the print media. Conventional individual inkjet ejectors, which may consume 0.5 μJoules of energy to create one droplet, may not be efficient enough for use in an EHD system. A system that employs 2D ejector arrays with resonant actuators, such as piezoelectric crystal or capacitive actuators, may fire droplets from large arrays of orifices. For example, a 2D array may contain 20×20 holes, and may be driven in excess of 1 Mhz. As one example, the energy per droplet using a single ethyl alcohol reservoir micromachined ejector array is 0.0037 μJoules. Water energy per drop is deemed to be similar. Further optimization of the MEMS devices may bring this energy figure down even further.
[0085] Similarly, electrospraying induces a charged droplet stream from a small nozzle with little significant pumping energy other than an applied electric field. Electrospray ionization (“ESI”) is a process of special interest to EHD systems. ESI may be deployed at the microscale using MEMS technology to combine the creation of energy-efficient ultrasonic droplets with electrostatic charging. In various embodiments, a MEMS ejector reservoir array may be combined with a voltage source, thus creating an energy-efficient electrospray device having a large number of ejector nozzles. Besides creating the droplet itself, additional energy may be required to charge the droplet, to remove particles that might clog the micro-nozzles, and to move the fluid around from source to nozzle. Energy requirements for these processes are small compared to droplet creation energy and related inefficiencies.
[0086] FIG. 8 illustrates one embodiment of a MEMS charged-particle source 800 that combines an ejector reservoir 802 with a porous charge plate 804 . A nozzle plate 806 , separated from the charge plate 804 by a distance D 2 , may be charged to the same potential as the desired charge of a droplet 808 , for example, to 1 kV. The charge plate 804 may be biased at a potential opposite to the potential of the nozzle plate, for example, at −5 kV. In an alternative embodiment, the charge plate 804 may be set to a positive voltage and the nozzle plate 806 to a negative voltage. In one embodiment, the potential of the charge plate 804 is the same as the potential of an upstream collector. The fluid in the reservoir 802 near a nozzle 808 acquires the same potential as that of the nozzle plate 806 . The charge plate 804 , being set to an opposite potential, attracts the fluid away from the reservoir 802 . The fluid may exit the reservoir 802 and form a charged droplet 810 . The wind 812 , which may be perpendicular to the surface of the reservoir 802 and charge plate 804 , entrains the droplet 810 carries it to a new position 814 .
[0087] In one embodiment, the fluid in the reservoir 802 forms a Taylor cone 816 before separating to form a droplet 810 . The size of the nozzle 808 , the distance D 2 , and the potentials on the plates 804 , 806 may all play a role in determining the particular mode of the Taylor cone. In various embodiments, the source 800 is designed to have stable Taylor cones that emit droplets 810 at regular and repeatable intervals.
[0088] In one embodiment, the droplet 810 is drawn at high velocity toward the charge plate 804 , but, because there is a hole 818 immediately opposite the nozzle 808 , the droplet 810 passes through and is entrained in the bulk wind flow 812 .
[0089] In an alternative embodiment, charged particles are injected directly into the wind stream 812 without the use of the charging plate 804 . In this embodiment, an actuator 820 may be used to provide energy to the fluid in the reservoir 802 . The actuator may also be used in conjunction with the charging plate 804 .
[0090] In one embodiment, the diameter of the nozzle 808 is on the order of the diameter of the droplet 810 , which may be between 3 and 10 microns. In other embodiments, the Taylor cone 816 may enable the production of droplets 810 that are smaller than the diameter of the nozzle 808 , such as, for example, sub-micron-sized droplets.
[0091] Charging the droplets 810 to a potential close to their Rayleigh limit charge may have additional benefits. For example, when a charged droplet 810 begins to evaporate in the bulk flow 812 , the charge on the droplet approaches its Rayleigh limit. Once the limit is achieved, the droplet may break apart into smaller charged droplets in a process called a Coulombic explosion.
[0092] FIG. 9 illustrates one embodiment of a nozzle configuration 900 . A nozzle 902 is formed on a substrate 903 and may be surrounded by a generally annular channel 904 , thereby forming a depression around the nozzle 902 . The channel 904 isolates the nozzle 902 from the generally planar substrate 903 and can aid in the formation of a Taylor cone 906 .
[0093] FIG. 10 illustrates an alternative embodiment 1000 in which a raised zone or “scarf” 1002 is created on a substrate 1003 around a nozzle 1004 . The scarf 1002 may include material removed during the formation of the nozzle 1004 , and may be a natural byproduct of non-volatilized material removal.
[0094] In an alternative embodiment, pre-existing hypodermic tubing or pre-shaped electrospray elements such as those fabricated by Phoenix S&T of Chester, Pa. may be used.
[0095] In general, electrospray nozzle performance may be position dependent. For example, facing a nozzle downward may allow gravity to assist in formation of a Taylor cone. The nozzle may be faced in any direction, however, and still perform its function. The nozzle itself may take a variety of forms, including both single and ganged approaches. A ganged approach is exemplified by any cluster of ordered nozzles that form part or whole sections of electrospray nozzles.
Electrospray System
[0096] FIGS. 10-19 illustrate, in various embodiments, an EHD electrospray system. FIG. 11 illustrates a structure 1100 that includes an extrusion body 1102 , a fluid channel 1104 , and electrospray nozzles 1106 within electrospray clearance holes 1108 . The electrospray nozzles 1106 may be part of the plastic extrusion body 1102 that also includes some post-extrusion processing. The extrusion body 1102 includes an airfoil shape, which may minimize turbulent losses at the nozzle array. The airfoil shape may also permit control of high- and low-pressure areas suitable for various system processes. For example, the low pressure area above and below an airfoil-shaped extrusion body 1102 may be suited to injection of an electrospray plume. Entrainment air may optionally be taken in from holes at the leading edge of the airfoil-shaped body 1102 , and/or the vapor pressure of the plume itself may be employed. The fluid channel 1104 may run the length of the extrusion body 1102 and may feed the nozzles 1106 . The clearance holes 1108 may permit the electrospray emanating from the nozzles 1106 to be entrained in passing air. The nozzles 1106 point substantially transverse to the chord of the airfoil-shaped body 1102 . In other embodiments, the nozzles 1106 are suitably arranged to point in any direction as established by the geometry of the fluid channel 1104 , nozzles 1106 , and appropriate clearance areas 1108 . The body 1102 may alternatively be a roll-formed shape, or some combination of a roll-formed shape and an extrusion body. Materials other than plastics are contemplated.
[0097] FIG. 12 is a transparent view of an extrusion body 1200 , showing additional extrusion elements such as those inserted post extrusion or that are co-extruded. The fluid feed channel accepts insertion of a high-voltage electrode wire 1202 that provides power (current and voltage) to the electrospray fluid. Current from the wire may travel through the fluid to the tip of each nozzle and may be substantially distributed as charge on exiting droplets. Low-voltage electrode wires 1204 , here shown as co-extrusions, provide a proper electric field at each nozzle top so that electrospray may occur.
[0098] FIG. 13 is an enlarged, transparent view of an extrusion body 1300 . The fluid channel 1302 of the electrospray nozzle 1304 intersects the main fluid channel 1306 . High-voltage 1308 and low-voltage 1310 electrodes are also depicted. The nozzle 1304 may be formed directly from the extrusion body material or may be formed by insertion and/or assembly of a complete nozzle into a receptive cavity in the extrusion body 1300 . Such an element might be a stainless steel needle or a plastic needle with dimensions that rise above the contour of the fluid feed channel.
[0099] FIG. 14 is an enlarged view of a single nozzle 1400 . The nozzle fluid channel 1402 communicates with the feed channel 1404 . A relief area 1406 encircles and defines the orifice 1408 of the nozzle 1400 . Nozzles 1400 may be defined by first creating a nozzle fluid channel 1402 and then creating the relief area 1406 around the channel 1402 . Laser ablation is one process that is suitable for details of this scale and accuracy.
[0100] In various embodiments, the nozzle 1400 is constructed from a variety of different components and materials. It may be, for example, a metal needle, such as those produced by New Objective, Inc., of Woburn, Mass.; a plastic cone, such as those produced by Phoenix S&T of Chester, Pa.; a plastic tip, such as those produced by Terronics Development of Elwood, Ind.; a MEMS-type nozzle, such as those produced by Advion, Inc. of Ithaca, N.Y.; a MEMS-type electrospray from sharp tips, e.g., “pencils and volcanoes”; an orifice punched in continuous length fabrications such as extrusions, roll formed metals, or tubes; an orifice formed by inserting a custom feature into continuous length fabrications; and/or an integrated spray atomizer, such as Spray Triode from ZYW Corporation of Princeton Junction, N.J.
[0101] FIGS. 15 and 16 illustrate a full view of a louver 1500 , which may be similar to the extrusion bodies described above, and a louver array 1600 . The louver array 1600 is one example of how EHD wind energy conversion may employ one or more electrospray elements, e.g., louvers 1500 . The louver array 1600 may have a combined output of approximately 5 kW. While the array 1600 may be substantially vertical, it is understood that the louvers 1500 may be staggered to provide better free flow from downward-facing nozzles. An array with nozzles directed rearward or forward may be arranged in a similar fashion as the array 1600 .
[0102] FIG. 17 is an enlarged view of a portion of a louver array 1700 . The ends 1702 of each louver 1704 may be open to provide sealing and fastening points for proper fluid, electrical, and mechanical connections. The connections may typically be established with a vertical frame element.
[0103] FIG. 18 illustrates a framed louver array 1800 . Rigid frame elements 1802 constrain and support the louver array elements 1804 . The frame elements 1802 may also provide the appropriate fluid connections for the electrospray as well as electrical contacts for high- and low-voltage elements. The fluid elements may include pressure and flow control. The electrical elements may provide voltage and current control. Control elements such sensors, pumps, and power supplies may be either internal or external to the frame elements 1802 .
[0104] FIG. 19 illustrates an EHD system 1900 . The system 1900 includes an upstream louver array 1902 , including electrospray elements, and a downstream collector grid 1904 . The downstream collector 1904 may be connected to ground. The spacing D 3 between the louver array 1902 and the downstream grid 1904 may define the magnitude of the electric field between them.
[0105] FIG. 20 illustrates cross-sectional view of a louver array 2000 with canted louvers 2002 vertically offset in a downstream direction. Nozzles 2004 on the louvers 2002 face downward. Where nozzles are arranged along an extrusion or louver, nozzles facing straight downward or upward may spray a plume that contacts an adjacent louver. In various embodiments, the louvers 2002 may be offset to permit the electrospray plume 2006 more room to be entrained by the wind 2008 . This layout may allow the louvers 2002 to be placed closer together than an array with a vertically aligned layout. Alternatively, the louvers 2002 may be staggered, in a zig-zag pattern, or any other layout that permits relatively close nesting while providing adequate plume and wind interaction.
[0106] FIG. 21 illustrates an injection system 2100 having an alternative electrode configuration. An asymmetric electrode 2102 is disposed closer to the wind 2104 than an electrospray nozzle 2106 . Because the electrospray nozzle 2106 is transverse to the wind 2104 , droplet forces may be asymmetric with respect to the central spray axis 2108 . This asymmetry may be exploited to keep droplets 2110 away from the electrode 2102 by placing the electrode 2102 upwind from the nozzle 2106 . The electrode 2102 may include one or more wires; a single wire may be sufficient to create an electrospray field and a Taylor cone 2112 at the tip of the nozzle 2106 . The wind 2104 may assist in preventing the electrospray 2110 generated by the Taylor cone 2112 from shorting to the electrode 2102 . Wire symmetry is not required. In one embodiment, the electrode 2102 is an asymmetric, coated wire with a current leakage path. A small patch of removed insulation 2114 may help to prevent charge neutralization on the surface of the wire-type electrode 2102 .
[0107] In another embodiment, at lower wind speeds where there is not enough drag to keep charged droplets away from the charging electrodes, it may be advantageous to coat the bare electrode with a dielectric substance that retards the short-circuiting of droplets. A too-thick coating, however, sustains electrospray only briefly before the coating becomes covered with neutralizing charge, thus eliminating the driving electric field and shutting down the electrospray. A proper coating thickness enables some current leakage from the ensconced wire, preventing field neutralization while at the same time providing sufficient barrier to a current short between spray source and electrode. Another means of preventing driving field shutdown when using coated wire is to provide a small current leak path in the insulation. A small cutaway of insulating barrier provides a path for counter-ions to neutralize charge buildup on the coating surface.
[0108] In another embodiment, control of a short circuit current to the nozzle electrode may also be accomplished by a current regulating circuit. A circuit of this type may replace or augment the current-limiting properties of a coated wire or a coated wire with cutaway. A related means of controlling current leakage between electrode and nozzle is to employ an ion permeable material as an electrode coating. To the extent that permeability is regulated by membrane structure, the leakage current may be modulated.
EHD Applications
[0109] EHD wind energy conversion may be limited by the amount of ions that can be put into the air, not by fear of mechanical destruction, and thus may withstand arbitrarily high wind speeds. An ion source may be sized to suit expected wind conditions in order to optimize cost vs. energy output. Because wind speeds may increase logarithmically with altitude, the higher off the ground a wind system is mounted, the more energy it may produce. EHD wind energy capture is well-suited to higher wind speeds, including those well above the normal cut-out or maximum power speeds of conventional turbines. In fact, an EHD system may be lifted to arbitrarily high altitudes to capture wind energy at velocity regimes not generally suitable for safe conventional turbine operation.
[0110] Traditional determination of available wind energy applies to EHD wind energy conversion. Each charged particle acts like a small wind bucket as neutral wind molecules strike it and force the particle against the electric field. Trillions of ions retard wind speed just like a wind turbine blade as kinetic energy from the wind is converted into electrical energy. Therefore, maximum theoretical available energy (at 100% machine efficiency) is determined by the traditional Betz' Law:
[0000] Power available=( 16/27)×½×(air density)×(area)×(wind velocity) 3 (4)
[0111] Modifications to this equation may provide more realistic results. For example, a charge space composed of positive ions may expand due to mutual charge repulsion. This expansion may cause the charge space to occupy a larger swept area than just the collector. Conversely, collisions between neutral air molecules and the ions are not perfectly elastic and thereby result in friction losses.
[0112] FIG. 22 illustrates one embodiment of a ground-level-mounted EHD system 2200 . Columnar ion sources 2202 provide (in this embodiment) positive ions, which may induce a voltage in a porous collector fence 2204 . Each collector panel 2202 may have a height H 4 and a width W 4 . Other embodiments may have more or fewer ion sources 2202 and/or collector fence panels 2204 . The ions may be driven by the wind 2206 against the voltage gradient created by the charge space 2208 between the fence 2204 and ground 2210 . The ions may return to ground 2210 to complete the virtual circuit. The ion sources 2202 may be electrically isolated from the collector 2204 and may have their own ground 2212 . The collector 2204 may have no ground, per se, because its voltage is controlled by a voltage controller 2214 . The controller 2214 , which also may have its own ground 2216 , may also convert electron flow (current) from the collector 2204 into a line voltage 2218 . The collectors 2204 may be raised above ground level by distance D 4 to prevent shorting the collector 2204 to ground 2212 . Electrical isolation may protect the collector voltages, which may reach several hundred kilovolts. Distance D 4 may be increased to allow the collectors 2204 to be exposed to higher average wind velocities. In one embodiment, the collector 2204 is a porous, conductive fence, such as a chain-link fence, with an ion source and a means of conditioning the voltage and current induced in the fence.
[0113] FIG. 23 illustrates one embodiment of a tower-mounted EHD system 2300 . In general, increased height implies increased wind speed, at least because ground effects slow down the wind and rob it of energy. Given a first wind velocity V 0 at a first height H 0 , the new velocity V at a second, higher height H is:
[0000] V =( H/H 0 ) α V 0 , (5)
[0000] where α is a wind shear exponent. Although the wind shear exponent may vary with terrain, it is generally accepted to be 1/7 (0.143). For example, a velocity of 5 meters/second measured at a height of 3 meters is becomes 7.36 meters/second at a height of 150 meters. Furthermore, wind power increases as the cube of wind velocity (V 3 ). Combining the two expressions, there may be twice as much wind energy available at 100 feet above ground than there is at 20 feet above ground.
[0114] An ion source 2302 emits positive ions 2304 into the wind 2306 , thereby inducing a voltage in a collector 2308 due to a space charge 2310 . The ions may return to ground 2312 . In the tower mount, the collector 2308 may be placed on a pivot 2314 that permits the wind to push the collector 2308 downwind from the tower 2316 . The system 2300 may also include voltage conditioning and grounding means.
[0115] The height of the tower H 5 may be arbitrary. In one embodiment, H 5 is over 100 meters. Given that EHD systems have no moving parts, no gearbox, and no generator, the support tower 2316 may bear less significantly weight than a conventional wind turbine tower, and thus may be less massive for a given height. Maintenance may involve checking the cleanliness of the collector grid, the soundness of electrical connections, and/or sensing the integrity of coordinated power and control systems. The rotary bearings at the top of the tower may have to be checked and lubricated. Larger systems may use a servo-motor to drive the collector grid to the proper orientation or employ a tail sail to orient correctly to the collector 2308 .
[0116] FIG. 24 illustrates a building-mounted EHD system 2400 . A building 2402 of height H 6 has EHD system collectors 2404 mounted on its roof. Ion generators 2406 may be mounted on the corners of the building 2402 , and collector grids 2408 may be positioned parallel to the four outside surfaces of the building 2402 . In operation, the wind may produce electrical energy from the roof systems as follows. Wind passing around the corners of the building 2402 may pick up ions, create a charge space, and induce a voltage into the collectors grids 2408 . Of concern is turbulent back-flow on the downwind walls of the building 2402 which may permit ions to rejoin the collector grids 2408 without experiencing the effect of the wind. This effect may be minimized by placing the collector grids 2408 remote from the mid-portions of the wall, i.e., more near the corners of the building 2402 . The collector grids 2408 may also be positioned to extend straight out from the corners, as shown by collector grid 2410 .
[0117] Other manmade structures, such as the roof peak of a home, may experience wind velocity magnification due to the slope of the roof. Such locations may be advantageous for installation of an EHD wind energy system. Such a system may have a collector that is long and narrow to suit the high-energy ribbon of air flowing over the peak.
[0118] In one embodiment, an EHD system may be mounted on a flagpole. The light weight of a simple, porous collector mesh may not cause undue stress on the flagpole. It may be mounted on the top with, e.g., a gimbal comparable to the tower-mounting scheme. Electronics could be placed at the bottom of the pole.
[0119] In general, the dimensions of the collector area may not be strictly defined. Unlike the strictly circular path of a horizontal axis, bladed wind turbine, or the columnar profile of a vertical axis Darrieus wind turbine, an EHD system collector need only heed the geometric requirements relative to a charge field. For example, the collector area may be long and thin rather than square or round. This geometric flexibility permits integrative designs to take advantage of unique wind flow characteristics, such as around the corners of high buildings. It also provides some measure of artistic license to create aesthetically-pleasing designs.
[0120] In alternative embodiments, EHD systems may be mounted on natural structures such as trees, boulders, and/or mountains. For more delicate structures such as trees, a small and/or lightweight EHD system may be used. On large, sturdy structures such as mountains, larger EHD systems may be used. Wind speed near the ground at the top of a mountain can be quite high. To capture this wind energy, in one embodiment, a fence-type system may be used. Because an EHD system may naturally produce high-voltage DC power, transporting power long distances may be less of an issue. In one embodiment, AC power is converted to DC power.
[0121] FIG. 25 illustrates one embodiment of a portion of a turbine-blade EHD system 2500 . An existing, conventional wind turbine may benefit by integrating an EHD system with the turbine blade. Current EHD designs may enhance the efficiency of the conventional wind turbines, and new EHD designs may dispense with conventional wind turbine components, such as the generator and, if employed, the gearbox. In one embodiment, an EHD system may be retrofit from a conventional wind turbine.
[0122] The airfoil 2502 may act as a mechanical wind-velocity enhancer. The airfoil 2502 is driven by the natural or ambient wind 2504 , as a blade of a wind turbine may be driven. The airfoil 2502 experiences a relative or induced wind 2506 affected by the motion of the airfoil 2502 through the air. A volume of charged particles 2508 may be created as an ion-rich region by an ion generator 2510 , such as an electrospray source, a microwave Electron-Cyclotron Resonance (“ECR”) waveguide ion generator, or other suitable ion source. Ions exit the ion generator 2510 through a waveguide slot 2512 near the leading edge of the airfoil 2502 and may be prevented from returning by paired magnets 2514 at the exit of the slot 2512 and/or by positive gas (i.e., air) flow out from the slot 2512 . The charge space 2508 is porous to the induced wind 2506 which blows through and among the charged particles, driving them by hydrodynamic coupling in a direction generally the same as the induced wind 2506 direction. The charged particles are therefore moved in a direction opposite to the space charge electric field 2516 created by the collector plate 2518 mounted near the trailing edge of the airfoil 2502 , which may be charged with a polarity opposite to the ion charge. As the ions are driven away from the collector plate 2518 , the plate voltage may be maintained by a voltage regulator 2520 with respect to ground 2522 . As work is performed on the space charge 2508 by the induced wind 2506 , excess charge may be built up in the collector plate 2518 . The voltage regulator 2520 may bleed current from the collector 2518 to maintain constant voltage. This current may be passed through a load 2524 to perform useful work.
[0123] The collector plate 2518 may be charged to higher voltage than collector plates of non-airfoil systems, because ion mobility back to the collector 2518 may be overcome by the higher relative wind 2506 velocity. The volume of air passing the ion release zone may also be increased, thereby releasing higher ion densities than in non-blade systems.
[0124] The relative wind 2506 velocity over the aerodynamic surface of the airfoil 2502 is typically several multiples (e.g., 4× to 10×) of the bulk wind 2504 velocity. Airfoil shapes may be optimized for combined (mechanical wind plus EHD) energy extraction, or optimized for EHD alone. In one embodiment, an airfoil for EHD-only extraction may not require a central generator. Instead, the blades of the windmill freely rotate about a generally passive axis and may extract energy from the wind at the blades themselves. Such an approach may be able to extract wind energy at wind speeds both lower and higher than conventional wind turbines.
[0125] In addition, the placement of the collector plates 2518 and the components 2510 , 2512 , 2514 that make up the ion generator is schematic and exemplary. Placement of the items may take a different form. For instance, the ion generator assembly 2510 , 2514 may be placed at the root of the blade, and the ions ported up the core of the blade and suitably dispersed with respect to the collector plate 2518 . Alternatively, the collector plate 2518 may be placed on the underside of the blade, thereby reducing neutralization by proximal positive ions. In one embodiment, a series of collector fins is extended into the air stream to provide a higher collection surface.
[0126] Integration of an EHD system with an airfoil may benefit the efforts of conventional wind turbine manufacturers, such as Sky Windpower Company of Ramona, Calif. Their approach is to use autogyro rotation of lift blades to support a wind energy platform at height. The instant invention may lower the weight for any existing design and thereby improve energy conversion efficiency.
[0127] One embodiment of the airfoil-integrated EHD system design employs the airfoil on an aircraft. When the EHD system is deployed, it may act as an air brake. Ions seed the air behind the wing, the collector creates a space charge, and the ions want to migrate back to the collector. Each ion acts like a micro air brake as it bounces against oncoming neutral air particles. As the ions are forced away from the wind by air flow, the collector registers high voltage; current drawn off from the collector is stored onboard for use another time. Energy conservation and efficiency are important for nearly every kind of aircraft; an EHD system air brake is especially valuable for electrically powered aircraft.
[0128] In various embodiments, EHD systems may be used with kite-based wind energy systems, which are being actively researched by such companies as Makani Power of Alameda, Calif. Sky Windpower also contemplates using devices to lift turbines and generators in the air without a tower. Replacing a standard generator system with an EHD system may increase their efficiency. Less energy is wasted on lift, and more converted to electricity. Kite-based power generation may yield improved wind speed with increased height. A kite can achieve great heights without a tower, and power may be conveyed along the kite tether.
[0129] The details of integrating an EHD system with a kite follow. In general, ions are introduced upstream of the kite's lifting surface, and one or more of the kite lifting surfaces may be rendered conductive in order to act as a collector. Energy is conveyed to ground with a tensioned tether, and the collector voltage may be readily conditioned to whatever form is necessary. The tether may be reeled out from a spool that converts the imparted rotational energy by using it to power, for example, an electrical generator. When the kite is reeled in, it may reduce its wind profile and thereby allow the spool to consume less energy than was captured in the reeling-out step.
[0130] FIGS. 26A-B illustrate a lighter-than-air (“LTA”) EHD system 2600 . Integration of EHD energy generation with an LTA vehicle may offer the same advantages as a kite-based EHD system, namely, placing the EHD system at a height that captures more wind energy than it would on the ground. Unlike a kite-based system, however, an LTA system may be sized to very large dimensions and/or be deployed at very high altitudes. In addition, LTA systems that use conventional generators, such as those produced by Magenn Power Inc. of Canada, may benefit from the inclusion of an EHD system.
[0131] FIG. 26A illustrates an LTA vessel 2602 that may be a pressurized container, such as a helium- or hydrogen-filled balloon or dirigible. The surface of the vessel 2602 may be semi-rigid and/or rigid at specific attachment points. The vessel 2602 may be anchored to the ground by a tether 2604 at a height H 7 . An ion source 2604 may be positioned circumferentially at the line of highest wind velocity, and ions may be released into the wind flow 2606 to create a space charge. The collector may be disposed on the surface 2608 of the downwind end of the vessel 2602 and/or may be a porous net 2610 positioned near the ion release line 2604 . The nominal displaced area of the system is the front-on displaced area 2612 of the vessel 2602 that forces enhanced flow around the periphery. The area 2612 may be increased by adding collector surfaces such as the porous net 2610 . Conditioned power may be returned to earth along an anchor cable 2614 and further conditioned by a regulator 2616 to a suitable line voltage and frequency. A lifting force may be supplanted by wings 2618 , which may improve the angle of the tether cable 2604 with respect to ground. As shown in this embodiment, the wings 2618 form part of the secondary collector plate support system. Negative ions, produced by the ion generator 2604 , may be injected into the downstream air to neutralize the positive ions. The counter-ion injection downstream may therefore complete the electrical circuit at altitude rather than relying on a ground circuit. In one embodiment, the downstream counter-ion injection system is a pipe 2620 releasing electrons that neutralize the positive free ions 2622 . FIG. 26B illustrates a reduced-sized side view of the LTA vessel 2602 .
[0132] LTA/EHD systems may be capable of reaching heights in excess of 30,000 feet, which is high enough to be inside the jet stream and take advantage of its high wind speed (120 mph or greater) and constancy. For example, even accounting for lessened air density, a 120 mph air stream may theoretically yield approximately 24 kW per square meter. For comparison, typical wind speeds at sea level may yields only 0.109 kW per square meter.
[0133] In various embodiments, an LTA-based EHD system may be combined with a kite-based system. For example, a kite-based system may use a lighter-than-air portion to create slightly positive buoyancy. Such a system may be easier to launch in quiescent low-level winds.
[0134] An LTA/EHD system may have less weight than a conventional high-altitude wind-energy-conversion system (WECS″). Conventional high-altitude systems (such as LTA-only or airfoil-only systems) require lifting turbine blades (or equivalent), gearbox, and generator to the required height and sending power back to ground. Because LTA/EHD systems may not require some or all of these components, their overall weight may be much lower. Furthermore, lift is fixed by the buoyancy of a solely-LTA device, and the angle of incidence of the tether with respect to ground is determined by the lift to drag ratio. Additionally, a fixed-lift LTA device heels as wind speed increases. An airfoil-only device requires wind of finite and significant velocity in order to launch from the ground
[0135] FIG. 27 illustrates one embodiment of an LTA/EHD system 2700 . An LTA structure 2702 of conventional shape is combined with a rigid airfoil 2704 . The airfoil 2704 has a lift to drag ratio (“L/D”) characteristic of an efficient design. At the downwind end of the LTA structure 2702 is a turbine blade set 2706 linked to a gearbox 2708 that then communicates through an internal shaft to a generator 2710 at the upwind end of the structure 2702 . The system 2700 is connected to ground 2712 through a tether 2714 that may also communicate signals and power between the system 2700 and ground 2712 .
[0136] As depicted, the turbine 2706 is at the aft end of the LTA structure 2702 . In other embodiments, single or multiple turbines may be placed at any of a variety of attachment points along the body of the LTA structure 2702 .
[0137] In addition, a plane of energy extraction may be provided by any device that extracts energy from the wind, and may be similarly placed at a variety of points on the body of the LTA structure 2702 . For example, one or more WEC systems may be placed on the LTA structure 2702 to deploy charged water droplets in an electric field and convert wind energy directly to electrical energy. Larger WEC systems may support multiple planes of energy extraction.
[0138] Because the buoyant portion of the system 2700 is sufficient to lift it into the air, the system 2700 may be deployed at zero wind velocity. Winds at higher altitudes are likely to be higher than winds at ground, not only because of wind shear, but also because obstructions such as trees, hills, and buildings tend to block wind at ground level. Once lofted, the airfoil 2704 may provide additional lift.
[0139] FIG. 28 illustrates a cutaway view of an LTA system 2800 , showing a lightweight shaft 2802 connecting the gearbox 2708 to the generator 2710 . The airfoil 2704 has actuation means 2804 to adjust its angle of attack 2806 with respect to the wind. The LTA structure 2702 has a steering means in the form of fins 2808 with flaps 2810 that may permit optional positioning of the entire device. During operation, the airfoil 2704 may be angled to provide the optimum amount of lift for a given wind condition while the steering means on the LTA 2702 provides desired positioning. For example, lower wind speeds may require a higher angle of attack 2806 for the airfoil 2704 . Turbulent wind, operation in the vicinity of natural or man-made structures, and/or the presence of other aerostats may necessitate steering and stabilization facilitated by the steering means. The control surfaces 2810 and the airfoil angle 2806 may be controlled by an internal guidance system 2812 or manually from the ground through a control line 2814 or wireless means. The guidance system 2812 may additionally be coordinated with adjacent structures 2800 in a multiple-unit wind farm. In such a case, the structures 2800 may be additionally fitted with location devices that mutually communicate aerial position. Guidance systems 2812 within each unit may employ internal control means to safely position the multiple units 2800 with respect to one another and to additionally provide positioning that provides maximized power output for the entire system. A winch 2816 connected to a spool 2818 on the ground 2712 may permit reeling in the system 2800 during inclement weather, for maintenance, and/or to set the proper operating altitude.
[0140] In other embodiments, the airfoil 2704 is replaced with any of a variety of structures with suitable L/D ratio, such as, kites, parasails, self-inflating soft airfoils, inflatable wings, fabric ultra-light wings, and the like. The LTA structure 2702 may also be itself shaped like an airfoil, and may include the improvements detailed below.
[0141] FIG. 29 illustrates a LTA system 2900 its relationships with lift 2901 and drag 2903 , 2905 . The ratio of lift to drag is essentially equal to the ratio of the height H 8 to the distance D 8 that the system 2900 is downwind from its mooring point 2902 . The system 2900 experiences both drag and lift at the same time. The LTA structure 2904 may provide no lift when facing the wind straight on, unless, for example, it has some type of airfoil shape. In addition, the LTA structure 2904 may cause significant drag in and near the plane of energy extraction. Combined drag may cause the system 2900 to heel over as wind speed increases. The airfoil 2906 has an L/D ratio that depends on angle of attack 2908 , which may be controlled by the system 2900 . Thus, as wind speed increases and more lift is desired, the angle of attack 2908 of the airfoil 2906 may be changed to compensate for increased drag 2903 , 2905 . In addition, the angle of the LTA structure 2904 itself may be changed by the steering elements, thus additionally compensating for wind-induced drag effects. All in all, the integrated system is well-prepared to handle a wide variety of wind speeds and destabilizing effects while producing a maximum amount of electrical energy.
[0142] In order to optimize the safety and stability of the system 2900 and minimize its labor costs, the system 2900 may include a variety of sensing and feedback means connected to one or more control computers. An inertial-gravimetric system with feedback to the control surfaces may be able to maintain operational stability even under turbulent conditions. A wind-speed indicator may determine boundaries for safe operation, and may automatically cause the system 2900 to be winched to ground, or likewise, deployed.
[0143] The tether 2910 may contain signal means to enable communication between the ground and the system 2900 . Such communication may permit manual operation of positioning, system monitoring and diagnosis, startup, and shutdown.
[0144] The tether 2910 may carry high-voltage, low-current power from the system 2900 . A transformer and/or power conditioning system on the ground 2912 may convert captured power to voltage, current, and waveforms suitable for interfacing with ground loads or power grids.
[0145] Because the system 2900 has no tower, it has no overturning moment. A simple attachment point for the ground-based deployment and retrievable system provides the necessary base. The base may be mobile, such a base mounted on a vehicle (e.g., a boat) or may mounted to an anchored, floating platform. An advantage of the anchored attachment means is that the depth of the anchor is of minor significance, being limited only by the available length and strength of anchor line. Existing off-shore wind-energy-conversion systems, however, are depth-limited because they must provide an underwater foundation to support a heavier-than-air conversion system.
[0146] FIG. 30 illustrates one embodiment of an off-shore installation 3000 . An anchor point 3002 beneath the water 3004 keeps the mounting buoy 3006 from migrating. No deep foundation is required. As with land systems, the LTA system 3008 may be reeled in for servicing. The buoy 3006 may be constructed to provide protection for the LTA system 3008 when it is reeled in during rough weather.
[0147] Conventional tower systems are heavy, difficult to transport, challenging and expensive to install, and inconvenient and somewhat unsafe to service and maintain. All these difficulties are avoided with the system 3000 because it simply may be winched down to the ground for convenient servicing. Further, the internal steering means may be employed to create generally neutral buoyancy so that the buoy 3006 has only enough tension on the tether 3010 to maintain control. This approach suggests that mechanical requirements for active deployment and retraction of the tether 3010 are kept within reasonable bounds, even in extreme wind speeds.
[0148] An additional feature of the system 3000 is that, by communicating with the LTA system 3008 along the tether 3010 , the buoy 3006 may sense its effect on the height and stability of the LTA system 3008 . Thus, the buoy 3006 , in combination with an automated retraction mechanism, may suitably let out or retract the tether 3006 in order to compensate for motion caused by, e.g., waves or tides.
[0149] Given the need to keep a wind-energy-conversion system aloft for long periods of time, as well as the tendency for lifting gas to leak out of the LTA volume, it is a further goal of embodiments of this invention to compensate for such leakage by providing in-situ gas production or by feeding gas in from the ground through the tether 3010 . Helium is a limited resource and has some significant expense. In addition, there is not a convenient means of extracting helium from the atmosphere. It is better to realize that an isolated, unmanned wind-energy-conversion system may be filled with hydrogen, or with a mixture of hydrogen and air. Hydrogen may be produced on-board by electrolyzing water from a stored water supply. Alternatively, water may be extracted from the atmosphere using a small, lightweight condenser, and the condensed water may then be electrolyzed into hydrogen and oxygen. Hydrogen produced therein may be used to fill the LTA volume; oxygen is discarded.
[0150] FIG. 31A illustrates an EHD system 3100 that uses wind shear to harvest wind energy. Wind shear is defined as one layer of wind having a different velocity than that of an adjacent, second layer. The system 3100 employs an air anchor 3102 disposed in a first wind layer 3104 that is attached, via a cable 3106 , to an LTA/EDA system 3108 disposed in a second wind layer 3110 . The velocities of the winds in the two layers 3104 , 3110 are assumed to be different. In one embodiment, the second wind layer 3110 is the jet stream. More than one anchor 3102 may be used. The wind shear zone 3112 may enable the use of an air anchor because the lower air is so much slower than the upper air. Captured energy 3114 may be transmitted to the ground using a microwave transmitter 3116 . Both the anchor 3102 and the EHD/LTA system 3108 may generate power because both are moving with respect to their wind resources.
[0151] FIG. 31B illustrates a high-altitude view of a continent-sized collection system 3150 composed of numerous mobile EHD/LTA units 3100 . Detroit and New York are shown for scale. A unit 2700 entrained in a high-altitude wind current 3110 , such as the jet stream, is carried along until it hits a suitable loop back point 3118 . Here, the EHD/LTA system 3100 may exit the jet stream 3110 and return to a suitable entry point 3120 , whereby the cycle may be repeated. Multiple units may be employed in a continuous loop.
[0152] Powering an EHD/LTA unit 3100 from the exit 3118 to the entry point 3120 may be accomplished by any of several means. For example, it may be towed by an aircraft or it may be powered by a thruster. A thruster may be a propeller, a jet, or even an ion drive.
[0153] Embodiments of the present invention also encompass water-based energy systems. The use of a working fluid to separate charged particles in a work-capturing electrostatic field may also be applied to more viscous fluids such as water. A charge may be attached to a particle in much the same way as it is attached to a water droplet. A positively charged particle will be attracted to its negative source, and the working fluid will carry it away. Such a hydro-power application includes a means for creating a positive and negative charge pair, and a means for placing one charge (or collection of them) on one carrier while the other is left behind. As more charges leave on the carriers, more opposing charges are left behind. More charge buildup results in a stronger and stronger electrostatic field. To extract energy, excess charge is bled off through a load. Unlike air, which is an excellent insulator, water with even a small amount of dissolved solids or impurities has some level of conductivity. Free charge will flow through water like current through a wire. Charge bound to a particle is able to be carried away by a current.
[0154] Because charged particle density can be fully controlled, even low pressure heads such as that which can be found in un-dammed rivers and streams may be used to push charge. Ocean currents, waves, tides, and streams with low head may also be employed. Clearly, fluid systems with large working head will suffice as well.
[0155] Having described certain embodiments of the invention, it will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art that other embodiments incorporating the concepts disclosed herein may be used without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, the described embodiments are to be considered in all respects as only illustrative and not restrictive and the various structures and functional features of the various embodiments may be combined in various combinations and permutations. All such embodiments are to be considered as parts of the inventive contribution.
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A system for electro-hydrodynamically extracting energy from wind includes an upstream collector that is biased at an electric potential and induces an electric field. An injector introduces a particle into the electric field. The wind drag on the particle is at least partially opposed by a force of the electric field on the particle. A sensor monitors an ambient atmospheric condition, and a controller changes a parameter of the injector in response to a change in the atmospheric condition.
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FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to a method for constructing a resilient floor on a solid base, for example a concrete or stone or clay floor, using plate-shaped elements.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Resilient floors, such as are used in sports arenas, are expensive to install because of their complicated structure. In these cases the actual floor is mounted on a resilient base. Difficulties mainly arise in the course of installation for obtaining the same vibration and damping properties over the entire area of the room, as well as a level surface of the floor, which is problematical, in particular when using floor tiles of comparatively small format.
OBJECT AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is the object of the invention to provide a method for producing a resilient floor which can be executed simpler and with less outlay of materials, and yet results in a floor with good vibration and damping properties.
This object is attained in accordance with the invention by means of a method wherein first hollow supports, which are open at the top and are height-adjustable, are fastened on the base, the supports are filled in sections with a material which is hardenable into an elastic state and is adhesive in the flowable state, base plates are placed on the filled support prior to hardening and are aligned horizontally as well as with each other, wherein during alignment the base plates take along a portion of the supports located under them because of the adhesion of the still not yet hardened filler material and change their height, and after hardening at least one other floor layer is applied to the base plates.
The method can be executed rapidly and by simple means, since the elastic supports do not form a connected structure and instead are individually fastened on the base. Alignment of the plate elements is performed with generally known means, for example a mason's level, and can be performed without a large effort of strength because of the low weight of a single plate element and the not yet hardened filler material.
In order to be able in connection with the above described method to adjust the base plates in height and to align them on the supports, which cannot yet be subjected to a load and are filled with the liquid base material of elastomers, they are preferably temporarily supported on the base by means of threaded spindles or wire spirals, which are in threaded contact with the base plates. The threaded spindles or wire spirals are removed after the filler material has hardened. Thereafter the base plates rest exclusively on the elastomeric damping bodies. In the next work step it is thereafter possible for producing the second floor layer to lay down plate elements with joints which are offset in respect to the joints between the base plates and to screw them together with the base plates.
To improve the damping effect it is possible to fill holes in the base with liquid elastomeric material and, for fastening the supports, to insert threaded rods, which constitute a part of the supports, into the holes before hardening. The respective insertion depth can then be determined by means of a nut. Additional damping elements, also prefabricated ones, can be connected in series with the first damping element, which is adjustable in its longitudinal direction.
Bellows, which are respectively fastened via a metal cap screwed to the base for protecting the material, are usefully employed as supports. Rubber, for example, is suitable as the material for the bellows which, because of its elastic properties, aids the adhesion of the sticky material during lifting of the base plates and, because of its resilience, makes cross-sectional changes of the bellows because of their constant fill volume during height changes possible. In place of the bellows, other supports, which can be adjusted in length, can also be used, for example two sleeves which are axially guided within each other, wherein however a volume equalization is practical, which is advantageous because of the volume changing with the height of such supports.
The volume equalization preferably takes place through a hollow chamber, into which the elastomeric material can flow in the course of pushing the sleeve elements together. Depending on whether the two sleeve elements are pulled apart or pushed together, the hollow chamber volume is increased or respectively decreased. In connection with a simpler alternative it is provided that at least one sleeve element has holes through which the liquid elastomeric material can be displaced. Since the supports are located in the non-visible area underneath the floor anyway, it is not disturbing if elastomeric material flows out of the holes or over the edges when the base plates are lowered. When the base plates are raised, air is aspirated through the holes, so that the adhesive elastomeric material remains stuck to the base plate and is not torn off because of an otherwise vacuum being created.
To achieve a better contact between the upper sleeve element and the base plate, the former preferably is made of an elastic material, for example rubber.
To improve the damping effect, it can be useful to connect the lower sleeve element in series with a further elastic damping element, which can be fastened to the base. In the simplest case the additional damping element consists of an elastomeric sheath of the fastening element of the support anchored in the base. But the two sleeve elements filled with liquid elastomer can also be connected in series with a prefabricated rubber/metal damping element.
The lower sleeve element is preferably connected with the further damping element by means of a threaded connection which is length-adjustable. For one, this allows a rough pre-adjustment of the height of the support, and it is also possible to make a height correction after the elastomeric material in the sleeves has hardened.
Some exemplary embodiments of the invention will be explained in detail below by means of the drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1a-1c show perpendicular partial sectional views through a resilient floor seated on sound-absorbing supports during the various steps in the method of the invention; and,
FIG. 1d shows a partial sectional view of an alternative embodiment for the threaded spindle shown in FIGS. 1b-c,
FIG. 2 is a perpendicular cross section through a sound-absorbing support with two elastomeric damping bodies arranged in a row,
FIG. 3 is a cross section through a further embodiment, and
FIG. 4 is a cross section through a sound-absorbing fastening on the base for a sound-absorbing support.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
FIGS. 1a-c show the various steps in the manufacture of a resilient floor 10, which has been built on a solid base 12, for example of concrete or a stone or clay layer. Bellows 14 of rubber or another elastic material are fastened on the solid base and are filled with a hardened elastomer 16. The latter constitutes a damping body, the bellows 14 an envelope wall. To prevent damage to the rubber bellows 14 during its fastening on the base 12, the bellows 14 is screwed together with the base by means of a metal cap 18, wherein the seating element constituted by the metal cap 18 clamps the lower edge 20 of the bellows 14, which is essentially dynamically balanced. The screw 22 is seated in a dowel 24 in a hole 26 in the base 12, which assures a permanently secure fastening.
The actual floor 28, consisting of several base plates 30 and a floor covering 32 screwed thereon, which is also plate-shaped, rests on a plurality of such bellows 14. The covering plates 32 have a series of recesses 34, which receive the heads of countersunk screws 36. These are screwed into the base plates 30, which can consist of metal, wood or plastic.
In place of a plate-shaped floor covering 32, any other arbitrary floor coverings are also conceivable, in particular webs of plastic, which are glued to the base plates 30. If desired, carpeting can be placed on the floor covering 32, or some other seal can be applied.
The construction of such a resilient floor is made in the manner described below:
First, the holes 26 are drilled into the solid base 12 at defined distances and provided with the dowels 24. Thereafter, the bellows 24 are tightened on the metal caps 18 by means the screws 22. To make assembly at the site easier, the metal caps 18 can already be provisionally fastened on the lower edge 20 of the bellows 24, so that threading the metal cap 18 into the bellows 14 can be omitted.
Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 1a, the bellows 14 are filled with an elastomer 16 which has adhesive properties in its liquid state. In order to be able to also fill the hollow space under the metal cap 18, a number of holes 40 are provided therein. But the metal cap 18 can also be designed with depressions, for example, in such a way that during pouring a hollow space enclosed by the elastomeric material remains free, into which the latter is displaced when a load is applied. After filling the bellows 14 with the still liquid elastomer 16, which preferably takes place in steps only for the area of one base plate 30, the corresponding base plate 30 is placed as the upper seating element on the bellows 14 intended for it and is aligned.
As shown in FIG. 1b, alignment takes place with the aid of threaded spindles 42, which engage a screw thread 38. With metallic base plates 30, the screw thread can be cut directly into the plate, while with softer materials, for example wood or plastic, it might be necessary to have to insert a threaded bushing in the plate. But in connection with soft materials it is often sufficient to simply guide the spindle through a narrow bore, since only a slight force is required for lifting the plates. In the extension of their threaded section 44, the threaded spindles 42 have a pressure section 46, whose diameter is less than the interior diameter of the screw thread 44. Because of this the threaded spindle 42 can be easily and rapidly inserted into the screw thread 38 and need not be turned in over the entire distance from the base to the base plate. As soon as the pressure section 46 contacts the base 12, it is possible to lift the corresponding base plate by further turning the threaded spindle 42 in a clockwise direction. In order to make an optimal alignment possible, the base plate 30 should have at least three screw threads 38 at opposite ends.
Since no great force is required for lifting the plates, it is also possible to employ solid wire spirals, similar to a corkscrew, as shown in FIG. 1d, which are threaded into the plates through holes, in place of the relatively elaborate threaded spindles and the required screw threads.
The taking along of the bellows 14 during the lifting of the base plates 30 is provided on the one hand by the inherent elasticity of the rubber material of the bellows 14 and, on the other hand, by the adhesion between the elastomer 16 and the underside of the base plates 30. As soon as the latter have been aligned in the desired position, the threaded spindles 42 are left in their instantaneous position in order to prevent the displacement of the base plate 30 because of its inherent weight or because of accidental pushing. The same procedure is followed in connection with the remaining base plates 30 of the floor 28. In the process, use is made of the fact that the elastomer has adhesive properties in the liquid state and makes a transition into an elastic state following hardening and vulcanization, depending on whether it is a two-component or one-component material. Following hardening, the threaded spindles 42 can be removed as shown in FIG. 1c. The base plates 30, together with the bellows arranged respectively under them and the hardened elastomer, constitute a resilient system. To complete the floor 28, the further floor covering plates 32 are screwed to the base plates 30 after hardening. The recesses 34 permit the heads of the countersunk screws 36 to end flush with the surface of the covering plates 32. Care should be taken that the joints of the two plate layers 30, 32 are offset in respect to each other in order to obtain improved stiffening and to prevent continuous gaps.
Because of the inherent damping of the elastomer 16, the resilient floor 10 has good damping properties which are much desired, for example in sports arenas, since they reduce stress on the joints and the muscles.
The exemplary embodiment illustrated in FIG. 2 shows a support 48 with a further damping element arranged in series. The lower damping element identified by 50 forms a sort of can with its envelope wall 52, whose upper edge forms a flange 54 extending radially far into the interior. The latter is provided with four radially extending finger-like recesses, which are arranged in the shape of a cross. The upper seating element identified by 56 has a central hub 58 with a concentric, open at the top, threaded blind bore 60, as well as four fingers 62 at the base, arranged in the form of a cross, which are slightly smaller than the finger-shaped recesses in the flange 54. For this reason it is possible, in spite of the central opening in the flange 54 which is only slightly larger in size than the hub 58, to introduce the upper seating element 56 with its finger-shaped base from above in relation to FIG. 2 into the interior space bordered by the envelope wall 52 and the flange 54, which was filled with the initially liquid mass of elastomeric material 64. Following the axial introduction of the fingers 62 of the base through the finger-shaped recesses in the flange 54, the upper seating element 56 is turned by 45° around a perpendicular center longitudinal axis, so that a position results, in which the massive areas of the flange 54 extend over the fingers 62. In this position the upper seating element 56 is held away from the can-shaped damping element at a distance on all sides, until the elastomeric material 64 has been hardened into a rubber-elastic damping body. The lower damping element 50 has a collar 66 in the extension of its envelope wall with radial feet 68 which, with through-bores 70, are intended to screwing the support in place on a level floor.
The hub-shaped element 58 of the upper seating element 56 has a long threaded bore 60, which offers an extensive adjustment possibility for the height of the support. A threaded rod 74, screwed more or less deeply into the threaded bore 60 and maintained in the selected position by a counter nut 72, supports on its upper end a lower sleeve element 78, made of one piece with a wall 76, via a threaded connection. A cylindrical box 80, made of an elastomeric material, has been inserted as the upper sleeve element into the sleeve element 76, 78, shaped as a whole like a can or a dish. With its outer circumference it rests against the upper edge of the wall 76, which is slightly bent inward. Thanks to the elastic properties of the box 80, the pressure at the contact point can be so great that it is frictionally maintained in any desired position in relation to the wall 76. It is therefore possible in principle, in addition to the adjustment possibilities via the screw threads at both ends of the threaded rod 74, to adjust the height of the support by pulling the box 80 further out of the sleeve element 76, 78. Following the selection of the axial adjustment of the box 80 in relation to the upper edge of the wall 76, a liquid elastomeric material is poured into the box 80 up to its upper rim edge. The liquid mass also fills the can-shaped sleeve element 76, 78 and is hardened into a damping body, i.e., elastomer 16, of a height selected by the axial positioning of the box 80. A hollow space 82, which is not filled by the elastomer 16, remains below the radially pulled-in upper edge of the wall 76 between the latter and the box 80. In this way it is possible, as in the embodiment of FIG. 1, to connect a base plate, not shown, with the elastomer 16, or damping body, by contact with the liquid elastomeric material.
If its has been decided from the start that the box 80 is to have a defined axial position in relation to the wall 76, it can also be formed with, for example, three squeezed-in spots 84, which are distributed over the circumference at the same level and form a detent and a support for the box 80 inserted from above into the opening of the sleeve elements 76, 78.
A further exemplary embodiment of a lower damping element 90 is represented in FIG. 3. It has a very simple structure and a very low structural height. In its exterior shape it is like a round can, whose lower element 92 has a bottom 94 and a cylindrical envelope wall 96 connected in one piece with it. In order to achieve a slip-proof adhesion of the bottom 94 used as the lower seating element on the base 12, a flat rubber pad 98 has been glued into a flat recess in the bottom, which slightly projects past the underside of the bottom 94. The can-shaped lower element 92 is filled with an elastomeric material 64, which is poured in its flowable state prior to hardening. An upper seating element 100 has been inserted into the still liquid mass far enough, so that it takes up a position as if it were floating on the mass. The upper seating element 100 was held in this position by a device supporting it until the elastomeric material had hardened.
In order to achieve the possibly largest support force in respect to the diameter of the support, the upper seating element 100 covers essentially the entire surface of the elastomeric material 64 or respectively the entire opening of the lower element 92. Only a sufficiently broad annular gap remains between the envelope wall 96 and the upper seating element 100, in order to allow the oscillating movements of the upper seating element 100 occurring during use in relation to the lower element 92.
In the exemplary embodiment, the upper seating element 100 is provided in the area of its circumference with an upward projecting annular rib 102, which borders an upper placement surface, on which the foot of an object to be seated, for example, will find room. The upper edge of the annular rib 102 is at the level of the upper rim edge of the lower element 92, which is slightly radially retracted in order to prevent the damping body constituted by the elastomeric material 64 from being pulled out together with the upper seating element 100 in case of an unanticipated tension load. The damping body can also extend as far as the upper edge of the lower element 92 or can terminate slightly below it. The anchoring of the upper seating element 100 in the damping body 64 is assured by one or several radially outwardly projecting annular ribs 104, 106.
In the center, the upper seating element 100 is provided with a threaded blind bore 108, open at the top. A threaded rod 110 is screwed into it in order to hold the upper seating element 100 during the hardening of the elastomeric material 64. In later use the lower sleeve element 78 is screwed on the threaded rod 110 (see FIG. 2).
The characteristic feature of the support in accordance with FIG. 3 resides in three depressions 112 distributed over the circumference and annularly connected, in which air cushions are placed to prevent them from being completely filled with elastomeric material 64 during the manufacturing process. Therefore hollow spaces remain in the depressions 112 underneath the surface of the upper seating element 100 under load, into which the rubber-elastic material of the damping body 64 can enter to a greater or lesser extent if it is compressed in height and cannot escape radially to the outside because of the rigid envelope wall 96. The displacement option offered by the hollow spaces 112 therefore also leads to a softer elastic characteristic and improved sound absorption than with a corresponding support without such hollow spaces 112.
It is understood that it is not required for the advantageous effects of the hollow spaces whether these are in depressions of the upper sealing element 100. Such hollow spaces can also be present in depressions of the lower sealing element 94 or the envelope wall 96 which, for example, are covered by a foil during the pouring of the liquid mass of the elastomeric material 64 in order to enclose the air cushion. It is also possible by known means to generate hollow spaces in the center of the elastomeric mass, either by entrapping air bubbles or by propellants.
The supporting force and arrangement of the hollow spaces 112 can be affected by the shape, size and arrangement of the hollow spaces 112, without it being necessary to change the composition of the elastomeric material 64. It is therefore possible, for example by means of comparatively shallow depressions 112, to intentionally achieve a comparatively soft seating during low loads, but a harder, less resilient seating with heavy loads.
A damping threaded rod 114, fastened directly in the base 12, with an adjusting nut 116 screwed on it and with a washer 118 of metal or of an elastomeric material is represented in FIG. 4. The represented arrangement is extraordinarily simple. The lower end of the threaded rod 114 is inserted into a bore 120 in a concrete cover 122 or in the stone or clay floor. The diameter of the bore 120 is slightly larger than the exterior diameter of the threaded rod 114. Prior to inserting the latter, a liquid adhesive or liquid elastomeric material 16' has been poured into the bore 120, which also acts in a sound-absorbent manner and as a series-connected damping element.
Even if it is noticed after the hardening of the adhesive or the rubber-elastic material in the bore 120 that it is necessary to readjust the support in height, this causes no difficulties, because this adjustment can be performed by rotating the lower sleeve element 78 screwed on the threaded rod 114.
It is understood the numerous further variations of the individual parts of the supports represented in the drawings are possible while maintaining the basic principle of the use of a damping body which is enclosed to a considerable part but remains free to be deformed.
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A method for constructing a resilient floor on a solid base utilizes plate-shaped elements. Hollow, height-adjustable elements are fastened on the base and are filled with an elastically hardening material, which is adhesive in the flowable state. Prior to hardening, base plates are placed on the filled elements and are aligned. When lifted, the base plates move the elements located below them because of the adhesion of the filler material to the base plates. After hardening, at least one further floor layer is placed on the base plates. This method can be executed rapidly.
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PRIORITY ENTITLEMENT
[0001] This application is entitled to priority based on Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 61/466,049 filed on Mar. 22, 2011, which is incorporated herein for all purposes by this reference. This application and the Provisional Patent Application have at least one common inventor.
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0002] The invention relates to electronic systems for the more efficient utilization of energy resources. More particularly, the invention relates to power control methods, systems, and microelectronic circuitry designed to facilitate the harvesting of useable power from variable power energy sources such as, for example, photovoltaic systems.
BACKGROUND
[0003] Systems for harvesting energy from renewable resources have long been pursued in the arts. One of the problems associated with engineering energy harvesting systems is the challenge of making maximum use of energy sources which may be intermittent in availability and/or intensity. Unlike traditional power plants, alternative energy sources tend to have variable outputs. Solar power, for example, typically relies on solar cells, or photovoltaic (PV) cells, used to power electronic systems by charging storage elements such as batteries or capacitors, which then may be used to supply an electrical load. The sun does not always shine on the solar cells with equal intensity however, and such systems are required to operate at power levels that may vary depending on weather conditions, temperature, time of day, shadows from obstructions, and even momentary shadows, causing solar cell power output to fluctuate. Similar problems with output variability are experienced with other power sources such as wind, piezoelectric, regenerative braking, hydro power, wave power, and so forth. It is common for energy harvesting systems to be designed to operate under the theoretical assumption that the energy source is capable of delivering at its maximum output level more-or-less all of the time. This theoretical assumption is rarely matched in practice. Ordinarily, systems are design to be robust enough for anticipated peak loads, but this is done at the expense of efficiency during operation at lower intensity levels.
[0004] Switch mode power supplies (SMPS) are commonly used in efforts to efficiently harvest intermittent and/or variable energy source output power for delivery to storage element(s) and/or load(s). The efficiency of the SMPS generally is fairly high, so much so that the power output of the SMPS is often almost equal to the power input to the SMPS. Careful planning and device characterization are often used to attempt to design a system capable of harvesting at the theoretical maximum power level. In a PV system, for example, the maximum power output of a solar cell peaks at a load point specific to the particular solar cell. This maximum power output point varies across different individual solar cells, solar cell arrays, systems in which the solar cells are used, and with the operating environment of system and solar cell. The maximum energy harvesting capability of the electronic system therefore depends on the solar cell characteristics and the characteristics of the load applied to the solar cell. One example of a typical application is an electronic system to harvest energy from a solar cell array in order to charge a battery. Battery charging systems commonly have multiple modes, which include fast charging, charging at full capacity (also called 1C charging), and trickle charging. A typical SMPS regulates output voltage and operates under the theoretical assumption that the power input is capable of delivering the maximum load requirements of the output. In practice, the output impedance of a PV cell is high, so as duty cycle changes, input voltage also changes, which changes the output power of the PV cell. Thus, there is a problem with efficiently exploiting the energy harvesting potential of PV systems and other low and/or variable intensity power sources.
[0005] In carrying out the principles of the present invention, in accordance with preferred embodiments, the invention provides advances in the arts with novel apparatus directed to harvesting energy under conditions of both low and high input power. In preferred embodiments, the apparatus includes systems and circuits configured to operate at low power levels and at power levels several orders of magnitude higher. Such systems are designed for harvesting and preferably storing energy available in an operating environment in which power input may vary by several orders of magnitude.
[0006] According to aspects of the invention, examples of preferred embodiments include systems for harvesting energy from variable output energy harvesting apparatus suitable for providing energy input to a switched mode power supply. A control loop includes logic for dynamically adjusting energy harvesting apparatus power input to the switched mode power supply, ultimately regulating the system output power signal produced by the switched mode power supply.
[0007] According to aspects of the invention, examples of the preferred embodiments include systems for harvesting energy using solar cells.
[0008] According to aspects of the invention, examples of preferred embodiments of systems for harvesting energy from variable sources include a boost configuration.
[0009] According to aspects of the invention, examples of preferred embodiments of systems for harvesting energy from variable sources include a buck configuration.
[0010] According to aspects of the invention, examples of preferred embodiments of systems for harvesting energy from variable sources include a buck-boost configuration.
[0011] The invention has advantages including but not limited to one or more of, improved energy harvesting efficiency, improved operating ranges for charging systems, and reduced costs. These and other potential advantageous, features, and benefits of the present invention can be understood by one skilled in the arts upon careful consideration of the detailed description of representative embodiments of the invention in connection with the accompanying drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0012] The present invention will be more clearly understood from consideration of the following detailed description and drawings in which:
[0013] FIG. 1 is a simplified schematic drawing illustrating an example of a preferred embodiment of a variable power energy harvesting system in a fixed voltage boost configuration;
[0014] FIG. 2 is a simplified schematic drawing illustrating an example of a preferred embodiment of a variable power energy harvesting system in a temperature sensitive boost configuration;
[0015] FIG. 3 is a simplified schematic drawing providing an alternative view of an example of a preferred embodiment of a variable power energy harvesting system in a boost configuration;
[0016] FIG. 4 is a process flow diagram illustrating an example of the operation of a preferred embodiment of a variable power energy harvesting system;
[0017] FIG. 5 is a simplified schematic drawing illustrating an example of a preferred embodiment of a variable power energy harvesting system in a buck configuration;
[0018] FIG. 6 is a simplified schematic drawing providing an alternative view of an example of a preferred embodiment of a variable power energy harvesting system in a buck configuration;
[0019] FIG. 7 is a simplified schematic drawing illustrating an example of a preferred embodiment of a variable power energy harvesting system in a boost-buck configuration;
[0020] FIG. 8 is a simplified schematic drawing illustrating an example of a preferred embodiment of a variable power energy harvesting system in a buck configuration having a parallel charge pump; and
[0021] FIG. 9 is a simplified schematic drawing illustrating an example of a preferred embodiment of a variable power energy harvesting system having a configurable stack of energy harvesting apparatus and integrated storage capacitors.
[0022] References in the detailed description correspond to like references in the various drawings unless otherwise noted. Descriptive and directional terms used in the written description such as right, left, back, top, bottom, upper, side, et cetera, refer to the drawings themselves as laid out on the paper and not to physical limitations of the invention unless specifically noted. The drawings are not to scale, and some features of embodiments shown and discussed are simplified or amplified for illustrating principles and features as well as advantages of the invention.
DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0023] The variable power energy harvesting system of the invention may be embodied in several alternative configurations for efficiently harvesting energy during alternatively low and high power input conditions, such as a solar system for example, which may operate under both low and high insolation conditions wherein available input power may vary by orders of magnitude. In a solar powered system, for example, under low insolation conditions, such as cloudy outdoor conditions or indoors, solar panel power output is greatly reduced. It is often nevertheless desirable to harvest the small amount of available energy. The harvested energy may be used to run a low-power system or may be stored in batteries or other storage elements. In low power battery operated systems, this harvested energy can be enough to eliminate drain from standby power, extending battery life. This can facilitate continual operation without the frequent need for additional external charging. It is also often desirable to have the capability to maximize energy harvesting under high insolation conditions with the same system. This can require multiple modes of operation to get the most power from a solar panel, when the available power can change by several orders of magnitude, such as when moving a portable solar powered system from within a building having artificial lighting out into direct sunlight. Due to these and other challenges and potential problems with the current state of the art, improved methods, apparatus, and systems for energy harvesting would be useful and advantageous.
[0024] Initially referring primarily to FIG. 1 , an exemplary embodiment of a variable power energy harvesting system 100 has a control loop 102 , which includes control logic 104 . The system uses comparators 106 to assess the available harvested voltage, e.g., V PANEL in relation to preselected high and low levels. A boost converter 110 with the low-power hysteretic control loop 102 based on harvested voltage V PANEL is used to regulate the power harvesting apparatus, in this example solar panel array 112 , at its MPPT (Maximum Power Point Tracking) voltage. The hysteretic control loop 102 may be run as the only control, or may be used in conjunction with additional control(s) when the available harvested power is sufficient to power additional control circuitry.
[0025] For example, the system may include the capability to detect the condition that power is being delivered to a load above a threshold level, and then engage a more sophisticated MPPT regulation control. The power required for the operation of the MPPT regulation is preferably small relative to the available harvested power. Optionally, a temperature sensor may be provided for monitoring operating temperature. Operating temperature may be used to adjust the harvested voltage based on temperature-induced effects on system performance. Now referring primarily to FIG. 2 , an example of an embodiment of such a variable power energy harvesting system 200 is shown. It has been found that actively monitoring output power V BATT enables the system to choose the optimum harvested voltage V PANEL to maximize power output, e.g., V BATT , realized from the solar panel array 112 . A suitable current sensor 202 is used to track the output V BATT . In the event the harvested voltage V PANEL is less than output voltage V BATT , as determined by the sensor 202 , the control logic 104 may be used to select the optimal output voltage level V BATT with a view toward maximizing power harvested (V PANEL ) from the solar panel 112 . The current sensor 202 and MPPT (digital to analog converter) DAC 204 provide the functionality needed by the control loop 102 to improve the energy harvesting efficiency of the system 200 based on the conditions experienced by the energy source, e.g. solar panel 112 , that affect the voltage available (e.g., V PANEL ) for use by the system 200 . In the case of low-power applications for which it is particularly desirable to monitor the load, such as portable electronics powered by a battery, the system 200 may be configured to briefly wake up to check the status of the load, e.g., V BATT , and determine whether conditions allow the system to continue charging. This wake up is preferably operated at a relatively low duty cycle, so as to not dramatically change the power delivered to the load V BATT .
[0026] Alternative views of an exemplary embodiment of a variable power energy harvesting system are shown in FIG. 3 , depicting a schematic diagram of the system 300 , and FIG. 4 , illustrating the operation of the system 300 . In this example, a DC/DC synchronous switching Li-ion Battery Charger system 300 includes fully integrated power switches, internal compensation 302 , and full fault protection 304 . The system 300 utilizes temperature-independent photovoltaic Maximum Power Point Tracking (MPPT) circuitry 306 to provide power output V BATT from energy harvesting apparatus 312 during Full Charge Constant-Current (CC) mode. A preferred switching frequency of 1 MHz enables the use of small filter components, resulting in system size and cost advantages. In a presently preferred embodiment, in Full-Charge mode the duty cycle is controlled by the MPPT regulator 306 . Once termination voltage is reached, the regulator operates in voltage mode. When the regulator is disabled (EN is low), the system draws less than 10 uA quiescent current.
[0027] Now referring primarily to FIG. 4 , an example of the operation of the variable power energy harvesting system in the context of a solar battery charger is shown. When the output voltage, such as battery charging voltage, is at a low threshold, e.g., below 3.0 volts in this example, the system 300 enters a pre-charge state and applies a small, programmable charge current to safely charge the battery to a level for which full charge current can be applied. Once the full charge mode has been initiated, the system 300 attempts to maximize available charge current to the battery by adjusting its duty cycle to regulate its input voltage to the MPP voltage of the energy harvesting apparatus, in this example photovoltaic cells. If sufficient current is available from the PV cell to exceed the safe 1C charge rate of the battery, then the programmable 1C current limit function will take priority over the MPP control function and the PV cell voltage will rise above the MPP value. When the battery voltage has increased sufficiently to warrant entering a maintenance mode (constant voltage), the PWM control loop forces a constant voltage across the battery. Once in constant voltage mode, current is monitored to determine when the battery is fully charged. This regulation voltage as well as the 1C charging current may be set to change based on battery temperature. For example, in a preferred embodiment, there are four temperature ranges which may be set independently, for example, 0-10° C., 10-45° C., 45-50° C. and 50-60° C. The 0° C. and 60° C. thresholds stop charging and have 10 degrees of hysteresis. The intermediate points have 1 degree of hysteresis. A thermal shutdown is also provided. In the event the temperature of the system exceeds 170° C. (in typical implementations), the SW outputs tri-state in order to protect the system 300 from damage. The nFLT and all other protection circuitry remains active to inform the system 300 of the failure mode. Once the system 300 cools sufficiently, e.g., to 160° C. (typical), the system 300 attempts to restart. If the system 300 reaches 170° C., the shutdown/restart sequence repeats. An internal current limit is preferably maintained. The current through the inductor is sensed on a cycle by cycle basis and in the event a selected current limit is reached, the cycle is abbreviated. Current limit is always active when the regulator is enabled. An under-voltage lockout feature is also preferably provided. In this example, the system 300 is held in the “off” state until the harvested voltage V PANEL reaches a selected threshold, 3.6V, for example. There is preferably a 200 mV hysteresis on this input, which requires the input to fall below 3.4V before the system 300 disables. A battery over-voltage protection circuit designed to shutdown the charging profile if the battery voltage is greater than the termination voltage is also preferably provided. The termination voltage may preferably be changed based on user programming, so the protection threshold is set to 2% above the termination voltage. Shutting down the charging profile puts the system in a fault condition.
[0028] A variable power energy harvesting system 500 is depicted in FIG. 5 . In this exemplary preferred embodiment, a buck converter configuration is shown. In this system 500 , the design is configured to anticipate the operational condition that the harvested voltage V PANEL may be greater than the required output voltage V BATT. When the available harvested power is too low to power any active control circuitry, the pass device (SW 1 ) in the buck converter 510 switches to the “on” state. This does not allow MPPT to function, but can nevertheless provide the highest output power because the system power overhead can be almost zero. As an alternative, this can also be done with a parallel switch to the main pass device. Similar to boost mode, the device can briefly wake up to check load status and available harvested power, e.g., V PANEL . Again, this should be at a low enough duty cycle to not dramatically change the power delivered to the load. A second mode of operation in a buck configuration is a low power hysteretic control based on the harvested voltage (V PANEL ). This requires some power overhead, so the available power should be sufficient to run the required circuitry. Similar to the hysteretic control in the boost mode, this can be to a fixed voltage, a changing voltage based on temperature, or an active control that monitors the output power to regulate the energy harvesting apparatus, e.g., panel 512 , to its MPPT voltage. Finally, in the event the available power is sufficient, a more sophisticated control may be activated to allow for better MPPT regulation. The efficiency gains from better MPPT regulation should be significant enough to overcome the additional power overhead in running the additional control.
[0029] Alternative views of an exemplary embodiment of a variable power energy harvesting system having a buck converter are shown in FIG. 6 . In preferred embodiments, a “power good” (PG) pin is used to indicate a fault condition or inability to charge. The output is an open-drain type. When EN is low, the system 500 is nominally active. Assuming no fault conditions, the PG pin is open. An external resistor R connected between the PG pin and an external I/O rail pulls the PG output up to the rail voltage, indicating that charging is underway. In the event a fault occurs, the PG pin is pulled to ground. The three events which can trigger a PG fault indication are preferably, input under-voltage, output over-voltage, and thermal shutdown.
[0030] In preferred embodiments, the boost configuration of the system 500 is a DC/DC synchronous switching boost converter with fully integrated power switches, internal compensation, and full fault protection. A temperature-independent photovoltaic Maximum Power Point Tracking (MPPT) system 500 thus embodied endeavors to maximize output current to the load, making it advantageous as a supply for battery charging applications. A switching frequency of 2 MHz is preferably chosen to enable the use of small external components for portable applications. Examples of the operation of the system 500 are described for two typical scenarios. In one example, an intermediate charger circuit may be used between the system 500 and a battery or other storage element. The terminal voltage is set high. When the system starts up and ramps the output voltage above the PG threshold, the PG flag is set. Until the load is capable of sinking the full amount of current available from the boost converter, the output rises to the light load regulation value of 5.0V. Once sufficient load is applied to the system, the load itself determines the output voltage of the converter. In this case, the MPP tracking function adjusts the harvested input voltage of the system in order to maximize the output current (and thus output power) into the load. In another example, the system may be used to directly charge a Li-Ion Battery, with the terminal VTERM set low. Insolation of the PV panel allows immediate charging of the battery. The MPP tracking function works to deliver the maximum possible charge current to the battery until the termination voltage of 4.0V is reached. At this point, the device automatically transitions to an accurate voltage regulation mode to safely maintain a full charge on the battery. The current through the inductor is sensed on a cycle by cycle basis and if current limit is reached, the cycle is abbreviated. Current limit is always active when the boost converter is enabled. If the temperature of the system exceeds a selected threshold, such as 150° C., for example, the SW outputs tri-state in order to protect the system from damage. The PG and all other protection circuitry remain active to inform the system of the failure mode. Once the system cools to a lower threshold, e.g., 140° C., the system attempts to restart. In the event the system again reaches 150° C., the shutdown/restart sequence repeats. The PG output is pulled low to signal the existence of a fault condition. The system 500 preferably also has an output over-voltage protection circuit 504 which prevents the system 500 from reaching a dangerously high voltage under sudden light load conditions. The typical over-voltage detection threshold is 102% of the terminal voltage value. In the event of such a condition, the PG output is pulled low to signal a fault condition. Input under-voltage protection 504 is also preferably provided. The system 500 monitors its input voltage and does not permit switching to occur when the input voltage drops below a selected threshold, e.g., 250 mV. Switching resumes automatically once the input voltage is above a higher selected threshold, e.g., 275 mV. In addition, the PG output is pulled low to signal a fault condition.
[0031] As shown in FIG. 7 , the variable power energy harvesting system may be implemented in a buck-boost configuration 600 , that is, a configuration in which the harvested voltage V PANEL may be greater or less than the load voltage V BATT . This can be done with all or part of the features of the boost and buck configurations shown and described herein working in parallel with a control mechanism to select which function should be active under given conditions. The buck-boost system 600 is a DC/DC synchronous switching charge controller which utilizes a temperature-independent photovoltaic Maximum Power Point Tracking (MPPT) circuit in efforts to optimize power from energy harvesting apparatus such as a solar panel. The system 600 controls FET devices in buck, boost, and buck/boost configurations in order to support a wide range of system power levels and output voltages. A preferred 100 kHz switching frequency results in low system quiescent current levels. The system 600 includes integrated battery charge controls for Li-Ion, NIMH and lead acid batteries. In Full-Charge mode the duty cycle is controlled by the MPPT regulator.
[0032] FIG. 8 illustrates an implementation of a variable power energy harvesting system 700 demonstrating a buck configuration similar to that shown and described with reference to FIGS. 1-4 , with the addition of a parallel charge pump to work when the harvested voltage V PANEL is below the output V BATT . This charge pump is controlled to run when the harvested voltage V PANEL is within a certain voltage range.
[0033] Any of the above configurations can be combined with a traditional MPPT component. The system may be operated with the traditional MPPT solution in a standby low power state while one of the above configurations is active, and then begin to run when the available power is sufficient to run the traditional solution.
[0034] An additional alternative feature of a variable power energy harvesting system 800 is shown in FIG. 9 . This embodiment illustrates a configuration in which, under ultra-low power conditions, the energy harvesting apparatus, such as an array of PV panels, can be reconfigured to reduce losses. A PV panel is configured such that the cells may be recombined in series and/or parallel combinations in order to set the MPPT voltage of the panel to approximate the voltage of the load. In this case, the load may be connected directly to the panel output or a simple linear circuit may be used to connect the load. The reconfiguring of the stack may be controlled by polling the conditions or as part of a control loop to maximize energy harvesting.
[0035] Alternatively, or additionally, a single capacitor or array of capacitors may be connected to all or some portion(s) of the energy harvesting apparatus such as a solar panel stack. Once these capacitors receive a level of charge from the energy harvesting stack, e.g., solar cells, this charge may be combined together or transferred to the power control circuitry for output. These capacitors are preferably controlled such that the voltage on the capacitors is held close to the MPP voltage of the energy harvesting apparatus. In the event of a low energy harvesting level, e.g., some of the solar panel is blocked so that it is not producing sufficient power, the capacitors are used to provide substitute power in the interim until a higher energy harvesting level is achieved.
[0036] Many variations are possible within the scope of the invention. In preferred embodiments, the apparatus of the invention preferably includes circuitry adapted to provide the capability to regulate various levels of power produced by associated energy harvesting apparatus. For purposes of clarity, detailed descriptions of functions, components, and systems familiar to those skilled in the applicable arts are not included. The methods and apparatus of the invention provide one or more advantages including but not limited to, improved energy harvesting efficiency and/or improved operating ranges for energy harvesting systems. While the invention has been described with reference to certain illustrative embodiments, those described herein are not intended to be construed in a limiting sense. For example, variations or combinations of functions and/or materials in the embodiments shown and described may be used in particular cases without departure from the invention. Various modifications and combinations of the illustrative embodiments as well as other advantages and embodiments of the invention will be apparent to persons skilled in the arts upon reference to the drawings, description, and claims.
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The disclosed invention provides examples of preferred embodiments including systems for harvesting energy from variable output energy harvesting apparatus. The systems include energy harvesting apparatus for providing energy input to a switched mode power supply and a control loop for dynamically adjusting energy harvesting apparatus input to the switched mode power supply, whereby system output power is substantially optimized to the practical. Exemplary embodiments of the invention include systems for harvesting energy using solar cells in boost, buck, and buck-boost configurations.
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FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention concerns compounds and reagents for simple and rapid determination of amounts of cations, and procedures for their use.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The qualitative and quantitative determination of cations is of major significance in areas such as chemical and biochemical engineering for process control, in agriculture chemistry for soil research and fertilizer metering and in medicine for diagnostic and therapeutic determination of the potassium-sodium ratio. Present methods for cation determination include flame photometry and atomic absorption spectroscopy, both of which require sophisticated apparatus. Ion-sensitive cation electrodes on an ion-exchange basis generally yield sufficiently differentiated results, but are cumbersome to use.
Vogtle, U.S. Pat. No. 4,367,072 describes a process for determining ions. It is essentially based on selective complexing between the ion to be determined and a complexing agent and measurement of the extinction change occurring during complexation. The complexing agent is bonded with a chromophore.
The selective complexing agent may be an oligoether, oligoester or oligoamide, containing, for example, corand, cryptand or cyclic peptide and/or polyethylene glycol groups or other hetero atom-containing groups. The covalently or heteropolarly bound chromophore is a dye or fluorescent dye or a chromogen whose absorption spectra change through interaction with ions or lipophilic molecules through charge shifts or disturbances of the mesomeric system. This principle is well known in nature and in the art. Hemin, chlorophyll and metal complex dyes and metal indicators (e.g., zylenol orange and methylthymol blue based on the colorless complexing agent ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA)), exhibit, to a greater or lesser extent, this general configuration.
A general problem of the above-cited complexing agents is that they usually are capable of reacting only in organic media, whereas the ion being determined is, as a rule, present in an aqueous solution. Although the aqueous solutions of the ions could be transformed in many cases to organic media by concentration, inclusion in organic salts, or solvent extraction, this would not satisfy the requirements of a practical and, if necessary, automated rapid method.
Klink, et al., European Patent Publication No. 85,320, disclose a potassium reagent and a procedure for determining potassium ions. The reagent contains a compound of general formula ##STR5## where n and m=0 or 1, X=N or COH and R=p-nitrophenylazo, 3-phenylisothiazolyl-5-azo, isothiazolyl-5-azo, thiazolyl-5-azo, 2,4,6-trinitrophenylazo, p-nitrostyryl, p-benzoquinonemonoimino and bis-(p-dimethylaminophenyl)hydroxymethyl. The potassium ions are determined in a reaction medium consisting of water and at least one water-miscible organic solvent and in the presence of an organic base.
Klink et al. do not recognize the interference from sodium ion in determination of potassium in EP No. 85,320. They provide extinction maxima data of various cations, and state that aside from the extinction maxima for rubidium, all other extinction maxima for the various cations tested are so far removed from potassium's extinction maxima that no interference occurs. However, Klink et al. base their conclusion on data obtained from isolated cation measurements, and fail to contemplate the effect on extinction maxima for these cations in mixed cation solutions.
The present invention is directed to novel compounds, reagents and methods which permit rapid determination of the presence of cations in a sample. The present invention also concerns reagents and methods permitting rapid determination of cations in single-phase aqueous media, wherein one of the improvements comprises use of one or more interfering cation complexing compound masks.
Certain cryptands have high selectivity for complexing with cations and, if coupled with chromophores, yield intensive color reactions that can be evaluated analytically. For example, it has been discovered that chromogenic cryptand 3.2.2 is particularly effective for potassium cation determination. Furthermore, it has been discovered that chromogenic cryptand 3.2.2 has good sodium cation selectivity. Determination of cations is further enhanced by using reagents of the present invention which may also contain one or more interfering cation complexing compound masks. For example, reagents and methods of the invention are effective for determining potassium ion concentration of a sample comprising a mixture of potassium and sodium ions. Reagents and methods of the invention are also effective for determining sodium ion concentration of a sample which comprises a mixture of large amount of sodium ions and potassium ions. These and other advantages will be more clearly described in the detailed description of the application.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to compounds useful for determining amounts of cations present in a sample, the compounds being defined in formula I ##STR6## wherein k and j, either same or different, are equal to 1 to about 5;
m and n, either same or different, are equal to 0 to about 4;
a and e, either same or different, are equal to 0 to about 2;
b and d, either same or different, are equal to 0 to about 5;
R, either same or different, is hydrogen, lower alkyl, lower alkylidene, or lower alkenyl, allyl, or aryl; and
--Q-- is ##STR7## wherein X is CH, N or COH; and Y includes ##STR8## except that when Q is ##STR9## wherein Y is selected from the group consisting of p-nitrophenylazo, 3-phenylisothiazalyl-5-azo, isothiazolyl-5-azo, thiazolyl-5-azo, 2,4,6-trinitrophenylazo, p-nitrostyryl, p-benzoquinonemonoimino and bis-(p-dimethylaminophenyl)hydroxymethyl, then the following condition cannot be present: that simultaneously b is equal to 0 or 1, d is equal to 0 or 1, j is equal to 1, n is equal to 1 or 2, a is equal to 1, e is equal to 1, k is equal to 1 and m is equal to 2, and methods for detecting cations using these compounds.
The invention is also reagents comprising compound I which may contain one or more interfering cation complexing compound masks, and methods using said compounds and reagents for determining cations. Suitable interfering cation complexing compound masks are non-chromogenic and include spherands, hemispherands, cryptahemispherands, cryptands, and corands.
Spherands, hemispherands, and cryptahemispherands which are structurally oriented so as to complement a particular cation (i.e., to fit the size of that cation) are preferred in the present invention. Such masks may be referred to as "pre-organized".
Cryptands and corands which have cavity sizes matching particular cation diameters are also preferred in the present invention.
When the interfering cation is sodium, suitable masks include but are not limited to ##STR10## wherein R 1 , R 2 , R 3 , R 4 , R 5 , R 6 , R 7 , R 8 , R 9 , R 10 , R 11 and R 12 , each either same or different, are hydrogen, lower alkyl, lower aryl, lower alkenyl, allyl or alkylidine. Kryptofix® 2.1.1 cryptand is particularly effective as a sodium mask. Sodium ion masking is beneficial in determining potassium in a sample such as blood serum which contains a high concentration of sodium. The reagent further comprises one or more water-miscible organic solvents and a buffer. The reagent may comprise a surfactant.
When interfering ion is potassium, suitable masks include but are not limited to ##STR11## wherein R 1 is hydrogen, lower alkyl, lower aryl, lower alkenyl, allyl or alkylidine. Cryptand 3.2.2 is particularly effective as a potassium mask.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES
FIG. 1: Reaction pathway for synthesizing chromogenic cryptand 3.3.2.
FIG. 2: Reaction pathway for synthesizing chromogenic benzocryptand 3.2.2.
FIG. 3: Dry chemistry analytical element sodium response to chromogenic cryptand 3.3.2.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to compounds, reagents and methods for determining cations in a sample. The invention allows quantitative determination of cations in blood serum and other biological fluids by spectrophotometric technique in a homogeneous single phase solvent system that requires no sample pretreatment. The compounds are defined in formula I, and reagents preferably comprise compounds of formula I and may contain one or more interfering cation complexing compound masks. Suitable interfering cation complexing compound masks are non-chromogenic and include spherands, hemispherands, cryptahemispherands, cryptands and podands.
The compounds of this invention may be utilized in compositions for making cation determinations on automated clinical chemistry analyzers such as the Technicon CHEM-1® clinical chemical analyzer, the Technicon RA-1000® clinical chemistry analyzer and the Technicon SMAC® clinical chemistry analyzer. Additionally, the compounds of this invention may be utilized in compositions for making cation determinations on industrial or other non-clinical chemistry automated analyzers such as the Technicon TRAACS 800™ analyzer. Moreover, the compounds of this invention may be utilized in compositions for making cation determinations by manual methods or standard UV/vis spectrophotometers.
In one embodiment of the invention, chromogenic cryptand 3.2.2 is particularly effective for potassium cation determination. In another embodiment of the invention, chromogenic cryptand 3.3.2 has good sodium cation selectivity. In another embodiment of the invention, reagents and methods of the invention are used for determining potassium ion concentration of a sample comprising a mixture of potassium and sodium ions. The sodium ion complexing compound mask prevents sodium ions from complexing with chromogenic cryptands, thereby providing favorable conditions for promoting chromogenic cryptand-potassium ion complex formation.
In another embodiment of the invention, compounds, reagents and methods of the invention are used for determining sodium ion concentration of a sample comprising a mixture of potassium and sodium ions. Determination of sodium ion concentration using compounds of the invention may be further improved using potassium ion complexing compound masks. The potassium ion complexing compound mask prevents potassium ions for complexing with chromogenic cryptands, thereby providing favorable conditions for promoting chromogenic cryptand-sodium ion complex formation.
The sample fluids on which cation determinations can be performed using the compounds and compositions of this invention include biological, physiological, industrial, environmental and other types of liquids. Of particular interest are biological fluids such as serum, plasma, urine, cerebrospinal fluids, saliva, milk, broth and other culture media and supernatant, as well as fractions of any of them. Other sources of sample fluid which are tested by conventional methods are also contemplated as within the meaning of the term "sample" as used herein, and can have ionic determinations performed on them in accordance with this invention.
The skilled artisan will recognize that the presence of other ionic species, i.e., calcium, magnesium, and lithium, may also be determined using the compounds and compositions of this invention. The chromogenic cryptands may be used to produce color in the visible range upon interaction with cations.
The solvent system consists of water and water miscible organic solvent in proportions to obtain maximum sensitivity but to avoid sample pretreatment, such as protein precipitation, extraction or phase separation.
Cyclic ethers, glycol ethers, amides, aliphatic alcohols with, for example, three to eight carbon atoms and/or sulfoxides possess excellent photometric properties and are suitable water-miscible organic solvents useful in the present invention.
Dioxane and tetrahydrofuran are particularly suitable as cyclic ethers, while ethylene glycol monoalkyl ethers, particularly methyl, ethyl, propyl and butyl cellosolve, are suitable as glycol ethers, and formamide, dimethylformamide (DMF), pyrrolidone and N-alkylpyrrolidones, e.g., N-methylpyrrolidone (NMP), are suitable as amides.
Aliphatic alcohols such as methanol and ethanol are also suitable, but better results are obtained in alcohols with three to eight carbon atoms such as isopropanol, n-propanol, butanols, amyl alcohols, hexanols, heptanols and octanols.
Dimethyl sulfoxide is also a suitable solvent. The water-dioxane solvent system has proved particularly advantageous.
It has been found that a large number of water-miscible organic solvents, such as, for example, acetone, methyl ethyl ketone and glacial acetic acid are unsuitable as reaction media.
The solvent system of the present invention differs from Klink, et al., which teaches suitable reagent solvent systems as including a water-miscible organic solvent in amounts achieving a water to organic solvent ratio of about 1:4 to 1:6.
The present invention teaches solvent system of about 1:0.5 to 1:2, and preferably includes a surfactant and higher pH. The solvent system of the present invention obviates the need for removal of protein from a serum sample.
Other components may also be included in the compositions of this invention, such as buffers and stabilizers. Additional ion masks may be employed to remove the effect of interfering ionic species.
Because of the importance of maintaining pH at a specific level in making accurate cation determinations, buffer may be included in compositions of this invention for the purpose of controlling the pH. Suitable buffers for maintaining the pH include cyclohexylaminopropanesulfonic acid (CAPS), cyclohexylaminoethanesulfonic acid (CHES), triethanolamine, diethanolamine, ethanolamine, 2-naphthalene sulfonic acid, and salicyclic acid. Preferably, in making a cation determination, the pH of the composition is maintained at about 8-12.
The compositions of this invention may also include a surfactant in order to aid in protein solubilization. Surfactants are also used in many automated analyzers for hydraulic reasons. Suitable surfactants for use in the compositions of this invention include sorbitan monooleate (commercially available as Tween-80® from ICI Americas Co. of Wilmington, DE) and polyoxyethylene lauryl ether (commercially available as Brij-35® from ICI Americas of Wilmington, DE).
Reagents of the invention are mixed with a sample to be tested. After mixing of reagent and sample, absorbance of the resulting solution is measured to determine concentration of the cation of interest.
The invention also includes reagents and methods for determining cations in a sample, wherein said method employs a reagent comprising a chromogenic cryptand, and a carrier matrix comprising a porous or wettable material. In a single layer format, the carrier matrix can be formed from materials such as paper, cardboard, porous polymers, polymer fiber and natural felts, and other suitable materials. Preferred as carrier matrix materials are filter paper, and porous high density polyethylene. In a multilayer analytical element format, the buffer can be stored in an upper layer and the cryptand in a lower layer in a superposed laminar fashion. The matrices for these layers can be formed from materials such as gelatin, water soluble or water swellable polymers, and other suitable materials. In addition to those two layers, a spreading layer, a reflecting layer and a support material can be incorporated to form an integral analytical element.
The reagent may also comprise one or more interfering cation complexing compound masks.
In one embodiment of the invention, the sample is blood serum or plasma, the carrier matrix is a device that is a dimensionally stable, uniformly porous, diffusely reflective single layer formed of a polymeric non-fibrous matrix, and the method comprises the following steps:
(a) preparing a reagent mixture consisting essentially of one or more water-soluble polymeric binders, a surfactant, a compound according to formula I, water and a buffer;
(b) adding the reagent mixture to the device;
(c) evaporating the water of the reagent mixture;
(d) adding the sample to the device; and
(e) measuring reflectance of the device.
In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the method comprises the following steps:
(a) preparing a reagent mixture comprising a first organic solvent having low vapor pressure and high boiling point, a second organic solvent that is more volatile than first solvent, a compound of formula I, and a buffer;
(b) adding the reagent mixture to the device;
(c) evaporating the second solvent of the reagent mixture;
(d) adding the sample to the device; and
(e) measuring reflectance of the device.
The reagent may also comprise one or more interfering cation complexing compound masks.
Step (a) advantageously incorporates both solvents and the organic buffer in one step, and elminates the need for drying step between solvent addition and buffer addition.
Preferred reagents comprise a first solvent such as trialkylphosphate, triarylphosphate, dialkyladipate, dialkylsebacate, dialkylphthalate, and a second solvent such as cyclohexanone, tetrahydrofuran, dioxane, methanol and diethylether.
Preferred reagents comprise one or more water soluble polymeric binders selected from the group including polyvinyl alcohol, polyvinyl pyrrolidone, polyacrylic acid, methyl cellulose, hydroxymethylcellulose and gelatin.
Preferred reagents further comprise one or more organic buffers. Examples of suitable organic buffers include triethanolamine, diethanolamine, ethanolamine, 2-naphthalene sulfonic acid, salicyclic acid, p-toluene sulfonic acid, CAPS and CHES. Suitable buffers maintain a pH in the range of about 8 to about 12.
The matrix may be constructed in one of several ways. One suitable way involves sintering fine particulates of a high-density polyethylene, ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene, polypropylene, polyvinylidene fluoride, polytetrafluoroethylenen, nylon, polyvinylchloride, polyesters, polysulfones and blends thereof. The matrix may be coated with a hydrophilic surfactant selected from the group including polyoxyethyleneoctyl phenols, polyoxyethylenenonyl phenols, and polyoxyethylenelauryl ethers. By incorporating a suitable carrier matrix with the reagent, cation determination can be done using such a device.
Such a device lends itself to dry storage when not in use, thus enabling long shelf-life, and can be pressed into service immediately simply by contacting it with a small portion of the test sample, be it blood, serum, urine or other aqueous solution to be assayed. It can take on such formats as a dip-and-read strip for urine or a test slide for use with an automatic blood analyzer, or can form a multilayer structure such as is described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,992,158 and 4,292,272.
It is desirable that the carrier matrix comprise a porous or wettable material. Thus, in a single layer format the carrier matrix can be formed from materials such as paper, cardboard, porous polymers, polymer fiber and natural felts, and other suitable materials. Especially preferred as carrier matrix materials are filter paper, and porous high density polyethylene. In a multilayer analytical element format, the buffer can be stored in an upper layer and the chromogenic cryptand in a lower layer in a superposed laminar fashion. The matrices for these layers can be formed from materials such as gelatin, water soluble or water swellable polymers, and other suitable materials. In addition to these two layers, a spreading layer, a reflecting layer and a support material can be incorporated to form an integral analytical element.
The device is prepared by incorporating the carrier matrix with the test composition and, if desired, providing dried matrix with a support.
Thus the composition is applied to the matrix by innoculating the surface of the matrix or by dipping it into a solution of the composition. The thus-impregnated matrix can then be dried at room temperature or at elevated temperatures provided the temperature is not so high as to deleteriously affect the composition.
The dried, impregnated carrier matrix can then be mounted, if desired, on a suitable support such as a circumferential frame which leaves the matrix exposed to the middle; or the matrix can be mounted at one end of a plastic strip, the other end serving as a convenient handle.
In one embodiment of the invention, the test sample containing sodium is contacted with the surface of the test device and the detectable response is measured at 620 nm or other appropriate wavelength on a reflectometer. Experiments using varied known sodium concentrations yield a dose/response curve enabling clear correlation between changes in percent reflectance and sodium concentration in the millimollar range.
The following examples illustrate but are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention.
EXAMPLES
Example 1
A chromogenic cryptand 3.3.2 was synthesized by the reaction pathway of FIG. 1, and is shown as compound 7.
Bis(1,3-methylacetoxy)-2-methoxybenzene (2)
To a stirred mixture of anhydrous K 2 CO 3 (30 g) and methyl bromoacetate (30.5 g, 0.20 mol) in 400 ml of acetone was added dropwise under nitrogen a solution of 2-methoxyresorcinol (1) in 100 ml of acetone. The mixture was refluxed for 30 h. Filtration of the inorganic material and evaporation of the solvent gave a residue which was column chromatographed on silica gel with methylene chloride-methanol (50:1) to afford 19.3 g (95%) of 2 as a colorless, viscous liquid which solidified during storage in the form of white crystals; M.P. 70°-72° C. Calcd. for C 13 H 16 O 7 (percent): C, 54.93; H, 5.67 Found: (percent): C, 54.82; H, 5.55.
1,3-Di(oxyacetic acid)-2-methoxybenzene (3)
Dimethylester 2 (4.00 g, 14 mmol) was suspended in 250 ml of water containing Amberlyst IR-120 (H + ) (0.5 g). The mixture was refluxed for 8 h. The resin was filtered and the water solution concentrated. A white crystalline material was separated and dried to give 3.33 g (93%) of diacid 3; M.P. 148°-150° C. (lit. 1 mp 150°-152° C.).
Diacid Chloride 4
Diacid 3 (2.50 g. 9.8 mmol) was suspended in 15 ml of chloroform and the mixture was heated to reflux. Thionyl chloride (3 ml) was added dropwise to the refluxing suspension and it was refluxed overnight to give an almost clear solution. The reaction mixture was cooled, filtered, and evaporated in vacuo to afford 2.74 g (96%) of a pale yellow solid with mp 61.5°-63.5° C. which was used subsequently without purification.
Methoxybenzo Cryptand Diamide 5
To 225 ml of rapidly-stirred toluene at 0° C. under nitrogen were simultaneously added solutions of diacid chloride 4 (2.00 g, 6,8 mmol) in 90 ml of toluene and Kryptofix® 3.3 (2.89 g, 6.8 mmol) and triethylamine (2.5 ml) in 88 ml of toluene during a 6 h period. After completion of the addition, the reaction mixture was stirred at room temperature overnight. The solid material was filtered and the filtrate was evaporated in vacuo. The residue was column chromatographed on alumina with ethyl acetate-methanol (20:1) as eluent to give 1.85 g (48%) of cryptand diamide 5 as a viscous colorless oil. Calcd. for C 27 H 42 N 2 O 11 (percent): C, 56.83; H, 7.43. Found (percent): C, 56.49; H, 7.52.
Cryptand Phenol 6
The cryptand diamide 5 (1.05 g, 1.8 mmol) was added to a suspension of lithium aluminum hydride (0.57 g, 15.0 mmol) in tetrahydrofuran (60 ml) and the mixture was refluxed for 20 h. After cooling, 3.0 ml of 5% NaOH was added. The inorganic precipitate was filtered and washed several times with tetrahydrofuran and with chloroform followed by suspension in water and extraction with chloroform. The washings and extracts were combined and the solvent was removed in vacuo. The residue was dissolved in chloroform and the solution was washed with water several times and evaporated in vacuo to give 0.87 g (91%) of 6 as a viscous, extremely hygroscopic yellow oil. Calcd. for C 26 H 44 N 2 O 9 0.75 H 2 O (percent); c, 57.60; H, 8.46. Found (percent): C, 57.60; H, 8.65.
Chromogenic Cryptand 7
To cryptand phenol 6 (1.18 g, 2.2 mmol) was added 32% NaOH until the aqueous solution was basic. The clear, brown-colored solution was evaporated to dryness in vacuo. Acetic acid (20 ml) was added to the residue to give a clear yellow solution which was cooled to 0° C. A solution of p-nitrobenzenediazonium tetrafluoroborate (0.59 g, 2.5 mmol) in water (30 ml) was added dropwise with vigorous stirring. After the addition was completed, the mixture was stirred overnight at room temperature and then evaporated to dryness. The residue was subjected to column chromatography on alumina with chloroform and then chloroform-ethanol (12:1) as eluents to give 1.10 g (73%) of 7 as a red-brown semi-solid. Calcd. for C 32 H 47 N 5 O 11 0.75H 2 O (percent): C, 55.60; H, 7.07. Found (percent): C, 55.54; H, 7.00.
Notes:
1. Diacid 3 and diacid chloride 4 were described in Merck's patent: R. Klink, B. Bodar, J.-M. Lehn, B. Helfert, and R. Bitsch, West German Pat. No. 3002779, Aug. 4, 1983.
2. Kryptofix® 3.3. was prepared by literature procedure reported by B. Dietrich, J.-M. Lehn, J. P. Savage, and J. Blanzat, Tetrehedron, 29, 1629 (1973).
Among the advantages of this synthesis is that it avoids a messy and low yield reaction of pyrogallol with chloroacetic acid. The first two steps are straightforward and almost quantitative. The synthesis pathway also accomplishes reduction of the bicyclic diamide and dimethylation in one single step using LiAlH 4 , and avoids the need for purification on a Dowex (OH - ) column. The pathway is shorter and gives higher yields than Merck's method.
Example 2
A chromogenic benzocryptand 3.2.2 was synthesized by the reaction pathway of FIG. 2, and is shown as compound 11.
Cryptand Diamide 9
A 3000 ml 3-neck flask equipped with a mechanical stirrer and two syringe pumps were evacuated and filled with nitrogen. The flask was charged with toluene (256 ml) and cooled to 0° C. in an ice bath. Solution A consisting of Kryptofix® 3.2 (2.10 g, 6.8 mmol) and triethylamine (1.80 g, 17.8 mmol) in 35 ml of toluene and Solution B consisting of diacid chloride 8 (prepared in accordance with Gansow, O. A.; Kausar, A. R.; Triplett, K. B. J. Heterocyclic Chem. 1981, 18,297) (2.11 g, 6.8 mmol) in 35 ml of toluene were added simultaneously to vigorously stirred toluene over 5 h. The mixture was stirred overnight at room temperature. The precipitated salt was filtered and the solvent was removed in vacuo to give a residue which was column chromatographed on an alumina column with chloroform-ethanol (100:2) to afford 1.00 g (27%) of 9 as a light yellow fluffy solid. Calcd. for C 24 H 35 N 3 O 11 (percent): C, 53.23; H, 6.51. Found (percent): C, 53.00; H, 6.61.
Nitrocryptand 10
Cryptand diamide 9 (1.00 g, 1.85 mmol) was dissolved in 10 ml of dry tetrahydrofuran and 1.5 ml of 10M BH 3 (CH 3 ) 2 S complex was added. The mixture was refluxed overnight. Excess diborane was destroyed with water and the solvent was removed in vacuo. The residue was treated with 10 ml of 6N HCl at reflux for 7 h. Water was removed in vacuo and the dihydrochloride was passed through a Dowex ion exchange resin (OH form) to give 0.95 g (approximately 100%) of the crude product which which was used in the next step without additional purification.
Chromogenic Cryptand 11
Nitrocryptand 10 (0.90 g, 1.75 mmol) was dissolved in 50 ml of ethyl acetate and palladium on carbon (10%) (0.3 g) was added. The mixture was shaken under 40 psi of hydrogen pressure at room temperature. The catalyst was filtered and the solvent was removed to give 0.82 g of a brown oil, which was dissolved in methanol (3 ml). To this solution sodium bicarbonate (0.3 g) and picryl chloride (0.5 g) were added. The mixture turned immediately red and was refluxed for 6 h. The solvent was removed in vacuo and the residue was column chromatographed on alumina with chloroform-ethanol (200:1) to produce 0.65 g (55%) of a dark red oil. Calcd. for C 30 H 42 N 6 O 13 (percent) C, 51.87; H, 6.0%. Found (percent): C, 51.62, H, 6.12.
Example 3
An experiment was conducted to compare the present invention with a state-of-the art method for measuring sodium in serum.
A series of random serum samples containing a broad range of sodium concentration was obtained. The samples were assayed in RA-1000® analyzer (Technicon Instruments Corporation) using the reagent formulation listed below:
______________________________________1.35 × 10.sup.-4 M chromogenic cryptand 3.3.2 (compound 7 of FIG. 1)5 × 10.sup.-3 M EDTA (divalent ion mask)pH 10 CHES 0.15 M (buffer)50% (v/v) Ethoxyethoxyethanol (water miscible organic solvent)80 (surfactant)een ®______________________________________
The parameters on the RA-1000® instrument were as follows.
______________________________________sensitivity 3.2 mA/mMmethod end pointtemperature 37° C.wavelength 600 nmsample volume 8 μlreagent volume 385 μldelay 5 min.pH 10.0dilution ratio 1:50______________________________________
Result
The absorbance output from the RA-1000® instrument for each sample was recorded and converted to sodium concentrations. The same set of serum samples was also assayed by RA-100 ISE® module for sodium concentrations.
______________________________________Correlation data on RA-1000 ® AnalyzerReference method RA-1000 ISE ®______________________________________slope 1.00intercept -3.17correlation coefficient 0.9820number of serum samples 53linear range, mM 80-200precision, CV 1.3%______________________________________
The data show good agreement between the method of the present invention and the state-of-the-art ISE® methodology.
Example 4
This example describes the use of chromogenic cryptand 3.3.2 for the assay of sodium in undiluted blood serum by dry chemistry technology. Dry reagent analytical elements were prepared in the following manner.
To each 1/2 inch diameter porous disk (HDPE, 35 μm, 1/32-inch thick), 30 microliter of a reagent mixture containing 1.0 ml cyclohexanone, 0.1 ml tricresyl phosphate, 10 mg cellulose acetate, 1 mg chromogenic cryptand 3.3.2 (compound 7 of FIG. 1), 30 mg triethanolamine, 9 mg 2-naphthalene sulfonic acid, and 5 mg Brij-35 were deposited, and the disks were allowed to dry at room temperature for five hours before storing in a desiccator for two hours.
The disks were tested with 25 microliter clinical specimen such as serum or plasma. The diffuse reflective signals after two minutes incubation were measured at 620 nm on a modified Infra-Alyzer (Technicon Instruments Corporation). The reflectance, R measurements were transformed to a linear function of sodium concentration K/S=(1-R) 2 /2R, where K is the absorption coefficient and S is the scattering coefficient. The plot of K/S versus sodium concentration is linear, as shown in FIG. 3.
Example 5
An experiment was conducted to compare the present invention with a state-of-the-art method for measuring sodium in serum.
A series of random serum samples containing a broad range of sodium concentration was obtained. The samples were assayed on RA-1000® analyzer (Technicon Instruments Corporation) using the reagent formulation listed below:
______________________________________1.35 × 10.sup.-4 M Chromogenic cryptand 3.2.2.2.0 × 10.sup.-3 M Cryptant 3.2.2. (potassium mask)5.0 × 10.sup.-3 M EDTA50% (v/v) EthoxyethoxyethanolpH 11.2 CAPS 0.15 M2.5% (w/v) Tween-80 ®Cryptand 3.2.2 is represented by ##STR12##Chromogeni ##STR13##______________________________________
The parameters on the RA-1000® instrument were as follows:
______________________________________sensitivity 1.7 mA/mMmethod end pointtemperature 37° C.wavelength 600 nmsample volume 4 μlreagent volume 395 μldelay 5 min.pH 11.2dilution ratio 1:100______________________________________
Result
The absorbance output from the RA-1000® instrument for each sample was recorded and converted to sodium concentrations. The same set of serum samples was also assayed by RA-1000 ISE® module for sodium concentrations.
______________________________________CorrelationReference method RA-1000 ISE ®______________________________________slope 1.13intercept -12.47correlation coefficient 0.9505number of serum samples 80Linear range mM 80-200Precision, CV 2.1%______________________________________
The data show good correlation between the method of the present invention and the state-of-the-art methodology.
Example 6
An experiment was conducted to compare the present invention with a state-of-the-art method for measuring potassium in serum.
A series of random serum samples containing a broad range of potassium concentration was obtained. The samples were assayed in RA-1000® analyzer (Technicon Instruments Corporation) using the reagent formulation listed below:
______________________________________1.69 × 10.sup.-4 M chromogenic cryptand 3.2.23.0 × 10.sup.-2 M Kryptofix ® 2.1.14.0 × 10.sup.-3 M EDTA (divalent ion mask)60% (v/v) Ethoxyethoxyethanol (water miscible organic solvent)pH 11 CAPS 0.12 M (buffer)2.5% (w/v) Tween-80 ® (surfactant)______________________________________
The parameters on the RA-1000® instrument were as follows:
______________________________________sensitivity 12.0 mA/mMmethod end pointtemperature 37° C.wavelength 540 nmsample volume 4 μlreagent volume 395 μldelay 5 min.pH 11.5dilution ratio 1:100______________________________________
Result
The absorbance output from the RA-1000® analyzer for each sample was recorded and converted to potassium concentrations. The same set of serum samples was also assayed by RA-1000 ISE® module for potassium concentrations.
______________________________________Correlation data on RA-1000 ® analyzerReference method RA-1000 ISE ®______________________________________slope 1.10intercept -0.26correlation coefficient 0.9704number of serum samples 41Linear range, mM 0-14Precision, CV 2.2%______________________________________
The data show good correlation between the method of the present invention and the state-of-the-art methodology.
Example 7
An experiment was performed to determine the response of a chromogenic benzocryptand 3.2.2. (shown as compound 11 in FIG. 2) to potassium ion in aqueous test samples which also contained sodium ions in high concentration.
A 0.1 mM stock solution of chromogenic benzocryptand 3.2.2 was prepared by dissolving 6.9 mg in 100 ml methylene chloride solvent. A stock buffer solution was prepared by dissolving 2.52 g of HEPPS (N-hydroxyethyl-piperazine-N-3-propanesulfonic acid) in 90 ml deionized water, adjusting the pH to 8.0 with 1.0M, tetramethylammonium hydroxide and bringing the total volume to 100 ml with deionized water. A series of test samples was prepared by adding varying amounts of potassium chloride (potassium concentration range of 0-10 mM) and a constant amount of sodium chloride (sodium concentration of 140 mM) to the stock buffer solution.
To perform the assay, 2.0 ml of the stock chromogenic benzocryptand 3.2.2 and 1.0 ml of the test sample were pipetted in a test tube.
The mixture in the test tube was agitated for 1-2 min on a vortex mixer. The test tube was set aside to allow the two solvent phases to separate. Following the phase separation, the methylene chloride phase was transferred to an optical cuvette and the absorbance was measured at 450 nm wave length on a Beckman DU8 spectrophotometer.
The results of the experiment are reported as follows:
______________________________________TEST SAMPLESPOTASSIUM SODIUM ABSORBANCE AT(mM) (mM) 450 nm______________________________________0 140 0.76672.0 140 1.00304.0 140 1.09656.0 140 1.14418.0 140 1.19800 140 1.2010______________________________________
The results clearly indicate a response to potassium ions in the presence of very high concentration of sodium and hence the usefulness of chromogenic benzocryptand 3.2.2 in the quantitative determination of potassium in test samples such as blood serum without significant interference from high sodium concentrations.
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The invention is reagents and procedures for determining an amount of cations present in a sample, the reagent comprising one or more chromogenic cryptand compounds of formula I ##STR1## wherein k and j, either same or different, are equal to 1 to about 5;
m and n, either same or different, are equal to 0 to about 4;
a and e, either same or different, are equal to 0 to about 2;
b and d, either same or different, are equal to 0 to about 5;
R, either same or different, is hydrogen, lower alkyl, lower alkylidene, lower alkenyl, allyl, or aryl; and
-Q- is ##STR2## wherein X is CH, N, or COH; and
Y includes ##STR3## except that when Q is ##STR4## wherein Y is selected from the group consisting of p-nitrophenylazo, 3-phenylisothiazalyl -5-azo, isothiazolyl-5-azo, thiazolyl-5-azo, 2,4,6-trinitrophenylazo, p-nitrostyryl, p-benzoquinonemonoimino and bis-(p-dimethylaminophenyl)hydroxymethyl, then the following condition cannot be present: that simultaneously b is equal to 0 or 1, d is equal to 0 or 1, j is equal to 1, n is equal to 1 or 2, a is equal to 1, e is equal to 1, k is equal to 1 and m is equal to 2.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a novel class of compounds, their salts, pharmaceutical compositions comprising them and their use in therapy of the human body. In particular, the invention relates to novel cyclobutyl sulfone derivatives which inhibit the processing of APP by γ-secretase, and hence are useful in the treatment or prevention of Alzheimer's disease. The compounds of the invention also spare the Notch signaling pathway. As such, the compounds of the invention are believed to halt or potentially reverse the progression of Alzheimer's disease without the development of toxicities mediated by Notch inhibition.
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most prevalent form of dementia. Although primarily a disease of the elderly, affecting up to 10% of the population over the age of 65, AD also affects significant numbers of younger patients with a genetic predisposition. It is a neurodegenerative disorder, clinically characterized by a progressive loss of memory and cognitive function, and pathologically characterized by the deposition of extracellular proteinaceous plaques in the cortical and associative brain regions of sufferers. These plaques are mainly comprised of fibrillar aggregates of β-amyloid peptide (Aβ) (Glenner G G and Wong C W (1984) Alzheimer's disease: Initial report of the purification and characterization of a novel cerebrovascular amyloid protein. Biochemical and Biophysical research Communications. 120(3); 885-890). The role of secretases, including that of γ-secretase, in the processing of amyloid precursor protein (APP) to form Aβ is well documented in the literature. Aβ is generated by proteolytic processing of APP by two enzymes, β-amyloid cleavage enzyme (BACE) and γ-secretase (FIG. 1; Selkoe D J (2001) Alzheimer's disease: genes, proteins, and therapy. Physiological Review. 81(2):741-766). γ-Secretase is a complex comprised of four proteins: presenilin (presenilin-1 or -2), nicastrin, APH-1 and PEN-2 (Takasugi N, Tomita T, Hayashi I, Tsuruoka M, Niimura M, Takahashi Y, Thinakaran G, Iwatsubo T (2003) The role of presenilin cofactors in the gamma-secretase complex. Nature. 422(6930):438-441; Kimberly W T, LaVoie M 3, Ostaszewski B L, Ye W, Wolfe M S, Selkoe D J (2003) Gamma-secretase is a membrane protein complex comprised of presenilin, nicastrin, Aph-1, and Pen-2. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 100(11):6382-6387; Edbauer D, Winkler E, Regula J T, Pesold B, Steiner H, Haass C (2003) Reconstitution of gamma-secretase activity. Nature Cell Biology. 5(5):486-488.). Presenilin-1 and -2 contain transmembrane aspartyl residues that have been shown to be essential for the catalytic activity of the complex (Wolfe M S, Xia W, Ostaszewski B L, Diehl T S, Kimberly W T, Selkoe D J (1999) Two transmembrane aspartates in presenilin-1 required for presenilin endoproteolysis and gamma-secretase activity. Nature. 1999 398(6727):513-517). The majority of the mutations linked to the early onset, familial form of AD (FAD) are associated with either PS-1 or PS-2 (Scheuner D, Eckman C, Jensen M, Song X, Citron M, Suzuki N, Bird T D, Hardy J, Hutton M, Kukull W, Larson E, Levy-Lahad E, Viitanen M, Peskind E, Poorkaj P, Schellenberg G, Tanzi R, Wasco W, Lannfelt L, Selkoe D, Younkin S (1996) Secreted amyloid beta-protein similar to that in the senile plaques of Alzheimer's disease is increased in vivo by the presenilin 1 and 2 and APP mutations linked to familial Alzheimer's disease. Nature Medicine. 2(8):864-870; Duff K, Eckman C, Zehr C, Yu X, Prada C M, Perez-tur J, Hutton M, Buee L, Harigaya Y, Yager D, Morgan D, Gordon M N, Holcomb L, Refolo L, Zenk B, Hardy J, Younkin S (1996) Increased amyloid-beta42(43) in brains of mice expressing mutant presenilin 1. Nature. 383(6602):710-713; Lemere C A, Lopera F, Kosik K S, Lendon C L, Ossa J, Saido T C, Yamaguchi H, Ruiz A, Martinez A, Madrigal L, Hincapie L, Arango J C, Anthony D C, Koo E H, Goate A M, Selkoe D J, Arango J C (1996) The E280A presenilin 1 Alzheimer mutation produces increased A beta 42 deposition and severe cerebellar pathology. Nature Medicine. 2(10):1146-1150; Citron M, Westaway D, Xia W, Carlson G, Diehl T, Levesque G, Johnson-Wood K, Lee M, Seubert P, Davis A, Kholodenko D, Motter R, Sherrington R, Perry B, Yao H, Strome R, Lieberburg I, Rommens J, Kim S, Schenk D, Fraser P, St George Hyslop P, Selkoe D J (1997) Mutant presenilins of Alzheimer's disease increase production of 42-residue amyloid beta-protein in both transfected cells and transgenic mice. Nature Medicine. 3(1):67-72). γ-Secretase processes a number of other type I membrane proteins that have undergone a prerequisite ectodomain shedding (Lleó A (2008) Activity of gamma-secretase on substrates other than APP. Current Topics in Medicinal Chemistry. 8(1):9-16).
In addition to processing APP, γ-secretase cleaves the Notch family of receptors. Genetic evidence indicates that γ-secretase activity is critically required for Notch signaling and functions (Shen J, Bronson R T, Chen D F, Xia W, Selkoe D J, Tonegawa S (1997) Skeletal and CNS defects in Presenilin-1-deficient mice. Cell. 89(4):629-639; Wong P C, Zheng H, Chen H, Becher M W, Sirinathsinghji D J, Trumbauer M E, Chen H Y, Price D L, Van der Ploeg L H, Sisodia S S (1997) Presenilin 1 is required for Notch1 and DII1 expression in the paraxial mesoderm. Nature. 387(6630):288-292). Notch is an evolutionarily conserved and widely expressed single-span type I transmembrane receptor that plays a prominent role in regulating cell fate decisions in the developing embryo (Artavanis-Tsakonas S, Rand M D, Lake R J (1999) Notch signaling: cell fate control and signal integration in development. Science. 284(5415):770-776). The role of Notch in the adult remains unclear but Notch proteins are expressed in various adult tissues and are thought to play a role in regulating stem cell differentiation. Four Notch genes have been identified in mammals (Notch 1-4); all four Notch proteins are cleaved by γ-secretase (Saxena M T, Schroeter E H, Mumm J S, Kopan R (2001) Murine notch homologs (N1-4) undergo presenilin-dependent proteolysis. Journal of Biological Chemistry. 276(43):40268-40273). Notch activation is induced by binding, in trans, to the Delta/Serrate/LAG2 family of transmembrane ligands. Notch signal transduction is mediated by three cleavage events: (a) cleavage at Site 1 in extracellular domain; (b) cleavage at Site 2 just N-terminal to the extracellular/transmembrane domain boundary following ligand binding; and (c) cleavage at Site 3 (S3) within the transmembrane near the transmembrane/cytoplasmic domain boundary. Site 3 cleavage is required for release of Notch intracellular domain (NICD) and is mediated by γ-secretase (Schroeter E H, Kisslinger J A, Kopan R (1998) Notch-1 signalling requires ligand-induced proteolytic release of intracellular domain. Nature. 393(6683):382-386). NICD activates transcription mediated by the (CSL) CBF1/Serrate/LAG-1 family of DNA binding proteins and induces expression of various genes. NICD-regulated transcription is thought to be a key component of Notch-mediated signal transduction.
The development of γ-secretase inhibitors to block APP cleavage and Aβ generation is hampered by the potential for mechanism-based toxicity due to inhibition of Notch processing. Notch-related toxicities have been observed in studies where animals have been dosed subchronically with γ-secretase inhibitors. Intestinal goblet cell metaplasia is consistently observed following three or more days of treatment (Searfoss G H, Jordan W H, Calligaro D O, Galbreath E J, Schirtzinger L M, Berridge B R, Gao H, Higgins M A, May P C, Ryan T P (2003) Adipsin, a biomarker of gastrointestinal toxicity mediated by a functional gamma-secretase inhibitor. Journal of Biological Chemistry. 278(46):46107-46116; Wong G T, Manfra D, Poulet F M, Zhang Q, Josien H, Bara T, Engstrom L, Pinzon-Ortiz M, Fine J S, Lee H J, Zhang L, Higgins G A, Parker E M (2004) Chronic treatment with the gamma-secretase inhibitor LY-411, 575 inhibits beta-amyloid peptide production and alters lymphopoiesis and intestinal cell differentiation. Journal of Biological Chemistry. 279(13):12876-12882; Milano J, McKay J, Dagenais C, Foster-Brown L, Pognan F, Gadient R, Jacobs R T, Zacco A, Greenberg B, Ciaccio P J (2004) Modulation of notch processing by gamma-secretase inhibitors causes intestinal goblet cell metaplasia and induction of genes known to specify gut secretory lineage differentiation. Toxicological Sciences. 82(1):341-358; van Es J H, van Gijn M E, Riccio O, van den Born M, Vooijs M, Begthel H, Cozijnsen M, Robine S, Winton D J, Radtke F, Clevers H (2005) Notch/gamma-secretase inhibition turns proliferative cells in intestinal crypts and adenomas into goblet cells. Nature. 435(7044):959-963). In addition, Notch function appears to be critical for the proper differentiation of T and B lymphocytes (Hadland B K, Manley N R, Su D, Longmore G D, Moore C L, Wolfe M S, Schroeter E H, Kopan R (2001) Gamma-secretase inhibitors repress thymocyte development. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 98(13):7487-7491; Doerfler P, Shearman M S, Perlmutter R M (2001) Presenilin-dependent gamma-secretase activity modulates thymocyte development. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 98(16):9312-9317). Thus, pharmacologically targeting γ-secretase activity requires agents that selectively block Aβ while minimally inhibiting activity towards Notch.
The present invention provides a novel class of cyclobutyl sulfone derivatives which inhibit the processing of APP by the putative γ-secretase while sparing Notch signaling pathway, and thus are useful in the treatment or prevention of AD.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The invention encompasses a novel class of cyclobutyl sulfone derivatives which inhibit the processing of APP by the putative γ-secretase while sparing Notch signaling pathway, and thus are useful in the treatment or prevention of Alzheimer's disease without the development of Notch inhibition mediated gastrointestinal issues. Pharmaceutical compositions and methods of use are also included.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 . γ-Secretase cleaves APP and Notch at two main positions approximately in the middle of the membrane (γ/S4-cleavage) and at the cytosolic face of the membrane (ε/S3-cleavage). The ε/S3-cleavage is a critical processing event since it liberates the intracellular domain (ICD) of the substrate from the membrane: AICD and NICD, respectively. This step is prerequisite for ICD translocation to the nucleus and its subsequent function as transcriptional modulator. On the other hand, the γ/S4-cleavage leads to the release of Aβ peptides and Aβ-like peptides (Nβ) from APP and Notch, respectively. The latter cleavage has mainly generated attention since it produces the C terminus of the Aβ peptide, which is believed to be the disease-causing agent for AD.
FIG. 2 . Results of MRK-560 and Example 2 tested in the transactivation assay described in this application to examine the effects on the initial cleavage of other γ-secretase substrates. HEK cells were transiently co-transfected with the chimeric substrate along with a UAS promoter driven luciferase and β-galactosidase, and then treated with 1 μM of each compound for 48 hours. MRK-560 inhibited ICD release of all examined substrates, whereas Example 2 retained ICD release and subsequent translocation of the ICD-GVP construct to allow for reporter activation.
FIG. 3 . HEK293 cells stably overexpressing each substrate, NotchΔE, E-cadherin, SCN2b and CD43, were treated with MRK-560 or Example 2 at titrated concentrations along with TPA to induce the shedding. Immunoblot analysis of cell lysates revealed that MRK-560 inhibited NICD generation and caused accumulation of CTFs, direct substrates of γ-secretase, in a similar manner to a traditional γ-secretaseinhibitor, DAPT. In contrast, Example 2 allowed for NICD generation and no or less CTF accumulation was observed compared MRK-560.
FIG. 4 . The results of MRK-560 and Example 2 tested in the compound binding assay described in this application. Tritiated GSI tracers L-458 (transition state, red) or L-881 (non transition state, blue) were incubated with semi-purified γ-secretase complex and increasing concentrations of the respective compounds. A-MRK-560 showed full and partial displacement of at L-881 and L-458 sites, respectively. B-Example 2 was able to fully displace L-881 but not L-458. The results demonstrate that notch sparing compounds such as Example 2 have a shifted binding site as compared to traditional inhibitors such as MRK-560. This deregulates enzymatic cleavage in a manner that spares ε/S3 (AICD/NICD release) while potently inhibiting all γ-cleavage sites.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
The invention encompasses a genus of compounds according to Formula I
or pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof, wherein:
X 1 is selected from the group consisting of: F and CN;
X 2 is selected from the group consisting of: F, Cl and CN;
X 3 is selected from the group consisting of: F, Br, Cl, CN, CF 3 , OCF 3 , C(O)—OCH 3 and S—CH 3 ;
X 4 is selected from the group consisting of: H, F and Cl;
R 1 is selected from the group consisting of:
(a) H,
(b) CH 3 ,
(c) —(CH 2 ) n —OR 3 ;
(d) —(CH 2 ) n —C(O)—OR 4 and
(e)—SO 2 —CF 3 ;
R 2 is H or CH 3 when the compound of formula I is in the cis configuration, otherwise R 2 is H;
R 3 is a five- or six-membered non-aromatic heterocycle having one oxygen heteroatom;
R 4 is H or CH 3 ; and
n is 1 to 4.
Within the genus, the invention encompasses a first sub-genus of compounds of Formula Ia
or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof.
Within the first subgenus, the invention encompasses a first class of compounds of formula Ia wherein:
X 1 is F and
X 4 is H.
Within the first class, the invention encompasses a sub-class of compounds of formula Ia wherein:
X 2 is F and
X 3 is Cl.
Within the sub-class, the invention encompasses a group of compounds of formula Ia wherein R 2 is H.
Also within the group, the invention encompasses a second sub-group of compounds of formula Ia wherein R 1 is —(CH 2 ) n —C(O)—OR 4 .
Within the genus, the invention encompasses a second sub-genus of compounds of Formula Ib
or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof.
Within the second sub-genus, the invention encompasses a second class of compounds of formula Ib wherein:
X 1 and X 2 are F;
X 3 is Cl; and
X 4 is H.
The invention also encompasses any of the examples that follow.
The invention also encompasses a pharmaceutical composition comprising a compound according to formula I or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof and a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier.
The invention also encompasses a method of treatment of a subject suffering or prone to a condition associated with the deposition of β-amyloid which comprises administering to that subject an effective amount of a compound according to formula I or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof.
The invention also encompasses the use of a compound according to formula I or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof for the manufacture of a medicament for treating or preventing Alzheimer's disease.
Where a variable occurs more than once in formula I or in a substituent thereof, the individual occurrences of that variable are independent of each other, unless otherwise specified.
For use in medicine, the compounds of formula I may be in the form of pharmaceutically acceptable salts. Other salts may, however, be useful in the preparation of the compounds of formula I or of their pharmaceutically acceptable salts. Suitable pharmaceutically acceptable salts of the compounds of this invention include acid addition salts which may, for example, be formed by mixing a solution of the compound according to the invention with a solution of a pharmaceutically acceptable acid such as hydrochloric acid, sulphuric acid, methanesulphonic acid, benzenesulphonic acid, fumaric acid, maleic acid, succinic acid, acetic acid, benzoic acid, oxalic acid, citric acid, tartaric acid, carbonic acid or phosphoric acid. Alternatively, where the compound of the invention carries an acidic moiety, a pharmaceutically acceptable salt may be formed by neutralisation of said acidic moiety with a suitable base. Examples of pharmaceutically acceptable salts thus formed include alkali metal salts such as sodium or potassium salts; ammonium salts; alkaline earth metal salts such as calcium or magnesium salts; and salts formed with suitable organic bases, such as amine salts (including pyridinium salts) and quaternary ammonium salts.
It is to be emphasized that the invention, for each compound in accordance with formula I, encompasses both enantiomeric forms, either as homochiral compounds or as mixtures of enantiomers in any proportion. In an embodiment of the invention, the compound of formula I is a homochiral compound of formula Ia or formula Ib, or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof. Where the compounds according to the invention possess two or more asymmetric centres, they may additionally exist as diastereoisomers. It is to be understood that all such isomers and mixtures thereof in any proportion are encompassed within the scope of the present invention.
It will also be appreciated that where more than one isomer can be obtained from a reaction then the resulting mixture of isomers can be separated by conventional means. Where the processes for the preparation of the compounds according to the invention gives rise to mixtures of stereoisomers, these isomers may be separated by conventional techniques such as preparative chromatography. The novel compounds may be prepared in racemic form, or individual enantiomers may be prepared either by enantiospecific synthesis or by resolution. The novel compounds may, for example, be resolved into their component enantiomers by standard techniques such as preparative HPLC, or the formation of diastereomeric pairs by salt formation with an optically active acid, such as (−)-di-p-toluoyl-d-tartaric acid and/or (+)-di-p-toluoyl-1-tartaric acid, followed by fractional crystallization and regeneration of the free base. The novel compounds may also be resolved by formation of diastereomeric esters or amides, followed by chromatographic separation and removal of the chiral auxiliary. Alternatively, such techniques may be carried out on racemic synthetic precursors of the compounds of interest.
The compounds of the present invention have an activity as inhibitors of γ secretase.
The invention also provides pharmaceutical compositions comprising one or more compounds of this invention and a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier. Preferably these compositions are in unit dosage forms such as tablets, pills, capsules, powders, granules, sterile parenteral solutions or suspensions, metered aerosol or liquid sprays, drops, ampoules, transdermal patches, auto-injector devices or suppositories; for oral, parenteral, intranasal, sublingual or rectal administration, or for administration by inhalation or insufflation. The principal active ingredient typically is mixed with a pharmaceutical carrier, e.g. conventional tableting ingredients such as corn starch, lactose, sucrose, sorbitol, talc, stearic acid, magnesium stearate and dicalcium phosphate, or gums, dispersing agents, suspending agents or surfactants such as sorbitan monooleate and polyethylene glycol, and other pharmaceutical diluents, e.g. water, to form a homogeneous preformulation composition containing a compound of the present invention, or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof. When referring to these preformulation compositions as homogeneous, it is meant that the active ingredient is dispersed evenly throughout the composition so that the composition may be readily subdivided into equally effective unit dosage forms such as tablets, pills and capsules. This preformulation composition is then subdivided into unit dosage forms of the type described above containing from 0.1 to about 500 mg of the active ingredient of the present invention. Typical unit dosage forms contain from 1 to 100 mg, for example 1, 2, 5, 10, 25, 50 or 100 mg, of the active ingredient. Tablets or pills of the novel composition can be coated or otherwise compounded to provide a dosage form affording the advantage of prolonged action. For example, the tablet or pill can comprise an inner dosage and an outer dosage component, the latter being in the form of an envelope over the former. The two components can be separated by an enteric layer which serves to resist disintegration in the stomach and permits the inner component to pass intact into the duodenum or to be delayed in release. A variety of materials can be used for such enteric layers or coatings, such materials including a number of polymeric acids and mixtures of polymeric acids with such materials as shellac, cetyl alcohol and cellulose acetate.
The liquid forms in which the novel compositions of the present invention may be incorporated for administration orally or by injection include aqueous solutions, liquid- or gel-filled capsules, suitably flavoured syrups, aqueous or oil suspensions, and flavoured emulsions with edible oils such as cottonseed oil, sesame oil or coconut oil, as well as elixirs and similar pharmaceutical vehicles. Suitable dispersing or suspending agents for aqueous suspensions include synthetic and natural gums such as tragacanth, acacia, alginate, dextran, sodium carboxymethylcellulose, methylcellulose, poly(ethylene glycol), polyvinylpyrrolidone) or gelatin.
The present invention also provides a compound of the invention or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof for use in a method of treatment of the human body. Preferably the treatment is for a condition associated with the deposition of β-amyloid. Preferably the condition is a neurological disease having associated β-amyloid deposition such as Alzheimer's disease.
The present invention further provides the use of a compound of the present invention or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof in the manufacture of a medicament for treating or preventing Alzheimer's disease.
Also disclosed is a method of treatment of a subject suffering from or prone to Alzheimer's disease which comprises administering to that subject an effective amount of a compound according to the present invention or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof.
For treating or preventing Alzheimer's disease, a suitable dosage level is about 0.01 to 250 mg/kg per day, preferably about 0.01 to 100 mg/kg per day, more preferably about 0.05 to 50 mg/kg of body weight per day, and for the most preferred compounds, about 0.1 to 10 mg/kg of body weight per day. The compounds may be administered on a regimen of 1 to 4 times per day. In some cases, however, a dosage outside these limits may be used.
The following examples illustrate the present invention. Where they are not commercially available, the starting materials and reagents used in the synthetic schemes may be prepared by conventional means. The invention also encompasses a compound selected from the examples that follow.
During any of the synthetic sequences it may be necessary and/or desirable to protect sensitive or reactive groups on any of the molecules concerned. This may be achieved by means of conventional protecting groups, such as those described in Protective Groups in Organic Chemistry, ed. J. F. W. McOmie, Plenum Press, 1973; and T. W. Greene & P. G. M. Wuts, Protective Groups in Organic Synthesis, John Wiley & Sons, 1991. The protecting groups may be removed at a convenient subsequent stage using methods known from the art.
EXAMPLES
Intermediate A
2-[2-[(4-chlorophenyl)sulfonyl]-2-(2,5-difluorophenyl)ethyl]oxirane
4-chlorophenyl-2,5-difluorobenzylsulfone was prepared as described in WO 02/081435 (Intermediate 1) from 4-chlorothiophenol and 2,5-difluorobenzyl bromide in two steps.
4-chlorophenyl-2,5-difluorobenzylsulfone (12 g, 39.6 mmol) in THF (99 ml) was treated with n BuLi (19 ml, 2.5 M in hexane, 47.6 mmol) at 0° C. for 10 min followed by addition of epichlorohydrin (3.73 ml, 47.6 mmol). The reaction was slowly warmed to room temperature for 14 h, quenched with water (100 ml) and diluted with EtOAc (300 ml). The organic phase was separated, dried (Na 2 SO 4 ) and evaporated to dryness to give an oil. This material was chromatographed on silica, eluting with 10-45% ethyl acetate in hexanes to afford 9.8 g of the desired product as off-white solid. 1 H NMR (600 MHZ, CDCl 3 ) two diastereomers (˜1/1) δ 7.52 (m, 2H/2H), 7.38 (m, 2H/2H), 7.30-7.22 (m, 1H/1H), 6.99 (m, 1H/1H), 6.86-6.80 (m, 1H/1H), 4.76-4.70 (m, 1H/1H), 3.03-2.48 (m, 4H/4H), 2.37 (m, 1H), 2.20 (m, 1H). MS calculated 359.0 (MH + ), exp 358.9 (MH + ).
Intermediate B
cis-3-[(4-chlorophenyl)sulfonyl]-3-(2,5-difluorophenyl)cyclobutanol
To 2-[2-[(4-chlorophenyl)sulfonyl]-2-(2,5-difluorophenyl)ethyl]oxirane (100 mg, 0.279 mmol) in THF (2.7 ml) was added MeMgBr (279 μL, 3M in ether, 0.836 mmol) at −78° C. The reaction was warmed to room temperature over 1 h then quenched with sat. NH 4 Cl (3 ml) and diluted with EtOAc (10 ml). The organic phase was washed with brine (10 ml), dried (Na 2 SO 4 ) and evaporated to dryness to afford the desired product (100 mg). 1 H NMR (600 MHZ, CDCl 3 ) δ 7.66 (d, J=8.4 Hz, 2H), 7.57 (d, J=8.4 Hz, 2H), 6.99 (m, 1H), 6.82 (m, 1H), 6.74 (m, 1H), 4.28 (m, 1H), 3.47 (d, J=11.4 Hz, 1H, OH), 3.13 (m, 4H). MS calculated 422.0 (MNa + +CH 3 CN), exp 421.9 (MNa + +CH 3 CN).
Intermediate C
trans-3-[(4-chlorophenyl)sulfonyl]-3-(2,5-difluorophenyl)cyclobutanol
To PPh 3 (8.19 g, 31.2 mmol) in THF (100 ml) was added DIAD (6.31 g, 31.2 mmol); the resulting mixture was stirred at room temperature for 0.5 h. The mixture was cooled to −50° C. and cis-3-[(4-chlorophenyl)sulfonyl]-3-(2,5-difluorophenyl)cyclobutanol (8 g, 22.3 mmol) in THF (10 ml) was added. The reaction was stirred for 20 min followed by addition of solid 4-nitrobenzoic acid (5.22 g, 31.2 mmol). The resulting mixture was warmed to room temperature and allowed to stir at room temperature for 20 h. The reaction was then cooled to 0° C. to which was added NaOMe (134 ml, 0.5 M in MeOH, 66.9 mmol). After 40 min the reaction was quenched with Sat. NH 4 Cl (100 ml) and diluted with EtOAc (300 ml). The organic phase was separated, dried (Na 2 SO 4 ) and evaporated to dryness to afford an oil. This material was chromatographed on silica, eluting with ether in hexanes to give 8 g of the title product as white solid containing ˜15% of cis-3-[(4-chlorophenyl)sulfonyl]-3-(2,5-difluorophenyl)cyclobutanol (starting material). 1 H NMR (600 MHZ, CDCl 3 ) major product, δ 7.35 (m, 4H), 6.96 (m, 1H), 6.80-6.72 (m, 2H), 4.84 (m, 1H), 3.49 (m, 2H), 2.59 (m, 2H). MS calculated 422.0 (MNa + +CH 3 CN), exp 421.9 (MNa + +CH 3 CN).
Intermediate D
trans-3-[(4-chlorophenyl)sulfonyl]-3-(2,5-difluorophenyl)cyclobutyl trifluoromethanesulfonate
To trans-3-[(4-chlorophenyl)sulfonyl]-3-(2,5-difluorophenyl)cyclobutanol (2 g, 5 mmol) in DCM (27.9 ml) was added trifluoromethanesulfonic anhydride (1.13 ml, 6.69 mmol) and pyridine (0.902 ml, 11.15 mmol) at 0° C. The reaction was stirred for 30 min, quenched with Sat. NH 4 Cl (30 ml) and diluted with EtOAc (150 ml). The organic phase was separated, dried (Na 2 SO 4 ) and evaporated to dryness to give an oil. This material was chromatographed on silica, eluting with 0-25% ethyl acetate in hexanes to afford 2.7 g of the desired product as white solid, 1 H NMR (600 MHZ, CDCl 3 ) δ 7.36 (m, 4H), 7.02 (m, 1H), 6.79 (m, 2H), 5.72 (m, 1H), 3.66 (broad s, 2H), 3.02 (dd, J=14.4, 6.6 Hz, 2H). MS calculated 554.0 (MNa + +CH 3 CN), exp 553.8 (MNa + +CH 3 CN).
Intermediate E
cis-3-azido-1-(2,5-difluorophenyl)cyclobutyl 4-chlorophenyl sulfone
A mixture of trans-3-[(4-chlorophenyl)sulfonyl]-3-(2,5-difluorophenyl)cyclobutyl trifluoromethanesulfonate (3.9 g, 7.95 mmol) and sodium azide (5.17 g, 79 mmol) in ethanol (39.7 ml) and water (39.7 ml) was heated at 85° C. for 2 h. The mixture was cooled to room temperature and diluted with water (100 ml) and EtOAc (150 ml). The organic phase was separated, dried (Na 2 SO 4 ) and evaporated to dryness to afford an oil. This material was chromatographed on silica, eluting with 0-30% ethyl acetate in hexanes to afford the desired 2.3 g product as white solid, 1 H NMR (600 MHZ, CDCl 3 ) δ 7.35 (m, 4H), 7.02 (m, 1H), 6.91 (m, 1H), 6.80 (m, 1H), 3.81 (m, 1H), 3.30 (m, 2H), 3.02 (m, 2H).
Intermediate F
cis-3-[(4-chlorophenyl)sulfonyl]-3-(2,5-difluorophenyl)cyclobutanamine
cis-3-Azido-1-(2,5-difluorophenyl)cyclobutyl 4-chlorophenyl sulfone (2.07 g, 5.39 mmol) and palladium (0.861 g, 10% on carbon, 0.809 mmol) in MeOH (27 ml) was stirred under H 2 balloon for 4 h. The crude mixture was filtered through a silica gel pack and washed with 5:1 DCM/MeOH (100 ml) to remove palladium residue. The solvent was removed to give the product which was used directly in next transformation without further purification. 1 H NMR (600 MHZ, CDCl 3 ) δ 7.34 (m, 4H), 6.97 (m, 1H), 6.84 (m, 1H), 6.77 (m, 1H), 3.45 (m, 1H), 3.05-2.94 (m, 4H). MS calculated 358.0 (MH + ), exp 358.0 (MH + ).
Method (b)
To a solution of cis-3-azido-1-(2,5-difluorophenyl)cyclobutyl 4-chlorophenyl sulfone (9.5 g, 24.75 mmol) in ethanol/THF stirred at RT was added zinc (3.24 g, 49.5 mmol), followed by ammonium formate (3.12 g, 49.5 mmol). Reaction was stirred at room temperature for 1 h. The mixture was filtered through Celite and their solvents were removed. To the resulting residue was added 100 ml of sat'd NaHCO3 solution and the products was extracted with EtOAc (2×100 ml). Combined organics were washed with brine and dried over anhydrous sodium sulfate, and filtered through Celite. The filtrate was concentrated to afford the desired product
Intermediate G
cis-3-[(4-chlorophenyl)sulfonyl]-3-(2,5-difluorophenyl)cyclobutyl trifluoromethanesulfonate
Prepared as for trans-3-[(4-chlorophenyl)sulfonyl]-3-(2,5-difluorophenyl)cyclobutyl trifluoromethanesulfonate, using cis-3-[(4-chlorophenyl)sulfonyl]-3-(2,5-difluorophenyl)cyclobutanol:
1 H NMR (600 MHZ, CDCl 3 ) δ 7.35 (m, 4H), 7.04 (m, 1H), 6.88 (m, 1H), 6.81 (m, 1H), 5.08 (m, 1H), 3.60 (m, 2H), 3.23 (m, 2H). MS calculated 554.0 (MNa + +CH 3 CN), exp 553.8 (MNa + +CH 3 CN).
Intermediate H
trans-3-azido-1-(2,5-difluorophenyl)cyclobutyl 4-chlorophenyl sulfone
Prepared as for cis-3-azido-1-(2,5-difluorophenyl)cyclobutyl 4-chlorophenyl sulfone, using cis-3-[(4-chlorophenyl)sulfonyl]-3-(2,5-difluorophenyl)cyclobutyl trifluoromethanesulfonate.
1 H NMR (600 MHZ, CDCl 3 ) δ 7.35 (m, 4H), 6.98 (m, 1H), 6.76 (m, 2H), 4.56 (m, 1H), 3.49 (m, 2H), 2.66 (m, 2H).
Intermediate I
trans-3-[(4-chlorophenyl)sulfonyl]-3-(2,5-difluorophenyl)cyclobutanamine
Prepared as for cis-3-[(4-chlorophenyl)sulfonyl]-3-(2,5-difluorophenyl)cyclobutanamine, using trans-3-azido-1-(2,5-difluorophenyl)cyclobutyl 4-chlorophenyl sulfone.
1 H NMR (600 MHZ, CD 3 OD) δ 7.48-7.41 (m, 4H), 7.07 (m, 1H), 6.88 (m, 1H), 6.79 (m, 1H), 3.88 (m, 1H), 3.41 (m, 2H), 2.50 (m, 2H). MS calculated 358.0 (MH + ), exp 358.0 (MH + ).
Intermediate J
trans-3-[(4-chlorophenyl)sulfonyl]-3-(2,5-difluorophenyl)cyclobutanecarbonitrile
cis-3-[(4-chlorophenyl)sulfonyl]-3-(2,5-difluorophenyl)cyclobutyl trifluoromethanesulfonate (4 g, 8.15 mmol) and tetrabutylammonium cyanide (5.47 g, 20.37 mmol) in DMSO (54 ml) was heated at 80° C. for 45 min. The resulting mixture was cooled to room temperature and diluted with water (200 ml) and EtOAc (250 ml). The organic phase was washed with water, brine, separated, dried (Na 2 SO 4 ) and evaporated to dryness, to afford an oil. This material was chromatographed on silica, eluting with 0-50% ethyl acetate in hexanes to give the desired product (2.9 g) as off-white solid. 1 H NMR (600 MHZ, CDCl 3 ) δ 7.38-7.33 (m, 4H), 7.02 (m, 1H), 6.80-6.74 (m, 2H), 3.74 (m, 1H), 3.51 (m, 2H), 3.02 (m, 2H). MS calculated 431.0 (MNa + +CH 3 CN), exp 431.0 (MNa + +CH 3 CN).
Intermediate K
cis-3-[(4-chlorophenyl)sulfonyl]-3-(2,5-difluorophenyl)-1-methylcyclobutanecarbonitrile
To trans-3-[(4-chlorophenyl)sulfonyl]-3-(2,5-difluorophenyl)cyclobutanecarbonitrile (600 mg, 1.63 mmol) in THF (8 mL) was added LiHMDS (2.45 ml, 1 M in THF, 2.45 mmol) at −78° C. After 10 min MeI (306 μl, 4.89 mmol) was introduced to reaction mixture. The reaction was stirred for 2 h with the temperature slowly increasing to 0° C. The reaction was then quenched with water and extracted with EtOAc. The organic phase was separated, dried (Na 2 SO 4 ) and evaporated to dryness to afford an oil. This material was chromatographed on silica, eluting with 0-50% ethyl acetate in hexanes to give the product (260 mg) as a single diastereomeric products. 1 H NMR (600 MHZ, CD 3 OD) δ 7.36 (s, 4H), 7.02 (m, 1H), 6.85-6.78 (m, 2H), 3.79 (d, J=14.4 Hz, 2H), 2.72 (d, J=14.4 Hz, 2H), 1.44 (s, 3H). MS calculated 785.1 (2M+Na + ), exp 785.0 (2M+Na + ).
Intermediate L
cis-3-[(4-chlorophenyl)sulfonyl]-3-(2,5-difluorophenyl)-1-methylcyclobutanecarboxamide
To cis-3-[(4-chlorophenyl)sulfonyl]-3-(2,5-difluorophenyl)-1-methylcyclobutanecarbonitrile (500 mg, 1.31 mmol) and K 2 CO 3 (362 mg, 2.62 mmol) in DMSO (6.5 ml) was added H 2 O 2 (1.15 ml, 35% in water, 13.1 mmol) dropwise and the reaction was stirred vigorously for 2 h. The mixture was diluted with water (50 ml) and EtOAc (50 ml). The organic phase was washed with water, brine, separated, dried (Na 2 SO 4 ) and evaporated to dryness to give cis-3-[(4-chlorophenyl)sulfonyl]-3-(2,5-difluorophenyl)-1-methylcyclobutanecarboxamide (500 mg) as off-white solid which was used in the next reaction without further purification. 1 NMR (600 MHZ, CDCl 3 ) δ 7.35 (m, 4H), 7.02 (m, 1H), 6.87-6.79 (m, 2H), 6.54 (broad s, 1H), 6.40 (broad s, 1H), 3.67 (d, J=14.4 Hz, 2H), 2.62 (d, J=14.4 Hz, 2H), 1.28 (s, 3H). MS calculated 400.0 (MH + ), exp 400.0 (MH + ).
Intermediate M
cis-3-[(4-chlorophenyl)sulfonyl]-3-(2,5-difluorophenyl)-1-methylcyclobutanamine
cis-3-[(4-chlorophenyl)sulfonyl]-3-(2,5-difluorophenyl)-1-methylcyclobutanecarboxamide (400 mg, 1 mmol) and PIFA (473 mg, 1.1 mmol) in acetonitrile (2.5 ml) and water (2.5 ml) was stirred at 0° C. and the mixture was slowly warmed up to room temperature over 27 h. The reaction was then quenched with Sat. NaHCO 3 and extracted with EtOAc. The organic phase was separated, dried (Na 2 SO 4 ) and evaporated to dryness to give an oil. This material was chromatographed on silica, eluting with 0-40% MeOH in DCM to give cis-3-[(4-chlorophenyl)sulfonyl]-3-(2,5-difluorophenyl)-1-methylcyclobutanamine (380 mg) as product. 1 H NMR (600 MHZ, CD 3 OD) δ 7.41-7.36 (m, 4H), 7.02 (m, 1H), 6.81 (m, 1H), 6.74 (m, 1H), 3.58 (d, J=15.6 Hz, 2H), 2.89 (d, J=15.6 Hz, 2H), 1.58 (s, 3H). MS calculated 372.1 (MH + ), exp 372.0 (MH + ).
Intermediate N
cis-1-allyl-3-[(4-chlorophenyl)sulfonyl]-3-(2,5-difluorophenyl)cyclobutanecarbonitrile
Prepared as for cis-3-[(4-chlorophenyl)sulfonyl]-3-(2,5-difluorophenyl)-1-methylcyclobutanecarbonitrile, using trans-3-[(4-chlorophenyl)sulfonyl]-3-(2,5-difluorophenyl)cyclobutanecarbonitrile
and allyl bromide.
1 H NMR (600 MHZ, CDCl 3 ) δ 7.36 (s, 4H), 7.03 (m, 1H), 6.83-6.78 (m, 2H), 5.70 (m, 1H), 5.18 (dd, J=10.2, 1.2 Hz, 1H), 5.07 (dd, 1H, J=16.8, 1.2 Hz, 1H), 3.70 (d, J=15.0 Hz, 2H), 2.77 (d, J=15.0 Hz, 2H), 2.32 (d, J=6.6 Hz, 2H). MS calculated 837.1 (2M+Na + ), exp 837.0 (2M+Na + ).
Intermediate O
4-{[cis-3-amino-1-(2,5-difluorophenyl)cyclobutyl]sulfonyl}benzonitrile
Zinc cyanide (0.295 g, 2.52 mmol), Pd 2 (dba) 3 (0.384 g, 0.419 mmol), Zinc (0.030 g, 0.461 mmol), DPPF (0.465 g, 0.838 mmol) and cis-3-[(4-chlorophenyl)sulfonyl]-3-(2,5-difluorophenyl)cyclobutanamine (1.5 g, 4.19 mmol) were taken up in DMA and stirred in a 25 mL Schlenk tube under an argon environment at 135° C. for 16 hours. Water was then added and the mixture was extracted with EtOAc. The organic layer was washed with a saturated NaHCO 3 solution and brine then dried over MgSO 4 , filtered and concentrated. The residue was purified via silica column chromatography (0->8% MeOH/DCM) to give the title compound. MS: cal'd 349 (MH+), exp 349 (MH+)
Example 1
N-[trans-3-[(4-chlorophenyl)sulfonyl]-3-(2,5-difluorophenyl)cyclobutyl]-1,1,1-trifluoromethanesulfonamide
To cis-3-[(4-chlorophenyl)sulfonyl]-3-(2,5-difluorophenyl)cyclobutanamine (1.5 g, 4.19 mmol) in DCM (27.9 ml) was added triethylamine (1.169 ml, 8.38 mmol) and trifluoromethanesulfonic anhydride (0.850 ml, 5.03 mmol) at 0° C. and the mixture was stirred for 2 h.
The mixture diluted with water (50 ml) and EtOAc (100 ml). The organic phase was washed with brine, separated, dried (Na 2 SO 4 ) and evaporated to dryness to afford an oil. This material was chromatographed on silica, eluting with ethyl acetate in hexanes to give the desired product (1.45 g as white solid). 1 H NMR (600 MHZ, CDCl 3 ) δ 7.39 (d, J=9.0 Hz, 2H), 7.34 (d, J=9.0 Hz, 2H), 7.02 (m, 1H), 6.77 (m, 2H), 4.22 (m, 1H), 3.23 (m, 4H). MS calculated 553.0 (MNa + +CH 3 CN), exp 553.0 (MNa + +CH 3 CN).
Example 2
N-[cis-3-[(4-chlorophenyl)sulfonyl]-3-(2,5-difluorophenyl)cyclobutyl]-1,1,1-trifluoromethanesulfonamide
Prepared as for Example 1, using trans-3-[(4-chlorophenyl)sulfonyl]-3-(2,5-difluorophenyl)cyclobutanamine.
1 H NMR (600 MHZ, CDCl 3 ) δ 7.33 (m, 4H), 6.98 (m, 1H), 6.74 (m, 2H), 5.35 (d, J=7.8 Hz, 1H, NH), 4.67 (m, 1H), 3.59 (m, 2H), 2.68 (m, 2H). MS calculated 553.0 (MNa + +CH 3 CN), exp 552.8 (MNa + +CH 3 CN).
The following were prepared by similar procedures:
Salt
#
Structure
Name
MS
form
3
N-[cis-3-[(4-chlorophenyl)sulfonyl]-3-(2- cyano-5-fluorophenyl)cyclobutyl]-1,1,1- trifluoromethanesulfonamide
Cal'd 519.0 (MNa+), exp 519.0.
Free base
4
N-[cis-3-[(4-chlorophenyl)sulfonyl]-3- (2,5-dichlorophenyl)cyclobutyl]-1,1,1- trifluoromethanesulfonamide
Cal'd 543.9 (MNa+), exp 543.9.
Free base
5
N-(cis-3-(2,5-difluorophenyl)-3-{[4- (trifluoromethyl)phenyl]sulfonyl}- cyclobutyl)-1,1,1- trifluoromethanesulfonamide
Cal'd 546 (MNa+), exp 546.
Free base
Example 6
N-{cis-3-(5-chloro-2-fluorophenyl)-3-[(4-chlorophenyl)sulfonyl]cyclobutyl}-1,1,1-trifluoromethanesulfonamide
MS Cal'd 506 (MNa+), exp 529; 1 H NMR (400 MHz, CDCl 3 ) δ 7.41˜7.43 (d, J=8.8 Hz, 2H), 7.34˜7.36 (d, J=8.4 Hz, 2H), 7.28˜7.33 (m, 1H), 6.98˜7.01 (m, 1H), 6.75˜6.83 (m, 2H), 4.20˜4.29 (m, 1H), 3.20˜3.32 (m, 4H).
Example 7
N-{cis-3-(2,5-difluorophenyl)-3-[(4-fluorophenyl)sulfonyl]cyclobutyl}-1,1,1-trifluoromethanesulfonamide
1 H NMR (400 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ 7.45˜7.49 (m, 2H), 7.12˜7.29 (m, 2H), 7.04˜7.10 (m, 1H), 6.80˜6.85 (m, 3H), 4.24˜4.30 (m, 1H), 3.24˜3.35 (m, 4H).
Example 8
N-{cis-3-(2,5-difluorophenyl)-3-[(3,4-difluorophenyl)sulfonyl]cyclobutyl}-1,1,1-trifluoromethanesulfonamide
MS Cal'd 514 (MH+), exp 514; 1 H NMR (400 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ 7.15˜7.19 (m, 3H), 6.97˜7.04 (m, 1H), 6.72˜6.80 (m, 2H), 6.63˜6.65 (d, J=10.4 Hz, H), 4.13˜4.23 (m, 1H), 3.14˜3.26 (m, 4H).
Example 9
N-[cis-3-[(4-cyanophenyl)sulfonyl]-3-(2,5-difluorophenyl)cyclobutyl]-1,1,1-trifluoromethanesulfonamide
MS: cal'd 502 (MNa+), exp 502 (MNa+). 1 H NMR (CDCl 3 600 MHz) 7.67 (d, J=4.1 Hz, 2H), 7.58 (d, J=4.1, 2H), 7.08 (bin, 1H), 6.84 (m, 1H), 6.68 (m, 1H), 6.60 (d, 1H), 4.24 (bin, 1H), 3.4-3.2 (bm, 4H)
Intermediate P
Tert-Butyl 4-{[3-[(4-chlorophenyl)sulfonyl]-3-(2,5difluorophenyl)cyclobutyl][(trifluoromethyl)sulfonyl]amino}butanoate
N-[cis-3-[(4-chlorophenyl)sulfonyl]-3-(2,5-difluorophenyl)cyclobutyl]-1,1,1-trifluoromethanesulfonamide (190 mg, 0.388 mmol) was added to DMF (1.1 mL) and treated with potassium carbonate (59 mg, 0.427 mmol), tert-butyl 4-bromobutanoate (95 mg, 0.427 mmol). The mixture was heated to 80° C. and stirred for 16 hours. The reaction was cooled to ambient temperature, diluted with ethyl acetate, and washed with ½ saturated brine solution twice. The organic layer was dried over anhydrous magnesium sulfate, filtered then concentrated in vacuo. The residue was purified by MPLC (0-30% EtOAc:Hept) to give the title compound. MS: cal'd 654 (M Na+), exp 654 (M Na+)
Example 10
4-{[cis-3-[(4-chlorophenyl)sulfonyl]-3-(2,5-difluorophenyl)cyclobutyl][(trifluoromethyl)sulfonyl]amino}butanoic acid
Tert-Butyl 4-{[3-[(4-chlorophenyl)sulfonyl]-3-(2,5-difluorophenyl)cyclobutyl][(trifluoromethyl)sulfonyl]amino}butanoate (144 mg, 0.228 mmol) was added to 1:1 DCM:TFA (1.1 mL) and stirred at ambient temperature for 40 minutes. The reaction mixture was concentrated in vacuo. The title compound was isolated as a white solid after trituration with heptane. 1 H NMR (DMSO D 6 , 600 MHz) δ 12.25 (s, 1H), 7.58 (d, J=8.2 Hz, 2H), 7.43 (d, J=8.2 Hz, 2H), 7.25-7.31 (m, 1H), 7.07-7.16 (m, 2H), 4.18-4.28 (m, 1H), 3.53 (s br, 2H), 3.30-3.42 (m, 2H), 3.08 (s br, 2H), 2.26-2.38 (m, 2H), 1.80-1.90 (m, 2H). MS: cal'd 598 (M Na+), exp 598 (M Na+).
Example 11
N-[cis-3-[(4-chlorophenyl)sulfonyl]-3-(2,5-difluorophenyl)cyclobutyl]-1,1,1-trifluoro-N-[2-(tetrahydro-2-pyran-2-yloxy)ethyl]methanesulfonamide
N-[cis-3-[(4-chlorophenyl)sulfonyl]-3-(2,5-difluorophenyl)cyclobutyl]-1,1,1-trifluoromethanesulfonamide (50 mg, 0.102 mmol) was dissolved in anhydrous DMF (0.3 mL) and to this stirring solution was added potassium carbonate (49 mg, 0.357 mmol) followed by 2-(2-bromoethoxy)tetrahydro-2H-pyran (53 mg, 0.255 mmol). The resulting mixture was stirred at 80° C. for 16 hours. The mixture was cooled to ambient temperature, diluted with water, and extracted with EtOAc. The organic layer was again washed with saturated aqueous bicarbonate solution, then dried over anhydrous magnesium sulfate and concentrated in vacuo. The extract was purified by MPLC (0-45% EtOAc/DCM) to give the title compound. Rf=0.71 in 40% EtOAc/DCM. 1 H NMR (CDCl 3 , 600 MHz) δ 7.31-7.38 (m, 4H), 7.00-7.07 (m, 2H), 6.88-6.93 (m, 1H), 6.78-6.84 (m, 1H), 4.65-4.68 (m, 1H), 4.06-4.08 (m, 1H), 3.50-4.00 (m, 7H), 2.80-3.10 (m, 2H), 1.20-1.90 (m, 7H). MS: card 640 (M Na+), exp 640 (M Na+)
Example 12
Methyl {[cis-3-[(4-chlorophenyl)sulfonyl]-3-(2,5-difluorophenyl)cyclobutyl][(trifluoromethyl)sulfonyl]amino}acetate
Anhydrous THF (0.8 mL) was added to N-[cis-3-[(4-chlorophenyl)sulfonyl]-3-(2,5-difluorophenyl)cyclobutyl]-1,1,1-trifluoromethanesulfonamide (200 mg, 0.408 mmol) and the reaction was then cooled to 0° C. Sodium hydride (49 mg, 1.225 mmol) was added in one portion and the mixture was stirred at 0° C. for 15 minutes. The mixture effervesced and stirred as an off white suspension. After 15 minutes methyl bromoacetate (187 mg, 1.225 mmol) was added and the mixture effervesced again as it turned yellow. The mixture was stirred for 16 hours then quenched with saturated aq ammonium chloride and extracted with EtOAc. The organic layer was again washed with saturated aq ammonium chloride then dried over anhydrous magnesium sulfate and concentrated in vacuo. The extract was purified by MPLC (0-45% EtOAc:Hept) to give the title compound. Rf=0.6 in 40% EtOAc:Hept. 1 H NMR (CDCl 3 , 600 MHz) δ 7.36 (d, J=7.0 Hz, 2H), 7.43 (d, J=7.0 Hz, 2H), 7.02-7.08 (m, 1H), 6.86-6.90 (m, 1H), 6.78-6.84 (m, 1H), 4.30-4.60 (m, 3H), 3.85 (s, 3H), 3.38-3.34 (m, 2H), 3.04 (s br, 2H). MS: cal'd 584 (M Na+), exp 584 (M Na+)
The following list of compounds was prepared by similar procedures:
Salt
#
Structure
Name
MS
form
13
N-[3-[(4-chlorophenyl)sulfonyl]-3-(2,5- difluorophenyl)cyclobutyl]-1,1,1- trifluoro-N-methylmethanesulfonamide
Cal'd 526.0 (MNa+), exp 525.8 (MNa+)
Free base
14
N-[3-[(4-chlorophenyl)sulfonyl]-3-(2,5- difluorophenyl)cyclobutyl]-1,1,1- trifluoro-N-methylmethanesulfonamide
Cal'd 567.0 (MNa + + MeCN), exp 566.8 (MNa + + MeCN).
Free base
15
methyl 4-{[cis-3-[(4- chlorophcnyl)sulfonyl]-3-(2,5- difluorophenyl)cyclobutyl][(trifluoro- methyl)sulfonyl]amino}butanoate
Cal'd 612.0 (MNa+), exp 612.0
Free base
16
N-[cis-3-[(4-chlorophenyl)sulfonyl]-3- (2,5-difluorophenyl)cyclobutyl]-N- [(trifluoromethyl)sulfonyl]glycine
Cal'd 570 (MNa+), exp 570.
Free base
Example 17
N-[cis-3-[(4-chlorophenyl)sulfonyl]-3-(2,5-difluorophenyl)-1-methylcyclobutyl]-1,1,1-trifluoromethanesulfonamide
Prepared as for Example 1, using cis-3-[(4-chlorophenyl)sulfonyl]-3-(2,5-difluorophenyl)-1-methylcyclobutanamine.
1 H NMR (600 MHZ, CDCl 3 ) δ 7.33 (m, 4H), 7.00 (m, 1H), 6.90 (s, 111, NH), 6.82-6.75 (m, 2H), 3.54 (d, J=14.4 Hz, 2H), 2.87 (d, J=14.4 Hz, 2H), 1.44 (s, 3H). MS calculated 526.0 (MNa + ), exp 525.9 (MNa + ).
Example 18
N-(cis-3-(2,5-difluorophenyl)-1-methyl-3-{[4-(trifluoromethyl)phenyl]sulfonyl}cyclobutyl)-1,1,1-trifluoromethanesulfonamide
Prepared using procedures similar to example 17. Calcd (2M+Na)+: 1097.0. Found: 1096.5.
Example 19
N-[cis-3-[(4-chlorophenyl)sulfonyl]-3-(2,5-difluorophenyl)cyclobutyl]-1,1,1-trifluoro-N-[(trifluoromethyl)sulfonyl]methanesulfonamide
Prepared in Example 1 synthesis as byproduct.
1 H NMR (600 MHZ, CDCl 3 ) δ 7.38-7.33 (m, 4H), 7.07 (m, 1H), 6.95 (m, 1H), 6.84 (m, 1H), 4.44 (m, 1H), 182 (m, 2H), 3.15 (m, 2H). MS calculated 684.9 (MNa + +CH 3 CN), exp 684.9 (MNa + +CH 3 CN).
Example 20
Sodium [cis-3-[(4-chlorophenyl)sulfonyl]-3-(2,5-difluorophenyl)cyclobutyl][(trifluoromethyl)sulfonyl]azanide
Sodium hydride was suspended in hexane and cooled to 0° C. N-[cis-3-[(4-chlorophenyl)sulfonyl]-3-(2,5-difluorophenyl)cyclobutyl]-1,1,1-trifluoromethanesulfonamide (200 mg, 0.408 mmol) in THF (1 mL) was added dropwise to the sodium hydride suspension. The resulting mixture was stirred at 0° C. for 15 minutes then at ambient temperature for 30 minutes. At which time, the reaction mixture was concentrated in vacuo. A dry white powder was scraped out of the flask, placed in a glass fritted funnel and washed with ice cold pentane (45 mL). The powder was then placed under high vacuum for 16 hours. 1 H NMR (DMSO D 6 , 600 MHz) δ 7.56 (d, J=8.5 Hz, 2H), 7.33 (d, J=8.5 Hz, 2H), 7.20-7.26 (m, 1H), 7.00-7.12 (m, 2H), 3.42-3.52 (m, 1H), 2.66-2.80 (m, 4H).
Example 21
Potassium [cis-3-[(4-chlorophenyl)sulfonyl]-3-(2,5-difluorophenyl)cyclobutyl][(trifluoromethyl)sulfonyl]azanide
N-[cis-3-[(4-chlorophenyl)sulfonyl]-3-(2,5-difluorophenyl)cyclobutyl]-1,1,1-trifluoromethanesulfonamide (1.2 g, 2.55 mmol) was stirred in anhydrous THF (25.5 mL) at 0° C. and then treated with potassium tert-butoxide (0.29 g, 2.55 mmol). The reaction mixture was stirred at 0° C. for 15 minutes then warmed to ambient temperature and stirred for another 45 minutes. After the reaction was concentrated in vacuo, the resultant white powder was recrystallized from a minimal amount of 3:1 IPA:Toluene (400 mL) stirring at 100° C. Once in solution the mixture was filtered through paper and allowed to sit undisturbed at 4° C. for 20 hours. Crystals were harvested by filtration through a glass frit, and washed with cold pentane three times. Residual solvent was removed under vacuum. 1 H NMR (DMSO D 6 , 600 MHz) δ 7.56 (d, J=8.5 Hz, 2H), 7.33 (d, J=8.5 Hz, 2H), 7.20-7.26 (m, 1H), 7.00-7.12 (m, 2H), 3.42-3.52 (m, 1H), 2.66-2.80 (m, 4H).
Example 22
N-[cis-3-[(4-trifluoromethoxyphenyl)sulfonyl]-3-(2,5-difluorophenyl)cyclobutyl]-1,1,1-trifluoromethanesulfonamide
Prepared as for Example 2, using cis-3-[(4-trifluoromethoxyphenyl)sulfonyl]-3-(2,5-difluorophenyl)cyclobutanamine.
1 H NMR (600 MHZ, CDCl 3 ) δ 7.56 (m, 2H), 7.27 (m, 2H) 7.088 (m, 1H), 6.78 (m, 2H), 6.68 (d, J=10.6 Hz, 1H, NH), 4.30 (m, 1H), 3.31 (m, 2H), 3.18 (m, 2H). MS calculated 603.46 (MNa + +CH 3 CN), exp 603.0 (MNa + +CH 3 CN).
Biological Activity
Assays to determine the biological activity of the compounds of the invention are described as follows:
APP Processing (Assay Quantitates Secreted Aβ Analytes from Cell Lines):
The effect of compounds on the abundance of Aβ40 and Aβ42 peptides generated from SH-SY5Y cells expressing amyloid β protein (SP4CT cells) was determined by an AlphaLisa™ assay. Analogous to an ELISA assay, generation of signal in this AlphaLisa™ assay requires “donor” and “acceptor” beads to be brought in close proximity by specific antibody recognition of either Aβ40 or Aβ42 peptides. The assay was accomplished by removing media from compound-treated SP4CT cells to two different microplates, followed by the addition of donor beads conjugated with streptavidin binding a biotinylated anti-amyloid β monoclonal antibody (clone 4G8). Acceptor beads directly conjugated with anti-Aβ40 monoclonal antibody (G210) were added to one microplate and anti-Aβ42 monoclonal antibody (12F4) acceptor beads were added to the other. Abundance of Aβ40 and Aβ42 was directly proportional to the luminescent signal generated following excitation of donor beads by laser light.
Notch Processing: (Assay Quantitates Notch Intracellular Domain Release in Cell Lines):
A “split-luciferase” assay is used to measure inhibition of gamma secretase-dependent cleavage of the Notch protein. In this assay, HeLa cells were made to express a Notch protein lacking its extracellular domain (NotchΔE) fused to an N-terminal fragment of luciferase. The same cells also expressed a C-terminal fragment of luciferase fused to the immunoglobulin J kappa recombination signal sequence binding protein (RBP). Upon NotchΔE cleavage by gamma secretase, a Notch intracellular domain (NICD)-N terminal luciferase protein is generated which translocates to the nucleus and binds the RBP-C terminal luciferase fusion, bringing two independently nonfunctional halves of luciferase together to form a functional luciferase enzyme. The activity of luciferase in these cells is directly proportional to the amount of gamma secretase-cleaved Notch. Luciferase activity is determined by the standard techniques of luciferin addition to lysed cells and measurement of total luminescence.
PXR Assay Description
The CYP3A4-SEAP transactivation assay (PCSTA) effectively and rapidly evaluates compounds for their potential to induce cytochrome P450 CYP3A (human CYP3A4 or rat CYP3A1). The reporter construct contains regulatory regions from the CYP3A4 gene positioned just upstream of a secreted alkaline phosphatase (SEAP) gene. The human PXR nuclear receptor has been modified at the 5′-end so that methionine is the initiating amino acid replacing leucine found in the wild-type sequence. HEP G2 cells are transfected with the PXR plasmid (human or rat) and the reporter plasmid. Read-out for the induction of CYP3A4 consists of a SEAP calorimetric assay with para-nitro-phenyl phosphate (pNPP) as the substrate. Five point dose-response curves in duplicate are then generated with each point corresponding to the rate of conversion of pNPP to pNP by SEAP. For the human PCSTA, rifampicin is used as the positive control and 100% induction is based upon the maximum induction produced by rifampicin at 10 μM.
ICD Transactivation (Assay Quantitates Intracellular Domain Release of a Panel of γ-Secretase Substrates in Cell Lines)
A Firefly luciferase based transactivation assay is used to measure inhibition of ε/S3-site cleavage of γ-secretase substrates. This assay involves the use of chimeric substrates harboring a GAL4/VP16 (GVP) transactivation domain fused to the intracellular domain (ICD): APP-GVP, NotchΔE-GVP, E-cadherin-GVP and CD44-GVP. Upon cleavage and release of ICDs, the GVP domain drives the expression of the luciferase gene under the control of the UAS promoter. In this assay, HEK cells were transiently co-transfected with the chimeric substrate along with a UAS promoter driven luciferase and β-galactosidase (transfection control). Upon cleavage by γ-secretase, the released ICD-GVP translocates to the nucleus to drive the expression of the UAS-luciferase gene. The activity of luciferase in these cells is directly proportional to the amount of γ-secretase-cleaved ICDs. Luciferase activity is determined by the standard techniques of luciferin addition to lysed cells and measurement of total luminescence. In addition, to account for the differences in transfection efficiencies an absorbance based β-galactosidase enzyme assay is performed to normalize the luminescence read-out.
Assessing Full Length γ-Secretase Substrates (Assay Qualitatively Assesses the Processing of a Panel of γ-Secretase Substrates)
To examine the effect of compounds on γ-secretase activity against other substrates, four HEK 293 stable cell lines over-expressing one of the following type I membrane proteins: CD43, CD44, E-Cadherin and SCN2b with a C-terminal V5 tag, were generated. Cells are plated and treated overnight with titrated compound and the phorbol ester, TPA. Since all of the proteins undergo regulated membrane proteolysis characterized by an initial ectodomain shedding event followed by the intramembraneous cleavage of the C-teen final fragment (CTF) by γ-secretase, TPA induces the initial cleavage event producing the substrate for γ-secretase. The effect of compounds on γ-secretase activity in relation to these substrates is measured by tracking the processing of the V5 tagged CTFs by Western blot analysis. Accumulation of the CTFs indicates inhibition of γ-secretase activity.
ICD Transactivation (Assay Quantitates Intracellular Domain Release of a Panel of γ-Secretase Substrates in Cell Lines)
A Firefly luciferase based transactivation assay is used to measure inhibition of ε/S3-site cleavage of γ-secretase substrates. This assay involves the use of chimeric substrates harboring a GAL4/VP16 (GVP) transactivation domain fused to the intracellular domain (ICD): APP-GVP, NotchΔE-GVP, E-cadherin-GVP and CD44-GVP. Upon cleavage and release of ICDs, the GVP domain drives the expression of the luciferase gene under the control of the UAS promoter. In this assay, HEK cells were transiently co-transfected with the chimeric substrate along with a UAS promoter driven luciferase and β-galactosidase (transfection control). Upon cleavage by γ-secretase, the released ICD-GVP translocates to the nucleus to drive the expression of the UAS-luciferase gene. The activity of luciferase in these cells is directly proportional to the amount of γ-secretase-cleaved ICDs. Luciferase activity is determined by the standard techniques of luciferin addition to lysed cells and measurement of total luminescence. In addition, to account for the differences in transfection efficiencies an absorbance based β-galactosidase enzyme assay is performed to normalize the luminescence read-out.
In Vitro APP Processing (Assay Quatitates Aβ Analytes Generated from a Recombinant APPC100Flag Substrate Incubated with Semi-Purified γ-Secretase)
The effect of compounds on the abundance of Aβ40 and Aβ42 peptides generated from exogenous C100Flag substrate by semi-purified γ-secretase was determined by MESO Scale ELISA. Generation of signal in this MESO Scale assay requires an anti-amyloid monoclonal antibody (clone 4G8) conjugated with streptavidin to bind to a biotin-coated plate. Specific [Ru(bpy)3]2+-labeled monoclonal antibodies for either Aβ40 (G210) or Aβ42 (12F4) subsequently generate an electrochemiluminescence signal upon electrochemical stimulation. The assay was accomplished by incubating compound, C100Flag substrate and CHAPSO-solubilized P2 membranes from HeLa cells or brains of mouse, rat, or dog. The reaction was then transferred to two different biotinylated microplates for detection of either Aβ40 or Aβ42.
In Vitro Notch Processing (Assay Qualitatively Assess Notch Intracellular Domain Generation from Recombinant NotchΔE100Flag Substrate Incubated with Semi-Purified γ-Secretase)
In an analogous manner, Notch processing can be monitored using the same method as the C100Flag in vitro assay but by substituting substrate for N100Flag. A polyclonal biotin-conjugated anti-DYKDDDDK antibody was used as capture antibody while a polyclonal [Ru(bpy)3]2+-labeled cleaved Notch1 antibody was used to detect NICD.
Compound Binding: (Assay Quantitates In Vitro Displacement of Bound γ-Secretase Inhibitor Tracers)
All radioligand binding experiments are performed using CHAPSO-solubilized HEK293 (gammaNRCF8) P2 membranes stably over expressing recombinant gamma secretase. For radioligand binding, solubilized enzyme is incubated in the presence of tritiated inhibitors. Nonspecific binding is determined by adding an excess of unlabeled inhibitor to the reaction, and serial dilutions of the tritiated ligands are used to obtain saturation binding isotherm. Bound ligand is separated from free ligand by adsorption of the enzyme complex to polyethyleneimine-coated glass fiber filter plates and rapid filtration in a cell harvester followed by washing. After drying plates, scintillant is added, and the plates are read on a Microplate Scintillation counter. Binding competition assay is performed by incubating serial dilutions of various inhibitors in the presence of 1 nM 3 H-labeled compound Reference Example L-458 (transition state inhibitor) or 4 nM 3 H-labeled compound Reference Example L-881 (non-transition state inhibitor). To determine the antagonist competitiveness of various inhibitors, respective 3 H tracer doss-response curves are analyzed in presence of different concentrations of these compounds.
Reference Example L-458
Reference Example L-881
Results
The examples herein were tested in the APP and Notch processing cell based functional assays described above. The tested compounds demonstrated in vitro inhibition of APP processing while sparing Notch signaling pathway as shown in the following table. The data is based on an average of at least >4 replicates.
AB40 IC50
AB42 IC50
Notch IC50
Ex. No.
AVG (nM)
AVG (nM)
AVG (nM)
1
151.2
117.3
50000
2
42.84
38.37
3485
3
70.08
66.08
3208
4
70.84
78.23
1940
5
100.4
90.21
3808
6
129.9
105.6
5645
7
68.37
57.57
3081
8
79.17
62.84
3142
9
260.5
230.6
8896
10
35.19
30.74
8315
11
43.42
36.93
2538
12
97.71
116.9
13180
13
18.35
18.9
4812
14
89.87
97.09
9865
15
51.78
51.76
2834
16
96.65
67.91
32040
17
37.28
37
5214
18
60.76
65.44
4470
19
62.57
48.7
5677
20
61.24
53.2
1769
21
64.93
70.93
2130
22
250.2
237.3
5204
WO 02/081435 A1, published Oct. 17, 2002, discloses sulfone derivatives that modulate the activity of gamma secretase. WO 2004/031139, published Apr. 15, 2004, discloses cyclohexyl sulfone derivatives as gamma secretase inhibitors. Example 47 of WO 2004/031139 has the following structure:
The above compound is also described as MRK-560 and disclosed in Best et al., J. Pharmacol. Exp. Ther., 317:786-790, 2006 and Best et al, J. Pharmacol. Exp. Ther., 320:552-558, 2007. Although the literature reports little or no separation for MRK-560 between the in vitro inhibition of the APP and Notch processing pathway, the compound did demonstrate in vivo beneficial effects on amyloid plaque deposition in the absence of toxicity related to changes in the Notch signaling pathway in the Tg2576 mouse.
MRK-560 and Example 2 were tested in a covalent protein binding assay which is predictive of drug toxicity. The potential of drug candidates to cause covalent binding to proteins is evaluated by incubation of the radiolabeled version of the compound in question with liver microsomes. A semi-automated method based on Brandel Harvester technique is then used to measure the formation of covalent adducts of the test compound to liver proteins binding (Ref. Day et. al, J Pharmacol Toxicol Methods. 52, 278-85, 2005). The results are shown in the table below.
covalent protein binding
Ex. No.
(human microsomes) pmol/mg
MK-560
1308
2
380
MRK-560 and the examples disclosed herein were tested for their ability to bind to and/or activate the pregnane X receptor (PXR), which is predictive of drug-drug interactions. The results are shown in the following table.
PXR %
PXR EC50
Activation
Ex. No.
AVG (nM)
@ 10 uM
MK-560
617
1
1219
2
3433
55.5
3
713.6
92.3
4
1956
70.7
5
5201
64.4
6
1989
79.2
7
766.3
113.2
8
1256
82.3
9
8358
54.9
10
1236
76.7
11
826
86.5
12
1603
13
1261
14
828.8
15
1206
16
1011
100
17
848
74.6
18
3093
75.5
19
1246
89.1
20
2891
71.9
21
3383
64.4
22
9647
50.6
In order to examine the effects on the initial cleavage of other γ-secretase substrates, MRK-560 and Example 2 were tested in a transactivation assay described above. MRK-560 inhibited ICD release of all examined substrates, whereas Example 2 retained initial ε/S3-cleavage, as evidenced by ICD release and subsequent translocation of the ICD-GVP construct to allow for reporter activation. See FIG. 2 .
Cell-based multi-substrate assay confirmed full inhibition of ε/S3- and γ-cleavages by MRK-560 resulting in SCN2b-, ECAD- and CD43-CTF accumulation. In contrast, Example 2 treatment showed no or less CTF accumulation indicating that NS-GSIs spare initial cleavage of γ-secretase substrates. See FIG. 3 .
MRK-560 and Example 2 were also tested in the compound binding assay described above. Tritiated GSI tracers L-458 (transition state, red) or L-881 (non transition state, blue) were incubated with semi-purified γ-secretase complex and increasing concentrations of the respective compounds. MRK-560 showed full and partial displacement of at L-881 and L-458 sites, respectively. Example 2 was able to fully displace L-881 but not L-458. The results demonstrate that notch sparing compounds such as Example 2 have a shifted binding site as compared to traditional inhibitors such as MRK-560. This deregulates enzymatic cleavage in a manner that spares ε/S3 (AICD/NICD release) while potently inhibiting all γ-cleavage sites. See FIG. 4 .
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The invention encompasses a novel class of cyclobutyl sulfone derivatives which inhibit the processing of APP by the putative γ-secretase while sparing Notch signaling pathway, and thus are useful in the treatment or prevention of Alzheimer's disease without the development of Notch inhibition mediated gastrointestinal issues. Pharmaceutical compositions and methods of use are also included.
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CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application claims priority to and the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/334,401, entitled “Self Venting Container, Featuring User Controlled Valve”, filed on May 10, 2016; this application also claims priority to and the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/365,265, entitled “Self Venting Container, Featuring User Controlled Valve”, filed on Jul. 21, 2016; this application also claims priority and the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/365,539, entitled “Self Venting Container, Featuring User Controlled Valve”, filed on Jul. 22, 2016 and the claims (if any) and specifications thereof are incorporated herein by reference.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Field of the Invention (Technical Field)
[0002] Embodiments of the present invention relate to a self-venting liquid container. More particularly, embodiments of the present invention relate to a self-venting liquid container which can be filled directly through a discharge valve.
Description of Related Art
[0003] Self-venting containers, particularly fuel containers, have been known for some time. Because of the numerous governmental regulations relating to fuel containers, such containers are required to have features which typically make their use cumbersome. Most fuel containers, for example, have a discharge valve which prevents the escape of the contents of the container unless a user activates a mechanism. Often, the activation mechanism is difficult to use when attempting to hold steady a container with liquid disposed therein and simultaneously pour the contents from the container into a desired location—such as a fuel tank. The known valves and activation mechanisms are also typically undersized, thus resulting in a very slow flow rate when discharging the container. Further, because such containers are often intended to be reusable, a user must somehow avoid the various valves of the container in order to refill it. The most common way for a user to refill such a container is to either unscrew and remove the valve assembly to expose the open container, or a second opening, having a closable top, must be provided for refilling purposes. Both of these configurations are less than desirable because they either require a user to perform several more steps or they increase the cost of construction of the container and thereby result in a more expensive container.
[0004] There is thus a present need for a self-venting container that is quick and easy to use, has an acceptable flow rate, contains all required safety features, includes all parts and pieces that remain attached to the container, include a self-vented spout that can stow on an outside of the container, can automatically cover a spout tip and base upon stowing, include a lid or spout locking and unlocking mechanism, which can optionally include a coupler that is easy and effective to use, and has a trigger-safety mechanism to prevent accidental activation of the discharge trigger.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF EMBODIMENTS OF THE PRESENT INVENTION
[0005] An embodiment of the present invention relates to a portable liquid delivery apparatus having a liquid storage vessel, the liquid storage vessel having only one opening, a liquid discharge valve, and a check valve, the check valve forming a portion of the discharge valve. The opening can be at or near a top of the container. The check valve preferably has dimensions sufficiently large to permit a standard fuel pump nozzle to pass through it. The portable liquid delivery apparatus can also have an vent valve. The vent valve can be communicably coupled to the liquid discharge valve—most preferably via a connection that provides mechanical advantage. The portable liquid delivery apparatus can include a spout, which can be hingedly connected such that it can rotate so that an inlet of the spout can rotate with respect to the storage vessel to align with the opening of the liquid storage vessel. Optionally, a spout inlet cover can be provided which can be hingedly connected to the liquid storage vessel. A handle can also be provided and the handle can have an opening with dimensions that create an interference fit with an outside of the spout.
[0006] An embodiment of the present invention also relates to a portable liquid delivery apparatus having a liquid storage vessel; a liquid discharge valve; and a vent valve, the vent valve communicably coupled to the liquid discharge valve via a connection that provides mechanical advantage. The liquid storage vessel can optionally have only one opening. A lid, which can include a cap or cover can be rotatably coupled to the portable liquid delivery apparatus.
[0007] An embodiment of the present invention also relates to a portable fuel container having a liquid storage vessel and a liquid discharge valve. The liquid discharge valve can be configured to receive a fuel pump nozzle by allowing an end portion of the fuel pump nozzle to pass directly through the liquid discharge valve for filling the portable fuel container with fuel.
[0008] An embodiment of the present invention also relates to a portable fuel container having a liquid storage vessel with only one opening for both dispensing liquid from the fuel container and for filling the fuel container from a standard fuel pump nozzle and a liquid discharge valve disposed in fluid communication with the one opening, such that the liquid storage vessel can be filled from the standard fuel pump nozzle without requiring a user to remove the liquid discharge valve from the flow path of the fuel. Optionally, the only one opening can include an intake inlet. Optionally, a check valve can be disposed in fluid communication with the liquid discharge valve.
[0009] An embodiment of the present invention also relates to a portable liquid storage vessel having a liquid storage vessel with an opening, a neck extending from the opening, and a coupler disposed about the neck, the coupler comprising a rim on its front face, the rim comprising a plurality of tab-receiving openings formed therein.
[0010] An embodiment of the present invention relates to a liquid container comprising an opening and a primary handle on top of a vessel. A self-venting spout is preferably mounted to the vessel in a manner allowing the spout to rotate into place from a stowed position, preferably nested in a depression of the primary handle, into the operational position and coupling to the opening with a coupler. The self-venting spout can stow externally of the vessel and easily rotate into place for operation. Tip and base of the spout can be automatically covered when stowed. A retainer/dust cover is preferably built into the primary handle to cover the tip and keep the spout from falling out of its stowed position. The base of the spout preferably interacts with a dust cover that is levered against the base when stowing the spout. The coupler allows for quick and easy connection and disconnection of the spout, preferably with a ¼ turn clockwise and/or counterclockwise. A valve assembly at or near the opening of container is operated externally by a trigger near the underside of primary handle after easily releasing a safety latch which prevents incidental operation of the trigger. This allows for ease of operation of the present invention while being able to maintain a grasp on the primary handle and the secondary handle. The valve assembly aligns with the spout and controls flow of liquid out of container through the spout and allows air to enter the container through an intake channel leading to the rear of the container above the liquid line, allowing liquid to flow freely without the “glug-glug” effect. In one embodiment, a valve can be mounted to the discharge valve in order to easily penetrate a void in the discharge valve for filling the container.
[0011] In one embodiment, all respective external parts and pieces of the apparatus are mounted attached to the container, either directly or indirectly. This keeps all of the various components together so that none of them become lost or otherwise separated from the rest of the components. Although some embodiments of the invention are preferably hinged, it is understood that other connection types can be used in place of a hinge, including but not limited to a tether, a track and/or sliding configuration.
[0012] An embodiment of the present invention preferably provides self-venting spout that is flexible for ease of manipulation for use, while other spill-proof containers have rigid self-venting spouts. The spout preferably stows externally of container as opposed to others which stow inside of container and thus causes a user to get residual liquid on their hands when he or she pulls it out of the container and attempts to attach it. The spout preferably has a flange for ease of coupling to the container via a coupler, most preferably allowing for less than one full turn to tighten, while other spouts are connected with a threaded coupler needing about two full turns or more to tighten. The spout preferably aligns with a valve assembly that allows liquid to exit container while air and/or vapors within the receiving container replaces the dispensed liquid, thus reducing emissions into the atmosphere.
[0013] In one embodiment, there is preferably a valve assembly having a plurality of valves which are communicably coupled and operable with a single action, thus allowing liquid to dispense through a discharge valve while venting of the vessel occurs through a vent valve, unlike known containers that have a valve system housed within a self-venting spout and which thus force a user to attempt to manipulate the spout to actuate a valve system. In one embodiment, the valve assembly is mounted to the container, thus allowing for a spill-proof container at all times. The valve assembly can include a check valve that allows the container to be filled from an opening of the container while maintaining a spill-proof system, unlike known containers that create a potential hazard for spilling by requiring a user to remove a spout and/or cap for filling. In one embodiment, the valve assembly can include an intake channel that terminates above a surface of the liquid, thus allowing air to enter container without impedance and eliminating the “glug-glug” effect. This is also unlike known containers that merely provide a self-venting channel in the spout only.
[0014] An embodiment of the present invention also provides a trigger that is mounted external of the container for operation of the valve assembly, thus allowing for maximum handling of container and comfortable operation of the trigger with as little as a single finger—unlike known containers that have an actuation by manipulation of the spout or an awkward thumb operated trigger.
[0015] Objects, advantages and novel features, and further scope of applicability of the present invention will be set forth in part in the detailed description to follow, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, and in part will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon examination of the following, or may be learned by practice of the invention. The objects and advantages of the invention may be realized and attained by means of the instrumentalities and combinations particularly pointed out in the appended claims.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS
[0016] The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated into and form a part of the specification, illustrate one or more embodiments of the present invention and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the invention. The drawings are only for the purpose of illustrating one or more preferred embodiments of the invention and are not to be construed as limiting the invention. In the drawings:
[0017] FIGS. 1, 2, and 3 are drawings which illustrate an external elevated perspective view of an embodiment of the present invention wherein the spout is in a stowed position ( FIG. 1 ), is in a transitory position between a stowed configuration and an in-use configuration ( FIG. 2 ), and wherein the spout is positioned for use ( FIG. 3 );
[0018] FIGS. 4 and 5 are exploded-view drawings which illustrate various components of the valves of an embodiment of the present invention;
[0019] FIG. 6 is a sectional, exploded-view drawing, which illustrate components of the valves according to an embodiment of the present invention;
[0020] FIGS. 7, 8, and 9 are cross-sectional side-view drawings which respectively illustrate a valve assembly, a valve assembly with a trigger mechanism and a rotatable spout, and a self-venting container according to an embodiment of the present invention;
[0021] FIGS. 10 and 11 are sectional view drawing that illustrate an embodiment of the present invention wherein a check valve is respectively in an open and a closed configuration; and
[0022] FIGS. 12 and 13 are drawings which illustrate a spout with retention tabs around its proximal opening and with arms that connect a portion of a hinge to the spout.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0023] As used herein, “a” or “an” or “the” means one or more unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.
[0024] As used herein, the term “mechanical advantage” is intended to mean force amplification. An example of such mechanical advantage is when a lever is pivotally connected at a first end and a force that is perpendicular to the primary axis of the lever is applied at a second end and the mechanical advantage is provided to a point along the lever between the first and the second ends.
[0025] Referring now to the figures, in one embodiment, self-venting container 10 preferably includes vessel 11 with handle 12 , which is most preferably disposed on a top portion of container 10 . Although not essential for the operation of the present invention, in one embodiment, one or more additional handles 14 can optionally be disposed on other locations on or about container 10 —including but not limited to a rear side of container 10 . Although vessel 11 can be formed from any desired material by any known process of manufacture, in one embodiment, vessel 11 is preferably formed from high-density polyethylene (“HDPE”) in a blow-molding process. Various other components of self-venting container 10 can also be formed from HDPE, most preferably via an injection molding process.
[0026] Although vessel 11 can be made to virtually any size desired, in one embodiment, vessel 11 preferably comprises a capacity of from about ½ gallon to about 10 gallons and more preferably of from about 1 gallon to about 6 gallons.
[0027] Vessel 11 preferably comprises opening 16 . Opening 16 is most preferably disposed in vessel 11 near a top portion thereof.
[0028] Coupler 18 is most preferably a rotatable coupler and most preferably comprises a configuration that can be completely activated and deactivated by a partial rotation—for example, via a quarter of a turn. In one embodiment, coupler can be activated by turning it a partial turn in a clockwise direction and can be deactivated by turning it a partial turn in a counter-clockwise direction. Coupler 18 can be a twist-lock coupler which receives tabs 21 that can optionally be disposed on spout 22 and/or lid 20 .
[0029] Hinge connection 19 is preferably used to connect lid 20 to vessel 11 . Coupler 18 can preferably secure lid 20 over opening 16 of vessel 11 . When lid 20 is not in use, it is preferably swung down below opening 20 so that spout 22 can be rotated via pins 23 in opening 25 , which are preferably disposed on opposing sides of container 10 . Of course, other hinge connections can be used and will provide desirable results. For example, in one embodiment, pins 23 can instead be formed into openings and instead of forming openings 25 into the sides of container 10 , pegs can instead be positioned there. As with lid 20 , tabs 21 are preferably disposed around an inlet (i.e. a proximal end) of spout 22 such that spout 22 can be secured over opening 16 by coupler 18 . In one embodiment, a recess can be formed into handle 12 such that spout 22 can be stowed thereon. Handle 12 is preferably formed such that when spout 22 is in a stowed position, cap 24 is disposed over an outlet of spout 22 . Cap 24 , which can optionally be nothing more than a portion of handle 12 , thus prevents the entry of debris into the outlet of spout 22 when it is stowed on or in handle 12 . In one embodiment, cap 24 is preferably positioned such that it forms an interference fit with the outlet end portion of spout 22 , thus retaining spout 22 in a stowed configuration until a user pulls on spout 22 with sufficient force to overcome the strength of the interference fit.
[0030] Dust cover 26 is preferably provided to cover and protect an inlet in spout 22 when it is stowed in a stored configuration in handle 12 . Dust cover 26 is preferably hingedly connected to container 10 via hinge 27 . Dust cover 26 also preferably comprises lever 29 . When spout 22 is rotated up into its stowed position, an inlet of spout 22 preferably makes contact with lever 29 and as spout 22 continues to rotate into its stowed position, lever 29 and thus dust cover 26 are thus rotated about hinge 27 . Once spout 22 is in its fully-stowed position, dust cover 26 is preferably pressed against an inlet of spout 22 such that the inlet is covered. When spout 22 is removed from its stowed position, it preferably relieves pressure from lever 29 as the inlet portion of spout 22 forces dust cover 26 out of its way. Because hinge 27 is preferably not located in the same location as the hinge formed by pins 23 and openings 25 , spout 22 is able to travel past dust cover 26 such that it becomes clear of the movement of spout 22 . Spout 22 can thus continue to rotate into operational position, aligning with a coupler 18 , such that coupler 18 can receive and secure an inlet end portion of spout 22 —most preferably by receiving tabs 21 which are preferably formed around the inlet of spout 22 .
[0031] Once spout 22 has been secured into its operational position with its inlet disposed over opening 16 of vessel 11 , and coupler 18 has secured spout 22 in place, safety latch 28 , which can optionally be provided, can be released, thus allowing trigger 30 to be engaged. Safety latch preferably prevents trigger 30 from being activated unless safety latch 28 has been overcome first. Although trigger 30 is illustrated as having a lever-type configuration in the drawings, any shape of trigger 30 can be used so long as it can operate at least some of the components described below.
[0032] Nipple 32 is preferably disposed near trigger 30 and has opening 34 , therein through which linkage rod 36 passes to penetrate into vessel 11 . Cap 38 is preferably disposed on nipple 32 to create a seal around 36 at nipple opening 34 . In one embodiment, seals, which can include any apparatus or structure that can form a liquid-tight connection around a translating rod can be disposed on or in cap 38 or nipple 32 to prevent any liquid from escaping from vessel 11 by leaking around rod 36 . When a user actuates trigger 30 , it preferably pulls linkage rod 36 , thus opening discharge valve 40 so that when vessel 11 is rotated, liquid disposed therein can escape through opening 41 (see FIG. 11 ) that is formed between discharge valve 40 and housing 44 , thus permitting the liquid within vessel 11 to be discharged out of opening 16 through discharge opening 46 in housing 44 , and through spout 22 (if spout 22 is disposed in its operational configuration). Vent valve 42 is preferably linked to discharge valve 40 , thus allowing simultaneous operation of both valves.
[0033] In one embodiment, discharge valve 40 is preferably a flap or plate which presses against the back of housing 44 . Optionally, a gasket can be attached a front face of discharge valve 40 or the back of housing 44 to provide a liquid-tight seal between discharge valve 40 and housing 44 when discharge valve 40 is closed; or the gasket can be disposed between discharge valve 40 and housing 44 . In one embodiment, opening 43 is preferably provided through discharge valve 40 .
[0034] Housing 44 also preferably comprises vent valve housing 48 which most preferably houses, and provides a seat for, vent valve 42 . Valve guide 50 is preferably disposed in a proximal end portion of vent valve housing 48 to stabilize movement of vent valve 42 . Intake channel 52 is preferably communicably coupled to valve guide 50 and has its terminal end disposed within vessel 11 , most preferably at a location that is typically above a surface of a liquid disposed in vessel 11 when container 10 is held in a position for discharging its liquid contents. Vent valve housing 48 preferably aligns with vent channel 54 of spout 22 , thus allowing container 10 to be self-venting.
[0035] In order to fill vessel 11 with liquid when lid 20 is covering opening 16 , coupler 18 is preferably rotated to release lid 20 . Lid 20 is then rotated down and out of the way, thus exposing opening 16 through discharge opening 46 . A filling nozzle, including but not limited to a fuel pump discharge nozzle is then pushed through discharge opening 46 , through opening 43 in discharge valve 40 . The filling nozzle then preferably presses against check valve 56 and forces it open such that the terminal end portion of the filling nozzle is within vessel 11 . In one embodiment, check valve 56 is preferably spring-loaded such that it remains in a closed configuration until a filling nozzle or some other object presses against it with sufficient force to force it open.
[0036] In one embodiment, check valve 56 is preferably a flap-type valve that presses against a back portion of discharge valve, thus closing off opening 43 in discharge valve 40 . Optionally, a gasket can be disposed between discharge valve 40 and check valve 56 to provide a liquid-tight seal until sufficient force is exerted against check valve 56 to force it open.
[0037] In one embodiment, rod 36 preferably connects to a proximal side of discharge valve 40 via pivot connection 58 (see FIG. 7 ), which is also the location at which a top portion of check valve 56 connects to discharge valve 40 . Discharge valve 40 is preferably connected at its top portion to housing 40 via hinge connection 60 . Vent valve 42 is preferably connected to discharge valve 40 by pivot connection 62 , which is most preferably disposed at a location between hinge pivot connection 58 and hinge connection 60 . This therefore results in a mechanical advantage being created by rod 36 pulling on valve 40 at a distance further away from hinge 60 than is pivot connection 62 . In this embodiment, when rod 36 is pulled by handle 30 , both discharge valve 40 and check valve 56 remain together and swing away from a lower portion of housing 44 while a top portion of check valve 40 and housing 44 remain connected together at hinge 60 . As discharge valve 40 is drawn back, pivot connection 62 is also drawn back, thereby pulling vent valve 42 open.
[0038] An embodiment of self-venting container 10 is preferably configured to be user friendly such that it is quick to un-stow and stow, discharges liquid at an acceptable rate, and is safe. With that in mind, when spout 22 is stowed in handle 12 , the shape of handle 12 with spout 22 together preferably form a shape which is comfortable for handling and carrying.
[0039] Each of valves 40 , 42 and 56 are preferably closed liquid-tight when trigger 30 is not actuated—thus preventing any incidental spillage during any transportation and/or before user is ready to dispense the contents of container 10 . Safety latch 28 prevents any premature or accidental operation of trigger 30 .
[0040] In one embodiment, a user may place container 10 into the pouring position, while grasping both handles 12 and 14 , slide a finger from the rear of vessel 11 to the front, thus releasing safety latch 28 . To initiate a flow of liquid from vessel 11 , a user can actuate trigger 30 , thereby opening discharge valve 40 and vent valve 42 . The flow rate of liquid being dispensed can be controllable by how much the user actuates trigger 30 . Actuating trigger 30 in the pouring position with liquid disposed in vessel 11 preferably causes the liquid to flow through discharge opening 46 and through spout 22 into a receiving container or tank. Vessel 11 is preferably vented by replacing the volume of dispensed liquid with air and/or vapors from the receiving container/tank by drawing them through a terminal end (i.e. inlet) of vent channel 54 of spout 22 , past vent valve 42 , and through intake channel 52 —most preferably to a rear of vessel 11 , above the liquid line, thus eliminating the impeding pressure of the liquid as resistance to venting and to prevent the “glug-glug” effect so as to maintain a consistent flow.
[0041] The user can release trigger 30 at any time, which will immediately stop flow of liquid out of vessel 11 , by causing discharge valve 40 to close and seal concurrently with the closing of vent valve 42 . When the user completely releases trigger 30 it preferably returns back to its locked position and is again secured by safety latch 28 . Now that the user is finished, spout 22 can easily be uncoupled, for example by rotating coupler 18 counterclockwise a quarter of a turn. Spout 22 can then be returned to its stowed position. Spout 22 preferably recesses into handle 12 and is covered by cap 24 . During the stowing process of spout 22 , dust cover 26 is mechanically levered into place by the base of spout 22 acting against lever 29 , thereby preventing dust and debris from entering and protecting the inlet opening (i.e. the proximal opening) in spout 22 . Lid 20 can be rotated into its closed position and locked in place with coupler 18 , thus preventing dust and debris from entering vessel 11 .
[0042] In one embodiment, the only time that any liquid can exit vessel 11 is either when the user is actuating trigger 22 , or when the user is actively filling vessel 11 through check valve 56 . Thus resulting in a container that, aside from operator error, is spill proof. In one embodiment, a flame arrestor, which can optionally include a metal screen, can be disposed in communication with opening 16 . In one embodiment, only one opening 16 is provided for both discharging a liquid and venting gas into vessel 11 , while a second opening is provided through which linkage rod 36 passes. However, desirable results can still be achieved when a plurality of openings are provided in vessel 11 for both discharging liquid and venting gas into vessel 11 . In one embodiment, a pressure-relief valve can be provided—most preferably one which is communicably coupled to an upper portion of vessel 11 . Optionally, vent valve 42 can be arranged such that it can also function as a pressure-relief valve. In one embodiment, instead of intake channel 52 comprising a tube which extends from vent valve 42 , intake channel 52 can instead be formed or otherwise disposed in handle 12 , which itself can optionally comprise a hollow tube-like structure.
[0043] Although the invention has been described in detail with particular reference to these preferred embodiments, other embodiments can achieve the same results. Variations and modifications of the present invention will be obvious to those skilled in the art and it is intended to cover in the appended claims all such modifications and equivalents. The entire disclosures of all references, applications, patents, and publications cited above are hereby incorporated by reference.
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A liquid container, meeting all federal, state and local regulations, comprising a vessel with an opening and a self-venting spout which is mounted to the vessel in a manner allowing the spout, from a stowed position, to rotate into its operational position and coupling to the opening with a coupler. Both open ends of the spout are automatically covered when stowed. A valve assembly at the opening of the vessel is operated externally by a trigger located near the underside of the primary handle. The valve assembly controls flow of liquid out of the vessel and through the self-venting spout. Venting of the vessel is allowed through a series of channels, respectively comprising an interior channel within the spout, an intake port, and an intake channel leading to the rear of the vessel above the liquid line. The vessel opening is covered by a lid mounted to the vessel that rotates into operational or stowed position and is sealed by the coupler.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to automatic thread spooling, and more particularly to novel apparatus for effecting unitary control of the travel of a plurality of guides for evenly winding continuous filaments on individual spools.
In the manufacture of continuous filaments such as synthetic fibers or threads, it is necessary as a final operation to wind the filaments on individual spools. It has long been the practice to wind a plurality of threads simultaneously on individual spools mounted on a common support base. A guide or so-called level wind assembly is provided adjacent and movable relative to each spool to position the thread for winding in even, consecutive layers. It has been the general convention in the prior art to provide either individual motion transfer mechanisms for each guide-spool pair or a common traverse with all level on a common mounting. The problems and expense associated with individual control are readily apparent, and mounting the wind mechanism for common traverse has required a system capable of smoothly moving large, heavy and bulky structure.
It is a principal object of the present invention to provide a compact, highly accurate, yet relatively simple and easily controlled apparatus for automatically winding a plurality of continuous filaments on individual spools.
A further object is to provide an automatic spooling station having level wind assemblies moved in unison from a single power source through a simple, lightweight motion transfer linkage.
Another object is to provide novel and improved apparatus for moving in unison a plurality of thread guides in a multiple spooling operation wherein the thread guide motion transfer mechanism, and the thread guides are axially adjustable to accommodate different lengths spools.
Other objects will in part be obvious and will in part appear hereinafter.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In accordance with the foregoing objects, the invention comprises apparatus for supporting and rotating a plurality of spools upon which individual threads or other such continuous filaments are wound, and a movable thread guide in association with each spool. A single, ball bearing screw is vertically mounted at the center of the back of the apparatus for rotation by a small electric stepping motor. It is from this screw that motion is transmitted simulteneously to all thread guides.
In the disclosed embodiment, the spools are disposed with their axes of rotation in three horizontal rows. Each spool has connected thereto an individual electric torque motor for rotation at a predetermined speed. The filaments are constrained in a groove in the periphery of the cylindrical guide members which are supported on the ends of horizontal shafts adjacent the peripheries of each spool. The guide support shafts are mounted for cooperative, reciprocating, linear movement between positions wherein the grooves in the guide members are adjacent the opposite ends of the spools. It is the mechanism for effecting the cooperative, controlled movement of the guide support shafts with which the invention is principally concerned.
The traveling member engaging the aforementioned vertical screw is connected to an articulated arm which reciprocates vertically with the traveling member. Three linkage members are pivotally connected at one end of each on two sides of the articulated arm and fixedly connected at the opposite ends to respective, horizontally disposed shafts. Vertical reciprocation of the arm and ends of the linkage members connected thereto serves to reciprocally rotate the six shafts, arranged in end-to-end pairs. Arms keyed at one end to the shafts are connected at their opposite ends to the guide support shafts. The reciprocating arcuate movement of the arm ends is translated to reciprocating linear motion of the shafts, providing the desired movement of the guide members.
In another disclosed construction, means are provided for cooperating adjusting a pair of coaxial thread guide shafts. The thread guide members on the end of each shaft are thus adjustable with respect to each of a pair of coaxial spools. The capacity of the spooling operation is thereby effectively doubled while allowing the use of spools having different axial lengths.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a front elevational view of the preferred embodiment of the spooling apparatus;
FIGS. 2 and 3 are side elevational views in section on the lines 2--2 and 3--3, respectively, of FIG. 1;
FIG. 4 is a fragmentary, somewhat enlarged, front elevational view, with a portion broken away to show elements of the mechanism at the rear of the apparatus;
FIG. 5 is a fragmentary, elevational view of a portion of one end of the apparatus, as seen generally from the line 5--5 of FIG. 8;
FIG. 6 is a fragmentary, top plan view of one end of the apparatus, as seen from the line 6--6 of FIG. 7;
FIG. 7 is a fragmentary, side elevational view, in section on the line 7--7 of FIG. 1;
FIG. 8 is a fragmentary front elevational view of the same portion of the apparatus, in section on the line 8--8 of FIG. 7;
FIG. 9 is a fragmentary, side elevational view, partly in section, showing an alternate construction for simultaneously winding upon two coaxial spools; and
FIG. 9a is an enlarged fragment of FIG. 9.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
Referring now to the drawings, the apparatus is seen in FIG. 1 from the side upon which the spools are mounted for winding the continuous filaments, hereafter referred to as thread. Spools 10 are supported upon output shafts 12 of electric motors 14 for rotation thereby. The motors are mounted upon support plate 16, forming a portion of rigid frame structure 17, in three horizontal rows of thirteen motors each, in the illustrated embodiment. Also mounted upon support plate 16, near one end thereof, are appropriate switches and controls 18 for selective operation of various elements of the apparatus.
Thread guide members 20, each having a groove 22 in the periphery thereof, are supported on the ends of support shafts 24 pass through openings in support plate 16 for sliding, reciprocal movement by mechanism described later herein. A bundle of thirty-nine threads (or less, if all spools are not in operation) is led to a position adjacent one end of the apparatus; the individual threads are then trained over guide members 20, each thread passing through groove 22 of its respective guide member, and wound around the adjacent spool 10. As motors 14 rotate spools 10 to wind the threads thereon, guide members 20 are moved back and forth between the positions indicated in solid and dotted lines in FIG. 3.
As seen in FIG. 2, screw 26 is supported at its opposite ends by brackets 28 extending from support column 30, the latter being suitably anchored to portions of frame structure 17. The output shaft of stepping motor 32 is connected to the upper end of screw 26 for rotation thereof in either direction. The lower end of screw 26 is connected, through bevel gears 34, to shaft 36 to which a hand crank may be attached for manually turning screw 26 during maintenance or adjustment of the apparatus.
Traveling member 38 engages the threads of screw 26 for vertically reciprocating movement as the screw is rotated in opposite directions. Preferably, traveling member 38 is of the type which internally supports ball bearings which engage the threads of screw 26, thereby forming a system commonly known as a ball bearing screw. Member 38 is connected at 40 to a compound, articulated arm, denoted generally by reference numeral 42 and comprising a total of six links, all of which may be seen in FIG. 4. One side of arm 42 is comprised of links 43, 44 and 45, the other side being identically constructed of links 46, 47 and 48. The side of arm 40 seen in FIG. 2 is connected through linkage members 50, 51 and 52 to horizontally disposed shafts 53, 54 and 55, respectively. The other side of arm 40 is connected through identical linkage members to shafts 56, 57 and 58, as seen in FIG. 4. The six shafts are supported for rotation upon suitable portions of frame structure 17 in end-to-end pairs, as also seen in FIG. 4, shafts 53 and 56 forming the upper pair, shafts 54 and 57 the middle pair and shafts 55 and 58 the lower pair.
Linkage members 50, 51 and 52, and the three identical linkages members on the other side of arm 40, are each keyed to their respective shafts. Thus, as screw 26 rotates to move traveling member 38, the vertically reciprocating movement of arm 40, indicated in FIG. 2 by arrow 60, is translated through the linkage members to reciprocating rotation of the shafts, as indicated by arrows 62. The arcuate path of the ends of the linkage members connected to form arm 42 is accommodated by the articulation of the arm.
Arranged along the length of each of shafts 53-58, and keyed thereto at one end, are a plurality of arms, all of those shown being indicated by common reference numeral 64. One of arms 64 is provided for association with each of guide support shafts 24, one end of each arm and shaft being connected at 66. As shafts 53-58 are reciprocally rotated in the manner described, arms 64 and guide support shafts 24 are moved between the positions shown in solid and dot-dash lines in FIG. 3. Guide support shafts 24 are constrained for linear movement by brackets 68, fixedly attached to frame structure 17, and the openings through which they pass in support plate 16. Thus, all of thread guides 20 are moved in unison to traverse the length of spools 10, causing the threads to be wound in even layers thereon. The ends of arms 64 connected to shafts 24 include a slotted opening, or other appropriate connecting means which allow arcuate movement of the ends of arms 64.
The limits of movement of thread guides are controlled by adjustable limit switches, the motion control mechanism being located at one end of the apparatus and shown in FIGS. 5-8. Arm 70 is keyed at one end to shaft 56 and connected at the other end to bearing member 72, mounted for reciprocal sliding movement on fixed shaft 74. Shaft 76 extends from bearing member 72 and carries roller 78 which is constrained within guide 80. Rod 82 extends fixedly from the end of shaft 76 through slot 84 in plate 86, mounted on the right side (as seen in FIG. 1) of the apparatus.
Rod 82 carries pointer 88 on the outside of the apparatus for movement relative to scale 90. Limit indicators 92 include end portions adjacent scale 90 and may be selectively positioned along slot 84 by loosening and tightening thumb screws 94. Indicators 90 extend through slot 84 and carry on their opposite ends microswitches 96 (FIG. 6). Contact of rod 82 with microswitches 96 serves to reverse the direction of stepping motor 32 through appropriate electrical connections. Thus, each time rod 82 contacts one of microswitches 96, the direction of traveling member 38 is reversed, as is that of arm 42 and the various links, arms and shafts. The limits of travel of thread guides 20 are thereby controlled in accordance with the position of microswitches 96. Movement of rod 82 is precisely constrained by roller 78 riding within fixed guides 80 and bearing member 72 riding upon fixed shaft 74.
Referring now to FIG. 9, an arrangement for moving thread guides arranged in coaxial pairs is illustrated. The motion transfer mechanism including screw 26, articulated arm 42, linkage members 50-52, shafts 53-58 and arms 64 is provided for reciprocation movement of the thread guide shafts in the manner previously described. Since construction and operation of these elements, as well as the motion limit control mechanism, may be identical to those already shown and described, they are not repeated in FIG. 9. In this construction, two mounting plates 100 and 102, comprising a part of frame structure 104, serve as supports for motors 105 and 106, respectively, each having output shafts for rotation of associated spools.
In order to illustrate the intended purpose of this construction, a pair of spools 107 and 108 are shown mounted upon the spindle rotated by motor 105, and a similar pair of spools 109 and 110 are shown mounted for rotation by motor 106. It will be understood, of course, that only a single spool will be mounted on each spindle at any given time, and that all spools mounted upon the spooling apparatus at the same time will be of the same axial length. That is, either the longer spools 108 and 110 or the shorter spools 107 and 109 may be mounted at any given time.
Thread guides 112 and 114 are fixedly secured to the ends of guide support shafts 116 and 118, respectively, which pass through openings in frame structure 104 for reciprocal, sliding movement. Shafts 116 and 118 are constructed for coaxial, telescoping engagement. They are joined at their inner ends by a frictionally engageable and releasable bushing assembly, generally denoted by reference numeral 120, of a type commercially available from Adjustable Bushing Corporation of North Hollywood, Calif. Such bushings provide means for adjustably fixing the relative axial positions of shafts 116 and 118.
As seen more clearly in the enlarged fragment of FIG. 9A, end portion 122 of shaft 116 is hollow to slidingly receive end portion 124 of shaft 118. Bushing assembly 120 also fits within the hollow end of shaft 116, stop member 125 thereof being engaged with end portion 124 by screw 126. Pin 128 extends fixedly from member 125 into slot 130 in end portion 122 of shaft 116. A plurality of annular bushings, denoted collectively by reference numeral 132, encircle a reduced diameter of end portion 124 between stop member 125 and shoulder 134 on shaft 118. Each of bushings 132 is telescopingly engaged with a larger diameter end of the adjacent bushing. When the bushings are axially compressed between stop member 125 and shoulder 134, the telescoping engagement caused them to expand radially, providing a tight frictional engagement between end portions 122 and 124 of the shafts, preventing any relative movement thereof.
When the axial positions of shafts 116 and 118 are to be adjusted, flats 136 (FIG. 9) on the end of shaft 118 are engaged by a wrench and the shaft is rotated. Shaft 116 cannot rotate due to its engagement with arm 64, as described in connection with the previous construction. Likewise, member 125 cannot rotate due to fixed pin 128 thereof extending into slot 130 in shaft 116. Thus, rotation of shaft 118 in the proper direction serves to loosen the engagement therewith of screw 126, allowing axial expansion and thereby radial contraction of bushings 132. This releases the frictional engagement of shafts 116 and 118, allowing relative axial movement thereof to the desired position. After the axial adjustment is made, flats 136 are again engaged by the wrench and shaft 118 is rotated to axially compress bushings 132, reestablishing the frictional engagement of shafts 116 and 118. When short spools 107 and 109 are used, the axial positions of shafts 116 and 118 are relatively fixed with thread guides 112 and 114 in the position shown in solid lines of FIG. 9, or in the positions indicated by reference numerals 112' and 114'. The motion control mechanism previously described and shown in FIGS. 5-8 is adjusted to provide a distance of reciprocating travel of the thread guides between the positions indicated by reference numerals 112 and 114 and those indicated at 112' and 114', whereby threads will be properly guided for winding upon spools 107 and 109.
When long spools 108 and 110 are used, the frictional engagement of shafts 116 and 118 is released as previously described with thread guide 112 in the position indicated by numeral 112'. Shaft 118 is then moved axially to move thread guide 114 from the position at 114' to that at 114". Shaft 118 is then counter-rotated by the wrench to again be frictionally engaged with shaft 116. The motion control mechanisms is again adjusted to provide a distance of reciprocating movement of the shafts which moves one thread guide between 112' and 112" as the other moves between 114" and 114, respectively. Thus, thread will be properly guided for winding upon long spools 108 and 110.
By means of the construction of FIGS. 9 and 9A, the apparatus may be easily adjusted to provide proper guiding of thread for winding on spools of any length, up to a predetermined maximum. Capacity of the apparatus is thereby doubled. Adjustment is accomplished entirely from one side of the apparatus, without necessity of access to the space between the two frame portions which, in effect, form walls on each side of the apparatus.
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Apparatus for cooperatively moving a plurality of guides for continuous filaments relative to spools upon which they are being wound to insure winding in even, successive layers. Spindles carrying the spools are mounted in parallel arrangement in a plurality of horizontal rows. A single, ball bearing screw is mounted with its axis vertical and carries a traveling member connected to an articulated arm. A linkage arrangement transmits reciprocating motion from the traveling member, through the arm, to a plurality of shafts, each carrying a guide element arranged adjacent one of the spools. The individual threads each pass over one of the guide elements to be moved thereby back and forth along the spool while being wound thereon. A selectively positionable switch arrangement allows adjustment of the limits of travel of the linkage, and thus of the guide elements. Means for adjustably positioning pairs of coaxial guide-carrying shafts are also disclosed, thereby doubling the capacity of the apparatus.
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CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
[0001] This application claims priority under 35 USC 119(e) to the U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/376,947, entitled “Device For Excavating And Backfilling Soil”, filed Aug. 25, 2010, the contents of which are incorporated herein in their entirety.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0002] The device and system for excavation of soil, retention and replacement of the soil disclosed herein; and relates generally to the placement and retention of soil removed from the earth when a trench or ditch is dug, and to the replacement of the soil back into the trench or ditch after the work has been completed.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0003] Trenches, ditches, and holes are formed in the earth for numerous reasons. One of the primary purposes is to bury utilities or other services underground. Trenches or ditches are also used to transport water and other fluids. Landscaping is another reason for digging holes and/or trenches, as well as hidden fences for animals, wiring for cable television or internet. Drainage is yet another reason to dig a trench. Trenches are normally excavated utilizing one of two methods, by machine or by hand.
[0004] There are various types of mechanized devices for digging trenches. Trenchers are by far the most common piece of equipment that is utilized to dig a trench. One type of trencher is the walk behind trencher. This device is similar to a lawnmower in that it includes a small engine and the operator walks behind the device as the trench is cut into the earth with an elongated chain or wheel. Wheeled or ride-on trenches are also available. These devices are similar to the walk behind devices with the exception that the operator rides upon these devices as the chain or wheel creates the trench as the device moves across the land. Once work is completed, workers must backfill the trench by hand recovering as much soil as possible while the rest is lost to the grass where the soil was piled. A backhoe is another type of device that is utilized to dig a trench. The soil or earth is removed with a large bucket and is generally placed adjacent to the trenching area. Upon completion of the work in the trench or hole, the backhoe retrieves as much of the soil removed from the trench as possible and roughly places some of it back into the trench. However, a large portion of the soil is lost to the area where it was deposited, scarring the ground and leaving an unsightly mess.
[0005] When a trench or ditch is dug by hand, the area in which the soil removed from the trench can be placed is normally limited by the length of the shovel. Therefore, the soil removed from the trench is usually placed adjacent the trench. If the trench is dug through an area with groomed grass, it is difficult to return all of the soil removed from the trench back into the trench because the soil falls to the ground and intermingles with the grass. The soil removed from the trench will not be able to be completely returned to the trench and will present an unsightly problem on the groomed grass once the trench is refilled. In some instances, rakes or the like are utilized in an attempt to return the soil back into the trench. However, this requires additional tools and additional labor.
[0006] Thus, in order to recover as much soil as possible as well as minimize the mess after work has been completed, a tarp or piece of material, such as plywood, is often placed on the grass adjacent the trench. The soil removed from the trench or hole is then placed atop the tarp or piece of material. A shortcoming to this procedure is that the plywood and/or tarp becomes too heavy for movement or dumping of the soil back into the trench thereby still requiring the soil to be shoveled by hand from the tarp or material back into the trench. The tarp can then be removed from the grass. If any soil remains on the plywood or tarp, it can be poured back into the trench only after a suitable amount of the weight has been removed therefrom. In addition, tarps and/or plywood are difficult to manipulate for arrangement along the length of the trench as well as dumping. Still yet, plywood is cumbersome to move from one location to another and requires a controlled environment to prevent degradation thereof. Tarps are easier to move from one location to another; however, they are fragile for use in this type of environment and thus are not practical for extended or daily use. In addition, tarps must be cleaned after use, requiring them to be hanged for drying adding significant labor and cost.
[0007] Thus, what is needed in the art is a device or system for use in excavation and backfilling of soil. The device or system should be formed of relatively few component parts that are inexpensive to manufacture by conventional techniques. The device or system should be capable of being shipped or transported in a nested arrangement to minimize space requirements. In addition, the system must be modular and facilitate the creation of a variety of trench edgers that vary in length/size but which share common, interchangeable components. The trench edgers must also be capable of overlapping engagement with respect to an adjacent trench edger to create elongated edgers. Finally, there are ergonomic needs that a trench edger device/system must satisfy in order to achieve acceptance by the end user. The system must be easily and quickly assembled using minimal hardware and requiring a minimal number of tools. Further, the system must not require excessive strength to assemble or include heavy component parts. Moreover, the system must assemble together in such a way so as not to detract from the storage volume of the trench edger, or otherwise negatively affect the utility of the trench edger.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0008] A device or system to be placed adjacent a trench or hole in the ground is designed to retain the soil removed from the trench, not destroy the landscape beneath the device, and enable an individual to readily replace the soil back into the trench or hole. A plurality of these devices can be placed adjacent each other in interlocking engagement to accommodate a long trench so that the soil can be replaced back into the trench. The material employed for the device is preferably plastic formed into an undulating or wavy pattern, when viewed in cross section. This enables a plurality of the device to be nested or stacked atop one another for storage and/or transportation. The undulations also add rigidity to the device without adding weight to the device. The undulations also allow overlapping interlocking engagement between edger components to create a trench edger of infinite length. The assembly is completed without the need for tools or fastener components. Hand grips are provided along a top portion of each edger member to allow the soil placed thereon to be easily dumped back into the trench without undue effort.
[0009] Accordingly, it is an objective of the instant invention to provide a device that enables soil removed from a trench to be readily stored and easily replaced back into the trench.
[0010] It is a further objective of the instant invention to provide a device for retention of soil removed from a trench which can be easily manipulated by an individual.
[0011] It is yet another objective of the instant invention to provide a device for retention of soil removed from a trench whereby a plurality of edger devices can be placed in a side by side arrangement along the length of a trench.
[0012] It is still a further objective of the instant invention to provide a device for retention of soil removed from a trench formed with undulations or waves, in cross section, so that a plurality of devices can be stored or nested atop one another.
[0013] It is still a further objective of the instant invention to provide a device for retention of soil removed from a trench with undulations or waves, in cross section, so that a plurality of devices can be partially nested atop one another to enable them to be connected so as to form a substantially continuous piece.
[0014] It is still yet another objective of the instant invention to provide a device for the retention of soil removed from a trench whereby all of the soil is returned to the trench and none remains on the landscape adjacent the trench.
[0015] Other objects and advantages of this invention will become apparent from the following description taken in conjunction with any accompanying drawings wherein are set forth, by way of illustration and example, certain embodiments of this invention. Any drawings contained herein constitute a part of this specification and include exemplary embodiments of the present invention and illustrate various objects and features thereof.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES
[0016] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of one embodiment of the present invention;
[0017] FIG. 2 is a rear view of the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 1 ;
[0018] FIG. 3 is a perspective view illustrating overlapping interlocking engagement between multiple edging members;
[0019] FIG. 4 is a left end view of the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 1 ;
[0020] FIG. 5 is a cross sectional view taken along line 5 - 5 of FIG. 4 ;
[0021] FIG. 6 is a cross sectional view taken along line 6 - 6 of FIG. 4 ;
[0022] FIG. 7 is a cross sectional view taken along line 7 - 7 of FIG. 4 ;
[0023] FIG. 8 is a perspective view illustrating a plurality of edger members in a nested arrangement;
[0024] FIG. 9 is a perspective view of an alternative embodiment of the present invention; and
[0025] FIG. 10 is a perspective view of an alternative embodiment of the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0026] While the present invention is susceptible of embodiment in various forms, there is shown in the drawings and will hereinafter be described a presently preferred, albeit not limiting, embodiment with the understanding that the present disclosure is to be considered an exemplification of the present invention and is not intended to limit the invention to the specific embodiments illustrated.
[0027] With reference to FIGS. 1-8 , an illustrative embodiment of the soil excavation and backfilling device referred to herein as a trench edging member is indicated by the reference numeral 10 . The trench edging member 10 can be made from various materials, such as polyethylene, high impact styrene, polycarbonates, or similar materials known to one skilled in the art. In a preferred embodiment, the trench edging member 10 is integrally molded into a single piece by a vacuum or injection molding process. Alternatively, the trench edging member 10 can be formed from multiple pieces which are later secured to each other to form the trench edging member 10 . The method of manufacturing the trench edging member 10 will normally be determined by the finished size of the device. The larger sizes will be manufactured in sections and assembled prior to use. To increase longevity, the trench edging member 10 may also include or be constructed of materials which make the device resistant to the weather, leaching, and biodegradation, and retain their mechanical and chemical properties under low and/or high temperatures. Use of ultraviolet light inhibitors may be used to provide further protection from weather conditions.
[0028] The trench edging member 10 includes a substantially horizontal section 12 and an inclined vertical section 14 . While in a preferred embodiment sections 12 and 14 are integrally formed, they could also be formed separately and later joined together. Section 12 is constructed so that it can be placed on the ground or earth 50 adjacent a trench 52 or hole to be excavated, as shown in FIG. 3 . Section 14 is positioned to be angled to vertical to form a back stop for soil as it is thrown onto the trench edging member. Section 12 includes a longitudinal edge 16 , rear edge 18 , and side edges 56 , 58 . In the preferred embodiment, the longitudinal edge 16 is formed straight so that it may be employed as a guide line for digging a trench. To use the present invention in this manner, a line or string can be set along the ground indicating one side of a trench to be dug. A plurality of trench edging members 10 can be placed adjacent each other, end to end or in overlapping engagement, along the line. The line or string can then be removed and the trench dug along the longitudinal edge. This avoids the problem of breaking the line or string with a shovel when the trench is being dug. The trench edging members 10 are made from a material which can readily absorb hits or blows from a shovel without moving from the position in which they were placed.
[0029] The excavation and backfilling device 10 includes an inclined substantially vertical section 14 . Inclined vertical section 14 includes a rear longitudinal edge 18 which extends along a top portion of section 14 . The rear longitudinal edge 18 may include a rounded top 20 , as shown in FIG. 9 , which extends along the length of edge 18 . The rounded top 20 is designed to assist an individual in carrying and manipulating the trench edging member 10 into position for use. Rounded top 20 is also used to assist an individual in raising the rear portion of the trench edging member 10 for dumping the dirt contained thereon back into the trench or hole. Edge 18 can also be provided with a plurality of hand apertures 22 . These apertures function as hand grips to assist an individual in raising trench edging member 10 for dumping the dirt contained thereon back into the trench or hole. The number of apertures 22 varies dependent on the length of the trench edging member 10 . In a most preferred embodiment, two holes are provided to allow an operator to utilize both hands to manipulate the device.
[0030] Referring to FIG. 8 , a plurality of trench edging members are illustrated in a nested configuration. The trench edging member 10 is formed with a plurality of projections or undulations 24 . The projections 24 include peaks 26 and are separated by valleys 28 . The peaks and valleys of the preferred embodiment are evenly spaced and designed so that a plurality of the trench edging members 10 can be nested or stacked atop one another, as illustrated in FIG. 4 . The peaks 26 of one of the trench edging members 10 will readily fit under the peak 26 of another trench edging member 10 . This construction enables one device to be nested or stacked atop another device while the only vertical distance between the devices is the thickness of the material used to form the devices. Without this type of construction the distance between each of the devices in a stack would be at least the height of each of the projections. In addition to occupying less space, this type of construction and stacking permits a plurality of devices to be stacked and interlocked together. This interlocking prevents the devices from separation from one another during shipping and storage. This feature is very useful when a large number of trench edging members 10 are shipped or transported to a construction site. In addition, this nesting feature enables adjacent trench edging members 10 to be partially overlapped or nested and secured to one another. A plurality of devices can be connected to each other in this manner so as to create a substantially continuous piece as illustrated in FIG. 3 . This feature aids in the alignment of a plurality of the devices along a trench.
[0031] Referring to FIGS. 4-7 , the height of projections 24 is increased as it approaches the junction of sections 12 and 14 , as seen in FIGS. 5 , 6 , and 7 . The height of projection 24 at the outer edges of sections 12 and 14 is indicated along lines 5 - 5 and 7 - 7 and the height of projections 24 at the junction of sections 12 and 14 is indicated along lines 6 - 6 . It can be clearly seen that the height of the projections at line 6 - 6 , FIG. 6 is larger than line 5 - 5 , FIG. 5 and line 7 - 7 FIG. 7 . This increase in the height of the projections 24 adds to the rigidity of the junction of sections 12 and 14 . This increase in rigidity enables an individual to lift the trench edging member 10 by handles 22 having rounded top 20 of without the device breaking or buckling.
[0032] Referring to FIG. 3 , use of the trench edging member 10 is illustrated. To use the trench edging member 10 , an individual will place the trench edging member 10 adjacent a trench 52 or hole to be dug in the ground or earth 50 . The dirt or soil 60 removed from the ground is placed on section 12 of the trench edging members 10 . This prevents the soil 60 removed from the trench from contacting the ground 50 . When the trench edging member 10 is used on a lawn or other area containing groomed grass or groundcover, the soil 60 removed from the trench is prevented from contacting the underlying grasses or groundcover. After the trench 52 or hole has been dug and the work performed within the trench finished, the soil 60 removed from the trench 52 can readily and quickly be replaced into the trench 52 . This is accomplished by lifting the trench edging members 10 by the handles 22 , thus tilting section 12 towards the trench. The soil 60 contained on section 12 will now slide back into the trench 52 . This avoids the laborious task of shoveling the soil 60 back into the trench 52 . In addition, all of the soil 60 removed from the trench 52 will be returned to the trench since it is contained on the trench edging members 10 . None of the soil will fall onto the underlying ground or grass.
[0033] Referring to FIG. 9 , an alternative embodiment of the trench edging member 10 is illustrated. In this embodiment, the rear edge 18 is provided with a rolled or rounded top 20 . The rolled or rounded top edge 20 provides a comfort grip to a user of the trench edging member 10 and further allow the use of the user's legs and/or knees to help with dumping of the soil back into the trench.
[0034] Referring to FIG. 10 , an alternative embodiment of the trench edging member 10 is illustrated. In the embodiment of the device illustrated in FIG. 1 , the longitudinal front edge 16 is replaced by a depending front edge portion 30 . This depending front edge portion 30 extends downwardly and away from section 12 . This embodiment can be employed when a further extension of section 12 is required.
[0035] All patents and publications mentioned in this specification are indicative of the levels of those skilled in the art to which the invention pertains. All patents and publications are herein incorporated by reference to the same extent as if each individual publication was specifically and individually indicated to be incorporated by reference.
[0036] It is to be understood that while a certain form of the invention is illustrated, it is not to be limited to the specific form or arrangement herein described and shown. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes may be made without departing from the scope of the invention and the invention is not to be considered limited to what is shown and described in the specification and any drawings/figures included herein.
[0037] One skilled in the art will readily appreciate that the present invention is well adapted to carry out the objectives and obtain the ends and advantages mentioned, as well as those inherent therein. The embodiments, methods, procedures and techniques described herein are presently representative of the preferred embodiments, are intended to be exemplary and are not intended as limitations on the scope. Changes therein and other uses will occur to those skilled in the art which are encompassed within the spirit of the invention and are defined by the scope of the appended claims. Although the invention has been described in connection with specific preferred embodiments, it should be understood that the invention as claimed should not be unduly limited to such specific embodiments. Indeed, various modifications of the described modes for carrying out the invention which are obvious to those skilled in the art are intended to be within the scope of the following claims.
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A trench edging member to be placed adjacent a trench or hole in the ground is designed to retain the soil removed from the trench, not destroy the landscape beneath the device, and enable an individual to readily replace the soil back into the trench or hole. A plurality of these devices can be placed adjacent each other so that a long trench can be dug filled with the required equipment or utilities, and the soil replaced back into the trench. The material employed for the device is formed into an undulating or wavy pattern when viewed in cross section. This enables a plurality of the devices to be nested or stacked atop one another for storage and/or transportation. The undulations also add rigidity to the device without adding weight to the device.
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FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present disclosure relates to distributed computer systems, and more specifically to failure data for distributed computer systems.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
A combination of hardware and software components in computer systems today has progressed to a point such that these computer systems can be highly reliable. Reliability in computer systems may be provided by using redundant components. In some computer systems, for example, components such as node controllers that manage hardware error requests that nodes of the computer system are provided in redundant pairs—one primary node controller and one redundant (backup) node controller. When such a primary node controller fails, the redundant node controller takes over the primary node controller's operations. Redundant pairs can also be used for system controllers for the same purpose. Node controllers and system controllers may also be referred to as service processors. A service processor is the component in a distributed computer system that provides operation tasks such as initialization, configuration, run-time error detection, diagnostics and correction, as well as closely monitoring other hardware components for failures.
A system dump is the recorded state of the working memory of a redundant node controller at a specific time, such as when a program running on the redundant node controller has determined a loss of communications with the system controller. First failure data capture (FFDC) is a minimum set of information related to a certain error detected by a node and/or system controller. Debug dump data is a superset of FFDC, and it includes all information from the controller, including information that may not be directly relevant to the specific error investigation. When an error occurs in one of the nodes, the dump of debug information is captured immediately from the primary node controller for further analysis. However, the backup node controller may become aware of the error only if the primary fails and consequently the backup takes over as primary. This process is called failover. Waiting for the failover process to be completed to capture the dump may delay the dump of the debug information and negatively impact the ability to analyze the error.
SUMMARY
Embodiments of the present invention disclose a method, computer program product, and system for determining a location of failure between interconnects/controller. The method includes a computer collecting debug information simultaneously at a plurality of nodes coupled to an interconnect. Subsequent to collecting debug information, the computer analyzes the debug information collected simultaneously thereby determining which end of the interconnect caused the failure.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a functional block diagram illustrating a distributed computer system environment, including a server computer, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a data flow diagram depicting the intercommunications of components within the distributed computer system environment of FIG. 1 , for synchronizing debug information generation, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 3 illustrates examples of scenarios for synchronizing debug information generation according to a predetermined map, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 4 depicts a block diagram of components of the server computer of FIG. 1 , in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
During normal operation within a distributed computer system, a particular node controller may detect an error. That error may include many different types of failures, such as communication failure errors, application or process failure errors, crashes or locking up of a particular node or node controller operation, as well as other errors. When a node controller detects an error in a distributed computer system, resources of the distributed computer system attempt to store error information relevant to that error for later retrieval. The distributed computer system monitors processes, applications, and other resources with a high priority on keeping those resources available to the user and other entities at all times. The distributed computer system may employ one or more system controllers that monitor operations of the node controllers and other devices of the distributed computer system and manage node controller error information. When a node controller detects an error, that error may cause communication failures within the distributed computer system. Communication failures may present a challenge to system controllers in retrieving node controller error detection information.
In system architectures with multiple service processors configured in a hierarchical architecture, collecting debug information simultaneously from more than one service processors upon encountering any error condition may improve error analysis. For example, if an intra-node interconnect experiences a failure, there is not a reliable method to determine which end of the interconnect is the cause of failure. Collecting debug information from service processors on both of the nodes between which the interconnect failure was seen, at the same time, provides additional data for error analysis. Another example of a failure that may benefit from collecting simultaneous debug information is when a node controller fails. When this occurs, the primary system controller can not communicate with the failed node controller. Gathering failure data simultaneously from both the backup system controller and the backup node controller in the node that experienced the failure may be beneficial. Yet another example of a failure that may benefit from collecting simultaneous debug information is when a primary node controller has difficulty accessing hardware within the node. At that time, failure data collected from both primary and backup node controllers simultaneously may give the system administrator additional insight into the error.
Embodiments of the present invention recognize analysis of errors within a distributed computer system can be improved if the first failure data capture (FFDC) and debug dump data are captured from all of the involved service processors, i.e. node controllers and system controllers, simultaneously. Embodiments of the present invention detect an error in a distributed computer system, determine from which service processors the debug information is collected, and aggregate the data into a single report. Implementation of embodiments of the invention may take a variety of forms, and exemplary implementation details are discussed subsequently with reference to the Figures.
As will be appreciated by one skilled in the art, aspects of the present invention may be embodied as a system, method or computer program product. Accordingly, aspects of the present invention may take the form of an entirely hardware embodiment, an entirely software embodiment (including firmware, resident software, micro-code, etc.) or an embodiment combining software and hardware aspects that may all generally be referred to herein as a “circuit,” “module” or “system.” Furthermore, aspects of the present invention may take the form of a computer program product embodied in one or more computer-readable storage medium(s) having computer readable program code/instructions embodied thereon.
Any combination of computer-readable storage media may be utilized. A computer-readable storage medium may be, for example, but not limited to, an electronic, magnetic, optical, or semiconductor system, apparatus, or device, or any suitable combination of the foregoing. More specific examples (a non-exhaustive list) of a computer-readable storage medium would include the following: a portable computer diskette, a hard disk, a random access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM or Flash memory), a portable compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), an optical storage device, a magnetic storage device, or any suitable combination of the foregoing. In the context of this document, a computer-readable storage medium may be any tangible medium that can contain, or store a program for use by or in connection with an instruction execution system, apparatus, or device.
Program code may be transmitted using any appropriate medium, including but not limited to wireless, wireline, optical fiber cable, RF, etc., or any suitable combination of the foregoing.
Computer program code for carrying out operations for aspects of the present invention may be written in any combination of one or more programming languages, including an object oriented programming language such as Java® (note: the term(s) “Java” may be subject to trademark rights in various jurisdictions throughout the world and are used here only in reference to the products or services properly denominated by the marks to the extent that such trademark rights may exist), Smalltalk, C++ or the like and conventional procedural programming languages, such as the “C” programming language or similar programming languages. The program code may execute entirely on a user's computer, partly on the user's computer, as a stand-alone software package, partly on the user's computer and partly on a remote computer or entirely on the remote computer or server. In the latter scenario, the remote computer may be connected to the user's computer through any type of network, including a local area network (LAN) or a wide area network (WAN), or the connection may be made to an external computer (for example, through the Internet using an Internet Service Provider).
Aspects of the present invention are described below with reference to flowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams of methods, apparatus (systems) and computer program products according to embodiments of the invention. It will be understood that each block of the flowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams, and combinations of blocks in the flowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams, can be implemented by computer program instructions. These computer program instructions may be provided to a processor of a general purpose computer, special purpose computer, or other programmable data processing apparatus to produce a machine, such that the instructions, which execute via the processor of the computer or other programmable data processing apparatus, create means for implementing the functions/acts specified in the flowchart and/or block diagram block or blocks.
These computer program instructions may also be stored in a computer-readable storage medium that can direct a computer, other programmable data processing apparatus, or other devices to function in a particular manner, such that the instructions stored in the computer-readable storage medium produce an article of manufacture including instructions which implement the function/act specified in the flowchart and/or block diagram block or blocks.
The computer program instructions may also be loaded onto a computer, other programmable data processing apparatus, or other devices to cause a series of operational steps to be performed on the computer, other programmable apparatus or other devices to produce a computer-implemented process such that the instructions which execute on the computer or other programmable apparatus provide processes for implementing the functions/acts specified in the flowchart and/or block diagram block or blocks.
The present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the Figures. FIG. 1 is a functional block diagram illustrating a distributed computer system environment, generally designated 100 , in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention. The term “distributed” as used in this specification describes a computer system that includes multiple, physically distinct devices that operate together as a single computer system. FIG. 1 provides only an illustration of one implementation and does not imply any limitations with regard to the environments in which different embodiments may be implemented. Many modifications to the depicted environment may be made.
Distributed computer system environment 100 includes server computer 102 . Server computer 102 may be a management server, a web server, or any other electronic device or computing system capable of receiving and sending data. In other embodiments, server computer 102 may represent a server computing system utilizing multiple computers as a server system, such as in a cloud computing environment. In another embodiment, server computer 102 may be a laptop computer, tablet computer, netbook computer, personal computer (PC), a desktop computer, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a smart phone, or any programmable electronic device capable of communicating with other electronic devices. In another embodiment, server computer 102 represents a computing system utilizing clustered computers and components to act as a single pool of seamless resources. Server computer 102 includes nodes 104 , 106 , 108 and 110 , as well as system controller 112 and system controller 114 . Server computer 102 may include internal and external hardware components, as depicted and described in further detail with respect to FIG. 4 .
Each of nodes 104 through 110 is a processing device that executes user applications and is contained in server computer 102 . Each such node may be a web server, a database, or any other computing device. The embodiment illustrated in FIG. 1 depicts each node containing a processor (e.g. processor 118 of node 104 , etc.), memory (e.g. memory 120 of node 104 , etc.), and two node controllers (e.g. node controllers 116 a and 116 b of node 104 , etc.). Each node controller can be a type of service processor. Although not all shown in FIG. 1 , nodes may include any number of devices such as additional computer processors, additional computer memory, disk drive adapters, disk drives, communication adapters, bus adapters, and so on as will occur to those of skill in the art. As depicted in FIG. 1 , server computer 102 is configured with four nodes ( 104 , 106 , 108 , 110 ), but readers of skill in the art will recognize that computer systems useful in administering a system dump on a redundant node controller of a computer according to embodiments of the present invention may include any number of nodes. In various embodiments of the present invention, for example, a computer system may include from one to eight nodes.
Each node ( 104 , 106 , 108 , 110 ) in server computer 102 includes two node controllers configured in a redundant relationship, capable of taking over certain responsibilities from one another. A node controller is a device contained in a node that attends to any hardware error requests of the node that occur during operation of the computer system. A pair of node controllers in a node provides, as a group, reliable node controller operations due to redundancy—when one node controller fails, the redundant node controller takes over node controller operations for the node of the computer system. Only one node controller in a pair is configured as a primary node controller at one time. The primary node controller is the node controller in which all node controller operations are carried out for a node of the computer system. A redundant node controller, in contrast, carries out no node controller operations for the node of the computer system until the primary node controller fails. For example, in the context of server computer 102 , in node 104 , node controller 116 a is the primary node controller and node controller 116 b is the backup node controller. In node 106 , node controller 122 a is the primary node controller and node controller 122 b is the backup node controller. In node 108 , node controller 128 a is the primary node controller and node controller 128 b is the backup node controller. In node 110 , node controller 134 a is the primary node controller and node controller 134 b is the backup node controller.
Server computer 102 includes two system controllers ( 112 , 114 ). Each system controller can be a type of service processor. A system controller is a controller that manages nodes in a computer system. System controllers may collect error and operational status information from nodes during the operation of the computer system as well as direct operations of the nodes. In an embodiment of the present invention, server computer 102 includes a redundant system controller to provide reliability. In particular, in server computer 102 , system controller 112 is the primary system controller and system controller 114 is the backup system controller.
Each system controller includes nonvolatile memory storage ( 140 , 142 ), such as a hard disk drive, CD drive, DVD drive or other nonvolatile storage. Nonvolatile memory storage is used to aggregate all debug information generated during a failure situation, as discussed in detail below.
FIG. 2 is a data flow diagram depicting the intercommunications of components within the distributed computer system environment of FIG. 1 , for synchronizing debug information generation, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.
Upon detecting an error, a service processor, such as a node controller or another system controller, signals the primary system controller that a failure has occurred (step 202 ). In the illustrated embodiment, node controller 116 a signals system controller 112 that a failure has occurred. For example, node controller 116 a may observe a loss of communication with node controller 122 a . The primary system controller determines the failure conditions (step 204 ). As noted in the previous example, system controller 112 determines that a communications failure has occurred between node 104 and node 106 due to the loss of communication between node controller 116 a and node controller 122 a . In another embodiment, the primary system controller may determine failure conditions without receiving a signal from a node controller that a failure has occurred. For example, the primary system controller may determine a loss of communication with a particular node controller without the node controller sending an alert.
The primary system controller determines whether or not the failure conditions require a simultaneous dump of debug information (decision block 206 ). A simultaneous dump is when multiple service processors working in parallel provide debug information at the same time. Debug information may include first failure data capture (FFDC) as well as debug dump data, where debug dump data is a superset of FFDC that includes all information from the controller, including information that may not be directly relevant to the specific error investigation. A simultaneous dump of debug information may improve the analysis of errors within a distributed computer system by providing information from different service processors at the same instant that the error occurs. For example, capturing data from a backup node controller and/or system controller at the time of a failure of a primary node controller may provide valuable information regarding the system performance at that time. A simultaneous dump of debug information may be required if, for example, the primary system controller detects that interconnect issues arise between multiple nodes. If the primary system controller determines the failure conditions do not require a simultaneous dump of debug information from multiple service processors, no additional actions are taken (no branch, decision block 206 ).
If the primary system controller determines that the failure conditions do require a simultaneous dump of debug information (yes branch, decision block 206 ), then the primary system controller selects the service processors to alert (step 208 ). For example, in the depicted embodiment, if the interconnect between node 104 and node 106 fails, system controller 112 selects the primary and backup node controllers from each of the two nodes between which an interconnect fail has been detected, specifically, node controller 116 a , node controller 116 b , node controller 122 a and node controller 122 b , to alert to the error. In one embodiment, a map is created during system design. The map defines scenarios of one or more possible failure conditions and the service processors selected to be alerted for each of the associated failure conditions, as depicted and described in further detail with respect to FIG. 3 .
Subsequent to selecting which service processors to alert, the primary system controller broadcasts an alert to the selected node controllers and the backup system controller (step 210 ). The alert is a request to generate a dump of debug information. In the example discussed above where a communications failure has been detected between node 104 and node 106 , system controller 112 alerts node controller 116 a , node controller 116 b , node controller 122 a , node controller 122 b , and system controller 114 that a dump of debug information is required to be generated.
A plurality of techniques is introduced herein by which the primary system controller may broadcast an alert to the selected service processors from which a simultaneous dump of debug information is required. According to one such technique, in one embodiment the service processors from which a simultaneous dump of debug information is required are alerted by utilizing a programmable interrupt generator in server computer 102 that can communicate with the system controllers and all of the node controllers. A programmable interrupt generator is a device that generates interrupts to one or more selected service processors to which it is connected. For example, if system controller 112 selects node controller 116 a and node controller 122 a to alert, system controller 112 signals the interrupt generator (not shown) to interrupt node controller 116 a and node controller 122 a . According to another such technique, in another embodiment the service processors from which a simultaneous dump of debug information is required are alerted by having the primary system controller broadcast the error on the ethernet transport (not shown) on which all of the selected service processors reside. According to a third technique, in another embodiment, where an inter-node error is detected by only one service processor, one of the service processors can inform another service processor through a functional subsystem interface (FSI). The use of the FSI (not shown) may be implemented if, for example, the receiving end of an inter-node bus experiences an error, but the transmission end of the inter-node bus is not affected by the error. An FSI is a one-level interface which provides two way communications.
Responsive to receiving the alert from the primary system controller, the selected node controllers and the backup system controller generate a dump of debug information (step 212 ). Continuing the example from the illustrated embodiment, node controller 116 a , node controller 116 b , node controller 122 a , node controller 122 b , and system controller 114 each generate a dump of debug information.
Once the dumps have been generated, the selected node controllers and the backup system controller transmit the dumps of debug information to the primary system controller (step 214 ). From the previous example, node controller 116 a , node controller 116 b , node controller 122 a , node controller 122 b , and system controller 114 each transmit the associated dump to system controller 112 .
Responsive to receiving the dumps of debug information from each of the selected node controllers and the backup system controller, the primary system controller aggregates the various dumps into a single dataset (step 216 ). The aggregated dataset may be used by a system administrator to analyze the error and determine the root cause and corrective action to take. Continuing the example from the illustrated embodiment, system controller 112 aggregates the data dumps received from node controller 116 a , node controller 116 b , node controller 122 a , node controller 122 b , and system controller 114 . The aggregated dataset may be stored in memory of the primary system controller, or in the memory of any of the service processors providing that the data is accessible to a system administrator of server computer 102 . In this example, the aggregated data set is stored in memory 140 of system controller 112 .
FIG. 3 illustrates examples of scenarios for synchronizing debug information generation according to a predetermined map, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. As mentioned previously with regard to FIG. 2 , in one embodiment of the present invention, the primary system controller may determine that failure conditions require a simultaneous dump of debug information from multiple service processors by means of a map created at the time of system design. The map defines scenarios of one or more possible failure conditions and the service processors selected to be alerted for each of the associated failure conditions. In various embodiments, a map, or a collection of scenarios, is stored on one or more service processors. In the depicted embodiment, the primary system controller takes note of service processors that are functioning correctly, as well as service processors that experience an error. Scenario 1 depicts the occurrence of an inter-node failure where there is a loss of communication between node 104 and node 106 . In this scenario, the primary system controller, system controller 112 , alerts and requests debug information from the primary and backup node controllers of both node 104 and node 106 , specifically, node controller 116 a , node controller 116 b , node controller 122 a and node controller 122 b . Scenario 2 depicts the occurrence of a failure of a backup node controller, specifically node controller 122 b in node 106 . In this scenario, the primary system controller, system controller 112 , alerts and requests debug information from the node controller that experienced the error, i.e. node controller 122 b , as well as the redundant node controller of that node, node controller 122 a , and the backup system controller, system controller 114 . The backup system controller has an equal view of the system as the primary system controller. A failure experienced in a node controller may be, for example, a communication failure between the primary system controller and the failed node controller. In this case, the backup system controller may have a different view of the failure since the backup system controller did not experience the failure. Therefore the debug information dumped by the backup system controller may assist in the failure analysis. Scenario 3 depicts the occurrence of a failure of a backup node controller, specifically node controller 116 b in node 104 . In this scenario, the primary system controller, system controller 112 , alerts and requests debug information from the node controller that experienced the error, i.e. node controller 116 b , as well as the redundant node controller of that node, node controller 116 a , and the backup system controller, system controller 114 . It should be appreciated that the scenarios depicted in FIG. 3 are examples of the many scenarios that may exist in a complex, distributed computer system, and do not imply any limitations with regard to scenarios for simultaneous debug information generation for server computer 102 .
FIG. 4 depicts a block diagram of components of server computer 102 in accordance with an illustrative embodiment of the present invention. It should be appreciated that FIG. 4 provides only an illustration of one implementation and does not imply any limitations with regard to the environments in which different embodiments may be implemented. Many modifications to the depicted environment may be made.
Server computer 102 includes communications fabric 402 , which provides communications between computer processor(s) 404 , memory 406 , persistent storage 408 , communications unit 410 , and input/output (I/O) interface(s) 412 . Communications fabric 402 can be implemented with any architecture designed for passing data and/or control information between processors (such as microprocessors, communications and network processors, etc.), system memory, peripheral devices, and any other hardware components within a system. For example, communications fabric 402 can be implemented with one or more buses.
Memory 406 and persistent storage 408 are computer-readable storage media. In this embodiment, memory 406 includes random access memory (RAM) 414 and cache memory 416 . In general, memory 406 can include any suitable volatile or non-volatile computer-readable storage media.
Aggregated debug datasets are stored in persistent storage 408 for execution and/or access by one or more of the respective computer processors 404 via one or more memories of memory 406 . In this embodiment, persistent storage 408 includes a magnetic hard disk drive. Alternatively, or in addition to a magnetic hard disk drive, persistent storage 408 can include a solid state hard drive, a semiconductor storage device, read-only memory (ROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), flash memory, or any other computer-readable storage media that is capable of storing program instructions or digital information.
The media used by persistent storage 408 may also be removable. For example, a removable hard drive may be used for persistent storage 408 . Other examples include optical and magnetic disks, thumb drives, and smart cards that are inserted into a drive for transfer onto another computer-readable storage medium that is also part of persistent storage 408 .
Communications unit 410 , in these examples, provides for communications with other data processing systems or devices, including resources of server computer 102 . In these examples, communications unit 410 includes one or more network interface cards. Communications unit 410 may provide communications through the use of either or both physical and wireless communications links. Aggregated debug datasets may be downloaded to persistent storage 408 through communications unit 410 .
I/O interface(s) 412 allows for input and output of data with other devices that may be connected to server computer 102 . For example, I/O interface 412 may provide a connection to external devices 418 such as a keyboard, keypad, a touch screen, and/or some other suitable input device. External devices 418 can also include portable computer-readable storage media such as, for example, thumb drives, portable optical or magnetic disks, and memory cards. Software and data used to practice embodiments of the present invention can be stored on such portable computer-readable storage media and can be loaded onto persistent storage 408 via I/O interface(s) 412 . I/O interface(s) 412 also connect to a display 420 .
Display 420 provides a mechanism to display data to a user and may be, for example, a computer monitor.
The programs described herein are identified based upon the application for which they are implemented in a specific embodiment of the invention. However, it should be appreciated that any particular program nomenclature herein is used merely for convenience, and thus the invention should not be limited to use solely in any specific application identified and/or implied by such nomenclature.
The flowchart and block diagrams in the Figures illustrate the architecture, functionality, and operation of possible implementations of systems, methods and computer program products according to various embodiments of the present invention. In this regard, each block in the flowchart or block diagrams may represent a module, segment, or portion of code, which comprises one or more executable instructions for implementing the specified logical function(s). It should also be noted that, in some alternative implementations, the functions noted in the block may occur out of the order noted in the figures. For example, two blocks shown in succession may, in fact, be executed substantially concurrently, or the blocks may sometimes be executed in the reverse order, depending upon the functionality involved. It will also be noted that each block of the block diagrams and/or flowchart illustration, and combinations of blocks in the block diagrams and/or flowchart illustration, can be implemented by special purpose hardware-based systems that perform the specified functions or acts, or combinations of special purpose hardware and computer instructions.
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In an approach for determining a location of failure between interconnects/controller, a computer collects debug information simultaneously at a plurality of nodes coupled to an interconnect. Subsequent to collecting debug information, the computer analyzes the debug information collected simultaneously thereby determining which end of the interconnect caused the failure.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the invention.
The field of the invention relates to the manufacture of footwear having a soft insole and an outsole provided with a cavity for receiving a cushion.
2. Brief description of the prior art.
The manufacture of footwear has involved a number of different processes depending upon the final product which is desired. There are, for example, three basic methods of outsole attachment: cementing, molding, and sewing. Cemented footwear includes any shoe in which the outsole is held in place by means of cement. One type of sole attached by the cement process is known as the "unit sole". A unit sole has generally been defined as an entire sole and heel construction that is molded separately as a single unit. A mold is closed to define a cavity having a desired shape and a soling compound is injected into the cavity. After the unit has been removed from the mold, it may be attached to an upper by the cement process. U.S. Pat. No. 2,995,840 provides an example of a unit sole made by a molding process.
Injection molded shoes are manufactured by placing an assembled upper in position in the loading station of the molding machine, closing the mold, and forcing a soling compound into a cavity formed between the bottom of the mold and the shoe bottom. The process lends itself to the production of casual footwear.
There are a number of sewing processes which are well known to the art for attaching an outsole. Many dress and work shoes today have a welted construction where the outside is stitched to a welt.
Cement construction shoes generally suffer a disadvantage compared to those of welt construction in that there is not enough room between the insole and the outsole for an adequate cushioning material. The unit sole is made of the same material throughout its thickness, and this material must be selected more for its wear resistance than its cushioning effect, especially in dress shoes with light weight edges.
A further disadvantage of the present process for manufacturing cement construction unit soled shoes is that the insole must be made of material that is too firm and stiff for good comfort. This firmness and stiffness are needed to withstand various machine lasting operations without buckling, wrinkling, or moving out of position. Hot melt machine lasting operations are by their very nature fast and forceful as they wipe the taut leather into place against the insole. It is not practical to hold the insole in place with tacks out near the edges, because the tacks would be covered by the lasted over upper, and exceedingly dangerous to the wearer if not removed. As a result, the tacks that temporarily hold the insole must be near the middle, increasing the need for stiffness in the insole. Often cement construction insoles are molded into a shallow compound shape to fit the bottom of the last, and firmness and stiffness are also required to hold the molded shape.
Attempts have been made to temporarily secure a stiffening material to a relatively soft insole by means of LATEX or rubber cement. While this will enable the insole to withstand the lasting process, difficulty has been experienced in removing the stiffener after lasting.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the invention to produce a shoe having maximum comfort for the wearer in an efficient and economical manner.
A unit sole is provided having a heel and outsole made from materials having good wear resistance. A cavity is formed within the unit sole for accomodating a cushion. The cushion is preferably thicker than the cavity in most instances. A cement margin defines the peripheral edges of the cavity, said edges preferably being perpendicular to the outsole. The margin includes a raised peripheral edge. When an upper is attached to the cement margin, the raised peripheral edge prevents one from viewing the bonding between the members and accordingly provides a more attractive appearance.
A soft, flexible insole is also provided by the invention. When used in conjunction with the cushion, a superior fit and more comfort for the wearer are possible. As explained above, insoles must be firm and stiff to resist the action of machines that apply the cement and press the edge of the upper over the edge of the insole. Once the shoe is lasted, however, and especially after the outsole is attached, there is no longer any need for such an insole. This is particularly true where the insole has a good cushioning material beneath it providing resilience and firm support.
To construct a shoe having these desirable qualities, a soft flexible insole is laminated to a piece of inexpensive cardboard or fiberboard or the like with a selected wax. The cardboard is applied to the side of the insole positioned next to the last during the manufacturing process and next to the wearer's foot in the finished shoe. The wax is warmed after the shoe is finished so that the cardboard may be removed therefrom.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating the application of a soft insole to a relatively stiff suppott member;
FIG. 2 is a sectional view illustrating the laminate formed by the process shown in FIG. 1, the members shown being enlarged for purposes of illustration;
FIG. 3 is a perspective view illustrating the application of an upper and a supported insole to a last;
FIG. 4 is a perspective view illustrating the upper assembled to the last before being pulled over and cemented in place;
FIG. 5 is a perspective view illustrating the margins of the upper as pulled over and cemented to the insole upon the last;
FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a unit sole employed in conjunction with the invention; and
FIG. 7 is a partially sectional perspective view of a finished shoe manufactured in accordance with the invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
FIGS. 1-5 illustrate a method of manufacturing an upper of a shoe which may then be cemented to a unit sole to form a finished shoe. A selected wax 10 is melted and then applied by hand or by a standard commercial waxing machine to a relatively stiff cardboard support member 12. A relatively soft leather insole 14 is applied to the waxed side of the cardboard 12. The cardboard is cut with the same die as the insole either before or after it is joined thereto. The laminated structure 16 may be pressed in a hydraulic clicker or cutting press.
The cardboard 12 is positioned on the grain side of the leather which is the side next to the last during the shoemaking process. The wax holds the soft flexible insole 14 to the cardboard with a bond of sufficient strength to allow the laminate 16 to be molded if desired, tacked to the last, and put through the remaining lasting and shoemaking steps with little or no change from the usual process.
FIG. 3 illustrates an upper 18 and the laminate 16 being applied to a last 20. Tacks 22 as shown in FIG. 4 are employed to temporarily fasten the center of the laminate 16 to the last. The margins of the leather upper 18 are then pulled over the margins of the laminate as shown in FIG. 5 and cemented thereto. A finished upper is accordingly formed which may be secured to an outsole by the usual procedures used for cement shoes.
After the shoe is lasted and the stiffness of the insole is no longer needed, the wax is heated either through a normal shoemaking step or a special warming operation whereby the bonding decreases and the stiffener can be removed from the shoe. The heat setting operation, and the pump forming operation if used, heat the wax enough to loosen the bond. However, a warm air heat system would be desirable for high production. The cardboard may be removed from the finished shoe 24 as shown in FIG. 7. The insole is given a swab with a cloth covered brush having a handle shaped to reach within the shoe. Any traces of wax remaining on the insole are burnished into the leather in a similar manner to the pasting and polishing of the outside of the shoe. Since the insole is unfinished and porous, the process is both swift and simple.
The wax employed in accordance with the invention is selected to have the correct bonding characteristics for the particular insole and stiffening member used. It should release its bond at a practical temperature and not leave a residue on the insole that will detract from its appeal to a consumer. It will be appreciated that the insole and stiffening members may be made from any materials suitable for their intended purposes. A number of different waxes are suitable for use with soft flexible leather insoles. Some waxes used in the tanning process would be compatible. The wax used herein is a commercially available blend of mostly parrafin and beeswax with selected polymers added to increase tackiness.
The finished upper 26 produced in accordance with the steps shown in FIGS. 1-5 is most advantageously employed in conjunction with the unit sole 28 shown in FIG. 6. The unit sole 28 includes an integrally molded heel 30 and outsole 32. A lift 34 may be secured to the heel 30 if desired.
The unit sole includes a cavity defined by the upper surface 36 of the outsole 32 and the inner edges 38 of a cement margin 40. The upper surface of the cement margin is the surface to which the upper is secured. A cushion 42 is provided within the cavity. The cushion may be inserted after the unit sole is made or may be created at the same time. Various foams may be employed or, alternatively, a material similar to the one described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,790,150 can be used. The cushion should be thicker than the cavity. This has the effect of pre-loading it around the edges when the unit sole is attached to the upper.
The cardboard stiffening member discussed above adds a small amount to the space inside the shoe equal to about a quarter size. The outside appearance of the shoe does not increase in thickness as the laminated insole structure is no thicker than a conventional fibre insole. By making the cavity of the unit sole shallower than the cushion thickness, the cushion will spring back when the last is pulled to offset the effect of the stiffening member. A better transition from the soft cushion to the firm cement margin is also obtained.
Two shoemaking steps should be modified to give full advantage to the wearer of soft flexible insoles and good cushioning between the insole and outsole. One is to skive the perimeter of the flesh side of the upper to obtain a beveled edge. this is most economically done as part of the regular skiving of the uppers. In addition, when roughing the bottom for outsole attachement, the lasted over upper should be roughed down to a feather edge to produce a smooth layer between the cushion and the wearer's foot. The cost of skiving and extra roughing is offset by the fact that the usual felt filler can be omitted.
Unit soles for higher quality shoes usually include provisions for a steel shank to stiffen the rear portion thereof and provide support for the occasional foot that requires it. The unit soles provided herein should have the shank under the cushion and attached to the unit sole rather than on top of the cushion and attached to the insole. The shank can be molded in as part of the unit sole or placed within a recess depending upon whether different shoemakers may want different shanks within the same unit. The shanks may also be laid directly on a plain flat bottom of the cushion cavity. This would require that the shank be thin and flat so that it will not be felt through the cushion and insole.
Some unit soles with thick or heavy edges, particularly ones made with the appearance of a raised platform sole and a higher than average heel, are made with a ribbed surface adjacent the insole. The outside is beneath the ribs and together therewith defines one or more air spaces. These spaces reduce the weight and cost of material. Ordinarily the stiff, firm insole bridges the spaces between the ribs and supports the wearers foot. When such a unit sole is re-designed to provide a cavity for a cushion under the insole, it is necessary to make the cavity sufficiently deeper than the cushion to provide space for a midsole therebeneath. The midsole is designed to provide support for the wearer over the open spaces between the ribs and may be of comparable stiffness to a conventional insole. It can be made from less expensive material, however, since it does not lie directly against the wearer's foot, does not need to absorb much perspiration, and need not adapt to foot shape during the breaking in period.
A raised edge 44 extends upwardly from the cement margin 40 to complement the last and pattern designs of the shoe. Its upper surface may be decorative if desired. Cement shoes without raised edges may be designed in an attempt to make the sole inconspicuous and leave the style impression entirely with the upper.
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A cement construction shoe is provided having a soft, flexible insole and a cushioned outsole. In manufacturing the shoe, the insole is temporarily stiffened by a relatively firm member to which it is bonded by means of a wax. This enables the insole to withstand the normal lasting procedure. The outsole is provided with a cavity for receiving a cushion therein. The shoe upper is attached to the outsole such that the insole overlies the cushion. Once the shoe is completed, the wax bond between the insole and its stiffener may be heated to allow the separation and removal of the latter.
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This is a division of application Ser. No. 352,945, filed Feb. 26, 1982, U.S. Pat. No. 4,417,928.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for quenching tubulars and, more particularly, to a method and apparatus for simultaneously quenching the inside and outside surfaces of tubulars.
2. Prior Art
In order to produce the desired metallurgical properties in tubular goods, it is necessary to provide heat treatments which may include rapid quenching from elevated temperatures to below the lower critical temperature. Such quenching may be provided in various ways, including water spraying on the external surface of the tubular, water spraying on the internal surface of the tubular, dipping the tubular vertically into a quenching bath, simultaneous water spraying on both the external and internal surfaces of the tubular, or dipping the tubular laterally into a quenching bath.
Kuchera U.S. Pat. No. 3,252,695 discloses an apparatus for quenching channel members in which the channel is held in a horizontal position by movable die sections and quenched on its inside and outside surfaces along its length. The method of quenching is set forth in the contemporaneous Kuchera U.S. Pat. No. 3,294,597.
Winston U.S. Pat. No. 3,682,722 describes a method of quenching tubulars by suspending the tubular in a tower, heating the tubular and then lowering it into a pit between rotating inside and outside quenching heads.
Huseby U.S. Pat. No. 3,294,599 describes a method and apparatus by which tubulars are simultaneously quenched on the inside and the outside by passing the heated tubular in a horizontal direction between inside and outside quenching heads. The tubular is first heated in a horizontal furnace and then passed in a horizontal direction over one of two inside quenching heads mounted on quenching mandrels having a length sufficient to accommodate the length of the tubular. The outer quenching head is then indexed horizontally toward the furnace to clear the tubular, and the inside quenching assembly is then moved laterally so as to register the second inside quenching head with the horizontal furnace and outside quenching head thereby permitting the quenching of a second tubular while the first quenched tubular is removed from the apparatus. Huseby also discloses an alternative apparatus wherein a single outside and inside quenching assembly is mounted to swing in a horizontal plane to permit removal of the quenched tubular from the quenching mandrel.
Pope et al. U.S. Pat. No. 4,123,301 discloses another method and apparatus for providing simultaneous inside and outside quenching of tubulars. Pope discloses a fixed outside quenching head and an axially movable mandrel upon which is mounted an inside quenching head. The heated tubular is first passed over the inside quenching head when that head is in registry with the outside quenching head. Thereafter, the mandrel and inside quenching head are moved axially to clear the tubular and the tubular is transferred laterally to a conveyor leading either to a tempering furnace or across a cooling bed to a delivery conveyor. The mandrel and inside cooling head are then returned axially to the initial position to receive another heated tubular.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In accordance with the present invention, an apparatus and method is provided simultaneously to quench a tubular on the inside and outside surfaces during horizontal axial movement of the heated tubular into the apparatus. The apparatus comprises a generally cylindrical frame carrying two external and internal quench heads mounted 180° apart on the cylindrical frame. The cylindrical frame is mounted for oscillatory motion about the axis of the frame through an angle of 180°. In accordance with the invention, a first heated tubular is delivered to the apparatus for simultaneous inside and outside quenching while the cylindrical frame is in a first position. Thereafter, the cylindrical frame and the first tubular is oscillated through 180° to the second position where the first tubular may be withdrawn from the apparatus. In its second position, the second inside and outside quenching heads are in registry with the heating furnace so that a second tubular may be quenched while the first tubular is being withdrawn from the apparatus. Thereafter, the cylindrical frame and the second quenched tubular are oscillated back to the first position where the first inside and outside quenching heads are in registry with the furnace and the second quenched tubular can be withdrawn. The apparatus and method of the present invention provide substantially continuous quenching of tubulars in a relatively compact apparatus having a delivery on one side only of the heating furnace.
Further objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent in the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the drawings in which:
FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic top plan view of apparatus in accordance with the present invention wherein the tubular is quenched while moving into the apparatus in a direction from the right end of the drawing and removed from the apparatus in a direction toward the right end of the drawing.
FIG. 1A is an enlarged fragmentary top view of the apparatus showing, in greater detail, certain of the quenching heads, clamps, and conveyors shown in FIG. 1.
FIG. 2 is a diagrammatic elevational view of the apparatus shown in FIG. 1 showing the quenching side and related guide rolls, quench conveyors, and clamps.
FIG. 3A is a vertical cross-sectional view taken along lines 3A--3A of FIG. 1 showing the guide roll and pinch roll assemblies in their respective engaged positions.
FIG. 3B is a vertical cross-sectional view of the guide roll and pinch roll assemblies of FIG. 3A in their respective retracted positions.
FIG. 4A is a vertical cross-sectional view taken along lines 4A--4A of FIG. 1 showing the conveyor rolls in the support position.
FIG. 4B is a vertical cross-sectional view of the conveyor rolls shown in FIG. 4A but in the retracted position.
FIG. 5 is a vertical cross-sectional view taken along lines 5--5 of FIG. 1 showing, on the left, the pipe clamps in the engaged position and, on the right, the pipe clamps in the disengaged position.
FIG. 6 is a vertical cross-sectional view taken along lines 6--6 of FIG. 1 showing on the left the tube clamps in the open position and, on the right, the tube clamps in the closed position.
FIG. 7a is an enlarged elevational view taken along lines 7A--7A of FIG. 1 showing, in more detail, the outside quenching head assemblies.
FIG. 7b is an enlarged cross-sectional view taken along lines 7B--7B of FIG. 1 showing, in more detail, the outside quenching head assemblies.
FIG. 8 is a fragmentary enlarged view of one of the mandrel and inside quenching head assemblies.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Referring first to FIGS. 1, 1A, and 2, the apparatus of the present invention comprises a generally cylindrical oscillatable frame 10 mounted for rotation on rollers 12 supported by the foundation 14. The frame 10 may be oscillated through an angle of 180° about the longitudinal axis of the apparatus by winch mechanisms 16, 18 through drive cables 20, 22. The winch mechanisms 16, 18 are mounted on the foundation 14.
The apparatus includes a guide roll assembly 24, and a pinch roll assembly 26 shown in more detail in FIGS. 3A and 3B; a series of quench conveyor assemblies 28 and unload conveyor assemblies 30 shown in more detail in FIGS. 4A and 4B. The apparatus also includes a series of pipe clamp assemblies 32 shown in more detail in FIG. 5 and a series of tube clamp assemblies 34 shown in more detail in FIG. 6.
The inside quench heads 36 (see FIG. 8) are mounted on mandrels 38 disposed parallel to the axis of the frame 10 and located within the outside quench head assemblies 40. The outside quench assemblies 40 are shown in more detail in FIGS. 7A and 7B and are located at the entry end of the apparatus shown at the right end of FIG. 1. Water for the outside quench heads 40 is delivered through the water supply system 46, the main 42 disposed parallel to the axis of the frame 10, distributors 45, and flexible hoses 43, while water for the inside quench heads 36 is delivered through the mandrels 38 and feeders 44 from the water supply system 46.
The principal components of the apparatus also include water cooled entry guide rolls 48 and a tube stop assembly 50.
Before describing in further detail the various assemblies and components referred to above, it will be helpful to outline the overall operation of apparatus in reference to FIG. 1. A tubular heated in an adjacent furnace (not shown) enters the apparatus at the point and in the direction indicated by arrow 52 at the top right of the drawing where it is engaged by the entry guide rolls 48 which are skewed so as to drive and rotate the tubular. The tubular is first directed through the inside and outside quenching heads 36, 40 and over the mandrel 38 which carries the inside quenching head 36. Thereafter, the tubular is engaged by the guide roll assembly 24 and, sequentially, by the several quench conveyor assemblies 28. When the tubular engages the tube stop assembly 50, the conveyors and guides stop, the tube clamp assemblies 34 engage the tubular, the conveyor assemblies 28, 30, guide roll assembly 24, and pinch roll assembly 26 are retracted and the frame 10 is oscillated through 180°. Thereafter, the conveyor assemblies 28, 30 are returned to the support position and the quenched tubular is withdrawn or unloaded from the apparatus in the direction of the arrow 54 while a second heated tubular is being quenched in the apparatus. Following the unloading of the first tubular and the quenching of the second tubular, the clamps 32 are engaged, the conveyors 28, 30 and the guide and pinch rolls 24, 26 are retracted and the frame is rotated back to its original position. Thereafter, the cycle of operations is repeated.
Guide Rolls and Pinch Rolls
Reference is now made to FIGS. 3A and 3B which show in more detail the water cooled guide rolls 24 on the entry side of the apparatus and the pinch rolls 26 on the exit side of the apparatus. In this view the cylindrical form of the frame 10 and its mounting on the rollers 12 is clearly shown. The frame 10 may conveniently be formed from circular segments 56 welded to tubulars 58 and reinforced by longitudinal plates 60.
Symmetrically disposed on each longitudinal side of the cylindrical frame 10 is a support frame 62 formed from structural steel members and adapted to carry the guide rolls 24, the quench conveyors 28, the unload conveyors 30 and the pinch rolls 26.
The guide rolls 24 comprise a pivotally mounted lower jaw member 64 and a pivotally mounted upper jaw member 66. The position of the lower jaw member 64 is controlled by an hydraulic cylinder 68. Mounted on the lower jaw member 64 is a variable speed drive motor 70 and a direct driven vee-roller 72. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 1A, the guide rolls 24 are mounted at an acute angle to the line of motion of the tubulars through the apparatus so as to induce a combination of motion comprising rotation and translation to a tubular as it passes through the quenching portion of the apparatus.
The upper jaw 66 of the guide rolls 24 is pivotally mounted on the frame 62 and its position controlled by an hydraulic cylinder 74. A vee-shaped guide roller 76 is freely journalled on an adjustable mounting 78 affixed to the upper jaw 66 and adapted to accommodate a range of tubulars. When engaged, the upper jaw member 66 strikes the shock absorber 80. The upper jaw 66 may be adjusted by the threaded link 82 in conjunction with a scale 84 calibrated to indicate the diameter of the various tubulars to be processed by the apparatus.
As shown in FIG. 3B, the upper jaw 66 and the lower jaw 64 may be pivoted so as to be clear of the frame 10 by actuation of both hydraulic cylinders 68 and 74. In the retracted position the lower jaw strikes the shock absorber 86.
FIGS. 3A and 3B also show the pinch roll assembly 26 on the unload side of the apparatus. The pinch rolls 26 are similar in construction to the guide rolls 24 but are mounted normal to the path of movement of the tubular through the apparatus since it is unnecessary to impart a rotating motion to the tubular after it has been quenched. The pinch rolls 26 comprise a pivotally mounted lower jaw 88 and a pivotally mounted upper jaw 90. The position of the lower jaw is controlled by an hydraulic cylinder 92 mounted between the lower jaw 88 and the support frame 62. A pinch rolls vee-roller 94 is freely journalled on a mounting 95 affixed to the lower jaw 88 and driven by a pinch roll motor 96 also mounted on the lower jaw 88.
The position of the upper jaw 90 of the pinch roll 26 is controlled by an hydraulic cylinder 98. In the engaged position, the upper jaw strikes the shock absorber 100. A vee-roller 102 is freely journalled in a mounting 103 adjustably mounted in the upper jaw 90. The vertical position of the vee-roller 102 and mounting 103 relative to the upper jaw 90 may be controlled by the mechanism 104, which resiliently loads the upper vee-roller 102 and mounting 103 so as to provide the desired pinch pressure required to drive the tubular out of the apparatus. As shown in FIG. 3B, when the upper and lower pinch roll jaws 90 and 88 are retracted, the pinch rolls 26 are free from the frame 10 which may then be oscillated to the desired position. In the retracted position, the lower pinch roll jaw 88 strikes a shock absorber 106.
Quench and Guide Conveyors
As shown in FIG. 1, there are a series of five quench conveyors 28 on the quench side of the apparatus and five guide conveyors 30 on the unloading side of the apparatus. These conveyors are shown in more detail in FIGS. 4A and 4B. As in the case of the guide rolls 24 and pinch rolls 26, the quench conveyors are positioned at an acute angle to the line of motion of the tubular through the apparatus so as to impart a rotary motion to the tubular during the quenching operation. The guide conveyors 30 are located normal to the line of motion of the tubular since it is unnecessary to rotate the quenched tubular during the unloading sequence.
Referring now to FIG. 4A, the quench side of the apparatus is shown at the left while the unloading side is shown at the right. The quench conveyor 28 comprises a jaw 108 which is pivotally mounted on the support frame 62. The jaw 108 is controlled by an hydraulic cylinder 110. In its retracted position as shown in FIG. 4B, the jaw 108 strikes a shock aborber 112. A quench conveyor variable speed drive motor 114 is mounted on the jaw 108 and drives a quench conveyor vee-roller 116 freely journalled in a mounting 117. The quenched tubular is conveyed over the vee-roller 116. The unloading conveyor 30 comprises a pivotally mounted jaw 118 whose position is controlled by an hydraulic cylinder 120 mounted between the support frame 62 and the jaw 118. An unloading conveyor drive motor 122 is mounted on the jaw 118 and drives a vee-roller 124 freely journalled in a mounting 125 which is affixed to the jaw 118. In its retracted position, the jaw 118 strikes a shock absorber 126 mounted on the support frame 62. As in the case of the guide rolls 24 and the pinch rolls 26, when the jaws of the quench conveyors 28 and the unloading conveyors 30 are in the retracted position, the frame 10 may be oscillated between its extreme positions.
FIGS. 4A and 4B also show one of the three sets of stop mechanisms 128 by which the oscillating motion of the frame 10 is limited. The stops are located at each end of the frame 10 and in the central region of the frame 10. The stop 128 comprises a bracket 130 welded to the frame 10, a roller 132 and a stop 133 affixed to the bracket 130 which, respectively, are adapted to strike against a shock absorber 134 and a stop 135, both mounted on the support frame 62. The stop 128 is shown in solid lines at the left side of FIGS. 4A and 4B and in phantom lines at the right side of FIGS. 4A and 4B, where it strikes a second shock absorber 136 and stop 138, both mounted on the support frame 62 to define the extreme rotated position of the frame 10.
FIG. 5 illustrates the pipe clamps 32 mounted within the frame 10. The clamp 32 on the quench side of the apparatus is shown in the closed or clamped position while the clamp 32 on the unloading side of the apparatus is shown in the open or unclamped position. Each pipe clamp 32 comprises a pair of vertically disposed guide channels 140 affixed to the frame 10. A pair of adjustable clamp stops 142 is mounted on each guide channel 140 to define the clamped position of the pipe clamps. Each clamp 32 also comprises an upper clamp face 144 and a lower clamp face 146 disposed between roller members 148 which are adapted to roll on the guide channels 140 and engage the stops 142. The position of the upper clamp face 144 is controlled by an hydraulic cylinder 150 mounted between the frame 10 and the upper clamp face 144. Similarly, the position of the lower clamp face 146 is controlled by an hydraulic cylinder 152 mounted between the frame 10 and the lower clamp face 146.
As shown in FIG. 1, there are three sets of pipe clamps 32 disposed along the length of the apparatus. The pipe clamps are adapted to engage the mandrels 38 which carry the inside quench heads 36 and maintain the mandrels 38 in proper registry whenever the mandrels 38 are not supported by a tubular. Thus, the pipe clamps 32 are sequentially opened as a tubular enters the quench side of the apparatus and sequentially closed as a tubular is unloaded from the apparatus. FIG. 5 also shows the stop mechanisms 128 for the oscillatable frame 10 and, on the right, vee-roller 124 of an adjacent unloading conveyor 30.
FIG. 6 illustrates one of the five tubular clamps 34 which are disposed along the length of the apparatus as shown in FIG. 1. Referring to FIG. 6, the tubular clamps 34 are mounted within the frame 10 and comprise a central vertical column 154 affixed at each end to the frame 10. The central column 154 carries a pair of fixed jaw members 156 and a pair of pivotally mounted jaw members 158. Each fixed jaw member 156 carries a vee-roller 160 freely journalled in a mounting 162. The position of the pivotally mounted jaw members 158 are controlled by hydraulic cylinders 164 mounted between the vertical column 154 and the jaw members 158. Each jaw member 158 is provided with a stop 166 which contacts an adjustable stop 168, the position of which is controlled by an hydraulic cylinder 170 mounted between the vertical column 154 and the adjustable stop 168. The adjustable stop 168 is provided with a scale 172 calibrated to indicate the size of the tubular being processed by the apparatus.
It will be understood that the tubular clamps 34 will be maintained in the open position on the quench side of the apparatus as the tubular is being quenched. Thereafter, and prior to rotation of the frame 10, the quench side tubular clamps 34 are closed and the frame 10 is rotated to bring the tubular to the unloading side of the apparatus. Prior to the commencement of the unloading sequence, the tubular clamps 34 are opened to permit longitudinal motion of the tubular along the several unload conveyors 30.
FIGS. 7A and 7B are, respectively, elevational and cross-sectional views of the outside quench assemblies 40. These assemblies comprise a manifold 174 fed by a plurality of flexible hoses 43 which communicate with the distributors 45 and the water main 42. The inner surface of the manifold 174 is cylindrical and coaxial with the mandrels 38 and is provided with a large number of orifices 175 angled away from the entry end of the apparatus.
The inside diameter of the manifold 174 may vary from about 141/2 inches for tubulars in the diameter range of 41/2 to 7 inches to about 175/8 inches for tubulars in the diameter range of 75/8 to 9.82 inches to about 203/4 inches for tubulars in the diameter range of 103/4 to 133/8 inches. In each case, the orifices 175 are preferably 5/32 inch in diameter and located on 2-inch centers along the length of the manifold 174. The lines of orifices 176 may be spaced about 1.3 to 1.5 inches apart and alternately offset so that each orifice 175 is substantially equidistant from all adjacent orifices 175. Depending on the diameter of the manifold 174, the total number of orifices 175 may vary from about 525 to 805. As each outside quench head 40 comprises two manifolds 174 in axial alignment, the total number of orifices varies between about 1050 and 1610. Preferably, the orifices 175 are disposed at an angle of about 30° to the axis of the manifold 174 and are aimed away from the entry end of the apparatus, i.e., in the direction of the motion of the tubular as it is being quenched.
The manifolds 174 are mounted on a lift table 176, the position of which may be adjusted by an hydraulic lift mechanism 178 so as to assure that the quench manifolds 174 are properly aligned with the tubular being processed. FIG. 7B also shows the stop mechanisms 128 which define the limits of rotation of the frame 10.
FIG. 8 shows a fragmentary view of one of the mandrels 38 and the inside quench head 36 welded to the free end of the mandrel 38. A series of skids 180 are welded to the mandrel 38 at spaced intervals along its length. The outer diameter of the mandrel at the location of the skids is somewhat smaller than the inside diameter of the tubular to be processed so that the mandrel is guided through the tubular substantially along the axis of the tubular. Depending upon the size of the tubular to be processed, the length of the inside quench section 36 containing a plurality of holes 182 may vary from about 4 feet to about 6 feet. The holes, which may vary in diameter from about 1/8 inch to about 5/32 inch, are preferably spaced on 1 inch centers in the longitudinal direction and between about 0.916 and 1.02 inch in the circumferential direction. Preferably, the lines of holes 182 are alternately offset so that each hole 182 is substantially equidistant from all adjacent holes 182. Depending upon the size of the tubular being processed, the inside quench head may have between about 570 and 1200 holes. It is desirable to provide a water pressure at the quench heads in the range of 30 to about 100 psi in order to obtain rapid quenching of the tubular.
Operation
The operation of the apparatus is as follows. Steel tubulars are heated in an appropriate furnace disposed adjacent to the entry end of the apparatus generally to a uniform temperature above about 1550° F. in order to attain an austenitic structure in the steel. At the beginning of the operation, the pipe clamp assemblies 32 are engaged with the mandrels 38 so as to locate the mandrels on the axis of the travel of the tubular; the guide rolls 24, the quench conveyors 28 are in the engaged positions and the tube clamps 34 are open. In addition, the conveyor motors are operating and the quenching water is flowing. The tubular is then withdrawn from the furnace, engaged by the entry rolls 48 and driven between the inside quench head 36 and the outside quench head 40. The tubular is then engaged and driven by the guide rolls 24. As the tubular approaches the first pipe clamp 32, that clamp is opened to release the mandrel 38 and permit the tubular to continue to move onto the mandrel. The tubular then successively engages the first and second quench conveyors 28. As the tubular approaches the second pipe clamp 32, that clamp also opens and the tubular successively engages the third and fourth quench conveyors 28. Thereafter, the third pipe clamp 32 opens and the tubular continues its advance, engaging the fifth and last quench conveyor 28. The tubular then strikes the stop 50 and comes to rest, its trailing end having now cleared the quench heads 36 and 40. When the tubular strikes the stop 50, the guide rolls 24 and conveyors 28 stop, the tube clamp assemblies 34 are closed, and the guide roll and quench conveyor jaws are moved to the retracted position, thereby permitting the frame 10 to be rotated 180° in a counter-clockwise direction as viewed from the entry end of the apparatus so as to position the tubular on the unload side of the apparatus. The unload conveyors 30 are then moved to the engaged position, the tube clamps 34 opened, and the unload conveyors 30 driven so as to unload the tubular in the direction of the arrow 54 (FIG. 1). As the tubular passes each pipe clamp 32, that clamp closes so as to hold the mandrel 38 in place.
It will be understood that as soon as the tubular is positioned on the unload side of the apparatus, a second heated tubular may be processed through the quench heads following the same sequence as set forth above. When the second tubular has come to rest against the stop and the conveyors are retracted and the tube clamps engaged, the frame 10 is again rotated 180°, but this time the direction is clockwise so that after two cycles the apparatus has returned to its original position.
It is desirable to quench the tubulars from above about 1550° F. to about 700° F. in a time interval of about 0.5 second in order to obtain a substantially martensitic structure in the quenched steel. This can be accomplished with a tubular speed of about 40 feet per minute in the apparatus of the present invention. As the tubulars are nominally 48 to 50 feet long, the quenching operation can be conducted in about one minute. An additional minute, or less, is required to retract the conveyors, rotate the frame 10, and re-engage the conveyors. Thus, the apparatus is able to quench about 30 to 40 tubulars per hour or about 300 tubulars per turn.
The terms and expressions which have been employed are used as terms of description and not of limitation, and there is no intention in the use of such terms and expressions of excluding any equivalents of the features shown and described or portions thereof, but it is recognized that various modifications are possible within the scope of the invention claimed.
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An apparatus and method is provided simultaneously to quench a tubular on the inside and outside surfaces during horizontal axial movement of the heated tubular into the apparatus. The apparatus comprises a generally cylindrical frame carrying two external and internal quench heads mounted 180° apart on the cylindrical frame. The cylindrical frame is mounted for oscillatory motion about the axis of the frame through an angle of 180°. A first heated tubular is delivered to the apparatus for simultaneous inside and outside quenching while the cylindrical frame is in a first position. Thereafter, the cylindrical frame and the first tubular is oscillated through 180° to the second position where the first tubular may be withdrawn from the apparatus. In its second position, the second inside and outside quenching heads are in registry with the heating furnace so that a second tubular may be quenched while the first tubular is being withdrawn from the apparatus. Thereafter, the cylindrical frame and the second quenched tubular are oscillated back to the first position where the first inside and outside quenching heads are in registry with the furnace and the second quenched tubular can be withdrawn. The apparatus and method provide substantially continuous quenching of tubulars in a relatively compact apparatus having a delivery on one side only of the heating furnace.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] 1. Field of Invention
[0002] This invention relates to removable hurricane storm shutters, to protect a window during a storm from wind and flying debris.
[0003] 2. Description of Related Art
[0004] The use of storm shutters to protect a window during a storm is well known in the prior art. Typically, these shutters may consist of a precut portion of material such as plywood, attached to the outer frame of a window. These panels may be attached to the outer window frame by hinges, nails or screws, or by use of a bracket assembly mounted to the outer window frame allowing the storm shutter to be slid into place.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0005] Hurricane storm shutters must be precut to fit individual windows. This requires that each window on a house be measured and a storm shutter cut to fit that particular window. Thus, these storm shutters are not interchangeable between windows of different sizes.
[0006] In addition, the process of cutting and measuring storm shutters to fit a window can take a considerable amount of time. This may be of particular concern to a home owner with little or no advanced warning of an approaching storm. In the case of plywood storm shutters that are attached by means of nails or screws, there is also the problem of damage to the outer window frame from repeatedly nailing or screwing the storm shutters into place. One method of expediting the process of putting storm shutters in place is the use of corrugated plastic shutters that are precut for each individual window. These shutters are held in place by means of brackets on the upper and lower portion of the window frame. This type of system facilitates the quick placement and removal of each shutter.
[0007] These plastic shutters are lightweight and easily stored. However, each shutter must be precut to match the dimensions of the particular window it is to cover. In the case where there is a limited amount of time to prepare a house for a storm, the time necessary to precut each shutter for each window may create a problem. Further, when each shutter has been precut for an individual window, the shutters must be sorted and matched to each window on the house prior to installation, thus consuming additional time that may be critical during the period prior to a storm.
[0008] This invention provides an apparatus and method for protecting a window during a storm using interchangeable storm shutters. The shutters used to protect a particular window are made up of a series of interlocking panel sections of a predetermined width. A first panel section would be placed in a window and a second panel section, slidably connected to the first panel section by a telescopic connection, would be extended along a longitudinal axis to the appropriate window height to cover an exposed area of the window. The next storm shutter also comprised of the first and second telescoping panel sections would be extended to the window height, put in place, and interlocked with the previously installed storm shutter. This process would continue until the entire exposed area of the window has been covered. Thus, the apparatus and method of this invention allows for the placement of interchangeable storm shutters in the windows of a house prior to a storm. Further, the apparatus and method of this invention reduce the time necessary to prepare a house for a storm, in that these shutters may be obtained and put in place without having to be precut for each individual window.
[0009] In addition, the storm shutters of the prior art typically do not allow light to pass through the window into the house. Thus, in the event of a power outage the occupants of the house may be in total darkness during a daytime storm. The apparatus and method of the current invention takes advantage of a translucent plastic material that would allow light to pass through the shutters and thus maintain illumination in the house during daylight hours in the event of a power outage. Lastly, the apparatus and method of this invention allow for easier removal and storage because the panel sections can be removed and stacked in a pile of a uniform dimension and without regard to the order or location of the windows from which they were removed.
[0010] These and other features and advantages of this invention are described in or are apparent from the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0011] The invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which like elements are labeled with like numbers and in which:
[0012] [0012]FIG. 1 shows an exemplary embodiment of a typical window which may be protected with storm shutters according to this invention;
[0013] [0013]FIG. 2 is an exemplary embodiment of the storm shutters as fully assembled and prepared for installation on a window;
[0014] [0014]FIG. 3 is another exemplary embodiment of the storm shutters having the second panel partially extended;
[0015] [0015]FIG. 4 is another exemplary embodiment of the storm shutters of this invention fully assembled and installed on a window;
[0016] [0016]FIG. 5 is an exemplary embodiment of a fastener for locking the second panel in place in relation to the first panel;
[0017] [0017]FIG. 6 is another exemplary embodiment of a fastener for locking the second panel in place in relation to the first panel;
[0018] [0018]FIG. 7 is an embodiment of an interlocking mechanism for interlocking a first storm shutter with a second storm shutter;
[0019] [0019]FIG. 8 is an embodiment of a slidable connection between the first panel and second panel of the storm shutters of this invention;
[0020] [0020]FIG. 9 is an exemplary embodiment of a threaded rod with a wing nut for securing the storm shutters of this invention to a typical window frame; and
[0021] [0021]FIG. 10 is an embodiment of a self tapping screw which may be used to secure the storm shutters of this invention to a typical window frame.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0022] [0022]FIG. 1 shows a typical window 10 that may be protected by the storm shutters of the present invention. The storm shutter is designed to protect the entire area of the window. The window 10 has a height 12 and a width 14 which can be divided into three window pane widths 16 , 18 and 20 . While one particular type of window is illustrated, the invention is applicable to any window of any size, shape and orientation.
[0023] [0023]FIG. 2 is an exemplary embodiment of three storm shutters interlocked together. The first panel 120 is slidably connected to the second panel 110 to form the removable storm shutter 100 . Each storm shutter 100 has two longitudinal edges. The first and second panels 120 , 110 preferably are telescopically interconnected to allow extension of the second panel relative to the first panel to adjust the length of the storm shutter to the window height 12 . The first and second panels 120 , 110 , preferably have a width that matches the window pane width 20 . Those skilled in the art recognize that the width of the storm shutter may vary and is not limited to the window pane width. In addition, those skilled in the art recognize that the telescopic interconnection of the first and second panels results in an overlap of the first panel over the second panel (or vice versa), thus defining an overlap edge 105 between the first and second panels. While the invention has been described in terms of extending the length of the panels to cover the window vertical length 12 , those skilled in the art appreciate that the panels can be extended horizontally to cover the width 14 of the window.
[0024] The first panel 120 and second panel 110 may be corrugated and may be of a translucent or transparent material such as a clear structural plastic. One such material is sold under the tradename Lexan™. Other structural materials, such as metal or wood, could be substituted. However, these may not achieve the advantage of allowing light through the shutters.
[0025] The first panel has a longitudinal axis and transverse axis. The second panel also has a longitudinal axis and transverse axis and is slidably connected to the first panel by a slidable connection for relative movement along one of the longitudinal axis and transverse axis. The second panel 110 may be fixed in relation to the first panel 120 at a predetermined interval by a retainer. The predetermined interval corresponds to an area of the window to be protected by the storm shutter.
[0026] [0026]FIG. 3 is an exemplary embodiment of the storm shutters of this invention having the second panel 110 slidably retracted in relation to the first panel 120 . The second panel 110 may be slidably retracted or extended in relation to the first panel 120 to facilitate installation and removal in a window to be protected. The retraction or extension of the first panel relative to the second panel also allows the storm shutter to be adjusted to the height of a differently sized window. In addition, the first panel 110 may be extended to cover the top or bottom portion of a window. When the first and second panels are fully retracted such that the first and second panels completely overlap, they form a storm shutter of uniform size that can be easily stacked and stored. When needed for the next storm, any storm shutter can be extracted from the stock and adjusted in size to cover any window. Therefore, storm shutters of the invention need not be designated for a particular window.
[0027] In this embodiment, three storm shutters are interlocked together to form an integral unit to cover the area of one window. Each storm shutter 100 has two longitudinal edges 115 . One edge or both edges 115 may interlock with an edge of an adjacent storm shutter. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that multiple storm shutters may be interlocked together to cover a window having any window width 14 . In addition, those skilled in the art recognize that the first and second panels can be formed of a predetermined uniform size, and then assembled together to form a shutter, with adjacent shutters interlocked at their edges. to cover a window of any size.
[0028] [0028]FIG. 4 shows the exemplary storm shutters according to this invention installed in a typical window. Brackets 130 and 140 in the upper and lower window sills retain the interlocking storm shutters 100 in the window at the top and bottom portions. Other embodiments may utilize brackets to retain the shutters on the vertical sides of the windows. Still other embodiments may utilize brackets to retain the shutter on all four sides of the window. In addition to retaining the shutters in the window, brackets 130 and 140 facilitate the installation and removal of the individual shutters in the window by creating a tract for each shutter to slide into and out of place. The brackets 130 and 140 may be removably installed in the upper and lower portions of the outer frame of the window, or they may be permanently affixed in a manner that retains the aesthetic appearance of the window frame. The first and second panels 120 and 110 may be placed in the window brackets and extended slidably in relation to one another to fit in the window height, or they may be extended prior to placement in the window brackets 130 and 140 . Other embodiments may use quick tapping screws, bolts, or threaded rods with wing nuts in lieu of brackets 130 and 140 to retain the inner locking storm shutters 100 in the window at the top and bottom portions, or on all four sides.
[0029] [0029]FIG. 5 is an embodiment of a retainer for fixing the second panel 110 in relation to the first panel 120 . The retainer has a plug 150 that is slidably mounted in a hole in the first panel 120 . The panel 120 also contains a recess 155 in the vicinity of the hole for housing the end of the plug when the first panel 120 is moved laterally in relation to the second panel 110 . The plug 150 engages a recess 155 in the second panel 110 at the location that corresponds to the overall length of the shutter as it is to be installed in the window. The plug 150 engages the recess 155 in the second panel 110 due to the force exerted by an urging member 160 . This urging member 160 may be a helical spring or other such member capable of urging the plug 150 into the recess 155 of the second panel 110 . To disengage the retainer, the plug 150 is moved in the opposite direction out of the recess 155 of the second panel 110 , thus freeing the second panel 110 to move in relation to the first panel 120 . While only one recess 155 is shown, several recesses may be aligned in a column and spaced at predetermined intervals to allow the first and second panels to be extended to any one of a plurality of lengths.
[0030] [0030]FIG. 6 is another embodiment of a retainer to affix the second panel 110 in relation to the first panel 120 . A bolt 170 inserts through a corresponding hole in the second panel 110 and the first panel 120 . The bolt 170 is retained in place by a circular nut 180 that is threaded on to the bolt from the opposite side. The circular nut 180 has ridges on the outside peripheral edge to facilitate hand tightening and removal. The bolt 170 also has ridges to facilitate hand tightening and removal. When assembling the storm shutter, the first panel 120 and the second panel 110 would be adjusted to the proper height for placement in the window. The bolt 170 would then be placed through the corresponding hole in the first panel 120 and the second panel 110 exposing the threaded portion of the bolt 170 on the opposite end. The circular washer 180 would then be threaded on to the bolt, thus fixing the first panel 120 in relation to the second panel 110 . This process would be reversed to disassemble the storm shutter. Several holes can be aligned in a column and spaced at predetermined intervals. Other embodiments may use wing nuts in place of the circular nut 180 .
[0031] Other retainers are available for use in the invention. For example, one panel may include an integral projecting and flexible ratchet arm, which engages one of a plurality of recesses in the other panel. When the panels slide in the extension direction under a relatively weak pulling force, the ratchet arm bends to enter and exit each recess. However, in the retroaction direction, the ratchet arm abuts a wall of the recess thereby maintaining the extended length of the shutter. A relatively strong compressive force would be necessary to force the arm to bend and exit the recess, thereby allowing the shutter to retract in size.
[0032] [0032]FIG. 7 is an embodiment of an interlocking mechanism for joining two sections of a storm shutter together. A retaining channel 200 runs longitudinally on both the first panel 120 and the second panel 110 . The channel 200 is an integral part of both the first panel 120 and the second panel 110 . On the opposite end of the panels from the retaining channel 200 is a male connector 190 which also runs longitudinally on both the first panel 120 and the second panel 110 . The male connector 190 is inserted in the retaining channel 200 to interlock two storm shutters together. The male connector 190 is retained in the retaining channel 200 with the assistance of an interference fit between the outer portion of the male connector 190 and the inner portion of the retaining channel 200 . Other embodiments may utilize bolts and wing nuts fitted in corresponding holes in the male connector 190 and retaining channel 200 to retain two storm shutters in the interlocked position. The panel sections 110 and 120 may be interlocked together prior to being installed in the window or may be interlocked during installation by sliding successive storm shutters 100 into the retaining brackets and applying force to the opposite ends of the storm shutters 100 . The storm shutters 100 may be taken apart by applying force in the opposite direction thus removing the male connector 190 from the retaining channel 200 .
[0033] [0033]FIG. 8 is an embodiment of a slidable connection between the first panel 120 and the second panel 110 . The slidable connection has a male connector 210 that is an integral part of the second panel 110 which fits into a retaining cavity 220 which is an integral part of the first panel 120 . The male connector 210 runs longitudinally the full length of the second panel 110 . The retaining cavity 220 also runs the full length of the first panel 120 . The slidable connection operates such that the second panel 110 may be extended or retracted in relation to the first panel 120 while maintaining the structural integrity of the entire storm shutter 100 . The slidable connection operates such that the second panel 110 may move freely longitudinally in relation to the first panel 120 . In other embodiments this connection may be used repeatedly for additional panel sections such that they may extend telescopically to cover a designated window area. Further, the male connector 210 and the retaining cavity 220 may be placed at varying longitudinal locations on the panels 110 and 120 .
[0034] [0034]FIG. 9 is an embodiment of a threaded rod 240 that is installed in a window frame 250 . The threaded rod 240 is maintained in the window frame 250 by an interference fit in the corresponding window frame hole 260 . The threaded rod 240 may be permanently or removably affixed to the window frame 250 . Once the threaded rod 240 is in place, the second panel 110 of the storm shutter of this invention is mounted on the threaded rod 240 through a retaining hole 280 . The second panel 110 is then retained on the threaded rod 240 by a wing nut 230 . This arrangement allows for the quick installation of the storm shutters of this invention without the use of brackets. When the storm shutters are to be removed the wing nut 230 is removed from the threaded rod 240 allowing the panel 110 to slide out of place. The threaded rod 240 may be removed or may be left in place in the window frame 250 for future use. Those skilled in the art will recognize that this embodiment may be used to retain the storm shutters of this invention at various locations on a window frame to facilitate a tight and secure fit over the entire window.
[0035] [0035]FIG. 10 is an embodiment of a self tapping screw 270 used to retain the shutters of this invention on a window frame 250 . The self tapping screw 270 is mounted through a retaining hole 280 and the panel 110 into the retaining hole 260 in the window frame 250 . In this embodiment, the self tapping screw 270 must be removed completely from the window frame 250 in order to remove the storm shutters of this invention. The screw head 270 may be adapted for a common or Philips type screwdriver. In addition, the screw head 270 may be replaced by a hexagonal bolt head to facilitate installation with a wrench. One skilled in the art will recognize that this arrangement may be used to secure the storm shutters of this invention to a window frame at various locations to facilitate a tight and secure fit.
[0036] While this invention has been described in conjunction with specific embodiments outlined above, it is evident that many alternatives, modifications and variations will be apparent to those skilled in the art. Accordingly, the preferred embodiments of the invention, as set forth above, are intended to be illustrative, not limiting. Various changes may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.
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Telescoping hurricane shutters protect a window during a storm but eliminate the need for pre-sized storm shutters. The interchangeable storm shutters are made up of individual panels slidably connected to one another. The panels may be extended to cover an exposed area of window. The storm shutters may be interlocked together in order to fit a particular window and may be held in place by brackets, quick tapping screws, or threaded rods and nuts that allow for quick installation and removal.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a control system for a hydraulic pressure regulating valve in a hydraulic control circuit of an automatic transmission connected to a multi-cylinder internal combustion engine which is provided with means whereby the engine may run on selected cylinders of all under light load operating condition.
It is known for the purpose of improving fuel economy to operate a multi-cylinder internal combustion engine on selected cylinders of all under light load condition. It is also known to cut off fuel supply to some cylinders of all, under light load engine operating condition, to let the engine run on the remaining selected cylinders.
In regard to an automatic transmission connected to a multi-cylinder internal combustion engine, it is known that, for the control of the automatic transmission, a line pressure, i.e., a constant hydraulic pressure, is reduced by draining hydraulic fluid through a hydraulic pressure regulating valve (a throttle valve) in response to induction vacuum within the engine intake manifold to provide a throttle pressure, i.e., a hydraulic pressure representing load imposed on the engine.
Explaining into the detail in connection with FIG. 1, induction vacuum within the engine intake manifold is always applied to a diaphragm device 1 to a chamber 2 thereof so that, against a spring 3 biasing a push rod 4 in a direction to push a valve member or spool 4 of a throttle valve 5, the diaphragm device 1 will pull the valve spool 4 toward the right, viewing in this Figure, in response to a pressure difference between the atmospheric pressure and the intake vacuum of the engine. As the intake vacuum increases, a pushing force by the rod 4 pushing the valve spool 6 toward the illustrated position will decrease, thus reducing magnitude of the throttle pressure. Thus, the throttle pressure will represent the load on the engine. However, with the conventional control system in which the diaphragm chamber 2 communicates only with the engine intake manifold, the magnitude of the throttle pressure will no longer represent the actual load on the engine when the engine runs on selected cylinders of all. This problem will be described hereinafter.
In the case of a 6-cylinder internal combustion engine, under the same running condition, the magnitude of induction vacuum is very small when the engine runs on three cylinders of all as compared to that when it runs on all six cylinders thereof (see graph shown in FIG. 2). As a result, the pushing force by the rod 4 will become excessively high when the engine runs on the three cylinders of all, thus increasing the magnitude of the throttle pressure. This will result in that the shifting will not take place at appropriate timings when the engine runs on the selected cylinders of all.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a control system for a hydraulic pressure regulating valve in a hydraulic control circuit of an automatic transmission, which will provide an appropriate throttle pressure not only when a multi-cylinder internal combustion engine runs on all cylinders, but also when the engine runs on selected cylinders of all.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
In the accompanying drawings:
FIG. 1 is a sectional diagram showing a hydraulic pressure regulating valve (throttle valve) and a diaphragm device for the regulating valve;
FIG. 2 is a graph showing the magnitude of induction vacuum when the engine runs on selected three cylinders of all against the magnitude of induction vacuum when the engine runs on all of the cylinders;
FIG. 3 is a graph showing a pushing force by the rod 4 against the magnitude of induction vacuum;
FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing a first preferred embodiment of a control system according to the present invention;
FIG. 5 is a diagram explaining operational modes of the engine operated by the cylinder selector apparatus shown in FIG. 6;
FIG. 6 is a circuit diagram showing the cylinder selector;
FIG. 7 is a graph explaining ideal relationships between the pushing force by the rod 4 and the magnitude of induction vacuum when the engine runs on selected three cylinders of all;
FIG. 8 is a sectional view of a diaphragm device used in a control system shown in FIG. 10;
FIG. 9 is a graph showing the performance of the system shown in FIG. 10; and
FIG. 10 is schematic diagram of a second preferred embodiment of a control system according to the invention.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
The present invention will be described hereinafter in connection with an automatic transmission for an automobile installed with a six-cylinder engine provided with a cylinder selector by which at a light load the engine is controlled to run on selected three cylinders.
When, as shown in FIG. 1, a diaphragm device 1 is employed having a characteristics which is adjusted, as shown in FIG. 3, so as to yield a throttle pressure which meets the required magnitude for the engine operation on 6-cylinder mode, the following problem arises when the engine runs on selected three cylinders. With the diaphragm device 1, the pushing force of the actuating rod 4 is maximum, the magnitude of which is equal to the biasing force of the diaphragm spring 3, when the accelerator pedal is depressed to such a position as to cause the engine intake manifold vacuum to approach to zero, and the pushing force linearly decreases as the intake vacuum increases in accordance with the release of the accelerator pedal. The pushing force of the actuating rod 4 is zero when the engine intake vacuum is at 300 mmHg. However, as shown in FIG. 2, at the same engine load, the engine intake vacuum is substantially zero when the engine runs on three cylinders, while, the engine intake vacuum is 300 mmHg when the engine runs on six cylinders. Therefore, the accelerator pedal must be depressed to the fully depressed position when the engine runs on three cylinders under the same load where the intake vacuum is 300 mmHg when the engine runs on six cylinders. It follows that the engine load range where the engine can run on three cylinders corresponds to the engine load range where the engine intake vacuum is larger than 300 mmHg when the engine runs on six cylinders. Thus, if the pushing force by the actuating rod 4 is maintained zero whenever the engine runs on three cylinders, an appropriate throttle pressure can be obtained over the whole operating range of the engine which is operable on three cylinders.
Based on this recognition, according to the invention a predetermined constant vacuum higher than 300 mmHg is introduced into a power chamber 2 of a diaphragm device 1 (see FIG. 1) whenever the engine runs on three cylinders.
Referring to the preferred embodiment of the invention shown in FIG. 4, a power chamber 2 of a diaphragm device 1 (see FIG. 1 also) is connected with a port 7a of a solenoid operated three way valve 7 whose other two ports 7b and 7c are connected with an intake manifold 8 and a vacuum tank 9, respectively. The vacuum tank 9 is connected with a suitable vacuum source via a check valve 10, so that the vacuum within the vacuum tank 9 is maintained at a constant vacuum higher than 300 mmHg. The solenoid valve 7 is electrically connected with a cylinder selector circuit 11 and normally connects the port 7a to the port 7b and disconnect the port 7a from the port 7c when the engine run on six cylinders, but connects the port 7a to the port 7c and disconnects the port 7a from the port 7b when it receives a cylinder selection signal from the cylinder selector circuit 11 representing the condition when the engine runs on three cylinders.
Explaining the cylinder selector circuit 11 in connection with FIG. 6, an engine intake air flow sensor 101 and an engine revolution sensor 102 are provided to produce outputs representing the intake air flow, in quantity, and representing the engine revolution speed (RPM), respectively. These outputs from the sensors 101 and 102 are fed to a fuel injection control unit 103 which produces a fuel injection signal whose pulse width representing the engine load of the engine under the control. Comparators 104, 105 and 106 are provided together with two pulse width level adjusters 107 and 108 and an engine revolution speed level adjuster 109. The comparator 104 compares the pulse width signal W P with a high predetermined pulse width level signal W PH and produces a high level signal "1" only when W P is greater than W PH (W P >W PH ), while, the second comparator 105 compares the signal W P with a low predetermined pulse width signal W PL and produces a high level signal "1" when W P is greater than W PL (W P >W PL ). The comparator 106 determines the engine revolution speed from the frequency of pulses of the fuel injection signal from the fuel injection control unit 103 and compares the engine revolution speed signal N E with a predetermined engine revolution speed level N EO to produce a high level signal "1" when N E is greater than N EO (N E >N EO ). The outputs from these comparators remain at a low level signal "0" outside of the predetermined conditions as above. An OR circuit 110 and an AND circuit 111 are provided. The output from the comparator 104 is fed to one of two inputs of the OR circuit 110 and the output from the comparator 106 is fed to the other input of the OR circuit 110 through an inverter 113. The output from the comparator 106 is fed to one of two inputs of the AND circuit 111 and the output from the comparator 105 is fed to the other input of the AND circuit 111 through an inverter 112.
The output of the OR circuit 110 is fed to "S" (set) terminal of a flip-flop circuit 114 and the output of the AND circuit 111 is fed to "R" (reset) terminal thereof. When W P >W PH and/or N E <N EO , a high level signal "1" appears as the output from the OR circuit 110 and a low level signal "0" appears outside this condition. Meanwhile, a high level signal "1" appears as the output from the AND circuit 111 when W P <W PL and N E >E EO and a low level signal "0" appears outside this condition. The flip-flop circuit 114 produces at its Q output terminal a high level signal "1" when the engine operating condition is within a 6-cylinder region diagrammatically illustrated in FIG. 1 and continues to produce the high level signal "1" until the engine operating condition falls into 3-cylinder region shown in FIG. 5. When the engine operating condition has fallen into 3-cylinder mode, the output on the Q terminal switches to a low level signal "0" and this low level signal "0" will be maintained until the engine operating condition falls into the 6-cylinder mode range shown in FIG. 5. The Q output is fed to one of two input terminals of an AND circuit 115 whose the other input terminal receives the fuel injection signal from the fuel injection control unit 103. When a high level signal "1" appears on the Q output terminal of the flip-flop circuit 114, and AND circuit 115 will permit the passage of the fuel injection signal therethrough toward a terminal 116 operatively connected with fuel injection nozzles adapted to supply fuel to cylinders #1 to #3 so that under this condition the fuel injection nozzles for these cylinders inject fuel in response to fuel injection signal from the fuel injection control unit 103. Since the fuel injection signal is always supplied via a terminal 117 to three fuel injection nozzles for the other three cylinders #4 to #6, the engine operates on six cylinders under this condition. When the signal on the Q output terminal of the flip-flop circuit 114 switches to a low level signal "0", the AND gate 115 is closed to prevent the passage of fuel injection signal therethrough toward the terminal 16 so that fuel injection to cylinders #1 to #3 will be suspended. Thus, under this condition, the engine runs on three cylinders #4 to #6.
The cylinder selector circuit 11 feeds to the solenoid valve 7 (see FIG. 4) a 6-cylinder mode signal when the engine runs on six cylinders and a 3-cylinder mode signal when the engine runs on three cylinders. The solenoid valve 7 takes a position in which the port 7a is connected to the port 7b when it receives the 6-cylinder mode signal. Under this condition, the intake manifold vacuum is introduced into the diaphragm device 1 from the intake manifold 8 so as to cause the throttle valve 5 to produce a throttle pressure in response to the engine load. When the switching valve 7 receives the 3-cylinder mode signal, the solenoid valve 7 changes its condition to take another position in which the port 7a is connected to the pot 7c instead of the port 7b. Under this condition, the constant vacuum higher than 300 mmHg is supplied to the diaphragm device 1 from the vacuum tank 9. Thus proper throttle pressure is obtained from the throttle valve 5 even when the engine runs on three cylinders.
Instead of the diaphragm device having a characteristic curve as shown in FIG. 3, a diaphragm device having a characteristic curve as shown by the solid line in FIG. 7 may be used to provide proper throttle pressure during the engine operation modes when the engine runs on six cylinders. As shown by the solid line in FIG. 7, the pushing force is zero when the intake manifold vacuum supplied to the diaphragm device is 400 mmHg and increases gradually up to approximately 3.2 kg as the intake manifold vacuum decreases. It will be noted, as compared to the characteristic curve of the diaphragm device 1 shown in FIG. 3, that the pushing force is not zero at 300 mmHg.
In the case when the above mentioned diaphragm device is used, the ideal characteristics between the pushing force and the vacuum is as shown by one dot chain line in FIG. 7 so as to provide proper throttle pressure when the engine runs on three cylinders, which has been determined from the induction vacuum relationships shown in FIG. 2. A point a on the one dot chain line is determined from the fact that the pushing force of the actuating plunger of a diaphragm device when the engine induction vacuum is zero during 3-cylinder mode engine operation must be the same as that when the engine induction vacuum is 300 mmHg during 6-cylinder mode engine operation because the engine induction vacuum of zero at 3-cylinder mode corresponds to the engine induction vacuum of 300 mmHg at 6-cylinder mode. Another point b on the one dot chain line is determined in a similar manner. It will therefore be understood that the one dot and chain line represents the characteristic of a diaphragm device required or suitable for producing the proper throttle pressure in response to the engine load when the engine runs on three cylinders.
It turned out to be quite difficult from the constructional point of view to modify a diaphragm device presenting the characteristic as shown in solid line in FIG. 7 so that it will present the characteristic as shown by the one dot chain line shown in FIG. 7 because the both characteristic representing lines have different tangential angles. In this case it is possible to modify the diaphragm device so that it will represent the characteristic as shown by two dots chain line as shown in FIG. 7 when the engine runs on three cylinders, because the two-dots chain line has the same tangent angle as that of the solid line. Even with the characteristic as shown by the two-dots chain line, it turned out that there is little effect on the operation of the transmission upon its shifting as compared to the case with the characteristic as shown by the one dot and chain line. Based on the recognition a diaphragm device 12 as shown in FIG. 8 has been developed.
A diaphragm device 12 shown in FIG. 8 has formed within a cup shaped outer shell 13 a cylindrical wall 14 extending from the center portion of the bottom of the cup shaped outer shell 13. The cylindrical wall 14 has a free axial end and between this axial end and a cramp ring 15 the central portion of a diaphragm 16 is hermetically interposed. The diaphragm 16 has an circumferential portion interposed between the cup shaped outer shell 13 and another cup shaped outer shell 13' which form a housing of the diaphragm device 12. The diaphragm 16 divides the interior of the housing into an atmospheric chamber or first chamber 18 in communication with the atmosphere through a port 17, a second chamber 19 within the cylindrical wall 14 and a third chamber 20 around the cylindrical wall 14 between it and the outer shell 13. The outer shell 13 has a port 21 in communication with the second chamber 19 and another port 22 in communication with the third chamber 20. A spring 23 is disposed within the chamber 19 with one end thereof bearing against the central portion of the bottom wall of the shell 13 and the opposite end bearing against the central portion of the diaphragm 16 closing the chamber 19. A rod 24 extends through the shell 24 into the chamber 18 and fixedly secured to the diaphragm 16 at the central area thereof opposite to the chamber 19 and also at the outer area of the diaphragm 15 opposite to the chamber 20.
In the diaphragm device 12, the pushing force F of the rod 24 is equal to the biasing force of the spring 23 when the pressures within the chambers 18, 19 and 20 are the same, atmospheric level in this embodiment, and the biasing force of the spring 23 is set at 3.2 kg, that is the amount required as the pushing force of the rod 24 when the induction manifold vacuum is zero as shown by the solid line in FIG. 7. The pushing force F when the vacuums are introduced into the chambers 19 and 20 can be expressed as follows:
F=f-A.sub.1 ·ΔP.sub.1 -A.sub.2 ·ΔP.sub.2
wherein:
f : the biasing force of the spring 23
ΔP 1 : the vacuum within the chamber 20
ΔP 2 : the vacuum within the chamber 19
A 1 : the effective working area of the diaphragm 16 subjected to the vacuum ΔP 1
A 2 : the effective working area of the diaphragm 16 subjected to the vacuum ΔP 2
Taking ΔP 1 as a parameter, the pushing force F as against the induction vacuum as the ΔP 1 =0 or ΔP 1 =C (constant) varies as shown in FIG. 9. As will be readily understood from this figure, the varying characteristic of the pushing force F as against the induction vacuum as ΔP 1 =0 corresponds to that shown by the solid line in FIG. 7. If the amplitude of C is determined, it is possible to correspond the varying characteristic of the pushing force F as against the induction vacuum as ΔP 1 =C corresponds to that shown by the two-dots chain line in FIG. 7.
Therefore, employing the diaphragm device 12 as shown in a system shown in FIG. 10 will cause the throttle valve actuated by the diaphragm device 12 to produce the proper throttle pressure in response to the engine load.
In FIG. 10, the same reference numerals as used in FIG. 4 are employed to designate the similar parts. As shown in this figure, the port 21 of the diaphragm device 12 is connected to the engine intake manifold 8, while, the port 22 thereof is connected to the port 25a of the solenoid operated three way valve 25. The solenoid valve 25, when it receives the 6-cylinder mode signal from the cylinder selector 11, will connect the port 25a to the port 25b communicating with the atmosphere. When it receives the 3-cylinder mode signal, the solenoid valve 25 cuts off fluid connection between the ports 25a and 25b and connects the port 25a to the port 25c connected to the vacuum tank 9 whose interior pressure is maintained at C level.
In operation, during the engine operation on six cylinders (6-cylinder mode) the chamber 20 (see FIG. 8) of the diaphragm device 12 is permitted to communicate with the atmosphere, and the engine induction vacuum is supplied from the intake manifold 8 to the chamber 19. Under this condition the diaphragm device reveals the characteristic as shown by the solid line in FIG. 7 so that the proper throttle pressure as required during the engine operation on six cylinders can be obtained.
During the engine operation on three cylinders, the constant vacuum (C) within the vacuum tank 9 is supplied to the chamber 20 (see FIG. 8) so that the diaphragm device 12 will reveal the characteristics as shown by two dot chain line in FIG. 7, thus allowing the proper throttle pressure as required during the 3-cylinder mode engine operation.
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When the engine runs on all cylinders thereof, a diaphragm device for a hydraulic pressure regulating valve will operate in response to a pressure difference between the atmospheric pressure and intake vacuum within an intake manifold of the engine. A control system includes a solenoid valve which, when the engine runs on selected cylinders of all, will apply vacuum within a source of a predetermined vacuum to the diaphragm device. According to one preferred embodiment, the diaphragm device has a single chamber and the solenoid valve is adapted to selectively apply the induction vacuum and the predetermined vacuum to the single chamber. According to another preferred embodiment, the diaphragm device has a first chamber in communication with the intake manifold and a second chamber and the solenoid valve is adapted to selectively apply the atmospheric pressure and the predetermined vacuum to the second chamber.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to condition monitoring systems wherein a plurality of contacts at remote locations or points are monitored at a central location to sense an alarm or status condition at the remote locations.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Examples of prior art condition monitoring systems are described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,447,145; 3,451,058; 3,518,653; 3,611,363; 3,644,891; 3,644,894 and 3,714,646. The prior art condition monitoring systems cannot be easily adapted to a wide variety of different applications, each system may have to be modified extensively in order to fit a particular application. Another disadvantage of the prior art systems is that alarms and other indicators associated with the systems can be de-activated by unauthorized persons, thus an alarm condition could be undetected by an authorized person returning after a temporary absense.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In one aspect of the invention, a condition monitoring system includes a plurality of means, each responsive to a condition for producing an electrical signal indicating the condition; an indicator; means for operating the indicator in response to a signal produced by one of the plurality of means; manual switch means for terminating the operation of the indicator operating means to acknowledge the condition; a lock switch which has means for securing the lock switch to prevent unauthorized operation thereof; and means operated by the lock switch for disabling the manual switch means.
In another aspect of the invention, a condition monitoring system includes a plurality of condition means, each for operating in response to a condition, with first and second condition means in a first group of condition means and third and fourth condition means in a second group of condition means; a plurality of memory means for storing condition signals with first, second, third and fourth memory means; sensing means for (a) simultaneously scanning the first group of condition means to generate first and second condition signals corresponding to the conditions of respective first and second condition means and (b) thereafter simultaneously sensing the second group of condition means to generate third and fourth condition signals corresponding to the conditions of the respective third and fourth condition means; and applying means controlled by the scanning means for applying the first and second condition signals to the respective first and second memory means and thereafter for applying the third and fourth condition signals to the respective third and fourth memory means.
In still another aspect of the invention, an apparatus for forming a modular condition monitoring system which may employ an annunciator panel and a printer includes a frame, receiving means mounted on the frame for receiving signals indicating conditions at a plurality of points, first connecting means mounted on the frame for electrically connecting to an annunciator panel, second connecting means mounted on the frame for electrically connecting to a printer, third connecting means mounted on the frame and electrically interposed between the receiving means and the first connecting means for connecting to a modular annunciator interface circuit unit, and fourth connecting means mounted on the frame and electrically interposed between the receiving means and the second connecting means for connecting to a modular printer operating unit.
One feature of the invention is that there may be alternately or jointly provided printing facilities and/or light display facilities for indicating conditions being monitored. The printing facilities print the time and a character indicating the location of an alarm condition. The light display facilities include a plurality of light producing indicators corresponding to the points at which conditions are monitored.
Another feature of the invention is the provision of a light producing indicator, an audible alarm and facilities for operating the audible alarm and for blinking the light producing indicator in response to an alarm condition. Acknowledgement of the alarm condition terminates the operation of the audible alarm and changes the blinking light to a steady light. Lock switch means prevents the termination of the blinking of the light.
Still another feature of the invention is that facilities may be programmed to distinguish points at which status conditions are being monitored from points at which alarm conditions are being monitored.
A further feature of the invention is the provision of first and second latch circuits in memory means corresponding to each point wherein each first latch circuit receives condition signals from each point and the second latch circuits store signals indicating acknowledgement of the received signals.
A still further feature of the invention is the provision of facilities for delaying the operation of the monitoring system for a predetermined duration after a power failure. Alarm conditions prior to resumption of operation are indicated as acknowledged conditions.
An additional feature of the invention is the provision of sequencing means generating a set signal and sequential station scanning signals wherein acknowledge facilities are enabled only during the set signal.
A further additional feature of the invention is the provision of automatic facilities for operating a printer to identify new alarms and manual facilities for operating the printer to identify all alarm conditions. Also, manual facilities operate the printer to print a summary of all alarm conditions and the status of all status points.
A still further additional feature of the invention is the provision of facilities for inserting cycles of normal alarm scanning operations in between point scanning cycles of each station during a summary printing operation to sense any new alarm conditions prior to the end of the summary.
Other features and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description of the preferred embodiment taken in conjunction with the drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
a manual 1 is a diagram of a condition monitoring system in accordance with the invention;
FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating the interconnection of electronic circuits included in a console of the system shown in FIG. 1;
FIG. 3 is a diagram of a system clock of the circuitry shown in FIG. 2;
FIG. 4 is a diagram of a system sequencing circuit of the circuitry shown in FIG. 2;
FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a portion of an output interface circuit of the circuitry shown in FIG. 2;
FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a portion of an input interface circuit of the circuitry of FIG. 2;
FIG. 7 is a diagram of a memory of the circuitry of FIG. 2;
FIG. 8 is a diagram of one portion of an annunciator interface circuit which is employed in FIG. 2;
FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating a function logic circuit of the circuitry of FIG. 2;
FIG. 10 is a diagram of a printer sequencing circuit which is employed in controlling the printing operation of the circuitry shown in FIG. 2;
FIG. 11 is a diagram of a print inhibit circuit which is employed in the circuitry of FIG. 2;
FIG. 12 is a diagram of an alarm program matrix circuit of the circuitry of FIG. 2;
FIG. 13 shows a diagram of a alarm-status print decoder circuit which is used in the circuitry of FIG. 2;
FIG. 14 is a circuit diagram of a 24-hour clock circuit used in the circuitry of FIG. 2;
FIG. 15 is a time chart showing signals produced on various points of the monitoring system during a station sequencing operation;
FIG. 16 is a time chart showing signals produced on various points of the monitoring system during an alarm sensing operation; and
FIGS. 17 and 18 illustrate the modular construction of the circuitry of FIGS. 2-14.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
Referring first to FIG. 1 there are shown a plurality of contacts 20-28 each of which may be operated by a alarm or status condition sensing device (not shown). The contacts 20-22 are in a first group while the contacts 23-25 and 26-28 are in second and third groups respectively. Each group is located at a remote station or location near points where conditions are to be monitored. Common lines 32, 33 and 34 connect one terminal of each of the contacts in the respective groups of contacts 20-22, 23-25 and 26-28 to respective station or field boxes 37-39. The other terminals of the switches 20-28 are connected to the station boxes 37-39 by lines 42-50. Within the station box 37 a strap 53 connects the line 32 to a line 40a and a printed circuit board 55 having diodes 57-59 thereon connects the lines 42, 43 and 44 to respective lines 60a, 60b and 60c. Similar circuitry (not shown) in the boxes 38 and 39 connect the lines 33 and 34 to respective lines 40b and 40c and connects the lines 45-47 and 48-50 to the respective lines 60a, 60b and 60c.
The lines 40a, 40b, 40c, 60a, 60b, and 60c form part of a multiconductor cable 65 which connects the field boxes to a console 66 which monitors the contacts 20-28 to indicate a condition. The console 66 has an annunciator panel 68 with a plurality of windows 70-70 having respective legends identifying points or conditions being monitored. Each of the windows 70-70 or legends thereon may be lit by a lamp behind each window to indicate an alarm or status condition. Also the console 66 has a control panel 72 with a plurality of control function switches 75-80, a lock switch 82 and three push button switches 84-86. The function switches 75-80 control the functions force print, alarm summary, alarm status summary, summary cancel, alarm acknowledge and lamp test respectively. The push button switches 84-86 are used to advance a 24-hour clock circuit by a minute, 10 minutes and an hour respectively. The lock switch 82 is any switch with facilities, such as a key tumbler 82a (FIG. 2), for securing the switch to prevent unauthorized operation. The switch 82 when operated serves to disable the switches 75-79 and 84-86. Additionally, console 66 has a printer 89, a panel 91 containing electronic circuitry for preforming monitoring functions and a panel 93 which contains power supplies for generating operating voltages for the monitoring system.
The monitoring system shown in the drawings and described herein illustrates the monitoring of nine condition points connected by a cable 65 containing six lines to the console 66. Suitable provisions in the monitoring system could be made to monitor less or many more points. In the specification and drawings there are often illustrated a plurality of lines which carry similar function signals, for example lines 40a, 40b and 40c. Such lines are referenced collectively by a number, for example 40, and individually by the same number followed by a small letter, for example 40a, 40b and 40c.
The general electronic circuitry is shown in the block diagram of FIG. 2. A system clock circuit 101 produces control clock signals illustrated in FIG. 15, on output lines 103, 104 and 105. The signal on line 103 is a first phase 30 hertz square wave and the signal on line 104 is a second phase 30 hertz square wave which is delayed from the first phase signal by 90°. The signal on line 105 is a 1.5 hertz square wave. The lines 103 and 104 are connected to a system sequencing circuit 107. The system sequencing circuit 107 produces various control signals on output lines 109-115 in response to the clock signals on lines 103 and 104 and input signals on lines 118-121. Lines 109 are connected to an output interface circuit 124 which connects the lines 109 to the respective lines 40 to sequentially apply station sequencing signals, illustrated in FIG. 15, over the lines 40a, 40b and 40c to the respective lines 32-34 of FIG. 1. Any signals on the lines 40 which are passed by closed contacts 20-28 of FIG. 1 come back on lines 60 to an input interface circuit 126. The data signals on lines 60 are applied by the input interface circuit 126 to lines 128 which are connected to inputs of a memory 130. The output lines 113 and 114 of the system sequencing circuit 107 are connected to the memory 130 to transfer the date of the lines 128 to respective individual units in the memory 130. Upon receipt of data indicating an alarm condition, the memory 130 produces an alarm pulse on one of lines 132 which are connected to a function logic circuit 150. When the alarm acknowledge switch 80 is manually operated, the function logic circuit applies an alarm acknowledge signal over line 134 to the memory 130. The data stored in the memory 130 produces alarm status signals on lines 136, and after acknowledgement, the memory 130 produces acknowledged alarm signals on lines 138. The lines 136 and 138 along with the line 105 from the system clock 101 and a line 139 from the lamp test switch 79 are connected to inputs of an annunciator interface circuit 140. The annunciator interface circuit 140 is connected by lines 141 to lamps behind the legend windows 70-70 of the annunciator panel 68.
The lines 110, 111, 112, 132, and 139 along with lines 142 and 144 and the function switches 75-80, lock switch 82 and a panel switch 146 are connected to inputs of the function logic circuit 150. In response to the signals received, the function logic circuit 150 produces various control signals on output lines 118, 119, 120, 121, 134 and 143. Also the function logic circuit 150 operates an audible alarm 152 and an auxilially relay 154 when data indicating an alarm is received by the memory 130.
The lines 109 are also connected to inputs of a print inhibit circuit 157 and a alarm program matrix circuit 159. The print inhibit circuit 157 receives the station selection signals on the lines 109 along with the acknowledged alarm signals on the lines 138 and the memory hold signals on the line 114 to produce inhibit signals on lines 161 corresponding to stored conditions which have been acknowledged. The alarm program matrix circuit 159 receives the station selection signals on the lines 109 and produces alarm enable signals to lines 163 corresponding only to points which are programmed for alarm conditions.
Once an alarm condition has been sensed, an alarm summary has been ordered or an alarm status summary has been ordered, the printer sequencer circuit 170 having inputs connected to lines 103, 114, 119, 120, 121, 142, 143, 172 and 173 produces various control signals on lines 144, 175, 176 and 177 to control a printing cycle. An alarm status print decoder circuit 178 has inputs connected to lines 120, 128, 161, 163 and 175 to produce various control signals on the lines 172 and 173 along with lines 179 and 181 to control the data which is to be printed. A printer decoder circuit 183 has inputs connected to lines 109, 121, 175, 179 and 181 to apply printer information signals on lines 185 to the printer 89. Also the printer 89 receives signals indicating the time in minutes and hours from a 24-hour clock circuit 187, print command signals on line 176, paper feed signals on line 177 and N print signals on line 115. The 24-hour clock circuit 187 is operated by the 1.5 hertz signals on line 105 and a busy command signal on line 142. The switches 84-86 may be used to set the 24-hour clock circuit.
The printer 89 is one of the many commercially available printing units which can be controlled to print data from data sources. The printer decoder circuit 183 has conventional logic circuits disabled by a force print signal on line 121 and which are designed to convert parallel data such as the station selection signals on the lines 109 and point scanning signals on the lines 175, into a code acceptable to the printer 89. Additionally, the printer decoder circuit 183 has logic circuits controlled by the on-off command signal on line 179 and the red print signal on line 181 to produce suitable signals to cause the printer 89 to print alarm condition indications in red and to print "on" or "off" in the absence of a red print signal. Inasmuch as suitable printers are well known in the art and conventional decoding circuitry may be easily designed, there is no further description herein of the printer 89 and the printer decoder circuit 183.
System Clock (FIG. 3.)
Referring next to FIG. 3 there is shown a circuit diagram of the system clock 101. Conventionally available 60 hertz power is applied by transformer 191 to a resister 193 and rectifying diode 194. The diode 194 produces 60 hertz half wave rectified pulses which are applied to four serially connected transistor amplifier circuits 196-199. The first two amplifying circuits 196 and 197 have respective capacitors 201 and 202 connected acorss the output thereof to smooth out the pulses and eliminate unwanted high frequency components. The latter two amplifier circuits 198 and 199 serve to shape the pulses to produce substantially square pulses on the output thereof.
The squared pulses from the amplifier 199 are applied to one input of the nand gate 204 which has a second input connected to a contact terminal 206. The terminal 206 is normally biased positive by a resistor 208 connected to a voltage source 210. Pulses from the output of the nand gate 204 are applied to one input of the nand gate 212 which has a second input normally biased positive by the output of the nand gate 214. The gate 214 is interconnected with a nand gate 216 in a flip flop 217. The nand gate 214 has a input connected to a terminal 220 which is normally grounded by a test switch contact 218. When the contact 218 is moved to the terminal 206 the input of the nand gate 204 is grounded while the input of the nand gate 214 from the terminal 220 is biased positive by a voltage through a resistor 221 from the voltage source 210. A high low switch 222 may be alternately flipped to ground respective inputs of the respective nand gates 214 and 216 which are normally biased positive by resistors 224 and 226 connected to the voltage source 210. The switch 222 when the switch 218 engages the terminal 206 is used to supply test signals to the circuitry which are used in diagnostic studies.
Pulses on the output of the nand gate 212 are applied to a gating input of a latch 228 and through an inverter 230 to a gating input of a latch 232. Other inputs of the latch 228 are biased by the source 210 so that the latch 228 changes state upon the receipt of each pulse from the nand gate 212 to produce a substantially square wave signal on the line 103 which has a frequency of 30 hertz. The inputs of the latch 232 are connected to the respective outputs of latch 228 so that the pulses from the inverter 230 alternately trigger the latch 232 on and off to produce a 30 hertz square wave signal on line 104 which lags the 30 hertz clock signal on the line 103 by 90°. Additionally one of the outputs from the latch 232 is applied to the input of a counter circuit 234 which produces an output pulse with every 10th input pulse. The counter 234 is connected to a gating input of a latch circuit 236 having other inputs biased by source 210 to divide by two to produce the 1.5 hertz signal on the line 105.
System Sequencing Circuit (FIG. 4)
The system sequencing circuit 107 of FIG. 2 is shown in detail in the logic schematic of FIG. 4. A nand gate 240 has inputs connected to lines 104, 120 and 121 to apply the second phase clock signals through an inverter 242 to an input of a binary counter 244. The nand gate 240 is disabled by a print cycle command signal on line 120 or a force print signal on line 121 to stop the cycling of the binary counter 244. The outputs of the binary counter 244 are connected to inputs of a decoder circuit 246 which converts successive binary signals from the counter 244 into sequential parallel signals. An inverter 248 connects a first output of the decoder 246 to the line 110 to produce set signals thereon while inverters 249, 250 and 251 connect succeeding outputs of the decoder circuit 246 to respective lines 109a, 109b and 109c to produce sequential station selection signals. Additionally the inverters 249-251 apply the station selection signals to the inputs of respective nand gates 256-258. The first phase signal on line 103 is applied through a nand gate 262 and an inverter 264 to second inputs of the nand gates 256-258 to produce data transfer signals on lines 113a, 113b and 113c. The relative timing of the first and second phase signals, the set signal, the station selection signals and the data transfer signals is illustrated in FIG. 15.
When an alarm summary command or alarm status summary command is present on one of the respective lines 118 and 119, a nand gate 266 applies an enabling signal via an inverter 268 to a reset input on a binary counter 270. Set signals on line 110 are applied to another input of the binary counter 270 to step the counter. The outputs of the binary counter 270 are connected to a decoder circuit 272 which has outputs connected to inputs of respect nor gates 274-276. The other inputs of the nor gates 274-276 are connected to the respective lines 113. Outputs of the nor gates 274-276 are connected to respective inputs of nor gates 277 and 278 with one input of gate 277 being grounded. The nor gates 277 and 278 operate a nand gate 280 which applies a signal to a nand gate 282. A second input of the nand gate 282 is connected to the output of the nand gate 266 so that the nand gate 282 produces an alarm status print pulse chain signal on line 112 whenever, the decoder circuit output corresponds to a respective one of the date transfer signals on lines 113. The outputs of the binary counter 270 are also connected to inputs of a data selector 284 along with inputs from the outputs of the decoder 246. When the outputs of the binary counter 270 correspond to the signal generated by the outputs of the decoder 246, the selector 284 produces a memory hold signal through an inverter 286 on the line 114. After succeeding print cycle command signals on line 120 during an alarm summary command signal on line 118 or an alarm status summary command signal on line 119, the counter 270 is stepped by interposed cycles of counter 244 until a summary reset signal is produced from decoder circuit 272 through inverters 281 and 283 on line 111. A nand gate 285 has inputs from the nand gate 266 and line 114 to produce an N print signal on line 115 when there is an absence of a memory hold signal and the presence of either an alarm summary command signal or an alarm status summary command signal. Resistors 287-289 connected to the source 210 provide bias for lines 118, 119 and 121 when printing circuitry is absent.
Output Interface Circuit (FIG. 5)
FIG. 5 shows an interface circuit between lines 109a and 40a, substantially identical interface circuits being connected between respective lines 109b-109c and 40b-40c. Line 109a is connected to inputs of two parallel transistor amplifier circuits 290 and 291. The output of transistor amplifier 290 is connected by a resistor 292 to the base of a transistor 293. The output of amplifier 291 is connected to the base of a transistor 294. Transistors 293 and 294 are connected in series between a resistor 295 and a diode 296 in a push-pull arrangement across a high voltage source 300. Line 40a is connected by resistor 299 to the junction of transistors 293 and 294 connected by protective diodes 297 and 298 to source 300 and ground respectively. The voltage source 300 is selected to increase the voltage of the signals from the line 109a to the line 40a so that they may be better propogated without interference along the lines 40.
Input Interface Circuit (FIG. 6)
In FIG. 6, one line 60a of the lines 60 is connected across a resistor 301 and by a series resistor 303 to a junction of a pair of diodes 305 and 306 connected in series across the high voltage source 300. A filtering circuit including resistors 308 and 309 and a capacitor 310 is connected in series with the line 60a, resistor 303 and a zener diode 312 to the input of a transistor amplifier circuit 314. The output of the amplifier circuit 314 is connected by a diode 316 to the input of a transistor amplifier circuit 318 operated by the low voltage source 210. The output of the amplifier 318 is connected to the line 128a. The components of the interface circuit between the lines 60a and 128a are selected to lower the voltage of the line 60a to a voltage which is acceptable to the circuitry within the console 66 as well as to filter unwanted components of noise from the signal. Substantially identical circuits are provided between the lines 60b-60c and 128b-128c.
Memory Circuit (FIG. 7)
The memory circuit 130 of FIG. 2 is shown in detail in FIG. 7. The memory includes a plurality of memory units 322-330. Inputs of a first row of the units 322-324 are connected to a line 113a of the lines of 113, inputs of a second row of the units 325-327 are connected to the line 113b of the lines 113 and inputs of a third row the units 328-330 are connected to line 113c. Inverters 320-320 and 321-321 and nand gates 331-333 disabled by a memory hold signal on the line 114 are interposed in the respective lines 113 to block data transfer signals on the lines 113. A first column of the units 322, 325, and 328 have inputs which are connected to the line 128a of the lines 128, a second column of the units 323, 326 and 329 have inputs connected to the line 128b and a third column of the units 324, 327 and 330 have inputs connected to the line 128c. The line 134 is connected to inputs of all the units 322-330.
For simplicity, only the details of the memory unit 322 is shown, the other units 323-330 being substantially identical thereto. The unit 322 has a first latch circuit 334 having inputs to which the lines 128a and 113a are connected. The line 113a is connected to an enabling input of the latch 334 so that data signals on line 128a are transfered to the latch 334 when the line 113a applies a data transfer signal to the latch 334 to change the latch from a first to a second state. A differentiating circuit has a capacitor 340 and a diode 342 between terminals 344 and 346 serially connected to the negative going output of the latch 334. Resistors 338 and 336 supply bias from the source 210 to opposite sides of the capacitor 340. When data indicating an alarm is received by the latch 334, the differentiating circuit produces an alarm pulse on the line 132a. The diode 342 is only connected between the terminals 344 and 346 when the memory unit corresponds to an alarm point being monitored. In the event that the memory unit 322 corresponds to a point where a status condition rather than an alarm condition is being monitored, the diode 342 is removed from the terminals 344 and 346 so that no alarm pulse signal is produced when the condition is stored in the latch 334. The output line 136a of the lines 136 is connected to the output of the latch 334 to receive an alarm status signal when the latch is in its second state. The line 134 applies an alarm acknowledgement signal to an input of a latch 348 to store the information on the output of the latch 334 in the latch 348. Line 138a of the lines 138 is connected to the output of the latch 348 to receive an acknowledged alarm signal.
Annunciator Interface Circuit (FIG. 8)
In FIG. 8 there is illustrated a portion of the annunciator interface circuit 140 of FIG. 2. Only that portion of the interface circuit which is connected to lines 136a and 138a is shown. Substantially identically circuitry is provided in the annunciator interface circuit for the other lines of the lines 136 and 138. Line 136a is connected to one input of a nand gate 352 which has an output connected to input of a nand gate 354. The line 138a is connected by a inverter 356 to another input of the nand gate 354. A third input of the nand gate 354 is normally biased by a resistor 358 connected to voltage source 210. A second input of the nand gate 352 is connected to a terminal 360 which is shown connected by a strap 362 to a terminal 364 connected to the line 105. The line 105 applies the 1.5 hertz signal to the gate 352 so that, upon the receipt of an alarm status signal on the line 136a, the nand gate 352 applies a pulsating signal to the nand gate 354. The nand gate 354 has an output connected to the input of the transistor amplifier circuit 368 which is connected by line 141a to a lamp 370 behind an annunciator window 70. In event the annunciator window 70 corresponds to a status point rather than an alarm point the strap 362 connects the terminal 360 to a terminal 374 which is connected to the voltage source 210 to apply a steady signal to the lamp 370. Also when an alarm acknowledged signal on line 138a is applied by the inverter 356 to an input of the nand gate 354 the gate 354 is disabled to produce a steady light condition of the lamp 370 behind the window 70. To test the operation of the lamp 370, a lamp test switch 79 is operated to ground one input of the nand gate 354 and produce a steady lighted condition of the lamp 370.
Function Logic Circuit (FIG. 9)
The function logic circuit 150 is shown in detail in FIG. 9. The lines 132 which carry the alarm pulses are connected to respective inputs of a nand gate 380. An inverter 386 connects line 112 to a one input of a nor gate 384 and the output of nand gate 380 is connected to another input of nor gate 384 to produce an output when an alarm pulse is present or when an alarm summary print pulse chain signal is present. The output of nor gate 384 is applied to an input of an nand gate 388 interconnected with a second nand gate 389 in a flip flop 390. The output of the nand gate 389 is connected by a switch 391 to the line 120 to produce a print cycle command signal when the flip flop 390 is activated. The flip flop 390 is reset by a print cycle reset signal on line 144 connected to an input of the nand gate 389. The switch 391 is provided to alternately connect the line 120 to the voltage source 210 in the event a printer is not included in the monitoring system and no printing functions are desired.
The output of the nand gate 380 is also connected by a inverter 393 to respective inputs of nand gates 395 and 396 interconnected with respective nand gates 397 and 398 in respective flip flops 399 and 400 to activate the flip flops 399 and 400 upon the receipt of an alarm pulse. The output of the nand gate 396 is connected to inputs of transistor amplifier circuits 401 and 402 which operate the respective alarm 152 and auxiliary relay 154. A nand gate 404 has one input connected to an output of the nand gate 395 and another input connected to the line 105 to drive an inverter 405 and transistor amplifier circuit 406 with a 1.5 hertz pulsating signal. The amplifier 406 operates a lamp 407 located behind a window in the alarm acknowledge switch 79 to provide a blinking light indicator when an alarm pulse has been received.
When the alarm acknowledge switch 79 is operated a voltage from the source 210 through a resistor 410 biases one input of a nand gate 412 which has its other input connected to the output of the nand gate 395. The output of the nand gate 412 connected to an input of nand gate 413 triggers a flip flop 411 containing interconnected nand gates 413 and 414. The flip flop 411 is reset by a pulse from a one shot 416 connected to an input of the nand gate 414 after a set signal on line 110 is applied to the one shot 416. The output of the nand gate 413 is connected by an inverter 418 to an input of nand gate 398 to reset the flip flop 400 and turn off the alarm 152 and auxiliary relay 154. The nand gates 413 and 414 have an interposed resistor 420 with a capacitor 421 connected to ground for the purpose of slowing the operation of the flip flop and rendering it less susceptible to noise signals. Similar resistances and capacitances are interposed in other flip flops within the circuitry and operate in a similar manner.
The output of nand gate 413 is connected through the resistor 420 to one input of a nand gate 423. A second input of the nand gate 423 is normally biased by a voltage through resistor 424 connected to the source 210. The second input is connected to the normally open panel switch 146 and by a diode 426 to the normally open lock switch 82. When either of the switches 82 or 146 are operated, the nand gate 423 is disabled. Also a set signal must be present on line 110 connected to a third input of the nand gate 423, and a fourth input connected to the line 139 must not be grounded by the lamp test switch to enable the operation of the nand gate 423. The output of the nand gate 423 is connected to an input of nand gate 397 to reset the flip flop 399 to terminate the blinking light 407 in the alarm acknowledge switch. Also the output of nand gate 423 is applied to an input of nand gate 427 which is normally enabled by a signal on another input from a nand gate 428. The output of nand gate 427 is connected by inverter 429 to the line 134 to produce an alarm acknowledge signal.
In the event of a power failure on the circuitry of the monitoring system, a silicon controlled rectifier 431 connected in series with a resistor 432 to the power source 210 will be rendered non-conductive. When power is again initiated, the voltage across the non-conductive silicon controlled rectifier 431 is applied by a resistor 434 across a capacitor 435 which is connected across a control electrode of a unijunction transistor 436. The unijunction transistor 436 is connected in series with resistors 437 and 438 across the silicon controlled rectifier 431. The capacitor 435 charges over a predetermined duration of time to trigger the unijunction transistor 436 to apply a pulse through a resistor 440 to a control electrode of the silicon controlled rectifier 431 to trigger the silicon controlled rectifier 431. A capacitor 441 connected across the silicon controlled rectifier 431 serves to eliminate high frequency signals which may be produced by the triggering of the silicon controlled rectifier 431. The output across the capacitor 441 is connected by an inverter 443 to an input of a nand gate 445 interconnected with a nand gate 446 in a flip flop 447. The output of the nand gate 445 is connected by an inverter 448 to inputs of nand gates 389, 397 and 398 to disable the flip flops 390, 399 and 400 when the power is initially turned on. The output of nand gate 446 is connected to one input of the nand gate 428, and the line 110 is connected to another input of nand gate 428 to produce alarm acknowledge signals on line 134 during the time that the silicon controlled rectifier 431 is nonconductive.
The force print push button 75, when operated, disconnects ground from an input of a nand gate 450 and allows that input to be biased by voltage from a resistor 449 connected to the source 210. A second input of the nand gate 450 is connected to the line 110 to apply a signal from the output of gate 450 during a set signal to an input of a nand gate 451 interconnected with a nand gate 452 in a flip flop 453. The output of the nand gate 451 is applied by an inverter 454 to the line 121 to produce a force print signal thereon. The output of the nand gate 452 is applied to one input of a nand gate 455 while the output of the nand gate 451 is applied through a delay circuit of a resistor 456 and capacitor 457 to another input of nand gate 455 to produce a force feed signal on line 143 at the end of the force print signal on line 121. The operation of the flip flop 453 is reset by the termination of a busy command signal on line 142 connected by an inverter 459 to an input of the nand gate 452.
Alarm summary switch 76 when operated disconnects ground and allows a voltage from the source 210 through a resistor 460 to be applied to an input of a nand gate 462. The line 110 is connected to another input of the nand gate 462 which applies a signal to an input of a nand gate 464 interconnected with a nand gate 465 in a flip flop 463 to produce an alarm summary command signal on line 118. Similarly for an alarm status summary, operation of the switch 77 allows a voltage from the source 210 to be applied by a resistor 470 to one input of a nand gate 472. A set signal on the line 110 connected to another input of the nand gate 472 triggers a flip flop 475 which includes a nand gate 473 interconnected with a nand gate 474 to produce an alarm status summary command signal on line 119 through an inverter 477 and a nand gate 479. The output of the nand gate 474 is connected to an input of the nand gate 462 to prevent the generation of an alarm summary command signal when an alarm status summary command signal is being produced. Similarly, the output of the nand gate 465 is connected to an input of the nand gate 472 to disable the production of an alarm status summary command signal when an alarm summary command signal is being produced. An invertor 476 connects the switch 77 to an input of the nand gate 462 and an invertor 477 connects the switch 76 to an input of the nand gate 472 to prevent the simultaneous operation of the switches 76 and 77 operating both flip flops 463 and 475 to simultaneously produce alarm summary command signals and alarm status summary command signals.
The alarm summary command signal on line 118 and the alarm status summary command signal on line 119 may be terminated by operating the switch 78 which allows a voltage from the source 210 to be applied by a resistor 481 to an input of a nand gate 482. The output of the nand gate 482 is applied to respective inputs of the nand gates 465 and 474 to reset the flip flops 463 and 475. When not terminated by a summary termination signal from the switch 78, the flip flops 463 and 475 are reset by a summary reset signal on the line 111 connected to inputs of the nand gates 465 and 474. The outputs of the inverters 476 and 477 are applied to respective inputs of a nand gate 484 which has its output connected by an inverter 485 to an input of the nand gate 482 to prevent operation of the nand gate 482 if either of the switches 76 or 77 are simultaneously operated. The output of the nand gate 464 is applied to a transistor amplifier 487 which operates a lamp 488 located behind a window of the switch 76 to light the switch and indicate the presence of an alarm summary command signal. Similarly the output of the nand gate 479 is applied by an inverter 490 to the input of a transistor amplifier 491 which operates a lamp 492 located behind a window in the switch 77 to light the switch 77 and indicate the presence of an alarm status summary command signal. The outputs of the nand gates 465 and 474 are connected to respective inputs of a nand gate 495 which has an output connected by inverter 494 to nand gate 450 to prevent the production of a force print signal on the line 121 when either an alarm summary command signal or an alarm status summary command signal is being produced on either of the lines 118 or 119.
The lock switch 82 is connected by diodes 496, 497, 498, and 499 to one side of the respective switches 75, 76, 77 and 78 to maintain a ground signal on inputs of the respective nand gates 450, 462, 472 and 482 and prevent the production of a force print signal on line 121, an alarm summary command signal on the line 118 and an alarm status summary command signal on the line 119 when the lock switch 82 is operated. Also the power off delay signal from the inverter 448 is applied to respective inputs of the nand gates 452, 465, 473 and 479 to prevent the force feed signal, alarm summary command signal and alarm status summary command signal for the predetermined duration after power is reapplied and to operate the flip flop 475 to initiate an alarm status summary print out. Capacitors 501-501 connected to respective switches 75-78 help prevent operation of the nand gates 450, 462, 472 and 482 by induced noise signals or the like.
Printer Sequencing Circuit (FIG. 10)
Upon the production of a print cycle command signal on line 120 by the function logic circuit 150, the printer sequencing circuit shown in detail in FIG. 10 is enabled. The print cycle command on line 120 is applied by an inverter 503 to an input on a nand gate 504 and a plurality of enable or reset inputs on latches 506-510. First phase clock signals on line 103 connected to an input of the nand gate 504 are applied by an inverter 512 connected to the output of gate 504 to transfer inputs of the latches 506-510. A nand gate 514 has inputs connected to the inverted outputs of latches 506-509 for applying input signals to an input of the first latch 506 when there is absence of signals stored in any of the latches 506-509. Another input of the latch 506 is connected to the output of the nand gate 514 by an inverter 516. The outputs of the latches 506, 507 and 508 are connected to the respective lines 175a, 175b and 175c to produce sequential point scanning signals on the lines 175 as the signal stored initially in the first latch 506 is sequentially moved down the latches to latch 510 by succeeding cycles of the first phase signal. The output of the latch 509 is connected to an input of a one shot 518 to produce an output pulse thereon which is applied by an inverter 519 to an input of a nor gate 521. The other input of the nor gate 521 is connected to the line 143 by an inverter 522 to produce a paper feed signal on the line 177 connected to the output of nor gate 521 when ever the one shot 518 is activated or a force feed signal is present on the line 143. Additionally the output of the one shot 518 is applied to an input of the nand gate 504 to prevent sequencing of the latches 506-510. Also a busy command signal on the line 142 connected to an input of the nand gate 504 disables the nand gate 504.
Inverted outputs of the latches 506-509 are applied to respective substantially identical differentiator circuits 525-528. The differentiator circuit 525 has a serially connected capacitor 531 and diode 532 with a pair of resistors 533 and 534 connecting the voltage source 210 to opposite sides of the capacitor 531. The outputs of all the differential circuits 525-528 are connected by an inverter 538 to an input of a one shot 539. The one shot 539 produces a slightly delayed pulse which has a duration which is less than one cycle of the clock signal on the line 142. A memory hold signal on the line 114 and a alarm status summary command signal on line 119 are applied by respective inverters 543 and 544 to inputs of a nand gate 545. The output of the nand gate 545 is applied to an input of a nand gate 547 to disable the nand gate 547 which has a second input from the line 172 which receives the alarm print command signal. The output of the nand gate 545 is also applied by an inverter 548 to an input of a nand gate 541 which has a second input connected to the output of the one shot 539 and a third input connected by an inverter 549 to the line 173 which receives the print command inhibit signal. The outputs of nand gates 541 and 547 along with the line 121 are connected to respective inputs of a nand gate 551 which produces a print command signal when (a) an alarm print command signal is present and memory hold and alarm-status summary command signals are not present, (b) a memory hold signal, an alarm status summary signal and a pulse from one of the differentiators 525-528 are present and a print command inhibit signal on line 173 is not present or (c) a force print command signal is present on line 121. The print command signal on line 176 is also applied by a inverter 553 to an input of an nand gate 554 which is interconnected with a nand gate 555 in a flip flop 556. The flip flop 556 is enabled by the presence of a print cycle command signal from the output of the inverter 503 connected to an input of the nand gate 555 to apply a signal to the one shot 518 and produce a paper feed signal on the line 177.
Print Inhibit Circuit (FIG. 11)
Referring now to FIG. 11 there is shown the details of the print inhibit circuit 157 of FIG. 2. The lines 138 receiving the acknowledged alarm signals are connected to respective first inputs of nand gates 558-566. The line 109a is connected to second inputs of nand gates 558-560, the line 109b is connected to second inputs of the nand gates 561-563 and the line 109c is connected to second inputs of the nand gates 564-566 to gate the acknowledged alarm signals with the respective station selection signals. The outputs of the nand gates 558-566 are connected by respective inverters 569-577 to first inputs of nand gates 579-587. The second inputs of the nand gates 579-587 are connected to the line 114 which receives the memory hold signal to disable the gates 579-587. The outputs of the nand gates 579, 582 and 585 are connected by an inverter 588 to the line 161a, the outputs of the nand gates 580, 583 and 586 are connected by an inverter 589 to the line 161b and the outputs of the nand gates 581, 584 and 587 are connected by the inverter 590 to the line 161c to produce inhibit signals on the respective lines 161 when a station selection signal corresponds to a row of memory units of which one respective unit is producing an acknowledged alarm signal during an alarm pulse initiated printing cycle.
Alarm Program Matrix Circuit (FIG. 12)
FIG. 12 shows in detail the alarm program matrix circuit 159 of FIG. 2. The circuit has a plurality of diodes 591-599 which have anodes connected to respective terminals 601-609 and cathodes connected to respective terminals 611-619. The terminals 601-603 are connected to the line 109a, the terminals 604-606 are connected to line 109b and the terminals 607-609 are connected to line 109c to receive respective station selection signals. The terminals 611, 614, and 617 are connected to the line 163a, the terminals 612, 615, and 618 are connected to the line 163b and the terminals 613, 616 and 619 are connected to the line 163c to produce alarm enable signals on the respective lines 163. The alarm program matrix may be programmed by removing one or more of the diodes 591-599 from between the respective terminals 601-609 and 611-619 in accordance with desired status points to be monitored. Then, only the remaining diodes will produce alarm enable signals on the lines 163 in accordance with alarm points being monitored.
Alarm Status Program Print Decoder Circuit (FIG. 13)
Referring now to FIG. 13 there is shown in detail the alarm status print decoder 178 of FIG. 2. The lines 128 are connected to inputs of respective latch circuits 624-626. The data signals on the lines 128 are indexed into the respective latches 624-626 when a print cycle command is present on the line 120 which is connected to other inputs of the latches 624-626. The inverse outputs of the latches 624, 625, and 626 are connected to first inputs of respepctive nand gates 628, 629 and 630, the lines 175a, 175b, 175c are applied to second inputs of the respective nand gates 628, 629, and 630 and the lines 163a, 163b and 163c are connected to third inputs of the respective nand gates 628, 629 and 630. The outputs of the nand gates 628-630 are connected to respective inputs of a nand gate 632 which produces a print command inhibit signal on line 173 when a point scanning signal on the lines 175 coincides with a point on one of the lines 128 which has no data signal and the point is programmed for a alarm point. The outputs of the latches 624-626 are applied to inputs of respective nand gates 634-636 while other inputs of the respective nand gates 634-636 are connected to respective point scanning lines 175a-175c and respective inhibit lines 161a- 161c. The outputs of the nand gates 634-636 are applied to respective inputs of a nand gate 638 which produces an output signal upon the presence of a scanned data signal which does not correspond to an acknowledged alarm signal during an alarm pulse initiated printing cycle. The outputs of the nand gates 634-636 are also applied by respective inverters 640-642 to first inputs of nand gates 644-646. Second inputs of the nand gates 644-646 are connected to the respective lines 163a-163c to produce output signals on the gates 644-646 when a non-inhibited scanned data signal corresponds to an alarm point. The output of the nand gates 644-646 are connected to respective inputs of a nand gate 648 which produces a red print signal on the line 181. Also the red print signal is applied to an input of a nor gate 649 along with the output of the nand gate 648 to produce an on-off command signal on the line 179. Differentiating circuits 652-654 are connected to outputs of respective nand gates 644-646. The differentiating circuit 652 has a serially connected capacitor 656 and diode 657 with a pair of resistors 658 and 659 applying a voltage bias from the source 210 on both sides of the capacitor 656. The output of the differentiators 652-654 are summed by an inverter 655 to produce an alarm print command signal on the line 172.
24 Hour Clock Circuit (FIG. 14)
In FIG. 14 there is shown the details of the 24-hour clock circuit. The line 105 with the 1.5 hertz clock signal is connected to an input of a counting circuit 668 which is designed to count 0-9. The output of the counter 668, which produces a signal when the counter cycles from 9 to 0, is connected to an input of a counter 669 which is designed to count from 0 to 8. The output of the counter 669 which produces a signal when the counter 669 cycles to 0 is connected through a nand gate 672 and a nand gate 673 to an input of a binary counter 675 which is design to count from 0 to 9. An output of the counter 675 which produces a signal when the counter cycles from 9 to 0 is applied through nand gates 678 and 679 to an input of a binary counter 681 designed to count from 0 to 5. The output of the counter 681 which produces a signal at the 0 signal is connected through nand gates 684 and 685 to an input of a binary counter 687 which is designed to count from 0 to 9. The output of the counter 687 which produces a signal when the counter 687 cycles from 9 to 0 is applied to an input of the counter 696 to advance the counter 696. An output of the counter 675 which produces a signal when the count is 1 is connected through an inverter 699 to an input of a nand gate 698. Another input of the nand gate 691 is connected to an output of the counter 687 which produces a signal when the count is 4 but no signal when the count is less than 4. Still another input of the nand gate 691 is connected to an output of the counter 696 which produce a signal when the count is 2 but no signal when the count is less than 2. The output of nand gate 691 is connected to an input of a one shot 692 which has an output connected by an inverter 693 to reset inputs of counter 696 and 687 to reset the clock to 00 hours and 01 minutes when the clock reaches 24 hours and 01 minutes. Binary outputs of the counters 675, 681, 687 and 696 are connected to first inputs of respective latch circuits 705-717. Second inputs of the latches 705-717 are connected to the line 142 to disable the first latch inputs when a busy command signal is present. The outputs of the latches 705-717 provide time information to the printer 89 of FIG. 1. Switches 84-86 are provided to advance the respective counters 675, 681 and 687 manually to set the clock circuit. The switch 84 selectively grounds inputs of nand gates 724 and 725 interconnected as a flip flop 726. The inputs are biased by resistors 721 and 722 from the source 210. The output of the nand gate 725 is connected to an input of the nand gate 727 to apply a signal to a one shot 728. The output of the nand gate 724 is connected to a nand gate 729 to enable the nand gate 729. The output of the one shot 728 is connected to a second input of the nand gate 729 which produces an output pulse applied through nand gate 673 to advance the counter 675. The nand gate 729 has a third input which is connected by an inverter 671 to the output of the counter 669 to prevent operation during the presence of a signal from the counter 669. Similarly there are provided the switch 85, a flip flop 731 containing nand gates 732 and 733, an inverter 677, resistors 737 and 738 and a nand gate 735 to advance the counter 681; and the switch 86, a flip flop 741 containing a nand gate 742 and 743, an inverter 683, resistors 747 and 748 and a nand gate 745 to advance the counter 687. Also the output of the nand gate 743 is applied to an input of the nand gate 698 to enable the operation of nand gate 691 while the switch 86 is operated to reset the counters 687 and 696 to read 00 when they change to 24. The key switch 82 is connected by respective diodes 750, 751, and 752 to inputs of the nand gates 725, 733 and 743 to disable operation of the switches 84-86 when the key switch 82 is operated.
Modular Structure and Variations (FIGS. 17 and 18)
Most of the circuitry in FIGS. 2-14 is made in modular units or printed circuit modules 801-817 as shown in FIG. 17. Printed circuit modules 801-805 and 809-811 respectively contain the system sequencing circuit 107, the output interface circuit 124, the input interface circuit 126, the alarm status print decoder circuit 178, the printer sequencing circuit 170, the printer decoder circuit 183, the alarm program matrix circuit 159 and the 24-hour clock circuit 187. The system clock circuit 101 is formed on a portion of the printed circuit module 806 which also contains a portion of the function logic circuit 150 common to both printing and annunciation functions, namely, all the circuitry shown above the dashed line 820 in FIG. 9. The function logic circuitry below the dashed line 820 is devoted to printing functions and is contained in a portion of the printed circuit module 807 which also contains a portion of the print inhibit circuit associated with the first station 37 (FIG. 1), namely, in FIG. 11, nand gates 558-560 and 579-581 and inverters 569-571 and 588-590. The remaining print inhibit circuitry solely associated with the second and third stations 38 and 39 is contained in printed circuit module 808. The printed circuit modules 812-814 contains the circuitry of the respective rows of memory units 322-330 in the memory 130 corresponding to respective stations. Similarly, the printed circuit modules 815-817 contain the annunciator interface circuitry associated with respective stations.
All the printed circuit modules 801-817 are removably connected to suitable connectors such as, for example shown in FIG. 18, the printed circuit modules 809, 812 and 817 connected to the respective printed circuit connectors 822, 824 and 826 mounted on a frame 828. Suitable wiring, in accordance with the circuitry illustrated in FIGS. 2-14, electrically interconnects terminals of the connectors, suitable power sources in panel 93 (FIG. 1), the cable 65, the control panel 72, a connector 830 for connecting to the printer 89 (FIG. 1) and a connector 832 for connecting to the annunciator panel 68 (FIG. 1).
Hereinbefore, there has been described an alarm and status monitoring system employing both an annunciator 68 and a printer 89 for indicating conditions. However, an alarm and status monitoring system may include an annunciator 68 without a printer 89, or a system may include a printer 89 without an annunciator 68. However all systems conveniently employ substantially identical frames with wired connectors.
For a system containing only an annunciator panel 68 and no printer 89, only the printed circuit modules 801-803, 806, and 812-817 are employed with the printed circuit modules 804, 805 and 807-811 being absent. Additionally, there would be substituted a different control panel 72 which contains only the alarm acknowledge switch 79 and the lamp test switch 80. Also, the switch 391 is operated.
For a system containing only a printer 89 and no annunciator panel 68, only the printed circuit modules 801-814 are employed with the printed circuit modules 815-817 being absent. Also, a different control panel 72 containing only the switches 75-79 and 84-86 would be employed, the switch 80 being absent.
In addition to being readily adaptable for three different systems, any of the systems can be readily adopted to monitor less than nine condition points. For example, for only six points, none of the systems would employ the printed circuit modules 814 and 817, thus providing a less expensive system. Eliminating any of the printed circuit modules 812-814 requires the simple jumpering of the connector terminal connected to the disconnected one of the lines 132 to a terminal providing a suitable bias to allow proper operation of the nand gate 380 (FIG. 9).
A typical system having a capacity to monitor one hundred and four points arranged in thirteen stations with eight points apiece, only nine points herein described, has great flexibility and many advantages. One such advantage of the modular construction of the system is that a much larger capacity system then immediately required by the user may be purchased saving the expense of unnecessary components. As needs expand, printed circuit modules may be readily added to meet the new requirements without having to replace the system. Similarly, a system employing only an annunciator panel may be readily modified by adding a printer, the printed circuit modules 804, 805 and 807-811, and the control panel 72 with all the switches 75-86. Or, a system employing only a printer may be readily modified by adding an annunciator panel, the printed circuit modules 815-817 and the control panel 72 with all the switches 75-80 and 84-86.
Operation
Since the operation of a system employing only an annunciator and the operation of a system employing only a printer are substantially identical to the operation of the respective annunciator portions and printer portions of a system employing both an annunciator and a printer, only the operation of a system employing both an annunciator and a printer is hereinafter described.
Referring to FIG. 1, when an alarm condition or status condition occurs one of the contacts 20-28 will be closed to indicate that the condition has occured. Station selection signals on respective lines 40a, 40b, and 40c are applied sequentially to the first group of contacts 20-22, to the second group of contacts 23-25 and to the third group of contacts 26-28. When one of the switches 20-28 has been closed by an alarm or a status condition, a station selection signal is passed by the closed contact to produce a data signal on one of the lines 60a, 60b or 60c in accordance with whether it was a first, second or third contact of each group of contacts.
The generation of a data signal indicating an alarm condition operates the lamp 370 (FIG. 8) behind one of the annunciator windows 70 with a flashing or blinking light, an audible alarm 152 (FIGS. 2 and 9) and a lamp 407 (FIG. 9) behind the alarm acknowledge switch 79 with a flashing light. An operator may terminate the operation of the audible alarm 152 and the lamp 407 behind the alarm acknowledge switch 79 and change the flashing lamp 370 of the annunciator panel 70 from a flashing indication into a steady lighted indication by depressing the alarm acknowledge switch 79. When a data signal corresponding to a programmed status point or condition is generated, the lamp 370 behind one of the annunciator windows 70 is operated with a steady light and the lamp 407 and alarm 152 remain unoperated.
Each time a data signal corresponding to an alarm condition is received characters are printed in red on a paper tape by the printer 89 identifying the alarm point or contact which has operated. Additionally, the printer 98 may be commanded to print a summary of all existing alarm conditions by operating the alarm summary switch 76, or the operator may command a summary of all the alarm conditions and the on-off condition of all status points by pressing the alarm status memory switch 77. The alarm summary or the alarm status summary being printed by the printer 89 may be terminated by pressing the summary cancel switch 78.
In addition to printing the location of the alarm conditions or status conditions the printer also prints the time that the condition occured. A force print switch 75 may be operated to cause the printer 89 to print only the time. One of the switches 84-86 may then be operated to advance the minutes, 10 minutes or hour of a 24-hour clock 187 (FIG. 2) until it is properly set.
One of the advantages of the invention is the provision of the key switch 82 which prevents an unauthorized person from operating or terminating the proper operation of the system. When operated the key switch 82 prevents an unauthorized person from turning off the flashing lamps in the annunciator panel 70 and the flashing lamp 407 of the alarm acknowledge switch 79. Operation of the alarm acknowledge switch 79, however, will turn off the audible alarm 152. In addition the operation of the key switch 82 disables the operation of the force print switch 75, the alarm summary switch 76, the alarm status summary switch 77, the summary cancel switch 78 and the clock setting switches 84, 85 and 86.
A general understanding of the operation of the circuitry in FIG. 2 may be inhanced by reference to the waveforms illustrated in FIGS. 15 and 16. The general timing of the circuitry is controlled by a system clock 101 which produces first and second phase 30 hertz clock signals on the respective lines 103 and 104. Also the clock 101 produces a 1.5 hertz signal on line 105 which is used by the annunciator interface circuit 140 and the function logic circuit 150 to produce the flashing light signals. Also, the 1.5 hertz signal controls the operation of the 24-hour clock circuit 187.
The system sequencing circuit 107 generates a series of four sequential signals. The first signal is the set signal on line 110 which is followed by the three sequential station selection signals on the respective lines 109a, 109b, and 109c. The relative timing of the set signal and the station selection signals is illustrated in FIG. 15. The output interface circuit 124 amplifies the station selection signals and applies them to the respective lines 40a, 40b and 40c of FIG. 1. In the event that one of the contacts 20-28 are closed, the resulting data signal on one of the lines 60 is applied by the input interface 126 to the lines 128 and hence to the memory 130. The system sequencing circuit 107 applies sequential data transfer signals on respective lines 113 to store the data signal in units or locations of the memory corresponding to each of the points being monitored.
In the event a data signal on one of the lines 128 comes from a contact 20-28 which corresponds to an alarm point and the corresponding memory unit has no previously stored data signal, an alarm pulse signal is generated on one of the lines 132 and applied to the function logic circuit 150. This causes the ringing of the alarm 152, the operation of the relay 154 along with the flashing light behind the alarm acknowledge switch 79. The memory 130 is programmed not to produce alarm pulse signals when the received data signals correspond to status points. In addition, stored data signals in the memory 130 produce alarm status signals on corresponding lines 136 which are applied to the annunciator interface circuit 140. The annunciator interface circuit 140 is programmed so that alarm status signals corresponding to alarm points, prior to acknowledgement, causes the flashing of the corresponding lamps on the annunciator panel 68 while alarm status signals corresponding to status points continuously light the corresponding lamps. An authorized operator, hearing the alarm 152 and seeing the flashing lights in the alarm acknowledge switch 79 and the annunciator 68, may operate the alarm acknowledge switch 79 to acknowledge the receipt of the alarm signal. Operating the switch 79 activates the function logic circuit 150 to stop the alarm 152, to extinguish the alarm acknowledge switch lamp and to produce an alarm acknowledge signal on line 134 which is applied to the memory circuit 130 to store additional information that the stored data signal has been acknowledged. Once the alarm signal has been acknowledged, an acknowledged alarm signal is produced on one of the lines 138 which is applied to the annunciator interface circuit 140 to change the flashing of the corresponding lamp to a steady lighted condition.
Also upon receipt of the alarm pulse signal, the function logic circuit 150 produces a print cycle command signal on line 120 which is applied to the system sequencing circuit 107. The print cycle command signal holds the system sequencing circuit 107 to continue the station selection signal on the respective line 109 connected to that group of contacts in FIG. 1 which has produced a data signal corresponding to an alarm point. The print cycle command signal on line 120 is also applied to the printer sequencing circuit 170 to start the production of sequential point scanning signals on the respective lines 175a, 175b and 175c as illustrated in FIG. 16. The point scanning signals are applied to the alarm status print decoder circuit 178 along with the data signals on lines 128. The alarm status print decoder circuit 178 produces an alarm print command signal on line 172, a red print signal on line 181 and an on-off command on line 179 when the point scanning signal corresponds to an unacknowledged alarm data signal. The alarm print command signal on line 172 is applied to the printer sequencing circuit 170 which applies a print command signal to the printer 89. The printer 89 produces a busy command signal on line 142 which is applied to the printer sequencing circuit 170 to hold the printer sequencing circuit to continue the point scanning signal which is producing the alarm print command signal. The printer decoder circuit 183 receives the on-off command on the line 179, the red print command on the line 181, the point scanning signals on lines 175 and the station selection signals on lines 109 and converts the information to an appropriate code on lines 185 to be received by the printer 89. Additionally the busy command on line 142 holds the outputs of the 24-hour clock circuit 187 so that the printer will not be effected by a change of time while it is performing a printing operation.
Once the printer 89 has completed the printing of the data, the busy command signal on line 142 is removed and the printer sequencing circuit 170 is allowed to continue producing the point scanning signals on lines 175. At the end of the point scanning signals, the printer sequencing circuit 170 applies a paper feed signal on line 177 to the printer 89 for a sufficient duration to feed a desired amount of paper through the printer 89. After the paper has been feed the printer sequencing circuit 170 than applies a print cycle reset signal to line 144 and the function logic circuit 150 to reset the logic circuit and remove the print cycle command signal from the line 120.
During the point scanning operation of the printer sequencing circuit 170 some of the data signals on the lines 128 may correspond to alarms which have been acknowledged or to status points. To prevent the printing of the acknowledged alarm signals, the print inhibit circuit 157 receives the acknowledged alarm signal on lines 138 along with the station selection signals on lines 109 to produce inhibit signals on lines 161 to prevent the alarm-status printer decoder 178 from producing the alarm print command signal on line 172, the on-off command signal on line 179 and the red print command signal on line 181. In addition, the alarm program matrix circuit 159 is appropriately programmed so that input signals on lines 109 produce alarm enable signals on lines 163 corresponding only to alarm points. The alarm enable signals on lines 163 only allow the alarm status print decoder circuit 178 to produce the alarm print command signal on line 172 and the red print command signal on line 181 when the scanned data signal corresponds to an alarm point.
The removal of the print cycle command on line 120 allows the system sequencing circuit 107 to again begin normal scanning functions and producing the set signal on line 110 and the sequential station selection signals on lines 109 until a new alarm pulse on lines 132 is produced.
In the event the operator wishes to have a print out of all existing alarm conditions including those which are acknowledged, the alarm summary switch 76 is operated to produce the alarm summary command signal on line 118. Similarly the operator may command a print out of all alarm conditions along with the status of all status points by operating the switch 77 to produce an alarm status summary command signal on line 119. Either the alarm summary command signal on line 118 or the alarm status summary command signal on line 119 causes the system sequencing circuit 107 to hold its station selection signal when it cycles to the first station selection signal on the line 109a. The system sequencing circuit 107 also produces a momentary alarm summary print pulse chain signal on line 112 which is applied to the function logic circuit 150. The alarm print pulse chain signal causes the function logic circuit 150 to produce the print cycle command signal on line 120 to initiate operation of the printer sequencing circuit 170. Also during an alarm summary or alarm status summary, the system sequencing circuit 107 produces a memory hold signal on line 114 which is applied to the memory 130 to prevent additional alarm or status signals being read into the memory 130 while a summary point scanning operation is being performed. Additionally the memory hold signal is applied (a) to the print inhibit circuit 157 to disable the inhibiting of acknowledged alarms and thus allow acknowledged alarm signals to be printed and (b) to the printer sequencing circuit 170 along with the alarm status summary command on line 119 to enable the printer sequencing circuit 170 to command the printing of status points as well as the alarm points only when an alarm status summary has been commanded. When the absence of a data signal on one of the lines 128 corresponds to a unoperated alarm point which is then being scanned, the alarm status printer decoder circuit 178 produces a print command inhibit signal on line 173 to the printer sequencing circuit 170 to prevent the printing of non-operated alarm points during either an alarm summary or an alarm status summary. During an alarm status summary the on-off condition of all status points is printed.
After all of the points corresponding to a station selected by the first station selection signal on the line 109a have been scanned by the printer sequencing circuit 170, the print cycle command signal on the line 120 is terminated and the system sequencing circuit 107 inserts a normal alarm scanning operation producing a cycle of all station selection signals to search all of the stations for new alarm conditions. An N print signal on line 115 causes the printer 89 to print N after any new alarm sensed during a summary. After the stations have been scanned in the normal fashion and any new claims recorded the system sequencing circuit 107 stops at the station selection signal on the line 109b. This again institutes the production of an alarm summary print pulse chain signal on line 112 which initiates another point scanning operation from the printer sequencing circuit 170 to continue printing either an alarm summary or an alarm status summary. The system sequencing circuit 107 continues in this fashion until all of the lines 109 have been subject to point scanning operations and the print out of an alarm summary or an alarm status summary has been completed. Then the system sequencing circuit 107 produces a summary reset signal on line 111 to the function logic circuit 150 to terminate the alarm summary command signal on line 118 or the alarm status summary command signal on line 119 to revert the system to normal operation.
During the alarm summary print out or the alarm status summary print out the operator may terminate the summary print out by pressing the summary cancel switch 78 which terminates the alarm summary command signal on the line 118 or the alarm status summary command signal on the line 119 to stop the alarm summary or alarm status summary operation after any print cycle is completed which may be in operation.
The operation of the system clock shown in FIG. 3 is controlled by a 60 cycle input signal which is half-wave rectified, shaped and formed before being applied to inputs of latches 228 and 232. The latches 228 and 232 are interconnected in a manner to produce the respective first and second phase 30 hertz signals on the lines 103 and 104. The first phase clock signal on the line 103 leads the second phase clock signal on the line 104 by 90° as illustrated in FIG. 15. Additionally the output of the latch 232 is divided by twenty by the serial connected counter circuit 234 and latch 236 to produce the 1.5 hertz signal on line 105.
Scanning operation of the system sequencing circuit shown in FIG. 4 is controlled by the 30 hertz clock signals on the lines 103 and 104. The second phase clock signal on line 104 sequentially steps or cycles the binary counter 244. The binary counter 244 operates the decoder circuit 246 which produces first the set signal on line 110 and then the sequential station selection signals on the lines 109a, 109b, and 109c. The sequential station selection signals are gated with the first phase clock signals on the line 103 to produce the sequential data transfer signals on the lines 113a, 113b, and 113c. Upon the receipt of a print cycle command signal on the line 120 or a force print signal on the line 121 the nand gate 240 disables the application of the second phase clock signal on the line 104 to the counter 244 to stop the counter 244 from advancing. Also the print cycle command signal on line 120 terminates the data transfer signals on the lines 113. After the print cycle command signal on the line 120 or the force print signal on the line 121 has been terminated the counter 244 is allowed to continue advancement and the production of the station selection signals on the lines 109 and the set signal on the line 110.
When an alarm summary command signal on line 118 or an alarm status summary command signal on line 119 is present, the binary counter 270 is enabled to receive the next set signal from the line 110 to advance the count to the number 1. The decoder circuit 272 produces the output of the binary counter 270 in parallel form which is gated with the data transfer signals on lines 113 to produce an alarm status print pulse chain signal on the line 112 when the data transfer signals on lines 113 correspond to the output of the decoder circuit 272. After a printer sequencing cycle and the completion of a cycle of the station selection signals, the next set signal advances the counter 270 to the number 2 so that in the next sequence of station selection signals the alarm status print pulse chain signal is produced when the data transfer signal on line 113b is produced. Thus it is seen that during the alarm summary or alarm status summary operations the system sequencing circuit enables successive point scanning cycles of the printer sequencing circuit 170 with a normal station scanning operation of the system sequencing circuit 107 interposed between each point scanning cycle to sense any new alarm conditions. During the interposed station scanning operations, the nand gate 285 produces the N print signal on line 115. The selector circuit 284 senses the coincidence of the count of the counter 270 with station scanning signals on lines 109 to produce the memory hold signal on the line 114. After the alarm summary or alarm status summary has been completed, the decoder circuit 272 produces the summary reset signal on line 111. The counter 270 is reset to 0 by the termination of the alarm summary command signal on the line 118 or the alarm status summary command signal on the line 119.
The output interface circuit 124 and the input interface circuit 126 serve to connect the circuitry of FIG. 2 with the cable 65 and the station boxes 37-39 of FIG. 1. As illustrated in FIG. 5 an amplifying and protection circuit is interposed between the lines 109a and 40a to increase the level of voltage signals on the line 40a while protecting line 109a from high voltage signals which may be picked up by the lines 40a. Similarly, the protective circuit shown in FIG. 6 interposed between the lines 60a and 128a serves to decrease the data signals from line 60a to an appropriate level on line 128a while protecting the line 128a from high voltages or extraneous noise signals which may be present on the line 60a.
Received data signals on lines 128a, 128b, and 128c are supplied to respective columns of the substantially identical memory units 322-330 as shown in FIG. 7. The data signals on the lines 128 are stored in respective rows of the units 322-330 by the data transfer signals on the respective lines 113a, 113b, and 113c when the nand gates 331-333 are enabled by the absence of a memory hold signal on line 111. Thus each of the memory units 322-330 correspond to a respective one of the points or contacts 20-28 of FIG. 1. In memory unit 322, the data signal is stored in latch 334. When the memory unit 322 is programmed to have a diode 342 connected between terminals 344 and 346 indicating that memory unit corresponds to an alarm point rather than a status point, an alarm pulse is produced on one of the lines 132 when a data signal is first stored in the respective latch 344. When an alarm acknowledge signal is applied to the line 134, the data signal stored in the latch 344 is also stored in the latch 348. The latch 334 produces alarm status signals on the respective line 136a while the latch 348 produces acknowledge alarm or status signals on the line 138a.
As illustrated for the lines 138a and 136a and 141a in FIG. 8, the annunciator interface circuit receives the alarm status signals on the line 136a and the acknowledge alarm signals on the line 138a to operate the lamp 370. If the circuit is programmed by the strap 362 connected between terminals 360 and 364 to indicate an alarm point, the application of an alarm status signal on lines 136 causes the lamp 370 to blink at a 1.5 hertz rate. When the corresponding acknowledged alarm signal is present on line 138a, the blinking is stopped and the lamp 370 is lit continuously to indicate the presence of a acknowledged alarm. In the event the circuit is programmed by connecting the strap 362 between the terminals 360 and 374 to indicate a status point rather than an alarm point, the lamp 370 is lit continuously rather than blinking upon the receipt of an alarm status signal on the line 138a.
The function logic circuit in FIG. 9 produces various controlling signals in response to various input signals or the operation of one of the switches 75-80. The receipt of an alarm pulse signal on one of the lines 132 or the receipt of a alarm summary print pulse chain signal on the line 112 operates the flip flop 390 to produce the print cycle command signal on the line 120. After a printing cycle is completed the flip flop 390 is reset by a print cycle reset signal on the line 144. The receipt of a alarm pulse signal on one of the lines 132 also operates two flip flops 399 and 400. Operation of the flip flop 400 activates the audible alarm 152 and the auxiliary relay 154. The flip flop 399 and the 1.5 hertz signal on the line 105 operate the flashing light 407 located in the alarm acknowledge switch 79. When the alarm acknowledge switch 79 is operated, the flip flop 411 is activated which resets the flip flop 400 to terminate the operation of the audible alarm 152 and the auxiliary relay 154. The flip flop 411 also applies a signal to a nand gate 423. The nand gate 423 also receives inputs from the respective key lock switch 82, panel lock switch 146, the set signal on the line 110, and the lamp test signal on the line 139 so that the nand gate 423 is operated only when the switches 82 and 146 are open, the lamp test switch 80 is unoperated and a set signal is present on the line 110. The nand gate 423 then produces an alarm acknowledge signal on the line 134 and resets the flip flop 399 to terminate the operation of the flashing lamp 407. The flip flop 411 is reset by a delayed pulse from the one shot 416 which is triggered by the set signal on the line 110. When the force print switch 75 is operated and a set signal is present on the line 110, the nand gate 451 of the flip flop 453 is activated to produce a force print signal on the line 121. The flip flop 453 remains activated so long as there is a busy command signal on the line 142 after which the flip-flop 453 resets to produce a force feed signal on the line 143.
When the alarm summary switch 76 is operated and a set signal is present on line 110, the flip flop 463 is activated to produce an alarm summary command signal on the line 118. Similarly, when the alarm status summary switch 77 is operated and a set signal is present on line 110, the flip flop 475 is activated to produce an alarm status summary command signal on line 119. Operation of the flip flop 463 operates the lamp 488 behind the alarm summary switch 76 while operation of the flip flop 475 operates the lamp 492 behind the alarm status summary switch 77. The flip flops 463 and 475 are normally reset by a summary reset signal on line 111. Also the flip flops 463 and 475 may be reset by the operation of the summary cancel switch 78.
The alarm summary command signals and the alarm status summary command signals are applied to the nand gates 462 and 472 to prevent the operation of either flip flop 463 or 475 when the other one thereof is operated. Also, the alarm summary command signal and the alarm status summary command signal are applied to the nand gate 450 to prevent the production of a force print signal on line 121 and a force feed signal on line 143 by operation of the force print switch 75. The key lock switch 82, when operated, disables the nand gates 450, 462, and 472 to prevent the production of a force print signal, an alarm summary command signal, or an alarm status summary command signal.
The function logic circuit 150 also contains a timing circuit for triggering the silicon controlled rectifier 431 a predetermined duration after the reapplication or the application of power to the circuitry. The silicon controlled rectifier 431 is rendered non conductive by any interruption of power, and when reapplied, the voltage across the silicon controlled rectifier 431 produces a current through the resistor 434 to charge the capacitor 435. After a predetermined duration, the voltage on the capacitor 435 is sufficient to trigger the unijunction transistor 436 which produces an output pulse across the resistor 438 applied by the resistor 440 to the control electrode of the silicon controlled rectifier 431 to render the silicon controlled rectifier conductive.
While the silicon controlled rectifier 431 is non-conductive, the flip flop 447 is operated to disable the nand gates 389, 397, 398, 452, 465 and 479 to prevent the production of the print cycle command signal on the line 120 upon receipt of an alarm pulse on lines 132, the alarm summary command signal on the line 118 and the alarm status summary command signal on the line 119. The flip flops 390, 399, 400, 453 and 463 are maintained by the respective disabled gates 389, 397, 398, 452 and 465 in their unoperated states. The nand gate 473 and the flip flop 475 are operated by the flip flop 447 during the predetermined duration after the reapplication or application of power to the circuitry. Thus, when the silicon controlled rectifier 431 is triggered into a conductive state and the nand gate 479 is enabled, an alarm status summary command signal is produced on line 119 to initiate the printing of an alarm status summary after the predetermined duration. Activation of the flip flop 475 disables the nand gate 462 to prevent operation of the amplifier 487 and the lamp 488 and operates nand gate 495 to disable the nand gate 450 to prevent the production of the force print signal on line 121 and the force feed signal on line 143 if the force feed switch 75 is operated. Also the flip flop 447, when operated, enables the nand gate 428 to pass set signals from the line 110 to produce alarm acknowledge signals on line 134 so that the memory 130, during the predetermined duration, stores received data signals as acknowledged alarm signals.
The operation of the printer sequencing circuit shown in FIG. 10 is initiated by the print cycle command signal on line 120 which allows the first phase clock signals on line 103 to be gated through to the serially connected latches 506-510. The latches 506-510 are sequentially activated and de-activated to produce the sequential point scanning signals on the lines 175a, 175b, and 175c. Also operation of the respective latches 506-509 produces output pulses from differentiator circuits 525-528 which operate a one shot circuit 539. When an alarm status summary command is present on the line 119, when a memory hold signal is present on the line 114 and when there is an absence of a print command inhibit signal on line 173, the output pulse of the one shot 539 is gated through nand gate 551 to produce a print command signal on line 176. Also the print command signal is produced whenever an alarm print command signal is present on line 172 during the absence of the memory hold signal or alarm status summary command signal or whenever a force print signal is present on line 121. The print command signal on line 176 as well as the output of the latch 509 operate the one shot 518 to produce a paper feed signal on the line 177. Also the paper feed signal is produced when a forced feed signal is present on line 143. A busy command signal on the line 142 disables the gate 504 to stop the sequencing of the latches and to allow the printing of the information of the station and point. After the point scanning operation and the paper feeding operation, the latch 510 produces a print cycle reset signal on line 144. Removal of the print cycle command signal from the line 120 resets the latches 506-510.
The print inhibit circuit of FIG. 11 generates inhibit signals on lines 161 to prevent the printing of acknowledged alarm signals during a alarm printing cycle initiated by an alarm pulse from the memory 130. The acknowledged alarm signals on the lines 138 are gated with the respective station selection signals on the lines 109 by the gates 558-566 to produce respective output signals when the corresponding station selection signal is present. Output gates 579-587 are disabled by a memory hold signal on line 114 to prevent the inhibit signals on lines 161 during an alarm summary operation or an alarm status summary operation to allow the printing of the acknowledged alarm points during such operations.
As perviously mentioned the alarm program matrix circuit shown in FIG. 12 is programmed by removing one or more of diodes 591-599 from between the respective terminals 601-609 and 611-619 in accordance with desired status points. Thus when a station selection signal is present on one of the lines 109, a corresponding line 163a, 163b, or 163c will produce an alarm enable signal for those points where the diodes have been left corresponding to alarm points being monitored.
During the point scanning operation of the printer sequencing circuit 170, the alarm status print decoder circuit shown in detail in FIG. 13 is effective to detect the condition of the status points and to detect alarm points which have been scanned. The data signals on the lines 128 are feed into latches 624-626. In the event that there is no data present for the corresponding point scanning signal on the lines 175 and the alarm enable signals on lines 163 indicate that the point corresponds to an alarm point, a print command inhibit signal is generated on line 173 to prevent the printing of non-operated alarm points or contacts. During a printing cycle command signal which was initiated by an alarm pulse from the memory 130, inhibit signals on the lines 161 are gated with the respective data signals from the latches 624-626 by the gates 634-636 to prevent the printing of the acknowledged alarms. However when an unacknowledged alarm is present for a particular point scanning signal or there is no corresponding inhibit signal present, the gates 634-636 produce outputs which are summed by the gate 638. Also the outputs of the gates 634-636 are gated with the alarm enable signals on lines 163 to produce an alarm print command signal on line 172 and a red print signal on line 181. The red print signal is gated with the output of the gate 638 to produce the on-off command signal on the line 179 when a status point is present.
The 24 hour clock circuit shown in detail in FIG. 14 is operated by the 1.5 hertz clock signal on the line 105. Counters 668 and 669 divide the 1.5 hertz signal by ninety to produce a one pulse per minute signal which operates serially connected counters 675, 681, 687 and 696. The counter 675 counts from 0-9 to correspond to the unit minutes, the counter 681 counts from 0-5 to indicate the ten minutes, the counter 687 counts from 0-9 to indicate the unit hours and the counter 696 counts from 0-to 2 to indicate the 10 hours. The nand gate 698, the nand gate 691 and the one shot 692 reset the unit hour counter 687 and 10 hour counter 696 to read 00 when the time reaches 24 hours and 1 minute. The counters 675, 681, 687 and 696 may be selectively advanced by operating the unit minute set switch 84, the ten minute set switch 85 and the hour set switch 86. The force print switch 75 shown on the console of FIG. 1 may be operated to print out the time of the clock and determine the correct setting. During a busy command signal on line 142, the output latches 705-717 are held to prevent a change of time information to the printer 89 when the printer is operating.
Since many variations, modifications and changes in detail may be made in the embodiment described in the above description and shown on the accompanying drawing without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention, the above description and the accompanying drawings shall be interrupted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.
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Sequentially generated pulses are applied to respective groups of alarm and status condition responsive contacts. A memory is indexed in accordance with the pulses to store individual condition signals received from respective contacts in each group and activate alarm or status indicators. A lock switch operates facilites for partially disabling a manual acknowledge switch which turns off audible and blinking alarm indicators. A printer records the time and a character indicating the specific alarm contact which was activated. Alarm summary command or alarm status summary command switches may be selectively operated to produce a print out of all alarm conditions or a print out of all alarm conditions and the status of all status contacts. The system employs modular units which may be selectively connected in the system to provide lamp annunciator functions and/or printing functions for selective sized groups of contacts.
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Applicants claim, under 35 U.S.C. §119, the benefit of priority of the filing date of Jul. 15, 1995, of a German application, Serial Number 195 25 874.6, filed on the aforementioned date, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to a device for the photo-electrical generation of electrical signals in connection with linear or angular measuring devices with at least one illuminating device, a graduation support with at least one graduation and at least one reference marker with graduation markings, a scanning plate with an arrangement of graduation markings for scanning the graduation markings of the reference marker, and with a plurality of photodetectors for the generation of position-dependent electrical signals.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Measuring systems of this type are known. A position measuring system of the type in accordance with the species has been extensively dealt with in German Patent Publication DE 34 16 864 C2.
The problems inherent in such position measuring systems when reference pulses are to be generated have also already been mentioned there and ways of solving them indicated. There, the arrangement of the photodetectors depends on the wavelength of the light as well as on the orientation and the grating parameters of the phase gratings.
A reference marker is distinctly described there which, with the aid of transverse gratings at graduation markings, splits the impinging light beams into two partial light beams, which are differently inclined perpendicularly in respect to the measuring direction. These partial light beams are detected by two photo-elements disposed in the focal plane of the condenser lens, which deliver the desired phase and counter-phase signal. Since both partial light beams essentially scan the same graduation field of the scale, this arrangement can be called a single field reference marker. It is therefore particularly insensitive to soiling. However, in actual use the optical separation between the partial light beams of the reference marker and those on the incremental scanning device, which must be represented by a single condenser lens in small scanning systems, has shown itself to be critical. No partial light beam of the reference marker can be allowed to fall on photo-elements of the incremental scanning device, since this would lead to measurement errors. The partial light beams assigned to the reference marker are deflected perpendicularly in respect to the measuring direction by the transverse gratings located on the measurement representation. Besides the intended ±1st transverse diffraction orders of the transverse gratings, others (0th, ±2nd, ±3rd, . . . ) are also created in the process, which in actual use can never be completely suppressed. All of these partial light beams of the reference marker illuminate large areas of the focal plane of the condenser lens, so that the arrangement of the photo-elements of the incremental track is difficult, particularly with condenser lenses of short focal length.
It is therefore an object of the invention to disclose a position measuring system with a reference marker which permits single field scanning, and whose partial light beams can be easily separated from the partial light beams of an incremental scanning device.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention concerns a position measuring system having an illuminating device for generating a beam of light. A graduation support is provided with a graduation and a reference marker with a first set of graduation markings, where the graduation support receives the beam of light and generates a second beam of light. A scanning plate moves along a measuring direction and receives the second beam of light and generates a third beam of light, wherein the scanning plate has a second set of graduation markings for scanning the first set of graduation markings of the reference marker. A first photodetector and a second photodetector receive portions of the third beam of light and generate position-dependent electrical signals, wherein either the first set of graduation markings of the reference marker or the second set of graduation markings have a structure which deflects in the measuring direction.
The advantages achieved with the above aspect of the invention are that it permits single field scanning, and allows partial light beams to be easily separated from the partial light beams of an incremental scanning device.
Advantageous further features of the invention will become apparent from the ensuing detailed description of exemplary embodiments of the invention, taken in conjunction with the drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a representation of a linear measuring device according to the present invention;
FIG. 2 is an optical layout for reference marker scanning with the linear measuring device of FIG. 1;
FIG. 3 is a positional layout of the light source and the photo-elements of the optical layout in accordance with the optical layout of FIG. 2;
FIG. 4 shows a portion of a scanning plate with the reference marker scanning field to be used with the linear measuring device of FIG. 1;
FIG. 5 is a portion of a graduation support with a reference marker to be used with the linear measuring device of FIG. 1;
FIG. 6 is a signal shape or diagram generated by the linear measuring device of FIG. 1;
FIG. 7 represents a variant of a reference marker scanning field to be used with the linear measuring device of FIG. 1; and
FIG. 8 shows a further variant of a reference marker scanning field to be used with the linear measuring device of FIG. 1.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
A linear measuring device 1 represented in FIG. 1 essentially consists of a housing 2 of a light metal, in which a graduation support M is fastened in a known manner. The housing 2 has been shown in partial section so that a scanning device 4 is visible. In a manner also known, the scanning device 4 photo-electrically scans a graduation 3a, which has been placed on the graduation support M. A reference marker 3b is assigned to a defined location. A carrier 5 having the cross section of a two-sided sword connects the scanning device 4 with a mounting base 6. The carrier 5 extends through a longitudinal slit 2a of the housing 2, which is sealed by sealing lips 7 and 8, arranged in the shape of a roof.
A machine, not shown, in connection with which it is intended to measure the displacement between the machine base and the carriage, supports the scanning device 4 on the mounting base 6 and the carrier 5, and on the carriage the housing 2 with the graduation support M.
In the subsequent observations, the beam path during scanning of the incremental track is no longer shown and described for the sake of simplicity. However, it is preferably performed with the aid of the same light source and condenser lens.
An optical layout is schematically represented in FIG. 2. The coordinate directions have been drawn in for better orientation, wherein the measuring direction X extends perpendicularly in respect to the drawing plane.
The light from a light source L, preferably an LED or a semiconductor laser, is collimated by a lens K and deflected perpendicularly in respect to the measuring direction X (in the Y direction) by a prism P. It impinges on a scanning plate A which, in accordance with FIG. 4, consists of several tracks S, S' arranged perpendicularly in respect to the measuring direction X and periodically alternating. While the tracks S are transparent, the structured tracks S' contain transparent areas AT between the graduation markings AG, which are embodied as longitudinal gratings AG and are arranged along the measuring direction X similar to the gaps of a conventional reference marker. In this case the longitudinal gratings AG (graduation markings) are embodied as phase gratings, whose bars extend perpendicularly in respect to the measuring direction X and which are embodied in such a way that their 0th. diffraction order is suppressed. The light beam passing through the scanning plate A impinges on the reflection scale M having an arrangement of reflecting graduation markings MR and absorbing (or scattering) areas MA. In this case the distribution of the transparent areas AT of the scanning plate A corresponds to the arrangement of the absorbing areas MA of the reference marker structure 3b of the scale M (FIG. 5). The arrangement or distribution of the reflecting graduation markings MR and the transparent areas AT is selected in a known manner to be such that a scanning signal 50 (FIG. 6) with an extreme is exclusively generated in a zero position.
The light beam reflected by the scale M passes a second time through the scanning plate A and the prism P and is directed by the lens K to two photo-elements PD0 and PD1 (see FIG. 3). In the process, PD0 detects the partial light beam which has only been deflected perpendicularly in respect to the measuring direction by the double prism deflection. The partial light beam detected by PD1 is additionally also diffracted in the first diffraction order in the measuring direction X by the longitudinal gratings AG.
The zero position of the reference marker 3b is first examined, at which the identical arrangements of the absorbing areas MA of the scale M and the transparent areas AT of the scanning plate A are located opposite each other.
The light beam which passes through the transparent tracks S evenly illuminates the scale M in the measuring direction X and is reflected by the graduation markings MR. Since the light beam is inclined perpendicularly in respect to the measuring direction because of the effect of the prism P, it no longer impinges on the track S during its second passage through the scanning plate A, but instead on the structured track S'. The track widths of S and S' are correspondingly selected. The light beam reflected by the graduation markings MR subsequently reaches the longitudinal gratings AG and is deflected in the first (longitudinal) diffraction order. Therefore the light beam falls on the photo-element PD1, which delivers a high phase signal S1 in the zero position. In this position PD0 generates a particularly low counter-phase signal S0.
The light beam, which during the first passage passes through the scanning plate A on the Structured tracks S' and during the second passage on the transparent tracks S, provides similar signal portions. The partial light beam which falls during the first passage on the transparent areas AT is absorbed by the areas MA of the scale M. Only the partial light beam which is first deflected by the longitudinal gratings AG in the first (longitudinal) diffraction order impinges at least partially on the reflecting graduation markings MR of the scale M and is finally guided via the transparent track S on the photo-element PD1. The signal level S1 of this photo-element PD1 is further increased in this manner, while the photo-element PD0 continues to show a low signal level S0.
The prism P for generating the transverse displacement of the light beams on the way in and back is particularly advantageous, because it causes a defined displacement without scattered light. On the way in, L-K-P-A-M, the inclination of the prism angle has been selected such that a light beam which passes through one of the tracks S, passes transversely displaced through one of the other tracks S' on the way back, M-A-P-K-PD, and that a light beam which on the way in passes through one of the tracks S', passes transversely displaced through one of the other tracks S on the way back. The set distance N between the scanning plate A and the scale M is of such a size that at a predetermined prism angle the light beams on the way in and back impinge on the scanning plate A at a distance of R.
As can be seen in FIG. 4, the transparent tracks S are broader (in the Y direction) than the tracks S'. This is particularly advantageous for assuring that in case of a change of the distance N, the tracks S' are represented on S, and S on S' without a modulation taking place. Even with a change of the distance N, S' is completely represented on S without an edge cutoff taking place.
Outside of the zero position, a comparatively large amount of light is directed on the photo-element PD0 via the light paths S-MR-AT and AT-MR-S, so that its signal level S0 is increased. Typical signal sequences S0, S1 of the photo-elements PD0 (counter-phase signal) and PD1 (phase signal) are entered in FIG. 6. In this example the phase signal S1 does not have a distinctive maximum at the zero position. The reason for this is that the partial light beam, which during the first passage through the scanning plate A impinges on the longitudinal grating AG, is deflected in the measuring direction X and impinges displaced on the scale M. In this embodiment the relatively weakly modulated phase signal S1 is used for generating a reference level in respect to the strongly modulated counter-phase signal SO from the same graduation field of the scale M (single field scanning). Such single field scannings are particularly insensitive to soiling, since both signals are evenly reduced in case of soiling. The phase signal S1 and the counter-phase signal S0 are differently crossed in a known manner in order to obtain a reference pulse from the intersection points of both the signals S1 and S0. The reference pulse width can be adjusted by the different amplification of the two signals S0, S1.
Further embodiments are obtained by varying different details:
If the structure of the scale is inverted by interchanging the reflecting graduation markings MR and the absorbing areas MA, with an otherwise identical arrangement the photo-element PD0 supplies a well modulated phase signal, while PD1 generates a slightly modulated counter-phase signal.
The prism P can be omitted, if in accordance with FIG. 7 the transparent tracks S are replaced by tracks S7 with a transverse grating, whose grating lines essentially extend parallel with the measuring direction X and whose grating constant is dimensioned in such a way that a partial light beam impinging during the first passage falls on the structured tracks S'7 during the second passage. The deflection of the passing light beams perpendicularly to the measuring direction should be such that a good separation in respect to the incremental scanning remains assured. No deflection in the measuring direction X takes place during the first passage (way in) of the light beams through the scanning plate A7, only an exclusively transverse deflection, preferably in the ±1st deflection order at the tracks S7. During the second passage (way out), a deflection in the measuring direction X takes place. In the exemplary embodiment shown, the photo-elements PD1 and PD0 are arranged displaced in the measuring direction X in respect to the light source L. The areas AG of the scanning plate A are provided with a longitudinal grating of a rough grating constant in order to focus the light beams for generating the counter-phase signal on the displaced photo-element PD0. The areas AT7 for generating the phase signal with the aid of the farther displaced photo-element PD1 are provided with a longitudinal grating of a finer grating constant.
If the light source is disposed displaced out of the optical axis, the prism can also be omitted since it is possible by this to create an appropriate beam inclination of the impinging light in the Y direction.
Structuring with transparent intermediate tracks S or tracks S7 can also be omitted. A light beam which during the first passage through the scanning plate A8 impinges on a graduation marking AG81 in accordance with FIG. 8, should at least not impinge on a graduation marking AG82 to AG85 with the same deflecting properties during the second passage through the scanning plate. Otherwise this light beam would reduce the signal quality of the signal which, for example, is derived from the photo-element D0. In order to achieve this, it is particularly advantageous to provide the individual graduation markings AG81 to AG85 with different properties, such as different longitudinal (X direction) grating constants.
In place of the above described designs of the scanning plate it is also possible to design a reference marker to be structured in accordance with the invention.
The design in accordance with the invention of the reference marker is particularly well applicable in connection with an incremental position measuring system in which the graduation lines have a transverse graduation and the photo-elements for generating phase-shifted scanning signals are transversally displaced above each other. Such a design of the incremental graduation is described in the yet unpublished European Application EP 96 101 181.4.
The invention may be embodied in other forms than those specifically disclosed herein without departing from its spirit or essential characteristics. The described embodiments are to be considered in all respects only as illustrative and not restrictive, and the scope of the invention is commensurate with the appended claims rather than the foregoing description.
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A position measuring system having an illuminating device for generating a beam of light. A graduation support is provided with a graduation and a reference marker with a first set of graduation markings, where the graduation support receives the beam of light and generates a second beam of light. A scanning plate moves along a measuring direction and receives the second beam of light and generates a third beam of light, wherein the scanning plate has a second set of graduation markings for scanning the first set of graduation markings of the reference marker. A first photodetector and a second photodetector receive portions of the third beam of light and generate position-dependent electrical signals, wherein either the first set of graduation markings of the reference marker or the second set of graduation markings have a structure which deflects in the measuring direction.
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RELATED APPLICATIONS
This application is a divisional and claims the benefit of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/912,150 filed on Aug. 15, 1997, which application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/023,965, filed Aug. 15, 1996.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to subsurface well completion equipment and, more particularly, to an apparatus for lifting hydrocarbons from subterranean formations with gas at high production rates. Additionally, embodiments of independent and detachable actuators are disclosed.
2. Description of the Related Art
Artificial lift systems, long known by those skilled in the art of oil well production, are used to assist in the extraction of fluids from subterranean geological formations. The most ideal well for a company concerned with the production of oil, is one that flows naturally and without assistance. Often wells drilled in new fields have this advantage. In this ideal case, the pressure of the producing formation is greater than the hydrostatic pressure of the fluid in the wellbore, allowing the well to flow without artificial lift. However, as an oil bearing formation matures, and some significant percentage of the product is recovered, a reduction in the formation pressure occurs. With this reduction in formation pressure, the hydrocarbon issuance therefrom is likewise reduced to a point where the well no longer flows without assistance, despite the presence of significant volumes of valuable product still in place in the oil bearing stratum. In wells where this type of production decrease occurs, or if the formation pressure is low from the outset, artificial lift is commonly employed to enhance the recovery of oil from the formation. This disclosure is primarily concerned with one type of artificial lift called “Gas Lift.”
Gas lift has long been known to those skilled in the art, as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 2,137,441 filed in November 1938. Other patents of some historic significance are U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,672,827, 2,679,827, 2,679,903, and 2,824,525, all commonly assigned hereto. Other, more recent developments in this field include U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,239,082, 4,360,064 of common assignment, as well as U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,295,796, 4,625,941, and 5,176,164. While these patents all contributed to furthering the art of gas lift valves in wells, recent trends in drilling and completion techniques expose and highlight long felt limitations with this matured technology.
The economic climate in the oil industry of the 1990's demands that oil producing companies produce more oil, that is now exponentially more difficult to exploit, in less time, and without increasing prices to the consumer. One successful technique that is currently being employed is deviated and horizontal drilling, which more efficiently drains hydrocarbon bearing formations. This increase in production makes it necessary to use much larger production tubing sizes. For example, in years past, 2⅜ inch production tubing was most common. Today, tubing sizes of offshore wells range from 4½ to 7 inches. While much more oil can be produced from tubing this large, conventional gas lift techniques have reached or exceeded their operational limit as a result.
In order for oil to be produced utilizing gas lift, a precise volume and velocity of the gas flowing upward through the tubing must be maintained. Gas injected into the hydrostatic column of fluid decreases the column's total density and pressure gradient, allowing the well to flow. As the tubing size increases, the volume of gas required to maintain the well in a flowing condition increases as the square of the increase in tubing diameter. If the volume of the gas lifting the oil is not maintained, the produced oil falls back down the tubing, and the well suffers a condition commonly known as “loading up.” If the volume of gas is too great, the cost of compression and recovery of the lift gas becomes a significant percentage of the production cost. As a result, the size of a gas injection orifice in the gas lift valve is of crucial importance to the stable operation of the well. Prior art gas lift valves employ fixed diameter orifices in a range up to ¾ inch, which may be inadequate for optimal production in large diameter tubing. This size limitation is geometrically limited by the gas lift valve's requisite small size, and the position of its operating mechanism, which prevents a full bore through the valve for maximum flow.
Because well conditions and gas lift requirements change over time, those skilled in the art of well operations are also constantly aware of the compromise of well efficiency that must be balanced versus the cost of intervention to install the most optimal gas lift valves therein as well conditions change over time. Well intervention is expensive, most especially on prolific offshore or subsea wells, so a valve that can be utilized over the entire life of the well, and whose orifice size and subsequent flow rate can be adjusted to changing downhole conditions, is a long felt and unresolved need in the oil industry. There is also a need for a novel gas lift valve that has a gas injection orifice that is large enough to inject a volume of gas adequate to lift oil in large diameter production tubing. There is also a need for differing and novel operating mechanisms for gas lift valves that will not impede the flow of injection gas therethrough.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention has been contemplated to overcome the foregoing deficiencies and meet the above described needs. In one aspect, the present invention is a gas lift valve for use in a subterranean well, comprising: a valve body with a longitudinal bore therethrough for sealable insertion in a mandrel; a variable orifice valve in the body for controlling fluid flow into the body; and, an actuating means connected to the variable orifice valve. Another feature of this aspect of the present invention is that the actuating means may be electro-hydraulically operated, and may further include: a hydraulic pump located in a downhole housing; an electric motor connected to and driving the hydraulic pump upon receipt of a signal from a control panel; hydraulic circuitry connected to and responding to the action of the pump; and, a moveable hydraulic piston responding to the hydraulic circuitry and operatively connected to the variable orifice valve, controlling movement thereof. Another feature of this aspect of the present invention is that the actuating means may further include a position sensor to report relative location of the moveable hydraulic piston to the control panel. Another feature of this aspect of the present invention is that the actuating means may be selectively installed and retrievably detached from the gas lift valve.
Another feature of this aspect of the present invention is that the actuating means may further include at least one pressure transducer communicating with the hydraulic circuitry, and transmitting collected data to the control panel. Another feature of this aspect of the present invention is that the actuating means may further include a mechanical position holder. Another feature of this aspect of the present invention is that the actuating means may be selectively installed and retrievably detached from the gas lift valve.
Another feature of this aspect of the present invention is that the actuating means may be hydraulically operated, and may further include: a hydraulic actuating piston located in a downhole housing and operatively connected to the variable orifice valve; a spring, biasing the variable orifice valve in a full closed position; and, at least one control line connected to the hydraulic actuating piston and extending to a hydraulic pressure source. Another feature of this aspect of the present invention is that the actuating means may further include a position sensor to report relative location of the moveable hydraulic piston to a control panel. Another feature of this aspect of the present invention is that the actuating means may further include at least one pressure transducer communicating with the hydraulic actuating piston, and transmitting collected data to a control panel. Another feature of this aspect of the present invention is that the actuating means may be selectively installed and retrievably detached from the gas lift valve.
Another feature of this aspect of the present invention is that the actuating means may be electro-hydraulic, and may further include: at least one electrically piloted hydraulic solenoid valve located in a downhole housing; at least one hydraulic control line connected to the solenoid valve and extending to a hydraulic pressure source; hydraulic circuity connected to and responding to the action of the solenoid valve; and, a moveable hydraulic piston responding to the hydraulic circuitry and operatively connected to the variable orifice valve, controlling movement thereof. Another feature of this aspect of the present invention is that the actuating means may further include a position sensor to report relative location of the moveable hydraulic piston to a control panel. Another feature of this aspect of the present invention is that the actuating means may further include at least one pressure transducer communicating with the hydraulic circuitry, and transmitting collected data to a control panel. Another feature of this aspect of the present invention is that the actuating means may be selectively installed and retrievably detached from the gas lift valve.
Another feature of this aspect of the present invention is that the actuating means may be pneumo-hydraulically actuated, and may further include: a moveable hydraulic piston having a first and second end, operatively connected to the variable orifice valve, controlling movement thereof; at least one hydraulic control line connected to a hydraulic pressure source and communicating with the first end of the hydraulic piston; and, a gas chamber connected to and communicating with the second end of the hydraulic piston. Another feature of this aspect of the present invention is that the gas lift valve may be retrievably locatable within a side pocket mandrel by wireline and coiled tubing intervention tools. Another feature of this aspect of the present invention is that the gas lift valve may be selectively installed and retrievably detached from the actuating means. Another feature of this aspect of the present invention is that the actuating means may be selectively installed and retrievably detached from the gas lift valve.
In another aspect, the present invention may be a method of using a gas lift valve in a subterranean well, comprising: installing a first mandrel and a second mandrel in a well production string that are in operational communication; retrievably installing a variable orifice gas lift valve in a first mandrel; installing a controllable actuating means in a second mandrel; and, controlling the variable orifice gas lift valve by surface manipulation of a control panel that communicates with the actuating means. Another feature of this aspect of the present invention is that the method of installing the variable orifice gas lift valve and the actuating means may be by wireline intervention. Another feature of this aspect of the present invention is that the method of installing the variable orifice gas lift valve and the actuating means may be by coiled tubing intervention.
In another aspect, the present invention may be a gas lift valve for variably introducing injection gas into a subterranean well, comprising: a valve body with a longitudinal bore therethrough for sealable insertion in a mandrel; a variable orifice valve in the body for controlling flow of injection gas into the body; and, a moveable hydraulic piston connected to the variable orifice valve and in communication with a source of pressurized fluid; whereby the amount of injection gas introduced into the well through the variable orifice valve is controlled by varying the amount of pressurized fluid being applied to the moveable hydraulic piston. Another feature of this aspect of the present invention is that the source of pressurized fluid may be external to the gas lift valve and may be transmitted to the gas lift valve through a control line connected between the gas lift valve and the external source of pressurized fluid. Another feature of this aspect of the present invention is that the external source of pressurized fluid may be located at the earth's surface. Another feature of this aspect of the present invention is that the source of pressurized fluid may be an on-board hydraulic system including: a hydraulic pump located in a downhole housing and in fluid communication with a fluid reservoir; an electric motor connected to and driving the hydraulic pump upon receipt of a signal from a control panel; and, hydraulic circuitry in fluid communication with the hydraulic pump and the hydraulic piston. Another feature of this aspect of the present invention is that the gas lift valve may further include an electrical conduit connecting the control panel to the gas lift valve for providing a signal to the electric motor. Another feature of this aspect of the present invention is that the hydraulic system may further include a solenoid valve located in the downhole housing and connected to the electrical conduit, the solenoid valve directing the pressurized fluid from the hydraulic system through the hydraulic circuitry to the hydraulic piston. Another feature of this aspect of the present invention is that the gas lift valve may further include at least one pressure transducer in fluid communication with the hydraulic circuitry and connected to the electrical conduit for providing a pressure reading to the control panel. Another feature of this aspect of the present invention is that the gas lift valve may further include an upstream pressure transducer connected to the electrical conduit and a downstream pressure transducer connected to the electrical conduit, the upstream and downstream pressure transducers being located within the gas lift valve to measure a pressure drop across the variable orifice valve, the pressure drop measurement being reported to the control panel through the electrical conduit. Another feature of this aspect of the present invention is that the gas lift valve may further include a position sensor to report relative location of the moveable hydraulic piston to the control panel. Another feature of this aspect of the present invention is that the gas lift valve may further include a mechanical position holder to mechanically assure that the variable orifice valve remains in its desired position if conditions in the hydraulic system change during use. Another feature of this aspect of the present invention is that the variable orifice valve may be stopped at intermediate positions between a full open and a full closed position to adjust the flow of injection gas therethrough, the variable orifice valve being held in the intermediate positions by the position holder. Another feature of this aspect of the present invention is that the hydraulic system may further include a movable volume compensator piston for displacing a volume of fluid that is utilized as the hydraulic system operates. Another feature of this aspect of the present invention is that the variable orifice valve may further include a carbide stem and seat. Another feature of this aspect of the present invention is that the mandrel may be provided with at least one injection gas port through which injection gas flows when the variable orifice valve is open. Another feature of this aspect of the present invention is that the gas lift valve may further include an upper and lower one-way check valve located on opposite sides of the variable orifice valve to prevent any fluid flow from the well into the gas lift valve. Another feature of this aspect of the present invention is that the gas lift valve may further include latch means for adapting the variable orifice valve to be remotely deployed and retrieved. Another feature of this aspect of the present invention is that the variable orifice valve may be remotely deployed and retrieved by utilization of coiled tubing. Another feature of this aspect of the present invention is that the variable orifice valve may be remotely deployed and retrieved by utilization of wireline. Another feature of this aspect of the present invention is that the gas lift valve may further include a valve connection collet.
In another aspect, the present invention may be a gas lift valve for variably introducing injection gas into a subterranean well, comprising: a valve body with a longitudinal bore therethrough for sealable insertion in a mandrel; a hydraulic control line connected to the gas lift valve for providing a supply of pressurized fluid thereto; a variable orifice valve in the body for controlling flow of injection gas into the body; a spring biasing the variable orifice valve in a full closed position; a moveable hydraulic piston connected to the variable orifice valve; and, an actuating piston located in a downhole housing, connected to the moveable hydraulic piston and in communication with the control line; whereby the amount of injection gas introduced into the well through the variable orifice valve is controlled by varying the amount of pressurized fluid being applied to the actuating piston. Another feature of this aspect of the present invention is that the control line may be connected to a source of pressurized fluid located at the earth's surface. Another feature of this aspect of the present invention is that the gas lift valve may further include a mechanical position holder to mechanically assure that the variable orifice valve remains in its desired position if conditions in the gas lift valve change during use. Another feature of this aspect of the present invention is that the variable orifice valve may be stopped at intermediate positions between a full open and a full closed position to adjust the flow of injection gas therethrough, the variable orifice valve being held in the intermediate positions by the position holder. Another feature of this aspect of the present invention is that the variable orifice valve may further include a carbide stem and seat. Another feature of this aspect of the present invention is that the mandrel may be provided with at least one injection gas port through which injection gas flows when the variable orifice valve is open. Another feature of this aspect of the present invention is that the gas lift valve may further include an upper and lower one-way check valve located on opposite sides of the variable orifice valve to prevent any fluid flow from the well into the gas lift valve. Another feature of this aspect of the present invention is that the gas lift valve may further include latch means for adapting the variable orifice valve to be remotely deployed and retrieved. Another feature of this aspect of the present invention is that the variable orifice valve may be remotely deployed and retrieved by utilization of coiled tubing. Another feature of this aspect of the present invention is that the variable orifice valve may be remotely deployed and retrieved by utilization of wireline. Another feature of this aspect of the present invention is that the gas lift valve may further include a valve connection collet.
In another aspect, the present invention may be a gas lift valve for variably introducing injection gas into a subterranean well, comprising: a valve body with a longitudinal bore therethrough for sealable insertion in a mandrel; a valve-open and a valve-closed hydraulic control line connected to the gas lift valve for providing dual supplies of pressurized fluid thereto; a variable orifice valve in the body for controlling flow of injection gas into the body; and, a moveable hydraulic piston connected to the variable orifice valve and in fluid communication with the valve-open and valve-closed hydraulic control lines; whereby the variable orifice valve is opened by applying pressure to the hydraulic piston through the valve-open control line and bleeding off pressure from the valve-closed control line; the variable orifice valve is closed by applying pressure to the hydraulic piston through the valve-closed control line and bleeding off pressure from the valve-open control line; and, the amount of injection gas introduced into the well through the variable orifice valve is controlled by varying the amount of pressurized fluid being applied to and bled off from the hydraulic piston through the control lines. Another feature of this aspect of the present invention is that the control lines may be connected to a source of pressurized fluid located at the earth's surface. Another feature of this aspect of the present invention is that the gas lift valve may further include a mechanical position holder to mechanically assure that the variable orifice valve remains in its desired position if conditions in the gas lift valve change during use. Another feature of this aspect of the present invention is that the variable orifice valve may be stopped at intermediate positions between a full open and a full closed position to adjust the flow of injection gas therethrough, the variable orifice valve being held in the intermediate positions by the position holder. Another feature of this aspect of the present invention is that the variable orifice valve may further include a carbide stem and seat. Another feature of this aspect of the present invention is that the mandrel may be provided with at least one injection gas port through which injection gas flows when the variable orifice valve is open. Another feature of this aspect of the present invention is that the gas lift valve may further include an upper and lower one-way check valve located on opposite sides of the variable orifice valve to prevent any fluid flow from the well into the gas lift valve. Another feature of this aspect of the present invention is that the gas lift valve may further include latch means for adapting the variable orifice valve to be remotely deployed and retrieved. Another feature of this aspect of the present invention is that the variable orifice valve may be remotely deployed and retrieved by utilization of coiled tubing. Another feature of this aspect of the present invention is that the variable orifice valve may be remotely deployed and retrieved by utilization of wireline. Another feature of this aspect of the present invention is that the gas lift valve may further including a valve connection collet. Another feature of this aspect of the present invention is that the gas lift valve may further include a fluid displacement port for use during the bleeding off of pressurized fluid from the hydraulic piston. Another feature of this aspect of the present invention is that the gas lift valve may further include a valve-open and a valveclosed conduit for routing pressurized fluid from the valve-open and valve-closed control lines to the hydraulic piston.
Another feature of this aspect of the present invention is that the gas lift valve may further include an electrical conduit connecting a control panel at the earth's surface to the gas lift valve for communicating collected data to the control panel. Another feature of this aspect of the present invention is that the gas lift valve may further include a valve-open pressure transducer and to a valve-closed pressure transducer, the valve-open pressure transducer being connected to the electrical conduit and in fluid communication wit the valve-open conduit, the valve-closed pressure transducer being connected to the electrical conduit and in fluid communication with the valve-closed conduit, the pressure transducers providing pressure readings to the control panel via the electrical conduit. Another feature of this aspect of the present invention is that the gas lift valve may further include an upstream pressure transducer connected to the electrical conduit and a downstream pressure transducer connected to the electrical conduit, the upstream and downstream pressure transducers being located within the gas lift valve to measure a pressure drop across the variable orifice valve, the pressure drop measurement being reported to the control panel through the electrical conduit.
In another aspect, the present invention may be a gas lift valve for variably introducing injection gas into a subterranean well, comprising: a valve body with a longitudinal bore therethrough for sealable insertion in a mandrel; a hydraulic control line connected to the gas lift valve for providing a supply of pressurized fluid thereto; a variable orifice valve in the body for controlling flow of injection gas into the body; a nitrogen coil chamber providing a pressurized nitrogen charge through a pneumatic conduit for biasing the variable orifice valve in a full closed position; and, a moveable hydraulic piston connected to the variable orifice valve and in fluid communication with the hydraulic control line and the pneumatic conduit; whereby the variable orifice valve is opened by applying hydraulic pressure to the hydraulic piston through the hydraulic control line to overcome the pneumatic pressure in the pneumatic conduit; the variable orifice valve is closed by bleeding off pressure from the hydraulic control line to enable the pneumatic pressure in the nitrogen coil chamber to closed the variable orifice valve; and, the amount of injection gas introduced into the well through the variable orifice valve is controlled by varying the amount of hydraulic fluid being bled off from the hydraulic piston through the hydraulic control line. Another feature of this aspect of the present invention is that the hydraulic control line may be connected to a source of pressurized fluid located at the earth's surface. Another feature of this aspect of the present invention is that the gas lift valve may further include a mechanical position holder to mechanically assure that the variable orifice valve remains in its desired position if conditions in the gas lift valve change during use. Another feature of this aspect of the present invention is that the variable orifice valve may be stopped at intermediate positions between a full open and a full closed position to adjust the flow of injection gas therethrough, the variable orifice valve being held in the intermediate positions by the position holder. Another feature of this aspect of the present invention is that the variable orifice valve may further include a carbide stem and seat. Another feature of this aspect of the present invention is that the mandrel may be provided with at least one injection gas port through which injection gas flows when the variable orifice valve is open. Another feature of this aspect of the present invention is that the gas lift valve may further include an upper and lower one-way check valve located on opposite sides of the variable orifice valve to prevent any fluid flow from the well into the gas lift valve. Another feature of this aspect of the present invention is that the gas lift valve may further include latch means for adapting the variable orifice valve to be remotely deployed and retrieved. Another feature of this aspect of the present invention is that the variable orifice valve may be remotely deployed and retrieved by utilization of coiled tubing. Another feature of this aspect of the present invention is that the variable orifice valve may be remotely deployed and retrieved by utilization of wireline. Another feature of this aspect of the present invention is that the gas lift valve may further include a valve connection collet.
In another aspect, the present invention may be a gas lift valve for variably introducing injection gas into a subterranean well, comprising: a first mandrel connected to a second mandrel, the first and second mandrel being installed in a well production string; a valve means having a variable orifice for controlling flow of injection gas into the well, the valve means being installed in the first mandrel; an actuating means for controlling the valve means, the actuating means being installed in the second mandrel, in communication with and controllable from a control panel, and connected to the valve means by a first and second hydraulic control line. Another feature of this aspect of the present invention is that the valve means and the actuating means may be remotely deployed within and retrieved from their respective mandrels. Another feature of this aspect of the present invention is that the valve means and actuating means may be remotely deployed and retrieved by utilization of coiled tubing. Another feature of this aspect of the present invention is that the valve means and actuating means may be remotely deployed and retrieved by utilization of wireline.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIGS. 1A-1C are elevation views which together illustrate an electro-hydraulically operated embodiment of the apparatus of the present invention having an on-board hydraulic system and connected to an electrical conduit running from the earth's surface; the power unit is shown rotated ninety degrees for clarity.
FIGS. 2A-2C are elevation views which together illustrate a hydraulically operated embodiment of the apparatus of the present invention connected to a single hydraulic control line running from the earth's surface; the power unit is shown rotated ninety degrees for clarity.
FIGS. 3A-3C are elevation views which together illustrate another hydraulically operated embodiment of the apparatus of the present invention connected to dual hydraulic control lines running from the earth's surface; the power unit is shown rotated ninety degrees for clarity.
FIGS. 4A-4C are elevation views which together illustrate another hydraulically operated embodiment of the apparatus of the present invention connected to dual hydraulic control lines running from the earth's surface; the power unit is shown rotated ninety degrees for clarity.
FIGS. 5A-5C are elevation views which together illustrate a pneumatic-hydraulically operated embodiment of the apparatus of the present invention connected to a single hydraulic control line running from the earth's surface; the power unit is shown rotated ninety degrees for clarity.
FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 6 — 6 of FIG. 1 B.
FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 7 — 7 of FIG. 1 B.
FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 8 — 8 of FIG. 2 B.
FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 9 — 9 of FIG. 2 B.
FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 10 — 10 of FIG. 3 B.
FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 11 — 11 of FIG. 3 B.
FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 12 — 12 of FIG. 4 B.
FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 13 — 13 of FIG. 4 B.
FIG. 14 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 14 — 14 of FIG. 5 B.
FIG. 15 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 15 — 15 of FIG. 5 B.
FIG. 16 is a schematic representation of another embodiment of the present invention with a retrievable actuator positioned in an upper mandrel and a retrievable variable orifice gas lift valve positioned in a lowermost mandrel.
FIG. 17 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 17 — 17 of FIG. 16 .
FIG. 18 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 18 — 18 of FIG. 16 .
While the invention will be described in connection with the preferred embodiments, it will be understood that it is not intended to limit the invention to those embodiments. On the contrary, it is intended to cover all alternatives, modifications, and equivalents as may be included within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
In the description that follows, like parts are marked through the specification and drawings with the same reference numerals, respectively. The figures are not necessarily drawn to scale, and in some instances, have been exaggerated or simplified to clarify certain features of the invention. One skilled in the art will appreciate many differing applications of the described apparatus.
For the purposes of this discussion, the terms “upper” and “lower,” “up hole” and “downhole,” and “upwardly” and “downwardly” are relative terms to indicate position and direction of movement in easily recognized terms. Usually, these terms are relative to a line drawn from an upmost position at the surface to a point at the center of the earth, and would be appropriate for use in relatively straight, vertical wellbores. However, when the wellbore is highly deviated, such as from about 60 degrees from vertical, or horizontal, these terms do not make sense and therefore should not be taken as limitations. These terms are only used for ease of understanding as an indication of what the position or movement would be if taken within a vertical wellbore.
FIGS. 1A-1C together show a semidiagrammatic cross section of a gas lift valve 8 shown in the closed position, used in a subterranean well (not shown), illustrating: a valve body 10 with a longitudinal bore 12 for sealable insertion in a side pocket mandrel 14 , a variable orifice valve 16 in the body 10 which alternately permits, prohibits, or throttles fluid flow (represented by item 18 —see FIG. 7) into said body through injection gas ports 13 in the mandrel 14 , and an actuating means, shown generally by numeral 20 which is electro-hydraulically operated using a hydraulic pump 22 located in a downhole housing 24 , an electric motor 26 connected to and driving the hydraulic pump 22 upon receipt of a signal through an electrical conduit 23 connected to a control panel (not shown) located at the earth's surface. Also shown is a moveable temperature/volume compensator piston 15 for displacing a volume of fluid that is utilized as the actuating means 20 operates and for compensating for pressure changes caused by temperature fluctuations. A solenoid valve 28 controls the movement of pressurized fluid pumped from a control fluid reservoir 25 through a pump suction port 21 and in a hydraulic circuitry 30 , and the direction of the fluid flowing therethrough, which is connected to and responding to the action of the pump 22 . A moveable hydraulic piston 32 responding to the pressure signal from the hydraulic circuitry 30 opens and controls the movement of the variable orifice valve 16 . The actuator has a position sensor 34 which reports the relative location of the moveable hydraulic piston 32 to the control panel (not shown), and a position holder 33 which is configured to mechanically assure that the actuating means 20 remains in the desired position by the operator if conditions in the hydraulic system change slightly in use. Also shown is a pressure transducer 35 communicating with the hydraulic circuitry 30 , and transmitting collected data to the control panel (not shown) via the electrical conduit 23 . As shown in FIG. 1C, a downstream pressure transducer 19 may be provided to cooperate with the pressure transducer 35 for measuring and reporting to the control panel any pressure drop across the variable orifice valve 16 . It will be obvious to one skilled in the art that the electric motor 26 and downhole pump 22 have been used to eliminate the cost of running a control line from a surface pressure source. This representation should not be taken as a limitation. Obviously, a control line could be run from the surface to replace the electric motor 26 and downhole pump 22 , and would be controlled in the same manner without altering the scope or spirit of this invention. When it is operationally desirable to open the variable orifice valve 16 , an electric signal from the surface activates the electric motor 26 and the hydraulic pump 22 , which routes pressure to the solenoid valve 28 . The solenoid valve 28 also responding to stimulus from the control panel, shifts to a position to route hydraulic pressure to the moveable hydraulic piston 32 that opens the variable orifice valve 16 . The variable orifice valve 16 may be stopped at intermediate positions between open and closed to adjust the flow of lift or injection gas 31 therethrough, and is held in place by the position holder 33 . To close the valve, the solenoid valve 28 merely has to be moved to the opposite position rerouting hydraulic fluid to the opposite side of the moveable hydraulic piston 32 , which then translates back to the closed position.
As shown in FIG. 1B, the variable orifice valve 16 may include a carbide stem and seat 17 . The gas lift valve 8 may also be provided with one-way check valves 29 to prevent any fluid flow from the well conduit into the gas lift valve 8 . The gas lift valve 8 may also be provided with a latch 27 so the valve may be remotely installed and/or retrieved by well known wireline or coiled tubing intervention methods. As shown in FIG. 6, this embodiment of the present invention may also be provided with a valve to connection collet 11 , the structure and operation of which are well known to those of ordinary skill in the art.
FIGS. 2A-2C together depict a semidiagrammatic cross section of a gas lift valve 8 shown in the closed position, used in a subterranean well (not shown), illustrating: a valve body 10 with a longitudinal bore 12 for sealable insertion in a side pocket mandrel 14 , a variable orifice valve 16 in the body 10 which alternately permits, prohibits, or throttles fluid flow (represented by item 18 —see FIG. 9) into said body through injection gas ports 13 in the mandrel 14 , and an actuating means shown generally by numeral 36 that is hydraulically operated. Further illustrated is: a hydraulic actuating piston 38 located in a downhole housing 40 and operatively connected to a moveable piston 42 , which is operatively connected to the variable orifice valve 16 . A spring 44 , biases said variable orifice valve 16 in either the full open or full closed position, and a control line 46 communicates with the hydraulic actuating piston 38 and extends to a hydraulic pressure source (not shown). When it is operationally desirable to open the variable orifice valve 16 , hydraulic pressure is applied from the hydraulic pressure source (not shown), which communicates down the hydraulic control line 46 to the hydraulic actuating piston 38 , which moves the moveable piston 42 , which opens the variable orifice valve 16 . The variable orifice valve 16 may be stopped at intermediate positions between open and closed to adjust the flow of lift or injection gas 31 therethrough, and is held in place by a position holder 33 which is configured to mechanically assure that the actuating means 36 remains in the position where set by the operator if conditions in the hydraulic system change slightly in use. The valve is closed by releasing the pressure on the control line 46 , allowing the spring 44 to translate the moveable piston 42 , and the variable orifice valve 16 back to the closed position.
As shown in FIG. 2B, the variable orifice valve 16 may include a carbide stem and seat 17 . The gas lift valve 8 may also be provided with one-way check valves 29 to prevent any fluid flow from the well conduit into the gas lift valve 8 . The gas lift valve 8 may also be provided with a latch 27 so the valve may be remotely installed and/or retrieved by well known wireline or coiled tubing intervention methods. As shown in FIG. 8, this embodiment of the present invention may also be provided with a valve connection collet 11 , the structure and operation of which are well known to those of ordinary skill in the art.
FIGS. 3A-3C together disclose another embodiment of a semidiagrammatic cross section of a gas lift valve 8 shown in the closed position, used in a subterranean well (not shown), illustrating: a valve body 10 with a longitudinal bore 12 for sealable insertion in a side pocket mandrel 14 , a variable orifice valve 16 in the body 10 which alternately permits, prohibits, or throttles fluid flow (represented by item 18 —see FIG. 11) into said body through injection gas ports 13 in the mandrel 14 , and an actuating means shown generally by numeral 48 that is hydraulically operated. Further illustrated: hydraulic conduits 50 and 51 that route pressurized hydraulic fluid directly to a moveable piston 32 , which is operatively connected to the variable orifice valve 16 . Two control lines 46 extend to a hydraulic pressure source (not shown). The moveable hydraulic piston 32 responding to the pressure signal from the “valve open” hydraulic conduit 50 which opens and controls the movement of the variable orifice valve 16 while the “valve closed” hydraulic conduit 51 is bled off. The variable orifice valve 16 may be stopped at intermediate positions between open and closed to adjust the flow of lift or injection gas 31 therethrough, and is held in place by a position holder 33 which is configured to mechanically assure that the actuating means 48 remains in the position where set by the operator if conditions in the hydraulic system change slightly in use. Closure of the variable orifice valve 16 is accomplished by sending a pressure signal down the “valve closed” hydraulic conduit 51 , and simultaneously bleeding pressure from the “valve open” hydraulic conduit 50 .
A fluid displacement control port 49 may also be provided for use during the bleeding off of the conduits 50 and 51 , in a manner well known to those of ordinary skill in the art. As shown in FIG. 3B, the variable orifice valve 16 may include a carbide stem and seat 17 . The gas lift valve 8 may also be provided with one-way check valves 29 to prevent any fluid flow from the well conduit into the gas lift valve 8 . The gas lift valve 8 may also be provided with a latch 27 so the valve may be remotely installed and/or retrieved by well known wireline or coiled tubing intervention methods. As shown in FIG. 10, this embodiment of the present invention may also be provided with a valve connection collet 11 , the structure and operation of which are well known to those of ordinary skill in the art.
FIGS. 4A-4C together depict a semidiagrammatic cross section of a gas lift valve 8 shown in the closed position, used in a subterranean well (not shown), illustrating: a valve body 10 with a longitudinal bore 12 for sealable insertion in a side pocket mandrel 14 , a variable orifice valve 16 in the body 10 which alternately permits, prohibits, or throttles fluid flow (represented by item 18 —see FIG. 13) into said body through injection gas ports 13 in the mandrel 14 , and an actuating means shown generally by numeral 48 that is hydraulically operated. Further illustrated: hydraulic conduits 50 and 51 that route pressurized hydraulic fluid directly to a moveable piston 32 , which is operatively connected to the variable orifice valve 16 , and two control lines 46 extending to a hydraulic pressure source (not shown). The movable hydraulic piston 32 responding to the pressure signal from the “valve open” hydraulic conduit 50 which opens and controls the movement of the variable orifice valve 16 while the “valve closed” hydraulic conduit 51 is bled off. The variable orifice valve 16 may be stopped at intermediate positions between open and closed to adjust the flow of lift or injection gas 31 therethrough, and is held in place by a position holder 33 which is configured to mechanically assure that the actuating means 20 remains in the position where set by the operator if conditions in the hydraulic system change slightly in use. Closure of the variable orifice valve 16 is accomplished by sending a pressure signal down the “valve closed” hydraulic conduit 51 , and simultaneously bleeding pressure from the “valve open” hydraulic conduit 50 . The actuator has a position sensor 34 which reports the relative location of the moveable hydraulic piston 32 to the control panel (not shown) via an electrical conduit 23 . Also shown are pressure transducers 35 communicating with the hydraulic conduits 50 and 51 through hydraulic pressure sensor chambers (e.g., conduit 51 communicates with chamber 9 ), and transmitting collected data to the control panel (not shown) via the electrical conduit 23 .
As shown in FIG. 4C, a downstream pressure transducer 19 may be provided to cooperate with the pressure transducer 35 for measuring and reporting to the control panel any pressure drop across the variable orifice valve 16 . As shown in FIG. 4B, a fluid displacement control port 49 may also be provided for use during the bleeding off of the conduits 50 and 51 , in a manner well known to those of ordinary skill in the art. As also shown in FIG. 4B, the variable orifice valve 16 may include a carbide stem and seat 17 . The gas lift valve 8 may also be provided with one-way check valves 29 to prevent any fluid flow from the well conduit into the gas lift valve 8 . The gas lift valve 8 may also be provided with a latch 27 so the valve may be remotely installed and/or retrieved by well known wireline or coiled tubing intervention methods. As shown in FIG. 12, this embodiment of the present invention may also be provided with a valve connection collet 11 , the structure and operation of which are well known to those of ordinary skill in the art.
FIGS. 5 A— 5 C together depict a semidiagrammatic cross section of a gas lift valve 8 shown in the closed position, used in a subterranean well (not shown), illustrating: a valve body 10 with a longitudinal bore 12 for sealable insertion in a side pocket mandrel 14 , a variable orifice valve 16 in the body 10 which alternately permits, prohibits, or throttles fluid flow (represented by item 18 —see FIG. 15) into said body through injection gas ports 13 in the mandrel 14 , and an actuating means shown generally by numeral 52 that is hydraulically operated. Further illustrated: a hydraulic conduit 54 that routes pressurized hydraulic fluid directly to a moveable piston 32 , which is operatively connected to the variable orifice valve 16 . Hydraulic pressure is opposed by a pressurized nitrogen charge inside of a nitrogen coil chamber 56 , the pressure of which is routed through a pneumatic conduit 58 , which acts on an opposite end of the moveable hydraulic piston 32 , biasing the variable orifice valve 16 in the closed position. The nitrogen coil chamber 56 is charged with nitrogen through a nitrogen charging port 57 . When it is operationally desirable to open the variable orifice valve 16 , hydraulic pressure is added to the control line 54 , which overcomes pneumatic pressure in the pneumatic conduit 58 and nitrogen coil chamber 56 , and translates the moveable piston 32 upward to open the variable orifice valve 16 . As before, the variable orifice valve 16 may be stopped at intermediate positions between open and closed to adjust the flow of lift or injection gas 31 therethrough, and is held in place by a position holder 33 which is configured to mechanically assure that the actuating means 52 remains in the position where set by the operator if conditions in the hydraulic system change slightly in use. Closing the variable orifice valve 16 is accomplished by bleeding off the pressure from the control line 54 , which causes the pneumatic pressure in the nitrogen coil chamber 56 to close the valve because it is higher than the hydraulic pressure in the hydraulic conduit 54 . An annulus port 53 may also be provided through the wall of the mandrel 14 through which pressure may be discharged to the annulus during operation.
As shown in FIG. 5B, the variable orifice valve 16 may include a carbide stem and seat 17 . The gas lift valve 8 may also be provided with one-way check valves 29 to prevent any fluid flow from the well conduit into the gas lift valve 8 . The gas lift valve 8 may also be provided with a latch 27 so the valve may be remotely installed and/or retrieved by well known wireline or coiled tubing intervention methods. As shown in FIG. 14, this embodiment of the present invention may also be provided with a valve connection collet 11 , the structure and operation of which are well known to those of ordinary skill in the art.
FIG. 16 is a schematic representation of one preferred embodiment of the present invention. Disclosed are uppermost and lowermost side pocket mandrels 60 and 61 sealably connected by a well coupling 62 . A coiled tubing or wireline retrievable actuator 64 is positioned in the uppermost mandrel 60 , and a variable orifice gas lift valve 66 is positioned in the lowermost mandrel 61 , and are operatively connected by hydraulic control lines 68 . In previous figures, the variable orifice valve 16 and the actuating mechanisms described in FIGS. 1-5 are shown located in the same mandrel, making retrieval of both mechanisms difficult, if not impossible. In this embodiment, the variable orifice gas lift valve 66 , and the electro-hydraulic wireline or coiled tubing retrievable actuator 64 of the present invention are located, installed and retrieved separately, but are operatively connected one to another by hydraulic control lines 68 . This allows retrieval of each mechanism separately, using either wireline or coiled tubing intervention methods which are well known in the art. As shown in FIG. 18, which is a cross-sectional view taken along line 18 — 18 of FIG. 16, an operating piston 72 is disposed adjacent the variable orifice valve 66 in the lowermost mandrel 61 . In every other aspect, however, the mechanisms operate as heretofore described.
It should be noted that the preferred embodiments described herein employ a well known valve mechanism generically known as a poppet valve to those skilled in the art of valve mechanics. It can, however, be appreciated that several well known valve mechanisms may obviously be employed and still be within the scope and spirit of the present invention. Rotating balls or plugs, butterfly valves, rising stem gates, and flappers are several other generic valve mechanisms which may obviously be employed to accomplish the same function in the same manner.
Whereas the present invention has been described in particular relation to the drawings attached hereto, it should be understood that other and further modifications, apart from those shown or suggested herein, may be made within the scope and spirit of the present invention. Accordingly, the invention is therefore to be limited only by the scope of the appended claims.
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The present invention is a surface controlled gas lift valve designed for high flow rates and used in a subterranean well, comprising: a valve for sealable insertion in a mandrel, having a variable orifice which alternately permits, prohibits, or throttles fluid flow into the valve, and a detachable and/or remote actuator are disclosed. Methods of actuating the valve include electro-hydraulic, hydraulic, and pneumo-hydraulic, while sensors relay the position of the variable orifice and critical fluid pressures to a panel on the surface. The orifice valve and the actuator while operatively connected, may be separately installed in or retrieved from by either wireline or coiled tubing intervention methods.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a sole embodied as a throughsole, inner sole or insole for a shoe with a flexible outsole and relates to a shoe with such a sole.
2. Description of Related Art
In providing shoes with a flexible outsole, it is known for the outsole to bend in the shape of an arch of a bridge or an archway under certain loading conditions. This happens, for example, when playing football when shooting on the volley. In this instance, the ball is struck in such a way that, with shoes with a soft flexible outsole, the front part of the foot together with the front part of the shoe is bent downwards due to the yielding nature of the outsole. Thus, in the shooting process, the sole is bent downwards at the front end so that the force cannot be transmitted completely to the ball when shooting.
A shoe which is stiffened against the bending discussed above is shown in the German patent 196 01 219 C1. The stiffening is achieved by providing a front tension band connecting the front end of the sole to the upper and two rear lateral tension bands connecting the heel area of the sole to the upper. The front tension band and the two rear tension bands are connected to one another in the instep area. In addition, the connecting node of the three bands can be fixed by a further tension band running transversely from one side of the shoe to the other. This prevents the front part of the shoe from bending downwards, but does not stop the sole rolling. The force occurring when under loading in the bending direction is borne by the instep.
This is an undesirable situation and results painful loading of the instep area as several tendons run in this area. In addition, this design does not prevent a soft flexible shoe sole from bending upwards in the area of the arch of the foot and subjecting the foot to extremely painful loading when impinging on hard and/or frozen objects.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The object of the invention is to prevent the undesired bending or flexing of the shoe and the loading on the foot in the area of the instep and the arch of the foot.
This object is achieved through the use of resiliently elastic material along with raised side areas and tension element or elements attached to them in their upper edge area to ensure that all the above discussed types of loading are borne by the sole of the invention as a throughsole, inner sole or insole so that painful loading force is no longer transmitted to the foot.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 illustrates a perspective view of the sole according to the invention.
FIG. 2 illustrates a plan view of the sole in FIG. 1 .
FIG. 3 illustrates a cross-section through a portion of a shoe with a sole of FIGS. 1 and 2.
FIG. 4 illustrates a side view of a sole with a damping element in the heel area and a special guide for the tension elements.
FIG. 5 illustrates the view according to FIG. 4 with an outsole illustrated in cross section.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
A sole embodied as a throughsole, inner sole or insole is denoted by 1 . It is made of a resiliently elastic, flexible material, for example a thermoplastic or duroplastic, such as polyamide, polyurethane, polyethylene or the like.
In particular, the sole 1 is made of a long-fiber material with a high tensile strength, such as glass fibers, carbon fibers, aramide fibers, or plastic fibers made of or based upon polyamide, aramide or the like, or of textile fibers which are mixed and/or coated for example with a thermoplastic or duroplastic bonding material and produced by a thermal process, in particular a thermal and pressing process, and are possibly molded, for example at the same time as the sole 1 .
Manufacture of the sole 1 can be by the method shown in DE 197 16 666 A1 the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference. Thus, for example, the pattern to be pressed is produced on an automatic stitching machine, where an endless strand of carbon fibers and/or glass fibers and/or aramide fibers are mixed with thermoplastically deformable plastic powder and wound on a reel, is laid on a carrier material and secured roughly with zigzag stitches so that the strand adheres to the carrier in a desired, calculated position. The carrier material can be a textile material or a plastic material, for example in the form of a woven or knitted fabric or a plastic film or a fiber mat. The quantity of threads or fibers and/or the pattern, i.e., the geometric configuration, and the spacings of one or more strands, depends on the previously defined and calculated properties of the finished sole. After completion of the “stitching, the two-dimensional, i.e., flat, mats thus obtained are transformed into a three-dimensional structure by means of heat, e.g. 230° C. to 260° C., and by means of a defined molding tool. In the process, the plastic powder (microgranulate) contained in the strands melts and solidifies in the desired form as it cools. When the plastic melts, it combines with the fibers of the strand and achieves the stiffening effect when it cools, similar to a synthetic resin in composite materials. During this process, the carrier material also melts and residues which may be protruding are removed when the sole is processed further.
However, the sole 1 can also be produced by other methods, for example, by a direct injection or an injection molding process, a stamping process or the like. The material for the sole 1 can preferably be transparent or translucent. At least one of its surfaces can be smooth, polished or roughened.
The sole 1 is made of resilient elastic in the heel area 2 from the heel cup 3 to the area 4 of the arch of the foot, in particular a web area, and to the ball area 5 of the ball of the foot, that is, roughly to the start of the front sole area 6 of the front of the sole 7 , but the sole is made rigid so that it can barely be bent at all under normal loading. This rigidity is determined by the material thickness and the choice of the material for the fibers and the bonding material. On the other hand, the ball area 5 and the front of the sole 7 are adjusted so that they can be bent in a resilient elastic manner by an appropriate choice of the thickness of the material and possibly by providing openings 8 .
Both the heel area 2 or the heel cup 3 and the front part of the sole 7 are provided with edges in the form of walls raised approximately 0.5 cm to 2 cm vertically or obliquely outwards on both sides 9 , 10 . Here, the sole 1 is preferably matched to the contour of a foot. The bottom 7 ′ of the front part of the sole 7 can be curved outwards slightly, i.e., curved downwards slightly. The angle of the walls can be roughly 45° to roughly 80°, measured as external angle α in relation to the plane 7 . 1 of the front part of the sole 7 . These raised walls 3 . 9 and 7 . 9 of the heel or heel cup 3 and the front part of the sole 7 on one side 9 and the corresponding walls 3 . 10 and 7 . 10 on the other side 10 thereof are in each case connected together by a tension element 11 or 12 of high tensile strength and minimal elastic elongation in the upper edge area 3 . 9 . 1 and 3 . 10 . 1 of the heel cup 3 and 7 . 9 . 1 and 7 . 10 . 1 of the front part of the sole 7 . As a result, the front part of the sole 7 can no longer be bent downwards by a loading such as occurs for example when shooting on the volley, while playing football or when the wearer of the shoe treads on a raised object in the area of the arch of the foot. When this happens, no loading of any kind occurs on the instep of the wearer since the entire loading is borne by the tension elements 11 , 12 and the sole 1 itself. The heel area 2 can be grasped peripherally by the tension elements 11 or 12 .
The tension elements 11 , 12 can be made of fibers, threads or at least one fiber strand. The materials can be plastic fibers, textile fibers, carbon fibers, glass fibers or aramide fibers. These can be mixed with a bonding material, for example a thermoplastic or duroplastic which connects the fibers, threads and/or fiber strands together in a hot molding process. This process can also be the method for connecting the tension element or elements 11 , 12 to the edge of the raised walls. In addition, with an endless tension band, this can be connected, for example, to the peripheral edge of the sole 1 , possibly with the exception of those areas in which the tension elements 11 , 12 run freely. However, individual tension bands or the endless tension band can also only be partly attached to the edge and to another part on the bottom 7 ′ of the front part of the sole 7 and/or the bottom of the heel or heel cup 3 .
Preferably, the front part of the sole 7 is provided with a wall pointing upwards continuously from one side 9 around the point 13 to the other side 10 , i.e., roughly shell-shaped. This produces additional stiffening which further assists the desired effect. Here, the raised edge or the raised wall in the ball area 5 can be higher than towards the front in the direction of the point 13 . The bottom 7 ′ of the front part of the sole 7 can be provided with at least one reinforcing bead 7 . 2 . The bead, or beads, preferably run in the direction of the longitudinal axis of the sole 1 and are angled downwards.
Advantageously, the web area 4 is relatively narrow due to lateral curved recesses 14 and 15 . The width of the web area 4 is advantageously roughly ⅕to ¾of the maximum width of the heel area 2 or heel cup 3 . Through the recesses 14 , 15 , the tension elements 11 , 12 in the area 4 of the arch of the foot run freely from one wall 3 . 9 or 3 . 10 to the other wall 7 . 9 or 7 . 10 , respectively. As a result, the foot is not covered by the hard sole 1 in the area of the arch of the foot and yet the front part of the sole 7 is prevented from bending downwards by the tension elements 11 , 12 . The heel cup 3 can exhibit an opening 3 . 1 in the area of impingement of the heel.
FIG. 3 shows a section through a heel portion of a shoe 1 . An upper material 17 is fastened, for example “strobeled”, lasted and/or glued, on the inside 16 . 1 of a soft elastic flexible outsole 16 . The sole 1 is laid on this upper material 17 and connected firmly, for example glued, to the latter, and the sole 1 is provided with a covering 18 , connected firmly to the latter. The covering 18 can also be an insole. The covering 18 is preferably made of an elastically yielding material, for example, a foam material made of elastic or elastically adjusted plastic. A foamable thermoplastic or duroplastic can be used as the plastic. A plastic made of or based on polyamide, polyethylene, polyurethane or the like is suitable. Preferably, the covering 18 is matched to the shape of the foot. A sole 1 , provided with a covering 18 , can, as another embodiment, be manufactured as an insole, inserted into a shoe and secured in a shoe.
The sole 1 connected to a covering layer, for example the covering 18 , or an insole or comfort sole, and can be laid loosely in the 'strobeled” shoe or be connected firmly to the latter. The sole 1 largely performs the functions of the usual sole base and the insole, such as for example flexibility, stability, torsional rigidity and the like, but with less weight than in the case of previously known embodiments.
In the embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 1 to 3 , the tension elements 11 , 12 or the endless tension element can be provided on the inside or on the outside of the walls 3 . 9 , 3 . 10 and 7 . 9 , 7 . 10 , respectively. While, in the embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 4 and 5, grooves 3 . 10 . 1 and 7 . 10 . 1 , in which the tension elements 11 , 12 are laid and secured, i.e., glued, are provided in the walls 3 . 9 , 3 . 10 and 7 . 9 , 7 . 10 respectively (see FIG. 1 ). The grooves 3 . 10 . 1 and 7 . 10 . 1 can also be provided on the inside when the tension elements 11 , 12 run along on the inside. The width of the groove roughly corresponds to the width of the tension elements 11 , 12 and the depth of the grooves 3 . 10 . 1 and 7 . 10 . 1 is approximately 0.2 mm to 0.5 mm. Preferably, at least one lower section 20 can be provided between the walls 3 . 9 , 3 . 10 and/or 7 . 9 . 7 . 10 , and then the tension elements 11 , 12 are freely stretched between them. The tension elements 11 , 12 need not be guided around the point of the front part of the sole 7 , as illustrated in FIGS. 1 to 3 . It is sufficient, and may even be advantageous, if the tension elements 11 , 12 end in front of or in the area 21 of the toe basal joints and are passed through transversely under the sole 1 , as shown in FIG. 5 . Then, there is no need to provide a raised wall in the area of the point of the front end of the sole 7 , as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5. In addition, the tension elements 11 and 12 coming from the front part of the sole 7 can be passed transversely under the sole 1 after the ball area 6 or in the area 4 of the arch of the foot.
Advantageously, a damping element 23 is provided, preferably on the underside 1 . 1 of the sole 1 or in a recess 22 of the sole 1 or in the opening 3 . 1 of the heel cup 3 , and connected firmly, i.e., glued, to the material of the sole 1 or molded with the sole 1 when it is produced. Preferably, the damping element 23 is a honeycomb structure. Advantageously, the surface of the sole 1 , made of transparent or translucent material, is smooth or glossy above the damping element 23 so that the structure of the damping element 23 is visible.
With soles 1 provided for shoes which are not exposed to particularly high loadings of the kind discussed previously, it may be sufficient if the tension elements 11 , 12 are only present in the area of the front of the foot 6 and only extend from the area 21 of the toe basal joints towards the rear. These can then run transversely over the underside 1 . 1 of the sole 1 in the area 21 of the toe basal joints and/or in the area 4 of the arch of the foot, in particular in its starting area or the end area of the ball area 6 , and be secured to the sole 1 .
According to another embodiment of the invention, a reinforcing part 25 can be attached to the sole 1 , in particular to the underside 1 . 1 and preferably in a shallow recess 24 . This reinforcing part is made of plastic or fiber-reinforced material, in particular with glass fibers, carbon fibers, plastic fibers, textile fibers, possibly along with a bonding material of a thermoplastic or duroplastic. Preferably, the reinforcing part 25 is a curved molding with no interruptions or openings.
Preferably, the sole 1 according to the invention can be used in shoes in which the upper material 17 is attached and secured on the inside 16 . 1 of the outsole 16 , and the sole 1 of the invention is attached firmly as a throughsole to the upper material 17 while remaining free of the inside 16 . 1 of the outsole. An insole or covering 18 is then provided on the sole 1 and connected firmly to the sole 1 .
The sole 1 according to the invention is particularly suitable for football boots, and shoes or boots for American football, cricket, baseball, and also for golf shoes or the like.
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The invention concerns a sole, used as a throughsole, inner sole or insole for a shoe, e.g, a football boot with a flexible outsole. The sole ensures that when shooting on the volley in football or with similar loadings, the entire force can be transmitted to the ball or similar sports equipment by means of a special stiffening of the sole by tension elements attached to raised walls of the edge area of the sole.
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This is a division of application Ser. No. 07/912,426, filed Jul. 13, 1992, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,302,731.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to fluorescent pH indicators and in particular to fluorescent pH indicators which exhibit increasing fluorescence intensity with increasing acidity of the environment being measured.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Measurement of pH of solutions, cells and tissues is important in many areas of biological and chemical research and a variety of electrical and spectroscopic techniques have been developed to make such measurements. Measurement of pH by optical indicators, using absorption indicator dyes such as phenolphthalein, has been used routinely in these fields for many years with measurements being made visually or by instrumentation. However, measurement of pH by fluorescence rather than absorbance has the advantage of greater sensitivity, as emitted light is more easily detected than absorbed light. Using fluorescent dyes as pH indicators, it is possible to measure the intracellular pH of single cells by flow cytometry using minimal amounts of the dye.
Many fluorescent dyes useful for measurement of pH are known in the art. The main consideration for a useful fluorescent pH indicator is that the fluorescence intensity of the compound be correlated as reliably as possible with the pH of the medium being measured. An extensive list of readily available fluorescent pH indicators covering the pH range 0 to 14 has been published by G. G. Guilbault in "Practical Fluorescence" (1973).
Many of the fluorescent pH indicators known in the art are phenolic derivatives that undergo absorption shifts to longer wavelength in basic solution, usually with an accompanying increase in fluorescence intensity. Since these rely on deprotonation of a phenol-type functionality to enhance fluorescence intensity, they exhibit a decrease in fluorescence intensity with increasing acidity at longer emission wavelengths. Fluorescein and the umbelliferones are examples of this type of indicator (R. P. Haugland. 1989. "Molecular Probes Handbook" from Molecular Probes, Inc., Eugene, Oreg., pg. 30, FIGS. 4.2 and 4.3). Few fluorescent pH indicators are known which exhibit increasing fluorescence with increasing acidity, a situation which limits the utility of fluorescent pH indicators in relatively acidic environments such as endosomes and lysosomes.
Seminaphthorhodafluor (SNARF) and seminaphthofluorescein (SNAFL) pH indicators have recently been developed which are useful for measuring pH changes in the range of about 6.3 to 8.6 and are suitable for measurement of intracellular pH. They are benzo[c]xanthene derivatives and are somewhat longer wavelength indicators compared to most other fluorescent pH indicators, making them suitable for use in flow cytometry with excitation by an argon laser at 488 or 514 nm. However, with the exception of SNARF-6 and SNAFL-1, this series of indicators displays the conventional response to pH in which emission intensity decreases with increasing acidity. SNARF-6 and SNAFL-1 exhibit an increase in fluorescence intensity with increasing acidity only at shorter wavelengths, thus limiting detection to more complex and expensive instrumentation. These pH indicators are described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,945,171 and "Molecular Probes Handbook" (R. P. Haugland, 1989, supra, pg. 86-88 and 93; compounds C-1277 and C-1255, respectively). In contrast, the dyes of the present invention exhibit emission spectra in which fluorescence increases with decreasing pH, but this occurs at a longer wavelength emission maximum (i.e., to the right of the isosbestic point). While not wishing to be bound by any particular theory of how the invention operates, Applicants believe the foregoing characteristics suggest that the inventive compounds have a different chemical mechanism for pH dependent fluorescence than SNARF-6 and SNAFL-1.
2',7'-bis-(2-carboxyethyl)-5-(and-6) carboxyfluorescein, (BCECF) is a pH sensitive dye with a side group linked to the fluorescein moiety which consists of two one-carbon spacers attached to carboxylic acids. R. P. Haugland, 1989, supra, pg. 88 and 93, compound B-1151. The side group is similar to that of the present compounds, however, the fluorescein moiety is significantly different structurally from the rhodamine and sulforhodamine moiety of the compounds of the present invention. Further, because BCECF is a derivative of fluorescein, its pH dependent fluorescence intensity is characteristic of fluorescein, i.e., emission intensity decreases with increasing acidity (Graber, et al. 1986. Anal. Biochem. 156, 202-212). BCECF is particularly useful for indicating intracellular pH because it can be synthesized as a BCECF acetoxymethyl ester/monoacetate (BCECF-AM) which is more easily taken up and retained by cells than is BCECF itself (Kolber, et al. 1988. J. Immunol. Mtds. 108, 255-264). Inside the cell BCECF-AM is hydrolyzed by cellular esterases to the the acid form which exhibits a pH dependent fluorescence response.
Rhodamine and sulforhodamine type fluorescent dyes are also known in the art and include, for example, rhodamine B, sulforhodamine B, rhodamine 6G, sulforhodamine G, and Texas Red. These dyes are extensively used for fluorescence studies, but they exhibit little, if any, pH dependent fluorescence intensity response. As the inventive compounds are derivatives of rhodamine or sulforhodamine, the pH sensitivity of these compounds was unexpected due to the fact that the parent compounds show pH independent fluorescence. The compounds of the present invention are therefore the first known pH sensitive dyes of the sulforhodamine class. With the possible exception of the SNARF class of dyes, which are hybrids between fluorescein (phenolic) and rhodamine (analine-like) dyes, no rhodamine-based pH sensitive dyes other than those of the present invention are known. In addition, the inventive compounds for the first time provide pH indicators which increase fluorescence intensity with increasing acidity at longer emission wavelengths
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The inventive fluorescent pH indicators are derivatives of rhodamine or sulforhodamine having the following general structure: ##STR1## wherein R 1 and R 2 are hydrogen, alkyl or cycloalkyl; X is CO 2 H (or CO 2 - ) or SO 3 H (or SO 3 - ); Y is --CONH-- or --SO 2 NH--; and SPACER is one or more of --(CH 2 ) n -- wherein n=1-12, cycloalkyl or --CONH--.
Unlike the fluorescent pH indicator dyes of the prior art, these compounds show a fluorescence intensity increase with decreasing pH in the range of pH 7-10 in aqueous solutions at longer wavelength emissions. That is, these compounds have several of the advantages of rhodamine dyes (i.e., high quantum yield, long excitation wavelength and photostability) but unexpectedly also show pH dependent changes in fluorescence intensity which are absent in the prior art rhodamine-type dyes. The longer wavelength characteristics allow the practitioner to use less expensive instrumentation to detect fluorescence and the increased fluorescence response in acidic conditions provides sensitivity in many biological applications where previously known fluorescent pH indicators were unsatisfactory, for example measurement of bacterial CO2 production.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 illustrates the pH dependent fluorescence response of Compound I (SRB-GABA).
FIG. 2 illustrates the pH dependent fluorescence response of Compound II (SRB-GABA-ADA).
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
The inventive fluorescent pH indicators are derivatives of fluorescent dyes of the rhodamine or sulforhodamine type with a carboxylic acid linked by a "spacer" to the dye. They have the following general structure: ##STR2## wherein R 1 and R 2 are hydrogen, alkyl or cycloalkyl; X is CO 2 H (or CO 2 - ) or SO 3 H (or SO 3 - ); Y is --CONH-- or --SO 2 NH--; and SPACER is one or more of --(CH 2 ) n -- wherein n=1-12, cycloalkyl or --CONH--.
The preferred compounds are derivatives of sulforhodamine wherein R 1 and R 2 are hydrogen, alkyl or cycloalkyl; X is SO 3 H (or SO 3 - ); Y is --SO 2 NH--; and SPACER is one or more of --(CH 2 ) n -- wherein n=1-12, cycloalkyl or --CONH--.
The most preferred compounds have the structures: ##STR3## wherein Et is ethyl. Compounds I and II are derivatives of sulforhodamine B. In Compound I, the Y-spacer-CO 2 H moiety is gama amino butyric acid (GABA) linked to the sulfonyl in the para position of sulforhodamine B. In Compound II, the Y-spacer-CO 2 H moiety is GABA and 12-amino-dodecanoic acid (ADA) linked to the sulfonyl group.
These pH indicators have a pH detecting range of about pH 7 to about pH 10. Optimally, they may be excited at about 544 nm with emission being measured at about 580-590 nm. This excitation wavelength allows the use of a helium-neon (HeNe) laser for excitation with its accompanying cost advantages and elimination of background due to natural fluorescence. The HeNe laser is also commonly used in immunofluorescence and flow cytometry applications as well as carbon dioxide sensing instruments, making the present pH indicators particularly suited for use in these types of studies.
The compounds of the invention may be synthesized by reacting a rhodamine or sulforhodamine acid chloride with the spacer moiety. In the case of Compound I, sulforhodamine B sulfonyl chloride may be reacted with GABA to form the pH indicator (SRB-GABA). For Compound II, SRB-GABA may be subsequently reacted with N-hydroxysuccinimide (NHS) to form an activated ester which is linked to ADA. It is believed that a pentaglycine derivative may be prepared by reacting SRB-GABA-NHS with pentaglycine in a similar manner.
Certain specific embodiments of the invention are described in the following experimental Examples to illustrate the invention. They are not intended in any way to limit the scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims. Upon study of the specification and the following Examples, modifications and variations of the invention will occur to those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the invention and without the exercise of inventive skill. These modifications and variations are also encompassed by the invention.
In the following experimental Examples, analytical TLC was performed on 0.25 mm thick aluminum-backed silica gel plates from EM Science (Cherry Hill, N.J., cat. no. 5534) and 0.2 mm thick Whatman glass backed reverse phase KC-18F plates. Analytical reverse phase HPLC employed a Waters 860 two pump system with photo diode array detection (200-600 nm) and a Brownlee Spheri-5 RP-18 220×4.6 mm column. A linear gradient from 1:1 to 95:5 methanol:water over 30 min was employed for HPLC. Fluorescence spectra were recorded on a Perkin-Elmer LS-5 Fluorometer. NMR spectra were recorded on an IBM/Bruker WP-200SY 200 MHz instrument and chemical shifts are reported relative to tetramethyl silane. Positive ion fast atom bombardment (FAB+) mass spectra were obtained with a VG Trio-2 quadrupole instrument using a glycerol matrix. Sulforhodamine B (SRB) was obtained from Polysciences, Inc. (Warrington, Pa.) and had an HPLC retention time of 2.0 min under the above conditions.
EXAMPLE 1
SYNTHESIS OF SRB-GABA
Sulforhodamine B sulfonyl chloride (0. 740 g, 1.28 mmol ) and gamma-amino butyric acid (GABA, 1.32 g, 12.8 mmol ) were added to a stirred mixture of 4-dimethylaminopyridine (DMAP--Aldrich, 30 mg) and 30% triethylamine (Et3N--Fisher) in water maintained at 0° C. Stirring was continued for 4 h at 0° C., then at room temperature overnight. The solvents were removed by rotary evaporation, resulting in a dark purple/pink residue. A few drops of methanol were added to the residue, followed by 25 mL of CH 2 Cl 2 . The mixture was agitated and the insoluble fraction was separated by vacuum filtration and washed two times with CH 2 Cl 2 . The filtrate was concentrated and chromatographed (flash silica, 1:9:90 to 2:16:80 acetic acid:methanol:CH 2 Cl 2 gradient). The column fractions were analyzed by TLC (silica, 1:9:90 acetic acid:methanol:CH 2 Cl 2 ) and the purest fractions containing the middle eluting pink band were combined. An NMR analysis suggested possible contamination by GABA in some of the fractions so these were refiltered from a suspension in CH 2 Cl 2 , resulting in a total of 89 mg SRB-GABA. The 11% yield is probably due to loss of product in the filtration steps.
Product Analysis
1H NMR (4:1 CDCl3-CD3OD) w 1.33 (t,12H), 1.73 (t, 2H), 2.28 (t, 2 H), 2.93 (t, 2H), 3.62 (q, 8 H), 6.70-7.35 (sulforhodamine H's), 8.29 (d, 1 H), 8.65 (s, 1 H).
13C NMR (4:1CDCl3-CD3OD) w 12.2, 24.7, 30.8, 42.2, 45.8, 95.8, 114.0, 126.0, 129.6, 130.7, 131.4, 131.9, 140.6, 155.6, 156.0, 157.6.
HPLC retention time 11.4 min.
High resolution FAB+MS [MH+]: C 31 H 38 N 3 O 8 S 2 . Calculated 644.2100. Found 644.2076.
EXAMPLE 2
pH RESPONSE OF SRB-GABA
The SRB-GABA synthesized in Example 1 was initially expected to be fluorometrically stable to pH due to its derivation from sulforhodamine. However, analysis of the pH vs. UV/visible light spectrum of this compound suggested some pH dependent behavior which was absent in SRB. To determine the pH vs. fluorescence intensity characteristics of the SRB-GABA synthesized in Example 1, the compound was dissolved in 10 mM phosphate buffer, pH 8.0. This was filtered through cotton to reduce scattering and the pH was adjusted with dilute (approximately 0.1 N) sodium hydroxide and hydrochloric acid solutions as required.
A Perkin Elmer LS-5 fluorometer was set as follows:
Slits: excitation=5; emission=3
Speed: 120 nm/min.
Excitation: 544 nm
Emission: from 500 to 700 nm
Surprisingly, the SRB-GABA compound (Compound I) responded to pH changes with changes in fluorescence intensity and showed increasing fluorescence intensity as the pH became more acidic. The results are shown in Table I.
TABLE I______________________________________ Fluorescence pH Intensity______________________________________ 11.30 63 10.15 64 9.35 103 8.90 147 8.40 193 8.00 253 7.75 260 7.40 270______________________________________
The above results are depicted graphically in FIG. 1. SRB-GABA exhibits maximal pH vs. fluorescence intensity changes in the pH range of about 8-9.5, and there is approximately a 4-fold change in fluorescence intensity from pH 7.4 to 10.15. The results of this study are depicted graphically in FIG. 1.
EXAMPLE 3
SYNTHESIS OF SRB-GABA-ADA
SRB-GABA NHS ester was prepared essentially as described by Bodansky and Bodansky, "The Practice of Peptide Synthesis," 1984, p. 125. SRB-GABA (140 mg, 0.218 mmol) and N-hydroxy-succinimide (30 mg, 0.26 mmol) were added to a round bottom flask containing 5 mL anhydrous CH 2 Cl 2 . The stirred mixture was cooled in an ice-water bath under argon. Dicyclohexylcarbodiimide (DCC, 54 mg, 0.26 mmol) was added and the mixture was stirred 18 hours at ambient temperature under argon. The resulting mixture was filtered through a coarse glass frit and the solids were rinsed twice with CH 2 Cl 2 . Solvent was removed from the combined filtrate and wash fractions and the residue was chromatographed (flash silica, 1:9 methanol:CH 2 Cl 2 ). The desired NHS ester was eluted just ahead of a small amount of unreacted SRB-GABA. Solvent was removed by vacuum to yield 138 mg (85%) of SRB-GABA NHS ester as a pink/purple "glass."
Product Analysis
1H NMR (CDCl3/CD3OD) w 1.28 (t, 12H), 1.85 (t, 2H), 2.63 (t, 2H), 2.71 (br s, 1H), 2.97 (t, 2H), 3.30 (br s, 4H, succinimide--(CH 2 ) 2 --), 3.65 (q, 8H), 6.70-7.18 (m,g 7 H), 8.23-8.55 (m, 2H); FAB+MS: m/z 741 (MH+), 713 (M+--Et), 626 (M+--NHS).
High resolution FAB+MS [MH+]: C 35 H 41 N 4 S 2 O 10 . Calculated 741.2264. Found 741.2260.
The SRB-GABA NHS ester (138 mg, 0.186 mmol) and 12-amino-dodecanoic acid (ADA--Aldrich, 60 mg, 0.28 mmol) were added to a flask containing 5 mL CH 2 C 12 and the mixture was stirred 72 hours under argon at ambient temperature. A TLC analysis (silica 10% methanol in CH 2 Cl 2 ) indicated a new product (Rf=0.28) along with unreacted NHS ester (Rf=0.35). The reaction was not observed to go to completion even with addition of more ADA or DMAP. Solvent evaporation followed by flash chromatography (silica, gradient of 7% to 12% methanol in CH 2 Cl 2 ) gave 24 mg of the NHS ester and 64 mg (41%) of fairly pure SRB-GABA-ADA as a pink/purple "glass." This was rechromatographed using the same conditions to obtain pure material for analysis.
Product Analysis
1H NMR (CDCl3/CD3OD) w 1.25 (br s, 16H), 1.28 (t, 12H), 1.58 (t, 2H), 1.65 (t, 2H), 2.20 (t, 2H), 2.28 (t, 2H), 2.95 (t, 2H), 3.08 (t, 2H), 3.65 (q, 8H), 6.70-7.18 (m, 7 H), 8.23-8.55 (m, 2H).
HPLC retention time 26.5 min.
High resolution FAB+MS [MH+]: C 43 H 61 N 4 S 2 O 9 ). Calculated 841.3880. Found 841.3869.
EXAMPLE 4
pH RESPONSE OF SRB-GABA-ADA
The pH response characteristics of the SRB-GABA-ADA compound synthesized in Example 3 were evaluated essentially as described in Example 2 for SRB-GABA. Fluorescence intensity was measured at pH 11.2, 9.5, 8.9, and 8.1, and the results are depicted graphically in FIG. 2. Again the largest changes in fluorescence intensity were seen between about pH 8 and pH 9.5, with about a 6-fold change in fluorescence intensity from pH 8.1 to 11.2.
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Fluorescent pH indicator compounds which exhibit an increase in fluorescence intensity with decreasing pH. The indicators are derivatives of rhodamine and sulforhodamine type dyes and are particularly useful for measuring pH in acidic environments such as carbon dioxide production by microorganisms and pH of certain acidic intracellular compartments.
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CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION(S)
[0001] The present application claims a benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/366,877 filed on Jul. 22, 2010, which is hereby incorporated herein in its entirety by reference.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] The present invention generally relates to wine storage devices. More particularly, the present invention relates to an apparatus for storing and dispensing wine from collapsible, reusable containers.
[0003] For many years, wine has remained one of the most popular drinks to accompany a meal, and as such, is made available not only at home, but at a vast number of restaurants. It is therefore important for a restaurant to keep in stock ample quantities of wine to meet the demand of its customers. However, as wine has historically been stored within glass 750-mL bottles, not only are there increased shipping costs associated with the use of glass bottles, but stocking a restaurant with such wine requires certain space requirements. Alternatively, certain types of wine have been made available by means of portable fluid containers, for example flexible 3- to 10-liter bladders of wine contained within a cardboard box, sometimes referred to as “wine-in-a-box” or simply “box wine”. While such containers cut down on shipping costs, there are still storage considerations to take into account, as well as other inherent setbacks. For instance, as the box itself must be placed within a refrigeration unit to keep the wine chilled, the refrigeration space required for the box must be considered. Further, and regardless if a bottle or portable fluid bladder is used, once opened, the shelf-life of the wine decreases rapidly due to oxidation. While bottles of wine typically have to be consumed within a day or so, “wine-in-a-box” products currently available typically last only about a week. More importantly, though, as wine is considered by many to be a premium product, “wine-in-a-box” does not do well from a marketing standpoint as it has been perceived by the purchasing public to be an inferior product or inferior means of storage as opposed to glass bottles. For this reason alone, many vintners have avoided providing wines in this fashion, preferring instead to stick with glass bottles.
[0004] There exist in the art several examples of devices which have attempted to provide a means for storing box wine in an aesthetically pleasing manner. However, limitations exist in such examples as conventional devices have been shown to be quite difficult to change between spent wine bladders and new ones. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 7,434,705 requires that a front end housing containing a dispensing spout be removed before a spent bladder of wine can be replaced with a full bladder of wine. It has been shown in the field that this mechanism is difficult to employ.
[0005] Currently, there exists a need in the art to provide an aesthetically pleasing wine dispensing mechanism for use in conjunction with reusable bladders of wine which provides a quick, easy and efficient means of changing between spent and full bladders. There also exists a need in the art to provide a wine dispensing mechanism which assists in preserving unused quantities of wine after opening longer than what is currently available.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF INVENTION
[0006] In accordance with the present invention, an apparatus is provided for refrigerating and dispensing pre-packaged wine. The apparatus includes a housing formed substantially in the shape of an aesthetically pleasing miniature wine barrel which holds a removable insert containing between approximately 3 and 10 liters of wine within a collapsible bladder. The housing includes a first circumferential wall, a front face and removable rear panel. A spigot for selectively dispensing the wine is supported by and positioned through the front face. The insert is disposable within the housing through the rear portion with the panel removed. A telescoping conduit in fluid communication with the spigot extends from the front face of the housing to the rear thereof for connection with the insert proximate the rear of the housing. The conduit is positionable between a first retracted position and a second extended position, which facilitates in connecting the bladder thereto.
[0007] In replacing a spent bladder, the user removes the rear cover and pulls the insert out slightly such that the connection between the conduit and the insert is easily accessible to the user. This extends the conduit from the first retracted position to the second extended position. The user can then disconnect the spent insert from the conduit, fully remove the spent insert, which can then be replaced by a full insert. The full insert is connected to the conduit and then fully positioned within the housing, which positions the telescoping conduit from the second extended position to the first retracted position. The panel can then be replaced and the apparatus is ready to again dispense wine.
[0008] To optionally cool the wine, an electric heat pump extends through an aperture contained within a bottom portion of the housing. The heat pump is capable of expelling thermal energy contained within the housing to keep the wine cool relative to a higher ambient temperature. To facilitate in the cooling of the wine, a thermally conductive shroud is provided which is supported by a thermal conductive block in communication with the heat pump. The shroud is configured to receive and support the insert. Both the shroud and the insert have an angled floor which permits the wine to be gravitationally urged toward the rear of the housing where the conduit fluidly connects to the bladder.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0009] The following figures are used herein in conjunction with the specification to assist in understanding the invention. The Figures are as follows:
[0010] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a wine storage and dispensing apparatus in accordance with a first embodiment of the present invention.
[0011] FIG. 2 is a side-view of the wine storage and dispensing apparatus in accordance with the first embodiment of the present invention.
[0012] FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the wine storage and dispensing apparatus as taken along lines A-A in FIG. 2 .
[0013] FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the wine storage and dispensing apparatus as taken along lines B-B in FIG. 2 .
[0014] FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the wine storage and dispensing apparatus of the present invention with an insert partially removed.
[0015] FIG. 6 is a side-view of the wine storage and dispensing apparatus in accordance with a second embodiment of the present invention.
[0016] FIG. 7 is a partial cross-sectional side view of a dispensing system in accordance with the present invention.
[0017] FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view of a telescoping conduit in accordance with the present invention.
[0018] FIG. 9 is an exploded perspective view of a reusable container in accordance with the present invention.
[0019] FIG. 10 is a side profile view of the reusable container in accordance with the present invention.
[0020] FIG. 11 is a perspective view of the first and second embodiments of the wine dispensing apparatuses of the present invention supported by a rotatable stand.
DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0021] A wine storage and dispensing apparatus of the present invention is generally indicated at 100 in FIGS. 1 through 4 . The apparatus 100 includes a housing structure 102 , preferably an aesthetically shaped miniature wooden wine barrel, for placement on or near a bar in areas where wine would normally be dispensed. However, it should be noted that alternative shapes for the housing structure are well within the scope of the present invention, including non-exhaustive examples of semi-circular barrels with flat bottoms, rectangular boxes or the like. The wine barrel 102 includes a front face 104 which supports a spout or spigot 106 for selectively dispensing wine. A removable back panel 108 attaches to the wine barrel 102 by means of a latching mechanism 110 . The specific latching mechanism 110 employed is not critical in practicing the invention, and those skilled in the art will recognize that other mechanisms than those illustrated will suffice.
[0022] The apparatus 100 further includes an optional thermoelectric heat pump 112 for cooling wine contained within the barrel 102 . The thermoelectric heat pump 112 for use with the present invention includes a solid-state active heat pump which transfers heat from one side 114 of the device to the other side 116 against a temperature gradient with the consumption of electrical energy. A heat sink 117 effectuates dissipation of heat into the air. As best illustrated in FIGS. 3 through 5 , the thermoelectric heat pump 112 is positionable through an aperture 118 contained in an under portion of the housing. As it is contemplated that in most situations the a ambient temperature of the room or restaurant where the apparatus 100 will be dispensing wine will be greater than optimal wine dispensing temperatures of between 45 and 65 degrees Fahrenheit, the heating portion 116 of the thermoelectric cooler seats outside of the barrel 102 , enabling any generated heat to dissipate into the outside air. Attached to the cooling side 114 of the heat pump is a thermally conductive block 120 , preferably constructed of a metallic material such as aluminum. However, any material having a thermal conductivity greater than about 100 watts per meter Kelvin (W/(m*K)) is well within the scope of the present invention. The thermoelectric heat pump 112 further includes a control unit and electric transformer (not shown) for activating and controlling the temperature of the block 120 and shroud 122 , which in turn controls the temperature of the wine. Exemplary thermoelectric heat pumps 112 for use with the present invention include those as made available by Pacific Supercool, Ltd. of Bangkok, Thailand or SOS Prescott of Prescott, Wis. However, one skilled in the art will recognize that the use of similar thermoelectric heat pumps by other manufacturers are well within the scope of the present invention.
[0023] To increase the efficiency and the consistency of the manner in which heat is conducted out of the wine barrel 102 , and to provide for a more consistent temperature therein, the metallic shroud 122 is provided. The shroud 122 seats upon and engages the conductive block 120 . The metallic shroud includes a base plate 124 attached to the conductive block 120 , as well as a semi-circular wall 126 extending along longitudinal edges of the base plate 124 . Insulation 125 may be provided between the shroud 122 and the inner wall 128 of the barrel. Further, thermal electric compound 127 , such as thermal grease, may be optionally included between the conductive block 120 and the inner wall 128 , as is illustrated in FIG. 5 . The shroud 122 is designed to support a removable plastic insert 130 containing a collapsible bladder 132 of wine.
[0024] As mentioned, use of the thermoelectric heat pump 112 is optional and the present invention can be practiced without such a device, as is illustrated in alternative embodiment 200 in FIG. 6 . However, for purposes of this description, similar parts from apparatus 100 and alternative apparatus 200 will be given similar references, and any differences between the two embodiments will be explicitly stated. As such, unless otherwise noted, description of one is meant to include description of the other for similar parts and operation.
[0025] To transfer the wine contained within the bladder 132 positioned within the insert 130 , a liquid transfer mechanism 134 is provided. As illustrated in FIG. 7 , the liquid transfer mechanism 134 includes the spigot 106 in fluid communication with a telescoping conduit 136 , which in turn fluidly connects to a quick connector 138 . The spigot 106 , as made available by Artisan Barrels of Oakland, Calif., threadably attaches to a first segment 140 of the telescoping conduit 136 , wherein a seal is formed by means of a washer 141 . As illustrated in FIG. 8 , the telescoping conduit includes the first segment 140 into which slidably disposes a second segment 142 , as denoted by arrow 143 . The second segment 142 is therefore of a lesser diameter than the first segment 140 . Both the first segment 140 and the second segment 142 are preferably constructed of a rigid material, for example stainless steel. The second segment 142 is slidably positionable relative to the first segment 140 to increase or decrease the overall length of the telescoping conduit 136 , the importance of which will become apparent shortly. In order to prevent leakage of liquid when passing therethrough, and to prevent the intrusion of any unwanted material therein, the second segment 142 includes a flange 144 extending circumferentially and slidably engaging an inner surface 146 of the first segment 140 . Additionally, an O-ring 148 is positionable within a groove contained in the first segment 140 . The O-ring 148 abuts against an outer surface 150 of the second segment 142 , which further enhances the seal between the first segment 140 and the second segment 142 .
[0026] The quick connect 138 is preferably a VITOP® BAG-IN-BOX® quick connect as made available by the Smurfit Kappa Group of Eperny, France. The quick connect 138 includes a male and female connector, 152 and 154 respectively. The female connector 154 connects to the second segment 142 by means of a flexible length of tubing 156 . The tubing 156 is preferably anti-microbial to prevent the intrusion of micro-organisms into the wine which can lead to the spoilage thereof. The male connector 152 attaches to the bladder 132 and seats within an aperture 158 contained within the insert 130 . The telescoping conduit 136 , as well as the connecting tube 156 and a portion of the quick connect 138 , is disposable within a circular channel 160 contained within the conducting block 120 as illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 4 .
[0027] Referring now to FIG. 9 , the removable insert 130 is constructed from plastic and includes a substantially flat rectangular floor 162 containing the circular aperture 158 for receiving the male connector 152 . A semi-circular wall 164 extends from opposing longitudinal sides of the bottom 162 . The semi-circular wall 164 and bottom 162 are joined on a first end by an end-wall 166 . A removable cap 168 is securable to a second end portion of the bottom 162 and semi-circular wall 164 . The insert 130 houses the collapsible bladder 132 which is fillable with liquid, which in this case includes wine. The male connector 152 fluidly communicates with the bladder 132 and provides the wine to the liquid transfer mechanism 134 when connected thereto. Both the end wall 166 and removable cap 168 include a semi-circular design with a bottom flat portion such that the insert conforms to the shape of the barrel 102 and is disposable within the shroud 122 . In order to facilitate gravitational draining of the bladder contents during use, the cap 168 includes a larger circular radius x than a circular radius of the end-wall y, giving the semi-circular wall 164 a frusto-conical configuration. With the end-wall 166 and cap 168 being positioned substantially parallel to one another, the floor 162 therefore is positioned at a declining angle from the end-wall 166 as the floor 162 proceeds towards the cap 168 relative to the top of the semi-circular wall 164 , as illustrated in FIG. 10 . As the shroud 122 is configured to receive the insert 130 , it should be understood that the base plate 124 also includes a corresponding declination.
[0028] As is known in the art, the bladder 132 may is constructed of a flexible material such that it may collapse upon itself when the contents therein are drained. Such materials can include metallic sheeting or plastic formed to provide a hermetically sealed interior. To fill the bladder 132 , all air is first evacuated after which the wine is introduced therein. Upon being filled, the bladder 132 is injected with an overpressure of an inert gas, such as Argon, to prevent oxygenation of the wine and thereby extend shelf life. Further, by filling the bladder 132 with an inert gas, it has been discovered that the wine can remain unspoiled after opening for a much longer time than is observed within conventional wine-in-a-box methods. Instead of less than two weeks, which is typical for a conventional device, the wind dispensing apparatus 100 of the present invention can prevent oxygenation and spoiling of the wine after opening for up to eight weeks.
[0029] It is intended that either the vintner or the wine wholesaler fills the bladders 132 with wine, along with the overpressure of inert gas prior to sealing the bladder 132 within the insert 130 . The insert 130 thereby provides a protecting structure to prevent the bladder 132 from being punctured during transit or use. The vintner or wholesaler then ships the insert, or a plurality of inserts, directly to the restaurant when they can be stored until needed for dispensing.
[0030] In operation, the apparatus 100 or 200 containing an insert with wine contained therein is positioned within a restaurant, home or other suitable place where it is convenient to dispense the wine into individual glasses when so desired. Upon depleting the contents of a bladder 132 , whereby the wine insert needs to be replenished, the back cover 108 of the housing 102 is removed. As illustrated in FIG. 6 , the user pulls the insert 130 partially from the shroud 122 , causing the second segment 142 of the telescoping conduit to withdraw from the first segment 140 and allowing the user access to the quick connector 138 . The user then removes the male connector 152 from the female connector 154 , whereby the insert 130 is fully removable from the shroud 122 and the housing 102 . A new insert containing a full bladder of wine is then partially disposed within the barrel and the shroud. The male connector 152 , which comes already connected to the bladder 132 , is then attached to the female connector 154 and the insert 130 is pushed fully within the shroud 122 with the telescoping conduit 136 decreasing in overall length. The back cover 108 is replaced and the apparatus 100 or 200 is again ready to dispense the wine through the spigot 106 . Upon activating the thermoelectric heat pump 112 , the wine within the insert 130 is storable at a constant temperature for up to 8 weeks.
[0031] Another advantage of the present invention is that it permits ease of operation in an aesthetically pleasing manner without undue hardship in exchanging inserts. As illustrated in FIG. 11 , apparatus 100 , apparatus 200 , or both, can be positioned on a rotatable stand 180 , which in turn can be set up on a table, bar top or other suitable location. The stand may include a rotatable base 182 , which when the wine in the bladder goes empty, can simply be rotated around to give a person access to the rear of the housing without having to lift and move the housing itself. A depleted insert can be exchanged with a full insert in the manner as previously described, whereafter the stand can be rotated back to its desired position.
[0032] Although the present invention has been described with reference to preferred embodiments, workers skilled in the art will recognize that changes may be made in form and detail without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.
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An apparatus for storing and dispensing wine comprises a housing formed substantially in the shape of a wine barrel. The housing including a circumferential wall, a first closed end and a second open end. A spigot for selectively dispensing wine is supported by and positioned through the first closed end of the housing. A removable insert disposable within the housing through the second open end contains a collapsible bladder of wine. A wine dispensing port is contained within the bladder and insert. With the insert positioned within the housing, the port is positioned proximate the second open end thereof. A conduit in fluid communication with the spigot extends from the first closed end toward the second open end. Upon disposing the insert within the housing, the conduit is connectable to the port wherein the wine can be selectively dispensed from the spigot.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] This invention relates generally to an additive manufacturing apparatus and more particularly to an apparatus for mass production of components.
[0002] “Additive manufacturing” is a term used herein to describe a process which involves layer-by-layer construction or additive fabrication (as opposed to material removal as with conventional machining processes). Such processes may also be referred to as “rapid manufacturing processes”. Additive manufacturing processes include, but are not limited to: Direct Metal Laser Melting (DMLM), Laser Net Shape Manufacturing (LNSM), electron beam sintering, Selective Laser Sintering (SLS), 3D printing, such as by inkjets and laserjets, Sterolithography (SLA), Electron Beam Melting (EBM), Laser Engineered Net Shaping (LENS), and Direct Metal Deposition (DMD).
[0003] Currently, powder bed technologies have demonstrated the best resolution capabilities of prior art metal additive manufacturing technologies. However, since the build needs to take place in the powder bed, conventional machines use a large amount of powder, for example a powder load can be over 130 kg (300 lbs.). This is costly when considering a factory environment using many machines. The powder that is not directly melted into the part but stored in the neighboring powder bed is problematic because it adds weight to the elevator systems, complicates seals and chamber pressure problems, is detrimental to part retrieval at the end of the part build, and becomes unmanageable in large bed systems currently being considered for large components.
[0004] Furthermore, currently available additive manufacturing systems are geared for prototyping and very low volume manufacturing. Considerable differences can exist from part-to-part. Some elements of current systems are cumbersome to handle due to weight and can require excessive manual, hands-on interaction. Duplication of multiple machines in parallel to manufacturing multiple parts results in expensive duplication of components and services such as controls and cooling and environmental controls.
[0005] Accordingly, there remains a need for an additive manufacturing apparatus and method that can produce components on a mass-production basis.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0006] This need is addressed by the technology described herein, which provides additive manufacturing apparatus utilizing one or more simplified build modules in combination with one or more common components being centrally provided or shared amongst the build modules.
[0007] According to one aspect of the technology described herein an additive manufacturing apparatus includes: a build module having a build chamber, and a least one of but less than all of the following elements: (a) a directed energy source; (b) a powder supply; (c) a powder recovery container; and (d) a powder applicator; and a workstation having the remainder of elements (a)-(d) not included in the build module.
[0008] According to another aspect of the technology described herein, an additive manufacturing apparatus includes: a workstation including a directed energy source; a build module, including: a first build chamber; and a peripheral wall extending past the worksurface opposite the first build chamber to define a workspace; and a transport mechanism operable to move the build module into and out of the workstation.
[0009] According to another aspect of the technology described herein, an additive manufacturing method includes: moving a build module having a build chamber into a workstation; depositing powder onto a build platform which is disposed in the build chamber; directing a beam from a directed energy source to fuse the powder; moving the platform vertically downward within the build chamber by a layer increment of powder; and repeating in a cycle the steps of depositing, directing, and moving to build up the part in a layer-by-layer fashion until the part is complete
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0010] The invention may be best understood by reference to the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing figures, in which:
[0011] FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of an additive manufacturing build module constructed according to an aspect of the technology described herein;
[0012] FIG. 2 is a top plan view of the build module of FIG. 1 ;
[0013] FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of an alternative additive manufacturing build module;
[0014] FIG. 4 is a top plan view of the build module of FIG. 3 ;
[0015] FIG. 5 is a schematic side view of the build module of FIG. 1 in an assembly line;
[0016] FIG. 6 is a schematic side view of an alternative build module in an assembly line;
[0017] FIG. 7 is a schematic side view of the build module of FIG. 3 in an assembly line;
[0018] FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view of an alternative additive manufacturing build module; and
[0019] FIG. 9 is a schematic top plan view of the build module of FIG. 8 in a rotary assembly center.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0020] In general, aspects of the technology described herein provide an additive manufacturing apparatus and method in which multiple build modules are used in an assembly-line process. The individual build modules are simplified compared to prior art additive machines and may be configured to include only the components needed to manufacture a specific part or selected group of parts, with common components being centrally provided or shared amongst the build modules.
[0021] Now, referring to the drawings wherein identical reference numerals denote the same elements throughout the various views, FIGS. 1 and 2 illustrate an exemplary additive manufacturing build module 10 for carrying out a manufacturing method according to one aspect of the technology described herein. The build module 10 incorporates a worksurface 12 , a powder supply 14 , an applicator 16 , a build chamber 18 surrounding a build platform 20 , and a powder recovery container 22 . Each of these components will be described in more detail below.
[0022] The worksurface 12 is a rigid structure and is coplanar with and defines a virtual workplane. In the illustrated example, it includes a build chamber opening 24 communicating with the build chamber 18 , a supply opening 26 communicating with the powder supply 14 , and a recovery opening 28 communicating with the powder recovery container 22 . The module 10 includes a peripheral wall 30 extending past the worksurface 12 so as to define a workspace 32 . The worksurface 12 is surrounded by the peripheral wall 30 of the build module 10 . Optionally, as shown in FIG. 1 , the workspace 32 is closed off by a removable or openable window 34 that is transparent to radiant energy, for example, the window 34 could be made of glass. As shown in FIG. 6 , the window 34 may be eliminated depending on the desired process configuration.
[0023] The applicator 16 is a rigid, laterally-elongated structure that lies on or contacts the worksurface 12 and is moveable in the workspace 32 positioned above the worksurface 12 . It is connected to an actuator 36 operable to selectively move the applicator 16 parallel to the worksurface 12 . The actuator 36 is depicted schematically in FIG. 1 , with the understanding devices such as pneumatic or hydraulic cylinders, ballscrew or linear electric actuators, and so forth, may be used for this purpose. As depicted, the applicator 16 moves from right to left to move powder from the powder supply 14 to the build chamber 18 with excess powder being moved to the powder recovery container 22 . It should be appreciated that the powder supply 14 and powder recovery container 22 may be reversed and the applicator 16 may move from left to right to supply powder from the powder supply 14 to the build chamber 18 .
[0024] The powder supply 14 comprises a supply container 38 underlying and communicating with supply opening 26 , and an elevator 40 . The elevator 40 is a plate-like structure that is vertically slidable within the supply container 38 . It is connected to an actuator 42 operable to selectively move the elevator 40 up or down. The actuator 42 is depicted schematically in FIG. 1 , with the understanding that devices such as pneumatic or hydraulic cylinders, ballscrew or linear electric actuators, and so forth, may be used for this purpose. When the elevator 40 is lowered, a supply of powder “P” of a desired alloy composition may be loaded into the supply container 38 . When the elevator 40 is raised, it exposes the powder P above the worksurface 12 to allow the applicator 16 to scrape the exposed powder into the build chamber 18 . It should be appreciated that the powder used in the technology described herein may be of any suitable material for additive manufacturing. For example, the powder may be a metallic, polymeric, organic, or ceramic powder.
[0025] The build platform 20 is a plate-like structure that is vertically slidable in the build chamber 18 below the opening 24 . The build platform 20 is secured to an actuator 44 that is operable to selectively move the build platform 20 up or down. The actuator 44 is depicted schematically in FIG. 1 , with the understanding that devices such as pneumatic or hydraulic cylinders, ballscrew or linear electric actuators, and so forth, may be used for this purpose.
[0026] The powder recovery container 22 underlies and communicates with the recovery opening 28 , and serves as a repository for excess powder P.
[0027] The build module 10 may be implemented in different configurations. For example, build module 100 , FIGS. 3-4 , includes a worksurface 112 , a powder supply 114 , an applicator 116 , a first build chamber 118 surrounding a first build platform 120 , a second build chamber 150 surrounding a second build platform 152 , a first powder recovery container 122 , and a second powder recovery container 154 .
[0028] The worksurface 112 is a rigid structure and is coplanar with and defines a virtual workplane. In the illustrated example, it includes a first build chamber opening 124 communicating with the build chamber 118 , a second build chamber opening 156 communicating with the build chamber 150 , a central supply opening 126 communicating with the powder supply 114 , a first recovery opening 128 communicating with the first powder recovery container 122 , and a second recovery opening 158 communicating with the second powder recovery container 154 . The module 100 includes a peripheral wall 130 extending past the worksurface 112 so as to define a workspace 132 . The worksurface 112 is surrounded by the peripheral wall 130 of the build module 100 . Optionally, as shown in FIG. 1 , the workspace 132 may be closed off by a removable or openable window 134 that is transparent to radiant energy, for example, the window 134 could be made of glass. As discussed above, depending on the desired setup, the window 134 may be eliminated.
[0029] The applicator 116 is a rigid, laterally-elongated structure that lies on the worksurface 112 and is moveable in the workspace 132 positioned above the worksurface 112 . It is connected to an actuator 136 operable to selectively move the applicator 116 along the worksurface 112 . The actuator 136 is depicted schematically in FIG. 3 , with the understanding devices such as pneumatic or hydraulic cylinders, ballscrew or linear electric actuators, and so forth, may be used for this purpose. The applicator 116 operates in like fashion to applicator 16 except that applicator 116 moves right from a first starting location 88 to move powder from powder supply 114 to build chamber 118 and moves left from a second starting location 90 to move powder from powder supply 114 to build chamber 150 .
[0030] The powder supply 114 comprises a supply container 138 underlying and communicating with supply opening 126 , and an elevator 140 . The elevator 140 is a plate-like structure that is vertically slidable within the supply container 138 . It is connected to an actuator 142 operable to selectively move the elevator 140 up or down. The actuator 142 is depicted schematically in FIG. 3 , with the understanding that devices such as pneumatic or hydraulic cylinders, ballscrew or linear electric actuators, and so forth, may be used for this purpose. When the elevator 140 is lowered, a supply of powder “P” of a desired alloy composition may be loaded into the supply container 138 . When the elevator 140 is raised, it exposes the powder P above the worksurface 112 . It should be appreciated that the powder used in the technology described herein may be of any suitable material for additive manufacturing. For example, the powder may be a metallic, polymeric, organic, or ceramic powder.
[0031] Build platforms 120 and 152 are plate-like structures that are vertically slidable in build enclosures 118 and 150 , respectively, below openings 124 and 156 . The build platforms 120 and 152 are secured to actuators 144 and 160 that are operable to selectively move the build platforms 120 and 152 up or down. The actuators 144 and 160 are depicted schematically in FIG. 3 , with the understanding that devices such as pneumatic or hydraulic cylinders, ballscrew or linear electric actuators, and so forth, may be used for this purpose.
[0032] The powder recovery containers 122 and 154 underlie and communicate with overflow openings 128 and 158 , respectively, and serve as a repository for excess powder P.
[0033] Build module 10 and build module 100 may each include a respective gas port 62 , 162 and a respective vacuum port 64 , 164 extending through the peripheral wall 30 , 130 . The gas ports 62 , 162 allow workspaces 32 and 132 to be purged with an appropriate shielding gas while the vacuum ports 64 , 164 allow the workspaces 32 and 132 to be cleared of loose powder contained in the volume of the workspaces 32 and 132 . This ensures that the workspaces 32 and 132 and windows 34 and 134 remain clean during operation.
[0034] As illustrated in FIGS. 5-7 , the build modules 10 and 100 are configured to produce a single part or a limited number of parts in a small package, such that the build modules 10 and 100 may be easily lifted and placed on a conveyor 70 or other suitable transport mechanism, thus allowing a plurality of build modules to be positioned in an assembly line to manufacture a plurality of parts in sequence. In operation the conveyor 70 is used to move the build modules into a workstation 71 . As illustrated in FIG. 5 , the workstation 71 may be defined as a physical location within the overall additive manufacturing system. At the workstation 71 , a directed energy source 72 positioned above the conveyor 70 may be used to melt powder P and form a part 86 .
[0035] The directed energy source 72 may comprise any device operable to generate a beam of suitable power and other operating characteristics to melt and fuse the powder during the build process, described in more detail below. For example, the directed energy source 72 may be a laser. Other directed-energy sources such as electron beam guns are suitable alternatives to a laser.
[0036] A beam steering apparatus 74 is used to direct the energy source and comprises one or more mirrors, prisms, and/or lenses and provided with suitable actuators, and arranged so that a beam “B” from the directed energy source 72 can be focused to a desired spot size and steered to a desired position in an X-Y plane coincident with the worksurface 12 , 112 .
[0037] In cases where windows 34 and 134 are employed, the workstation 71 may be an open area, as seen in FIGS. 5 and 7 . This is possible because the build modules 10 , 100 are completely enclosed and include the gas and vacuum ports described above.
[0038] The overall system may include one or more central services, such as a central ventilation system 78 to supply shielding gas and/or forced ventilation to shield the build process and purge powder entrained in the build enclosure 76 , a central cooling system 79 to provide cooling fluid to the directed energy source 72 , and/or an electronic central controller 80 to provide control for the build process, for example by driving the directed energy source 72 and various functions of the workstation 71 and/or build module 10 . The central services 78 , 79 , 80 may be coupled to multiple workstations 71 as part of an overall production system. The individual connections to central services may be made manually or using automated connection devices when the build modules 10 , 100 are moved into place in the workstation 71 .
[0039] Alternatively, if the build modules 10 , 100 are employed without windows 34 , 134 , the conveyor 70 may be used to transport the build modules 10 , 100 into a workstation 71 ′ having a build enclosure 76 which provides a closed environment. The build enclosure 76 may include sealing elements 82 , 84 (e.g. curtains, flaps, or doors) to allow the build modules 10 , 100 to pass therethrough and seal off the build enclosure 76 once the build module 10 , 100 has entered or exited the build enclosure 76 . The central services described above (e.g. central ventilation system 78 , central cooling system 79 , and/or central controller 80 ) would be coupled to the enclosure 76 .
[0040] For purposes of clarity, only build module 10 will be discussed below. It should be appreciated that while the build module 100 is of a different configuration than build module 10 , the build process for build module 100 is essentially the same process except for the movement of the applicator 116 (which moves from center to right and center to left with the center position being a starting position) and the fact that more than one build chamber is being utilized to form multiple parts in a single build module.
[0041] The build process for a part 86 using the build module 10 described above is as follows. The build module 10 is prepared by loading the powder supply 14 with powder P. This is done by lowering the elevator 40 using actuator 42 to a position below the worksurface 12 and loading enough powder P onto the elevator 40 to build part 86 . Once the build module 10 is prepared, the build module 10 is positioned on conveyor 70 for transport to the directed energy source 72 . Because the build module 10 is a self-contained unit and is easily moved onto and off of the conveyor 70 , multiple build modules may be positioned onto the conveyor 70 to provide an assembly line of build modules.
[0042] Once the conveyor 70 has transported the build module 10 to the directed energy source 72 , FIGS. 5-6 , the build process may begin. The build platform 20 is moved to an initial high position. The initial high position is located below the worksurface 12 by a selected layer increment. The layer increment affects the speed of the additive manufacturing process and the resolution of the part 86 . As an example, the layer increment may be about 10 to 50 micrometers (0.0003 to 0.002 in.). Powder “P” is then deposited over the build platform 20 . For example, the elevator 40 of the supply container 38 may be raised to push powder through the supply opening 26 , exposing it above the worksurface 12 . The applicator 16 is moved across the worksurface 12 to spread the raised powder P horizontally over the build platform 20 . Any excess powder P is pushed along the worksurface 12 and dropped into powder recovery container 22 as the applicator 16 passes from right to left. It should be appreciated that the configuration of the build module 10 may be reversed, i.e., by switching the locations of the powder supply 14 and powder recovery container 22 . Subsequently, the applicator 16 may be retracted back to a starting position.
[0043] For build module 100 , build platforms 120 and 152 are moved to the initial high position and the elevator 140 is raised to push powder through supply opening 126 . Applicator 116 moves from the first central position 88 across the worksurface 112 to spread powder P horizontally over the build platform 120 with excess powder P deposited in powder recovery container 122 . Applicator 116 is moved to the second central position 90 , elevator 140 is raised to push powder P through supply opening 126 , and applicator 116 moves across worksurface 112 to spread the powder P over the build platform 152 with excess powder deposited in powder recovery container 154 . Applicator is moved back to the first central position 88 . The steps described below with respect to build platform 20 also apply to build platforms 120 and 152 .
[0044] The directed energy source 72 is used to melt a two-dimensional cross-section or layer of the part 86 being built. The directed energy source 72 emits a beam “B” and the beam steering apparatus 74 is used to steer the focal spot “S” of the beam B over the exposed powder surface in an appropriate pattern. The exposed layer of the powder P is heated by the beam B to a temperature allowing it to melt, flow, and consolidate. This step may be referred to as fusing the powder P.
[0045] The build platform 20 is moved vertically downward by the layer increment, and another layer of powder P is applied in a similar thickness. The directed energy source 72 again emits a beam B and the beam steering apparatus 74 is used to steer the focal spot S of the beam B over the exposed powder surface in an appropriate pattern. The exposed layer of the powder P is heated by the beam B to a temperature allowing it to melt, flow, and consolidate both within the top layer and with the lower, previously-solidified layer.
[0046] This cycle of moving the build platform 20 , applying powder P, and then directed energy melting the powder P is repeated until the entire part 86 is complete.
[0047] Once the part 86 is complete, the conveyor 70 moves the build module 10 away from the directed energy source 72 to allow a user to remove the build module 10 from the conveyor 70 , remove the part 86 from the build module 10 , and prepare the build module 10 to build another part 86 . It should be appreciated that multiple build modules may be placed on the conveyor 70 so that when one part 86 is complete, the conveyor moves another build module 10 into position to complete another part 86 .
[0048] An alternative build module is illustrated in FIG. 8 and shown generally at reference numeral 200 . Build module 200 represents another configuration of build module 10 . Build module 200 includes a worksurface 212 , a build chamber 218 surrounding a build platform 220 , and a powder recovery container 222 .
[0049] As discussed above with respect to build module 10 , the worksurface 212 is a rigid structure and is coplanar with and defines a virtual workplane. In the illustrated example, it includes a build chamber opening 224 for communicating with the build chamber 218 and exposing the build platform 220 and a recovery opening 228 communicating with the powder recovery container 222 .
[0050] The build platform 220 is a plate-like structure that is vertically slidable in the build chamber 218 below the opening 224 . The build platform 220 is secured to an actuator 244 that is operable to selectively move the build platform 220 up or down. The actuator 244 is depicted schematically in FIG. 8 , with the understanding that devices such as pneumatic or hydraulic cylinders, ballscrew or linear electric actuators, and so forth, may be used for this purpose.
[0051] The powder recovery container 222 underlies and communicates with the recovery opening 228 , and serves as a repository for excess powder P.
[0052] The build module 200 is designed to work with an additive manufacturing apparatus 300 , FIGS. 8 and 9 , having a build enclosure 310 and a rotary turntable 370 . The build enclosure 310 houses a powder supply 314 , an applicator 316 , a directed energy source 372 , and a beam steering apparatus 374 . The build enclosure 310 encloses a portion of the rotary turntable 370 .
[0053] The rotary turntable 370 incorporates a worksurface 312 that provides a rigid structure and is coplanar with worksurface 212 to define a virtual workplane. In the illustrated example, it includes a plurality of build module openings 392 spaced around the rotary turntable 370 for permitting a build module 200 to be positioned by a user in each of the plurality of build module openings 392 . The rotary turntable 370 may be rotated using known methods such as gears, motors, and other suitable methods.
[0054] The powder supply 314 comprises a supply container 338 in the form of a hopper having a narrow spout 394 for dropping powder P onto the worksurface 312 . A metering valve 396 is positioned in the narrow spout 394 and is configured to drop a pre-determined amount of powder P. The amount of powder P dropped by the metering valve 396 is based on the size of the build platform 220 and a layer increment (described above with reference to build module 10 ) used during a build process.
[0055] The applicator 316 is a rigid, laterally-elongated structure that lies on and traverses worksurfaces 212 and 312 . It is connected to an actuator 336 operable to selectively move the applicator 316 along the worksurfaces. The actuator 336 is depicted schematically in FIG. 8 , with the understanding devices such as pneumatic or hydraulic cylinders, ballscrew or linear electric actuators, and so forth, may be used for this purpose. As depicted, the applicator 316 moves from left to right to move powder from the powder supply 314 to the build chamber 218 with excess powder being moved to the powder recovery container 222 . It should be appreciated that the configuration of the powder supply 314 , directed energy source 372 , build chamber 218 , and powder recover container 222 may be reversed and the applicator 316 may move from right to left to supply powder from the powder supply 314 to the build chamber 218 .
[0056] The directed energy source 372 may comprise any known device operable to generate a beam of suitable power and other operating characteristics to melt and fuse the powder during the build process, described in more detail below. For example, the directed energy source 372 may be a laser. Other directed-energy sources such as electron beam guns are suitable alternatives to a laser. The beam steering apparatus 374 is used to direct the energy source and comprises one or more mirrors, prisms, and/or lenses and provided with suitable actuators, and arranged so that a beam “B” from the directed energy source 372 can be focused to a desired spot size and steered to a desired position in an X-Y plane coincident with the worksurface 212 , 312 .
[0057] The build process for a part 186 begins by positioning a build module 200 into one of the plurality of build module openings 392 . Multiple build modules may be positioned on the rotary turntable 370 by positioning a build module 200 in each build module opening 392 . As illustrated, the rotary turntable 370 includes eight build module openings 392 . It should be appreciated that the number of build module openings may be changed based on the size and application of the rotary turntable 370 .
[0058] With the build module 200 positioned in the build module opening 392 , the rotary turntable 370 is rotated to position the build module 200 in a build position, FIG. 8 , so as to allow the applicator 316 , powder supply 314 , and directed energy source 372 to form the part 186 . As discussed above, the build platform 220 is moved to an initial high position. The initial high position is located below the worksurface 212 by a selected layer increment. The metering valve 396 of the powder supply 314 is actuated to drop a pre-determined amount of powder P from the powder supply 314 onto the worksurface 312 . The applicator 316 is moved across the worksurface 312 and the worksurface 212 to spread the dropped powder P horizontally over the build platform 220 . Any excess powder P is pushed along the worksurface 212 and dropped into powder recovery container 222 . The applicator 316 may be moved back to its initial position.
[0059] The directed energy source 372 is used to melt a two-dimensional cross-section or layer of the part 186 being built. The directed energy source 372 emits a beam “B” and the beam steering apparatus 374 is used to steer the focal spot “S” of the beam B over the exposed powder surface in an appropriate pattern. The exposed layer of the powder P is heated by the beam B to a temperature allowing it to melt, flow, and consolidate. This step may be referred to as fusing the powder P.
[0060] The build platform 220 is moved vertically downward by the layer increment, and another layer of powder P is applied in a similar thickness. The directed energy source 372 again emits a beam B and the beam steering apparatus 374 is used to steer the focal spot S of the beam B over the exposed powder surface in an appropriate pattern. The exposed layer of the powder P is heated by the beam B to a temperature allowing it to melt, flow, and consolidate both within the top layer and with the lower, previously-solidified layer.
[0061] This cycle of moving the build platform 220 , applying powder P, and then directed energy melting the powder P is repeated until the entire part 186 is complete.
[0062] Once the part 186 is complete, the rotary turntable 370 rotates to move the build module 200 away from the directed energy source 372 to allow a user to remove the build module 200 from the rotary turntable 370 and replace it with another build module 200 . The part 186 is removed from the build module 200 and the build module 200 may be prepared to build another part 186 . It should be appreciated that multiple build modules may be placed on the rotary turntable 370 so that when one part 186 is complete, the rotary turntable 370 rotates another build module 200 into position to complete another part 186 .
[0063] The additive manufacturing apparatus and method described above has several advantages over the prior art. It is compatible with a closed powder handling system, eliminates the need for a large open powder reservoir to make multiple parts, and saves significant labor in handling excess powder after a build cycle.
[0064] The foregoing has described an additive manufacturing apparatus and method. All of the features disclosed in this specification (including any accompanying claims, abstract and drawings), and/or all of the steps of any method or process so disclosed, may be combined in any combination, except combinations where at least some of such features and/or steps are mutually exclusive.
[0065] Each feature disclosed in this specification (including any accompanying claims, abstract and drawings) may be replaced by alternative features serving the same, equivalent or similar purpose, unless expressly stated otherwise. Thus, unless expressly stated otherwise, each feature disclosed is one example only of a generic series of equivalent or similar features.
[0066] The invention is not restricted to the details of the foregoing embodiment(s). The invention extends any novel one, or any novel combination, of the features disclosed in this specification (including any accompanying claims, abstract and drawings), or to any novel one, or any novel combination, of the steps of any method or process so disclosed.
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An additive manufacturing apparatus includes: a build module comprising a build chamber, and a least one of but less than all of the following elements: (a) a directed energy source; (b) a powder supply; (c) a powder recovery container; and (d) a powder applicator; and a workstation comprising the remainder of elements (a)-(d) not included in the build module.
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CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application claims priority from U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 61/955,429, filed on Mar. 19, 2014, the entirety of which is expressly incorporated by reference herein.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0002] The subject matter disclosed herein relates generally to biocomposite materials and, in particular, to a method and system for the preparation of cellulose fibers from raw cellulosic fibrous materials for use in the manufacture of biocomposite materials.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0003] Fibrous materials such as straw from flax, sisal, hemp, jute and coir, banana among others, consist of four main compounds: cellulose, hemicellulose, lignin, and impurities (e.g., dirt, dust). When these fibrous materials are used in the formation of biocomposite materials, it is the cellulose component of the fibrous material that contains and provides the strength and structural properties that are desired, while the hemicellulose, lignin, and the impurities have no real value for the biocomposite material in terms of properties or performance enhancements. As a result, these components of the fibrous material are removed prior to use in the formation of biocomposite materials.
[0004] One method in which the cellulose is removed from the remainder of the fraction is by pretreatment and washing the fibrous material. Current washing practices are able to remove the maximum amount of hemicellulose and impurities from the fibrous materials. However, these washing techniques have problems removing the lignin from the fibers, which necessitates additional processing of the fibers in order to remove the lignin, which is undesirable for use in the formulation of biocomposite materials for various reasons.
[0005] As a result, it is desirable to develop a mechanism and method that can overcome the deficiencies of prior art washing methods to remove the maximum amount of unwanted compounds from fibrous materials, e.g., the hemicellulose and lignin fractions along with the impurities that may be present, while leaving the cellulose undamaged to maximize the benefits provided to the biocomposite material including the cellulose. In particular, such a mechanism will maximize the strength characteristics of the fiber by leaving the cellulose fraction undamaged. The mechanism must additionally be formed of materials that are resistant to corrosion (i.e. plastic, stainless steel), as the washing agents utilized in the method can be corrosive.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0006] According to one aspect of an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, a mechanism and method is provided to clean and separate cellulose fibers from the source fibrous material without stressing and/or damaging the cellulose fibers. The separation of the cellulose fibers from the hemicelluloses, lignin and impurities in the disclosed mechanism and method allows for the optimization/close control of the washing environment, and the recycling of the washing agents to reduce consumption of water and the chemical washing agents used therein, thereby reducing waste and cost for the preparation of the cellulose fibers.
[0007] According to another aspect of an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, the washing of the fibrous material in the disclosed mechanism and method also maintains the desired cellulose material in an undamaged condition, thus maintaining the beneficial strength characteristics of the fibrous material/cellulose fibers for use in forming the biocomposites.
[0008] According to another aspect of an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, the manual labor necessary for the washing of the fibrous material is also reduced significantly, and the mechanism is easily scalable to accommodate larger or smaller amounts of the fibrous material to be washed to obtain the cellulose fibers for use in forming biocomposites.
[0009] These and other objects, advantages, and features of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the detailed description and the accompanying drawings. It should be understood, however, that the detailed description and accompanying drawings, while indicating preferred embodiments of the present invention, are given by way of illustration and not of limitation. Many changes and modifications may be made within the scope of the present invention without departing from the spirit thereof, and the invention includes all such modifications.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0010] The drawings furnished herewith illustrate a preferred construction of the present invention in which the above advantages and features are clearly disclosed as well as others which will be readily understood from the following description of the illustrated embodiment.
[0011] In the drawings:
[0012] FIG. 1 is a schematic illustration of an exemplary embodiment of a washing tank constructed according to the present disclosure;
[0013] FIG. 2 is a top perspective view of the exemplary embodiment of the tank of FIG. 1 ;
[0014] FIG. 3 is a partially broken away perspective view of one exemplary embodiment of the impeller of the tank of FIG. 1 ; and
[0015] FIG. 4 is a side perspective view of the exemplary embodiment of the tank of FIG. 1 .
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0016] With reference now to the drawing figures in which like reference numerals designate like parts throughout the disclosure, one exemplary illustrated embodiment of a system or mechanism provided for washing various types of fibrous materials in order to separate the cellulose fraction or component of the fibers from the remainder of the fibrous material, which can include hemicelluloses, lignin and impurities, such as dust and dirt, among others, is illustrated generally at 10 in FIGS. 1 and 4 . In the illustrated embodiment, the system or mechanism 10 includes a tank 12 formed of any suitable type of corrosion-resistant material, such as a metal, e.g., a stainless steel, or plastic material. The tank 12 includes an inlet 14 and an outlet 16 , with the inlet 14 positioned in a side wall 17 near the upper end 18 of the tank 12 and the outlet 16 disposed in a bottom wall 20 of the tank 12 , though the inlet 14 and outlet 16 can be located in other positions on the tank 12 .
[0017] The tank 12 can have any desired shape, and in the illustrated embodiment is generally cylindrical, with a lid 22 that can be displaced from over the upper end 18 either in whole or in part, or in the illustrated exemplary embodiment, can be pivotally secured to the tank 12 to be able to selectively cover the open upper end 18 an expose the interior of the tank 12 . The tank 12 can also be constructed to include a stand 24 engaged with and extending downwardly from the bottom wall 20 of the tank 12 . The stand 24 operates to support the tank 12 over a surface, such as a floor, depending upon the size of the tank 12 , which can vary in order to hold the desired amount of the fibrous material to be treated.
[0018] The tank 12 also includes a measurement scale 25 disposed on the tank 12 that provides a ready indication of the level or volume of materials and washing agents present within the tank 12 . The scale 25 can be disposed on the interior or exterior of the tank 12 and in the exemplary embodiment is located on an interior surface of the side wall 17 , where the scale 25 can be viewed through the open upper end 18 . Alternatively, the scale 25 can be disposed on the exterior of the side all 17 , or can positioned at a location on the side wall 17 at a location where it can be viewed through a window or other suitable viewing port (not shown) formed in the side wall 17 .
[0019] Referring now to FIGS. 1-3 , in the illustrated exemplary embodiment the tank 12 includes a heating element 26 disposed within the tank 12 on the bottom wall 20 , though in other embodiments the location of the element 26 can be altered as desired such that the element 26 can be operated to control the temperature of the contents of the tank 12 . A screen 28 is also disposed within the tank 12 at a position between the inlet 14 and the outlet 16 . The screen 28 is secured in a suitable manner to the side wall 17 of the tank 12 , and can be removable for easier cleaning of the interior of the tank 12 when not in use. The screen 28 is formed to enable fluids to pass freely therethrough, such as by having apertures 30 formed in the screen 28 , but to retain solid matter over a certain size on top of the screen 28 . Thus, the screen 28 functions to enable the fibrous material (not shown) placed in the tank 12 to rest on the screen 28 above the bottom wall 20 to enable efficient washing of the material positioned on the screen 28 .
[0020] Located in the tank 12 below the screen 28 but above the bottom wall 20 is an agitating device or propeller/impeller 32 . The impeller 32 includes a blade 34 disposed within the interior of the tank 10 on a rotating shaft 36 . The rotating shaft 36 extends through a suitable watertight but rotatable bearing/sealing member (not shown) disposed within the side wall 17 into operable connection with a motor 38 located adjacent the exterior of the tank 12 . The motor 38 operates to rotate the shaft 36 and the blade 34 to agitate the materials held within the tank 12 . In the illustrated exemplary embodiment of FIGS. 1-3 , the blade 34 of the impeller 32 is oriented vertically in order to rotate in a vertical plane around a horizontal axis of the shaft 36 , thereby causing the fluid and washing agent(s) (not shown) present in the tank 12 to move upwardly and/or downwardly, i.e., vertically within the tank 12 , enhancing the contact of the fluids and/or washing agent(s) with the fibrous material (not shown) disposed on or above the screen 28 .
[0021] Further, due to the positioning of the impeller 32 below the level of the screen 28 , the blade 34 can rotate freely to agitate the washing fluid/agents within the tank 12 in this manner as a result of the screen 28 limiting the size of any solid material within the tank 12 coming into contact with the blade 34 . The orientation of the blade 34 also limits contact of solid material with the blade 34 as a result of the direction of the force imparted to the material in the tank 12 by the impeller 32 .
[0022] To rotate the blade 34 , the motor 38 is connected to a suitable power source 40 also disposed outside of the tank 12 for operation of the motor 38 , with the power source 40 and/or motor 38 able to be operated to control the speed of the impeller 32 i.e., rpm increase or decrease, according to the type of fiber positioned in the tank 12 . In addition, the power source 40 is also operably connected to the heating element 26 to operate the element 26 such that control of the power source 40 to operate the impeller 32 can also control the operation of the heating element 26 .
[0023] Still referring to the exemplary embodiment of FIGS. 1-3 , also located within the tank 12 beneath the screen 28 are sensors for sensing various operating parameters of the tank 12 , such as a pH meter 42 and a thermocouple 44 , though the location and type of these sensors can be varied as desired and/or necessary. Each are operably connected to the power source 40 for operation, if necessary, and to a suitable controller 46 , such as directly or wirelessly, as is known in the art. The controller 46 is capable of monitoring and/or controlling the operation of the pH meter 42 and the thermocouple 44 in order to determine the conditions present within the tank 12 . As a result of this data obtained from the pH meter 42 and the thermocouple 44 , the controller 46 can control the operation of the impeller 32 via the motor 38 and power source 40 , as well as the heating element 26 , as desired, to maintain or alter the conditions within the tank 12 as necessary. The pH meter 42 and thermocouple 44 provide measurements of the pH level and temperature of the materials within the tank 12 , such that the controller 46 can be operated to provide conditions within the tank 12 that are optimal for the washing of the fibrous materials placed within the tank 12 .
[0024] In operation, in either order, the tank 12 is charged with an amount of the washing agents/fluids and the fibrous materials to be washed. Operating conditions within the tank 12 vary depending on various factors, including one or more of the quantity of the fiber positioned within the tank 12 , size of fiber positioned within the tank 12 , type of pretreatment to be performed within the tank 10 , type of washing agent/chemicals to be utilized, water activities temperature, the pH of the water, and/or the particular usage of biocomposite end products to be formed using the biocomposite material incorporating the fiber treated in the tank 12 , among others. Some exemplary embodiments of these types of treatments that can be performed within the tank 12 of this disclosure are found in co-owned and co-pending U.S. Non-Provisional patent application Ser. No. 14/087,326, filed on Nov. 22, 2013, the entirety of which is expressly incorporated by reference herein.
[0025] In one exemplary embodiment of the method of operation of the tank 12 , the selected washing agents are introduced through the inlet 14 , while the fibrous material is placed within the tank 12 through the open upper end 18 . The lid 22 is subsequently closed over the tank 12 and the motor 38 connected to the impeller 32 is started, thereby causing the washing agent to move up and down within the tank 12 and through the screen 28 . This movement optimizes the contact of the washing agents/fluids with the fibrous materials disposed within the tank 12 and/or on the screen 28 to cause the maximum amount of hemicellulose, lignin, and impurities to be separated from the cellulose. Further, using the data obtained by the pH meter 42 and the thermocouple 44 , the conditions within the tank 12 can be optimized in a known manner during operation for separation of the cellulose using the heating element 26 and/or by adding, removing or altering the types and/or amounts of washing agents/fluids present within the tank 12 .
[0026] The hemicellulose, lignin, and impurities that are separated from the cellulose and fall through the screen 28 to the bottom of the tank 12 , while the cellulose fibers remains on the screen 28 . Once the washing process is complete, the hemicellulose, lignin and impurities can be drained out of the tank 12 along with the washing agent through the outlet 16 . The cleaned and washed cellulose remaining on the screen 28 can then be taken out via the open end 18 once the lid 22 is removed and dried for later use in forming biocomposite materials. After being drained from the tank 12 , the washing agent removed through the outlet 16 can be separated and/filtered from the hemicelluloses, lignin and impurities for re-use in the tank 12 . By utilizing this system 10 to separate and clean the cellulose fibers from the remainder of the fibrous material fractions and impurities, the cellulose fibers are maintained in a highly undamaged state, maximizing the enhancements provided by the inclusion of the cellulose fibers in a biocomposite material, such as strength enhancements.
[0027] In one example, Saskatchewan gown oil seed flax straw placed within the tank 12 as the fibrous material and treated in a manner disclosed in U.S. Non-Provisional patent application Ser. No. 14/087,326, the entirety of which is expressly incorporated by reference herein, has almost 50-68% w/w cellulose content with the remainder being hemicellulose and lignin. After suitable pretreatment of the fiber, in similar washing conditions (same water temperature, pH, same fiber, washing time etc.), it is possible to extract up to 60% w/w of clean cellulose in this developed system using the tank 12 , as compared to 30 to 40% w/w of cellulose along with a portion of lignin and hemicellulose in currently used, prior art normal washing practices. Further, this washing system 10 and method is developed not only for research and development, but also for industrial usage. The current developed system 10 also reduces the water usage 30-40% and can reduce by half the washing time compared to prior art currently used, normal washing practices and systems. This system 10 also allows the capture the black liquor, which is a mixture of hemicellulose, lignin, any residual chemicals/washing agent and other impurities in an effective manner to reprocess, dispose and/or extract these biopolymers for different applications.
[0028] In alternative embodiments for the mechanism/system 10 , in addition to or as a replacement for the impeller 32 , the agitating device can be formed from jets of pressurized air (not shown) can be directed from suitable nozzles (not shown) disposed on the bottom wall 20 of the tank 12 upwardly towards the screen 28 to agitate the washing agent(s) and fibrous material. In another alternative embodiment, either in conjunction with or separately from the impeller 32 , the stand 24 for the tank 12 can operate as an agitating device, e.g., in the manner of a shaker table (not shown), to move the entire tank 12 in order to agitate the contents of the tank 12 .
[0029] It should be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and arrangements of the components set forth herein. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced or carried out in various ways. Variations and modifications of the foregoing are within the scope of the present invention. It also being understood that the invention disclosed and defined herein extends to all alternative combinations of two or more of the individual features mentioned or evident from the text and/or drawings. All of these different combinations constitute various alternative aspects of the present invention. The embodiments described herein explain the best modes known for practicing the invention and will enable others skilled in the art to utilize the invention.
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According to one aspect of the present disclosure, a mechanism and method is provided to clean and remove or separate cellulose fibers from the source fibrous material without stressing and/or damaging the cellulose fibers. The mechanism includes an agitator that directs the washing fluid in a vertical direction into engagement with the fibrous material to effect maximum cleaning of the cellulose from the remainder of the fibrous material without damaging or stressing the cellulose, thereby providing cellulose that can enhance the strength and other beneficial characteristics of a biocomposite material formed using the cellulose.
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INTRODUCTION
The present invention generally relates to a propelling pencil and a process of making thereof, and more particularly to a lead-auto-sharpened propelling pencil and the process of making thereof. The propelling pencil comprises a pencil body and a pencil cap which consists of a sharpener, which can automatically sharpen a lead, a powder remover and an outlet ring. In the process of manufacturing said propelling pencil, a plurality of positioning jigs are employed to ensure substantially exactly relative positions of the parts of the assembly. The lead held in the propelling pencil is automatically sharpened in the process of installing the pencil cap on the pencil body and therefore it is very convenient to use.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Generally, there are several types of thicknesses of medium-soft (#2 or HB) black lead provided to use in known propelling pencils, for example, the black lead of which the diameter is 0.5 mm, 0.7 mm, and 0.9 mm. These black lead types need not be sharpened and can be used directly; but they have disadvantages that they are apt to break and are used in limited scope because of their single hardness type.
The hardness and strength of soft black lead types and colour lead types are so soft and weak, respectively, that they can not adapt to known propelling pencils because they are very apt to break with the same thickness as that of above medium-soft black leads. If these lead types are made into ones with thicker diameters there are also disadvantages in that they are not able to cooperate with the structure of the known propelling pencils and are inconvenient for a user to sharpen even if there is the adaptive structure of a propelling pencil.
And, future pencils shall not be wood holder pencils because they are not only inconvenient for a user to sharpen but also because they consume a large amount of quality wood.
A known pencil sharpener is not able to be employed to sharpen the leads of propelling pencils because the alignment between its blade and the lead is difficult to achieve.
In the structures of the known propelling pencils, a lead is kept only by the three claws at the front end of the lead holder, which restrict movement of the lead along its longitudinal axis. It, however, can rotate because the three claws hold it by only the three touching points. Thus, this is another reason why known pencil sharpeners are not able to adapt to sharpen the leads in known propelling pencils.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Thus, it is an object of the present invention to provide a lead-auto-sharpened propelling pencil, which is able to employ varied kinds of leads and automatically sharpen them in order to bring out various writing functions, to overcome the problems of the prior art.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a lead-auto-sharpened propelling pencil which has satisfactory performance, is not apt to break leads while sharpening, and does not pollute the environment because of having a powder gathering function.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a process to manufacture the lead-auto-sharpened propelling pencil according to the invention easily, simply and effectually.
To these ends, the present invention provides a lead-auto-sharpened propelling pencil which comprises a pencil body and a pencil cap.
The pencil body consists of a body case, a lead holder, a screwing sleeve, a lead, a bolt and a compression spring. On the outside of the front portion of the body case, the screwing sleeve with outside screwthread is installed to cooperate with a screwing insert in the pencil cap and is coaxial with the tapered surface formed inside the front end of the body case.
The lead holder has a front tapered portion and a through hole, which passes through the center of the holder along its longitudinal axis and is substantially coaxial with the front tapered portion. The diameter of the front portion of the through hole (that is, the portion at the tapered portion of the holder) is less than that of its hind portion in order to snug the lead. There are more than one groove uniformally formed circumferentially around the front tapered portion of the lead holder and extending radially to the through hole.
A lead is inserted in the lead holder, and is held by means of resilience of its front tapered grooved portion. The lead holder is arranged inside the body case with its front tapered portion fitting with the inside surface of the front tapered portion of the body case so that the lead is automatically positioned along the longitudinal axis of the body case. The bolt is screwed in the hind end of the pencil body while the compression spring is compressed between the bolt and the lead holder.
The pencil cap comprises a screwing insert, a cap case, a sharpener and a powder remover. The screwing insert is a hollow cylinder with inside screwthread. The cap case is cylindrical with a hollow stepped chamber. The sharpener consists of a sharpener body, blades and a powder spacer. The sharpener body is cylindrical with a through hole in its center. A notch is formed in one end of the sharpener body. Six blade insertion grooves, which extend axially and radially to the through hole, are formed and spaced uniformally around the circumferential surface of the other end portions of the sharpener body. The blades, of which the edges are inclined with respect to its longitudinal axis, are adhered in these grooves, respectively, with their edges locating on an imaginary cone which is coaxial with the through hole of the sharpener body. The powder spacer is seated on the notch of the sharpener body.
The powder remover consists of a remover body and an outlet ring. The remover body is cylindrical with a flange in one end and a through hole in the center. A powder hole is radially formed on its circumferential surface and connects with the through hole. The circular outlet ring also has a through hole on its circumferential surface and is rotationally installed around the remover body. The screwing insert is coaxially positioned at one end of the cap case while the sharpener is coaxially adhered inside the cap case from its other end where the powder remover is adhered.
The cross sectional configuration of said blade can be symmetrical.
The blade can also be Γ-shape with the cross sectional configuration of its edge asymmetrical.
The process of making the lead-auto-sharpened propelling pencil according to the invention is as follows:
1. Making the body case and the screwing sleeve by the means of prior art, in which the concentricity between the screwing sleeve and the inside surface of the front tapered portion of the body case is ensured to be less than 0.1 mm.
2. Making the lead holder by the means of prior art, in which the concentricity, between its through hole and the outside surface of its front portion, is ensured to be less than 0.1 mm.
3. Making a cap case jig by tooling, in which the cap case jig is a stepped cylinder with the outside diameter of one of its end portions corresponding to the inside diameter of the screwing insert and the outside diameter of its other end portion to that of the sharpener body; and the concentricity between the two end portions is less than 0.05 mm.
4. Installing the screwing insert around the corresponding portion of the cap case jig so as to be a jig assembly to mould the cap case with the screwing insert by injection moulding.
5. Making a tapered jig by tooling. The tapered jig is a stepped cylinder with a tapered portion which has a corresponding cone to the portion of the lead sharpened. The cylindrical portion, which adjoins to the tapered portion, has a diameter corresponding to that of the central hole of the sharpener body. The total length of this portion and the tapered portion is equal to the longitudinal length of the sharpener body with blades minus the depth of the notch.
6. Inserting the tapered jig into the central through hole of the sharpener body and then inserting the blades with adhesion agent into the groves of the sharpener body so that the edges of the blades touch the taper surface of the tapered portion of the tapered jig.
7. Inserting the sharpener body with the blades into the cap case from the end without the screwing insert after adhering the powder spacer in the notch of the sharpener body and applying adhesion agent on its surface, then inserting and adhering the powder remover with the outlet ring inside the end, which the sharpener body is inserted from, so that the sharpener body joins against the remover body of which the flange is slightly spaced from the cap case end in order for the outlet ring to rotate freely.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
A lead-auto-sharpener propelling pencil according to the invention comprises a pencil body and a pencil cap.
The pencil body consists of a body case, a lead holder, a screwing sleeve, a lead, a bolt and a compression sprin9. On the outside of the front portion of the body case screwthread with outside screwthread is adhered to cooperate with the screwing insert that is in the pencil cap and is coaxial with the inside surface of the tapered portion formed at the front end of the body case 1.
The lead holder has a front tapered portion and a through hole which passes through the center of the holder along its longitudinal axis and is substantially coaxial with the front tapered portion. The diameter of the front portion of the through hole (that is, the portion at the front tapered portion of the holder) is less than that of its hind portion in order to snug the lead 3. There are several grooves uniformally formed circumferentially around the front tapered portion of the lead holder and extending radially to the through hole.
A lead is inserted in the lead holder, and is held by means of resilience of its front tapered grooved portion. The lead holder is arranged inside the body case with its front tapered portion fitting with the inside surface of the front taper portion of the body case so that the lead in automatically positioned along the longitudinal axis of the body case. The bolt is screwed in the hind end of the body while the compression spring is compressed between the bolt and the lead holder.
The pencil cap comprises a screwing insert, a cap case, a sharpener and a powder remover. The screwing insert is a hollow cylinder with inside screwthread. The cap case is cylindrical with hollow stepped chamber. The sharpener consists of a sharpener body, blades and a powder spacer. The sharpener body is cylindrical with a through hole in its center. A notch is formed at one of the ends of the sharpener body. Six blade insertion grooves, which extend axially and radially to the through hole of the sharpener body, are formed and spaced uniformally around the circumferential surface of the opposite end of the sharpener body. The blades of which the edges are inclined with respect to the longitudinal axis are adhered in these grooves, respectively, with their edges located on an imaginary cone which is coaxial with the through hole of the sharpener body. The powder spacer is seated on the other end of the sharpener body.
The powder remover consists of a remover body and an outlet ring. The remover body is cylindrical with a flange in one end and a through hole in the center. A powder hole is formed radially on its circumferential surface and connects with the through hole. The circular outlet ring also has a through hole on its circumferential surface and is rotationally installed around the remover body.
The screw insert is coaxially positioned in one end of the cap case while the sharpener is coaxially adhered inside the cap case from its other end where the powder remover is adhered.
The edges of the blades are inclined at an angle of α to the longitudinal axis. The angle α is 7°. The cross sectional configurations of the blades are symmetrical and its edge point angle β is 36°.
And blades can alsc be Γ-shape and the cross sectional configuration of its edga can be asymmetrical while the cross sectional configurations of the blade insertion grooves have corresponding-shapes in order to cooperate with the blades.
In use, when the pencil body with a lead is inserted in the pencil cap with the outside screwthread of the screwing sleeve cooperating with the inside diameter of the screwing insert so that the lead in the pencil body is exactly positioned in the sharpener of the pencil cap centrally along the longitudinal axis cf the imaginary cone formed by the edges of the blades, the lead is sharpened automatically by turning the pencil cap.
Accordingly, when used to write, the lead has been automatically sharpened after directly twisting off the pencil cap and the propelling pencil with sharpened lead can be obtained without any further preparation. The lead powder in the sharpener passes through the powder spacer and is stored in the powder remover. When gathered to a certain amount it is removed by means of twisting the ring so that the though hole in the remover body is positioned correspondingly to the through hole in the outlet ring, see FIG. 10.
The process of making the lead-auto-sharpened propelling pencil according to the invention is as follows:
1. Making the body case and the screwing sleeve by the means of prior art, in which the concentricity between the screwing sleeve and the inside surface of the front tapered portion of the body case is ensured to be less than 0.1 mm.
2. Making the lead holder by the means of prior art, in which the concentricity, between its through hole and the outside surface of its front portion, is ensured to be less than 0.1 mm.
3. Making a cap case jig by tooling, in which the cap case jig is a stepped cylinder with the outside diameter of one of its end portions corresponding to the inside diameter of the screwing insert and the outside diameter of its other end portion to that of the sharpener body; and the concentricity between the two end portions is less than 0.05 mm.
4. Installing the screwing insert around the corresponding portion of the cap case jig so as to be a jig assembly to mould the cap case with a screwing insert by injection moulding.
5. Making a tapered jig by tooling. The tapered jig is a stepped cylinder with a tapered portion which has a corresponding cone to the portion of the lead sharpened. The cylindrical portion, which adjoins to the tapered portion, has a diameter corresponding to that of the central hole of the sharpener body. The total length of this portion and the tapered portion is equal to the longitudinal length of the sharpener body minus the depth of the notch.
6. Inserting the tapered jig into the central through hole of the sharpener body and then inserting the blades with adhesion agent into the grooves of the sharpener body so that the edges of the blades touch the taper surface of the tapered portion of the tapered jig.
7. Inserting the sharpener body with the blades into the cap case from the end without the screwing insert after adhering the powder spacer in the notch in the sharpener body and applying adhesion agent on its surface, then inserting and adhering the powder remover with the outlet ring inside the end, which the sharpener body is inserted from, so that the sharpener body joins against the remover body of which the flange is slightly spaced from the end of the cap case in order for the outlet ring to rotate freely.
To advantage, the features of this process of the invention lie in the use of a taper jig and a cap case jig so as to ensure the generally exactly relative positions of the parts of the assembly.
The propelling pencil made by the process provided by the invention can adapt to various thicker leads and ensure good alignment between the sharpener of the pencil cap and the lead to avoid breaking the lead during sharpening.
This process according to the present invention is simple, effectual and practical.
The propelling pencil according to the invention can adapt to various kinds of leads, and effectually replaces wood holder pencils to save a large amount of quality wood; and protect the environment because of a powder storing function of its powder remover.
Further objects and advantages of the present invention will appear from the following description taken together with the accompanying drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a schematic view of a portion of a propelling pencil assembly according to the invention.
FIG. 2 is a schematic view of a portion of the pencil body assembly of the propelling pencil according to the invention.
FIG. 3 is a schematic view of the sharpener of the propelling pencil according to the invention with the powder spacer and the blades removed.
FIG. 4 is a sectional view of the sharpener of the propelling pencil according to the invention.
FIG. 5 is a schematic sectional view of the sharpener body of the propelling pencil according to the first embodiment of the invention.
FIGS. 6A and 6B are, respectively, schematic front and side views of a blade, inserted into the sharpener body of FIG. 5, of the propelling pencil according to the invention.
FIGS. 7A and 7B are, respectively, front and side sectional views of the sharpener body of the propelling pencil in another embodiment according to the invention.
FIGS. 8A and 8B are, respectively, front and side views of the blade, inserted into the sharpener body of FIGS. 7A and 7B.
FIG. 9 is a schematic sectional view of the cap case, with the screwing insert, of a propelling pencil according to the invention.
FIG. 10 is a schematic view of the powder remover assembly of the propelling pencil according to the invention.
FIG. 11 is a schematic view of the pencil cap assembly of the propelling pencil of the invention.
FIG. 12 is a schematic view of the cap case jig, used in the process of making the propelling pencil according to the invention.
FIG. 13 is a schematic view of the tapered jig, used in the process of making the propelling pencil according to the invention.
EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION
Reference is first made to FIG. 1, a lead-auto-sharpened propelling pencil according to the invention comprises a pencil body 9 and a pencil cap 10.
The pencil body 9 consists of a body case 1, a lead holder 2, a lead 3, a screwing sleeve 4, as shown in FIG. 2, and a bolt and a compression spring (not shown). On the outside of the front portion of the body case 1 the screwing sleeve 4 with screwthread on its outside surface is installed in order to cooperate with a screwing insert in the pencil cap 10 and is coaxial with the inside surface of the tapered portion formed at the front end of the body case 1.
The lead holder 2 has a front tapered portion and a through hole which passes though the center of the holder 2 along its longitudinal axis and is substantially coaxial with the front tapered portion. The diameter of the front portion of the through hole (that is, the portion at the front tapered portion of the holder 2) is less than that of its hind portion in order to snug the lead 3. There are several grooves 15 uniformally formed circumferentially around the front tapered portion of the lead holder 2 and radially extending to the through hole.
A lead 3 is inserted in the lead holder 2, and is held by means of resilience of its front tapered grooved portion. The lead holder 2 is arranged inside the body case 1 with its front tapered portion fitting with the inside surface of the front taper portion of the body case 1 so that the lead 3 is automatically positioned along the longitudinal axis of the body case 1. The bolt is screwed in the hind end of the body 9 while the compression spring is compressed between the bolt and the lead holder 2.
The pencil cap 10 comprises a screwing insert 13, a cap case 5, a sharpener (FIG. 3 and FIG. 4) and a powder remover 6 (FIG. 10), as shown in FIG. 11. The screwing insert 13 shown in FIG. 9 is a hollow cylinder with inside screwthread. The cap case 5 is cylindrical with hollow stepped chamber. The sharpener, as shown in FIG. 3 and FIG. 4 consists of a sharpener body 8, blades 11 and a powder spacer 12. The sharpener body 8 shown in FIG. 5 is cylindrical with a through hole in its center. A notch is formed at one end of the sharpener body 8. Six blade insertion grooves 16 which extend axially and radially to the through hole of the sharpener body 8, are formed and spaced uniformally around the circumferential surface of the opposite end of the sharpener body 8. The blades 11 illustrated in FIGS. 6A and 6B, of which the edges are inclined with respect to its longitudinal axis, are adhered in these grooves, respectively, with their edges located on an imaginary cone which is coaxial with the through hole of the sharpener body 8. The powder spacer 12 (FIG. 4) is seated in the notched other end of the sharpener body 8.
As shown in FIG. 10, the powder remover consists of a remover body 6 and an outlet ring 7. The remover body 6 is cylindrical with a flange in one end and a throuh hole in the center. A powder hole is formed radially on its circumferential surface and connects with the through hole. The circular outlet ring 7 also has a through hole on its circumferential surface and is rotationally installed around the remover body 6.
As shown is FIG. 11, the screwing insert 13 is coaxially positioned in one end of the cap case 5 while the sharpener is coaxially adhered inside the cap case from its other end where the powder remover is adhered.
The edges of the blades 11 illustrated in FIGS. 6A and 6B are inclined at an angle of α with the longitudinal axis. The angle α is 7° in this embodiment. The cross sectional configurations of the blades are symmetrical and its edge point angle β is 36°.
Another embodiment of the invention has the same structure as the first embodiment but for the blades and the sharpener body. As shown in FIGS. 8A and 8B, the blade is Γ-shape and the cross sectional configuration of its edge is asymmetrical. A side of the edge is straight while the other side is inclined. The sharpener body 8 illustrated in FIGS. 7A and 7B has six blade insertion grooves of Γ-shape in order to cooperate with the blades.
In use, when the pencil body 9 with a lead 3 is inserted in the pencil cap 10 with the outside screwthread of the screwing sleeve cooperating with the inside one of the screwing insert so that the lead 3 in the pencil body 9 is exactly positioned in the sharpener of the pencil cap 10 centrally along the longitudinal axis of the imagnary cone formed by the edges of the blades 11, the lead 3 is sharpened automatically by turning pencil cap 10.
Accordingly, when used to write, the lead 3 has been automatically sharpened after directly twisting off the pencil cap 10 and the propelling pencil with sharpened lead can be obtained without any further preparation. The lead powder in the sharpener passes through powder spacer 12 and is stored in the powder remover. When gathered to a certain amount it is removed by the means of twisting the ring 7 so that the through hole in the remover body 6 is aligned with the through hole in the outlet ring 7.
The process of making the lead-auto-sharpened propelling pencil according to the invention is as follows:
1. Making the body case 1 and the screwing sleeve 4 by the means of prior art, in which the concentricity between the screwing sleeve 4 and the inside surface of the front tapered portion of the body case 1 is ensured to be less than 0.1 mm.
2. Making the lead holder 2 by the means of prior art, in which the concentricity, between its through hole and the outside surface of its front portion, is ensured to be less than 0.1 mm.
3. Making a cap case jig 14 shown in FIG. 12 by tooling, in which the cap case jig 14 is a stepped cylinder with the outside diameter of one of its ends corresponding to the inside diameter of the screwing insert 13 and the outside diameter of its other end to that of the sharpener body 8; and the concentricity between the two ends is less than 0.05 mm.
4. Installing the screwing insert 13 around the corresponding portion of the cap case jig 14 so as to be a jig assembly to mould the cap case 5 with the screwing insert 13 by injection moulding.
5. Making a tapered jig 15 illustrated in FIG. 13 by tooling. The tapered jig 15 is a stepped cylinder with a tapered portion which has a corresponding cone to that of the lead sharpened. The cylindrical portion, which adjoins to the tapered portion, has a diameter corresponding to that of the central hole of the sharpener body 8. The total length of this portion and the tapered portion is equal to the longitudinal length of the sharpener body 8 with blades minus the depth of the notch.
6. Inserting the tapered jig 15 into the central through hole of the sharpener body 8 and then inserting the blades 11 with adhesion agent into the grooves of the sharpener body 8 so that the edges of the blades 11 touch the taper surface of the tapered portion of the tapered jig 15.
7. Inserting the sharpener body 8 with the blades 11 into the cap case 5 from the end without the screwing insert 13 after adhering the powder spacer 12 in the notch of the sharpener body 8 and applying adhesion agent on its surface, then inserting and adhering the powder remover with the outlet ring 7 inside the end, which the sharpener body 8 is inserted from, so that the sharpener body 8 joins against the remover body 6 of which the flange is slightly spaced from the end of the cap case 5 in order for the outlet ring 7 to rotate freely.
While the description of the lead-auto-sharpened propelling pencil and the process of making it have been given with respect to preferred embodiments, they are not to be construed in a limited sense. Variations and modifications will occur to those skilled in the art. Reference is made to the appended claims for a definition of the invention.
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The present invention provides a lead-auto-sharpened propelling pencil and a process of making it. The propelling pencil comprises a pencil body and a pencil cap. The pencil cap consists of a sharpener, a screwing insert and a powder remover. The process of sharpening the lead is automatically provided while the pencil cap is twisted onto the pencil body. The lead powder from sharpening is gathered in the powder remover so that the environment can be protected. The manufacturing process of the invention is that the cap case is moulded by the means of a cap case jig with the screwing insert and the sharpener installed by the means of a tapered jig. The manufacturing process according to the invention has broad application and is very practical.
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This is a division of Ser. No. 865,184 filed May 20, 1986, now abandoned.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for repairing bodily tissue in vivo and has particular utilization in repairing a meniscal tear during arthroscopic surgery of the knee.
2. Discussion of the Prior Art
Although the following description is directed specifically to repairing meniscus tissue in vivo in a human knee, it should be understood that the principles of the present invention are applicable to the repair of any bodily tissue, such as cartilage, bone, skin and ligaments, in an in vivo surgical procedure.
The knee is a hinge joint which permits a limited amount of rotation. The opposing curvature of the articulating surfaces of the femur and tibia are equalized, to a certain degree, by the menisci, the wedge-shaped fibrocartilaginous structures located on the periphery of the articular surface. The menisci are mobile buffers functioning to inhibit displacement of the joint and to distribute the force exerted by the femur over a larger area of the tibia. Possible causes of damage or injury to the menisci are multiple. Damage or tear of a meniscus usually occurs when the weight-bearing joint is subjected to a combined flexion-rotation or extension-rotation motion. The elastic and fibrous structure of the menisci, the rigid fixation of the anterior and posterior attachments, and their connections with the joint capsule, cause the menisci to return to their normal positions at the periphery of the joint if there is displacement. Disturbance of the normal mechanism of the joint and interference with mobility of the menisci can exceed their elasticity and cause tears of the cartilaginous substance. This appears to occur most frequently when a meniscus that has been displaced into the joint is caught between the femoral and tibial condyles as the result of a sudden change of movement.
Treatment for torn menisci has changed considerably over the years. At one time it was advocated that a peripherally detached meniscus be removed, even though the tissue was not damaged. The rationale was that excision of the meniscus prevents meniscal re-injury in a joint in which the mechanics may have been disturbed. In many cases a complete meniscectomy (i.e., total removal of the meniscus) was performed. Results from a complete meniscectomy ultimately showed degenerative arthritis, instability and changes in the transmission of loads in the knee. Because of these complications a partial meniscectomy became an alternative to a complete meniscectomy. Recently, there has been a strong movement to save as much of the meniscus as possible, leading to the development of techniques for meniscal suturing. Animal studies have been performed to demonstrate the safety and efficiency for this procedure.
An arthrotomy, or open technique, requires large incisions to gain access to the joint. Utilizing the open technique for meniscal suturing repair provided the opportunity of returning the knee to its prior pre-injury level of performance; however, the resulting large incisions require longer periods of immobilization and consequently longer periods of rehabilitation and recovery. Recent advances in instrumentation have made it possible to repair some meniscal lesions under arthroscopic visualization. Generally, this instrumentation is for inserting and receiving the suture as it passes through the meniscus. Typically, suture is passed through the meniscal rim and body of the meniscus, guided by special cannulas through the knee. The suture is then tied posterior to the knee and placed subcutaneously. Most of these procedures are performed using a larger (i.e., four to eight centimeters) incision than the standard portals used in arthroscopy. Depending upon the meniscus to be repaired, the incision is placed on the medial or lateral side of the knee; however, because of the long needles generally employed in meniscal repair, extreme caution must be observed during this procedure in order to avoid the possibility of the needle penetrating the popliteal artery or posterior tibial nerve and catching the fat pad during passage of the needle into and out of the knee joint. A spoon-shaped instrument is generally employed to act as a needle shield or guard for the popliteal structures. Nevertheless, there have been reported instances of injury to these vital areas with consequential damage to arteries and nerve palsy in the limb. Surgical techniques are being perfected, as are improvements to instrumentation, by various groups in order to minimize these risks and to decrease the procedural time.
It is known to use certain types of metal staples in conjunction with surgery for repairing bone tissue. The legs or shafts of the staple have a series of barbs which hold the staple and surrounding base tissue in place during the healing process. Another known device serving a similar function is the Smillie nail which is a single shaft device employed for securing bone tissue parts in place during the healing process. These staple and nail devices are effective for holding the bone tissue together during healing; however, they require a second surgical procedure in order to remove the device after the tissue has healed.
OBJECTS AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide apparatus for repairing bodily tissue in vivo requiring only a single surgical procedure and a small incision.
It is another object of the present invention to provide apparatus for healing torn or severed tissue, particularly meniscus tissue, using a safer surgical procedure than is currently employed.
A further object of the present invention is to provide apparatus for healing torn or severed bodily tissue with a single surgical procedure requiring far less time than the procedure currently employed.
In accordance with the present invention a repair tack is designed for surgical utilization, particularly in arthroscopic surgery, to repair a torn meniscus, the tack being generally T-shaped with a hollow stem. Along the outer surface of the stem there are a plurality of barbs. An applicator for the repair tack includes a tack holder having a slot for receiving the cross bar of the T-shaped tack and further includes a needle passing through an axial opening in the applicator and through the axial bore in the stem of the tack. With the tack supported in the slot and the needle passing through the stem, the applicator and the tack can be inserted into the joint cavity through a portal in the skin or through an insertion cannula. The sharpened point of the needle is placed in contact with the torn meniscus portions (or other severed tissue) and force is applied to the holder and needle to cause the needle and tack to penetrate those meniscus portions to a desired depth. The point of the needle is then withdrawn into the axial opening of the applicator and the cross bar of the tack is displaced from the slot leaving the tack firmly secured in the meniscus. The tack is made from a biodegradable polymer or copolymer selected in accordance with desired degradation time and anticipated time for healing the torn meniscus.
The tack performs a function similar to that of biodegradable suture presently employed in meniscal and other surgical repair. It is safer than utilizing suture because it penetrates only the meniscus and does not enter the popliteal space. The risk in reaching and possibly damaging the vital areas in the posterior section of the knee is greatly reduced. The tack device holds the torn meniscal sections in apposition while the tissue regenerates and healing is effected. In addition, the time required for placement of the tack device is much shorter than that required to place the suture. Consequently, the total procedural time is shortened, thereby decreasing the time during which a tourniquet must be utilized to restrict blood flow to the limb. Thus, reduced risk of possible damage to the vital area in the back of the knee, and reduced tourniquet time, are primary advantages of the tack device.
The repair tack is formed from an absorbable polymer or copolymer, preferably derived from glycolic and lactic acids. It is a synthetic polyester chemically similar to other commercially available glycolide/lactide copolymers. In vivo, glycolide and lactide degrade and absorb by hydrolysis to lactic acid and glycolic acid which are then metabolized by the body. The combination of glycolide and lactide has been used for many years in suturing material.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The above and still further objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent upon consideration of the following detailed description of a specific embodiment thereof, especially when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein like reference numerals in the various figures are utilized to designate like components, and wherein:
FIG. 1 is a view in perspective of a repair tack, applicator and insertion needle of the present invention;
FIG. 2 is a detailed side view in elevation of the forward end of the apparatus of FIG. 1;
FIG. 3 is a top view in plan and partial section of the tack device of the apparatus of FIG. 1;
FIG. 4 is an end view in elevation of the tack device of FIG. 3;
FIG. 5 is a view in perspective of an alternative embodiment of the tack device employed with the apparatus of FIG. 1;
FIG. 6 is a view in perspective of still another embodiment of the tack device of the present invention;
FIG. 7 is a view in section taken along lines 6--6 of FIG. 6; and
FIG. 8 is a view in perspective of a further embodiment of the tack device of the present invention.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
Referring specifically to FIGS. 1-4 of the accompanying drawings, a preferred embodiment of the present invention takes the form of a repair tack 10 for deployment in torn cartilage or other bodily tissue, in vivo, by means of an applicator 20 and needle 30. The repair tack 10 is preferably fabricated as an integrally molded unit from suitable rigid or semi-rigid biodegradable plastic material chosen in accordance with considerations described hereinbelow. It should also be noted that the tack may be formed by means of any suitable process, such as machining. Proximal and distal ends of the tack are designated by reference numerals 11 and 12, respectively, and are joined by a bore 13 extending axially (i.e., longitudinally) through the entire length of the tack 10. Most of that length is occupied by a shaft portion 14 extending rearwardly from distal end 12 to join a cross bar grip portion 15 disposed at proximal end 11. Grip portion 15, in the embodiment of FIGS. 1-4, takes the form of a generally rectangular parallelepiped with rounded corners and having its longest dimension extending transversely with respect to the axis of shaft 14 and internal bore 13. As is clearly illustrated in FIG. 3, bore 13 extends perpendicularly through the cross bar grip portion 15 and axially through shaft portion 14.
The shaft portion 14 is substantially cylindrical, with bore 13 disposed coaxially therein, and includes a plurality of barb members 16 disposed in axial sequence along its periphery. In the preferred embodiment the barb members 16 are frusto-conical in configuration, widening in diameter in a direction from distal end 12 toward proximal end 11. The resulting tapered surface 18 of the barb members 16 facilitates passage of the shaft portion 11 of tack member 10 through cartilaginous or other tissue when the tack is moved forwardly (i.e., in a direction along the axes of shaft portion 14 and bore 13 from proximal end 11 toward distal end 12). The rearward facing surface 17 of each barb member 16 intersects the large diameter end of tapered surface 18 and includes an annular section disposed in a plane oriented substantially perpendicular to the axes of bore 13 and shaft portion 14. This perpendicular orientation is not crucial for the present invention; rather, what is important is that surface 17 be oriented to preclude rearward movement and resulting inadvertent removal of the tack member 10 from cartilaginous or other tissue into which the tack member has been deployed. In this regard, it is important that surface 17 not be tapered to any significant degree in the opposite direction to the taper of surface 18. In the preferred embodiment of the invention there are three barb members 16 disposed in successive axial adjacency with the most remote barb member having its narrow diameter end terminating at distal end 12. Approximately one-third of the length of shaft portion 14 remains between the rearmost barb member 16 and cross-bar grip portion 15 and has a smooth cylindrical configuration. As few as one and more than three barb members may be provided within the scope of the present invention, so long as the barb member or members provide sufficient resistance to rearward movement of the shaft portion through the cartilaginous tissue.
Applicator 20 is an elongated hollow cylindrical member having a forward end 21 adapted for attachment to tack member 10 and a rearward end 22 from which deployment of the tack member is controlled. The hollow interior of applicator 20 may take the form of an axial bore suitable for receiving needle 30 in axially slidable engagement. Forward end 21 of applicator 20, when viewed from the side, has a generally J-shaped configuration to define a slot 23 for receiving the cross-bar grip portion 15 of tack member 10. Specifically, slot 23 has an interior surface 24 contoured to match the contour of grip portion 15 and is open along one side to permit easy insertion and removal of the grip portion. A forward lip 25 extends across the slot 23 terminating the short leg of the J-configuration and serves to restrain the grip portion 15 of tack member 10, when it is in slot 23, against axial movement (i.e., longitudinally of applicator 20 and tack member 10) and against twisting or rotation about any axis extending vertically (as viewed in FIG. 2). A cut-out portion 26 in lip 25 receives and supports the rearmost end of the shaft portion 14 of the tack member and, along with needle 30, precludes movement of grip portion 15 along its axis transversely of shaft portion 14.
Needle 30 has a sharp end 31 and a rearward end 32 and is sufficiently long to extend entirely through applicator 20 and tack member 10 such that pointed end 31 extends forwardly of the distal end 12 of the tack member. The bores defined in applicator 20 and tack member 10 are sized to permit slidable movement of the needle within these members. Rearward end 32 of needle 30 includes an enlarged handle part which can be grasped between a surgeon's thumb and forefinger so that the needle can be pushed forwardly into and pulled rearwardly from oartilaginous tissue. The needle is preferably made from stainless steel and is secured, at its rearward end, to a threaded male connector adapted to engage a threaded female connector 27 at the rearward end of applicator 20. The applicator is preferably made from a suitably machined or molded metal material.
Tack member 10 is made from a biodegradable polymer or copolymer of a type selected in accordance with the desired degradation time. That time, in turn, depends upon the anticipated healing time for the cartilaginous or other tissue which is the subject of the surgical procedure. Known biodegradable polymers and copolymers range in degradation time from about three months for polyglycolide to about forty-eight months for polyglutmic-co-leucine. A common biodegradable polymer used in absorbable sutures and the like is poly(L-lactide) which has a degradation time of about twelve to eighteen months.
As discussed briefly above, the actual material used for tack member 10 is preferably an absorbable copolymer derived from glycolic and lactic acids, such as a synthetic polyester chemically similar to other commercial available glycolide and lactide copolymers. Glycolide and lactide, in vivo, degrade and absorb by hydrolysis into lactic acid and glycolic acid which are then metabolized by the body.
The table set forth below lists polymers (and copolymers and terpolymers thereof) which are useful for the biodegradable material employed for the tack member 10 of the present invention. These polymers are all biodegradable into water-soluble non-toxic materials which can be eliminated by the body. All are well known for use in humans and their safety has been demonstrated and approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Although these polymers are normally linear, cross linked resins can be prepared from these materials by those skilled in the art.
TABLE______________________________________Polymer______________________________________PolycaprolactonePoly(L-lactide)Poly(DL-lactide)Polyglycolide95:5 Poly(DL-lactide-co-glycolide)90:10 Poly(DL-lactide-co-glycolide)85:15 Poly(DL-lactide-co-glycolide)75:25 Poly(DL-lactide-co-glycolide)50:50 Poly(DL-lactide-co-glycolide)90:10 Poly(DL-lactide-co-caprolactone)75:25 Poly(DL-lactide-co-caprolactone)50:50 Poly(DL-lactide-co-caprolactone)PolydioxanonePolyesteramidesCopolyoxalatesPolycarbonatesPoly(glutamic-co-leucine)______________________________________
The repair tack 10 illustrated in the accompanying drawings is primarily intended for use in arthroscopic surgery for the repair of torn meniscus tissue; however, it also has utilization for repairing other bodily tissue. The apparatus illustrated in FIG. 1 is assembled, prior to insertion into the body joint, by placing the cross bar portion 15 into slot 23 at the forward end of applicator 20. Needle 30 is then slidably passed through the hollow applicator and bore 13 in tack member 10, and threaded connectors 27 and 32 are tightened. With the tack member firmly supported in slot 23 and by needle 30, the device may be inserted into the joint cavity where the meniscus repair is to take place through a suitable portal in the skin or through an insertion cannula.
In order to apply the tack to the torn cartilaginous tissue, the sharpened point 31 of the needle is placed into contact with the tissue and force is applied to the applicator and needle 30 (locked together by the above-described threaded engagement) to cause the needle and tack to penetrate the torn meniscus portions to the desired depth. The connectors 27 and 32 are disengaged and the sharpened point 31 of the needle is then withdrawn from the tack member 10 into the applicator 20. Cross bar grip portion 15 may then be removed from slot 23 by rotating the forward end of applicator 20 downwardly (i.e., downwardly as viewed in FIG. 2), transversely of the axis of bore 13. Applicator 20 may then be withdrawn away from the tack, leaving the tack 10 firmly secured within the torn meniscus portions in a position to retain the torn portions in close proximity. As noted above, the tack dissolves over a period of time sufficient to permit healing of the torn meniscus tissue.
As illustrated in FIG. 5, 6, 7 and 8, the barb members on the tack need not be limited to a frusto-conical configuration, nor must the grip portion be cylindrical. Any barb and grip portion configuration consistent with the functions described herein may be employed. Thus, the tack member illustrated in FIG. 5 is provided with barb members 36 having a truncated pyramidal configuration with a substantially square or other rectangular transverse cross section. The embodiment of FIGS. 6 and 7 includes barb members 46 which are truncated pyramids having a triangular transverse cross section. In both of these embodiments, the grip 35 takes the form of a rectangular parallelepiped. In the embodiment of FIG. 8 the "barbs" are actually a continuous helical barb 50 extending about the shaft periphary for a portion of the shaft length.
As noted above, the tack member 10 is ideally suited for holding torn meniscus tissue in place while the tissue heals. By way of example only, a suitable set of dimensions for tack member 10 of FIGS. 1-3 would be as follows: the overall length from proximal end 11 to distal end 12: 0.345 inch; the axial length of the distal barb member: 0.075 inch; the axial length of the other barb members: 0.06 inch; the diameter of each barb member at its widest end: 0.065 inch; the diameter of bore 13: 0.025 inch; overall length of cross bar grip portion 15 in the dimension extending transversely of bore 13 and radially symmetrically thereabout: 0.175 inch; thickness of cross bar grip portion 15 parallel to the axis of bore 13: 0.025 inch; and angle of surface 18 relative to axis of bore 13: 14°. It is to be understood, of course, that variations from these dimensions are possible for different utilizations of tack member 10.
The positioning of bore 13 of tack member 10 along the axial center line of the tack member is advantageous in that it permits the insertion needle to stabilize the tack and provide a means for penetrating the tissue.
From the foregoing description it will be appreciated that the invention makes available a novel method and apparatus for healing torn cartilaginous tissue, in vivo, in a manner which requires a single surgical procedure utilizing a minimal amount of time and a relatively small incision.
Having described the preferred embodiment of a new and improved repair tack for cartilaginous tissue and in vivo method of deploying same in accordance with the present invention, it is believed that other modifications, variations and changes will be suggested to those skilled in the art in view of the teachings set forth herein. It is therefore to be understood that all such variations, modifications and changes are believed to fall within the scope of the present invention as defined by the appended claims.
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An apparatus for repairing in vivo torn cartilaginous or other bodily tissue, particularly torn meniscus tissue during arthroscopic surgery, employs a repair tack of biodegradable material chosen to have a degradation time in excess of the required healing time for the tissue. The repair tack has a shaft portion with a longitudinal bore and a grip portion adapted for releasable engagement by a hollow applicator. In one embodiment the grip portion of the tack is a cross bar, at the proximal end of the shaft, which fits into an open-sided slot at the forward end of the applicator. A needle passes through the hollow applicator and tack bore to project from the distal end of the tack shaft.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] 1. Field of the Invention
[0002] The invention relates to a measurement device for determining at least one process variable with at least one sensor element for measuring the process variable and with at least one electronic component, the sensor element being connected to the electronic component via at least one electrical conductor.
[0003] 2. Description of Related Art
[0004] In modern process and automation engineering, to monitor and determine process variables, measurement devices are used which generate a measured quantity which is dependent on the process variable which is to be measured. The measured quantity is generally an electrical signal which is accessible for evaluation and further processing. The process variables are, for example, the flow rate, the pH value, the liquid level or the temperature of a medium.
[0005] These measurement devices of the prior art generally have at least one sensor element which generally comes into contact or interacts with a process medium and is used for the actual measurement, and at least one downstream electronic component which, optionally, controls the measurement of the sensor element or evaluates or further processes the measurement signals of the sensor element. For the connection between the sensor element and the electronic component, in the prior art, generally wires of the sensor element are soldered to the electronic component. Afterwards, the electronic component and the sensor element are pushed together in order to form the measurement device with other components or a housing, etc. Pushing together partially flattens or kinks the wires and solder sites can even break. In this way, high scrap rates can arise in the production and/or maintenance of the measurement devices under consideration here. This is especially problematical in those measurement devices which are assembled more than once, therefore in the initial production, and when they must be disassembled and assembled repeatedly due to their use. This applies, for example, to sensor elements which, depending on the application, have only a short service life, for example, in sensor elements for pH measurement.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0006] Therefore, a primary object of the invention is to provide a measurement device which comprises a connection between a sensor element and the electronic component that is as reliable as possible.
[0007] This object is achieved, first of all, essentially in the measurement device under consideration, in that there is at least one adapter unit. Here, the adapter unit guides at least one electrical conductor at least in sections. Furthermore, the adapter unit, the sensor element and the electronic component are configured and matched to one another such that the adapter unit dictates a minimum distance between the sensor element and electronic component, so that the adapter unit prevents further approach between the sensor element and the electronic component beyond a minimum distance.
[0008] In the measurement device in accordance with the invention, an adapter unit is used to support the transition between the electronic component and the sensor element. Because the direct contact is bridged by the adapter unit, a minimum distance between the electronic component and sensor element can be defined and guidance of at least one electrical conductor can be implemented. Stabilization is introduced into the measurement device, and keeps away loads of the electrical conductor or of the respective connections to the electronic component and to the sensor element. In one configuration, the adapter unit is a plastic element which is molded or injected.
[0009] In one configuration, the adapter unit is located at least partially between the sensor element and the electronic component. In an alternative configuration, the adapter unit encompasses the sensor element and the electronic component and essentially limits the minimum distance by a sleeve shape.
[0010] The adapter unit has at least one continuous recess, especially in the form of a hole or bore for guiding at least one electrical conductor. If there are several electrical conductors, in one configuration, the number of recesses is increased up to preferably a maximum one recess per electrical conductor. The conductors can be especially more or less movable wires or pins.
[0011] The distance between the sensor element and the electronic component in one configuration is limited by the adapter unit having a stop surface, especially in the form of a bridge, on at least an end facing the sensor element or the electronic component. The stop surface offers a mechanical motion limiter, the minimum distance resulting from the configuration of the adapter unit and the ends of the sensor element and electronic component which face one another.
[0012] In another configuration, the adapter unit has an end which is facing the sensor element or the electronic component and which is configured such that, between the adapter unit and the sensor element, and between the adapter unit and the electronic component, at least partial positive locking arises. Positive locking—for example, by the components mutually snapping into one another—makes it possible, for example, to captively connect the adapter unit with the electronic component or with the sensor element in a single production step so that reliable transport is possible for a further step.
[0013] For simplified production, in one configuration it is provided that the electronic component is located in a partial component which is especially at least partially potted. In order to protect electronic components against the action of moisture and also to ensure increased safety, pottings have been used in the prior art. In the configuration it is provided that the electronic component is located in a preferably already potted partial component of the entire measurement device and forms one such component. Preferably at least one electrical conductor extends or accordingly many electrical conductors extend out of the partial component and thus in one configuration also out of the potting in order to be connected to the sensor element via or by the adapter unit.
[0014] In another configuration, in the partial component which encompasses the electronic component there is at least one circuit board which bears electronic components and which is fixed especially by an essentially pin-shaped retaining element, the retaining element being located especially on the side of the circuit board opposite the sensor element. Furthermore, in the partial component, in one configuration, there is at least one sleeve whose wall is made partially rosette-shaped, and thus, allows potting of the partial component from the side of the rosette.
[0015] Another configuration calls for there to be at least one sleeve. Here, the sleeve surrounds at least one sensor element at least in part and can be connected to the partial component, especially via a turning motion. A turning connection is implemented, for example, via a respective inner and outer thread.
[0016] In another configuration, at least one electrical conductor, especially in the form of a pin, borders one end of the sensor element or one end of the electronic component. In this configuration, at least one electrical conductor projects over the sensor element and the electronic component.
[0017] Depending on the type of sensor element and especially also depending on how many measured quantities and on how the actual measurement is taken, the sensor element can have different forms especially on the end facing the sensor element. Therefore, the end can be essentially flat or it can have different elevations. Thus, depending on the version, the sensor element has at least one section on an end which is facing the electronic component that is raised or offset essentially relative to the remainder of the end. Depending on the configuration, the section can be essentially cylindrical and can be located relatively centrally in the middle of the end.
[0018] In the previous configurations, the sensor element is used to measure the pH and/or the chlorine content and/or the oxygen content. Further measured quantities can be, for example, the flow rate, conductivity, temperature, oxygen content, or liquid level.
[0019] In particular there is a plurality of possibilities for embodying and developing the measurement device in accordance with the invention. In this respect reference is made to the following detailed description of exemplary embodiments in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0020] FIG. 1 is a schematic sectional view of a measurement device which illustrates essentially the functional active relationships,
[0021] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of an extract of some elements of a measurement device according to a first version,
[0022] FIG. 3 is a perspective view of an extract of some elements of a measurement device according to a second version,
[0023] FIG. 4 is a perspective view of another extract of some elements of a measurement device,
[0024] FIG. 5 is a perspective view of another extract of some elements of the measurement device of FIG. 2 , and
[0025] FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the arrangement of FIG. 3 with a sleeve.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0026] FIG. 1 shows a section through one measurement device 1 in accordance with the invention which is used to measure pH and temperature. For this reason, the sensor element 2 is made as a glass body with elements that are sensitive to pH and temperature. The sensor element 2 is bordered by an electronic component 3 which, here, has at least one circuit board with several components. The connection between the electronic component 3 and the sensor element 2 takes place via electrical conductors 4 . For protection of these electrical conductors 4 and the contacts made via solder sites, the adapter unit 5 is located between one end of the electronic component 3 and the sensor element 2 . In the adapter unit 5 , the electrical conductors 4 are guided and a minimum distance between the electronic component 3 and the sensor element 2 is defined by the adapter unit 5 . For this purpose, the adapter unit 5 has continuous recesses 6 in which the electrical conductors 4 run. Furthermore, on the ends of the adapter unit 5 , there are stop surfaces 7 which purely mechanically prevent the electronic component 3 and sensor element 2 from being pushed against one another.
[0027] The electronic component 3 , for purposes of simplified installation, is an already potted partial component 8 from which the electrical conductors 4 project with a suitable length. This partial component 8 can be especially called a plug head. The sensor element 2 is surrounded by a sleeve 9 which is connected to the partial component 8 via a rotary motion. During attachment, especially the electronic component 3 and the sensor element 2 are not twisted relative to one another so that forces in this respect do not act on the electrical conductors 4 or the contacts which have been made.
[0028] One particular of the sensor element 2 is that the sensor element 2 , which is made essentially rotationally symmetrical, like the entire measurement device on the end facing the electronic component 3 , has an elevated section 10 .
[0029] FIG. 2 shows a section between the electronic component (which is not shown here) and the sensor element 2 . For the sake of clarity, the electrical conductors (wires as conventional in the prior art) of the sensor element 2 are not shown. The electrical conductors 4 of the electronic component 3 project through the recesses 6 of the adapter unit 5 in the direction of the sensor element 2 and are soldered to the wires of the sensors, wires. The adapter unit 5 has essentially the shape of a solid cylinder from which two legs extend and which, in turn, are connected to one another on their opposite end by a ring.
[0030] Between the legs and encompassed by the ring is the section 10 of the sensor element 2 which is elevated relative to the remaining surface of the end of the sensor element 2 . It can be recognized that the adapter unit 5 dictates a well defined minimum distance between the sensor element 2 and the electronic component 3 (which is at the opposite side of the cylinder as shown in FIG. 1 ) and that, at the same time, an open space for the connection of the electrical contacts is produced and protected between the legs.
[0031] One alternative or addition to the configuration shown in FIG. 2 , which alternative or addition is not shown, is that the electrical conductors 4 do not extend through the adapter unit 5 , but run within the adapter unit 5 onto solder contacts which in turn are tightly pressed into the recesses of the adapter unit 5 and partially project out of the adapter unit 5 . Then, the wires of the sensor or sensors are soldered to these solder contacts in further production steps. In other words: the adapter unit 5 of this unillustrated configuration has sockets-solder contacts which are pressed tightly in.
[0032] Here, for example, the sequence of production steps is as follows: The partial component 8 is produced as a potted plug head without the adapter unit 5 . The wires of the sensor element 2 are soldered to the solder contacts of the adapter unit 5 , for example, by a manufacturer of the sensor element. Then, the electrical conductors 4 of the electronic component which project out of the potted partial component 8 are introduced into the adapter unit 5 . Then, the sleeve 9 is connected to the partial component 8 , especially screwed to it, and for example, the arrangement is potted from the side facing the sensor element 2 via an at least partially rosette-shaped end of the sleeve 9 .
[0033] In one combination, the electrical conductors 4 can also partially project out of the adapter unit 5 and in part run at the height of the above described solder contacts.
[0034] FIG. 3 shows a variation of the measurement device 1 from the one according to FIG. 2 , here, the difference being that the adapter unit 5 with a cross piece as the stop surface 7 meets the elevated section 10 of the sensor element 2 . With the other end, the adapter unit 5 strikes the circuit board of the electronic component 3 on which the components for implementing a circuit are located. The electrical conductors 4 are located above the circuit board, and thus, emerge from the electronic component 3 . In another configuration, which is not shown, in a stop surface 7 which is configured essentially as in FIG. 3 , there is a recess which is configured to fit the elevated section 10 of the sensor element 2 and which partially accommodates the elevated section 10 , and thus, is used for additional fixing.
[0035] FIG. 4 omits the adapter unit 5 so that the linkage of the electrical conductor 4 to the circuit board of the electronic component 3 can be better recognized. The electrical conductors 4 are especially four pins here which are guided differently. Three conductors lie in one plane and the fourth pin is guided elevated above the middle pin of the three pins after a bent section. This arrangement can ensure the correct orientation of the components relative to one another for installation. The lower middle pin is inserted into the elevated section 10 of the sensor element 2 . Depending on the arrangement of the other components, it can also be necessary for more than only one pin to be offset.
[0036] FIG. 5 shows a sensor element 2 of the measurement device 1 in the state in which the sensor element 2 is partially surrounded by a sleeve 9 which in further mounting is preferably screwed into the partial component 8 which encompasses the electronic component 3 . The stop surface 7 of the adapter unit 5 facing the sensor element 2 formed of a ring segment element which partially encompasses the elevated section 10 . On the end of the adapter unit 5 facing the electronic component, the four continuous recesses 6 which accommodate and guide the electrical conductors can be recognized and which are made conical here for facilitated introduction of the conductors.
[0037] FIG. 6 shows the outer thread of the sleeve 9 via which the sleeve 9 is rotationally connected to the partial component. The components of the measurement device are mounted especially such that, after connecting the electronic component 3 to the sensor element 2 , they are not twisted relative to one another. The adapter unit 5 here also limits the minimum distance which the electronic component 3 can assume relative to the sensor element.
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A measurement device ( 1 ) for determining at least one process variable with a sensor element ( 2 ) for measuring the process variable and with an electronic component ( 3 ), the sensor element ( 2 ) being connected to the electronic component ( 3 ) via at least one electrical conductor ( 4 ) has a connection, made to be as reliable as possible, between a sensor element and the electronic component due to the provision of an adapter unit ( 5 ). The adapter unit ( 5 ) guides at least one electrical conductor ( 4 ). Furthermore, the adapter unit ( 5 ), the sensor element ( 2 ) and the electronic component ( 3 ) are configured and matched to one another such that the adapter unit ( 5 ) set a minimum distance between the sensor element ( 2 ) and electronic component ( 3 ).
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This is a division of application Ser. No. 07/058,909 filed June 5, 1987 now U.S. Pat. Not. 4,828,686.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates to methods for cleaning fine coal by means of froth flotation. More specifically, the present invention relates to chemical conditioning steps for enhancing the floatability of fine coal while at the same time depressing pyrite and other contaminants by flotation.
2. Prior Art
The future effective utilization of coal as an energy source will depend largely on the development of effective techniques for separation of ash and sulfur in an economical process. Otherwise, restrictions against SO 2 emissions will result in high cost for energy production, and will dictate in favor of other fuels rather than coal. The United States Department of Energy projects that by 1990 at least 54% of the electricity produced in the United States will be generated from coal. It is generally acknowledged, however, that this can only occur if processes are developed which enable the effective cleaning and production of compliance coal while at the same time providing for rejection of ash and sulfur.
With increased emphasis on maximum coal production, industry is now looking for total utilization of the coal, including coal fines and small particulate coal which has previously been discarded Further, the production of a high quality, clean coal product may require grinding to fine particle size to achieve complete liberation. Coal flotation is one process which has been applied to cleaning coal fines for commercial use. Whereas in 1950, only a few flotation plants existed in the United States, 66 plants had developed flotation production by 1970. Currently, virtually all new preparation plants incorporate flotation into their plant design. In terms of production, coal flotation plant capacity in the United States has grown from 64,000 tons per day in 1975 to 145,000 tons per day in 1985. Despite the increased commercial interest, however, the separation of ash and sulfur from coals still remains a major challenge to developing cost effectiveness in the froth flotation method.
Froth flotation is a physicochemical separation process that depends on the attachment of hydrophobic particles to air bubbles Other hydrophilic particles are wetted by the aqueous phase and will not attach to air bubbles. Thus, the separation of coal particles from gangue minerals occurs as air bubbles are dispersed through a suspension of coal particles (typically minus 28 mesh). The bubble/particle aggregates float to the surface and are collected as clean coal concentrate.
An unfortunate physical property of sulfur, and in particular pyrite, is its tendency to respond in the flotation process in the same manner as does the coal. In other words, those techniques which lead to enhanced flotability of coal also lead to enhanced flotability of pyrite Conversely, those processes applied to depress the flotation of pyrite frequently lead to coal depression.
For example, the flotation process usually involves the use of suitable reagents, such as neutral molecular oils, to enhance the hydrophobic character of coal particles, while the gangue mineral particles remain hydrophilic. These neutral oils such as kerosene or fuel oil are called promoters and are used to enhance the attachment of air bubbles at the coal surface. This is done by forming a thin coating of promoter over the air bubble and/or particle to be floated. In addition, frothing agents such as methylisobutyl carbinol, terpinol, creosols, polyglycols, and some specially blended reagents are used. The choice of these reagents and level of addition depends on the coal to be floated and the desired level of selectivity with respect to ash and sulfur. Because pyrite from coal has some tendency to float, use of these agents tends to cause their flotation along with coal, destroying the clean coal product quality.
Where fine coal is subjected to the flotation process, greater amounts of promoter and frother agent are adsorbed due to high surface area. In fact, the liberated fine mineral matter itself attaches to the hydrophobic coal particles, resulting in a slime coating with an attendant pseudo-depression phenomenon. As a result of these complications, the production of super clean or even compliance coal by conventional froth flotation has been a most difficult task. Although some success has been achieved utilizing sodium hypochlorite for removal of sulphatic and organic sulfur, such oxidation practice has been generally unsuccessful in the removal of pyritic sulfur. These problems are most significant for coals such as medium volatile bituminous, high volatile bituminous and sub-bituminous coals.
It has been well known for many years that natural occurring coal tends to be hydrophobic. In fact, higher grade coals are extremely hydrophobic and need very little treatment to improve their amenability to flotation. With respect to the medium and lower grade coals, the natural hydrophobic character is decreased, particularly for the high volatile bituminous and sub-bituminous categories. Furthermore, the greater the ash content in the coal, the less hydrophobic is the material.
It is also generally known from the literature that surface oxidation of coal in most cases further decreases its hydrophobic character and leads to a poorer flotation response (S. C. Sun, Trans AIME, vol. 6, No. 4, p. 396, 1954; S. K. Chakrabartty and N Berkowitz, Fuel, vol. 53, p. 240, 1974; F. F. Aplan, Flotation, M. C. Fuerstenau editor, AIME, New York, p. 1235, 1976; R. R. Yarzab, Z. Abdel-Baset, and P. H. Given, Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, vol. 43, p. 281, 1979; D W. Fuerstenau, J. M. Rosenbaum, and J. S. Laskowski, Collids and Surfaces, vol. 8, p. 153, 1983; D. W. Fuerstenau, G C. C. Yang, and J. S. Laskowski, Coal preparation, vol 2, p. 1, 1986). This generally acknowledged fact is further evidenced by U.S. Pat. No. 4,452,714 by McCarthy In fact, the McCarthy patent teaches the use of reducing agents to eliminate oxidized surfaces of the carbon for improvement of flotation. Similarly, U.S. Pat. No. 4,537,599 by Greenwald, Sr. teaches that "the oxidized surfaces of the coal particles are so altered that separation of tailings from the coal particles cannot be carried out by conventional means such as froth-flotation," column 2, lines 43-47. The oxidizing agent used in the Greenwald discussion was ozone. The Greenwald patent further discloses the teachings of U.S. Pat. No. 4,328,002 which discusses a process for treating coal to remove sulfur and ash which involves the steps of preconditioning coal particles in the presence of an oxidizing agent The Greenwald patent indicates that such oxidants as H 2 O 2 , HNO 3 , HCLO 4 , HF, O 2 , air and mild NH 3 or CO 2 are substantially ineffective to provide useful results in flotation processes. The reference further points out the problem that froth flotation cannot be used to separate ultra fine impurities that are freed by the action of the oxidants with respect to the carbon particles. It concludes that the known process of using an oxidant in coal flotation does not provide for separation of these impurities from coal particles less than 105 microns in size.
Accordingly, what is needed is an effective process for enabling the separation of pyritic sulfur and other contaminants from fine coal as part of an economical froth flotation process.
OBJECTS AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an improved conditioning procedure for enhancing the hydrophobic character of the coal while at the same time depressing ash minerals which contaminate the coal.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide depression of pyrite and other sulfur contaminants in grade coals.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a method useful with high volatile bituminous and sub-bituminous coals for enhancing their hydrophobic character in a flotation process.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a conditioning step for enhancing operation of conventional flotation processes with respect to low grade coals having high mineral matter content including ash and pyritic sulfur in particular.
These and other objects are realized by applying a conditioning step of controlled oxidation utilizing particular oxidizing agents exemplified by three groups: to wit - peroxy compounds, peroxides and superoxides. The preferred group is the peroxy family represented by potassium monopersulfate (potassium peroxymonosulfate), with potassium hydrogen sulfate and potassium sulfate in mixture. These mixtures are commercially available and are marketed under the tradenames Oxone and Interox KMPS for example Typically these are applied in a high solids concentration immediately before the conventional flotation separation process. Conditioning of the coal prior to flotation is effective in increasing the hydrophobic character of the coal while at the same time reducing ash and sulfur contamination of the resultant cleaned coal. Specifically, ash and pyritic sulfur rejection is greatly improved by the same oxidation compounds which enhance the hydrophobic character of the coal.
Other objects and features of the present invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art in view of the following detailed description, taken in combination with the accompanying drawings.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 represents a graphic comparison of bubble attachment time for high volatile bituminous coal particles as a function of pH with and without conditioning in accordance with the present invention.
FIG. 2 represents a graphic comparison of single-stage flotation yield of high-volatile bituminous coal with and without conditioning in accordance with the present invention as a function of flotation pH.
FIG. 3 graphically illustrates the single-stage flotation yield of sub-bituminous coal with and without conditioning in accordance with the present invention.
FIG. 4 gives single stage flotation yield of medium-volatile bituminous coal as a function of pH with and without conditioning from the present invention.
FIG. 5 is a graphic plot of cumulative ash content in high-volatile bituminous coal concentrate versus flotation yield from single-stage flotation with and without the conditioning step at different pH values subject to the present invention.
FIG. 6 is a graphic plot for cumulative ash content of the high-volatile bituminous coal concentrate versus flotation yield from a two stage flotation process with and without the conditioning step of the present invention and at a pH of 5.0.
FIG. 7 is a graphic plot similar to FIG. 5 but utilizing sub-bituminous coal as the coal material and at a pH of 3-4.
FIG. 8 gives ash content in medium-volatile bituminous coal concentration from single stage flotation as a function of pH with and without oxone conditioning.
FIG. 9 is a plot of pyritic sulfur content in medium-volatile bituminous coal concentrate from single stage flotation versus yield with and without oxone conditioning.
FIG. 10 is a graphic plot similar in structure to FIG. 9 but utilizing Pittsburgh coal as the coal material.
FIG. 11 graphically illustrates the present process in terms of a flow chart for flotation.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Despite a long history of acknowledged adverse consequences of oxidation of fine coal material to be processed in flotation, the present inventors have discovered that certain classes of oxidants surprisingly result in the opposite effects of increased hydrophobicity for coal fines, yet improved depression of ash and sulfur contaminants.
Prior art literature explains that coal can be oxidized by a variety of oxidants such as HNO 3 , K 2 Cr 2 O 7 /HNO 3 , KMNO 4 /OH - , BuOOH/AIBN, H 2 O 2 , trifluoroacetic acid, and peracetic acid or by ambient air or pure oxygen. The rate of oxidation has been shown to be a function of particle size, rank, temperature, time, concentration of oxidants and petrographic composition of coal. With these oxidants the coal has been reported generally and consistently to become hydrophilic as oxidation occurs.
When the oxidation is extended, the polymeric and amorphous humic acids are produced. The functional groups present in humic acids are hydroxyl, carboxyl, phenolic, alcoholic, carbonyl, and methoxyl groups. Also, it is usually known that the lower the coal rank, the greater its susceptibility to attack by oxygen or other oxidants. Therefore, prior art techniques have intentionally avoided oxidation as a major step in flotation in almost all phases of the fine-coal-cleaning research and in commercial application of flotation technology.
Quite to the contrary of these studies and conclusions, the present invention shows that hydrophobicity and flotability of high-volatile bituminous or other low-rank coals can be greatly improved by specific oxidants. The present inventors have discovered that particular families of compounds are effective as preconditioners in improving hydrophobic character. These primarily include the inorganic peroxy compounds, peroxides and superoxides The preferred family is the peroxy group represented by potassium monopersulfate and Caro's acid (peroxymonosulfuric acid). Additional members of this family include peroxydisulfate and peroxy carboxylite. This group is characterized by the presence of a --O--O-- bond (See Advanced Inorganic Chemistry, Cotton & Wilkinson, Interscience Publishers, 1962).
The peroxide family is somewhat less effective but is operable as a conditioner .in higher concentrations. For example, Sodium persulfate and sodium peroxide have demonstrated the desired conditioning effect. Other peroxides include pyrosulfate and the organic peroxides such as benzyol peroxide. Because of similar chemical properties, it is believed that the superoxide family would also enhance hydrophobic properties for coal subjected to treatment. This latter family is characterized by the presence of O 2 - ions. Examples of this latter family include KO 2 , Ba[O 2 ], RbO 2 and CsO 2 . The critical criteria in application of these compounds are their oxidation potentials, reaction mechanisms at the coal surface, the amount of reagent, storage temperature of the compounds, cost and production and catalysis of compound degradation by metallic impurities. Specific identification and balancing of these parameters will be apparent to those skilled in the art, based upon the following examples and detailed description.
The preferred embodiment set forth in this disclosure utilizes a salt of peroxymonosulfate in the conditioning treatment of the coal particles. This salt is available from a number of suppliers. For example, in these experiments Oxone was used. Oxone is a white, granular free-flowing triple salt powder with the formula 2KHSO 5 .sup.. KHSO 4 .sup.. K 2 SO 4 , sold by E. I. du Pont de Nemours & Company. The major active component of Oxone is potassium monopersulfate (or potassium peroxymonosulfate). The following table sets forth the physical properties of Oxone.
TABLE 1______________________________________Physical Properties and Typical Analysis of Oxone______________________________________Chemical formula 2KHSO.sub.5.KHSO.sub.4.K.sub.2 SO.sub.4Molecular weight 614.7Active oxygen,% min. 4.5% average analysis 4.7% theoretical 5.2(triple salt)Active component (KHSO.sub.5) % min. 42.8Bulk density,g/cm.sup.3 (mg/m.sup.3) 1.12-1.20lb/ft.sup.3 70-75Particle size through USS #20sieve, % 100#200 sieve, % max. 10pH @ 25 deg. C. (77 deg. F.),1% solution 2.33% solution 2.0Solubility g/100 g H.sub.2 O, 25.62 deg. C. (68 deg. F.)Moisture content, % 0.1Stability, % active oxygen loss/mo 1Standard electrode potential (E deg.) -1.44voltsHeat of decomposition,kj/kg 251Btu/lb 108Thermal conductivity,W/m.K 0.151Btu.ft/h.ft.sup.2. 0.093______________________________________
Coal materials utilized in the following examples include medium-volatile bituminous, high-volatile bituminous and sub-bituminous coals. The source and characteristics of these coals are set forth in Table 2.
TABLE 2______________________________________Coal Samples Evaluated Character Mine/Plant % % %Coal/Rank Location Ash Total S Pyritic S______________________________________Medium-Volatile Helvetia/Helen 7.0 1.10 0.60Bituminous Homer City, PAHigh-Volatile Valley Camp 6.9 0.70 --Bituminous Helper, UtahSub-Bituminous Clovis Point Mine 11.0 Gillette, WYPittsburgh Coal Ireland Mine 26.3 -- 1.24Consolidation Coal Co.______________________________________
FIGS. 1 through 10 represent measurements taken from different conditioning reactions and measurements of hydrophobicity, flotability, and/or ash/sulfur rejection.
Measurement of particle/bubble attachment time was carried out with high volatile bituminous coal particles. The attachment time was measured with an Electronic Induction Timer, product of Virginia Coal and Mineral Services, Inc. In the measurement, a captive bubble approximately 2 millimeters in diameter held on a bubble tube was pushed downward through the aqueous solution by an electromechanical power driver The bubble was kept in contact with a bed of coal particles for a given time as established by the pulse frequency generated by a microcomputer. After the bubble, together with the tube, returned to its original position it was visually observed through a microscope to determine whether attachment of coal particles at the bubble surface had occurred.
The experiment was repeated to obtain ten observations by changing the position of the particle bed and the number of observations which resulted in attachment was recorded. The contact time controlled by the built-in microcomputer was then changed by adjusting the pulse frequency and further measurements at the new contact time were made
Finally the contact time at which 50% of the observations resulted in attachment was taken as the attachment time, as known in the art. HCl and NaOH were used as pH adjusting reagents in the measurement.
One group of measurements was made to determine the natural particle/bubble attachment time of the high-volatile bituminous coal particles In another group of measurements, the coal particles were first placed into solution with 8×10 -4 M Oxone at a given solids concentration for 10 minutes The coal particles were then filtered and completely washed with distilled water and were replaced into distilled water again to measure the attachment time. Thus, the effect of the Oxone reaction at the coal surface on the attachment time was evaluated and the relative change in hydrophobicity determined by comparing results from these two groups of experiments. FIG. 1 displays the relationship of attachment time of high-volatile bituminous coal particles on air bubbles as a function of pH. Particle size was approximately 100×200 mesh. Line 10 represents the attachment time for natural, untreated coal particles. Line 11 shows the significantly improved results for coal which is conditioned in 0.0008M Oxone solution for 10 minutes in a solution of 0.5% solids. Tbe attachment time is reduced by a factor of three to about 2 milliseconds.
Size reduction of as-received coal samples for flotation was carried out with a steel ball mill at 40% solids. After grinding for a given time, the slurry was divided into three parts. One part was used for size analysis and the other two parts were used for flotation with and without Oxone conditioning respectively. The slurry which was to be conditioned was placed into a glass container with addition of Oxone at given dosages and then mixed in an orbit shaker for 30 minutes. HCl or NaOH was also added during conditioning for pH adjustment. After conditioning, the slurry was transferred to the flotation machine.
Flotation experiments were accomplished with a 2-liter Galigher flotation machine at 15% solids, 4 liters per minute air flow rate and 900 rpm As known in the art, commercial grade methyl isobutyl carbinol and kerosene were applied as frother and promoter respectively. Dosages of these two reagents used in the study vary with the coal rank and are presented in conjunction with the experimental results in the drawings.
After flotation, the concentrate and tailings were filtered, dried and analyzed. In the case of two-stage flotation, the concentrate from the first stage flotation was transferred to another flotation cell and repulped by adding fresh water. Only MIBC was added in the second stage flotation. Yield was calculated with the concentrate from the second stage flotation machine and the feed to the first stage of flotation. Except for the measurement of bubble/particle attachment time, tap water was used for all the experiments. These experiments were run at ambient temperature.
As can be seen from FIGS. 2, 3 and 4, the effect of potassium monopersulfate (or potassium peroxymonosulfate) on the flotability of coals of different rank is significant. FIG. 2 illustrates the improved yield resulting from the present invention as a function of pH for the high-volatile bituminous coal. This figure relates to a single-stage flotation process wherein particle size was approximately 400 mesh. Flotation additives included MIBC at 0.2 kg per ton and kerosene at 1.5 kg per ton. Conditioning was accomplished with Oxone at 15 kg per ton for 30 minutes. The pH of the conditioning step and flotation were the same, with the flotation time being 15 minutes. Line 14 represents the coal conditioned without Oxone, while line 13 shows the improved yield from Oxone treatment. It is evident that the greatest effect is achieved in acidic solution.
FIG. 3 compares per cent yield versus flotation time for sub-bituminous coal. This figure relates to a single-stage flotation process wherein coal particle size was approximately 85% passing through 400 mesh. Flotation additives included MIBC at 0.5 kg per ton and kerosene at 7 kg per ton (lines 16, 18 and 19) and 20 kg per ton (line 17). Conditioning was accomplished with Oxone at 20 and 100 kg per ton respectively. The pH of the conditioning step and flotation were controlled at approximately pH 4. Lines 16 and 17 represent the coal conditioned without Oxone addition using kerosene additive in flotation at 7 kg and 20 kg per ton respectively. Line 18 shows the improved effect of Oxone conditioning at 20 kg per ton. Line 19 demonstrates greater improvement when the amount of Oxone is increased to 100 kg per ton.
In contrast, FIG. 4 illustrates some depression for medium-volatile coal subjected to Oxone treatment. The figure represents a single-stage flotation process with 400 mesh particle sizes measuring yield as a function of pH. No promoter was used, but 0.05 kg per ton of MIBC was added in the flotation. Flotation time was 10 minutes. Line 21 shows the nontreated coal and line 22 depicts the reduced yield of medium-volatile coal after conditioning with Oxone at 6K2/ton.
After Oxone conditioning, the flotability of high volatile bituminous coal and sub-bituminous coal is improved significantly. The medium volatile bituminous coal with a naturally strong flotability was slightly decreased, although the dosage of Oxone applied in the conditioning for the latter was less than that for the former. It is apparent that such effects are pH dependent. For example, activation of low rank coals by potassium monopersulfate occurs in an acidic pH region.
Sub-bituminous coal used in the study is extremely difficult to float regardless of the dosage of the promoter. After kerosene dosage is increased to 20 kilograms per ton from seven kilograms per ton, the coal still remains unfloatable (compare line 16 with line 17 in FIG. 3). In contrast, FIG. 3 also illustrates how flotation recovery is improved as the Oxone dosage in conditioning increases. Improvement of the flotation recovery by reaction of potassium monopersulfate at the coal surface is far beyond that which can be provided by kerosene.
Although the medium volatile bituminous coal is slightly depressed by Oxone conditioning, the floatability of this coal can easily be restored by adding a little kerosene during flotation. Further, the reduction in ash and sulfur for this coal by treatment with oxone is significant as shown in FIGS. 8 and 9 which will be discussed hereafter.
A major advantage of potassium monopersulfate for fine coal flotation is the improved ash rejection which develops during the flotation. This is apparent from FIGS. 5, 6, 7 and 8. FIG. 5 illustrates a single-stage flotation process where ash content is measured with respect to yield for high-volatile bituminous coal at different pH values. Coal particle size was approximately 400 mesh MIBC at 0.2 kg per ton and kerosene at 1.5 kg per ton were used in the flotation. Oxone conditioning was at 6.5 kg per ton. Line 33 represents processing at a pH of 5.5 with Oxone conditioning. Line 34 represents processing at a pH of 6.5 with Oxone conditioning, while the broken line 35 is the same without Oxone conditioning. Lines 36 and 37 depict processes at pH values of 7.8 and 9.5 respectively.
FIG. 6 illustrates cumulative ash versus yield for a single-stage rougher and single-stage cleaner process. Coal utilized in this process was the high-volatile bituminous coal and 400 mesh particle size 1.5 kg per ton of kerosene and 0.2 kg per ton of MIBC were used in the flotation stage at a pH of 5.0. Line 40 represents lowest ash accumulation with Oxone dosage levels at 18.75 and 12.50 kg per ton. Line 41 shows less improved ash rejection at 6.25 kg per ton of Oxone. Line 42 depicts poorest ash rejection where no Oxone conditioning step was applied.
FIG. 7 compares the ash content for sub-bituminous coal in a one-step flotation process. pH for both conditioning and flotation was held to 3-4. MIBC and Kerosene were used in the flotation stage at 0.5 and 7 kg per ton respectively. Line 45 shows the high contamination by ash without Oxone conditioning in accordance with the present invention. Line 46 illustrates the dramatic improvement with 100 kg per ton of Oxone to condition the coal prior to flotation.
Finally FIG. 8 shows the ash content of the clean coal product for single stage flotation of medium-volatile bituminous coal as a function of pH with and without Oxone treatment at particle size of about 400 mesh, 0.05 kg/ton MIBC, and 0.5 kg/ton kerosene Flotation time is 15 minutes and the yield is controlled at 75-80%. Again a significant reduction in ash is evident by comparison of line 47 with line 48, representing nontreated and oxone treated coals respectively.
It can be readily seen that the ash contents of all clean coal products from the Oxone conditioning process are much less than that from conventional flotation. The effect of Oxone on ash rejection is also pH dependent. As can be seen from FIGS. 5 and 8, the ash content in the clean coal products falls with decreasing pH.
The scope of the improvement in ash rejection by utilizing potassium monopersulfate in comparison with conventional flotation is related to the coal rank and the dosage of the Oxone. The ash rejection for high volatile bituminous coal is improved as the dosage of Oxone in the conditioning step increases, but becomes stable when such a dosage is beyond 12.5 kilograms per ton (FIG. 6) under circumstances described above For medium volatile bituminous coal, significant improvement in ash rejection is obtained even when Oxone utilized in the conditioning process is at three kilograms per ton.
Still another benefit of applying potassium monopersulfate in fine coal flotation is pyritic sulfur reduction in the clean coal product as illustrated in FIGS. 9 and 10. FIG. 9 graphically depicts the effect of conditioning on pyritic sulfur rejection from the medium-volatile bituminous coal in a single-stage flotation process. Particle size of the coal was 400 mesh, with 0.05 kg per ton of MIBC and 0.5 kg per ton of kerosene being used at pH of 5.5. Improvement .in sulfur rejection is shown by line 51 for coal conditioned at 3.3 kg per ton, as compared to absence of treatment shown in line 50. FIG. 10 gives the same trend of improved pyritic sulfur rejection for Pittsburgh coal when the peroxy compound is used for conditioning. Line 53 represents the untreated coal and Line 54 depicts reduced pyritic sulfur content when the coal is conditioned with Oxone at 17 kg/ton.
The effects of potassium monopersulfate on coal flotability, ash rejection and sulfur rejection may be due to unique oxidation reactions at the coal and pyrite surfaces. The standard electrode potential of monopersulfate is -1.44 volts for the reaction:
HSO.sub.4 +H.sub.2 O--HSO.sub.5 +2H.sup.+ +2e.sup.-
Due to this high potential, many hydrocarbon, hydroxyl, carbonyl, and sulfur compounds can react with Oxone and be transformed to other compounds.
As was previously mentioned, these results were unexpected and lead to the conclusion that such unique oxidation reactions increase the hydrophobicity and flotability of high- volatile bituminous and other low rank coals.
Although the actual mechanism for the reactions occurring has not been established, it is clear from FIG. 1 that the change in flotability for high-volatile bituminous coal caused by Oxone conditioning is because the coal particles become more hydrophobic after treatment. This is confirmed by the fact that the bubble attachment time of Oxone-conditioned high volatile bituminous coal particles is significantly less than that of untreated particles.
Bubble attachment time is defined as the time required for the disjoining water film between the solid phase and gas phase to reach a thickness such that rupture of the water film and true attachment of the solid phase with the gas phase takes place. The shorter the bubble attachment time, the higher the hydrophobicity of the coal.
Such an increase in the hydrophobic characteristics will facilitate the separation of coal particles from mineral matter during flotation. However, improvement of ash rejection by Oxone conditioning in flotation, in comparison with conventional flotation is not solely due to this effect. Ash removal by the Oxone conditioning process for medium-volatile bituminous coal is also improved, although its flotability is reduced after Oxone conditioning, as can be seen from FIG. 4.
The basic process of the present invention is represented in block diagram form in FIG. 11. Coal 60 is introduced for processing with initial size reduction 61. Typically, this size will be within the range of less than 100 mesh. Grinding if necessary is generally done in a suspension of coal in water at 10% to 40% solids. 50% has been effective in experimentation to date The coal is then subjected to the conditioning step 62 involving the appropriate reagents as previously set forth. The remaining steps of the treatment involve conventional flotation. The block diagram illustrates a two stage procedure, with the second stage 63 shown in the broken lines.
With regard to super clean or compliance coal production for power generation, the present invention has multiple advantages over any other process available at the present time. First, mature and conventional froth flotation with a high productive capacity can be readily adopted with slight modification in process. The requirement for development of a large scale production facility and high capital expenditure is thus virtually eliminated.
Secondly, the additional cost incurred by the process is mostly the cost of the chemicals, which is determined by the coal rank, the clean-coal product specifications and the type of compounds as previously discussed. At the present time, the cost is expected to be only several dollars per ton for medium or high-volatile bituminous coal of a high rank where Oxone is used. Further reduction in cost can be made by modification of the oxidants and as the process is further optimized.
Thirdly, these compounds are originally applied for other industrial and civil purposes such as swimming pools, cleaning and laundry bleach. These compounds have a low-order of toxicity. Accordingly, no special investment for equipment with regard to safety and environmental needs are contemplated. Finally, these compounds are compatible with many other compounds and chemicals. Such special requirements on clean coal product and further breakdown on cost can thus be achieved by reason of this compatibility.
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A method for separating ash and sulfur (including pyritic sulfur) contaminants from coal in a flotation process. The method comprises the steps of grinding the coal to small particlate size, forming a slurry of the ground coal and mixing the slurry with at least one compound selected from the group consisting of peroxy compounds, peroxides and superoxides the preferred compound being oxone which is a mixture of potassium monopersulfate, potassium hydrogen sulfate and potassium sulfate. This slurry is allowed to react to condition the particulate coal and develop increased hydrophobicity for the coal while depressing the sulfur contaminants and ash during froth flotation.
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This is a continuation of application Ser. No. 824,247, filed Aug. 12, 1977.
BACKGROUND AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to variable ratio frictional drive gears of the kind comprising basically two axially spaced torus discs or rotors, one serving as an input and the other an output, between which there is a set of circumferentially spaced drive rollers in frictional rolling contact with part toroidal surfaces on the discs, each roller being rotatably mounted in a bearing structure which can tilt about an axis at right angles to the axis of rotation of each roller so as to vary the distances from the gear axis at which the roller engages the two discs respectively, thus varying the drive ratio of the gear. The angle of tilt of the roller bearing structure as it controls the drive ratio of the gear, is called the ratio angle.
One way of changing the ratio angle is to provide means to apply a force to each of the roller bearing structures to move it generally tangentially with respect to the gear axis, and by allowing the rollers then to steer themselves towards a different ratio angle. The rollers are each mounted in their bearing structures in such a way that they are inclined at an angle to a plane perpendicular to the gear axis. This angle is called the caster angle. Gears of this general construction are referred to as gears with tangentially controlled roller bearing structures. Such a drive gear will for convenience herein be described as being of the kind specified.
This invention is particularly, though not exclusively, concerned with gears in which the plane of each roller, normal to the axis of rotation of the roller and passing through the points of contact of the roller with the two opposed torus discs, contains the axis about which the roller tilts, being tangential to the torus centre circle (i.e. the locus of the centre of the circle revolved to generate the torus) as distinct from gears in which the same plane for each roller is closer to the main axis of rotation of the gear.
The input must rotate in the direction in which it tends to drag each roller against the control force which controls the tangential position of the rollers. The caster angle must be such that each roller tilt axis is inclined away from the input disc in the direction of movement of the disc. This criterion arises out of the fact that stable operation at any given ratio angle occurs when the axis of rotation of each roller passes through the gear axis. Unless the caster angle is as just described, tangential displacement of a roller (by virtue of an increase or decrease in the load on the gear or in controlling fluid pressure) will result in the torus discs producing a steering force on the roller which will tilt the roller in the direction opposite to that which is required to move the roller axis back to intersect the gear axis, so that the roller will be moved away from, instead of towards, its new stable position.
In general, the larger the caster angle, the more stably the rollers tend to maintain their ratio angles and consequently the more reliably the apparatus operates. This is of particular importance when the apparatus is run at very high rotational speeds, perhaps up to 20,000 revolutions per minute, though there are operating conditions in which maximising the caster angle is not so important.
There have, in the past, been many attempts to achieve ease of adjustment of the rollers with reliable operation of the apparatus, that is with minimum wear and maximum power transmission from the input to the output, and while many of them are satisfactory, most have some short comings, being, particularly, not well suited for all operating conditions, though good in some.
It is the object of this invention to provide a transmission system of the kind specified in which the efficiency is maximised for a wide range of operating conditions.
According to the invention there is provided a transmission system of the kind specified wherein the means for moving each of the roller bearing structures generally tangentially of the gear axis is arranged to apply a force to said structure, said force being in a direction non-parallel with respect to the plane which is perpendicular to the gear axis, there being means for accommodating effective movement of the roller bearing axes relatively to the gear axis, in a direction parallel to the gear axis.
The invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:-
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view showing a transmission system constructed in accordance with the invention,
FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of the rotors and rollers as seen in the direction of the arrow 2 in FIG. 1 and partly in cross-section,
FIG. 3 is a fragmentary and diagrammatic view of an alternative construction, and
FIG.4 is a fragmentary view of a further alternative form.
DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
The transmission system is principally designed for use in driving aircraft accessories and in particular an alternator. The alternator is driven from an aircraft main engine but is required to be rotated at constant speed. The transmission is therefore designed for variable input speed, but constant output speed. It is however, to be understood that transmission incorporating the invention as herein defined can be used in transmission of this sort with other operating characteristics including constant input and variable output speed and variable input as well as output speeds.
Referring first to FIG. 1, the general layout of the transmission is illustrated. The system includes a variable ratio drive unit having three rotors 10, 11, 12 which have respective part toroidal surfaces 10a, 11a, and 12a and 12b respectively. The rotor 12, is situated mid-way between the rotors 10 and 11, and is provided with its part toroidal surfaces 12a, 12b, on opposite axially presented sides thereof. The rotor 10 has its part toroidal surface 10a presented towards the surface 12a, and similarly the surface 11a of the rotor 11 is presented towards the surface 12b of the central rotor 12. The rotors 10, 11 are input rotors and the rotor 12 is an output rotor. However, the system will operate perfectly satisfactorily with the rotors 10, 11 as output and the input is the rotor 12. Situated between the rotors 10, 12 and 11, 12 are respective sets of flat rollers 13, 14. These are rotatable in a manner which will be described and are for this purpose carried in respective bearings 15, 16. The rollers are shown in FIG. 1 in positions in which they engage the respective surfaces 10a, 12a, and 11a, 12b, at different distances from the axis of rotation of the rotors 10, 11, 12. Such axis is identified at 17. The rotors 10, 11, are carried non-rotatably upon a hollow shaft 18. This is supported on suitable fixed structure 22 by means of bearings 19, 20 situated near its opposite ends respectively.
The input rotor 10 has on its external periphery, gear teeth 23, engaging with a gear ring 24, on a hollow stepped shaft 25. This hollow stepped shaft is mounted for rotation about an axis 26, parallel with the axis 17. Connecting the hollow stepped shaft 25, with a surrounding sleeve 27, is a clutch 28. The sleeve 27, has gear teeth 29, meshing with a gear (not shown) which drives auxiliary equipment which forms no part of this invention.
The output rotor 12 has external gear teeth 30 and this represents the output of the drive unit.
Driving the shaft 18, through gear teeth 34, thereon is a gear wheel 35, which is carried on a further hollow sleeve 36. Between the sleeve 36, and an input shaft 37, with, at one end, dogs 38, is a coupling incorporating an intermediate slidable sleeve 39, and an element 40, which is arranged to melt and allow the sleeve 39 and hence the shaft 37 to move under the influence of springs 31 in the event of this part of the system reaching a temperature in excess of a predetermined value, to disconnect the input drive from the system. This forms the subject of co-pending British Patent Application No. 33909/76.
To load the rotors 10, 11, 12, and the rollers 13, 14 so as to maintain frictional contact between them, there is an end load device within a housing 41, secured by screws 42, to the rotor 11, at the side thereof remote from its part toroidal surface 11a. Defined within the space between the rotor 11, and the housing 41, are cavities 43, 44, for hydraulic fluid. Within the cavities are respective pistons 45, 46, mounted on the shaft 18. In the end of the shaft 18 is a rotary fluid joint 21 engaged in the fixed structure 22. Furthermore in this end of the shaft 18, are drillings 47, 48 for supply and exhaust of fluid to the cavities 43, 44. The passage 48 communicates with the joint 21 for supplying high pressure fluid fed at one side of each of the pistons 45 and 46. At the other side of the pistons 45 and 46 lower fluid pressure is fed from one of the two drillings 47 which are symmetrical for balance of the shaft. This end load device is the subject of co-pending British/Patent Application No. 33906/76.
FIG. 2, shows, on an enlarged scale, portions of the rotors 10, 11 and 12, and their respective surfaces 10a, 11a, 12a, and 12b. Also illustrated are two rollers 13 and 14. It is, however, to be understood that there are, in this example, three sets of the rollers 13, 14, each roller arranged as will be described and in each set being equally spaced apart by 120 degrees.
The bearings 15, 16 are carried in bearing structures 60, 61 which are mounted in a portion 49 of the fixed structure 22 of the system. In FIG. 2 is shown one pair of rollers controlled by respective control cylinders 50, 51 mounted in the portion 49. Each control cylinder contains a piston 52, 53 and has hydraulic supply passages indicated generally at 54, and 55, in the portion 49. The hydraulic supply is the same as that in the rotary joint 21 leading to the end loading device adjacent to the rotor 11.
The portion 49, also carries forked arms, two pairs of which are indicated in the drawing identified by numerals 56, 57, 58 and 59. The forked arms 56, 57 are associated with the control cylinders 50 and 51 respectively to control the rollers 13 and 14 respectively, as will be described. The forked arms 58 and 59 however, are each associated with another pair of the rollers (which are not illustrated).
The roller bearings 15, 16 are as previously described, mounted in bearing supports 60, 61 respectively. One end of each support structure 60, 61 is provided with a spherical end 62, 63, engaging in the piston 52, 53 respectively to provide articulated joints. The other end of each support 60, 61 has a cylindrical spigot 64, 65 extending lengthwise of the bearing support and engaging in the fork of the forked arm 56, 57 respectively.
In operation of this transmission system, with variable speed input the system automatically compensates for input speed change, this being achieved through the alteration in the ration angle of the rollers to provide constant speed at the output. The inclination of the rollers as seen in FIG. 1, regulates the ratio of the speed of the input rotors 10, 11 to the speed of the output rotor 12. As illustrated in full lines, rotation of the input rotors 10, 11 at a given speed will cause rotation of the output rotor 12, at a slower speed than said given speed. As indicated in dotted lines the opposite ratio characteristic can be achieved if the point of contact between the rollers on the input rotors 10, 11 is outside that on the surfaces 12a, 12b of the output rotor 12, If, however, the rollers engage the surfaces 10a, 11a, 12a and 12b at the same radial distance on each surface from the axis 17 of the shaft 18, the input and output rollers 10, 11, 12 will all rotate at the same speed. This represents a drive ratio of 1:1 between the input and the output of the system.
It is, however, necessary for stable running that the axis of each of the rollers 13, 14 must intersect the gear axis 17 which is the axis of the shaft 18. To change the ratio the rollers are moved tangentially and they will then steer to new ratio angle positions in which they are again stable, that is where they intersect with the gear axis as specified above. To achieve the ratio change the control cylinders 50, 51, containing their pistons 52, 53 are actuated. These are shown in FIG. 2 to be arranged to move the bearing supports 60, 61 in general directions which are non-parallel or inclined at acute angles with respect to a plane indicated at 66, which is perpendicular to the gear axis 17, the latter being the axis of rotation of the shaft 18, and of the rotors 10, 11, 12. The inclination of the axes of the pistons and cylinders 52, 50, and 53, 51 are opposite to one another in each adjacent pair, as indicated in FIG. 2. Actuation of these pistons and control cylinders therefore move the axes of the rollers 13, 14, in directions which are substantially tangential with respect to the points of contact of the rollers, with respective part toroidal surfaces 10a, 11a, 12a and 12b. Such generally tangential movement of the rollers is accompanied by steering of the rollers about the centres of the spherical ends 62, 63 in order that the rollers may take up positions in which their rotational axes again intersect with the axis 17. It is, however, necessary to provide for change in the positions of the roller axes in a direction lengthwise of the axis 17, and this is accomplished by movement of the spigots 64, 65 in the forked arms 56, 57 respectively. The spigots 64, 65 are furthermore of cylindrical form so that, with the spherical ends, they permit angular movement of the bearing supports 60, 61 with respect to said arms. In making such provision for movement of the bearing supports in direction lengthwise of the axis 17, the inclination of the bearing supports with respect to the plane 66 changes. This inclination is the caster angle and consequently the caster angle will change as the ratio of speeds between the input and output rotors changes.
Preferably, the higher the rotational speed induced in the output rotor 12, the greater the caster angle should be, for improved stability in the system at high rotational speeds. which may be of the order of 20,000 revolutions per minute.
In an alternative example shown in FIG. 3, the forked arms do not provide for sliding movement of the spigots so that the positions of the roller axes do not change axially with respect to the shaft axis 17. In such cases it it necessary to provide for axial sliding movement of rotors 70, 72, that is at least one of the input rotors 70 or output rotor 72. Such movement occurs in a direction lengthwise of the axis 17, about which these rotors rotate. End loading of the rotor 72 is provided by applying hydraulic fluid in a chamber 73 behind that rotor 72, to react against a plate 74. Hydraulic fluid enters this chamber through a passage 75 in a hub 76 mounted in a bearing 77. The passage 75 has a wider end in which the end of a fixed pipe 78 is slidably engaged. The rotor 70 has a hub 79 mounted in a bearing 80. The bearings 77,80 are concentric. The whole assembly of the rotors 70, 72, plate 74, rollers 69 is movable axially so that the varying distance between the rotors, as the rollers are adjusted can be accommodated, as indicated by the arrow 81.
In another form shown in FIG. 4, the bearing supports are supported only at their ends at which the pistons are provided, the spherical ends 62. 63 being substituted by cylindrical end 82. With this arrangement the bearing support 83 can move only about an axis lengthwise and co-planar with the piston axis. Again the rotors are arranged to move axially.
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A transmission system including two axially spaced torus discs or rotors, one serving as an input and the other as an output and between which there is a set of circumferentially spaced drive rollers in frictional rolling contact with part toroidal surfaces on the discs, each roller being mounted in a bearing structure which can tilt about an axis at right angles to the axis of rotation of each roller to vary the distances from the gear axis at which the roller engages the two discs respectively to vary the ratio of the gear, means being provided for moving each roller bearing structure generally tangentially of the gear axis, and arranged to apply a force to said structure in a direction non-parallel with respect to the plane which is perpendicular to the gear axis and there being means for accommodating the effective movement of the roller bearing axes relatively to the gear axis in a direction parallel to the gear axis.
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FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The present invention provides a novel process for the preparation of gemifloxacin and its pharmaceutically acceptable acid addition salts in high yield. The present invention also relates to novel polymorphs of gemifloxacin free base and its hydrates to the processes for their preparation and to pharmaceutical compositions comprising them. The present invention also relates to infusion solutions of gemifloxacin and to processes for their preparation.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] U.S. Pat. No. 5,633,262 disclosed a novel quinoline(naphthyridine) carboxylic acid derivatives and pharmaceutically acceptable salts thereof. These compounds are antibacterial agents. Among them gemifloxacin, chemically 7-[3-(Aminomethyl)-4-(methoxyimino)-1-prrolidinyl]-1-cyclopropyl-6-fluoro-1,4-dihydro-4-oxo-1,8-naphthyridine-3-carboxylic acid is a third generation fluorinated quinolone antibacterial agent. Gemifloxacin is represented by the following structure:
[0000]
[0003] Processes for the preparations of gemifloxacin and related compounds were disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,633,262 and PCT Patent Publication No. WO 01/18002 A1.
[0004] One object of the present invention is to provide a novel process for preparing gemifloxacin and pharmaceutically acceptable acid addition salts of gemifloxacin in high yield using novel intermediates.
[0005] Another object of the present invention is to provide a process for the preparation of amorphous gemifloxacin.
[0006] Another object of the present invention is to provide novel hydrates of gemifloxacin, processes for preparing them and pharmaceutical compositions comprising them.
[0007] Another object of the present invention is to provide a novel crystalline gemifloxacin lactic acid salt, process for preparing it and a pharmaceutical composition comprising it.
[0008] Another object of the present invention is to provide a novel crystalline gemifloxacin formic acid salt, process for preparing it and a pharmaceutical composition comprising it.
[0009] Another object of the present invention is to provide a process for the preparation of infusion solutions of gemifloxacin.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0010] According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a novel process for preparing gemifloxacin of formula I:
[0000]
[0000] or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof:
which comprises:
a) reacting 7-chloro-1-cyclopropyl-6-fluoro-4-oxo-1,4-dihydro-1,8-naphthyridine-3-carboxylic acid of formula II:
[0000]
with boric acid of formula III:
[0000]
in presence of acetic anhydride and acetic acid to give borane compound of formula IV:
[0000]
b) reacting the borane compound of formula IV with 4-aminomethyl-3-methoxyimino-pyrrolidine of formula V:
[0000]
[0015] to give the compound of formula VI:
[0000]
c) treating the compound of formula VI with an alkaline metal hydroxide, carbonate or bicarbonate to obtain gemifloxacin of formula I and optionally converted gemifloxacin formed into a pharmaceutically acceptable acid addition salts of gemifloxacin.
[0017] Borane compound of the formula IV and VI are novel and forms part of the invention.
[0018] Preferably the reaction in step (a) is carried out at about 30° C. to reflux temperature more preferably at about 80° C. to reflux temperature and still more preferably at reflux temperature.
[0019] Preferably, the borane compound of formula IV formed is isolated as solid by conventional means.
[0020] Preferably the reaction in step (b) is carried out at about 15-100° C., more preferably at about 30-80° C. and still more preferably at about 50-60° C.
[0021] Preferably the reaction in step (b) is carried out in a solvent selected from hydrocarbon solvents such as n-hexane, n-heptane and cyclohexane; chlorinated hydrocarbon solvents such as methylene chloride, ethylene chloride and chloroform, acetonitrile, tetrahydrofuran, 1,4-dioxane and a mixture thereof and more preferable solvent is acetonitrile.
[0022] The compound of formula V in step (b) may be used as free base or as an acid addition salt form. If the compound of formula V is used as an acid addition salt, it is preferred to convert the salt to the free base before reacting with the compound of formula IV.
[0023] Preferable alkaline metal hydroxide used in step (c) is sodium hydroxide or potassium hydroxide; preferable alkaline metal carbonate is sodium carbonate or potassium carbonate; and preferable alkaline metal bicarbonate is sodium bicarbonate or potassium bicarbonate. More preferable alkaline metal hydroxide is aqueous sodium hydroxide.
[0024] The compounds of formulae II and V are known and can be obtained from known procedures.
[0025] According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a process for preparation of amorphous gemifloxacin, which comprises:
a) preparing a solution of gemifloxacin in dimethyl formamide or methylene chloride; and b) isolating amorphous gemifloxacin from the solution.
[0028] The amorphous gemifloxacin is characterized by having broad X-ray diffraction spectrum as in FIG. 1 .
[0029] The isolation may be initiated by a method usually known in the art such as cooling, seeding, partial removal of the solvent from the solution, addition of precipitating solvent or a combination thereof.
[0030] Preferably, isolation may be carried out by cooling or by using a precipitating solvent to obtain amorphous gemifloxacin. Typical X-ray diffraction spectrum of amorphous gemifloxacin is shown in FIG. 1 .
[0031] According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a novel gemifloxacin hemihydrate.
[0032] According to another aspect of the present invention, a process is provided for preparation of gemifloxacin hemihydrate, which comprises drying wet gemifloxacin at 40-100° C., preferably at 50-70° C. till the water content is reduced to 1.8-2.4% by weight. The control on the drying is required for the product not to be contaminated with other hydrate forms of gemifloxacin or anhydride gemifloxacin.
[0033] According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a novel crystalline gemifloxacin monohydrate;
[0034] According to another aspect of the present invention, a process is provided for preparation of gemifloxacin monohydrate, which comprises drying wet gemifloxacin at 40-100° C., preferably at 50-70° C. till the water content is reduced to 4.0-5.0% by weight. The control on the drying is required for the product not to be contaminated with other hydrate forms of gemifloxacin or anhydride gemifloxacin.
[0035] According to another aspect of the present invention, a process is provided for preparation of gemifloxacin sesquihydrate, which comprises drying wet gemifloxacin at 40-100° C., preferably at 50-70° C. till the water content is reduced to 5.8-6.5% by weight. The control on the drying is required for the product not to be contaminated with other hydrate forms of gemifloxacin or anhydride gemifloxacin.
[0036] The gemifloxacin hemihydrate, gemifloxacin monohydrate, gemifloxacin sesquihydrate may be converted to amorphous gemifloxacin using the hydrates as starting materials in the process for preparing amorphous gemifloxacin.
[0037] The wet gemifloxacin may be obtained by crystallizing gemifloxacin from aqueous medium.
[0038] According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a novel crystalline form of gemifloxacin lactic acid salt, designated as gemifloxacin lactate, characterized by an x-ray powder diffraction spectrum having peaks expressed as 2θ at about 7.4, 7.7, 8.2, 9.1, 12.4, 18.5, 19.8, 23.6, 25.7 and 26.8 degrees. FIG. 2 shows typical X-ray powder diffraction spectrum of gemifloxacin lactate.
[0039] According to another aspect of the present invention, a process is provided for preparation of gemifloxacin lactate, which comprises contacting gemifloxacin with lactic acid. Preferably lactic acid or a solution of lactic acid is added to a solution of gemifloxacin. Gemifloxacin lactate may be isolated as a crystalline solid by conventional means.
[0040] The solvent used for preparing the solution of gemifloxacin is selected from the group consisting of chlorinated hydrocarbon solvents such as methylene chloride, ethylene chloride and chloroform, alcoholic solvents such as methanol, ethanol, isopropyl alcohol, tert-butyl alcohol and a mixture thereof. More preferable solvent is methylene chloride, ethanol and a mixture thereof.
[0041] According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a novel crystalline form of gemifloxacin formic salt, designated as gemifloxacin formate.
[0042] According to another aspect of the present invention, a process is provided for preparation of gemifloxacin formate, which comprises contacting gemifloxacin with formic acid. Preferably formic acid or a solution of formic acid is added to a solution of gemifloxacin. Gemifloxacin formate may be isolated as a crystalline solid by conventional means.
[0043] The solvent used for preparing the solution of gemifloxacin is selected from the group consisting of chlorinated hydrocarbon solvents such as methylene chloride, ethylene chloride and chloroform, alcoholic solvents such as methanol, ethanol, isopropyl alcohol and tert-butyl alcohol and a mixture thereof. More preferable solvent is methylene chloride, ethanol and a mixture thereof.
[0044] The novel gemifloxacin hydrates may be used in pharmaceutical preparations. The pharmaceutical applications of gemifloxacin and its salts are described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,633,262 and PCT patent publication No. WO 01/18002 A1, which are incorporated here in by reference.
[0045] According to another aspect of the present invention there is provided a pharmaceutical composition comprising crystalline gemifloxacin hemihydate and a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier.
[0046] According to another aspect of the present invention there is provided a pharmaceutical composition comprising crystalline gemifloxacin monohydate and a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier.
[0047] According to another aspect of the present invention there is provided a pharmaceutical composition comprising crystalline gemifloxacin sesquihydate and a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier.
[0048] According to another aspect of the present invention there is provided a pharmaceutical composition comprising crystalline gemifloxacin lactate and a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier.
[0049] According to another aspect of the present invention there is provided a pharmaceutical composition comprising crystalline gemifloxacin formate and a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier.
[0050] According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided infusion solutions of gemifloxacin which contain 0.015 to 0.5 gm of gemifloxacin per 100 ml of aqueous solution and an amount of a physiologically tolerated acid which suffices to dissolve the gemifloxacin and to stabilize the solution and, where appropriate, customary formulating auxiliaries.
[0051] Preferably, the infusion solutions contain an amount of physiologically tolerated acid, which suffices to dissolve the gemifloxacin and to stabilize the solution, of one or more acid(s) from the group comprising hydrochloric acid, methanesulfonic acid, propionic acid, succinic acid, glutaric acid, citric acid, fumaric acid, maleic acid, tartaric acid, glutamic acid, gluconic acid, glucuronic acid, galacturonic acid, ascorbic acid, phosphoric acid, nitric acid, acetic acid, maleic acid, L-aspartic acid and lactic acid.
[0052] Preferable physiologically tolerated acid is lactic acid, hydrochloric acid or a mixture thereof. More preferable physiologically tolerated acid is lactic acid.
[0053] More preferably, the infusion solutions which contain 0.015 to 0.5 gm of the gemifloxacin per 100 ml of aqueous solution and, depending on the gemifloxacin concentration, up to 5.0 moles, in particular 0.9 to 5.0 moles, and particularly preferably 1.04 to 2.20 moles, relative to 1 mole of gemifloxacin, of one or more physiologically tolerated acids, and where several acids are present their total content does not exceed the amount of 5.0 moles, relative to 1 mole of gemifloxacin.
[0054] The infusion solutions according to the invention have a pH of 3.0 to 5.2. pH values from 3.6 to 4.7 and 3.9 to 4.5 are preferred. pH values in the range from 4.1 to 4.3 are very particularly preferred.
[0055] The particularly preferable infusion solution of gemifloxacin which, apart from gemifloxacin, water and other formulating auxiliaries, contain, depending on the amount of gemifloxacin, 0.99 to 1.50 moles, preferably 1.04 to 1.40 moles, of lactic acid and 0.0 to 0.80 moles of hydrochloric acid (in each case relative to 1 mole of gemifloxacin), and, relative to 100 ml of solution, 0.6 to 2.2 g of NaCl, preferably 0.75 to 1.20 gm, in particular 0.85 to 0.95 g of NaCl. The solutions thus obtained have osmolalities which differ according to the amount of sodium chloride and gemifloxacin concentration. The osmolalities relating to the amounts of sodium chloride listed above are 0.2 to 0.7, 0.26 to 0.39 and 0.28 to 0.32 Osm/Kg of solution respectively. Corresponding values can also be adjusted using other isotonicizing agents or mixtures thereof, as indicated above. Depending on the gemifloxacin and acid concentration, small differences from these osmolalities are perfectly possible.
[0056] The infusion solutions according to the invention can be in the form of dosage units, suitable for infusion, with removable contents of 40 to 600 ml, preferably 50 to 120 ml.
[0057] According to another aspect of the present invention, a process is provided for preparation of infusion solutions, which comprises mixing a suitable amount of the gemifloxacin, where appropriate in the form of a salt, such as an alkali metal or alkaline earth metal salt or addition salt, of a hydrate or of a hydrate of the salt, or in the form of mixtures of these salts or hydrates, with the amount of a physiologically tolerated acid or of a mixture of several physiologically tolerated acids which, in relation to the amount which just suffices to dissolve the gemifloxacin or its salts or hydrates, represents an excess preventing separation out of the gemifloxacin, adding, where appropriate, formulating auxiliaries, and making up with water or a customary infusion vehicle solutions in such a manner that the concentration of the gemifloxacin is adjusted to the range from 0.015 to 0.5 gm.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0058] FIG. 1 shows typical X-ray powder diffraction spectrum of amorphous gemifloxacin.
[0059] FIG. 2 shows typical X-ray powder diffraction spectrum of crystalline gemifloxacin lactate.
[0060] X-Ray powder diffraction spectrum was measured on a Bruker axs D8 advance x-ray powder diffractometer having a Copper-Kα radiation. Approximately 1 gm of sample was gently flattened on a sample holder and scanned from 2 to 50 degrees two-theta, at 0.03 degrees two-theta per step and a step time of 0.5 seconds. The sample was simply placed on the sample holder. The sample was rotated at 30 rpm at a voltage 40 KV and current 35 mA.
[0061] The invention will now be further described by the following example, which is illustrative rather than limiting.
EXAMPLE 1
[0062] Acetic anhydride (35.5 ml) and acetic acid (16.5 ml) are added to boric acid (3.5 gm), heated to reflux and then the contents are stirred for 3 hours at the same temperature. 7-Chloro-1-cyclopropyl-6-fluoro-4-oxo-1,4-dihydro-1,8-naphthyridine-3-carboxylic acid (27 gm) is added to the reaction mass and refluxed for 2 hours. Then toluene (200 ml) is added, cooled to 25-30° C. and distilled off the solvent under vacuum. Again toluene (200 ml) is added to the reaction mass, cooled to 5-10° C. and the separated solid is filtered and dried to give 38 gm of borane compound of formula IV (HPLC Purity: 90%).
[0063] To the suspension of 4-Aminomethyl-3-methoxyimino-pyrrolidinium dimethanesulfonate (63.5 gm) in acetonitrile (125 ml) is added triethylamine (75 gm) and stirred for 30 minutes at 25-30° C. and then added borane compound (obtained above) to the contents. The contents are heated to 50-60° C. and stirred for 4 hours at the same temperature. Then distilled off the solvent under reduced pressure, cooled to 25-30° C., water (350 ml) is added and stirred for 10 minutes at 25-30° C. Filtered the compound and washed with water (50 ml). To the compound acetonitrile (100 ml) and 3.5% sodium hydroxide solution (250 ml) are added and stirred for 1 hour to form a clear solution. Then the pH of the solution is adjusted to 3.4 with 1N hydrochloric acid (25 ml) and the separated solid is stirred for 15 minutes. Filtered the material, washed with water (60 ml) to obtain wet gemifloxacin (HPLC purity: 99.8%).
[0064] The wet gemifloxacin is dried at 50-55° C. to constant weight to obtain 31.6 gm anhydride gemifloxacin free base (HPLC Purity: 99.7%).
EXAMPLE 2
[0065] Anhydride gemifloxacin free base (10 gm, obtained in example 1) is added to dimethylformamide (300 ml) at 25-35° C., the contents are heated to 75-80° C. and stirred for 1 hours at the same temperature to form a clear solution. The reaction mass is cooled to 25-35° C. Then the separated solid is filtered, washed with diisopropyl ether (50 ml) and dried at 50-55° C. to give 5.2 gm of amorphous gemifloxacin free base (HPLC Purity: 99.92%).
EXAMPLE 3
[0066] Gemifloxacin free base (3 gm) is added to methylene dichloride (450 ml) and stirred for 20 minutes at the 25-35° C. to form a clear solution. Then added diisopropyl ether (900 ml) and stirred for 1 hour at the same temperature. The reaction mass is cooled to 10° C. Then stirred for 10 minutes at 10-15° C. and the separated solid is filtered, washed with diisopropyl ether (15 ml) and dried at 50-55° C. for 2 hours to give 2 gm of amorphous gemifloxacin free base (HPLC Purity: 99.8%).
EXAMPLE 4
[0067] Gemifloxacin free base (3 gm) is added to methylene dichloride (65 ml) at 25-30° C., ethanol (20 ml) is added to form a clear solution. To the solution, lactic acid (0.6 ml) is added at 25-30° C., stirred for 1 hour and then cooled to 10° C. Filtered the solid and dried at 50-55° C. to give 3 gm of gemifloxacin lactate (HPLC Purity: 99.93%).
EXAMPLE 5
[0068] Gemifloxacin free base (3 gm) is added to methylene dichloride (65 ml) at 25-30° C., ethanol (20 ml) is added to form a clear solution. To the solution, formic acid (0.4 ml) is added at 25-30° C., stirred for 1 hour and then cooled to 10° C. Filtered the solid and dried at 50-55° C. to give 2.6 gm of gemifloxacin formate (HPLC Purity: 99.93%).
EXAMPLE 6
[0069] The wet gemifloxacin (2 gm obtained in example 1) is dried under vacuum at 50-55° C. until the water content is reduced to 2.0% to obtain gemifloxacin hemihydrate (HPLC Purity: 99.92%).
EXAMPLE 7
[0070] The wet gemifloxacin (2 gm obtained in example 1) is dried under vacuum at 50-55° C. until the water content is reduced to 4.8% to obtain gemifloxacin monohydrate (HPLC Purity: 99.90%).
EXAMPLE 8
[0071] The wet gemifloxacin (2 gm obtained in example 1) is dried under vacuum at 50-55° C. until the water content is reduced to 6.1% to obtain gemifloxacin sesquihydrate (HPLC Purity: 99.93%).
EXAMPLE 9
[0072] The compositions of gemifloxacin infusion solution is as follows.
[0000]
Formulation
Composition
Gemifloxacin
70
mg
Lactic acid 20% (w/w)
144.3
mg
Hydrochloric acid
1.5
mg
Sodium chloride
5.4
gm
Water
600.0
ml
pH
approx. 4.3
Osm:
approx. 0.29
Osm/kg
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The present invention provides a novel process for the preparation of gemifloxacin and its pharmaceutically acceptable acid addition salts in high yield. The present invention also relates to novel polymorphs of gemifloxacin free base and its hydrates to the processes for their preparation and to pharmaceutical compositions comprising them. The present invention also relates to infusion solutions of gemifloxacin and to processes for their preparation. Thus, 7-chloro-1-cyclopropyl-6-fluoro-4-oxo-1,4-dihydro-1,8-naphth-yridine-3-carboxylic acid is reacted with a mixture of acetic anhydride, acetic acid and boric acid to give borane compound, which is then treated with 4-Aminomethyl-3-methoxyimino-pyrrolidinium dimethanesulfonate in presence of triethylamine, followed by treatment with 3.5% sodium hydroxide solution to give gemifloxacin free base.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] 1. Field of the Invention
[0002] The present invention relates to a controller-characteristic changing apparatus, a storage device, a controller-characteristic changing method, and a computer product.
[0003] 2. Description of the Related Art
[0004] Sometimes resonance occurs in the internal mechanism (the unit including a head and an actuator arm, for example) of a disk apparatus. The performance of the entire apparatus including a host computer from drops when such resonance occurs. One approach is to change a controller characteristic of a controller that controls a disk driving unit (a unit including a head and an actuator arm) in a disk apparatus.
[0005] Specifically, when the resonance occurs, a head that is hovering above the disk with a minute gap therebetween is influenced by the resonance, making it likely to cause a read fault and a write fault on the disk. For example, when a write fault occurs, the disk apparatus normally repeats the execution of a retry process of writing on the disk apparatus. The repetitive execution of such a retry process results in a longer time for a command process to be performed in the host computer of the disk apparatus. This leads to a drop in the performance of the entire apparatus including the host computer.
[0006] As a solution to this problem, there has been proposed; a method of changing a controller characteristic of a controller that controls a disk driving unit in a disk apparatus. For example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2004-503893 discloses a method of changing a controller characteristic of a controller that controls a disk driving unit to reduce the influence of resonance that is caused by resonance of an actuator arm. Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2000-298958 discloses a method of changing a controller characteristic of a controller that controls a disk driving unit to reduce the influence of resonance that is caused by deterioration of the disk driving unit.
[0007] With the conventional techniques, the influence of an external vibration caused by an external factor cannot be reduced. That is, when an external vibration caused by an external factor occurs in a disk apparatus, a read fault and a write fault to a disk are likely to occur, thus resulting in lower performance of the entire apparatus including the host computer. However, the methods disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-open Nos. 2004-503893 and 2000-298958 merely change the controller characteristic based on resonance or deterioration of a component in the disk apparatus, or simply change the controller characteristic that effectively reduce the influence of resonance, so that the influence of an external vibration caused by an external factor cannot be reduced.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0008] It is an object of the present invention to at least partially solve the problems in the conventional technology.
[0009] According to an aspect of the present invention, a controller-characteristic changing apparatus that changes a controller characteristic of a controller that controls positioning of a head that performs at least one of data writing and data reading with respect to a storage medium, includes an vibration detector that detects whether the head is subjected to external vibration due to an external factor; a first changing unit that, when the vibration detector detects the external vibration while the controller is controlling the positioning of the head according to a positioning-oriented controller characteristic that takes an accuracy of positioning the head into account, changes the positioning-oriented controller characteristic to a vibration-reducing controller characteristic that improves a reduction effect of vibration of a low frequency band; and a second changing unit that, when the vibration detector detects absence of the external vibration while the controller is controlling the positioning of the head according to the vibration-reducing controller characteristic, changes the vibration-reducing controller characteristic to the positioning-oriented controller characteristic.
[0010] According to another aspect of the present invention, a storage device including a controller that controls positioning of a head that performs at least one of data writing and data reading with respect to a storage medium, based on a controller characteristic, includes an vibration detector that detects whether the head is subjected to external vibration due to an external factor; a first changing unit that, when the vibration detector detects the external vibration while the-controller is controlling the positioning of the head according to a positioning-oriented controller characteristic that takes an accuracy of positioning the head into account, changes the positioning-oriented controller characteristic to a vibration-reducing controller characteristic that improves a reduction effect of vibration of a low frequency band; and a second changing unit that, when the vibration detector detects absence of the external vibration while the controller is controlling the positioning of the head according to the vibration-reducing controller characteristic, changes the vibration-reducing controller characteristic to the positioning-oriented controller characteristic.
[0011] According to still another aspect of the present invention, a method of changing a controller characteristic of a controller that controls positioning of a head that performs at least one of data writing and data reading with respect to a storage medium, includes detecting whether the head is subjected to external vibration due to an external factor; changing, when the vibration detector detects the external vibration while the controller is controlling the positioning of the head according to a positioning-oriented controller characteristic that takes an accuracy of positioning the head into account, the positioning-oriented controller characteristic to a vibration-reducing controller characteristic that improves a reduction effect of vibration of a low frequency band; and changing, when the vibration detector detects absence of the external-vibration while the controller is controlling the positioning of the head according to the vibration-reducing controller characteristic, the vibration-reducing controller characteristic to the positioning-oriented controller characteristic.
[0012] According to still another aspect of the present invention, a computer-readable recording medium stores therein a computer program that the above method on a computer.
[0013] The above and other objects, features, advantages and technical and industrial significance of this invention will be, better understood by reading the following detailed description of presently preferred embodiments of the invention, when considered in connection with the accompanying drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0014] FIG. 1 is a schematic for explaining an outline and salient features of a storage device according to a first embodiment of the present invention;
[0015] FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram of the storage device shown in FIG. 1 ;
[0016] FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram of a controller characteristic;
[0017] FIG. 4 is another explanatory diagram of the controller characteristic; and
[0018] FIG. 5 is a flowchart of a process procedure performed by the storage device shown in FIG. 1 .
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0019] Exemplary embodiments according to the present invention will be explained in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. A storage device configured to include the controller-characteristic changing apparatus according to the following embodiments will be explained in below.
[0020] First, the basic terms used in the embodiments to be explained below will be explained. A “storage device” is a device mainly including a disk on which data is recorded, a head that reads and writes data from and on the disk, a voice coil motor (VCM) that moves the head to a predetermined position, and a control circuit that controls the components. In a “disk apparatus”, the disk rotates at a given rotational speed and the head hovering above-the disk apparatus reads and writes data therefrom and thereon.
[0021] Data reading is accomplished since the head is positioned to a predetermined position over the disk, and reads data recorded at the predetermined position. Data writing is accomplished since the head is positioned to a predetermined position over the disk, and writes data at the predetermined position. The positioning of the head is controlled by a “controller” provided in a micro control unit (MCU) or the like in the disk apparatus.
[0022] The positioning of the head that is controlled by the “controller” will be specifically explained. In addition to “user data” that is used in a process to be executed by the host computer, “servo control data” that is used in head positioning control is recorded on the disk. The servo control data“has position information or the like on the disk recorded therein. When the “servo control data” read by the head is sent to the “controller”, the “controller” calculates the current position of the head. The “controller” then executes filter calculation based on the current position of the head, and controls the VCM according to a control value acquired through the filter calculation. Because the VCM is the driving unit that moves the head to a predetermined position as mentioned above, controlling the VCM actually controls the positioning of the head.
[0023] Thus, because the “controller” controls the VCM according to the control value acquired through the filter calculation to control the positioning of the head, the control value to be acquired varies and the positioning of the head differs depending on which calculation equation is used in the filter calculation. In this respect, the filter calculation is called “controller characteristic”. It is therefore important to execute the filter calculation using which calculation equation, i.e., execute positioning control according to what “controller characteristic”.
[0024] FIG. 1 is a schematic for explaining the outline and salient features of a storage device 10 according to the embodiment.
[0025] The storage device includes a controller that controls the positioning of the head that reads and writes data from and on a disk. The controller controls the positioning of the head based on a controller characteristic. The main feature of the storage device is to reduce the resonance of an external vibration that is caused by an external factor.
[0026] The controller of the storage device 10 generally controls the positioning of the head according to a positioning-oriented controller characteristic that takes the accuracy of positioning the head into account, as shown in (A) in FIG. 1 .
[0027] The controller-characteristic changing apparatus of the storage device 10 detects the presence of an external vibration caused by an external factor (see ( 1 ) of (B) in FIG. 1 ). The controller-characteristic changing apparatus then changes the positioning-oriented controller characteristic to a vibration-reducing controller characteristic that improves a reduction effect of vibration of a low frequency band (see ( 2 ) of (C) in FIG. 1 ).
[0028] The controller-characteristic changing apparatus then detects that there is no external vibration in the head (see ( 3 ) of (D) in FIG. 1 ). The controller-characteristic changing apparatus then changes the vibration-reducing controller characteristic to the positioning-oriented controller characteristic (see ( 4 ) of (E) in FIG. 1 ).
[0029] The controller characteristic of the controller are set in a manner that improves the reduction effect of vibration of a low frequency band. This configuration can reduce the influence of the external vibration caused by an external factor. The storage device having the controller that controls head positioning control according to the controller characteristic reduces the influence of an external vibration, thus improving the general performance of the storage device.
[0030] With reference to FIGS. 2 to 4 , the configuration of the storage device 10 will be explained. FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram of the storage device 10 according to the first embodiment, FIGS. 3 and. 4 are explanatory diagrams of a controller characteristic.
[0031] As shown in FIG. 2 , the storage device 10 includes a disk 11 , a disk driving unit 12 , a shock sensor 15 , a servo controller (SVC) 20 , a read channel controller (RDC) 30 , a hard disk controller (HDC) 40 , a micro control unit (MCU) 50 , and a random access memory (RAM) 60 . As will be explained below, the controller-characteristic changing apparatus of the storage device 10 is provided in the MCU 50 .
[0032] User data and servo control data are recorded on the disk 11 . Specifically, the disk 11 has a magnetic film formed on a metal or glass disk-like substrate, and user data and servo control data are magnetically recorded on the disk 11 . The “user data” is data that is used in a process to be executed by a host computer 1 , and the “servo control data” is data that is used in the positioning control of a head 13 . The head 13 reads data (user data and servo control data) from the disk 11 , and writes data (user data) thereon.
[0033] The disk driving unit 12 reads user data and servo control data from the disk 11 , and writes user data thereon. As shown in FIG. 2 , the disk driving unit 12 includes the head 13 and a voice coil motor (VCM) 14 . The head 13 reads and writes data from and on the disk 11 . Specifically, the head 13 , which includes an element that converts magnetism into an electric signal, reads and writes data while hovering above the rotating disk 11 . For instance, the head 13 reads user data and servo control data, both magnetically recorded on the disk 11 , and sends the data converted to an electric signal to the RDC 30 via a head amplifier (not shown).
[0034] For the head 13 to read and write user data on the disk 11 at a predetermined position, the positioning control of the head 13 needs to be performed in the storage device 10 , so that the head 13 is positioned at the predetermined position. The positioning control of the head 13 is accomplished by the VCM 14 , the SVC 20 , and a controller 51 .
[0035] The VCM 14 performs the positioning control of the head 13 as mentioned above. Specifically, the VCM 14 is a motor that operates the disk driving unit 12 , and the positioning control of the head 13 is performed by rotating the VCM 14 . In addition, the VCM 14 is connected to the SVC 20 , and is controlled by the SVC 20 .
[0036] The shock sensor 15 detects vibration occurred in the storage device 10 . Specifically, the shock sensor 15 , which includes a piezoelectric element, electrically detects vibration caused in the storage device 10 by converting the vibration to a voltage by piezoelectric effect. The shock sensor 15 , connected to the SVC 20 , sends information on the vibration detected in the storage device 10 to the SVC 20 . When the shock sensor 15 detects vibration, and sends information on the vibration to the SVC 20 , for example, the SVC 20 controls the VCM 14 so that the head 13 retracts from the-disk 11 .
[0037] The SVC 20 mainly drives a spindle motor (SPM) (not shown), and the VCM 14 . Specifically, the SVC 20 includes a power circuit that drives the SPM that rotates the disk 11 , and a power circuit that drives the VCM 14 that performs the positioning control of the head 13 , and is connected to the SPM (not shown), the VCM 14 , the shock sensor 15 , the HDC 40 and the MCU 50 .
[0038] For example, the SVC 20 receives a control value acquired through a filter calculation-in the controller 51 to be explained later from the MCU 50 , and controls the VCM 14 based on the control value. The SVC 20 also receives information on vibration input from the shock sensor 15 , and controls the VCM 14 based on the vibration information. The SVC 20 sends the vibration information to the HDC 40 , the MCU 50 and the like.
[0039] The RDC 30 mainly performs code demodulation on data read from the disk 11 , and performs code modulation on data to be written on the disk 11 . Specifically, the RDC 30 includes a circuit for signal processing of data, and a circuit that acquires position information or the like on the disk from the servo control data, and is connected to the head 13 and the HDC 40 (Note that the RDC 30 is connected to the head 13 via a head amplifier (not shown)).
[0040] The HDC 40 mainly performs interface control between the host computer 1 and the storage device 10 , and interface control on the individual units in the storage device 10 . The HDC 40 is connected to the host computer 1 , the SVC 20 , the RDC 30 , and the MCU 50 . The HDC 40 includes an error correction circuit and an interface control circuit. The error correction circuit corrects an error in data to be transferred between the host computer 1 and the storage device 10 . The interface control circuit controls an interface or the like between the RDC 30 and the MCU. 50 .
[0041] For example, the HDC 40 receives data (user data) input from the host computer 1 , adds an error correction code to the data, and sends the data to the RDC 30 . For example, the HDC 40 receives data (user data) input from the RDC 30 , performs error correction on the data according to need, and sends the data to the host computer 1 .
[0042] The MCU 50 mainly performs the general control of the storage device 10 ,-and the positioning control of the head 13 . Specifically, the MCU 50 includes a central processing unit (CPU) and a read only memory (ROM), and is connected to the SVC 20 , the HDC 40 and the RAM 60 . As shown in FIG. 2 , the MCU 50 includes, as what is particularly relevant to the present invention, the controller 51 , a write fault detector 52 , an external vibration detector 53 , a first controller-characteristic changing unit 54 , and a second controller-characteristic changing unit 55 , which are constituted by program modules of the firmware of the CPU.
[0043] The controller 51 in the MCU 50 controls the positioning control of the head 13 that reads and writes data from and on the disk 11 . The positioning control of the head 13 that is executed by the controller will be specifically explained. The controller 51 receives input servo control data read from the disk 11 by the head 13 . Since the servo control data includes position information or the like on the disk 11 recorded therein, the controller 51 calculates the current position of the head 13 . The controller 51 then performs filter calculation based on the current position of the head 13 , and sends a control value acquired through the filter calculation to the SVC 20 . The SVC 20 controls the VCM 14 based on the control value. Because the VCM 14 is the driving unit that moves the head 13 to a predetermined position, controlling the VCM 14 controls the positioning of the head 13 . The positioning control is an open loop control as shown in FIG. 3 .
[0044] The equation for the filter calculation is called “controller characteristic” of the controller 51 . Since the controller 51 controls the VCM 14 based on the control value acquired through the filter calculation to control the positioning of the head 13 , the control value to be acquired-varies and the positioning of the head differs depending on which controller characteristic is used in positioning control. The controller characteristic of the controller 51 according to the first embodiment is expressed by u=Fx as shown in FIG. 3 where u is the current (operation amount) that flows in the VCM 14 , x is the status variable of an observer (e.g., an estimated speed, an estimated position or the like), and F is a coefficient.
[0045] When the value of the coefficient F increases, for example, the servo band increases, thus improving the reduction effect of vibration of a low frequency band. Accordingly, the controller 51 according to the first embodiment changes the controller characteristic to the “vibration-reducing controller characteristic” to improve the reduction effect of vibration of a low frequency band. At this time, the vibration-reducing controller characteristic deteriorates the head positioning accuracy particularly in a high frequency band. On the other hand, when the value of the coefficient F decreases, the servo band decreases, thus reducing the reduction effect of vibration of a low frequency band. At this time, such a controller characteristic improves the head positioning accuracy. Accordingly, the controller 51 according to the first embodiment changes the controller characteristic to the “positioning-oriented controller characteristic” that takes the head positioning accuracy into account. Although Equation u=Fx has been explained as the equation for the controller characteristic of the controller 51 according to the first embodiment, the present invention is not limited to this case, and the equation can be employed as long as it is an equation for calculating a control value that takes the head positioning accuracy into account and an equation for calculating a control value that improves the reduction effect of vibration of a low frequency band.
[0046] The reduction effect of vibration will be explained referring to FIG. 4 . FIG. 4 is a plot of the reduction rate of the vibration of the head of the disk apparatus (vertical axis) for each frequency (horizontal axis). A negative value on the vertical axis means that the reduction effect of vibration is improved. A positive value on the vertical axis means that the reduction effect of vibration is lowered and the vibration is increased. FIG. 4 is a plot of five types of controller characteristics of the controller. FW00 (thick solid line) is the “positioning-oriented controller characteristic” that takes the head positioning accuracy into account, while the other four lines FW02, FW03, FW04, and FW05 represent the “vibration-reducing controller characteristic” to improve the reduction effect of vibration of a low frequency band.
[0047] Paying attention to the frequency of 300 hertz to 500 hertz or the like, the four lines for the “vibration-reducing controller characteristic” take negative values with respect to the thick solid line for the “positioning-oriented controller characteristic”. This shows that the reduction effect of vibration is improved (see ( 1 ) in FIG. 4 ). With regard to the frequency of 1 to 2.5 kilohertz or the like, the four lines for the “vibration-reducing controller characteristic” take positive values with respect to the thick solid line for the “positioning-oriented controller characteristic”. This shows that the reduction effect of vibration is lowered (see ( 2 ) in FIG. 4 ). That is, it is understood that the reduction effect of vibration can be improved more when the controller characteristic is the “vibration-reducing controller characteristic” rather than the “positioning-oriented controller characteristic” for vibration with the frequency of about 300 hertz to 500 hertz, whereas the reduction effect of vibration becomes poorer (the vibration becomes greater) when the controller characteristic is the “positioning-oriented controller characteristic” for vibration with the frequency of about 1 kilohertz to 2.5 kilohertz.
[0048] With reference to FIG. 2 , the write fault detector 52 detects that the head 13 did not write on the disk 11 (write fault). Specifically, the write fault detector 52 , connected to the HDC 40 and a write-fault storage unit 61 , receives information on a write fault from, for example, the HDC 40 , detects a write fault, and stores the information in the write-fault storage unit 61 .
[0049] The external vibration detector 53 detects the presence of an external vibration in the head 13 caused by an external factor. Specifically, the external vibration detector 53 according to the first embodiment acquires the number of times the head 13 failed to write on the disk 11 (write fault number), calculates the number of times the write fault has occurred in a given time (write fault occurrence rate), and detects the presence of an external vibration by checking if the calculated write fault occurrence rate exceeds a predetermined threshold. The external vibration detector 53 , connected to the write-fault storage unit 61 , the first controller-characteristic changing unit 54 , and the second controller-characteristic changing unit 55 , acquires the number of write faults occurred (write fault number) from the write-fault storage unit 61 , and sends the result of detecting an external vibration to the first controller-characteristic changing unit 54 or the second controller-characteristic changing unit 55 .
[0050] When the calculated write fault occurrence rate exceeds the predetermined threshold, for example, the external vibration detector 53 understands that the presence of an external vibration of the head 13 has been detected, and sends the detection of the presence of the external vibration of the head 13 to the first controller-characteristic changing unit 54 . When the calculated write fault occurrence rate does not exceed the predetermined threshold, the external vibration detector 53 understands that the absence of an external vibration of the head 13 has been detected, and sends the detection of the absence of the external vibration of the head 13 to the second controller-characteristic changing unit 55 .
[0051] The first controller-characteristic changing unit 54 changes the controller characteristic of the controller 51 from the “positioning-oriented controller characteristic” that takes the head positioning accuracy into account to the “vibration-reducing controller characteristic” that improves the reduction effect of vibration of a low frequency band. Specifically, the first controller-characteristic changing unit 54 , connected to the external vibration detector 53 and the controller 51 , changes the “positioning-oriented controller characteristic” to the “vibration-reducing controller characteristic” when being notified by the external vibration detector 53 that there is an external vibration in the head 13 while the controller 51 is performing the positioning control of the head 13 based on the “positioning-oriented controller characteristic”.
[0052] The second controller-characteristic changing unit 55 changes the controller characteristic of the controller 51 from the “vibration-reducing controller characteristic” to the “positioning-oriented controller characteristic”. Specifically, the second controller-characteristic changing unit 55 , connected to the external vibration detector 53 and the controller 51 , changes the “vibration-reducing controller characteristic” to the “positioning-oriented controller characteristic” when being notified by the external vibration detector 53 that there is no external vibration in the head 13 while the controller 51 is performing the positioning control of the head 13 based on the “vibration-reducing controller characteristic”.
[0053] The RAM 60 temporarily stores data in the storage device 10 . Specifically, the RAM 60 , which is connected to the MCU 50 , temporarily stores data that is used in the MCU 50 . The RAM 60 has the write-fault storage unit 61 as what is particularly relevant to the present invention as shown in FIG. 2 .
[0054] The write-fault storage unit 61 of the RAM 60 stores the number of times the head 13 of the storage device 10 has failed to write (write fault number). Specifically, the write-fault storage unit 61 , connected to the write fault detector 52 and the external vibration detector 53 , receives the number of write faults detected by the write fault detector 52 , and sends the stored number to the external vibration detector 53 .
[0055] While the storage device 10 has been explained with the configuration shown in FIG. 2 , the invention is not limited thereto. For example, various configurations and connection modes are possible, including an integral configuration of the RDC 30 , the HDC 40 , and the MCU 50 , a configuration including other units (not shown), and a configuration including the write-fault storage unit 61 provided in a unit different from the RAM 60 shown in FIG. 2 .
[0056] FIG. 5 is a flowchart of a process procedure performed by the storage device 10 . Among the processes of the storage device 10 , a controller characteristic changing process that is executed by the controller-characteristic changing apparatus (the external vibration detector 53 , the first controller-characteristic changing unit 54 , and the second controller-characteristic changing unit 55 ) provided in the storage device 10 will be explained below as a process particularly relevant to the present invention. Assuming that positioning of the head 13 is generally controlled according to the positioning-oriented controller characteristic that takes the positioning accuracy of the head 13 into account, a process procedure when an external vibration has occurred in the head 13 of the storage device 10 will be explained below.
[0057] The storage device 10 determines whether the external vibration detector 53 has detected the presence of an external vibration in the head 13 caused by an external factor (Step S 501 ). Specifically, the storage device 10 acquires the number of times the head 13 has failed to write on the disk 11 (write fault number) from the write-fault storage unit 61 , calculates a write fault occurrence rate from the acquired write fault number, and determines whether the calculated write fault occurrence rate exceeds a predetermined threshold. When the calculated write fault occurrence rate does not exceed the predetermined threshold (“No” at Step S 501 ), the storage device 10 determines that the external vibration detector 53 has detected the absence of an external vibration in-the head 13 , and returns to the process of determining whether the presence of an external vibration in the head 13 has been detected (S 501 ).
[0058] In the external vibration detector 53 , when the calculated write fault occurrence rate exceeds the predetermined threshold (“Yes” at Step S 501 ), the first controller-characteristic changing unit 54 of the storage device 10 changes the controller characteristic of the controller 51 to the vibration-reducing controller characteristic (Step S 502 ). Specifically, when the presence of an external vibration in the head 13 is detected while the controller 51 is performing the positioning control of the head 13 according to the positioning-oriented controller characteristic, the first controller-characteristic changing unit 54 changes the positioning-oriented controller characteristic to the vibration-reducing controller characteristic.
[0059] The storage device 10 then determines whether the external vibration detector 53 has detected the absence of an external vibration in the head 13 caused by an external factor (Step S 503 ). Specifically, the storage device 10 acquires the number of times the head 13 has failed to write on the disk 11 (write fault number) from the write-fault storage unit 61 , calculates a write fault occurrence rate from the acquired write fault number, and determines whether the calculated write fault occurrence rate exceeds the predetermined threshold. When the calculated write fault occurrence rate exceeds the predetermined threshold (“No” at Step S 503 ), the storage device 10 determines that the external vibration detector 53 has detected the presence of an external vibration in the head 13 , and returns to the process of determining whether the absence of an external vibration in the head 13 has been detected (S 503 ).
[0060] Whereas in the external vibration detector 53 , when the calculated write fault occurrence rate does not exceed the predetermined threshold (“Yes” at Step S 503 ), the second controller-characteristic changing unit 55 of the storage device 10 changes the controller characteristic of the controller 51 to the positioning-oriented controller characteristic (Step S 504 ). Specifically, when the absence of an external vibration in the head 13 is detected while the controller 51 is performing the positioning control of the head 13 according to the vibration-reducing controller characteristic, the second controller-characteristic changing unit 55 changes the vibration-reducing controller characteristic to the positioning-oriented controller characteristic.
[0061] According to the storage device 10 , when an external vibration occurs in the head, the controller controls the positioning of the head based on the controller characteristic that improves the effect of reducing vibration of a low-frequency band. This configuration can reduce the influence of an external vibration that is caused by an external factor. The storage device 10 having the controller that performs the positioning control based on the controller characteristic reduces the influence of the external vibration, thus improving the performance of the entire storage device 10 .
[0062] As explained above, the first embodiment is a controller-characteristic changing apparatus or a storage device, which changes a controller characteristic relating to a controller that controls positioning of a head that performs at least one of data writing and data reading with respect to a storage medium, detects the presence of an external vibration in the head caused by an external factor, changes a positioning-oriented controller characteristic that takes an accuracy of positioning the head into-account to a vibration-reducing controller characteristic that improves a reduction effect of vibration of a low frequency band, when presence of an external vibration in the head is detected while the controller is controlling the positioning of the head according to the positioning-oriented controller characteristic, and changes the vibration-reducing controller characteristic to the positioning-oriented controller characteristic when absence of an external vibration in the head is detected while the controller is controlling the positioning of the head according to the vibration-reducing controller characteristic. When an external vibration occurs in the head, therefore, the positioning the head is controlled based on the controller characteristic that improves the reduction effect of vibration of a low frequency band. This configuration can reduce the influence of the external vibration caused by an external factor.
[0063] Furthermore, according to the first embodiment, the number of times the head has failed to write on a storage medium is acquired, and the presence of an external vibration is detected depending on whether a value relating to the acquired write fault number exceeds a predetermined threshold. Accordingly, the presence of an external vibration is detected using write faults that are used in an ordinary disk apparatus without using a new vibration detecting mechanism. This makes it possible to easily detect the presence of an external vibration, and reduce the influence of the external vibration.
[0064] The first embodiment has been explained with the external vibration detector that acquires the number of times the head has failed to write on a storage medium, and detects the presence of an external vibration depending on whether a value relating to the acquired write fault number (write fault occurrence rate) exceeds a predetermined threshold. However, the present invention is not limited to this type of detector, and can be similarly adapted to a detector that acquires a position signal indicating the position of the head on the disk, and detects the presence of an external vibration depending on whether the value of the acquired position signal exceeds a predetermined threshold.
[0065] In this case, the external vibration detector acquires a position signal indicating the position of the head in a storage medium, and detects the presence of an external vibration by checking if the value of the acquired position signal exceeds a predetermined threshold. Accordingly, the presence of an external vibration applied to the head is detected by using the position signal to be used in ordinary positioning control of the head without using a new vibration detecting mechanism. This makes it possible to easily detect the presence of an external vibration, and reduce the influence of the external vibration.
[0066] The first embodiment has been explained with the external vibration detector that acquires the number of times the head has failed to write on a storage medium, and detects the presence of an external vibration depending on whether a value relating to the acquired write fault number (write fault occurrence rate) exceeds a predetermined threshold. However, the present invention is not limited to this type of detector, and can be similarly adapted to a detector that acquires a position signal indicating the position of the head on the disk, and detects the presence of an external vibration depending on whether a value acquired by filtering the acquired position signal exceeds a predetermined threshold.
[0067] The detector that detects the presence of an external vibration by filtering the position signal will be specifically explained. For example, every time the position signal is replaced with an absolute value, the absolute value of the position signal is put through a low-pass filter, and data is computed and created from the absolute value of the low-pass-filtered position signal based on the distance the position of the head is shifted from the proper read or write position and the shift duration time, and the presence of an external vibration is detected depending on whether the created data exceeds a predetermined threshold.
[0068] In this case, the external vibration detector detects the presence of an-external vibration by checking if a value acquired by filtering the acquired position signal exceeds a predetermined threshold. Accordingly, the presence of an external vibration applied to the head is detected by using the position signal to be used in the ordinary positioning control of the head without using a new vibration detecting mechanism, and by using the value acquired by filtering. This makes it possible to easily and appropriately detect the presence of an external vibration, and reduce the influence of the external vibration.
[0069] The first embodiment has been explained with the external vibration detector that acquires the number of times the head has failed to write on a storage medium, and detects the presence of an external vibration depending on whether a value relating to the acquired write fault number (write fault occurrence rate) exceeds a predetermined threshold. However, the present invention is not limited to this type of detector, and can be similarly adapted to a detector that detects the presence of an external vibration depending on whether a detection signal from the shock sensor that is set to a predetermined sensitivity to detect an external vibration is acquired.
[0070] In this case, the external vibration detector detects the presence of an external vibration by checking if a detection signal acquired from the shock sensor that is set to a predetermined sensitivity to detect an external vibration. Accordingly, the presence of an external vibration is detected using the shock sensor to be used in an ordinary disk apparatus without using a new vibration detecting mechanism. This makes it possible to easily detect the presence of an external vibration, and reduce the influence of the external vibration.
[0071] The first embodiment has been explained with the external vibration detector that acquires the number of times the head has failed to write on a storage medium, and detects the presence of an external vibration depending on whether a value relating to the acquired write fault number (write fault occurrence rate) exceeds a predetermined threshold. However, the present invention is not limited to this type of detector, and can be similarly adapted to a detector that acquires the number of write faults, assuming that the head has failed to write on the disk at least one of a case that a position signal from the shock sensor that is set to a predetermined sensitivity to detect an external vibration is acquired and a case that a position signal indicating the position of the head on the disk is acquired and the value of the acquired position signal exceeds a predetermined threshold, and detects the presence of an external vibration depending on whether a value relating to the acquired number of write faults exceeds the predetermined threshold.
[0072] In this case, in at least one of a case that the detection signal from the shock sensor that is set to a predetermined sensitivity to detect an external vibration is acquired and a case that a position signal indicating the position of the head in a storage medium is acquired and the value of the acquired position signal exceeds a predetermined threshold, the number of times when writing has failed is acquired, assuming that the head failed to write on the storage medium. Accordingly, the presence of an external vibration is detected by using the shock sensor to be used in an ordinary disk apparatus or using the position signal to be used in the ordinary positioning control of the head without using a new vibration detecting mechanism. This makes it possible to easily detect the presence of an external vibration, and reduce the influence of the external vibration. Furthermore, either when the detection signal from the shock sensor is acquired or when the value of the acquired position signal exceeds a predetermined threshold, it is determined that a write fault has occurred. This makes it possible to detect the presence of an external vibration caused by an external factor without fail, thereby reducing the influence of the external vibration.
[0073] The first embodiment has been explained with the external vibration detector that acquires the number of times the head has failed to write on a storage medium, and detects the presence of an external vibration depending on whether a value relating to the acquired write fault number (write fault occurrence rate) exceeds a predetermined threshold. However, the present invention is not limited to this type of detector, and can be similarly adapted to a detector that acquires the amount of change in an eccentricity correction value to correct eccentricity of a disk, and detects the presence of an external vibration depending on whether the acquired amount of the change exceeds a predetermined threshold in a predetermined frequency band.
[0074] The detector that detects the presence of an external vibration based on the amount of change in eccentric correction value will be specifically explained. For example, assuming that the frequency band of the disk apparatus that is susceptible to vibration is around 500 hertz, for example, the presence of an external vibration is detected depending on whether the amount of change in eccentric correction value exceeds a predetermined threshold within a range of 300 hertz to 500 hertz.
[0075] In this case, the external vibration detector acquires the amount of change in eccentric correction value for correcting the eccentricity of the storage medium, and detects the presence of an external vibration depending on whether the acquired amount of change exceeds a predetermined threshold in a predetermined frequency band. Accordingly, the presence of an external vibration applied to the head is detected by using the eccentric correction value to be used in the ordinary positioning control of the head and without using a new vibration detecting mechanism. This makes it possible to easily detect the presence of an external vibration, and reduce the influence of the external vibration.
[0076] Although the first embodiment has been explained with the method of changing the vibration-reducing controller characteristic to the positioning-oriented controller characteristic when the absence of an external vibration in the head is detected, the present invention is not limited thereto. The invention can be similarly adapted to, for example, a method of changing the vibration-reducing controller characteristic to the positioning-oriented controller characteristic when the write fault occurrence rate with the controller controlling the positioning of the head based on the vibration-reducing controller characteristic becomes larger than the write fault occurrence rate with the controller controlling the positioning of the head based on the positioning-oriented controller characteristic.
[0077] The respective constituents of each device shown in the drawings are functionally conceptual, and physically the same configuration is not always necessary. Further, while the above embodiment has explained a method using firmware of a CPU, the invention is not limited thereto, and methods using other configurations can be also adapted to the invention. In other words, the specific mode of dispersion and integration of the each device is not limited to the ones shown in the drawings ( FIG. 2 , for example), and all or a part thereof can be functionally or physically dispersed or integrated in an optional unit (for example, the RDC 30 , the HDC 40 , and the MCU 50 can be integrally configured), according to various kinds of load and a status of use. Further, all or an optional part of the various process functions performed by the each device can be achieved by an MCU (or a processor, such as a CPU or MPU) and a program analyzed and executed by the MCU, or can be achieved as hardware by a wired logic.
[0078] The controller-characteristic changing method (an external vibration detecting program, a first controller characteristic changing program, and a second controller characteristic changing program) described in the above embodiments can be achieved by making the MCU in a disk apparatus as a computer execute a program. These programs (the external vibration detecting program, the first controller characteristic changing program, and the second controller characteristic changing program) can be distributed via a network such as the Internet. Further, these programs are stored in a computer-readable recording medium, such as a hard disk, a flexible disk (FD), a compact disk (CD)-ROM, a magneto optical (MO), a digital versatile disk (DVD), and the like, and can be executed by being read from the recording medium by the computer.
[0079] According to an aspect of the present invention, when an external vibration occurs in the head, the controller controls the positioning of the head based on the controller characteristic that improves the effect of reducing vibration of a low-frequency band. This configuration can reduce the influence of an external vibration caused by an external factor. Further, the storage device having the controller that performs the positioning control based on the controller characteristic reduces the influence of the external vibration, thus improving the performance of the entire storage device.
[0080] Although the invention has been described with respect to a specific embodiment for a complete and clear disclosure, the appended claims are not to be thus limited but are to be construed as embodying all modifications and alternative constructions that may occur to one skilled in the art-that fairly fall within the basic teaching herein set forth.
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When a head is subjected to external vibration while a controller is controlling the head according to a positioning-oriented controller characteristic, the positioning-oriented controller characteristic are changed to a vibration-reducing controller characteristic. Moreover, when the external vibration stop while the controller is controlling the head according to the vibration-reducing controller characteristic, the vibration-reducing controller characteristic are changed to the positioning-oriented controller characteristic.
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FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] In general, the invention relates to devices and methods for non-invasive neurostimulation of a subject's brain. More specifically, the invention relates to devices and methods for non-invasive neurostimulation of a subject's brain to effect treatment of various maladies.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a leading cause of disability around the world. Each year in the United States, about two million people suffer a TBI, with many suffering long term symptoms. Long term symptoms can include impaired attention, impaired judgment, reduced processing speed, and defects in abstract reasoning, planning, problem-solving and multitasking.
[0003] A stroke is a loss of brain function due to a disturbance in the blood supply to the brain. Every year, about 800,000 people in the United States will have a stroke. Stroke is a leading cause of long-term disability in the United States, with nearly half of older stroke survivors experiencing moderate to severe disability. Long term effects can include seizures, incontinence, vision disturbance or loss of vision, dysphagia, pain, fatigue, loss of cognitive function, aphasia, loss of short-term and/or long-term memory, and depression.
[0004] Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a disease that causes damage to the nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord. Globally, there are about 2.5 million people who suffer from MS. Symptoms can vary greatly depending on the specific location of the damaged portion of the brain or spinal cord. Symptoms include hypoesthesia, difficulties with coordination and balance, dysarthria, dysphagia, nystagmus, bladder and bowel difficulties, cognitive impairment and major depression to name a few.
[0005] Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disorder affecting over 25 million people worldwide. Symptoms of AD include confusion, irritability, aggression, mood swings, trouble with language, and both short and long term memory loss. In developed countries, AD is one of the most costly diseases to society.
[0006] Parkinson's disease (PD) is a degenerative disorder of the central nervous system, affecting more than 7 million people globally. Symptoms of PD include tremor, bradykinesia, rigidity, postural instability, cognitive disturbances, and behavior and mood alterations.
[0007] One approach to treating the long term symptoms associated with TBI, stroke, MS, AD, and PD is neurorehabilitation. Neurorehabilitation involves processes designed to help patients recover from nervous system injuries. Traditionally, neurorehabilitation involves physical therapy (e.g., balance retraining), occupational therapy (e.g., safety training, cognitive retraining for memory), psychological therapy, speech and language therapy, and therapies focused on daily function and community re-integration.
[0008] Another approach to treating the long term symptoms associated with TBI, stroke, MS, AD, and PD is neurostimulation. Neurostimulation is a therapeutic activation of part of the nervous system. For example, activation of the nervous system can be achieved through electrical stimulation, magnetic stimulation, or mechanical stimulation. Typical approaches focused mainly on invasive techniques, such as deep brain stimulation (DBS), spinal cord stimulation (SCS), cochlear implants, visual prosthesis, and cardiac electrostimulation devices. Only recently have non-invasive approaches to neurostimulation become more mainstream.
[0009] Despite many advances in the areas of neurorehabilitation and neurostimulation, there exists an urgent need for treatments that employ a combined approach, including both neurorehabilitation and neurostimulation to improve the recovery of patients having TBI, stroke, multiple sclerosis, Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, depression, memory loss, compulsive behavior, or any other neurological impairment.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0010] The invention, in various embodiments, features methods and devices for combining non-invasive neuromodulation with traditional neurorehabilitation therapies. Clinical studies have shown that methods combining neurostimulation with neurorehabilitation are effective in treating the long term neurological impairments due to a range of maladies such as TBI, stroke, MS, AD, and PD.
[0011] In one aspect, the invention features a mouthpiece for providing non-invasive neuromodulation to a patient. The mouthpiece includes an elongated housing having an anterior region and a posterior region, the elongated housing having (i) a non-planar exterior top surface and (ii) internal structural members disposed within the housing, the internal structural members elastically responding to biting forces generated by the patient. The mouthpiece also includes a spacer attached to the top surface of the housing for limiting contact between a patient's upper teeth and the exterior top surface of the elongated housing. The mouthpiece also includes a printed circuit board mounted to a bottom portion of the elongated housing, the printed circuit board having a plurality of electrodes for delivering subcutaneous local electrical stimulation to the patient's tongue. In some embodiments, the mouthpiece also includes ribs aligned parallel to a longitudinal axis of the elongated housing. In some embodiments, the mouthpiece also includes ribs aligned perpendicular to a longitudinal axis of the elongated housing. In some embodiments, the mouthpiece also includes ribs aligned parallel to a longitudinal axis of the elongated housing and ribs aligned perpendicular to a longitudinal axis of the elongated housing. In some embodiments, the mouthpiece also includes an interpenetrating network of ribs, with at least some of the ribs aligned parallel to a longitudinal axis of the elongate housing and at least some of the ribs aligned perpendicular to a longitudinal axis of the elongated housing. In some embodiments, the mouthpiece also includes pockets in a posterior portion of the elongated housing formed by the interpenetrating network of ribs. In some embodiments, the mouthpiece also includes integrated circuits located in the pockets. In some embodiments, the ribs have a rectangular cross section. In some embodiments, the ribs are comprised of arches. In some embodiments, the mouthpiece also includes one or more columns extending away from an interior surface of the elongated housing, the one or more columns configured to contact the mounted printed circuit board. In some embodiments, the structural elements can withstand a force of 700 Newtons without causing plastic deformation of the mouthpiece. In some embodiments, the mouthpiece also includes a rectangular sheet embedded on an interior surface of the elongated housing and located in a posterior region of the elongated housing, the rectangular sheet connecting the interpenetrating network of ribs. In some embodiments, the mouthpiece also includes a curvilinear sheet embedded on an interior surface of the elongated housing and located in a region connecting the anterior region and the posterior region of the elongated housing, the curvilinear sheet connecting the ribs aligned parallel to a longitudinal axis of the elongated housing.
[0012] In another aspect, the invention features a mouthpiece for providing non-invasive neuromodulation to a patient. The mouthpiece includes an elongated housing having an anterior region and a posterior region, the elongated housing having (i) a non-planar exterior top surface and (ii) internal structural members disposed within the housing, the internal structural members elastically responding to biting forces generated by the patient. The mouthpiece also includes a printed circuit board mounted to a bottom portion of the elongated housing, the printed circuit board having a plurality of electrodes for delivering subcutaneous local electrical stimulation to the patient's tongue. In some embodiments, the mouthpiece also includes ribs aligned parallel to a longitudinal axis of the elongated housing. In some embodiments, the mouthpiece also includes ribs aligned perpendicular to a longitudinal axis of the elongated housing. In some embodiments, the mouthpiece also includes ribs aligned parallel to a longitudinal axis of the elongated housing and ribs aligned perpendicular to a longitudinal axis of the elongated housing. In some embodiments, the mouthpiece also includes an interpenetrating network of ribs, with at least some of the ribs aligned parallel to a longitudinal axis of the elongate housing and at least some of the ribs aligned perpendicular to a longitudinal axis of the elongated housing. In some embodiments, the mouthpiece also includes pockets in a posterior portion of the elongated housing formed by the interpenetrating network of ribs. In some embodiments, the mouthpiece also includes integrated circuits located in the pockets. In some embodiments, the ribs have a rectangular cross section. In some embodiments, the ribs are comprised of arches. In some embodiments, the mouthpiece also includes one or more columns extending away from an interior surface of the elongated housing, the one or more columns configured to contact the mounted printed circuit board. In some embodiments, the structural elements can withstand a force of 700 Newtons without causing plastic deformation of the mouthpiece.
[0013] In another aspect, the invention features a mouthpiece for providing non-invasive neuromodulation to a patient. The mouthpiece includes an elongated housing having an anterior region and a posterior region, the elongated housing having a non-planar interior top surface and internal fins located between the non-planar interior top surface and a bottom surface defined by a perimeter of the elongated housing, the internal fins forming a channel at the anterior region of the elongated housing. The mouthpiece also includes a spacer attached to the top surface of the housing for minimizing contact between a patient's upper teeth and the exterior top surface of the elongated housing. The mouthpiece also includes a printed circuit board mounted to a bottom portion of the elongated housing, the printed circuit board having a plurality of electrodes for delivering subcutaneous local electrical stimulation to the patient's tongue. The mouthpiece also includes a cable having a first segment disposed within the housing and a second segment extending from the housing, the cable mounted in an s-shaped pattern along the channel formed by the internal fins, one end of the first segment of the cable connected to the printed circuit board. In some embodiments, the mouthpiece also includes a right angled grommet mounted to an anterior region of the elongated housing, the grommet surrounding the cable as it exits the channel formed by the internal fins, the grommet forcing the cable to make an approximately ninety degree turn as it exits the elongated housing. In some embodiments, the cable forms two consecutive s-shapes along the channel formed by the internal fins. In some embodiments, the mouthpiece also includes a grommet mounted to an anterior region of the elongated housing, the grommet surrounding the cable as it exits the channel formed by the internal fins. In some embodiments, the mouthpiece also includes a cylindrically symmetric elastomeric element, the elastomeric element surrounding a portion of the cable and having trench in a central portion thereof and surrounded by two regions having radii that decrease in relation to a distance from the trench. In some embodiments, the mouthpiece also includes an aperture located at an anterior region of the elongated housing, the aperture configured to form mechanical connection with the trench. In some embodiments, the mouthpiece also includes a cap, the cap having an elastomeric portion in contact with the printed circuit board and a rigid portion in contact with the elongated housing, the cap in cooperation with the elongated housing forming an aperture at an anterior region of the mouthpiece, the aperture configured to form mechanical connection with the trench. In some embodiments, the mouthpiece also includes a valley located in the interior surface of the elongated housing, the valley configured to receive the cable. In some embodiments, the mouthpiece also includes an elastomeric sleeve, the elastomeric sleeve in contact with the cable, and an anterior region of the elongated housing, the elastomeric sleeve providing resistance to bending and tensile strains in the cable.
[0014] In another aspect, the invention features a mouthpiece for providing non-invasive neuromodulation to a patient. The mouthpiece includes an elongated housing having an anterior region and a posterior region, the elongated housing having a non-planar interior top surface and a bottom surface defined by a perimeter of the elongated housing. The mouthpiece also includes a spacer attached to the top surface of the elongated housing for minimizing contact between a patient's upper teeth and the exterior top surface of the elongated housing. The mouthpiece also includes a printed circuit board mounted to a bottom portion of the elongated housing, the printed circuit board having a plurality of electrodes for delivering subcutaneous local electrical stimulation to the patient's tongue. The mouthpiece also includes a first elastomeric ring located along an interior sidewall of the elongated housing, the first elastomeric ring forming a sealing surface with the printed circuit board. The mouthpiece also includes a plurality of mechanical protrusions extending from the interior sidewall of the elongated housing, the mechanical protrusions in contact with the printed circuit board. The mouthpiece also includes a cable having a first segment disposed within the housing and a second segment extending from the housing, one end of the first segment of the cable connected to the printed circuit board. In some embodiments, the mouthpiece also includes a valley located in the interior surface of the elongated housing, the valley configured to receive the cable. In some embodiments, the mouthpiece also includes internal fins extending from the interior top surface of the elongated housing, the internal fins forming a channel at an anterior region of the elongated housing. In some embodiments, the cable forms at least two consecutive s-shapes along the channel formed by the internal fins. In some embodiments, the mouthpiece also includes a second elastomeric ring attached to the first elastomeric ring, the second elastomeric ring surrounding a portion of the cable and forming a connection between an anterior portion of the elongated housing and the cable. In some embodiments, the mouthpiece also includes a second elastomeric ring attached to the first elastomeric ring, the second elastomeric ring surrounding a portion of the cable and forming a connection between an anterior portion of the elongated housing and the cable, the second elastomeric ring causing the cable to exit the mouthpiece at an angle of 90 degrees.
[0015] In another aspect, the invention features a mouthpiece for providing non-invasive neuromodulation to a patient. The mouthpiece includes an elongated housing having an anterior region and a posterior region, the elongated housing having a non-planar interior top surface and internal fins located between the non-planar interior top surface and a bottom surface defined by a perimeter of the elongated housing, the internal fins forming a channel at the anterior region of the elongated housing. The mouthpiece also includes a printed circuit board mounted to a bottom portion of the elongated housing, the printed circuit board having a plurality of electrodes for delivering subcutaneous local electrical stimulation to the patient's tongue. The mouthpiece also includes a cable having a first segment disposed within the housing and a second segment extending from the housing, the cable mounted in an s-shaped pattern along the channel formed by the internal fins, one end of the first segment of the cable connected to the printed circuit board. In some embodiments, the mouthpiece also includes a right angled grommet mounted to an anterior region of the elongated housing, the grommet surrounding the cable as it exits the channel formed by the internal fins, the grommet forcing the cable to make an approximately ninety degree turn as it exits the elongated housing. In some embodiments, the cable forms two consecutive s-shapes along the channel formed by the internal fins. In some embodiments, the mouthpiece also includes a grommet mounted to an anterior region of the elongated housing, the grommet surrounding the cable as it exits the channel formed by the internal fins. In some embodiments, the mouthpiece also includes a cylindrically symmetric elastomeric element, the elastomeric element surrounding a portion of the cable and having trench in a central portion thereof and surrounded by two regions having radii that decrease in relation to a distance from the trench. In some embodiments, the mouthpiece also includes an aperture located at an anterior region of the elongated housing, the aperture configured to form mechanical connection with the trench. In some embodiments, the mouthpiece also includes a cap, the cap having an elastomeric portion in contact with the printed circuit board and a rigid portion in contact with the elongated housing, the cap in cooperation with the elongated housing forming an aperture at an anterior region of the mouthpiece, the aperture configured to form mechanical connection with the trench. In some embodiments, the mouthpiece also includes a valley located in the interior surface of the elongated housing, the valley configured to receive the cable. In some embodiments, the mouthpiece also includes an elastomeric sleeve, the elastomeric sleeve in contact with the cable, and an anterior region of the elongated housing, the elastomeric sleeve providing resistance to bending and tensile strains in the cable.
[0016] In another aspect, the invention features a mouthpiece for providing non-invasive neuromodulation to a patient. The mouthpiece includes an elongated housing having an anterior region and a posterior region, the elongated housing having a non-planar exterior top surface. The mouthpiece also includes a spacer attached to the top surface of the housing for minimizing contact between a patient's upper teeth and the exterior top surface of the elongated housing. The mouthpiece also includes a first printed circuit board mounted to a bottom portion of the elongated housing, the first printed circuit board having a plurality of electrodes for delivering subcutaneous local electrical stimulation to the patient's tongue. The mouthpiece also includes a rim extending from a bottom portion of the elongated housing, the rim surrounding a perimeter of the first printed circuit board and having a u-shaped cross section. The mouthpiece also includes a well shaped to accommodate an adhesive, the adhesive bonding the first printed circuit board to the elongate housing. In some embodiments, a portion of the rim rests below the first printed circuit board and prevents a patient's teeth from contacting the printed circuit board. In some embodiments, the first printed circuit board is non-planar and the plurality of electrodes are located on a non-planar surface of the first printed circuit board. In some embodiments, the first printed circuit board has a curved shape and the plurality of electrodes are located on a curved surface of the first printed circuit board. In some embodiments, the plurality of electrodes has a first density at an anterior region of the first printed circuit board and a second density at a posterior region of the first printed circuit board, wherein the first density is greater than the second density. In some embodiments, the mouthpiece also includes a second printed circuit board mounted above the first printed circuit board. In some embodiments, the rim is an integral part of the elongated housing. In some embodiments, the rim is dimensioned to define the glue well between the bottom portion of the elongated housing and the perimeter of the first printed circuit board. In some embodiments, the rim is concentric with the perimeter of the first printed circuit board. In some embodiments, the rim covers a bottom portion of the first printed circuit board along the perimeter thereof. In some embodiments, the rim covers a side portion of the first printed circuit board along the perimeter thereof. In some embodiments, the rim covers a bottom portion and a side portion of the first printed circuit board along the perimeter thereof.
[0017] In another aspect, the invention features a mouthpiece for providing non-invasive neuromodulation to a patient. The mouthpiece includes an elongated housing having an anterior region and a posterior region, the elongated housing having a non-planar exterior top surface. The mouthpiece also includes a spacer attached to the top surface of the housing for minimizing contact between a patient's upper teeth and the exterior top surface of the elongated housing. The mouthpiece also includes a first printed circuit board mounted to a bottom portion of the elongated housing, the first printed circuit board having a plurality of electrodes for delivering subcutaneous local electrical stimulation to the patient's tongue. The mouthpiece also includes a rim extending from a bottom portion of the elongated housing, the rim surrounding a perimeter of the first printed circuit board. The mouthpiece also includes a beveled well configured to accommodate an adhesive, the adhesive bonding at least two orthogonal surfaces of the first printed circuit board to the elongated housing. In some embodiments, a portion of the rim rests below the first printed circuit board and prevents a patient's teeth from contacting the first printed circuit board. In some embodiments, the first printed circuit board is non-planar and the plurality of electrodes are located on a non-planar surface of the first printed circuit board. In some embodiments, the first printed circuit board has a curved shape and the plurality of electrodes are located on a curved surface of the first printed circuit board. In some embodiments, the plurality of electrodes has a first density at an anterior region of the first printed circuit board and a second density at a posterior region of the first printed circuit board, wherein the first density is greater than the second density. In some embodiments, the mouthpiece also includes a second printed circuit board mounted above the first printed circuit board. In some embodiments, the rim is an integral part of the elongated housing. In some embodiments, the rim is dimensioned to define the glue well between the bottom portion of the elongated housing and the perimeter of the first printed circuit board. In some embodiments, the rim is concentric with the perimeter of the first printed circuit board. In some embodiments, the rim covers a bottom portion of the first printed circuit board along the perimeter thereof. In some embodiments, the rim covers a side portion of the first printed circuit board along the perimeter thereof. In some embodiments, the rim covers a bottom portion and a side portion of the first printed circuit board along the perimeter thereof.
[0018] In another aspect, the invention features a method of manufacturing a mouthpiece, the mouthpiece providing non-invasive neuromodulation to a patient. The method includes providing an elongated housing having internal fins located between a non-planar interior top surface and a bottom surface defined by a perimeter of the elongated housing, the internal fins forming a channel at the anterior region of the elongated housing. The method also includes attaching a spacer to the top surface of the elongated housing for minimizing contact between a patient's upper teeth and the exterior top surface of the elongated housing. The method also includes mounting a cable in an s-shaped pattern along the channel formed by the internal fins. The method also includes mounting a printed circuit board to a bottom portion of the elongated housing, the printed circuit board having a plurality of electrodes for delivering subcutaneous local electrical stimulation to the patient's tongue. The method also includes connecting one end of the cable to the printed circuit board. In some embodiments, the method also includes forming a 90 degree bend in the cable at an exit of elongated housing. In some embodiments, the method also includes threading the cable through an elastomeric element located at the exit of the elongated housing. In some embodiments, the method also includes forming two consecutive s-shapes along the cable. In some embodiments, the method also includes mounting a cylindrically symmetric elastomeric element to the cable, the elastomeric element surrounding a portion of the cable and having a trench in a central portion thereof and surrounded by two regions having radii that decrease in relation to a distance from the trench. In some embodiments, the method also includes forming an aperture at an anterior region of the elongated housing, the aperture configured to form mechanical connection with the trench. In some embodiments, the method also includes providing a cap having an elastomeric portion and a rigid portion. In some embodiments, the method also includes contacting the elastomeric portion of the cap with the printed circuit board and contacting the rigid portion of the cap with the elongated housing. In some embodiments, the method also includes cooperatively forming an aperture with the cap and the elongated housing, the aperture forming a mechanical connection with the trench. In some embodiments, the method also includes forming a valley located in the interior surface of the elongated housing. In some embodiments, the method also includes receiving a cable in the valley. In some embodiments, the method also includes forming an elastomeric sleeve around the cable, the elastomeric sleeve in contact with an anterior region of the elongated housing, the elastomeric sleeve providing resistance to bending and tensile strains in the cable. In some embodiments, the method also includes applying an adhesive along the perimeter of the printed circuit board, the adhesive bonding at least two orthogonal surfaces of the first printed circuit board to the elongated housing.
[0019] In another aspect, the invention features a method of manufacturing a mouthpiece, the mouthpiece providing non-invasive neuromodulation to a patient. The method includes providing an elongated housing having a plurality of mechanical protrusions extending from an interior sidewall thereof and first elastomeric ring located along an interior sidewall of the elongated housing. The method also includes attaching a spacer to the top surface of the elongated housing for minimizing contact between a patient's upper teeth and a top surface of the elongated housing. The method also includes contacting a printed circuit board to the first elastomeric ring of the elongated housing to form a seal, the printed circuit board having a plurality of electrodes for delivering subcutaneous local electrical stimulation to the patient's tongue. The method also includes providing a cable having a first segment disposed within the housing and a second segment extending from the housing. The method also includes connecting one end of the first segment of the cable connected to the printed circuit board. In some embodiments, the method also includes forming a 90 degree bend in the cable at an exit of elongated housing. In some embodiments, the method also includes threading the cable through an elastomeric element located at the exit of the elongated housing. In some embodiments, the method also includes forming two consecutive s-shapes along the cable. In some embodiments, the method also includes mounting a cylindrically symmetric elastomeric element to the cable, the elastomeric element surrounding a portion of the cable and having a trench in a central portion thereof and surrounded by two regions having radii that decrease in relation to a distance from the trench. In some embodiments, the method also includes forming an aperture at an anterior region of the elongated housing, the aperture configured to form mechanical connection with the trench. In some embodiments, the method also includes forming a valley located in the interior surface of the elongated housing. In some embodiments, the method also includes receiving a cable in the valley. In some embodiments, the method also includes forming an elastomeric sleeve around the cable, the elastomeric sleeve in contact with an anterior region of the elongated housing, the elastomeric sleeve providing resistance to bending and tensile strains in the cable.
[0020] As used herein, the terms “approximately,” “roughly,” and “substantially” mean±10%, and in some embodiments, ±5%. Reference throughout this specification to “one example,” “an example,” “one embodiment,” or “an embodiment” means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the example is included in at least one example of the present technology. Thus, the occurrences of the phrases “in one example,” “in an example,” “one embodiment,” or “an embodiment” in various places throughout this specification are not necessarily all referring to the same example. Furthermore, the particular features, structures, routines, steps, or characteristics may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more examples of the technology. The headings provided herein are for convenience only and are not intended to limit or interpret the scope or meaning of the claimed technology.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0021] The advantages of the invention described above, together with further advantages, may be better understood by referring to the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. The drawings are not necessarily to scale, emphasis instead generally being placed upon illustrating the principles of the invention.
[0022] FIG. 1 is a drawing of a patient engaged in a non-invasive neurostimulation therapy session according to an illustrative embodiment of the invention.
[0023] FIGS. 2A and 2B are diagrams showing a neurostimulation system according to an illustrative embodiment of the invention.
[0024] FIG. 2C is a diagram showing a neurostimulation system according to an illustrative embodiment of the invention.
[0025] FIG. 3A is a diagram showing a more detailed view of the neurostimulation system depicted in FIGS. 2A and 2B .
[0026] FIG. 3B is a diagram showing a more detailed view of the neurostimulation system depicted in FIG. 2C .
[0027] FIG. 3C is a diagram showing a more detailed view of an electrode array.
[0028] FIG. 3D is a graph showing an exemplary sequence of pulses for effecting neurostimulation of a patient.
[0029] FIG. 4A is a flow chart illustrating a method in accordance with one embodiment for operating a neurostimulation system.
[0030] FIG. 4B is a flow chart illustrating a method in accordance with one embodiment for operating a neurostimulation system.
[0031] FIG. 5A is a diagram showing an isometric view of a mouthpiece in accordance with an illustrative embodiment of the invention.
[0032] FIG. 5B is a diagram showing a side view of a mouthpiece in accordance with an illustrative embodiment of the invention.
[0033] FIG. 5C is a diagram showing a top view of a mouthpiece in accordance with an illustrative embodiment of the invention.
[0034] FIG. 5D is a diagram showing a bottom view of a mouthpiece in accordance with an illustrative embodiment of the invention.
[0035] FIGS. 5E and 5F are diagrams showing a bottom view of the mouthpiece in accordance with an illustrative embodiment of the invention.
[0036] FIG. 6A is a diagram showing an isometric view of a mouthpiece in accordance with an illustrative embodiment of the invention.
[0037] FIG. 6B is a diagram showing a bottom view of the mouthpiece in accordance with an illustrative embodiment of the invention.
[0038] FIG. 6C is a diagram showing a glue well in accordance with an illustrative embodiment of the invention.
[0039] FIG. 6D is a diagram showing a glue well in accordance with an illustrative embodiment of the invention.
[0040] FIG. 7A is a diagram showing an isometric view of a mouthpiece in accordance with an illustrative embodiment of the invention.
[0041] FIG. 7B is a diagram showing a bottom view of the mouthpiece in accordance with an illustrative embodiment of the invention.
[0042] FIG. 7C is a diagram showing a sectional view of the mouthpiece in accordance with an illustrative embodiment of the invention.
[0043] FIGS. 8A and 8B are diagrams showing an isometric view of a mouthpiece in accordance with an illustrative embodiment of the invention.
[0044] FIG. 8C is a diagram showing a sectional view of the mouthpiece in accordance with an illustrative embodiment of the invention.
[0045] FIG. 8D is a diagram showing a sectional view of the mouthpiece in accordance with an illustrative embodiment of the invention.
[0046] FIGS. 9A and 9B are diagrams showing an isometric view of a mouthpiece in accordance with an illustrative embodiment of the invention.
[0047] FIG. 9C is a diagram showing a sectional view of the mouthpiece in accordance with an illustrative embodiment of the invention.
[0048] FIGS. 10A and 10B are diagrams showing an isometric view of a mouthpiece in accordance with an illustrative embodiment of the invention.
[0049] FIG. 10C is a diagram showing a sectional view of the mouthpiece in accordance with an illustrative embodiment of the invention.
[0050] FIGS. 11A and 11B are diagrams showing an isometric view of a mouthpiece in accordance with an illustrative embodiment of the invention.
[0051] FIG. 11C is a diagram showing an isometric view of the mouthpiece in accordance with an illustrative embodiment of the invention.
[0052] FIG. 12 is a flow chart illustrating a method in accordance with one embodiment for manufacturing a mouthpiece.
[0053] FIGS. 13A-B are diagrams showing an overmolded mouthpiece in accordance with an illustrative embodiment of the invention.
[0054] FIG. 14 is a diagram showing an overmolded mouthpiece in accordance with an illustrative embodiment of the invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0055] FIG. 1 shows a patient 101 undergoing non-invasive neuromodulation therapy (NINM) using a neurostimulation system 100 . During a therapy session, the neurostimulation system 100 non-invasively stimulates various nerves located within the patient's oral cavity, including at least one of the trigeminal and facial nerves. In combination with the NINM, the patient engages in an exercise or other activity specifically designed to assist in the neurorehabilitation of the patient. For example, the patient can perform a physical therapy routine (e.g., moving an affected limb, or walking on a treadmill) engage in a mental therapy (e.g., meditation or breathing exercises), or a cognitive exercise (e.g., computer assisted memory exercises) during the application of NINM. The combination of NINM with an appropriately chosen exercise or activity has been shown to be useful in treating a range of maladies including, for example, traumatic brain injury, stroke (TBI), multiple sclerosis (MS), balance, gait, vestibular disorders, visual deficiencies, tremor, headache, migraines, neuropathic pain, hearing loss, speech recognition, auditory problems, speech therapy, cerebral palsy, blood pressure, relaxation, and heart rate. For example, a useful non-invasive neuromodulation (NINM) therapy routine has been recently developed as described in U.S. Pat. No. 8,849,407, the entirety of which is incorporated herein by reference.
[0056] FIGS. 2A and 2B show a non-invasive neurostimulation system 100 . The non-invasive neurostimulation system 100 includes a controller 120 and a mouthpiece 140 .
[0057] The controller 120 includes a receptacle 126 and pushbuttons 122 . The mouthpiece 140 includes an electrode array 142 and a cable 144 . The cable 144 connects to the receptacle 126 , providing an electrical connection between the mouthpiece 140 and the controller 120 . In some embodiments, the controller 120 includes a cable. In some embodiments, the mouthpiece 140 and the controller 120 are connected wirelessly (e.g., without the use of a cable). During operation, a patient activates the neurostimulation system 100 by actuating one of the pushbuttons 122 . In some embodiments, the neurostimulation system 100 periodically transmits electrical pulses to determine if the electrode array 142 is in contact with the patient's tongue and automatically activates based on the determination. After activation, the patient can start an NINM treatment session, stop the NINM treatment session, or pause the NINM treatment session by pressing one of the pushbuttons 122 . In some embodiments, the neurostimulation system 100 periodically transmits electrical pulses to determine if the electrode array 142 is in contact with the patient's tongue and automatically pauses the NINM treatment session based on the determination. During an NINM treatment session, the patient engages in an exercise or other activity designed to facilitate neurorehabilitation. For example, during an NINM treatment session, the patient can engage in a physical exercise, a mental exercise, or a cognitive exercise. In some embodiments, the controller 120 has pushbuttons on both arms. In some embodiments, a mobile device can be used in conjunction with the controller 120 and the mouthpiece 140 . The mobile device can include a software application that allows a user to activate the neurostimulation system 100 and start or stop an NINM treatment session by for example, pressing a button on the mobile device, or speaking a command into the mobile device. The mobile device can obtain patient information and treatment session information before, during, or after an NINM treatment session. In some embodiments, the controller 120 includes a secure cryptoprocessor that holds a secret key, to be described in more detail below in connection with FIGS. 9A and 9B . The secure cryptoprocessor is in communication with a microcontroller. The secure cryptoprocessor can be tamper proof. For example, if outer portions of the cryptoprocessor are removed in an attempt to access the secret key, the cryptoprocessor erases all memory, preventing unauthorized access of the secret key.
[0058] FIG. 2C shows a non-invasive neurostimulation system 100 . As shown, a mobile device 121 is in communication with a mouthpiece 140 . More specifically, the mobile device 121 includes a processor running a software application that facilitates communications with the mouthpiece 140 . The mobile device 121 can be, for example, a mobile phone, a portable digital assistant (PDA), or a laptop. The mobile device 121 can communicate with the mouthpiece 140 by a wireless or wired connection. During operation, a patient activates the neurostimulation system 100 via the mobile device 121 . After activation, the patient can start an NINM treatment session, stop the NINM treatment session, or pause the NINM treatment session by manipulating the mobile device 121 . During an NINM treatment session, the patient engages in an exercise or activity designed to provide neurorehabilitation. For example, during an NINM treatment session, the patient can engage in a physical exercise, a mental exercise, or a cognitive exercise.
[0059] FIG. 3A shows the internal circuitry housed within the controller 120 . The circuitry includes a microcontroller 360 , isolation circuitry 379 , a universal serial bus (USB) connection 380 , a battery management controller 382 , a battery 362 , a push-button interface 364 , a display 366 , a real time clock 368 , an accelerometer 370 , drive circuitry 372 , tongue sense circuitry 374 , audio feedback circuitry 376 , vibratory feedback circuitry 377 , and a non-volatile memory 378 . The drive circuitry 372 includes a multiplexor, and an array of resistors to control voltages delivered to the electrode array 142 . The microcontroller 360 is in electrical communication with each of the components shown in FIG. 3A . The isolation circuitry 379 provides electrical isolation between the USB connection 380 and all other components included in the controller 120 . Additionally, the circuitry shown in FIG. 3A is in communication with the mouthpiece 140 via the external cable 144 . During operation, the microcontroller 360 receives electrical power from battery 362 and can store and retrieve information from the non-volatile memory 378 . The battery can be charged via the USB connection 380 . The battery management circuitry controls the charging of the battery 362 . A patient can interact with the controller 120 via the push-button interface 122 that converts the patient's pressing of a button (e.g. an info button, a power button, an intensity-up button, an intensity-down button, and a start/stop button) into an electrical signal that is transmitted to the microcontroller 360 . For example, a therapy session can be started when the patient presses a start/stop button after powering on the controller 120 . During the therapy session, the drive circuitry 372 provides an electrical signal to the mouthpiece 140 via the cable 144 . The electrical signal is communicated to the patient's intraoral cavity via the electrode array 142 . The accelerometer 370 can be used to provide information about the patient's motion during the therapy session. Information provided by the accelerometer 370 can be stored in the non-volatile memory 378 at a coarse or detailed level. For example, a therapy session aggregate motion index can be stored based on the number of instances where acceleration rises above a predefined threshold, with or without low pass filtering. Alternatively, acceleration readings could be stored at a predefined sampling interval. The information provided by the accelerometer 370 can be used to determine if the patient is engaged in a physical activity. Based on the information received from the accelerometer 370 , the microcontroller 360 can determine an activity level of the patient during a therapy session. For example, if the patient engages in a physical activity for 30 minutes during a therapy session, the accelerometer 370 can periodically communicate (e.g. once every second) to the microcontroller 360 that the sensed motion is larger than a predetermined threshold (e.g. greater than 1 m/s 2 ). In some embodiments, the accelerometer data is stored in the non-volatile memory 378 during the therapy session and transmitted to the mobile device 121 after the therapy session has ended. After the therapy session has ended, the microcontroller 360 can record the amount of time during the therapy session in which the patient was active. In some embodiments, the recorded information can include other data about the therapy session (e.g., the date and time of the session start, the average intensity of electrical neurostimulation delivered to the patient during the session, the average activity level of the patient during the session, the total session time the mouthpiece has been in the patient's mouth, the total session pause time, the number of session shorting events, and/or the length of the session or the type of exercise or activity performed during the therapy session) and can be transmitted to a mobile device. A session shorting event can occur if the current transmitted from the drive circuitry to the electrode array 142 exceeds a predetermined threshold or if the charge transmitted from the drive circuitry to the electrode array exceeds a predetermined threshold over a predetermined time interval. After a session shorting event has occurred, the patient must manually press a pushbutton to resume the therapy session. The real time clock (RTC) 368 provides time and date information to the microcontroller 360 . In some embodiments, the controller 120 is authorized by a physician for a predetermined period of time (e.g., two weeks). The RTC 368 periodically communicates date and time information to the microcontroller 360 . In some embodiments, the RTC 368 is integrated with the microcontroller. In some embodiments, the RTC 368 is powered by the battery 362 , and upon failure of the battery 362 , the RTC 368 is powered by a backup battery. After the predetermined period of time has elapsed, the controller 120 can no longer initiate the delivery of electrical signals to the mouthpiece 140 and the patient must visit the physician to reauthorize use of the controller 120 . The display 366 displays information received by the microcontroller 360 to the patient. For example, the display 366 can display the time of day, therapy information, battery information, time remaining in a therapy session, error information, and the status of the controller 120 . The audio feedback circuitry 376 and vibratory feedback circuitry 377 can give feedback to a user when the device changes state. For example, when a therapy session begins, the audio feedback circuitry 376 and the vibratory feedback circuitry 377 can provide auditory and/or vibratory cues to the patient, notifying the patient that the therapy session has been initiated. Other possible state changes that may trigger audio and/or vibratory cues include pausing a therapy session, resuming a therapy session, the end of a timed session, canceling a timed session, or error messaging. In some embodiments, a clinician can turn off one or more of the auditory or vibratory cues to tailor the feedback to an individual patient's needs. The tongue sense circuitry 374 measures the current passing from the drive circuitry to the electrode array 142 . Upon sensing a current above a predetermined threshold, the tongue sense circuitry 374 presents a high digital signal to the microcontroller 360 , indicating that the tongue is in contact with the electrode array 142 . If the current is below the predetermined threshold, the tongue sense circuitry 374 presents a low digital signal to the microcontroller 360 , indicating that the tongue is not in contact or is in partial contact with the electrode array 142 . The indications received from the tongue sense circuitry 374 can be stored in the non-volatile memory 378 . In some embodiments, the display 366 can be an organic light emitting diode (OLED) display. In some embodiments, the display 366 can be a liquid crystal display (LCD). In some embodiments, a display 366 is not included with the controller 120 . In some embodiments, neither the controller 120 nor the mouthpiece 140 includes a cable, and the controller 120 communicates wirelessly with the mouthpiece 140 . In some embodiments, neither the controller 120 nor the mouthpiece 140 includes an accelerometer. In some embodiments, the drive circuitry 372 is located within the mouthpiece. In some embodiments, a portion of the drive circuitry 372 is located within the mouthpiece 140 and a portion of the drive circuitry 372 is located within the controller 120 . In some embodiments, neither the controller 120 nor the mouthpiece 140 includes tongue sense circuitry 374 . In some embodiments, the mouthpiece 140 includes a microcontroller and a multiplexer.
[0060] FIG. 3B shows a more detailed view of FIG. 2C . The mouthpiece 140 includes a battery 362 , tongue sense circuitry 374 , an accelerometer 370 , a microcontroller 360 , drive circuitry 372 , a non-volatile memory 378 , a universal serial bus controller (USB) 380 , and battery management circuitry 382 . During operation, the microcontroller receives electrical power from battery 362 and can store and retrieve information from the non-volatile memory 378 . The battery can be charged via the USB connection 380 .
[0061] The battery management circuitry 382 controls the charging of the battery 362 . A patient can interact with the mouthpiece 140 via the mobile device 121 . The mobile device 121 includes an application (e.g. software running on a processor) that allows the patient to control the mouthpiece 140 . For example, the application can include an info button, a power button an intensity-up button, an intensity-down button, and a start/stop button that are presented to the user visually via the mobile device 121 . When the patient presses a button presented by the application running on the mobile device 121 , a signal is transmitted to the microcontroller 360 housed within the mouthpiece 140 . For example, a therapy session can be started when the patient presses a start/stop button on the mobile device 121 . During the therapy session, the drive circuitry 372 provides an electrical signal to an electrode array 142 located on the mouthpiece 140 . The accelerometer 370 can be used to provide information about the patient's motion during the therapy session. The information provided by the accelerometer 370 can be used to determine if the patient is engaged in a physical activity. Based on the information received from the accelerometer 370 , the microcontroller 360 can determine an activity level of the patient during a therapy session. For example, if the patient engages in a physical activity for 30 minutes during a therapy session, the accelerometer 370 can periodically communicate (e.g. once every second) to the microcontroller 360 that the sensed motion is larger than a predetermined threshold (e.g. greater than 1 m/s 2 ). After the therapy session has ended, the microcontroller 360 can record the amount of time during the therapy session in which the patient was active. In some embodiments, the accelerometer 370 is located within the mobile device 121 and the mobile device 121 determines an activity level of a patient during the therapy session based on information received from the accelerometer 370 . The mobile device can then record the amount of time during the therapy session in which the patient was active. The mobile device 121 includes a real time clock (RTC) 368 that provides time and date information to the microcontroller 360 . In some embodiments, the mouthpiece 140 is authorized by a physician for a predetermined period of time (e.g., two weeks). After the predetermined period of time has elapsed, the mouthpiece 140 can no longer deliver electrical signals to the patient via the electrode array 142 and the patient must visit the physician to reauthorize use of the mouthpiece 140 . In some embodiments, the mouthpiece 140 includes pushbuttons (e.g., an on/off button) and a patient can manually operate the mouthpiece 140 via the pushbuttons. After a therapy session, the mouthpiece 140 can transmit information about the therapy session to a mobile device.
[0062] In some embodiments, the mouthpiece 140 does not include a USB controller 380 and instead communicates only via wireless communications with the controller.
[0063] FIG. 3C shows a more detailed view of the electrode array 142 . The electrode array 142 can be separated into 9 groups of electrodes, labelled a-i, with each group having 16 electrodes, except group b which has 15 electrodes. Each electrode within the group corresponds to one of 16 electrical channels. During operation, the drive circuitry can deliver a sequence of electrical pulses to the electrode array 142 to provide neurostimulation of at least one of the patient's trigeminal or facial nerve. The electrical pulse amplitude delivered to each group of electrodes can be larger near a posterior portion of the tongue and smaller at an anterior portion of the tongue. For example, the pulse amplitude of electrical signals delivered to groups a-c can be 19 volts or 100% of a maximum value, the pulse amplitude of electrical signals delivered to groups d-f can be 14.25 volts or 75% of the maximum value, the pulse amplitude of electrical signals delivered to groups g-h can be 11.4 volts or 60% of the maximum value, and the pulse amplitude of electrical signals delivered to group i can be 9.025 volts or 47.5% of the maximum value. In some embodiments, the maximum voltage is in the range of 0 to 40 volts. The pulses delivered to the patient by the electrode array 142 can be random or repeating. The location of pulses can be varied across the electrode array 142 such that different electrodes are active at different times, and the duration and/or intensity of pulses may vary from electrode. For oral tissue stimulation, currents of 0.5-50 mA and voltages of 1-40 volts can be used. In some embodiments, transient currents can be larger than 50 mA. The stimulus waveform may have a variety of time-dependent forms, and for cutaneous electrical stimulation, pulse trains and bursts of pulses can be used. Where continuously supplied, pulses may be 1-500 microseconds long and repeat at rates from 1-1000 pulses/second. Where supplied in bursts, pulses may be grouped into bursts of 1-100 pulses/burst, with a burst rate of 1-100 bursts/second.
[0064] In some embodiments, pulsed waveforms are delivered to the electrode array 142 . FIG. 3D shows an exemplary sequence of pulses that can be delivered to the electrode array 142 by the drive circuitry 372 . A burst of three pulses, each spaced apart by 5 ms is delivered to each of the 16 channels. The pulses in neighboring channels are offset from one another by 312.5 μs. The burst of pulses repeats every 20 ms. The width of each pulse can be varied from 0.3-60 is to control an intensity of neurostimulation (e.g., a pulse having a width of 0.3 is will cause a smaller amount of neurostimulation than a pulse having a width of 60 μs).
[0065] FIG. 4A shows a method of operation 400 of a controller 120 as described in FIGS. 2A, 2B and 3A . A patient attaches a mouthpiece 140 to a controller 120 (step 404 ). The patient turns on the controller 120 (step 408 ) using, for example, a power button. The patient places the controller 120 around his/her neck (step 412 ) as shown in FIG. 1B . The patient places a mouthpiece 140 in his/her mouth (step 416 ). The patient initiates a therapy session by pressing a start/stop button (step 420 ). During the therapy session, the controller 120 delivers electrical signals to the mouthpiece 140 . The patient calibrates the intensity of the electrical signals (step 424 ). The patient raises the intensity of the electrical signals delivered to the mouthpiece by pressing an intensity-up button until the neurostimulation is above the patient's sensitivity level. The patient presses an intensity-down button until the neurostimulation is comfortable and non-painful. After the calibration step, the patient performs a prescribed exercise (step 428 ). The exercise can be cognitive, mental, or physical. In some embodiments, physical exercise includes the patient attempting to maintain a normal posture or gait, the patient moving his/her limbs, or the patient undergoing speech exercises. Cognitive exercises can include “brain training” exercises, typically computerized, that are designed to require the use of attention span, memory, or reading comprehension. Mental exercises can include visualization exercises, meditation, relaxation techniques, and progressive exposure to “triggers” for compulsive behaviors.
[0066] In some embodiments, the patient can rest for a period of time during the therapy session (e.g. the patient can rest for 2 minutes during a 30 minute therapy session). After a predetermined period of time (for example, thirty minutes) has elapsed, the therapy session ends (step 432 ) and the controller 120 stops delivering electrical signals to the mouthpiece 140 . In some embodiments, the intensity of electrical signals increases from zero to the last use level selected by the patient over a time duration in the range of 1-5 seconds after the patient starts a therapy session by pressing the start/stop button. In some embodiments, the intensity of electrical signals is set to a fraction of the last use level selected by the patient (e.g. ¾ of the last level selected) after the patient starts a therapy session by pressing the start/stop button. In some embodiments, the intensity of electrical signals increases from zero to a fraction of the last use level selected by the patient (e.g. ¾ of the last level selected) over a time duration in the range of 1-5 seconds after the patient starts a therapy session by pressing the start/stop button. In some embodiments, the intensity of electrical signals increases instantaneously from zero to the last use level selected by the patient after the patient starts a therapy session by pressing the start/stop button.
[0067] In some embodiments, the mouthpiece 140 is connected to the controller 120 after the controller 120 is turned on. In some embodiments, the mouthpiece 140 is connected to the controller 120 after the controller 120 is donned by the patient. In some embodiments, the patient calibrates the intensity of the electrical signals before initiating a therapy session. In some embodiments, a patient performs an initial calibration of the intensity of electrical signals in the presence of a clinician and does not calibrate the intensity of the electrical signals during subsequent treatments performed in the absence of a clinician.
[0068] FIG. 4B shows a method of operation 449 of the non-invasive neurostimulation system 100 described in FIGS. 2C and 3B . A patient activates a mobile device 121 (step 450 ). The patient places a mouthpiece 140 in his/her mouth (step 454 ). The patient initiates a therapy session by pressing a start/stop button within an application running on the mobile device 121 (step 458 ). During the therapy session, circuitry within the mouthpiece 140 delivers electrical signals to an electrode array 142 located on the mouthpiece 140 . The patient calibrates the intensity of the electrical signals (step 462 ). The patient first raises the intensity of the electrical signals delivered to the mouthpiece 140 by pressing an intensity-up button located within an application running on the mobile device 121 until the neurostimulation is above the patient's sensitivity level. The patient presses an intensity-down button running within an application on the mobile device 121 until the neurostimulation is comfortable and non-painful. After the calibration step, the patient performs a prescribed exercise (step 464 ). The exercise can be cognitive, mental, or physical. In some embodiments, the patient can rest for a period of time during the therapy session (e.g. the patient can rest for 5 minutes during a 30 minute therapy session). After a predetermined period of time (for example, thirty minutes) has elapsed, the therapy session ends (step 468 ) and the circuitry located within the mouthpiece 140 stops delivering electrical signals to the electrode array 142 . In some embodiments, the calibration of the intensity of the electrical signals takes place before the patient initiates a therapy session.
[0069] FIGS. 5A-5F show a mouthpiece 500 . The mouthpiece 500 includes a housing 504 , a spacer 508 , a transition region 520 , a posterior region 524 , an anterior region 528 , a printed circuit board 532 , internal circuitry 533 , an electrode array 542 , and a cable 544 . The housing 504 includes an outer shell 505 , longitudinal ribs 550 , transverse ribs 551 , columns 552 , valleys 553 , shoring 554 , pockets 555 , and a platform 558 . The mouthpiece 500 has three regions, a posterior region 524 , a transition region 520 , and an anterior region 528 . The transition region 520 smoothly connects the anterior region 528 with the posterior region 524 . The printed circuit board 532 attaches to the bottom side of the housing 504 . The internal circuitry 533 is mounted to the top side of the printed circuit board 532 and is covered by the housing 504 . The cable 544 is in communication with the internal circuitry 533 and the internal circuitry 533 is in communication with the electrode array 542 . The outer shell 505 of the housing 504 has an exemplary thickness in the range of 0.5 to 2 mm. The outer shell can be made of glass filled nylon, nylon, acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS), polycarbonate (PC), polyether ether ketone (PEEK), alloy metal, or metal, having a compression strength in the range of 375 to 590 N. In some embodiments, the outer shell 505 has two different thicknesses. For example, the anterior region of the outer shell 505 can have a thickness in the range of 1.2 to 2 mm and the posterior region can have a thickness in the range of 0.5 to 1.2 mm. The thickness of the outer shell 505 can vary smoothly in the transition region such that there are no discontinuities or steps in the thickness of the outer shell 505 . In some embodiments, the thickness of the outer shell 505 in the anterior region is chosen to withstand biting by the patient. In some embodiments, the thickness of the outer shell 505 in the posterior region is selected to provide retention of the mouthpiece 500 , thereby preventing accidental ejection of the mouthpiece 500 . By itself, the outer shell 505 cannot withstand biting forces from the patient (e.g., the outer shell undergoes significant deflections and/or experiences plastic deformation). The longitudinal ribs 550 , transverse ribs 551 , columns 552 , shoring 554 , and platform 558 can provide structural support for the outer shell 505 to prevent damage due to biting by the patient. The longitudinal ribs 550 can extend longitudinally along the housing 504 . The longitudinal ribs 550 can be regularly spaced, creating valleys 553 therebetween as shown in FIG. 5E . Internal circuitry 533 can be located in the valleys 553 . In an exemplary embodiment, the longitudinal ribs 550 have a width in the range of 0.5 to 2 mm, and a height that varies from approximately 6 mm in the posterior region 524 to 1 mm in the anterior region 528 . In some embodiments, the longitudinal ribs are irregularly spaced, with the spacing between ribs being larger towards the perimeter of the outer shell 505 and smaller towards a central portion of the outer shell 505 . In some embodiments, the longitudinal ribs are separated by a distance in the range of 4 to 9.0 mm as measured from center to center. The transverse ribs 551 can be located in the posterior region 524 and traverse a width of the housing 504 . The transverse ribs can be spaced regularly, as shown in FIG. 5E . In an exemplary embodiment, the transverse ribs 551 have a width of in the range of 0.5 to 1.5 mm, and a height of in the range of 4 to 7 mm. In some embodiments, the transverse ribs 551 can intersect with the longitudinal ribs 550 , creating pockets 555 as shown in FIG. 5E . Internal circuitry 533 can be located in the pockets 555 . In some embodiments, the transverse ribs are irregularly spaced, with the spacing between ribs being larger towards the perimeter of the outer shell 505 and smaller towards a central portion of the outer shell 505 . The column 552 can have a rectangular cross section and be located in an anterior region 528 of the housing 504 . In some embodiments, one or more columns 552 are regularly spaced and traverse a width of the housing 504 . The columns 552 can provide resistance to compressive forces exerted on the mouthpiece 500 , thereby providing protection of the internal circuitry 533 . The columns 552 can have a thickness in the range of 0.5 to 2 mm. In some embodiments, the height of the columns 552 is greater than the thickness of the internal circuitry 533 , thereby providing a clearance between the internal circuitry 533 and the outer shell 505 . In some embodiments, the height of the columns 552 is at least 1 mm greater than the thickness of the internal circuitry 533 . In some embodiments, the platform 558 is directly connected to one or more longitudinal ribs and one or more transverse ribs, thereby providing increased capacity to withstand shear and compressive loads. The thickness of the platform 558 can be in the range of 1.5 to 3.5 mm. In some embodiments, the shoring 554 includes a layer of material with a thickness greater than the thickness of the outer shell 505 . The thickness of the shoring 554 can be in the range of 0.5 to 2 mm. In some embodiments, the thickness of the outer shell 505 is smaller in the region of the shoring 554 than in other regions to accommodate the spacer 508 . For example, the thickness of the outer shell can be 1.5 mm in the anterior and posterior regions and 0.5 mm in the region of the shoring 554 . During operation, a patient places a portion of the mouthpiece 500 in his/her mouth to engage in an NINM therapy session. The patient bites down on the mouthpiece 500 with his/her front teeth to secure a position of the mouthpiece. The patient's bottom teeth contact the printed circuit board 532 and the patient's tongue contacts the electrode array 542 . In some embodiments, the patient relaxes his/her mouth to secure a position of the mouthpiece. The internal circuitry delivers electrical neurostimulation signals to the patient's tongue via the electrode array 542 . In some embodiments, the spacer 508 can provide a soft and comfortable bite surface so that stress is not concentrated at small areas where the patient's teeth contact the mouthpiece 500 during biting. For example, the spacer 508 can be made from thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU), thermoplastic elastomer (TPE), or silicone. In some embodiments, the transverse ribs 551 are located in the anterior region and traverse a width of the housing 504 .
[0070] FIGS. 6A-6B show a more detailed view of the outer shell 505 . The outer shell includes a glue well 570 , internal fins 561 and 562 , and a central longitudinal axis 590 . The internal fins include at least one pair of entrance fins 561 . The entrance fins 561 can be symmetric about the longitudinal axis 590 and can guide the cable 544 along the longitudinal axis 590 without causing substantial bending thereof. A glue, adhesive, or epoxy can provide a rigid mechanical connection between the cable 544 and the entrance fins 561 . For example, the glue, adhesive, or epoxy can be a UV cured adhesive, or cyanoacrylate. The internal fins also in include an even number of guiding fins 562 . In some embodiments, the internal fins include an odd number of guiding fins 562 . For example, the internal fins can include three guiding fins. In some embodiments, the guiding fins 562 are not symmetric about the longitudinal axis 590 , with each guiding fin 562 causing an approximately 90 degree bend in the cable 544 , and each bend having a radius of curvature approximately equal to two diameters of the cable 544 . In some embodiment, each guiding fin 562 causes a bend in the cable 544 of greater than 90 degrees, but less than 180 degrees. The guiding fins 562 are in mechanical contact with the cable 544 and provide frictional resistance that compensates for any tensile strain applied to the cable, for example due to longitudinal forces applied along the cable 544 . In some embodiments, the guiding fins 562 provide frictional resistance of at least 100 Newtons. In some embodiments, the guiding fins provide frictional resistance greater than the weight of the mouthpiece. In some embodiments, the guiding fins provide frictional resistance greater than the forces required to disconnect the mouthpiece 140 from the controller 120 . In some embodiments, a rubber grommet 563 provides an elastic mechanical attachment between the outer shell 505 and the cable 544 with the outer shell 505 providing a resistance that counteracts any bending strain applied to the cable 544 (e.g., the patient may accidentally pull or tug on the cable while the mouthpiece 500 is secured within the patient's mouth). In some embodiments, the spacer 508 includes an elastomeric element that provides a mechanical connection between the cable 544 and the entrance fins 561 . The elastomeric element provides a frictional force that provides a frictional resistance that counteracts any bending stress applied to the cable 544 . In some embodiments, the cable 544 can exit the outer shell at a 90 degree angle and be attached to the outer shell by an epoxy, the epoxy providing mechanical resistance of up to 100 Newtons to accommodate bending strains induced by the patient. In some embodiments, the cable 544 is attached to the outer shell by an adhesive or glue. In some embodiments, the cable 544 can exit the outer shell at a 90 degree angle and be mechanically attached to the outer shell by a right-angled elastomeric element, the right-angled elastomeric element interlocking with the outer shell and providing mechanical resistance of up to 100 Newtons to accommodate both bending and tensile strains induced by the patient.
[0071] FIG. 6C shows a more detailed cross sectional view of the glue well 570 . The glue well 570 is located along an outer boundary of the outer shell 505 and accommodates an adhesive (e.g., a biomedical compatible epoxy or glue) that provides a mechanical connection between the printed circuit board 532 and the outer shell 505 . The glue well 570 includes a beveled lip 571 , and a discontinuously connected cross-section that includes a concave portion 572 and a vertical portion 573 that intersect to form a lowest point of the glue well 570 . In some embodiments, the shape of the glue well can be trapezoidal. In some embodiments, the shape of the glue well can be wedged. In some embodiments, the shape of the glue well can be triangular. In some embodiments, the shape of the glue well can be rectangular. In some embodiments, a portion of the glue well can overhang the printed circuit board 532 , thereby protecting portions of the printed circuit board from the teeth of the patient. In some embodiments, the adhesive is in contact with the outer shell 505 and the top of the printed circuit board 532 . In some embodiments, the adhesive is in contact with the outer shell 505 and the top and side portions of the printed circuit board 532 . In some embodiments, the glue well is shaped such that the adhesive is in contact with the outer shell 505 and the side portions of the printed circuit board 532 , but only has negligible contact with the top portion of the printed circuit board 532 (e.g., the glue well can have a width greater than a depth).
[0072] FIG. 6D shows an embodiment where the outer shell 505 includes two glue wells, 570 and 574 . A first glue well 570 and a second glue well 574 are located along an outer boundary of the outer shell 505 and accommodate an adhesive (e.g., a biomedical compatible epoxy) that provides a mechanical connection between the printed circuit board 532 and the outer shell 505 . The second glue well 574 is designed to accommodate a glue or adhesive that overflows from the first glue well 570 , thereby preventing glue or adhesive from overflowing onto the bottom side of the printed circuit board. A step 578 is positioned between the first and second glue well to define the height of the first glue well.
[0073] FIGS. 7A-7C show a mouthpiece 700 . The mouthpiece 700 includes an outer shell 705 having a central longitudinal axis 790 , a spacer 708 , a cable 744 , a sleeve 764 , exit fins 761 , a glue well 770 . The sleeve 764 is integrated with the cable 744 and mechanically couples the cable 744 with the outer shell 705 . The sleeve 764 includes two tapered outer portions 765 and a gap 766 separating the two tapered outer portions.
[0074] The cable 744 can be pulled towards the outer shell 705 until the gap 766 is aligned with an outer boundary of the mouthpiece 700 . Once aligned with the outer shell 705 , the sleeve 764 provides a mechanical resistance of up to 100 Newtons to counteract both tensile and bending stresses applied to the cable 744 . The cable 744 may additionally be clamped between the printed circuit board 732 and the outer shell 705 as shown in FIG. 7C . The additional clamping can provide additional mechanical resistance to tensile stresses applied to the cable 744 .
[0075] FIGS. 8A-8D show a mouthpiece 800 . The mouthpiece 800 includes an outer shell 805 , a spacer 808 , a printed circuit board 832 , a cable 844 , a sleeve 864 , a glue well 870 , and a clamp 809 . A posterior portion of the cable 844 is connected to the printed circuit board 832 via solder, ribbon connector, or other mechanical connection. The sleeve 864 is integrated with the cable 844 and mechanically couples the cable 844 with the outer shell 805 and clamp 809 . The sleeve 864 is similar to the sleeve 764 , having two tapered outer portions and a gap. Instead of being pulled through the outer shell 805 as shown in FIG. 7 , the sleeve 864 is secured by a clamp 809 that connects to a bottom portion of the outer shell 805 . The clamp 809 mechanically secures the printed circuit board 832 to the outer shell 805 and in addition, secures the sleeve 864 to the outer shell 805 . In some embodiments, adhesive or glue is added to the glue well 870 to secure the printed circuit board 832 to the outer shell 805 . The sleeve 864 provides mechanical resistance (up to 100 Newtons) to bending stresses and tensile stresses in the cable 844 . The clamp 809 includes a rigid plastic portion 809 b and an elastomeric portion 809 a . The rigid plastic portion 809 b provides structural integrity, while the elastomeric portion 809 a provides a sealing mechanism. For example, the clamp 809 can be placed into contact with the outer shell 805 as shown in FIG. 8D . A narrow protrusion 810 extends from the rigid plastic portion 809 b of the clamp 809 , the narrow protrusion 810 interlocking with a recessed portion 806 of the outer shell 805 . The elastomeric portion 809 a contacts the outer shell 805 , the glue well 870 , and the printed circuit board 832 , forming an air tight seal. The air tight seal can protect portions of the printed circuit board 832 from moisture. In some embodiments, the clamp 809 is secured to the outer shell 805 by adding an adhesive or glue to the glue well 870 that contacts both the outer shell and the clamp.
[0076] FIGS. 9A-9C show a mouthpiece 900 . The mouthpiece 900 includes an outer shell 905 , a printed circuit board 932 , a cable 944 , a glue well 970 , a boot 945 . The outer shell 905 includes a valley 971 and a glue well 970 . The valley 971 guides the cable 944 within the outer shell 905 , and the glue well 970 accommodates an epoxy or other adhesive to provide a mechanical connection between the printed circuit board 932 , the outer shell 905 , and the cable 944 . The shape of the glue well 970 can be a wedge shape to advantageously provide an interface between the adhesive or epoxy and the printed circuit board 932 , the outer shell 905 , and the cable 944 . A protrusion 946 extends from the outer shell 905 and interlocks with a recessed portion 947 of the boot 945 . The interlocked boot 945 is in mechanical contact along an outer diameter of the cable 944 (e.g., the interlocked boot 945 can be in contact with the outer diameter of the cable 944 for a distance in the range of 0.5 to 10 mm). In some embodiments, the interlocked boot 945 can be overmolded, or glued onto the cable 944 . In some embodiments, the interlocked boot 945 is mechanically coupled to the cable 944 . The interlocked boot 945 can provide mechanical resistance to tugging or pulling (e.g., up to 100 Newtons) of the cable by the patient. In some embodiments, the interlocked boot can provide resistance to both bending strains and tensile strains. In some embodiments, the boot 945 can cover the glue well 970 . In some embodiments, the boot 945 can be extended to cover portions of the printed circuit board 932 that are not covered by an electrode array.
[0077] FIGS. 10A-10C show a mouthpiece 1000 . The mouthpiece 1000 includes an outer shell 1005 , a printed circuit board 1032 , a cable 1044 , a valley 1071 , a sealing ring 1081 , and clips 1080 . Epoxy and/or adhesives are not present in mouthpiece 1000 . The printed circuit board 1032 contacts the sealing ring 1081 and is held in place by clips 1080 . The clips 1080 can have vertical sidewall and a downward sloping overhang as shown in FIG. 10B . In some embodiments, the clips are spaced along an inner boundary of the outer shell 1005 . The cable 1044 is electrically connected to the printed circuit board 1032 . Additionally, the sealing ring 1081 forms an aperture at an anterior region of the outer shell 1005 , with the cable 1044 passing through the aperture. The valley 1071 guides the cable 1044 from the printed circuit board 1132 to the aperture. The aperture is in contact with the cable 1044 and provides resistance to tugging or pulling of the cable 1044 by the patient. In some embodiments, the aperture can provide resistance to both bending and tensile strains on the cable 1044 . In some embodiments, the sealing ring 1081 is composed of a low durometer elastomer such as TPE, TPU, or silicone. In some embodiments, the sealing ring can be replaced by a glue well or a layer of glue.
[0078] FIGS. 11A-11C show a mouthpiece 1100 . The mouthpiece 1100 includes an outer shell 1105 , a printed circuit board 1132 , a cable 1144 , and a fastener 1191 . The outer shell includes a glue well 1170 , a valley 1171 , and a port 1172 shaped to accommodate the fastener 1191 . The glue well 1170 can accommodate an epoxy or other adhesive that connects the outer shell 1105 to the printed circuit board 1132 . The cable 1144 is attached to the printed circuit board 1132 via solder, ribbon cable, or other mechanical connector. The cable rests in the valley 1171 before exiting at port 1172 . An O-ring surrounds the cable 1144 at the port 1172 . The fastener 1191 attaches to the outer shell 1105 at the position of the port 1172 . The fastener applies a force to the O-ring that holds the cable in place at the port. The O-ring together with the fastener 1172 protect the cable from pulling or tugging by the patient. In some embodiments, the O-ring and the fastener 1172 provide resistance to both bending and tensile strain. In some embodiments, an epoxy or adhesive surrounds the cable 1144 at the port 1172 .
[0079] FIG. 12 shows a method 1200 of manufacturing a mouthpiece such as the mouthpiece shown in FIG. 5 . Initially, a housing is provided (step 1204 ). A spacer is attached to the housing (step 1208 ). In some embodiments, the spacer is molded directly onto the housing. In some embodiments, the spacer attached to the housing via an adhesive or glue. The housing is attached to the printed circuit board (step 1212 ). In some embodiments, the housing is molded directly onto the printed circuit board. The molded housing can wrap around the edge of the printed circuit board and create a lip on the bottom side of the printed circuit board for better engagement. In some embodiments, features can be added to the printed circuit board (e.g., countersunk holes, beveled edge of the board, stepped edge of the board, tongue and groove edge of the board) such that when the molded housing is molded onto the board, the plastic hardens around the features to create better engagement. In some embodiments, the housing is attached to the printed circuit board via an adhesive and/or mechanical clips. In some embodiments, the housing is attached to the printed circuit board by a mechanical bond. In some embodiments, the housing is attached to the printed circuit board by a chemical bond. In some embodiments, the attached housing covers and encapsulates surface mounted electronics on the printed circuit board, while leaving the electrode array exposed such that the electrode array can be placed in contact with a patient's tongue for NINM therapy. A cable is provided (step 1216 ). The cable is connected to the printed circuit board (step 1220 ). In some embodiments, the cable is connected to the printed circuit board prior to the housing being molded onto the printed circuit board. The cable can be partially encapsulated by the housing after the molding process. In some embodiments, the housing is molded onto the printed circuit board in two steps. In a first step a first shot of plastic can be molded onto the board, where the mold temperatures and pressures are low enough that it is not hazardous to the electrical components on the board. The first shot can be used to pot the components, thereby protecting them. The first shot can be a softer material (TPE, TPU) or a rigid material with a lower mold pressure and/or temperature (Polyamide, Polyolefin). A second shot is molded over at least a portion of the first shot, where mold temperatures and pressures are higher than the first shot. This second shot may be of harder, more durable materials (e.g., nylon or glass filled nylon, ABS, PC, etc.). In some embodiments, the housing is molded onto, and completely surrounds the printed circuit board, such that only the electrode array is not covered by the housing. In this situation, the printed circuit board material would not come into contact with the patient, thereby protecting the patient in the case of harmful printed circuit board materials. In some embodiments, the electrode array is non-planar with the printed circuit board (e.g., the electrode array can protrude by a distance in the range of 0.1 to 1 mm from the printed circuit board). In some embodiments, the electrode array is an array of pins that protrude from the printed circuit board. The array of pins remains exposed after molding the housing onto the printed circuit board.
[0080] FIGS. 13A and 13B show a mouthpiece 1300 that has been manufactured by overmolding a housing 1304 directly onto a printed circuit board 1332 . The mouthpiece 1300 includes a spacer 1308 and a cable 1344 . In some embodiments, the printed circuit 1332 board includes features for mechanically engaging the molded housing 1304 (e.g., a beveled edge of the board, a stepped edge of the board, a notched edge of the board etc.). In some embodiments, the molded housing 1304 can wrap around the edge of the printed circuit board 1332 and create a lip on the bottom side of the printed circuit board to mechanically engage the printed circuit board 1332 . In some embodiments, the printed circuit board includes countersunk holes 1340 . The countersunk holes are filled with plastic as the housing 1304 is molded onto the printed circuit board. A rivet forms inside the countersunk hole 1340 , with the rivet being an integral portion of the housing 1304 . The tapered shape of the rivet provides a force that holds the printed circuit board 1332 in mechanical contact with the housing 1304 .
[0081] FIG. 14 shows a mouthpiece 1400 according to a two shot injection molding manufacturing method wherein a shot refers to the volume of material that is used to fill a mold cavity and compensate for material shrinkage. The mouthpiece 1400 includes a housing 1404 , a printed circuit board 1432 , a cable 1444 , and a frame 1450 . The frame 1450 is formed around the printed circuit board (one or both sides) 1432 during a first shot, which provides a seal between the printed circuit board and the external environment. The housing 1404 is formed around the printed circuit board 1432 and frame 1450 during a second shot, thereby encapsulating the components on the printed circuit board 1432 and chemically bonding to the frame 1450 . The first and second shots can be rigid, elastomeric, or a combination of both.
[0082] The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments and is not intended to be limiting of the inventive concepts. It will be understood that, although the terms first, second, third etc. are used herein to describe various elements, components, regions, layers and/or sections, these elements, components, regions, layers and/or sections should not be limited by these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish one element, component, region, layer or section from another element, component, region, layer or section. Thus, a first element, component, region, layer or section discussed below could be termed a second element, component, region, layer or section without departing from the teachings of the present application.
[0083] While the present inventive concepts have been particularly shown and described above with reference to exemplary embodiments thereof, it will be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art, that various changes in form and detail can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present inventive concepts described and defined by the following claims.
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A mouthpiece for providing non-invasive neuromodulation to a patient, the mouthpiece including an elongated housing having an anterior region and a posterior region, the elongated housing having a non-planar exterior top surface and internal structural members disposed within the housing, the internal structural members elastically responding to biting forces generated by the patient, a spacer attached to the top surface of the housing for limiting contact between a patient's upper teeth and the exterior top surface of the elongated housing, and a printed circuit board mounted to a bottom portion of the elongated housing, the printed circuit board having a plurality of electrodes for delivering subcutaneous local electrical stimulation to the patient's tongue.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a sliding device for the gas-tight and air-tight closure of a container opening of given size or of a conduit having a specific inner diameter. The device comprises a locking member which is displaceable by means of a push rod and which comprises a sealing plate having a counter element connected therewith by means of a spring member. In the locking member, spreading elements are provided which rest against the sealing plate and the counter element to spread them apart after the locking member has been moved into the closing position and to press the sealing plate onto a seat of the container or conduit in a seal-tight manner through the intermediary of a seat packing.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A frequent requirement of shutoff sliding devices is that they can be mounted in the conduit as required without regard to the direction of flow. This requirement presupposes that the seal-tightness at the sealing plate or valve plate remains unchanged regardless of which side of the plate is exposed to overpressure or thrust pressure as a result of the blocked flow.
If the shutoff sliding device is mounted in the conduit in such a way that the overpressure presses the valve plate-and thus the packing-onto the valve seat, the sealing pressure is additive to the pressure and thus, with increasing overpressure, the seal-tightness is increased. However, if the shutoff sliding device is mounted in the conduit in such a way that the overpressure produced at the closed valve plate is effective in the opposite direction to the sealing force, the latter is reduced by the overpressure and constructional measures must be adopted which are so costly, particularly in the case of large shutoff sliding devices, that in most cases it is not possible to meet the requirement--which is feasible as such -- of providing seal tightness in each direction in the case of overpressure.
This restriction is applicable, in particular, to all shutoff sliding devices, as must have a very high degree of seal-tightness which is essential in the case of high vacuum sliding devices. It also applies to the shutoff sliding devices disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,368,792. In the case of the shutoff sliding devices described in the afore-mentioned patents, the locking member comprises as its spreading elements at least one pair of bearings which are loosely inserted one above the other in an appropriate continuous bore in the locking member. The combined diameter of the two bearings is greater than the length of the bore and the valve plate, and a counter plate comprises oppositely disposed recesses in which the bearings are inserted in the opening position of the locking member and which the bearings are forced to vacate by the closing movement of the push rod, thereby spreading apart the plates when the valve plate is disposed opposite its seat.
The same difficulties also arise in the case of a sliding device of the type described initially when it is intended for use as a gas-tight and air-tight closure of a container, more particularly, as the doors of a pressure capsule, for example, in connection with training and test capsules and annexed lock chambers for astronautical projects. In the case of systems of this type, the overpressure may occur alternately on either side of the locking doors, and thus it is necessary to provide expensive reinforcement devices such as clamps with spindles for occasions when the overpressure exerted on the closed sealing plate is effective in the opposite direction to the sealing force.
However, devices of the above type are not only undesirable because they are very expensive but, above all, because the operation of these devices is time consuming. In the case of astronautical test capsules it is essential that in an emergency, for example, in the event of damage to the pressure suit of the person undergoing the test in the pressure capsule, that the access door can be opened within a very few seconds. This is impossible when additional reinforcing devices have to be provided.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The object of the present invention is to provide a sliding device of the type described initially for the gas-tight and air-tight closure of a container opening or of a conduit, wherein the sealing force at the seat is increased by the overpressure which is produced at the sealing plate even when the overpressure is exerted in the opposite direction to the sealing force.
According to the invention, the sliding device is characterized in that a plurality of spreading elements are disposed in the locking member along a single closed line which, in the closing position of the locking member, is located between the inner boundary line of the seat packing and the boundary line of the opening in the container or the conduit, such that overpressure which is produced at the sealing plate and which is directed in the opposite direction to the sealing pressure at the seat causes deflection of the sealing plate and, as a consequence, the seat packing is pressed onto the seat.
Other objects, features, and advantages of the present invention will be made apparent from the following detailed description thereof, which is provided with reference to the accompanying drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a sectional view at right angles to the container wall and along the line I--I in FIG. 2 of a sliding device intended for closing a container opening. It is shown in the locked and, thus, closed position.
FIG. 2 is a sectional view parallel to the container wall along the line II--II in FIG. 1 of the sliding device according to FIG. 1. It is represented in the same position as in FIG. 1.
FIG. 3 is a sectional view along a conduit of a sliding device employed as the shutoff slide of a conduit. It is represented in the open position.
FIG. 4 is a sectional view at right angles to the conduit of the shutoff slide according to FIG. 3. It is represented in the locked, closed position.
FIG. 5 is a sectional view along a conduit of another sliding device which is represented in the locked, closed position. This sliding device is designed as the shutoff slide for a conduit and it comprises protective features which enable it to be used with polluted or corrosive media.
FIG. 6 shows the shutoff slide according to FIG. 5 in the open position.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
Referring now to FIGS. 1 and 2 in which a container wall 1, for example, the wall of a pressure capsule or pressure chamber comprises a rectangular opening or passage 2 about which is disposed a frame 3 which comprises an opening 4 corresponding to the container opening 2 and which is bolted to the container wall 1 by means of bolts 5. A locking plate 7 which is displaceable parallel to the container wall 1 on rollers 6 is disposed between the frame 3 and the container wall 1. Displacement of the plate 7 is effected from without by means of a push rod 8. As in the case of the embodiment represented, the rod 8 can be operated manually or by an electrical or pneumatic drive means. The rod 8 is guided through a bore in the frame 3 and is sealed by means of a packing 9. Alternative packing elements such as spring bellows can be provided in place of the packing member 9 which is represented as a packing ring.
The sliding device in point, which is designed as the closing member for a container opening 2, comprises a sealing plate 10 bearing a seat packing II and a counter plate 12, both of which are rectangular. Leaf springs 13 and 14 are attached, for example, by spot welding, to the sealing plate 10 and the counter plate 12, respectively, at the points 15. The two leaf springs 13, 14 are secured by means of a bolt 16 to a stop piece 17 disposed without the locking plate 7. The sealing plate 10 and the counter plate 12 are clamped against the locking plate 7 by means of the leaf springs 13, 14 (FIG. 3). To enable the plates 10, 12 to rest against the plate 7, the latter is provided with grooves 18 in which the leaf springs 13, 14 and thus the sealing plate 10 and the counter plate 12 are guided.
Bores 19, in each of which a pair of bearings 20 are inserted one above the other, are provided along a rectangular line in the locking plate 7 (FIG. 2). The combined diameter of the two bearings is greater than the length of the bores 19 or than the thickness of the locking plate 7. Recesses 21 are provided on the inner side of the sealing plate 10 and the counter plate 12. The disposition of the recesses 21 along a rectangular line corresponds to that of the bores 19 but the rectangle of the recesses 21 is offset with respect to the rectangle of the bores 19 in the direction of the axis of the rod 8 by a distance which forms the locking stroke. The parts of the bearings 20 projecting beyond the outer faces of the locking plate 7 project into the recesses 21 each time the plate 7 and the sealing plate 10 and the counter plate 12 are pushed within the frame 3.
A pin 22 is also inserted in the locking plate 7 at right angles to the latter. The pin 22 projects into an opening 23 in the counter plate 12. The size of this opening 23 in the direction of the axis of the rod 8 corresponds generally to that of the afore-mentioned locking stroke.
It may be noted from FIGS. 1 and 2 that in the closed, locked position of the locking plate 7, the closed rectangular line along which are disposed the bores 19, resp., the bearings 20, is located between the line formed by the seat packing 11 and the boundary line of the openings 2 and 4 in the container wall 1 or in the frame 3.
The present sliding device may be constructed in a similar manner when it is designed for use as a shutoff slide for a conduit. FIG. 3 shows a section along the conduit of this type of shutoff slide member in an open position. FIG. 4 shows a section at right angles to the conduit of this shutoff slide member in the closed, locked position. In these figures the reference numbers according to FIGS. 1 and 2 have been used to designate identical parts.
In the embodiment represented in FIGS. 3 and 4, a slide housing 25, which in FIG. 3 comprises only partially represented conduit connection ends 26, is provided with a cover 27 which is bolted to the housing 25 by means of a packing 28 and bolts 29 (not shown-merely indicated). Disposed inside the housing is a plate 7' which is displaceable on the rollers 6 at right angles to the axis of the conduit. As in the case of FIGS. 1 and 2, the push rod 8 is provided for the displacement of the plate 7'. The push rod 8 is guided through a bore in the cover 27 and is sealed by the packing 9.
The shutoff slide represented comprises as its sealing plate a valve plate 10' comprising a seat packing 11' and as its counter plate the plate 12'. The disposition of the leaf springs 13, 14 and the stop piece 17 corresponds to that of FIGS. 1 and 2.
In the case of the plate 7', bearings 20 are once again loosely inserted in pairs in the bores 19 and the combined diameter of the two bearings 20 is greater than the length of the bores 19 or than the thickness of the panel 7'. The bores 19 are provided along a circle which is located between the circle formed by the seat packing 11' and the boundary circle of the inner openings of the conduit connection ends 26. The recesses 21 are provided on the inner sides of the valve plate 10' and the counter plate 12'. The disposition of the recesses 21 along a circle corresponds to that of the bores 19 but, in the closed, locked position of the plate 7' (FIG. 4), the center of the circle of recesses 21 is offset in the direction of the axis of the rod 8 by the locking stroke with respect to the center of the circle of bores. As in FIG. 1, the plate 7' comprises the pin 22 and the counter plate 12' comprises the corresponding opening 23.
The sliding devices which have been described operate in the following manner: To close the shutoff slide represented in the open position in FIG. 3, or to close the sliding device according to FIGS. 1 and 2 which is in the form of doors, the push rod 8 is pushed towards the conduit axis or the openings 2,4 until the stop piece 17 touches the housing 25 on the side opposite to the housing cover 27 or the frame 3. In this position, which is not represented, the sliding device is still unlocked, but the valve plate 10' or the sealing plate 10 and the counter plate 12' or counter plate 12 are disposed in their closing position with respect to the conduit or the wall opening. However, they are still held against the plate 7 by the action of the leaf springs 13, 14. As force continues to be exerted by the rod 8 in the same direction, only the plate 7 or the plate 7' can continue to be displaced. In the course thereof, the pairs of bearings 20 are pressed out of the recesses 21, which causes the valve plate 10' or the sealing plate 10 and the packing 11' or 11 to be pressed against the valve seat and the counter plate 12' or counter plate 12 to be pressed against the housing or the frame. During this process, the leaf springs 13, 14 are spread apart, and the pairs of bearings 20 disposed in a circle or rectangle lock the two plates 10', 12' or the plates 10,12 in place in a force-locking manner and prevent them being opened by virtue of pressure produced on either side (FIG. 1).
If pressure is exerted on the valve plate 10' or the sealing plate 10 in direction B (FIG. 1), the seat packing is also pressed with increasing pressure. However, if the pressure is exerted from direction A onto the valve plate 10' or the sealing plate 10, the latter will be deflected in direction A between the pairs of bearings in a similar manner to a lever arm. The pairs of bearings 20 form fixed supports which cannot yield, and thus the outer edge of the valve plate 10' or the sealing plate 10 increasingly presses the packing against the seat. Thus, it is apparent that a sealing force must be applied during the closing of the sliding device. This is necessary to keep the closure sealed when there is no differential pressure at the valve plate 10' or at the sealing plate 10. If overpressure is produced on either side of the valve plate 10' or the sealing plate 10, it will tend to increase the sealing pressure.
The process is reversed during opening of the sliding devices which have been described. When the rod 8 is pulled, at first only the plate 7' or 7 between the plates 10', 12' or the plates 10, 12, is displaced. As soon as the pair of bearings 20 fall into the recesses 21 of the plates 10', 12' or the plates 10, 12, the latter can be raised from seat and the housing or the frame under the action of the leaf springs 13, 14, and thus the plate 7 or 7' together with the plates 10', 12' or the plates 10, 12 can be pulled away from the opening in the conduit or the wall into the position represented in FIG. 3. When the plate 7 is first moved into the unlocked position, which is not represented, the pin 22 is displaced within the opening 23 until it strikes the edge of the opening and, as the rod 8 continues to be pulled, it carries with it the counter plate 12' or the counter plate 12 and thus also the valve plate 10' or the sealing plate 10 in the drawing direction. This measure is designed to prevent the pair of bearings 20 from being pressed out of the recesses during the continued drawing action on the rod 8, if the valve plate 10' or the sealing plate 10 should adhere to the seat or should be pressed against the seat in the manner described as a result of a still present pressure difference.
The sliding devices according to the invention also have the advantage that only minimal forces are produced during the closing process, and therefore all the mechanical parts may have smaller dimensions than in the case of the known closing devices. The action of wear on these devices is also substantially reduced. It is also possible for these devices to be opened immediately, which, as has already been mentioned, is particularly expedient in the event of an emergency when the sliding device is used as the doors of a pressure chamber.
In the case of the embodiments which have been described and represented, the closing plate 7, 7' does not fulfil a sealing function. It is therefore unnecessary to use for this part a plate which is capable of covering the entire wall opening or entire conduit cross-section. When the present sliding device is used as the doors of a pressure chamber, it is possible to use a frame in which the pair of bearings 20 are disposed in place of the locking plate 7. When the sliding device is used as a shutoff slide for a conduit, a ring can be provided in place of the locking plate 7'. The counter element 12, 12' which is represented as a plate in FIGS. 1 and 3 can also be constructed in a similar manner.
In the embodiments represented, pairs of bearings which are known per se are provided as the simple, readily mounted spreading elements for the sealing plate and the counter plate, resp., the valve plate and counter plate. Obviously, it is also possible to use spreading elements having a different configuration which press apart the sealing plate and the counter plate and thus press the sealing plate onto the seat during the movement of the locking plate into the closing position and then into the locking position.
When the sliding devices according to the present invention are used in containers or conduits designed to hold a polluted or corrosive medium it is expedient to prevent the critical, inner mechanical parts of the sliding device located between the sealing plate 10 or 10' and the counter plate 12 or 12' from being soiled or damaged by the chemical action of the medium. A sliding device which has been designed for this purpose is represented in FIGS. 5 and 6. In FIG. 5 the sliding device is in the locked, closed position and in FIG. 6 in the open position. The embodiment represented consists of a shut-off slide for a conduit and its general configuration corresponds to that of the embodiment represented in FIGS. 3 and 4. Accordingly, identical components have been given the same reference numbers and will not be described in further detail.
According to FIG. 5, a locking plate 7" which is displaceable on the rollers 6 at right angles to the conduit axis is disposed within the housing 25 comprising the conduit connection ends 26 and the cover 27 which is bolted to the housing 25. A push rod 8 which is guided through a bore in the cover 27 is provided for the displacement of the locking plate 7".
The sealing plate again consists of a valve plate 10" comprising a seat packing 11', and the counter plate consists of a counter plate 12". The valve plate 10" and the counter plate 12" are connected in a seal-tight manner by means of bellows 30 with a supporting ring 31 provided between the valve plate and the counter plate, thereby producing an hermetically sealed, closed intermediate chamber in which the locking plate 7" is disposed. As in the embodiment according to FIG. 3, the closing plate 7" contains a plurality of pairs of bearings 20, and the valve plate 10" and the counterplate 12" also comprise recesses 21 for engagement of the bearings.
For the displacement of the locking plate 7", the supporting ring 31 comprises an opening in which a packing 32 is inserted. This opening enables the push rod, which is rigidly connected to the locking plate 7", to be guided in a seal-tight manner through the support ring 31. In this embodiment the rollers 6 are not mounted on the locking plate 7", but on the support ring 31. An abutment face 33 forms part of the support ring 31 and is in contact with the housing part 34.
For reasons of space it would be difficult to use the leaf springs 13, 14 according to FIG. 3 for clamping the valve plate 10" and the counter plate 12" against the locking plate 7". Instead, a tension spring 35 is provided which is attached to the valve plate 10" and to the counterplate 12". When the sliding device shown in FIG. 6 is in the unlocked state, the tension spring 35 retains the valve plate 10" and the counter plate 12" on or close to the locking plate 7".
The sliding device which has been described with reference to FIGS. 5 and 6 operates in the same manner as the one represented in FIG. 3, but in FIGS. 5 and 6 the pin 22 of FIG. 3 is not required for the reasons indicated hereinafter. When the rod 8 is pulled, the only element which is displaced at first is the locking plate 7" disposed between the plates 10" and 12" and within the support ring 31, the dimensions of which are larger than the outer dimensions of the locking plate 7"-- as is apparent from FIG. 5. As soon as the two bearings 20 fall into the recesses 21 of the valve plate 10" and the counter plate 12", the plates 10", 12" can be moved away from the housing 25 by the force of the tension spring 35, and thus the locking plate 7" and the support ring 31 with the plates 10", 12", which are connected therewith, can now be pulled out of the conduit opening. The open position of the sliding device is represented in FIG. 6. It may also be noted from FIG. 6 that when the rod 8 is pulled, not only do the two bearings 20 fall into the recesses 21, but the locking plate 7" rests against the inner face of the support ring 31 adjacent to the rod 8 and, as a result, when the pulling of the rod 8 is continued, the support ring 31 together with the plates 10", 12" are also displaced, and the two bearings 20 are prevented from being removed from the recesses 21. Thus, it is not necessary to provide the follower pin 22 represented in FIG. 3. It is also apparent from FIGS. 5 and 6 that the locking plate 7" together with the pairs of bearings 20 and the recesses 21 of the plates 10", 12" are hermetically encapsulated, thereby completely avoiding any soiling or corrosion of these parts.
To close the sliding device represented in FIG. 6, the push rod 8 is pressed so that the locking plate 7" and the support ring 31 and the plates 10", 12" are moved towards the conduit opening until the abutment face 33 comes into contact with the housing part 34. As the pushing action continues to be exerted on the rod 8, only the locking plate 7" can now be moved. In the course thereof, the pairs of bearings 20 are pressed out of the recesses 21, the valve plate 10" and the packing 11" are pressed against the valve seat, the counter plate 12" is pressed against the housing 25, and the pairs of bearings 20 lock the two plates 10", 12" in place in a force-locking manner as described above and prevent them from being opened as a result of pressure produced on one side.
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A gate value having a sealing plate carried by a moveable element which through the coaction of a series of balls presses the sealing plate into a flow preventing position.
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PRIORITY
Benefit is claimed under 35 U.S.C. 119(e) of U.S. provisional application No. 61/709,043, filed Oct. 2, 2012.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to the field of waterless urinals that save water otherwise lost in flushing, thus providing substantial savings in the costs of water and wastewater treatment as well as conserving fresh water resources. More particularly the invention relates to improvements in coaxial odor trap cartridges for plug-in installation in waterless urinals as the active operational component utilizing an oily or oil-like liquid sealant, the improvements including internal structural additions and modifications that reduce maintenance requirements and costs by conserving sealant, and that further facilitate the low maintenance by enablement of sealant level gauging.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
With increasing emphasis on water conservation, there is renewed interest in toilets and urinals designed to minimize the amount of water consumed in flushing and thus counteract increasing demands on water supplies as well as on wastewater disposal systems, both of which have tended to become overloaded with increasing populations.
Sanitation codes require all drain-connected items such as bathtubs, sinks, toilets and urinals, to provide an odor seal to contain gasses and odors which develop in the drain system, often developing positive sewer-pressure that can slightly exceed atmospheric pressure. Odor-sealing is conventionally performed by the well known P-trap or S-trap in which the seal is formed by a residual portion of the flushing water. As a marginal inherent disadvantage, P-traps and S-traps can become temporarily disfunctional due to “dry” failure in regions or periods of low humidity where infrequent usage trap could result in depletion of the residual liquid portion by evaporation to the extent that, in an eventual sealing failure, odors would escape.
In the category of urinals for males, “waterless” urinal facilities have been proposed and utilized to some extent in the past for their advantage of substantial savings of water usage and associated cost savings relative to water-flushed facilities. However, as a trade-off for these savings, the most viable approach, a “waterless” odor-trap cartridge for replaceable installation in a urinal bowl and utilizing an oily liquid sealant, still requires maintenance in the form of periodic inspection and replenishment of the oily liquid sealant, compared to relatively lower maintenance requirements of water-flushed urinals. Although not subject to evaporation and associated potential “dry” failure of P and S traps as described above, liquid sealant type waterless urinals generally require maintenance in the form of periodic inspection and replenishment of sealant loss, presumably in small droplets becoming detached from the sealant layer and swept down the drain with the wastewater flow at each usage and/or under surges of intensive usage or pressure hosing. Sealant replenishment is typically required in known waterless urinals after approximately 1,500 usages average, depending on frequency of usage.
In past time periods of plentiful water supply and non-overloaded wastewater disposal facilities, the conventional water-flushed type of urinal became generally accepted and widely used as the standard. More recently, marketplace demand driven by need for water conservation and the benefit of cost savings has resulted in ongoing replacement of pre-existing water-flushed urinals by waterless urinals as well as an increasing role in new construction. Waterless urinals that utilize oily liquid odor sealant have been approved under U.S. plumbing standards, e.g. the American National Standard for Plastic Urinal Fixtures, ANSI Z124.9-1993, particularly section 7.8: “Testing of waterless urinals”, and ASUE A112.14.14, and have gained increasing substantial acceptance throughout the world.
It is estimated that each of about 150,000 waterless urinal now in use saves an average of about 30,000 gallons of water per year per urinal compared to a flushed urinal, amounting to a saving of about 45 billion gallons of water annually. The financial savings include not only the initial treated water costs, but even more importantly the costs of sewage water treatment that run typically nearly three times the initial water cost, per gallon.
In many foreign countries, water-saving urinals in a different category, i.e. with moving parts, are allowed and are marketed and used in competition with waterless urinals that utilize liquid odor sealant. This category of urinals with moving parts claim as advantage the potential of being maintenance-free, however, due to awareness of potential risks of inherent unreliability and failure of moving parts due to debris, contamination and/or corrosion, U.S. plumbing and sanitation codes do not recognize or allow the category of odor traps that utilize flap technology, valves or other moving parts, whether of metal or flexible material.
DISCUSSION OF KNOWN ART
A wastewater pipe S-trap into which a disinfectant or deodorizer is introduced was disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 303,822 to D'Heureuse.
The use of an oil as a recirculated flushing medium in a toilet system was disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,829,909 to Rod et al.
The use of oil in toilets to form an odor trap has been disclosed in German patent 121356 to Beck et al and in U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,050,290 to Posson and 4,028,747 to Newton.
German patent 72361 to Beetz in 1891 disclosed an oil-sealed odor lock for stall urinals: a partitioned cylindrical liquid compartment forms a bell trap having an oily liquid barrier that forms a seal through which urine permeates downwardly. Due to its configuration and cast iron metal structure, the Beetz odor lock was made of three parts and designed for easy disassembly since this was required for daily maintenance: cleaning and coating the internal parts and surfaces with oil to prevent clinging of the urine, according to the Beetz specification; however, even such daily maintenance failed .to corrosion of the metal parts rendering the trap useless.
A more recent version of the Beetz coaxial oil-sealed waterless urinal, related to German patent 28 16 597.1, and Swiss patent 606 646, trademarked SYSTEM-ERNST, has been used publicly in Europe: typically the liquid compartment odor trap is mounted beneath floor level and embedded in a concrete swale that functions as a trough type or stall urinal of a type which is no longer recognized in U.S. building and sanitation codes.
A flushless urinal disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,244,061 to Webster et al uses no oil and instead of complete sealing it relies on a small “plug flow” entrance opening associated with a P trap, and is based on the premise that “the urine in the trap during normal use will be fresh and therefore without unpleasant odour”.
.U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,053,197 and 6,425,411 B1 to Gorges disclose liquid sealant type odor trap cartridges that, while made cylindrical in external shape for urinal bowl installation, are configured internally with structure that is clearly non-concentric in shapes representing distinctive approaches to preservation of oil sealant.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,711,037 to Reichardt et al disclosing a WATERLESS URINAL utilizing an oily liquid sealant type odor trap cartridge of totally concentric structure, both externally and internally, that has earned worldwide success and that has saved many millions of gallons of water, is incorporated herein by reference for purposes of detailed description, since it provides the basis upon which the improvements disclosed herein have been accomplished. Field experience with the waterless urinal odor trap cartridge disclosed in the '037 patent has established levels of performance standards and maintenance requirements that serve as reference benchmarks with which to relate the improvements provided by the present invention.
The continued and further increasing emphasis on the economy of conserving water consumption and reducing the risks of overloading existing wastewater and sewage systems have motivated pursuit of the present invention to further develop and refine co-axial oil-sealed waterless urinal cartridges with particular emphasis on the competitive importance of further reducing maintenance requirements by preservation of the liquid sealant through more complete rescue and recovery of detached escaping traces or droplets of sealant.
OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION
It is a primary object of the present invention to provide improvements for incorporation into a known totally coaxial oil-sealed odor trap cartridge for installation in a no-flush waterless urinal, the improvements representing an advancement of the state of the art in this technology to a reduced level of maintenance requirements directed to increasing sales and utilization of this technology, yielding associated benefits of increased conservation of fresh water and substantial savings in water costs and in wastewater treatment costs.
It is a further object to provide the desired improvements through modifications in the internal structure of an existing coaxial odor trap cartridge that will continue to be economical and readily producible in manufacture, and interchangeable with current plug-in odor trap cartridges in existing urinal bowls.
It is a still further object to provide sealant level gauging for purposes of facilitating maintenance monitoring, being readily viewable by a user from above the cartridge.
It is a still further object, in the discharge from the low end of the stand-tube to the drain, to prevent the discharged wastewater and accompanying debris from migrating outwardly onto the bottom surface of the cartridge where it interferes with cartridge replacement handling.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The above-mentioned objects and advantages have been realized in the present invention by improvements in coaxial oil-sealed odor trap cartridges for waterless urinals accomplished by the addition of at least one helically-shaped fin added to extend outward from the outer surface of the cylindrical partition that extends downwardly from the cartridge top cap. In a preferred embodiment two similar fins are added, each shaped as a helix that extends from top to bottom of the tubular partition. To further the benefit of the fin(s) in redirecting escaping droplets of sealant back to the sealant layer, the cross-sectional flow areas of the outer down-flow intake chamber, the intermediate up-flow chamber and the stand-tube down-flow exit chamber are specially proportioned to maximize the cross-sectional flow area of the intake chamber and thus maximize the area of the fin(s) that is active in redirecting and thus preserving traces of sealant that would otherwise escape down the drain. As further improvements and benefits, (a) the structure at the upper portion of the fin(s) enables implementation of sealant level gauging capability that can be observed from above the cartridge, and (b) the bottom region of the cartridge is reshaped to provide a drip ring at the base of the stand-tube to ensure that all wastewater and residue are released directly into the drain and prevented from migrating outwardly and fouling the bottom surface of the cartridge.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The above and further objects, features and advantages of the present invention will be more fully understood from the following description taken with the accompanying drawings in which:
FIG. 1 is an elevational view showing the external appearance of a known coaxial odor trap cartridge for installation and usage in a waterless urinal.
FIG. 2 is a cross-section of a known odor trap cartridge having an external appearance as in FIG. 1 .
FIG. 3 is an elevational view of the cap/partition portion shown removed from the main body portion of the known odor trap of FIG. 2 .
FIG. 4 is an elevational view of a cap/partition portion of a sealant-preserving odor trap cartridge in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention, shown removed from the main body portion as the functional replacement counterpart of the known cap/partition portion in FIG. 3 .
FIG. 5 shows the subject matter of FIG. 4 as viewed from a perpendicular direction.
FIG. 6 is a cross-section of an odor trap cartridge in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention, utilizing finned cap/partition structure as in FIGS. 4 and 5 .
FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the subject matter of FIG. 5 .
FIG. 8 is a perspective view of an embodiment of the present invention showing a novel drip ring configured in the bottom region.
FIG. 9 is a top view of an embodiment of the present invention including a novel sealant level gauge system.
FIGS. 9A and 9B show details, in vertical cross-section and as viewed from above, of the sealant level gauge system of FIG. 9 indicating a full sealant condition.
FIGS. 9C and 9D show details, in vertical cross-section and as viewed from above, of the sealant level gauge system of FIG. 9 indicating a depleted sealant condition.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
FIG. 1 is an elevational view showing the external appearance of a replaceable odor trap cartridge 10 for use in a mating waterless urinal fixture. Included in the category having this general appearance are a product line of well-known odor trap cartridges utilizing oily liquid sealant, typified by the main product of the Waterless Company, a coaxial odor trap cartridge which was disclosed in the above-mentioned '037 U.S. patent, and which has been marketed widely in the U.S. since 1991 and worldwide since 1998. This view shows the exterior of two main portions of cartridge 10 : (1) the main enclosure 12 with its cylindrically-shaped outer sidewall 12 A and (2) the cap/partition portion 14 , of which the upper surface of cap 14 A is shown in profile. This exterior view also generally represents the outward appearance of an embodiment of the presently disclosed invention that is intended to be mutually interchangeable physically with the present Waterless urinal cartridge product as disclosed in the above-mentioned '037 U.S. Patent.
FIG. 2 is a cross-section taken through the central axis of a known replaceable co-axial odor trap cartridge 10 having exterior appearance as shown in FIG. 1 , applicable to the aforementioned Waterless liquid-sealant-based coaxial product disclosed in the '037 patent.
The main body portion 12 includes the cylindrical outer sidewall 12 A extending downwardly past a chamferred lower region to a generally flat bottom panel 12 B, configured centrally with a integral tubular stand-tube 12 C extending upwardly to an open top end as shown, located at a designated distance below the upper edge of the outer sidewall 12 A.
The cartridge 10 is molded from suitable plastic such as polypropylene in two parts, i.e. the main cartridge body portion 12 and the cap/partition portion 14 . When assembled together these form three concentric annular liquid chambers: (1) the outer down-flow intake chamber between outer sidewall 12 A and partition 14 C, (2) the intermediate up-flow chamber between partition 14 C and stand-tube 12 C, and (3) the tubular central down-flow exit drain chamber formed by stand-tube 12 C. Chambers (1) and (2) communicate in a common lower chamber region immediately above the bottom panel 12 B, while chambers (2) and (3) communicate in the region beneath cap 14 A.
Partition 14 C is secured firmly to the main body portion 12 at the upper region thereof by an array of 20 spacers 14 B molded around the edge of cap 14 A, each including a small protrusion for engaging an annular groove configured around the inner surface of sidewall 12 A of main body 12 , such that cap/partition portion 14 and main body portion 12 can be easily assembled and held firmly together in a detent action. To provide strength for such detent action and for mounting purposes, a thickened and tapered rim is formed at the upper peripheral edge of outer sidewall 12 A.
In the known odor seal cartridge 10 , the lower edge of tubular partition 14 C engages a set of four support pedestals formed integrally with the floor 10 D and arranged in a circular array. The upper end of each pedestal is formed with a channel for engaging the lower edge of partition 14 C to ensure concentricity.
In the outer region of the liquid chamber, sealing is provided by a body of oily liquid sealant 20 that has a lower specific gravity, preferably less than 0.9, compared to 1.0 for water or urine/wastewater, since the operation of the urinal is based on the differential between the specific gravity of the oily liquid 20 and that of urine/wastewater 18 , typically near 1.0. A preferred composition of the oily liquid 14 comprises an aliphatic alcohol containing 9-11 carbons in the chemical chain: the specific gravity is 0.84 at 68 degrees, the specific gravity of the oily liquid should be made as low as possible, preferably under 0.9. At the top surface of the sealant 20 , newly received urine immediately permeates downwardly in a turbulent flow through and past the outer edge of the body of sealant 20 floating on the upper surface of the wastewater 16 in the outer down-flow entry chamber. The flow path proceeds past the bottom of partition 14 C and then the wastewater 18 flows upwardly in the intermediate liquid chamber to the top of stand-tube 12 C where it overflows and runs down though stand-tube 12 C to an external drain system. The sealant 20 remains in place floating on top as shown where it serves as an odor and gas seal.
In addition to permeation through sealant 20 as described above, since urine 16 is introduced from cap portion 12 A, close to the outer edge as shown, some of the urine 16 tends to divide into droplets and gravitate downwardly, initially concentrated at the inner wall surface of the outer liquid chamber, thus furthering both the disposal and the sealing performance.
As part of normal operation small traces of sealant 20 become separated from the main body and swept along with the downward wastewater flow in the outer entry chamber, where the detached sealant traces are acted upon by two opposing forces: (1) a downward drag force from the downward flow of wastewater during each urinal usage and for a settling time afterwards as the downward drag force decays to zero unless the settling time is cut short by a subsequent usage, and (2) a constant upward buoyant force due to the low specific gravity of the sealant 20 . The net result of these forces acts on the sealant traces to assert their inherent water-repellence and move upwardly. A portion (a) of the sealant traces remaining in the outer down-flow intake chamber will rise and return to the main sealant body while the other portion (b) of sealant traces that get carried under the partition 14 C will then rise into the intermediate up-flow chamber and become lost down the drain.
In the known odor trap cartridge of the '037 patent the dimensioning of the three chambers result in approximately the following cross-sectional flow areas and volumes:
TABLE 1
Chamber diameter
Cross-
Chamber
at outer wall
sectional
volume
of chamber
flow area
(depth = 5.3 cm)
down-flow exit
2.68 cm
11.74 cm{circumflex over ( )}2
62.2 cc
stand-tube
intermediate up-flow
8.3 cm
37.94 cm{circumflex over ( )}2
201.8 cc
chamber
outer down-flow intake
10.1 cm
39.61 cm{circumflex over ( )}2
209.9 cc
chamber
In the known odor trap cartridge of the '037 patent, a 3 fluid ounce charge of sealant 20 , having a volume of 88.72 cc, will have a depth of 88.72/39.61=2.24 cm, i.e. 42.2% of the 5.3 cm chamber height, and typically requires replenishing after about 1500 average usages, thus there is a loss of about 0.06 cc per usage. The 3 fluid ounce charge is considered to be an optimal tradeoff between a smaller charge that would require more frequent replenishment and a larger charge that would extend further down, requiring the urine to penetrate a thicker layer of sealant, and reducing the flow path length in the region beneath the sealant body, thus reducing the odds of recovering detached traces of sealant, i.e. actually increasing the sealant loss. The sealant 20 is dyed a blue color and is made biodegradable to prevent escaping traces from harming the environment.
The present invention is directed primarily to improvements from modifications and additions in the internal structure of the coaxial odor trap cartridge of the '037 patent that act to substantially increase the recovery ratio: portion (a)/portion (b) of the detached sealant traces, thus conserving more of the sealant 20 and reducing maintenance costs and requirements of waterless urinals.
FIG. 3 is an elevational view of the cap/partition portion 14 shown removed from the main body portion 12 of the known odor trap 10 of FIG. 2 .
FIG. 4 is an elevational view, in direction 9-9 of FIG. 9 , of a cap/partition portion 24 of a sealant-preserving odor trap cartridge in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention, shown removed from the main body portion 12 as the functional replacement counterpart of the known cap/partition portion 14 in FIG. 3 . In comparison, the novel partition 24 C ( FIG. 4 ) is made much smaller in diameter and is configured with a diametrically-opposed pair of fins 24 C′ and 24 C″ that each encircle the main tubular portion 24 C with a single full 360 degree revolution, each forming a helix with a slope of about 10 degrees.
Fins 24 C′ and 24 C″ extend outward radially, typically configured with a horizontally-oriented elongate rectangular cross-sectional shape typically made with the same material and thickness as the cylindrical partition 24 C, e.g. polypropylene, approximately 1.5 mm thick.
As a matter of design choice, taking into account potential impact on performance, the invention could be practiced with an alternative number of fins, e.g. 1 , 3 or more, and the helix formed by each fin could be made to extend to more or less than the single 360 degree encirclement of tubular partition 24 C as shown, and to slope more or less than the 10 degrees angle shown as an illustrative embodiment, or even configured with compound, segmented or smoothly varying slopes. The downward flow path, as viewed from above, could be made counterclockwise, as an alternative to the clockwise direction shown.
FIG. 5 shows the subject matter of FIG. 4 , viewed in direction 5 - 5 of FIG. 9 , i.e. perpendicular to the direction 4 - 4 -in FIG. 4 , showing the relationship between the upper edge of the fin 24 C′ and the two nearest ones of the spacers 24 B formed around the perimeter of cap 24 A with an opening between them that will be utilized to enable implementation of sealant level gauging capability. A view from the opposite side would show fin 24 C″in the same relationship with the corresponding two spacers 24 B. The sealant level gauging system enabled by this relationship is described below in connection with FIGS. 9-9D .
FIG. 6 is a cross-section of an odor trap cartridge 20 in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention, utilizing finned cap/partition structure 24 as in FIGS. 4 and 5 . The fins 24 C′ and 24 C″, extending outwardly as shown, are dimensioned to provide a working sliding fit at the inner surface of cylindrical sidewall 22 A that enables easy assembly insertion and maintains the concentric location of partition 24 C with no need for support spacers under the partition such as have been utilized in known odor trap cartridges.
The helical flow paths provided by fins 24 C′ and 24 C″ conduct the wastewater downward indirectly in a long slope at a shallow angle of about 10 degrees as apposed to the short, direct vertical flow path in the known odor trap cartridge, e.g. as disclosed in the '037 patent and described above in connection with FIG. 2 .
This redirection of the flow path onto and down the helical fins 24 C′ and 24 C″ serves to preserve sealant by prolonging the time period for traces of sealant 32 , that have become detached from the main sealant body and temporarily caught up in the wastewater flow, to disassociate from the wastewater and migrate upwardly while still within the outer chamber where they will automatically float upwardly and rejoin the overhead main sealant body. This separating tendency is continuous due to the constant upward force from the inherent buoyancy of the sealant traces, but the actual separation is an ongoing process that takes place over time.
During usage events, the active flow of wastewater 30 down the fins 24 C′ and 24 C″ will tend to separate into a quasi-laminar flow with the densest portion (e.g. metallic compounds) at the lowermost laminations of the flow in the sloping passageway and the least dense in the upper laminations, e.g. traces of sealant whose inherent upward buoyancy force will act to at least slow down the flow rate of the upper flow laminations, possibly stopping or even reversing it; in any case, increasing the percentage of sealant traces that have had time to detach and migrate upwardly to rejoin the main body. This recovery action intensifies and the recovered percentage further increases during the ensuing settling time period following a usage event, as the main lower lamination flow rate decays and the upper laminations carrying sealant traces typically reverse direction and move upwardly at an increasing flow rate. Finally, at the conclusion of the settling time period, with the main flow settled to zero, in the absence of a subsequent usage event, 100% of sealant traces remaining anywhere on the relatively large (compared to known art) area of the top side of the fins will sooner or later yield to their buoyancy force, disassociate from surrounding wastewater and float back up through the helical passageways to rejoin the main body of sealant.
The bottom panel 22 B is made in the modified arcuate cross-sectional shape as shown forming a drip ring 22 B′ which serves to prevent outward radial migration of wastewater and debris onto the bottom surface of bottom panel 22 B; instead drip ring 22 B′ is shaped to discharge all wastewater and debris directly into the drain, thus preventing annoying bottom-side pollution in maintenance replacement handling.
In comparison to the dimensional information regarding the three chambers of the known odor trap cartridge of the '037 patent as shown in Table 1 above, the following Table 2 shows the modified dimensioning of the cap/partition 24 of the odor trap cartridge 20 of the present invention:
TABLE 2
Outer
Cross-
Chamber
diameter
sectional
volume
of chamber
flow area
(depth = 5.3 cm)
down-flow exit
2.69 cm
5.67 cm{circumflex over ( )}2
30.05 cc
stand-tube
intermediate up-flow
4.06 cm
5.67 cm{circumflex over ( )}2
30.05 cc
chamber
outer down-flow intake
10.1 cm
80.1 cm{circumflex over ( )}2
424.5 cc
chamber
Comparing Table 1 (previous) and Table 2 (present), while the exterior size and shape of the odor trap cartridge and thus the exterior diameter of the outer down-flow intake chamber all remain practically unchanged in order to retain cartridge interchangeability, the stand-tube cross-sectional area has been reduced to 50% of previous and the intermediate chamber cross-sectional area is now reduced to 15% of its previous value to make it equal to that of the stand-tube.
Since the re-proportioning increased the volume of the outer down-flow entry chamber to more than twice its former value, retaining the established 2.31 cm sealant depth now allows the former 3 fluid ounce charge and the expected sealant life expectancy to be more than doubled, even without the addition of the fins 24 C′ and 24 C″.
The addition of the fins 24 C′ and 24 C″ is estimated to have the potential of at least further doubling the sealant life expectancy for a total estimated increase to over 4 times the former life expectancy by altering the travel path of the wastewater from the essentially vertical downward path in coaxial odor trap cartridges of known art, e.g. as in the '037 patent. The proportioning of the chambers described above represents a preferred embodiment considered to be generally optimal overall, however the helical fin concept of the present invention can be practiced with practically any selected proportioning of the chambers with varying impact on performance results regarding sealant preservation.
As a design option, in a preferred embodiment the fins 24 C′ and 24 C″are molded integrally as part of the tubular partition 24 C. Alternatively; the fin(s) could be molded integrally as part of the outer sidewall 22 A, or else fabricated separately, made and arranged to be deployed as a stand-alone component or to be attached adhesively or otherwise to tubular partition 24 C or to outer sidewall 22 A.
FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the subject matter of FIG. 5 taken from a viewpoint that is at a lower level than the bottom end of partition 24 C, showing a portion of the underside of cap 24 A.
FIG. 8 is a perspective view of an embodiment of the present invention, taken from the same viewpoint as in FIG. 8 , showing the cylindrical sidewall 22 A and the arcuate bottom panel 22 B, configured with the novel drip ring 22 B′.
FIG. 9 is a top view of an embodiment of an odor trap 20 in accordance with the present invention indicating the cross-sectional axes of FIGS. 4 , 5 and 9 A, and including a novel sealant level gauge system including the two encircled directional symbols 34 marked on the cap 24 A. The visibility of sealant 32 from above is indicated in the peripheral entry openings bounded by cap 24 A, cylindrical sidewall 22 A and adjacent spacers 24 B.
FIG. 9A is an enlarged cross-section, taken at axis 9 A- 9 A′ of FIG. 9 , showing details of the sealant level gauge system of the present invention indicating a full sealant condition. A narrow portion of fin 24 C′ appears above the surface level of the sealant 32 , near the right hand end of the opening between two spacers 24 B corresponding to the wide end of triangular marking 34 on cap 24 A.
FIG. 9B is an enlarged top view of the lower circled portion of FIG. 9 , showing the sealant level gauge system of the present invention indicating a full sealant condition. A narrow portion of fin 24 C′ appears above the surface level of the sealant 32 , near the right hand end of the opening between two spacers 24 B corresponding to the wide end of triangular marking 34 on cap 24 A.
FIG. 9C is an enlarged cross-section, taken at axis 9 A- 9 A′ of FIG. 9 , showing details of the sealant level gauge system of the present invention indicating a depleted sealant condition. A relatively wide portion of fin 24 C′ appears above the surface level of the sealant 32 , approximating full width of the opening between two spacers 24 B and corresponding to the full length of triangular marking 34 on cap 24 A.
FIG. 9D is an enlarged top view of the lower circled portion of FIG. 9 , showing details of the sealant level gauge system of the present invention indicating a depleted sealant condition. A relatively wide portion of fin 24 C′ appears above the surface level of the sealant 32 , approximating full width of the opening between two spacers 24 B and corresponding to the full length of triangular marking 34 on cap 24 A.
The sealant level gauge system shown in FIGS. 9-9D represents an illustrative embodiment that teaches the basic concept of utilizing an upper end portion of one or more fins 24 C′ of the invention to serve as the basis of a sealant level gauge system. This basic concept could be practiced with alternative details such as applying a special coloring or coating on the upper portion of the fins to enhance visibility, modifying the slope of the fin(s) in this upper region, modifying the spacing between spacers 24 B, e,g, omitting one or more of these spacers 24 B from the array, and arranging for some form of illumination to increase the visibility of the gauge in a dark environment.
A further option regarding sealant level indication would be an indicator lamp, typically LED, connected to a pair of electrodes extending into the sealant layer, where they would conduct or generate electric current and illuminate the lamp only in the event that sealant depletion allows the electrodes to come in contact with the conductive wastewater instead of the normal contact with only the non-conductive sealant.
The invention may be embodied and practiced in other specific forms without departing from the spirit and essential characteristics thereof. The present embodiments are therefore to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive, the scope of the invention being indicated by the appended claims rather than by the foregoing description; and all variations, substitutions and changes which come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are therefore intended to be embraced therein.
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Conservation of oily liquid sealant in coaxial odor trap cartridges for waterless urinals is accomplished in the present invention by the addition of a liquid-flow-diverting structure having at least one helical fin encircling the outer surface of the cylindrical partition that extends downwardly from the cartridge top cap. In a preferred embodiment two similar diametrically-opposed helical fins conserve sealant by modifying the otherwise vertical downward flow path to a downward incline that minimizes down-the-drain sealant loss by intensifying recovery of stray traces of sealant that become detached from the main layer of sealant and get swept along with the downward flow of wastewater in the outer chamber during a usage event. The sealant recovery action of the helical fins that takes place in the outer chamber is further enhanced by specially proportioning the cross-sectional flow area of the three chambers in the cartridge to maximize the cross-sectional flow area of the outer chamber. The upper portion of at least one helical fin may be utilized to implement sealant-level-gauging capability that can be readily observed from above the cartridge. The bottom region of the cartridge is reshaped to provide a drip ring at the base of the stand-tube to facilitate replacement manipulation by preventing migration of wastewater and residue outwardly onto the bottom surface of the cartridge.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a leveling instrument for measuring the horizontal level of surfaces.
There is a general need for a simple and easy-to-use level measuring device that can be carried in one's pocket continually and conveniently and that can be used at will and at any time when the need to know the level of a surface presents itself. In such instances a handy and miniature level measuring device might be used to measure the level of a table or an object on the table, or to measure the level of a picture being hung on a wall, or any other level measuring need, particular in the home, by anyone not necessarily having access to an array of carpentry tools, including a cumbersome carpenter's level.
OBJECTS AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is the primary purpose and principle object of the present invention to address the aforementioned needs and provide, therefore, a miniature level device which can be carried in one's pocket on a key chain or key ring and that can be used at will, therefore, particularly in the home by the home dweller whenever the need arises without the inconvenience of having to resort to the bulk of a carpenter's level or any level that is normally is transported in a tool chest.
It is another object of the invention to provide a miniature level device which is inexpensive and simple in construction, consisting of three basic parts or elements which together form a level device that is cost-efficient to make and is easy to use.
It is yet another object of the invention to provide a miniature level device which can be carried in one's pocket and can measure the accuracy of both a horizontal and a vertical surface.
According to one embodiment of the invention there is provided a miniature level device in the form of a rectangle in which adjacent right-angle edges thereof can be used to measure the horizontal or vertical accuracy of a particular surface. A small ball bearing or marble is used as a visual indicator of a level condition of the device and is maintained between two races, that is, arcuate slots formed in opposing panels which are spaced-apart by opposing leg members extending between the panels. In one embodiment a sleeve member is disposed between the panels near a corner thereof for receiving a key-chain. In another embodiment the leg members are hollow so that a key chain or a key ring can extend through one of the leg members.
The invention will be better understood and further objects and advantages thereof will become more apparent from the ensuing detailed description of the preferred embodiment taking in conjunction with the drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view of the miniature level device according to the invention;
FIG. 2 is schematic exploded view of the level device according to the invention, showing the parts disassembled just before assembly; and
FIG. 3 is schematic exploded view view of the level device according to a further embodiment of the invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
Referring now to FIGS. 1 and 2, there is shown a preferred form of the invention in its respective assembled and preassembled states. The miniature level device 10, not much larger than a house key, comprises two panel members 12, 14, wherein each panel member has an arcuate slot 16 formed therein and a ball bearing or marble 18 disposed therebetween so as to roll freely in the races formed by the slots in a well-known conventional manner. Indicia are provided at the nadir portion of the races to show when the ball member 18 is centered in the races at a level condition of the device. The short side of the rectangle can be used for aligning with a vertical surface and thus measure the accuracy of the vertical, whereas the long side of the rectangle is used for aligning with a horizontal surface for measuring the accuracy of the horizontal. The panel member 14 is seen to have a pair of up-standing right-angle extensions 20, 22 at the respective ends thereof. At the respective corners of each of the extension members are notches 24 that allow the longitudinal edges of the extension members 20, 22 to fit into respective recesses 26 formed along the corresponding edges of the other panel member 12 where they are secured in place by a suitable adhesive. The extension members or the parallel extension members 20, 22 of the panel member 14 insure that the two panel members 12, 14 are maintained in a spaced apart relation which will allow the marble 18 to roll freely in the races formed by the slots 16. When the level has its long side level with the horizontal the ball bearing will assume the central nadir portion of the races, as defined by alignment or indicia marks, as shown in FIG. 1.
Further provided are a pair of aligned apertures or holes 28, only one of which is shown in the panel member 12. A sleeve member 30 is provided to connect the aligned holes, as shown. As shown, a recessed area 29 surrounding the aperture 28 in the panel member 12 facilitates the alignment of the sleeve member with the aperture 28 and thus allows for a suitable adhesive to be readily applied into the recess. A similar recess (not shown) is provided in panel member 14. A key chain 32, or a key ring (not shown) may then extend through the sleeve 30 (as shown). In this way the level device according to the invention can be easily carried in one's pocket and can, of course, be used as a key chain for carrying keys in addition to the level device itself. Alternatively, the miniature level device according to the invention can be sold or marketed without a key chain and in such cases suitable instructions may be provided indicating that the device is equipped with a sleeve member, such as shown at 30, which is singularly adapted to receive a key chain or key ring. It should also be pointed out that the particular design of the races and ball-bearing combination, while known generally without regard to miniaturization, is particularly suitable for miniaturization because of the availability of small ball bearings or inexpensive marbles and the simplicity of the inexpensive race design. Of particular importance, however, is the provision of a sleeve member with aligned apertures, as above described, which enhances and underscores the miniaturization feature of the level device according to the invention and thus makes it particularly suitable for carrying in one's pocket for handy and frequent use in the home.
It is conceivable, too, that a sleeveless design could be produced, that is, using only an aligned pair of apertures in the respective panel members for receiving the key chain, although this design would not be as strong as the preferred sleeve design above-described.
Referring to FIG. 3, there is shown a further embodiment of the invention in which the spacing between the panel members 12', 14' is accomplished by the provision of hollow posts 34, any one of which may be used for receiving a key chain or a key ring. The posts 34 are seen extending as leg members from the panel member 12' and are aligned with the apertures 36 in panel member 14'. Each of the apertures 36 is seen to be provided with a surrounding recess 37 in the manner above-described with respect to the aperture 28 and recess 29, so that a suitable adhesive can be used to secure the posts or leg members 34 associated with panel member 12' to the recessed apertures 36 in the panel member 14' and vice versa. All but one of the posts may be solid for the sake of providing increased strength to the leveling device.
The foregoing relates to preferred exemplary embodiments of the present invention, it being understood that other methods and variants thereof are possible within the scope of the invention, the latter being defined by the appended claims.
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A simply-constructed miniature level device in which a small ball bearing, a visual indicator of a level condition of the device, is maintained between two races, that is, arcuate slots formed in opposing panels which are spaced-apart by opposing leg portions extending between the panels. A sleeve member disposed between the panels allows for the level to be supplied with a key-chain or key ring.
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FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The present invention relates to agricultural harvesting equipment. More particularly, the present invention relates to a method and apparatus for increasing the efficiency of grain harvesters.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] Grain harvesters have been in existence for many years. Originally developed to eliminate the arduous task of cutting grain by hand with a sickle or scythe prior to threshing, harvesters have evolved into large self-powered machines that are able to perform may steps that were once done by hand. With the modern self-propelled harvester, a single operator can now cut, thresh, and clean many acres of grain in a continuous operation—all from the comfort of an enclosed, air-conditioned cab. Modern grain harvesters typically include a large front facing header having a cutter bar and a horizontally rotatable reel with paddles or tines. The reel positions the crop relative to the cutter bar and sweeps or rakes it into the harvester after it has been cut from the stalk. The cut crop is then conveyed by a series of mechanisms, such as rotating augers and elevators, to a threshing station where the grain is separated from the crop, most often by a rotor that draws the crop past an arcuately shaped metal grill. The grain is then cleaned, usually by transporting it past a sieve or sifting mechanism, which is provided with a variable speed blower that introduces a stream of air therethrough in a generally vertical and angled direction, and which is powerful enough to carry comparatively less dense material, typified by chaff, away from the sieve, while allowing denser material such as grain to fall down through the sieve and into a collection bin for further processing. The chaff, along with other waste material such as the leaves and stems of the crop and the occasional tare, is then conveyed along the harvester by agitators, which shake out residual grains and unthreshed heads and send them back to be rethreshed, leaving the remainder of the waste material to be directed out of the harvester for subsequent disposal.
[0003] As will be appreciated, there may be occasions where not all of the grain will be recovered for re-threshing and some grain will be expelled along with the chaff. Thus, many harvesters are provided with one or more sensors that monitor grain as it passes thereby. These sensors often take the form of transducers that detect grain impacts, but they may also detect grain using acoustic or optical detectors, or microwaves, for example. The sensors are typically located adjacent to the chaff and tailing discharge chute of the harvester, and are connected to a meter that is located in close proximity to the operator of the harvester.
[0004] In operation, the aforementioned sensors will a produce a signal that is proportional to the amount of grain detected, and the signal will power the meter accordingly. Usually, the meter will be capable of indicating if there is no grain loss, if there is grain loss within an acceptable predetermined range of values, or if the grain loss is unacceptably high. As will be appreciated, the meter may be analog or digital. Operation is straightforward. If, for example, the amount of grain being discharged with the chaff and tare is below a predetermined threshold, the meter will not be actuated and the harvester may operate normally. If the meter indicates that the amount of grain being discharged with the chaff is within a predetermined range of values, the meter will be actuated and the operator will know that grain loss is elevated and that the operation of the harvester operation should be monitored more closely. If the meter moves past the upper range of normal operation, the operator stops the harvester so that it may purge itself. It will be appreciated that while the predetermined range of upper and lower values may be arbitrarily set, the upper value is usually chosen to represent the harvester's maximum capacity. Thus, it is desirable to make adjustments to the harvester before the upper value is exceeded. Usually the ground speed is reduced.
[0005] A drawback to the above system is that it is possible for the harvester to operate at or near the upper end of its meter's safe range of operation, which means that the harvester is operating at a comparatively high grain loss level. While such a condition may be acceptable for short periods of time, over the long haul grain loss may be substantial.
[0006] Another drawback is that in heavy and/or downed crop situations, the meter has to be monitored more carefully. This diverts attention to other aspects of the harvesting operation and it becomes easier for the operator to become distracted - with potentially serious consequences. Moreover, loss of grain that may be otherwise harvested leads to unprofitability.
[0007] There is a need for a control system that is able to minimize grain loss in a harvester. There is also a need for a control system that is able to simplify operation of a harvester by reducing the number of operational parameters that need to be monitored by the operator. There is also a need for a control system that is able to adjust an operating parameter of a grain harvester as the grain harvester is in operation. There is also a need for a control system that is able to adjust the operating parameter in response to a grain sensor signal. There is yet another need for a control system is able to adjust an operating parameter by forming at least one discrete circuit that is connected to, and which modifies the power supply of an operating parameter. There is still another need for a control system that is able to adjust the ground speed of a harvester. And there is a need for a control system that may be easily overridden by an operator of the harvester.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0008] Generally, the control system and method of the present invention operates by using the output of a sensor to adjust an operating parameter of a harvester. More particularly, the control system monitors the output signal of a grain sensor and uses the value of the sensor signal to adjust the power that is supplied to a control mechanism, which controls an operating parameter of the harvester. As grain is detected, an electrical signal that is generated by the sensor and communicated to a meter located in close proximity to an operator of the harvester, is also fed into the control system. Because the signal generated by the sensor is proportional to the amount of grain detected, the control system is configured and arranged so that it is able to respond to different sensor signal values. This is achieved by using the sensor signal to actuate one or more relays having different energization levels to form one or more circuits. Each of the circuits is operatively connected to the power source for the control mechanism, and each of the circuits is capable of modifying the power source that is connected thereto.
[0009] For example, if the value generated by the sensor is greater than a first predetermined value, the control system will react by forming a circuit that modifies or alters the power that is supplied to a control mechanism. If the value generated by the sensor is greater than a second predetermined value, the control system will react by forming a second circuit, and the first and second circuits are used to modify or alter the power that is supplied to the control mechanism, and so on. It will be appreciated that the number of circuits formed by the control system may vary from application to application.
[0010] An object of the present invention is to reduce the number of distractions that an operator of a harvester has to be aware of.
[0011] Another object of the invention is to provide a control system that can be easily incorporated into existing electrical systems.
[0012] A feature of the present invention is that the control system comprises a relay arrangement.
[0013] An advantage of the present invention is that the control system may be used to modify an operating parameter of the harvester as it moves relative to the ground.
[0014] Another advantage of the invention is that the control system improves the efficiency of a harvester by reducing the amount of grain lost while the harvester is in motion.
[0015] Yet another advantage of the present invention is that harvester operation is simplified by reducing the number of operating parameters that must be monitored during operation.
[0016] Additional objects, advantages and features of the invention will be set forth in part in the description which follows, and in part will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon examination of the following or may be learned by practice of the invention. The objects and advantages of the invention may be realized and attained by means of the instrumentalities and combination particularly pointed out in the appended claims.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0017] FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic depiction of the control system of the present invention;
[0018] FIG. 2 is a schematic depiction of the control system of the present invention; and,
[0019] FIG. 3 is a flow chart depicting the operation of the control system.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
[0020] Referring to FIG. 1 , the general configuration of the harvester control is depicted. As can be seen, the output of a sensor “S” (shown in dashed lines) is operatively connected to a control system 10 whose output is operatively connected to a control mechanism 50 (shown in dashed lines) and an alarm arrangement 60 . More particularly, the control system 10 comprises a relay arrangement 20 and an alarm arrangement 60 .
[0021] The control system 10 and the relay arrangement 20 are depicted in greater detail in FIG. 2 . Starting with sensor “S” the output signal of the sensor is directed to flow into the control system 10 by closing switch 12 . The relay arrangement 20 comprises a plurality of relays 22 , 24 , 26 , and 28 , which are configured to be energized at predetermined voltages that are within the output range of the sensor. For example, if the voltage output of the sensor “S” varies between 0 and 5 volts, the energization level of the relays would be selected so that they would be operational within the 0 to 5 volt range.
[0022] The relays 22 , 24 , 26 , and 28 may have energization levels that are different from each other, and at levels that may be progressively and incrementally higher. Thus, for a sensor whose output signal ranges from 0 to about 5.0 volts, the energization levels for relays 22 , 24 , 26 , and 28 could be 3.0, 3.5, 4.0, and 4.5 volts, respectively. It will be appreciated, however, that the particular number of relays used may be varied without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention—there could be more or less than four relays.
[0023] The relay arrangement 20 will now be discussed. As shown, the relay arrangement 20 comprises at least one, and preferably a plurality of, relays that are operatively connected to the output of the sensor “S”. As previously mentioned, the relays 22 , 24 , 26 , and 28 may have different energization levels within the output range of the sensor. Relay 22 is of the single pole, double throw (SPDT) variety, and is configured to be energized at a first predetermined threshold of about 3.0 volts. Relays 24 , 26 , and 28 are also of the SPDT variety, and they may be configured to be energized at different predetermined thresholds. These predetermined thresholds may be set at increasing half-volt increments. Thus relay 24 could have a predetermined threshold of 3.5 volts, relay 26 could have a predetermined threshold of 4.0 volts, and relay 28 could have a predetermined threshold of 4.5 volts, for example. It will be understood that the aforementioned threshold values do not all have to be at one-half volt increments. For instance, the first increment could be one-half volt, while the second third and fourth increments could be set at one volt. It will be appreciated that the above described relay arrangement need not be limited to electromechanical components. Comparators, integrated circuits, and other switching arrangements having one or more voltage thresholds may be used in lieu thereof. Alternatively, the transistors such as bi-polar and field-effect transistors, having appropriate bias voltages may also be used.
[0024] As depicted, relays 22 , 24 , and 26 form circuits that are in communication with a control mechanism 50 , while relay 28 forms a circuit that is in communication with an alarm arrangement 60 . The circuit formed by relay 22 modifies the power that is normally fed into the control mechanism 50 .
[0025] More particularly, the circuit formed by the first relay 22 includes a resistor 30 and a diode 40 . The resistor 30 may be a variable resistor or potentiometer, varistor, fixed resistor, or an electrical equivalent thereof. When the relay 22 is energized, energy flows from a power source “P” (typically the 12 volt battery of a harvester) and is modified by the resistor in the circuit so that its output is about 2 volts, which is within the operational range of the control mechanism 50 . The diode 40 is a zener diode, which is arranged to prevent feedback voltage going into the circuit.
[0026] The circuit formed by the second relay 24 includes a resistor 32 and a diode 42 . The resistor 32 may also be a variable resistor or potentiometer, varistor, fixed resistor, or an electrical equivalent thereof. When the relay 24 is energized, energy flows from a power source “P” (typically the battery of a harvester) and is modified by the resistor 32 in the circuit so that its output is about 1 volt, which is within the operational range of the control mechanism 50 . The diode 42 is a zener diode, which is arranged to prevent feedback voltage going into the circuit.
[0027] The circuit formed by the third relay 26 includes a resistor 34 and a diode 44 . As with the previous circuits, the resistor 34 may be a variable resistor or potentiometer, varistor, fixed resistor, or an electrical equivalent thereof. When the relay 26 is energized, energy flows from a power source “P” (typically the battery of a harvester) and is modified by the resistor 34 in the circuit so that its output is about 1 volt, which is within the operational range of the control mechanism 50 . The diode 44 is a zener diode, which is arranged to prevent feedback voltage going into the circuit.
[0028] The circuit formed by the fourth relay 28 also includes a resistor 36 and a diode 46 . As with the other circuit components, the resistor 36 may be a variable resistor or potentiometer, varistor, fixed resistor, or an electrical equivalent thereof. When the relay 28 is energized, energy flows from a power source “P” (typically the battery of a harvester) and is modified by the resistor 36 in the circuit so that its output falls within the operational range of the alarm arrangement 60 . The diode 46 is a zener diode, which is arranged to prevent feedback voltage going into the circuit.
[0029] The control mechanism 50 is configured and arranged to be able to modify an operating parameter of the harvester, for example, the ground speed. Thus, the control mechanism may take the form of a normally open electromechanical valve that has a predetermined operational range of about 0-5 volts, and which may be mounted on the output pressure side of a hydraulic pump that drives the wheels of the harvester. It will be appreciated that the location of the control mechanism at the output pressure side of the hydraulic pump allows the operator to override the control system and increase, decrease, stop, or reverse the ground speed of the harvester. In addition, when the control system 10 is turned off, the control mechanism 50 has no effect on the operation of the harvester and the operator is able to control the ground speed of the harvester in a normal fashion. That is to say, the hydrostatic drive control lever in the operator cab is not affected by the control system when the control system is switched off. Full control of the machine is maintained at all times whether the control system is operating or not.
[0030] When the output voltage of from the relay arrangement 20 flows to the control mechanism 50 it changes its operating parameter. More specifically, actuation of relay 22 , which forms a first circuit, will close the proportional valve by about 40 percent. Actuation of the second relay 24 , which forms a second circuit, will close the proportional valve by about an additional 20 percent. And, actuation of the third relay 26 , which forms a third circuit, will close the proportional valve by about an additional 20 percent. Thus, when the control mechanism causes the valve to partially close, fluid flow to the hydraulic motor(s) is decreased and the harvester slows.
[0031] The alarm arrangement 60 of the control system 10 , as shown, comprises a visual indicator 62 and an audio indicator 64 . The visual indicator 62 may comprise a light-emitting diode, and the audio indicator 64 may comprises a buzzer, however, it will be understood that other indicators may be used without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. It will also be understood that the visual and audio indicators of the alarm arrangement may be arranged to operate signally or sequentially, if desired.
[0032] Operation of the control system is straightforward (using a control system that is configured to operate in conjunction with a sensor voltage output in the preferred range of about 0 to 5 volts as an example). When the sensor signal exceeds a first predetermined threshold (in this instance, 3 volts) the signal will register on the meter, which indicates that the amount of grain being lost has exceeded the optimal range. Simultaneously, relay 22 switches on and creates a circuit that allows power to flow through resistor 30 and diode 40 and onto the control mechanism 50 . In the preferred embodiment, the control mechanism 50 is a valve that controls the flow of hydraulic fluid to one or more hydraulic motors that are operatively connected to ground wheels of the harvester, with the valve being normally open and which closes in proportion to the magnitude of the power supplied to it. When the circuit is formed, the power to the control mechanism 50 will be modified by a predetermined amount (in this preferred embodiment, about 2 volts) for a valve having an operational range of about 1-5 volts. This will cause the valve to partially close, which slows the ground speed of the harvester. As will be understood, the ground speed of the harvester will continue at this slower rate as long as the sensor output exceeds the predetermined threshold or if the control system 10 is switched off. When the sensor output falls below the predetermined threshold, the relay 22 will be deenergized and the control mechanism will operate normally.
[0033] If the sensor signal continues to rise, which indicates that more grain is being lost, the meter will register this increase accordingly. And, if the signal exceeds a second predetermined threshold, the second relay 24 will be switched on, creating a second circuit. When this second circuit is formed, the power to the control mechanism 50 will also be modified by a predetermined amount (in this preferred embodiment, about 1 volt). This value, when combined with the value from the first circuit, will cause the valve of the control mechanism to close further, thus slowing the ground speed of the harvester by an even greater amount. As will be understood, the ground speed of the harvester will continue at this slower rate as long as the sensor output exceeds this second predetermined threshold or if the control system 10 is switched off. When the sensor output falls below the second predetermined threshold, the relay 24 will be deenergized, however the first relay 22 will remain energized until the sensor signal falls below the first predetermined threshold; at which time the control mechanism will operate normally.
[0034] If the sensor signal continues to rise, which indicates that even more grain is being lost, the meter will register this increase accordingly. And, if the signal exceeds a third predetermined threshold, the third relay 26 will be switched on, creating a third circuit. When this third circuit is formed, the power to the control mechanism 50 will also be modified by a predetermined amount (in this preferred embodiment, about 1 volt). This value, when combined with the values from the first and second circuits, will cause the valve of the control mechanism to close even further, thus slowing the ground speed of the harvester by an even greater amount. As will be understood, the ground speed of the harvester will continue at this slower rate as long as the sensor output exceeds this third predetermined threshold or if the control system 10 is switched off. When the sensor output falls below the third predetermined threshold, the relay 26 will be deenergized, however the second and first relays 24 and 22 will remain energized. And, when the sensor signal falls below the second predetermined threshold, the second relay 24 will be deenergized, leaving the first relay 22 energized until the sensor signal falls below the first predetermined threshold; at which time the control mechanism will operate normally.
[0035] If the sensor signal continues to rise, which indicates that even more grain is being lost, the meter will register this increase accordingly. And, if the signal exceeds a fourth predetermined threshold, the fourth relay 28 will be switched on, creating a fourth circuit. When this fourth circuit is formed, power is supplied to a signal (preferably audio and visual), which is located in close proximity to the operator. Note that the fourth circuit is not in communication to the other circuits, so that the harvester will continue to move forward at a slower rate. So, at this point, the harvester would have to be stopped by the operator so that it may purge itself. As the harvester purges itself, the sensor signal will fall so that the relays 28 , 26 , 24 , and 22 will be sequentially deenergized. It will be appreciated, however, that it is not necessary for the purging process to continue until the grain sensor output signal falls to zero, and that operation of the harvester may continue when the output signal falls below the fourth threshold, if desired.
[0036] The present invention having thus been described, other modifications, alterations, or substitutions may present themselves to those skilled in the art, all of which are within the spirit and scope of the present invention. It is therefore intended that the present invention be limited in scope only by the claims attached below:
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A control system for a grain harvester. The control system monitors the output of a grain sensor and uses the monitored value to actuate one or more relays having different energization levels. As each relay is actuated it completes a circuit, which is used to modify power that is fed into a control mechanism and which is used to control an operational parameter of the harvester. Depending upon the monitored value of the sensor, the control system will modify the power that supplies a control mechanism that is used to control an operational parameter of the harvester, such as the groundspeed. If the output from the sensor is less that a predetermined threshold, the harvester will operate normally. If the output of the sensor is above a first threshold, the control system will modify the supply voltage. If the output of the sensor is greater than a second threshold, the control system will modify the supply voltage accordingly, and so forth. If the output of the sensor is greater than a maximum upper threshold, the control system will actuate an alarm so that the operator of the harvester may take corrective action.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to ferromagnetic alloys characterized by a high saturation magnetization, and, in particular, to iron-boron solid solution alloys having a body centered cubic (bcc) structure.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The equilibrium solid solubilities of boron in α-Fe (ferrite) and γ-Fe (austenite) are quite small, being less than 0.05 and 0.11 atom percent, respectively; see M. Hansen et al., Constitution of Binary Alloys, pp. 249-252, McGraw-Hill Book Co., Inc. (1958). Attempts have been made to increase the solubility of boron in iron by a splat-quenching technique, without success; see, e.g., R. C. Ruhl et al., Vol. 245, Transactions of the Metallurgical Society of AIME, pp. 253-257 (1969). The splat-quenching employed gun techniques and resulted only in the formation of ferrite and Fe 3 B, with no changes in the amount of austenitic phase. Compositions containing 1.6 and 3.2 wt.% (7.7 and 14.5 at.%, respectively) boron were prepared. These splat-quenched materials, as well as equilibrium alloys which contain two phases, are very brittle and cannot easily be processed into thin ribbons or strips for use in commercial applications.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In accordance with the invention, iron-boron solid solution alloys having high saturation magnetization are provided which consist essentially of about 4 to 12 atom percent boron, balance essentially iron plus incidental impurities. The alloys of the invention possess a bcc structure and are totally substitutional across the range of about 4 to 12 atom percent of boron.
The alloys of the invention are advantageously easily fabricated as continuous filament with good bend ductility by a process which comprises
(a) forming a melt of the material;
(b) depositing the melt on a rapidly rotating quench surface; and
(c) quenching the melt at a rate of about 10 4 to 10 6 ° C./sec to form the continuous filament.
The alloys of the invention possess moderately high hardness and strength, good corrosion resistance, high saturation magnetization and high thermal stability. The alloys in the invention find use in, for example, magnetic cores requiring high saturation magnetization.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
The compositions of alloys within the scope of the invention are listed in Table I, together with their equilibrium structures and the phases retained upon rapid quenching to room temperature. X-ray difraction analysis reveals that a single metastable phase α-Fe(B) with bcc structure is retained in the chill cast ribbons. Table I also summarizes the change of lattice parameter and density with respect to boron concentration. It is clear that the lattice contracts with the addition of boron, thus indicating a predominate dissolution of small boron atoms on the substitutional sites of the α-Fe lattice. This is further supported by the number of atoms in the unit cell (calculated from the density and lattice parameters) in the solid solution as listed in Table I. The number of atoms per cell remains essentially constant at 2 (within experimental error) irrespective of the solute concentration. As is well-known, this is characteristic of a substitutional solid solution. For comparison, pure Fe exists in the α-phase (equilibrium) at room temperature and has an average density of 7.87 g/cm 3 , a lattice parameter of 2.8664 and 2.0 atoms per unit cell. It should be noted that neither the mixture of the equilibrium phases of α-Fe and Fe 2 B expected from the Fe-B phase diagram nor the orthorhombic Fe 3 B phase previously obtained by splat-quenching are formed by the alloys of the invention.
Table I__________________________________________________________________________Results of X-ray Analysisand Density Measurements on Fe(B) Chill Cast Ribbons PhasesAlloy Equilibrium Present Average Lattice Number ofComposition Phases at after Chill Density, Parameter.sup.a Atoms in(at. %) Room Temp..sup.c Casting g/cm.sup.3 (A) Unit Cell__________________________________________________________________________Fe.sub.96 B.sub.4 α-Fe + Fe.sub.2 B α-Fe(B) 7.74 2.864 2.03 solid soln..sup.bFe.sub.94 B.sub.6 α-Fe + Fe.sub.2 B α-Fe(B)s.s. 7.74 2.863 2.06Fe.sub.92 B.sub.8 α-Fe + Fe.sub.2 B α-Fe(B)s.s. 7.73 2.861 2.09Fe.sub.88 B 12 α-Fe + Fe.sub.2 B α-Fe(B)s.s. 7.55 2.855 2.10__________________________________________________________________________ .sup.a Estimated maximum fractional error = ± .001 A. .sup.b Metastable solid solutions α-Fe(B) is of the W-A2 type. .sup.c Hansen et al., Constitution of Binary Alloys
The amount of boron in the compositions of the invention is constrained by two considerations. The upper limit of about 12 atom percent is dictated by the cooling rate. At the cooling rates employed herein of about 10 4 to 10 6 ° C./sec, compositions containing more than about 12 atom percent (2.6 weight percent) boron are formed in a substantially glassy phase, rather than the bcc solid solution phase obtained for compositions of the invention. The lower limit of about 4 atom percent is dictated by the fluidity of the molten composition. Compositions containing less than about 4 atom percent (0.8 weight percent) boron do not have the requisite fluidity for melt spinning into filaments. The presence of boron increases the fluidity of the melt and hence the fabricability of filaments.
Table II lists the hardness, the ultimate tensile strength and the temperature at which the metastable alloy transforms into a stable crystalline state. Over the range of 4 to 12 atom percent boron, the hardness ranges from 425 to 919 kg/mm 2 , the ultimate tensile strength ranges from 206 to 360 ksi and the transformation temperature ranges from 880 to 770 K.
Table II______________________________________Mechanical Properties of MeltSpun Fe(B) bcc Solid Solution Ribbon UltimateAlloy Tensile TransformationComposition Hardness Strength Temperature(at. %) (kg/mm.sup.2) (ksi) (K)______________________________________Fe.sub.96 B.sub.4 425 206 880Fe.sub.94 B.sub.6 557 242 860Fe.sub.92 B.sub.8 698 280 820Fe.sub.90 B.sub.10 750 305 795Fe.sub.88 B.sub.12 919 360 770______________________________________
At the transformation temperature, a progressive transformation to a mixture of stable phases, substantially pure α-Fe and tetragonal Fe 2 B, occurs. The high transformation temperatures of the alloys of the invention are indicative of their high thermal stability.
The room temperature saturation magnetization (B s ) of these alloys ranges from 16.6 kGauss for Fe 88 B 12 to 20.0 kGauss for Fe 96 B 4 . Further magnetic properties of the alloys of the invention are listed in Table III. These include the saturation moments in Bohr magneton per Fe atom and the Curie temperatures. For comparison, the saturation moment of pure iron (α-Fe) is 2.22 μ B and its Curie temperature is 1043 K.
Table III______________________________________Results of Magnetic Measurements on Crystalline Fe.sub.100-x B.sub.xAlloys of the Invention.Boron Saturation CurieContent Moment Temperaturex (at.%) (μ.sub.B /Fe atom) (K)______________________________________4 2.19 9786 2.17 9648 2.15 94410 2.13 91612 2.10 878______________________________________
Alloys consisting essentially of about 4 to 6 atom percent boron, balance iron, have B s values comparable to the grain-oriented Fe-Si transformer alloys (B s = 19.7 kGauss). Further, alloys in this range are ductile. Thus, these alloys are useful in transformer cores and are accordingly preferred.
The alloys of the invention are advantageously fabricated as continuous filaments. The term "filament" as used herein includes any slender body whose transverse dimensions are much smaller than its length, examples of which include ribbon, wire, strip, sheet and the like having a regular or irregular cross-section.
The alloys of the invention are formed by cooling an alloy melt of the appropriate composition at a rate of about 10 4 to 10 6 ° C./sec. Cooling rates less than about 10 4 ° C./sec result in mixtures of well-known equilibrium phases of α-Fe and Fe 2 B. Cooling rates greater than about 10 6 ° C./sec result in the metastable orthorhombic Fe 3 B phase and/or glassy phases. Cooling rates of at least about 10 5 ° C./sec easily provide the bcc solid solution phase and are accordingly preferred. A variety of techniques are available for fabricating rapidly quenched continuous ribbon, wire, sheet, etc. Typically, a particular composition is selected, powders of the requisite elements in the desired proportions are melted and homogenized and the molten alloy is rapidly quenched by depositing the melt on a chill surface such as a rapidly rotating cylinder. The melt may be deposited by a variety of methods, exemplary of which include melt spinning processes, such as taught in U.S. Pat. No. 3,862,658, melt drag processes, such as taught in U.S. Pat. No. 3,522,836, and melt extraction processes, such as taught in U.S. Pat. No. 3,863,700, and the like. The alloys may be formed in air or in moderate vacuum. Other atmospheric conditions such as inert gases may also be employed.
EXAMPLES
Alloys were prepared from constituent elements (purity higher than 99.9%) and were rapidly quenched from the melt in the form of continuous ribbons. Typical cross-sectional dimensions of the ribbons were 1.5 mm by 40 μm. Densities were determined by comparing the specimen weight in air and bromoform (CBr 4 , ρ = 2.865 g/cm 3 ) at room temperature. X-ray diffraction patterns were taken with filtered copper radiation in a Norelco diffractometer. The spectrometer was calibrated to a silicon standard with the maximum error in lattice parameter estimated to be ±0.001 A. The thermomagnetization data were taken by a vibrating sample magnetometer in the temperature range between 4.2 and 1050 K. Hardness was measured by the diamond pyramid technique, using a Vickers-type indenter consisting of a diamond in the form of a square-based pyramid with an included angle of 136° between opposite faces. Loads of 100 g were applied. The results of the measurements are summarized in Tables I, II and III.
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Ferromagnetic substitutional solid solution alloys characterized by high saturation magnetization and having a bcc structure are provided. The alloys consist essentially of about 4 to 12 atom percent boron, balance essentially iron plus incidental impurities.
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FIELD OF INVENTION
The present invention relates generally to a support structure for fixating a patient to a treatment unit, and especially to a support structure for fixating the patient to a cardiopulmonary resuscitation unit.
BACKGROUND OF INVENTION
When a person suffers from a cardiac arrest, the blood is not circulating to nourish the body, which can lead to death of or cause severe bodily damages to the person. To improve the person's chances to survive or to minimize the damages at cardiac arrest it is essential to take necessary measures as quickly as possible to maintain the person's blood circulation and respiration, otherwise the person will succumb to sudden cardiac death in minutes. Such an emergency measure is cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), which is a combination of “mouth-to-mouth” or artificial respiration and manual or automatic cardiac compression that helps the person to breathe and maintains some circulation of the blood.
However, CPR does normally not restart the heart but is only used for maintaining the oxygenation and circulation of blood. Instead, defibrillation by electrical shocks is usually necessary to restart the normal functioning of the heart.
Thus, CPR has to be performed until the person has undergone electrical defibrillation of the heart. Today, CPR is often performed manually by one or two persons (rescuers), which is a difficult and demanding task, i.e. different measures have to be taken correctly at the right time and in the right order to provide a good result. Further, manual cardiac compression is quite exhausting to perform and especially if it is performed during an extended period of time. Furthermore, it is sometimes necessary to perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation when transporting the person having a cardiac arrest, for example when transporting the person by means of a stretcher from a scene of an accident to an ambulance. In such a situation it is not possible to perform conventional CPR using manual CPR and the apparatuses today providing automatic CPR are not stable enough or easy to position to provide CPR on a person laying on for example a stretcher.
PRIOR ART
There are today several apparatuses for cardiopulmonary resuscitation available. For example, a cardiopulmonary resuscitation, defibrillation and monitoring apparatus is disclosed in the U.S. Pat. No. 4,273,114. The apparatus comprises a reciprocal cardiac compressor provided for cyclically compressing a patient's chest. U.S. Pat. No. 4,273,114 discloses further a support structure comprising a platform (12) for supporting the back of a patient, a removable upstanding column (13) and an overhanging arm (14) mounted to the column support (13) with a releasable collar (15). A drawback with the disclosed apparatus is that the patient is not secured to the apparatus and it is for example possible for the patient to move in relation to a compressor pad (19) whereby the treatment accuracy decreases.
Another example of an apparatus for cardiopulmonary resuscitation is disclosed in the FR patent document FR 1,476,518. The apparatus comprises a back plate (X) and a front part (Y), the height of which front part (y) can be adjusted by means of two knobs. A drawback with this apparatus is that the front part (Y) may be obliquely fixated to the back plate (X), since the height of each leg of the front part (Y) is adjusted one by one using one of the knobs. Thus if the height of the leg is not equal, an oblique compression of the chest is provided. Yet another drawback is that the patient is not fixated to the apparatus whereby it is possible for the patient to move in relation to the compression means, which in the worst scenario causes a not desired body part to be compressed.
Yet another example of an apparatus for cardiac massage is disclosed in the UK patent document GB 1,187,274. The cardiac massage apparatus comprises a base (1), two guide bushes (2) fixed in the base (1) and two upright members (3), the lower ends of which are mounted in the bushes (3). Further, a cross-piece (6) extends between the two upright members (3), to which cross-piece (6) a bar (9) is mounted. Furthermore, the height of the cross-piece (6) and the bar (9) is adjusted by means of a spring-loaded pin (8) and a stop (11), respectively. A drawback with the disclosed apparatus is that it is not easy to handle and position to provide a quick start of the cardiac massage.
Objects of the Invention
An object of the present invention is to improve the accuracy when providing external treatment to a patient by means of a treatment unit. An aspect of the object is to provide fixation of the patient in relation to a treatment unit. Another aspect of the object is to enable treatment to a patient when the patient is transported on for example a stretcher. Yet another aspect of the object is to enable simple, accurate and effective cardiopulmonary resuscitation of a person suffering from a cardiac arrest.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a portable equipment. An aspect of the object is to provide a space-saving equipment requiring minimal space when not in use.
SUMMARY OF INVENTION
These and other objects and aspects of the objects are fulfilled by means of a support structure according to the present invention as defined in the claims.
The present invention relates generally to a support structure for fixating a patient to a treatment unit, and especially to a support structure for fixating the patient to a cardiopulmonary resuscitation unit. An embodiment of the support structure comprises a back plate for positioning behind said patient's back posterior to said patient's heart and a front part for positioning around said patient's chest anterior to said patient's heart. Further, the front part can comprise two legs, each leg having a first end pivotably connected to at least one hinge and a second end removably attachable to said back plate. Said front part can further be devised for comprising a compression/decompression unit arranged to automatically compress or decompress said patient's chest when said front part is attached to said back plate.
In another embodiment of the invention, the support structure comprises a treatment unit, for example a compression and/or decompression unit.
An embodiment of the invention refers further to a support structure for external treatment of a patient's body part. The support structure comprises a back plate for positioning posterior of said body part, a front part for positioning anterior of said body part, said front part comprising two legs having a first end pivotably connected to a hinge of said front part and a second end removably attachable to said back plate. The front part is further devised for comprising a module or treatment unit arranged to automatically and externally perform treatment of said patient's body part when said front part is attached to said back plate.
The present invention refers also to a front part for use in a support structure for cardiopulmonary resuscitation of a patient having a cardiac arrest, comprising two legs each of which comprising a first end pivotably connected to at least one hinge of said front part and a second end removably attachable to a back plate, wherein said front part is arranged for positioning around said patient's chest anterior to said patient's heart and devised for comprising a compression/decompression unit arranged to automatically compress or decompress said patient's chest when said front part is attached to said back plate.
Further, the invention refers to a back plate for use in a support structure for cardiopulmonary resuscitation of a patient having a cardiac arrest, comprising a shaft-like member arranged to be engaged by means of a claw-like member of a front part.
The invention refers also to a compression/decompression unit for use in a support structure for cardiopulmonary resuscitation of a patient having a cardiac arrest, comprising a pneumatic unit arranged to run and control the compression and decompression, an adjustable suspension unit to which a compression/decompression pad is attached and a handle by means of which the position of said pad can be controlled.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
The present invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying figures in which:
FIG. 1 a schematically shows a front view of an embodiment of the support structure according to the invention;
FIG. 1 b schematically shows a top view of an embodiment of the support structure according to the invention;
FIG. 2 schematically shows a front view of an embodiment of a front part of the support structure according to the invention;
FIG. 3 a schematically shows an embodiment of a securing member in an open position;
FIG. 3 b schematically shows an embodiment of a securing member in a closed position;
FIG. 3 c schematically shows another embodiment of a securing member in an open position;
FIG. 3 d schematically shows another embodiment of a securing member in a closed position;
FIG. 4 schematically shows a view from above of an embodiment of a back plate of the support structure according to the invention;
FIG. 5 shows a side view of an embodiment of the invention;
FIG. 6 shows schematically a top view in perspective of an embodiment of the invention;
FIGS. 7 a and 7 b shows schematically side views of embodiments of the invention;
FIG. 8 shows schematically a treatment unit, which can be arranged at an embodiment of the support structure according to the invention;
FIG. 9 shows an exemplifying situation of an embodiment of the invention in use;
FIG. 10 shows schematically an embodiment of the upper part of the leg of the support structure according to an embodiment of the invention;
FIG. 11 shows schematically an embodiment of a hinge comprised in an embodiment of the invention;
FIG. 12 shows schematically an embodiment of the front part comprising two wedges or heels and an embodiment of the leg comprising two grooves or recesses;
FIG. 13 a shows schematically a cut away view of an embodiment of the leg rotated an angle of alpha degrees;
FIG. 13 b shows schematically a cut away view of an embodiment of the leg of the support structure in its minimum position; and
FIG. 14 schematically shows an embodiment of a torsion spring.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF INVENTION
The present invention will now be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying figures.
FIGS. 1 a and 1 b show a front view and a top view, respectively, of an embodiment of a support structure 10 according to the invention. The support structure 10 comprises a base or back plate 100 arranged to be positioned posterior of the patient, e.g. behind the back of a patient to be treated. More specifically, the back plate 100 is arranged to be positioned posterior to the body part to be treated. The support structure 10 comprises further a front part or upper part 200 arranged to be positioned around the patient anterior of the body part to be treated. Further, the front part 200 of the support structure 10 comprises a central part 205 and two legs 210 , 220 , which legs are arranged to be removably attached or secured at the base plate 100 by means of snap locking or spring latch.
An embodiment of a back plate 100 is schematically shown in FIG. 4 . The back plate 100 comprises two shafts 130 , 140 or shaft-like members arranged for securing the front part 200 to the back plate 100 . The back plate 100 can further comprise one or several handles 110 .
In an embodiment of the invention, the legs 210 , 220 of the front part 200 are pivotably or turnably attached to the central part 205 of the front part 200 by means of a hinge 230 , 240 or the like, confer FIG. 2 . However, as understood by the person skilled in the art, it is also possible to pivotably attach the legs 210 , 220 at the front part 200 by means of only one hinge or the like.
In one embodiment of the invention, a first end 212 , 222 of the legs 210 , 220 are pivotably arranged at the hinges 230 , 240 in such a way that the legs 210 , 220 resiliently pivot or turn due to a resilient member 232 , 242 of the hinges 230 , 240 . In an embodiment of the invention, the resilient member 232 , 242 is comprised in the inside of the hinge 230 , 240 and comprises a torsion spring, cf. FIGS. 11 and 14 . Further, when the legs 210 , 220 are not forced together, the legs 210 , 220 resiliently pivot, by means of a resilient member, from a minimum position having a minimal distance between second ends 214 , 224 of the legs 210 , 220 to a maximum position having a maximal distance between the second ends 214 , 224 of the legs 210 , 220 .
In an embodiment of the invention, the front part 200 of the support structure 10 is arranged in such a way that the second end 214 of the leg 210 abut against the second end 224 of the leg 220 when the legs 210 , 220 are in their minimum positions, i.e. when the support structure 10 is in its folded position. Due to this arrangement of the folded position, the durability of the support structure 10 is increased since the ability of the legs 210 , 220 to stand up to an external force is increased. Further, this folded arrangement also protects a possible comprised treatment unit 300 .
In one embodiment of the invention, the maximum positions of the second ends 214 , 224 of the legs 210 , 220 are controlled by means of a stop means provided at the hinge 230 , 240 , e.g. by means of heels arranged at the first ends 212 , 224 of the legs 210 , 220 and at the axis of the hinge 230 , 240 , which heels will stop the legs 210 , 220 from turning further apart.
In an embodiment of the invention, the hinge 230 , 240 is arranged as a through shaft passing through the first end 212 , 222 of the leg 210 , 220 . The through shaft as well as the first ends 212 , 222 is provided with heels arranged to stop the turning of the legs 210 , 220 .
In FIG. 12 an embodiment of a through shaft 231 , 241 is shown. The through shaft 231 , 241 is provided with two heels or wedges 233 , 243 arranged at the ends of the through shaft 231 , 241 . Further, the through shaft 231 , 241 comprises one or several channels or passages 235 , 245 arranged for fixating the through shaft 231 , 241 to the central part 205 by means of for example pins.
An embodiment of a first end 212 , 222 of a leg 210 , 220 is also shown in FIG. 12 , which first end 212 , 222 comprises two cavities or openings 211 , 221 and two grooves or recesses 213 , 223 constituting a rotation limiting structure. The grooves 213 , 223 can be arranged to be wedge-shaped. Further, when the leg 210 , 220 is mounted on the central part 205 of the front part 200 , the ends of the through shaft 231 , 241 is arranged to be positioned in said cavities 211 , 221 in such a way that the heels 233 , 243 are positioned in the recesses 213 , 223 .
In FIGS. 13 a and 13 b , a cut away view of the hinge 230 , 240 , as previously described with reference to FIG. 12 , is schematically shown. The turning of the leg 210 , 220 is delimited by means of the recess 213 , 223 . As illustrated in FIG. 13 a the leg 210 , 220 has turned an angle alpha corresponding to its unfolded position and in FIG. 13 b the leg 210 , 220 is in its folded position.
In another embodiment of the invention, the hinge 230 , 240 is configured of two shafts, wherein a first shaft having a heel is arranged at the first end 212 , 222 of the leg 210 , 220 and second shaft having a heel is arranged at the central part 205 of the front part 200 . Further, when the leg 210 , 220 is mounted on the central part 205 of the front part 200 , the first and second shaft will be mounted to each other to form the hinge 230 , 240 in such a way that the heels will control the maximum position of the leg 210 , 220 .
In FIG. 10 an embodiment of a first end 212 , 222 of a leg 210 , 220 is shown. In this embodiment, a first part of the hinge 230 , 240 is comprised in the leg 210 , 220 , which part comprises a first shaft 216 , 226 , a first shaft supporting structure 217 , 227 and a heel 218 , 228 .
FIG. 11 shows an embodiment of a hinge 230 , 240 when the leg 210 , 220 is mounted to the central part 205 of the front part 200 . In this embodiment, the hinge 230 , 240 comprises a first shaft 216 , 226 , and a first shaft supporting structure 217 , 227 and a heel 218 , 228 . Further, the hinge 230 , 240 comprises a second shaft 234 , 244 , a second shaft supporting structure 238 , 248 and a heel 236 , 246 .
In this embodiment, the first shaft 216 , 226 is pivotably attached to the first shaft supporting structure 217 , 227 , which is rigidly attached to the first end 212 , 222 of the leg 210 , 220 . Further, the first shaft 216 , 226 is rigidly attached to the central part 205 of the front part 200 by means of a pin 219 , 229 or the like. However, the first shaft 216 , 226 can also be rigidly attached to the central part 205 by means of a groove or a recess (not shown) in the first shaft 216 , 226 and a rib or a protrusion (not shown) in the surface of the central part 205 facing the shaft 216 , 227 . The second shaft 234 , 244 is rigidly attached to the second shaft supporting structure 238 , 248 , which is pivotably attached to the first end 212 , 222 of the leg 210 , 220 . Further, the second shaft 234 , 244 is pivotably attached to the central part 205 of the front part 200 . Furthermore, the first 218 , 228 and second 236 , 246 heels are arranged in such a way that they abut against each other when the leg 210 , 220 has turned to its maximum position. Heels can also be arranged to abut against each other when the leg 210 , 220 has turned to its minimum position. That is, the heels are arranged in such a way that they delimit the turning of the legs 210 , 220 .
In FIG. 11 , an embodiment of a resilient member 232 , 242 is also shown, which resilient member 232 , 242 for example is arranged as a torsion spring, cf. FIG. 14 .
Further, the hinge 230 , 240 is configured in such a way that the maximum position of the legs 210 , 220 , i.e. the maximum distance between the second ends 214 , 224 of the legs 210 , 220 , corresponds or approximately corresponds to the distance between the shaft-like members 130 , 140 of the back plate 100 , cf. FIGS. 2 and 4 . Thus, in for example an emergency situation when the support structure 10 is removed from its folded position in a bag or when securing means securing the folded position is withdrawn, the legs 210 , 220 turn to their maximum position and the front part 200 can quickly and easily be attached to the back plate 100 by means of the snap locking without requiring any manual securing measures.
As schematically shown in FIG. 1 b an opening or a cut-out 202 is provided at the central part 205 of the front part 200 for enabling arrangement of a treatment unit 300 , of FIG. 5 , at the central part 205 of the front part 200 . The treatment unit 300 can for example be a unit providing compression and/or decompression of the chest or sternum of a patient suffering from a cardiac arrest. Further, the treatment unit 300 can comprise or be realized as a monitoring unit, such as an electrocardiograph registering the cardiac activity. Such a unit can comprise necessary electrodes, a control unit and interaction means such as a display unit and/or a command unit. The treatment unit 300 can further comprise or be realized as a sphygmomanometer arranged to measure the blood pressure. The treatment unit can in this case comprise necessary cuffs, pressure means, a control unit and an interaction means. The treatment unit 300 can further comprise or be realized as a means for measuring the oxygen saturation in blood.
When fastening or securing the legs 210 , 220 of the front plate 200 to the back plate 100 , the shaft-like member 130 , 140 will exert a force on a heel 286 of a claw-like member 280 of the second end 214 , 224 of the leg 210 , 220 , as illustrated in FIG. 3 a , causing the claw-like member 280 to turn or rotate around its suspension axis 282 until a hook 284 partly or totally encircles the shaft-like member 130 , 140 and a pin or cotter 288 falls down to secure the position of the claw-like member 280 , as illustrated in FIG. 3 b , whereby the front part 200 is secured to the back plate 100 . The second end 214 , 224 of the leg 210 , 220 comprises further a locking support structure 285 having a locking protrusion 287 arranged to further secure the shaft 130 , 140 . However, the locking protrusion 287 can also be integrated with the second end 214 , 224 of the leg 210 , 220 . In the shown embodiment, the pin 288 is spring-loaded by means of a resilient member 289 , e.g. a spring or the like, to enable a quicker fall down and to provide a quick fastening of the front plate 200 to the back plate 100 .
In another embodiment of the invention, the pin 288 is arranged to fall down into a hole or recess 281 of the claw-like member 280 when the hook 284 totally or partly surrounds the shaft-like member 130 , 140 , cf. FIGS. 3 c and 3 d.
Further, the support structure 10 comprises a disengagement member 290 , 292 , as schematically illustrated in FIGS. 6 , 7 a and 7 b , which is arranged at said leg 210 , 220 to disengage said legs 210 , 220 from said back plate 100 . In an embodiment of the invention, the disengagement member 290 , 292 is arranged to draw up or lift the pin 288 , whereby the claw-like member 280 is caused to turn back to its open position, i.e. the claw-like member 280 is disengaged from the shaft-like member 130 , 140 , and whereby said leg 210 , 220 is removable from said back plate 100 . The disengagement member 290 can further be arranged to stretch the resilient member 289 .
As illustrated in the FIGS. 4 , 6 , 7 a and 7 b , an embodiment of the support structure 10 can also be provided with a handle 110 comprised in the back plate 100 and a handle 226 comprised in the front part 200 , which handles 110 , 226 provide an easy way of carrying the parts of the support structure 10 . In an embodiment of the invention the handles 110 , 226 are preferably provided by means of openings or cut-outs whereby the weight of the support structure 10 is decreased. However, other embodiments of the invention can also comprise a handle in the shape of a belt, a knob, a strap or the like.
FIG. 9 shows schematically a patient lying in the support structure 10 comprising a treatment unit 300 according to an embodiment of the invention. In the figure an arm fastening means 250 is also shown, which arm fastening means 250 is arranged for fixating the patient's arm or wrist when for example the patient is transported on a stretcher, whereby it is almost impossible for the patient to move in relation to the treatment unit 330 . Thus it is possible to provide for example CPR with a negligible or reduced risk of providing treatment on a not desired body part. Further, when the patient's arms are secured by means of the arm fastening means 250 , the patient can more easily be transported on e.g. a stretcher from a scene of an accident to an ambulance or from an ambulance to an emergency room at a hospital, since the arms will not be hanging loose from the stretcher. Furthermore, the patient can more easily be transported through doorways or small passages.
In an embodiment of the invention, the arm fastening means 250 is arranged at the front part 200 and more specifically an arm fastening means 250 is arranged at each leg 210 , 220 . In one embodiment of the invention, the arm fastening means 250 is arranged at the legs 210 , 220 at a distance approximately corresponding to the length of a forearm from the second end 214 , 224 . Further, to enable quick and simple fastening and unfastening of the patient's arms, the arm fastening means 250 is configured as straps 250 manufactured of Velcro tape. But another suitable fastening means 250 can of course also be used.
In FIG. 8 an embodiment of a treatment unit 300 for compression and/or decompression is shown. The treatment unit or the compression/decompression unit 300 comprises a pneumatic unit 310 or another unit arranged to run and control the compression and/or decompression, an adjustable suspension unit or bellows unit 320 to which a compression and/or decompression pad 330 is attached. Further, the treatment unit 300 comprises a handle or a lever 340 by means of which the position of said pad 330 can be controlled, i.e. by means of which handle 340 the pad 330 can be moved towards or away from for example the chest of a patient. The suspension unit 320 is thus adjustably arranged to provide positioning of said pad 330 . Further, the suspension unit 320 can comprise a sound absorbing material whereby the sound due to the compression and/or decompression is reduced.
The compression/decompression unit 300 is further arranged to provide a compression of the chest or sternum of the patient. In an embodiment of the invention, the treatment unit 300 is arranged to provide compression having a depth in the range of 20-90 millimeters, preferably in the range of 35-52 millimeters.
Furthermore, an embodiment of the invention comprises a compression pad 330 which is attachable to the chest, for example a compression pad 330 in the shape of a vacuum cup or a pad having an adhesive layer, the compression/decompression unit 300 can then also be arranged to provide decompression. That is the treatment unit 300 is able to expand the patient's chest to improve induced ventilation and blood circulation. In such an embodiment, the treatment unit 300 is configured to provide decompression having a height in the range of 0-50 millimeters, preferably in the range of 10-25 millimeters.
An embodiment of the treatment unit 300 is further arranged to provide compression and/or decompression having a frequency of approximately 100 compressions and/or decompressions per minute.
Due to the increased stability and the improved the fixation of the patient provided by the support structure 10 according to the invention, increased treatment accuracy is accomplished.
The compression force is in an embodiment of the invention in the range of 350-700 Newton, preferably approximately 500-600 Newton. The decompression force is in the range of 100-450 Newton depending on the kind of pad 330 used. That is, the need decompression force depends on for example if a vacuum cup or a pad having an adhesive layer is used but it also depends on the type of vacuum cup or adhesive layer. In an embodiment of the invention the decompression force is approximately 410 Newton but in another embodiment a decompression force in the range of 100-150 Newton is used.
The support structure 10 according to the invention is preferably manufactured of a lightweight material whereby a low weight of the support structure 10 is achieved. However, the material should be rigid enough to provide a support structure 10 that is durable, hard-wearing and stable. In some embodiments of the invention it is also desirable that the material of the support structure 10 is electrically insulating. To decrease the weight further, the support structure 10 can be provided with a selectable number of cavities or recesses.
In an embodiment of the support structure 10 according to the invention, the front part 200 are manufactured of a material comprising glass fibre and epoxy and has a core of porous PVC (polyvinyl chloride). The back plate 100 is in this embodiment manufactured of material comprising PUR (polyurethane) and has a core of porous PVC. In an embodiment of the invention comprising a treatment unit 300 , the housing of the treatment unit is manufactured of PUR.
An embodiment of the support structure 10 comprising a compression and/or decompression unit 300 has a weight less than 6.5 kilogram. In an embodiment, the diametrical dimension in folded position is approximately 320×640×230 millimeters (width×height×depth) and in unfolded position approximately 500×538×228 millimeters (width×height×depth).
The present invention has been described by means of exemplifying embodiments. However, as understood by the person skilled in the art modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the present invention.
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The present invention relates generally to a support structure for fixating a patient to a treatment unit, and especially to a support structure for fixating the patient to a cardiopulmonary resuscitation unit. An embodiment of the support structure ( 10 ) comprises a back plate ( 100 ) for positioning behind said patient's back posterior to said patient's heart and a front part ( 200 ) for positioning around said patient's chest anterior to said patient's heart. Further, the front part ( 200 ) can comprise two legs ( 210, 220 ), each leg ( 210, 220 ) having a first end ( 212, 222 ) pivotably connected to at least one hinge ( 230, 240 ) and a second end ( 214, 224 ) removably attachable to said back plate ( 100 ). Said front part ( 200 ) can further be devised for comprising a compression/decompression unit ( 300 ) arranged to automatically compress or decompress said patient's chest when said front part ( 200 ) is attached to said back plate ( 100 ).
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BACKGROUND TO THE INVENTION
[0001] 1. Field of the Invention
[0002] This invention relates in general to timekeeping, and more specifically to the rapid and facile determination of the effective local civil time for any specific geographical location in the world. The invention, in particular, addresses this, while automatically accounting for Daylight Saving Time adjustments that may be effected in any particular locale.
[0003] 2. Description of the Prior Art
[0004] It is well known in the art to provide a clock that simultaneously displays the time across various, if not all, time zones around the world. The word “Clock” as used herein is meant to include all forms of timepieces or means for recording and displaying the passage of time. As such, a clock represents a dynamic display. Corresponding times within different world time zones may also be presented graphically in a static format.
(Conventional Clock Dials in General)
[0005] The representation of time on a standard dial clock's face is often thought to trace back to early people's familiarity with sundials. In the most common design of sundial, a graduated time scale in imprinted on a horizontal surface, which is then aligned in a direction facing along the line between true North and South. A shadow-casting style or gnomon is arranged with respect to the graduated surface, such that the shadow caused by the relative movement of the sun throughout the day will fall upon and intercept the graduated time scale and indicate the local solar time.
[0006] While a sundial can be made very accurate and precise in the determination of solar time for a given locale, it can only be useful if and when the sun is sufficiently bright to cast a distinct shadow. This rather severe operational limitation has led throughout history to the invention of dial clocks which substituted a mechanical movement driving an indicator hand to substitute for the moving shadow of the sun. As the mechanical clock's hand or hands were intended to be an analogue or metaphor for a solar shadow, mechanical dial clocks have most commonly moved the indicator hand or hands in the same direction the gnomon shadow moves on a sundial throughout the day. This is the direction that we now commonly call clockwise.
(Clock Dials Incorporating a Polar Projection.)
[0007] With the advent of the industrial age, and with improvements in the science and art of cartography, clock designers hit upon the idea of combining a presentation of the Earth's surface with a mechanical clock, in order to indicate the differing local times at various locales. Many of these approaches resulted in multi-zone world time clock designs which made use of a circular world map, centered on either the North or South pole, and which operated in a manner that is mechanically similar to that of a standard two-handed clock movement. These types of clocks typically segment the world map into the various known time zones, and provide a means to allow a user to read the local time at each time zone simultaneously.
[0008] When incorporating a polar projection world map into a standard dial clock display driven by a conventional mechanical clock movement, a South polar projection of the Earth has an advantage, apart from merely depicting the world as a circular image. In a South polar projection, the graphic presentation of the Earth may rotate clockwise in the manner of a standard dial clock with the corresponding times indicated by a fixed encircling 24 hour scale. Conversely, the adoption of a North polar projection requires either that the graphic projection rotate counterclockwise against a fixed 24-hour time scale that increases in the counterclockwise direction; or that the time scale rotates about the geographic projection This would be unnatural to the clock's observers.
[0009] One example of a mechanical clock with a North polar world map projection and counterclockwise mechanical movement can be seen in FIG. 1 of U.S. Pat. No. 5,57,173, granted in 1896 to D. W. Thompson.
[0010] The other approach, maintaining clockwise movement of a map projection centered on the Earth's South pole, can be seen in FIG. 1 of U.S. Pat. No. 5,146,436 by James B. Wright. Wright teaches of a mechanical world clock having a circular polar map which is divided into twenty-four zones. Overlying this map are twenty-four, radially extending hour indicators, each serving to indicate the local time at each individual time zone by pointing-out times on an encircling 24 hour scale. Two of these indicators are made particularly distinctive over the others, and are adjusted to correspond to a user's present geographical location and time zone. The first of the two indicators is meant to indicate the user's standard local time, whereas the second indicator, positioned adjacent to the first, is meant to represent adjusted local time, such a daylight saving time. The user is expected to know which of the indicators corresponds with appropriate, actual time in the local time zone.
[0011] One hybrid world clock design which maintains a standard clockwise hand movement and incorporates a North polar map projection is described in U.S. Pat. No. 862,884, to P. G. Connor. Connor's geographical clock makes use of a moving annular time indication scale, which has the 24 hours of the day numbered in ascending order counterclockwise. This annular scale is itself secured to the hour hand of a conventional 24 hour clockwise movement. The reverse-numbered annular scale is preferably made of a transparent material to allow for viewing the map below. The annular scale then rotates with the hour hand about the centre of the map projection, giving an indication of the local time in any area on the map.
[0012] The present inventor, Dwight Darling, has also obtained U.S. Pat. No. 5,054,008 for a mechanical or electro-mechanical movement clock with a clock face based on a modified South polar projection of the world and clockwise map movement. The geographic projection of this previous invention relies on colours to identify specific time zones and correspondingly coloured peripheral indicators are provided around the circumference of the South polar projection pointing to the exterior, fixed, 24-hour scale.
(Linear Clocks Incorporating a Mercator Projection.)
[0013] In addition to the polar projections described above, there are many multi-zone world clocks in existence which make use of a more conventional Mercator projection map of the world, segregated into the 24 or more distinct time zones, and employ various methods of displaying the local time of each individual time zone. No provision is made in the system to accommodate changes to daylight saving time.
[0014] A 1966 U.S. Pat. No. 3,232,038 to Smith, describes a mechanical multi-zone world clock which has a display consisting of a Mercator projection map of the Earth. The map is perforated with a series of window-like apertures at specific locations. An indexed display tape or film is driven by a sprocket transport at a fixed rate behind the map in order that the viewer can read time index numbers through the map's viewing windows.
[0015] In later efforts, multi-zone clocks have been designed which leverage electronic means of display in the place of mechanical systems. One example can be found in U.S. Pat. No. 6,233,204 to Chu et al., where a multi-zone clock is provided which comprises a Mercator projection of the Earth with 24 discrete display windows for the separate time zones. Each display window is furnished with a Light Emitting Diode display, which presents the local civil time in its given time zone, and a coloured symbol is applied to label countries which practice Daylight Saving Time adjustment. Viewers in such case must mentally calculate the actual time in the daylight savings time zone.
[0016] Two other U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,845,257 and 6,647,370, to Fu et al., disclose methods for assisting a user in managing events across time zones. These methods also provide a Mercator projection of the Earth, with digital readouts arrayed about the map which can be set to display the current effective civil time in a number of locations of interest. The methods describe a user interface which allows the operator to choose a time to be associated with a computer recorded event. The time may be referenced to the operator's home time zone, the local time zone, or another remote time zone.
[0017] Another electronically-based world time presentation system, U.S. Pat. No. 5,007,033 to Kubota et al., provides a Mercator projection map of the Earth, with a digital display unit positioned upon it. A series of selector push-button switches are arrayed beneath the map, with each button labeled with an index number and the name of an assigned city. When the operator activates one of the selector switches, the digital display unit presents the chosen city's index number and the local civil time for that location.
(The Issue of Daylight Saving Time.)
[0018] Regardless of the chosen map projection, it is a fact that throughout the course of the calendar year various regions around the world will adjust their local time in observance of Daylight Saving Time (DST). Not every time zone in the world, however, shifts to Daylight Saving Time during the year. The majority of North America and Europe, as well as parts of South America and Asia observe some form of Daylight Saving Time. These changes will typically involve advancing local time by one hour at one point in the calendar year and then retarding local time by one hour at a second point of the calendar year. For example, in North America, time advancement is typically carried out during the Spring, and the reduction in time is typically carried out in the Fall. In parts of Africa, however, the advancement of local time takes place in the Fall, and the reduction of local time takes place in the Spring.
[0019] When the local time of certain regions of the world is advanced, or reduced as a result of Daylight Saving Time, clocks displaying world time typically must accommodate such changes in order to correctly display local time across each time zone, or be inaccurate. The usefulness of these types of clocks may be greatly diminished if such an accommodation cannot be made.
[0020] The situation is made even more complicated because some time zones are on the half-hour. For example, the time zone for Newfoundland Canada is only a half hour earlier than the time zone for the Canadian Maritime provinces. Similar instances occur in respect of other regions around the world.
[0021] A further complication is that there are standard time zones in the world wherein only a portion of the territory of such standard time zones adjusts the time for daylight saving.
[0022] The aforementioned Polar projection world clock of U.S. Pat. No. 5,146,436 to Wright, in providing a second indicator to represent local time, can be adjusted in observance of Daylight Saving Time. While Wright's design thus does provide a means to adjust the user's current geographical location time in accordance to Daylight Saving Time, it does not provide a means to correct the time within other time zones across the world which may also implement Daylight Saving Time.
[0023] In I. Smith's linear Mercator projection world time clock of U.S. Pat. No. 3,232,038, the position of the viewing window may be mechanically shifted parallel to the length of the scrolling band, thereby providing an avenue to correct a particular region's local time when Daylight Saving Time is in force. Again here, no general solution is provided to the issue of differing dates being used in various geographical regions and sub-regions for the application of Daylight Saving Time corrections.
[0024] Modern communications rely greatly on computers with electronically controlled presentation displays, and long distance telephony. In the case of computers, electronic messages are sent continuously by e-mail and other means over the Internet to destinations around the world. Similarly, long distance telephone call set-up may occur at any time of the day or night. When communicating to others across civil time zones, a person often needs a quick and convenient method for determining the local time at the target distant location.
[0025] It would be convenient to provide an electronic display for a clock incorporating a cartographic projection of the Earth. Further, it would be convenient to provide in such a display a means to accommodate changes due to Daylight Saving Time on a region-by-region basis, as well as other useful features. The present invention seeks to address such objectives by taking advantage of modern technology relating to electronically displayed images.
[0026] The invention in its general form will first be described, and then its implementation in terms of specific embodiments will be detailed with reference to the drawings following hereafter. These embodiments are intended to demonstrate the principle of the invention, and the manner of its implementation. The invention in its broadest and more specific forms will then be further described, and defined, in each of the individual claims which conclude this Specification.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0027] According to one aspect of the invention, an electronically controlled graphic display system is provided for effecting a user presentation which simultaneously displays the local civil time in various civil time zones around the world. This may be in the form of an electronic presentation of a clock face with a graphic image depicting the world's time zones, simultaneously indicating the local time in such time zones around the world. Preferably this display, however presented, is adjusted by an automatic mechanism to accommodate regional time changes due to Daylight Saving Time.
[0028] According to a more specific aspect of the invention, a cartographic projection, which may be in the form of a map or image of the Earth or a portion of the Earth's surface, is divided into a series of colour-coded or otherwise visually distinguished geographical time areas, with each area representing a region sharing a given civil time zone. This cartographic projection is presented on an electronically controlled graphic display element by an electronic display controller. The graphic display element may, for example, be a conventional computer workstation display or public presentation device, a portable LCD display device as may be found in an Internet-enabled cellular telephone or personal digital assistant, or may in the form of a dedicated display device embedded in the central area of a wall or desk clock, or wristwatch face, in order to add functionality to these timepieces.
[0029] The electronic display controller may take the form of a digital micro-controller system, a general purpose stored program computer or microcomputer, or a distributed electronic data processing system composed of any number of electronic information processing hosts connected for information transmission via suitable data communications media.
[0030] In one variant of the invention, the cartographic projection may be, or may be derived from, a satellite, aerial or other image, and which may have the geographical areas denoted through the superimposition of reference markings or by false colouring techniques.
[0031] According to yet another aspect of the invention, the display controller is provided with or has access to a clocking subsystem capable of determining the actual time and thereby providing the local effective civil time corresponding to each of a series of geographical time areas. The display controller may also be provided with a digital record store or database, or has access to such sources, containing a list of the geographical time areas and their locations on the cartographic projection. The digital record database may also contain each geographical area's standard time offset from Coordinated Universal Time, and preferentially the effective calendar date that each geographical area adjusts the prevailing local civil time to introduce or remove a Daylight Saving Time correction.
[0032] In another aspect of the invention, the display controller may present on the electronic display a time scale, comprising a series of time values in the form of time indicators present along part or all of the periphery of the cartographic projection. Also along the periphery of the cartographic projection the controller may display a series of colour or otherwise visually coded time zone time markers which coordinate with the colouring or coding of the geographic time areas. Preferably, these time zone time markers are located so as to index against the time indicators present in the time scale presentation and thereby provide each zone's effective civil time. Optionally and preferably such time markers are triangular in shape or otherwise shaped in order to more precisely indicate a specific time on the time scale at a level which is more detailed than simply indicating the hour. This is an alternative to providing a minute hand on the clock. A minute hand may also, optionally, be present.
[0033] In another aspect of the invention, the display controller may periodically reference the clocking subsystem, and when such action is indicated, change the relative positions of the time zone time markers, in order that the markers continue to correctly index against the correct indicators of the indication scale and track with the local civil times of the geographic areas with the passage of time.
[0034] According to one preferred aspect of the invention, the display controller may periodically reference the effective calendar date determined by the clocking subsystem, and compare this date to the dates stored in the digital record database representing when each geographical area is expected to apply or remove a Daylight Saving Time adjustment. In this preferred aspect, the display controller may change the colours or other coding of the geographic time areas on the cartographic projection to redistribute these areas as required by local time changes. Alternately, the corresponding locations of related time zone time markers can be shifted to indicate the correct, adjusted, time.
[0035] In a first preferred embodiment of the invention, the cartographic projection of the Earth's surface may be in the form of modified polar projection, centered on the South pole. The projection is modified to show schematically time zone regions actually present in the northern hemisphere. This South polar projection may be electronically presented to the viewer as rotating about its centre point in the clockwise direction at the rate of 24 hours per rotation. The depiction of the world may be divided into approximately twenty-four geographical time areas representing time zones wherein each region is provided with a colour-coding to visibly distinguish the respective time zone regions.
[0036] In a variant form of this embodiment, the modified polar projection may be centered on the North pole, in which case it may be depicted as rotating about its centre point in a counter-clockwise direction, again at a rate of 24 hours per cycle.
[0037] According to the polar projection embodiments, the electronic presentation may represent the time scale in the form of a series of time indicia located around the outer, circular periphery of the polar projection. These indicia may fully encircle the periphery of the polar projection, and may be distributed at substantially equal distances from one another whether or not adjacent geographical time areas differ by one hour.
[0038] According to another feature of the polar projection embodiments, the time zone time markers rotate synchronously with the world map. Each time marker is associated with a proximate geographic time zone located on the map, and may be appropriately colour-coded or otherwise visually cued to indicate and correspond to an associated time zone or geographical time area. The presentation depicts the circular world map and coloured/coded time zone time markers as rotating periodically with respect to the time indicia on the 24-hour dial such that the alignment of the time markers with respect to the 24-hour time indicators provides the local time of each geographical time zone shown on the map.
[0039] In an alternate presentation of the polar projection variants of the invention, the relative positions of the map and time zone time markers may be fixed, and the time scale indicia within the time scale may then rotate around the map and markers. In such case, the alignment of the time markers with respect to the 24-hour time scale indicia indicates the local time of each geographical time zone shown on the map.
[0040] In a second preferred embodiment of the invention, the cartographic projection of the Earth's surface may be in the form of a conventional or modified Mercator projection. This Mercator projection may also be divided into approximately twenty-four geographical time areas representing time zones wherein each region is provided with a colour or alternate form of coding to visibly distinguish the respective time zone regions. Time zone time markers are positioned along the upper peripheral edge of the polar projection, the lower peripheral edge, or both.
[0041] According to this embodiment, the electronic presentation may represent the time scale in the form of a series of time indicia located along the upper peripheral edge of the Mercator projection, the lower peripheral edge, or both. These indicia may fully extend along the upper or lower border of the Mercator projection, and may be distributed at substantially equal distances from one another.
[0042] In another aspect of the Mercator projection embodiments, the time zone time markers may move laterally with respect to the timescale. In this embodiment the presentation may depict the Mercator projection world map and coloured time markers as sliding laterally over time with respect to the time indicia on the linear 24-hour dial such that the alignment of the time markers with respect to the 24-hour time indicia indicates the local time of each geographical time zone shown on the map.
[0043] In an alternate presentation of the Mercator projection variants of the invention, the relative positions of the map and time zone time markers may be fixed, and the time indicia may then move linearly with respect to the map and markers. This ensures that the alignment of the time markers with respect to the 24-hour time indicia continues to indicate the local time of each geographical time zone shown on the map while presenting a stable geographic image of the world.
[0044] With either Polar or Mercator projection embodiments, a single 24 hour time scale or display of time indicia may be provided. Conventionally and preferably, a series of numbers are evenly spaced along the scale at points corresponding to 15° intervals of longitude with optional subdivisions indicating portions of an hour. These numbers may run from 1 to 24 or may run in two series, each from 1 to 12, with the optional but preferred presence of an indication that these series are to indicate time on the dark side of the Earth and on the side of the Earth that is illuminated by sunlight. As the time that the sun rises and sets changes, different sections of times may represent the night and day.
[0045] In the preferred embodiment of the invention, the display controller apparatus effecting an electronic presentation of a clock is provided with Daylight Saving adjustment capability. These adjustments are achieved according to one option through selectively shifting the position of, and optionally the nature of, the coloured or otherwise visually discriminated time markers corresponding to regions adopting local time changes. The display for such time markers may be shifted with respect to the time scale indicia by a distance corresponding to the change arising from entering or leaving Daylight Saving Time, as for example one hour on the time indicia scale. Thus in changing the position of a time indicator, the local time of the corresponding time zone may be indicated as advanced or reduced by one hour in accordance with Daylight Saving Time requirements.
[0046] Where a shifted time marker is moved to a position already occupied by another time marker, both markers may be modified in shape to share the same location. Thus equilateral triangles can be reduced to half size in order to share space with another time indicator that is colored to match another time zone that is on the same time as, for example, a region that does not shift to daylight savings.
[0047] An advantage to having the time markers, each of a given colour, or otherwise visually denoted, shifted in their position along or around the periphery of the world map to accommodate a change to or from Daylight Saving in the corresponding territorial regions, is that the presentation of the corresponding territorial regions need not change. Thus the appearance of the world map in its polar or Mercator or other projection will be largely undisturbed for the benefit of the perception of persons viewing this presentation.
[0048] In instances where only a territorial fraction of a particular time zone observes Daylight Saving Time, the specific sub-region within such time-zone which does not observe Daylight Saving Time may be re-coloured or visually marked in the display to adopt a reference scheme corresponding to an adjacent time zone having the same time. The result is that the non-observing region acquires a visual cue which corresponds to a new time marker which displays its correct local time.
[0049] In regions where the majority of territories shift to Daylight Saving Time, this procedure of shifting the position of the time markers has the advantage of minimizing departures from the traditional colours or markings provided to time zone regions. Correspondingly, the expectations of viewers as to the colours or markings of specific territories are minimally disrupted.
[0050] In an alternative embodiment, the presentation adjusts the clock display for regional time changes due to Daylight Saving Time through selectively redistributing the visual coding provided to one or more geographical time regions. The redistribution is effected so that that appropriate geographical time zone regions become associated with time markers which bear the same visual coding and correctly indicate their local time. In this embodiment, no shifting in the position of the individual time markers occurs.
[0051] In the case of regions which are functioning on the half hour, additional time markers beyond the normal 24 can be provided. If the normal time markers are triangular in form, e.g. equilateral triangles in shape, then additional partial triangles or other indicator images may be inserted halfway between adjacent triangles, sharing a common time indication.
[0052] Rather than adopt an additional visual coding for such a half-hour territories and half-hour time indicators, the visual coding of an adjacent, synchronous time zone may be adopted with the addition of crosshatching or other modification to the territory and indicator that will distinguish them both from adjacent territories and indicators. Optionally, with such additional distinctive feature as crosshatching applied to a territory, the depiction of an additional half-hour time indicator need not be adopted. Instead, the user will simply understand that crosshatching is an indication of a one half hour time shift, typically a half-hour advancement in time where the half-hour time zone carries the background visual coding of the next adjacent time zone territory in the counterclockwise direction.
[0053] As a further variant on the invention the time markers (adjacent to the clock scale) may incorporate a designation or code for a related geographic location present within the associated time zone. For example, the marker for eastern North America could include the words “New York”. As a complementary variant, the display according to the invention may, for a highlighted time zone selected by users for highlighting, provide a list again selected by a user, of countries within the time zone and/or cities or other important references within the time zone which qualify as significant information, so that a user can confirm that they have selected the correct time zone that includes the target geographic entity. A list of references may include entities providing commercial services, such as hotels, within the geographical area.
[0054] In one further embodiment, the current invention may be combined with a reference database including data points associated with the specific time zone. This could include a country or city within the time zone, a phone number with an area code within the time zone or a folder that contains the contact particulars for a specific person associated with the time zone By this embodiment, when a contact is selected in the address book/contact list, etc., the time zone of the contact as an exemplary data point may be highlighted. As an example in the case of time zones with colors, the associated time zone may be highlighted by having its color changed, as for example to being white. Selection of such a data point would then allow a user to locate the time zone in which such data point is located. This helps a user understand the time that another person is experiencing. This may be implemented by including within the controller a controller sub-module that will associate the geographic area to be highlighted on the display with the reference database entry corresponding with the data points.
[0055] As a further, variant on the invention, the depiction of the map on the display may be manipulated by a user through an input control so that the map may be manually rotated within the time scale to a user-selected hypothetical time. This function may optionally operate without including the dynamic feature of a real-time clock. This function provides an easy means for determining the relationship between the time at two or more points on the Earth at any hypothetical time. By setting the time marker of one time zone to a specific time, the corresponding time in all other time zones can be seen. Using a touch-sensitive screen display or a key command or equivalent to permit manual displacement of the map with respect to the time scale, the new set of corresponding times set by a user may persist on the display for a predetermined delay, and then return automatically or “snap-back” to displaying the correct time.
[0056] The foregoing summarizes the principal features of the invention and some of its optional aspects. These features may be applied to other projections of the Earth in part or in full, for example the Mercator projection or a north polar projection. The invention may be further understood by the description of the preferred embodiments, in conjunction with the drawings, which now follow.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0057] FIG. 1 is a view of the clock face presentation of one variant of the invention that comprises a modified South polar projection of the world map separated into time zones and visually coded with colours that associate a series of time zone time markers with geographical areas.
[0058] FIG. 2 is a view of the clock face presentation of one variant of the invention that comprises a modified South polar projection of the world map where the presentation has been adjusted from that of FIG. 1 in order to indicate Daylight Saving Time corrections in effect.
[0059] FIG. 3 is a detailed view of a section of the clock face of the invention as in FIG. 2 .
[0060] FIG. 4 is a detailed view of a section of the clock face of the invention as in FIG. 3 more clearly showing the addition of the temporary time zone time marker and the removal of the Greenland time zone time marker.
[0061] FIG. 5 is a detailed view of a section of the clock face of the invention as in FIG. 4 more clearly showing the movement of the temporary time zone time marker.
[0062] FIG. 6 is a detailed view of a section of the clock face of the invention that depicts one manner of showing a time zone that is offset by a half-hour.
[0063] FIG. 7 is a view of an address book featuring the clock of the invention which depicts a modified South polar projection of the Earth with a series of time zone time markers that correspond to areas of the world map, and the time zone time markers pointing to their associated time indicators.
[0064] FIG. 8 is a view of the clock face presentation of another variant of the invention that comprises a modified North polar projection of the world map surrounded by an annular time indication scale and time zone time markers that associate with each specific time zone geographical area.
[0065] FIG. 9 is a view of the clock face presentation of another variant of the invention that comprises a Mercator projection of the world map bounded by a linear time indication scale and including time zone time markers that associate with each specific time zone geographical area.
[0066] FIG. 10 illustrates in simplified functional block diagram an electronic computerized display controller system suitable for implementation of the world time clock of the present invention.
[0067] FIG. 11 depicts in general overview a data storage model that may be used to effect the invention.
[0068] FIG. 12 depicts a rendition of the presentation display of one embodiment of the invention, with a more detailed presentation of the modified South polar projection map of the Earth.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0069] In one embodiment of the invention, as depicted in FIG. 1 , a world time presentation is provided, comprising an electronic presentation of a circular clock face 13 which simultaneously displays the geography for the local time in time zones around the world. The presentation is centered about a modified South polar projection 18 , thus rendering a recognizable world map of the Earth's surface.
[0070] Also shown in FIG. 1 is the manner in which the rotating world map 18 is divided into approximately twenty-four geographical time areas 14 representing time zones wherein each region is preferably provided with a colour-coding or other visual convention to visibly distinguish the respective regions. For clarity in FIGS. 1 and 2 , only two zones are marked, although in practice most or all of the geographic areas 14 would be visually encoded.
[0071] A series of indicia in the form of numerical hour indicators 15 are evenly spaced around the periphery at 15° intervals to form a graduated annular time scale. These numbers may run as shown in FIG. 1 , around the periphery of the circular map 18 in two series, ascending from 1 to 12, in this case optionally bearing an AM or PM indication. Alternately, the hour indicators may each ascending from 1 to 24, as in a standard 24 hour clock representation.
[0072] In another optional but preferred indication, which may be seen in FIG. 12 , the hour indicators 15 of the annular time scale encircling world map 18 may be provided with a shading or other visual cue to distinguish times on the dark side 51 of the Earth from times on the daylight side 50 of the Earth that is illuminated by sunlight. In this case, the display controller 25 may simply present the numbers representing solar illuminated hours as those in the hemisphere divided by local noon, preferably compensated for any Daylight Saving Time correction in effect.
[0073] Also contemplated by the invention, but not shown in the Figures, the world clock presentation 13 may include a further overlay including a traditional analog or digital time display as is known in the prior art, such overlay typically displaying the local civil time at the user's current location in a conventional manner. Thus minute and hour hands may rotate within an independent 12 or 24-hour dial.
[0074] As illustrated in FIG. 1 , the world time presentation may include as part of its display a series of time zone time markers 16 disposed along the immediate periphery of the circular world map 18 . These time zone time markers 16 rotate synchronously with the world map. As can be seen in the detail view of FIG. 3 , each time zone time marker is associated with a proximate geographic time zone located on the map, and is appropriately coloured or otherwise visually coded to correspond to its associated time zone, with marker 50 corresponding to geographic area 52 , marker 51 corresponding to geographical areas 53 and 60 , and marker 54 corresponding to geographical area 55 .
[0075] As shown in all the map bearing Figures, and perhaps best in FIGS. 1 and 2 , the time zone time markers 16 are preferentially triangular in shape or otherwise shaped in order to precisely indicate a specific time on the annular time scale, including not only a specific hour but portions of an hour.
[0076] FIG. 10 illustrates in simplified functional block diagram an electronic computerized display controller system suitable for implementation of the world time clock of the present invention. For clarity of description, the components of the controller will be described with reference to a basic, generally Von Neumann design model of stored program computer, with program and data memory accessible to a processor via a common memory data transfer bus. It should be understood by the reader that this architecture is herein applied for exemplary purposes only, and in no way precludes any other alternate architectural configuration from being applied in the implementation of the world clock of the present invention. The actual implementation of the display controller system of the present invention is in practice an engineering decision based on the target application domain, and may utilize any viable alternate computing architecture, for example as distributed across a multi-node networked computing system such as the Internet, a virtual machine running in a segmented program execution environment of a larger data processing system, or as an integrated single chip microcontroller.
[0077] As depicted in FIG. 10 , the display controller 25 comprises a central processing unit, or CPU 30 , which is connected to a digital memory addressing and data transfer bus 31 . Also connected to memory bus 31 are two data storage memories, a program memory 33 for the storage of instructions which govern the operation of CPU 30 , and a data memory 34 wherein transient operational information can be stored and recalled during CPU program execution. The program storage memory 33 and data storage memory 34 may be separate subsystems, or may simply be dedicated regions of storage within a single memory array.
[0078] CPU 30 is also connected to an input/output (I/O) data bus 32 for communication with, and control of a number of peripheral devices. Display interface 39 provides control over the actual world clock presentation display, and preferentially provides a cartesian X/Y colour pixel addressing for the plotting of images and text.
[0079] Also connected to I/O bus 32 is a user input interface 40 for reading the system operator's control manipulations. The user input interface may externally connect to a keyboard, keypad or other configuration of switches, a pointing device such as a desktop computer mouse, or a touch-screen type peripheral capable of sensing the device operator's interactions with the images presented on the clock display presentation itself.
[0080] A timebase peripheral 35 is also connected to the display controller's I/O bus 32 . Preferably, the timebase 35 is provided in the form of a real-time clock (RTC), which may automatically maintain an accurate and precise time-of-day mantissa 37 , encoding the current Coordinated Universal Time (UTC). Also preferably, the timebase 35 may automatically maintain a separate date mantissa 38 , encoding the current day of the year within the UTC time zone.
[0081] It will be evident to the reader that although the timebase peripheral 35 described above is suggestive of a hardware real-time clock or other timekeeping integrated circuit, this particular design option is by no means restrictive. Software implementations of an RTC function may equally well be utilized, and the specific provision of the timebase clock service may ideally be of a form suitable from cost, complexity, and performance perspectives.
[0082] However timebase 35 is effected, in the preferred embodiment it is of the highest practical accuracy, and of a precision suitable for the generation of a suitably meaningful world clock presentation, given the resolution of the attached electronic display device. In practice, the accuracy of timebase 35 may reflect a relatively simple free-running Quartz crystal derived reference, or the timebase may be synchronized to a more accurate higher order reference such as an atomic clock, either by terrestrial radio reception, GPS derived signaling, or via an Internet connection to a low stratum Network Time Protocol server.
[0083] Preferably, timebase 35 is provided with a low-latency strobe output 36 to CPU 30 , whereby the timebase can signal the CPU of the arrival of some time-related occurrence. Low-latency strobe signal 36 may be in the form of a digital output connected to an Interrupt Request (IRQ) input of CPU 30 , or may be a software event signal, as for example brokered through an underlying operating system's timer application programming interface.
[0084] FIG. 11 depicts in general view a data storage model that may be used to effect the invention. Preferably, the display controller's data memory may be organized to provide at least one reference map image 42 , which can be suitably transformed and plotted on the world clock's presentation device. In one variant of the invention, the CPU's real-time image transformation and processing load may be mitigated by caching a library of different presentation map images, with the individual map images in the library representing fairly common time zone configurations, as for example when a large area of the Earth's surface enacts a civil time correction simultaneously.
[0085] Also shown in FIG. 11 is a digital Time Zone database 44 , which may comprise a series of geographical time area records 45 . Preferably, each record corresponds to a particular geographical area of the reference world map presentation image 42 , wherein the area a common civil time regime of UTC offset and DST correction is kept. Each record may comprise a reference to the corresponding geographical time area's location on reference image 42 , and the area's normal standard time offset with respect to Coordinated Universal Time. Additionally, in areas that practice DST correction, the time area record 45 may further comprise the area's adjusted Daylight Saving Time offset from Coordinated Universal Time, and the dates of the year that the DST offset is to be introduced and removed. Optionally and preferably, geographic time area record 45 may also store the precise time of day that DST adjustments are to be made within the area. Optionally and alternately, such data may be accessed remotely by the controller, as for example, over the Internet.
[0086] As in some geographical time areas DST corrections are not applied on fixed calendar dates from year to year, but instead apply on a given weekday of a certain month, provision may be made to periodically update geographic time area records 45 to coincide with the current year. Such updates may be conducted automatically by the display controller's 25 program software, as by example with reference to a perpetual calendar calculation, or by electronic record download or user input.
[0087] Preferably, as shown in FIG. 11 , the user's current effective time zone, and optionally, geographic locational coordinates 46 may also be stored in data memory. The coordinates may be user entered, or automatically derived via Global Positioning System or other reference methods. The local coordinates 46 may be used with suitable transformation, to allow the display controller 25 to compute and plot a current or home location on the map representing the operator's current position.
[0088] Turning again to FIG. 1 , the display controller may present the passage of time by periodically changing the rotation angle of the modified South polar projection world map image 18 and its peripheral time zone time markers 16 , such that the externally-facing tips of markers 16 register against the annular time scale 15 at appropriate positions to indicate the effective local civil time in each geographic time area. During the course of a calendar day, therefore, the map image 18 is presented to the viewer as rotating about its central polar point in the clockwise direction at the rate of 24 hours per rotation.
[0089] With reference to FIGS. 10 and 11 , according to the preferred embodiment of the invention, the timebase 35 may periodically generate a low latency strobe signal 36 and present it to the CPU 30 . Upon receipt of the strobe signal, CPU 30 then retrieves and executes a stored series of instructions from program memory 33 , which may then cause it to fetch and copy the data comprising reference map image 42 into a suitable scratch or buffer area of memory (not shown in the Figures) for display image formulation.
[0090] The CPU 30 then executes a further stored series of instructions which may cause it to sequentially iterate over the geographical time area records 45 , reading from timebase 35 , comparing the current values of the date mantissa 38 and time mantissa 37 with the DST onset date and time, and determining the correct UTC offset in force within each geographical time area. Again following the stored instruction sequence, each area's UTC offset may then be divided by the 24 hours of a normal daily Earth revolution cycle, and the resulting fraction multiplied by the 360° angle of the full revolution to compute the time zone time marker position angle. CPU 30 may then execute instructions to plot the marker at the resultant marker position angle, and apply visual indications or colours to correlate the marker with the geographic time area on the buffered map image.
[0091] After all time zone time markers and map markings have been applied, CPU 30 may then execute a series of instructions to rotate the buffered image of the world map and time zone time markers to the correct orientation for the current time. This operation may comprise dividing the current UTC time reading from timebase mantissa 37 by the 24 hours of an Earth revolution cycle, and the resulting fraction multiplied by the 360° angle of revolution to compute the current map rotation angle. At this point, the final steps of image manipulation are to plot the annular time scale 15 , optionally applying any desired day/night shadings, and to copy the completed rendition of map image 18 from the scratch buffer to the viewable display interface 39 for presentation.
[0092] It can also be seen that an alternative presentation approach is possible, whereby the map image 18 is kept at the reference or some other fixed angle, and the annular time scale 15 is rotated about it by the negation of the current map rotation angle before copying for presentation.
[0093] In FIG. 8 is shown an alternative embodiment of the world time display, wherein a North polar projection world map 19 is used, with preferably triangular and colour or otherwise visually encoded time zone time markers 16 arrayed about the periphery of map 19 . In this case, the map 19 and markers 16 may be rotated counter-clockwise within the annular time scale 15 , and the time scale may be numbered in ascending hour order in the counterclockwise direction, located around the outer, circular periphery of the world map 19 . These indicia 15 fully encircle the periphery of the world time display 13 and are distributed at equal distances from one another.
[0094] The presentation depicts the circular world map 19 and coloured or otherwise visually coded time markers 16 as rotating periodically with respect to the time indicia 15 on the 24-hour dial such that the alignment of the time markers with respect to the 24-hour time indicia indicates the local time of each geographical time zone 14 shown on the map 18 .
[0095] Again with reference to FIGS. 10 and 11 , according to this alternative embodiment of the invention, the timebase 35 may periodically generate a low latency strobe signal 36 and present it to the CPU 30 . Upon receipt of the strobe signal, CPU 30 then retrieves and executes a stored series of instructions from program memory 33 , which may then cause it to fetch and copy the data comprising reference map image 42 into a suitable scratch or buffer area of memory (not shown in the Figures) for display image formulation.
[0096] The CPU 30 then executes a further stored series of instructions which may cause it to sequentially iterate over the geographical time area records 45 , reading from timebase 35 , comparing the current values of the date mantissa 38 and time mantissa 37 with the DST onset date and time, and determining the correct UTC offset in force within each geographical time area. Again following the stored instruction sequence, each area's UTC offset may then be negated, and the result be divided by the 24 hours of a normal daily Earth revolution cycle. This resulting fraction may then multiplied by the 360° angle of the full revolution to compute the time zone time marker position angle. CPU 30 may then execute instructions to plot the marker at the resultant marker position angle, and apply visual indications or colours to correlate the marker with the geographic time area on the buffered map image.
[0097] After all time zone time markers and map markings have been applied, CPU 30 may then execute a series of instructions to rotate the buffered image of the world map and time zone time markers to the correct orientation for the current time. This operation may comprise negating the current UTC time reading from timebase mantissa 37 , and dividing the result by the 24 hours of an Earth revolution cycle. The consequent fraction of the Earth's rotation may then be multiplied by the 360° angle of revolution to compute the current map rotation angle. At this point, the final steps of image manipulation are to plot the annular time scale 15 , optionally applying any desired day/night shadings, and to copy the completed rendition of map image 19 from the scratch buffer to the viewable display interface 39 for presentation.
[0098] It can here also be seen that an alternative presentation approach is possible, whereby the map image 19 is kept at the reference or some other fixed angle, and the annular time scale 15 is rotated about it by the non-negated current map rotation angle before copying for presentation.
[0099] In FIG. 9 is shown another alternative embodiment of the world time display, wherein a Mercator projection world map 20 is used, with preferably triangular and colour or otherwise visually encoded time zone time markers 16 arrayed about the periphery of map 20 in a manner logically similar to that of the polar projection embodiments described above. In this case, the map 20 and markers 16 may be translated linearly along the reference time scale 15 , which is positioned and scaled to divide the width of Mercator projection into 24 equally spaced hour intervals. The time scale 15 may be numbered in ascending hour order in the left to right direction, and located along the top edge of the world map 20 , such that time zone time markers 16 may index against scale 15 and indicate the local civil time in each associated geographical time zone.
[0100] The presentation depicts the Mercator projection world map 20 and coloured or otherwise visually coded time markers 16 as periodically moving linearly with respect to the time indicia 15 on the 24-hour scale 15 , such that the alignment of the time markers with respect to the 24-hour time indicia indicates the local time of each geographical time zone shown on the map 20 .
[0101] Referring again to FIGS. 10 and 11 , according to this alternative embodiment of the invention, the timebase 35 may periodically generate a low latency strobe signal 36 and present it to the CPU 30 , in the same manner as described previously. Upon receipt of the strobe signal, in the Mercator projection embodiment, CPU 30 retrieves and executes a stored series of instructions from program memory 33 , which may then cause it to fetch and copy the data comprising the reference map image 42 into a suitable scratch or buffer area of memory (not shown in the Figures) for display image formulation.
[0102] CPU 30 then executes a further stored series of instructions which may cause it to again sequentially iterate over the geographical time area records 45 , reading from timebase 35 , comparing the current values of the date mantissa 38 and time mantissa 37 with the DST onset date and time, and determining the correct UTC offset in force within each geographical time area. In this case following a variant stored instruction sequence, each area's UTC offset may then be divided by the 24 hours of a normal daily Earth revolution cycle, and the resulting fraction multiplied by the width of the reference Mercator map image 42 , to compute the linear offset to the left or right of the prime meridian of the projection for the location of each of the time zone time markers 16 . CPU 30 may then execute instructions to plot each marker at the resultant marker position offset, and apply visual indications or colours to correlate the marker with the geographic time area on the buffered map image.
[0103] After all time zone time markers and map markings have been applied, CPU 30 may then execute a series of instructions to plot the linear time scale 15 , optionally applying any desired day/night shadings. This operation may comprise plotting the time scale 15 to the scratch buffer such that the current UTC time reading from timebase mantissa 37 is aligned with the prime meridian of reference map image, continuing to plot the ascending indicia rightwards until the right hand edge of the map image has been reached. At this point the remaining indicia time scale 15 may be plotted ascending rightwards from the left hand edge of the map image until the scale has been completed. At this point, the final step of image manipulation is to copy the completed rendition of map image 19 from the scratch buffer to the viewable display interface 39 for presentation.
[0104] Another alternative presentation approach for the Mercator projection is possible, whereby the indicia time scale 15 is always plotted in the same reference position, and map image 20 is plotted from it's prime meridian at the intercept representing the current UTC time against scale 15 , with the plotted copy of map image 42 “wrapped” at the rightwards edge of the scale, continuing then to be plotted starting at the left edge before copying for presentation.
[0105] The reader will note in the preceding discussion that regardless of the cartographic projection used for the reference map 42 , the actual data storage formats and units used for the storage and arithmetic manipulation of times and angles are not critical, as long as units are kept constant throughout calculation. Depending on the design constraints, either integer, or fixed or floating point decimal representations may be used for scalar values, and angular measurements may be represented in any convenient format, for example decimal degrees, radians, grads, or mils.
[0106] It will also be evident that there are possibilities to effect certain run-time optimizations on the above image processing sequence. For example, in large geographic areas such as North America which apply DST correction simultaneously, it may be useful to have stored pre-generated subimages of the Daylight Savings and Standard Time circumstances, possibly with time zone time markers already computed and applied, cached and available for direct copy to the scratch buffer. Also, in a computing system with a dynamically varying load and constrained available resources, images may be pre-assembled during lower loading periods and indexed for the relatively low-computation effort of copying to display later when resourcing is tight.
[0107] The reader will also note that reference world image 42 need not be restricted to a cartographic projection, but may also be a suitably transformed and scaled representation derived from a satellite image or composite of images of the Earth, potentially with mapping markings superimposed, and that false colouration or other image manipulation techniques may be used for the visual coding of the geographic time zone areas.
[0108] In one optional and simplified embodiment of the current invention, a number of different world images may be provided and copied to the display interface 39 at certain appropriate times of the year. By changing the map on these appropriate days to depict the visually coded geographical time zones 14 that are in force for that given day, it is possible to keep a relatively accurate world time display 13 with a great reduction of computational requirements. According to this optional variant, a series of image changes or “swaps” at a number of times throughout the year may be able to substantially correctly depict the time in many locations of interest throughout the globe. In some cases it may be desirable to have many versions of maps in order to depict time zone adjustments to a desirable resolution within geographic regions.
[0109] In the preferred embodiment of the invention, the apparatus for effecting an electronic presentation of a clock is provided with a facility for Daylight Saving adjustment. The role of this feature is to adjust the clock display for regional time changes due to Daylight Saving Time. FIGS. 3 and 4 are detailed depictions of a manner of altering the clock face of FIGS. 1 and 2 in order to adjust the map and clock to conform to DST. In FIG. 3 , the position of, and optionally the nature of, the coloured or otherwise visually coded time markers 50 , 51 and 54 correspond to regions 52 , 53 , and 55 respectively. As discussed previously, the display of such time markers 50 , 51 , and 52 may be shifted clockwise or counter-clockwise by a distance corresponding to the change arising from entering or leaving Daylight Saving Time. Thus in changing the position of any time marker, the indicated local civil time of the corresponding geographical time zone may be indicated as being advanced or retarded in accordance with Daylight Saving Time requirements.
[0110] By examining FIGS. 3 and 4 , an example of such a time marker shift can be seen. FIG. 3 depicts a section of the map of the current invention prior to a DST-related adjustment, while FIG. 4 depicts this same map after a time zone change has begun. Greenland, Halifax and New York time zone time markers 50 , 51 , 54 with associated Greenland, Halifax and New York geographical time zone 52 , 53 , 55 can be clearly seen. Each of these time markers is in this case hatched to correspond with its associated geographical time zone. In practicing the invention, this visual correlation may be indicated by alignment of colours, hatching, or other visual encoding cues.
[0111] Turning now to FIG. 4 , it can be seen that the Greenland time zone time marker 50 has been removed. A temporary time zone time marker 56 is inserted in its place, between the Halifax and New York time markers 51 and 54 . The temporary time marker 56 is in this case visually coded in the same manner as the time marker 51 above it. Furthermore, the geographical area 52 that was in FIG. 3 previously associated with the Greenland time marker 50 is now in FIG. 4 coloured to be associated with the newly added time zone time marker 56 . This temporary time marker 56 is a “placeholder” that acts as a time marker as the process of sequentially adjusting the time markers 16 and the boundaries of the geographical time zones 14 takes place. As time passes on a DST-enacting day, each time zone on the world map presentation will be altered in a different way at a different time, so a series of such alterations is necessary.
[0112] Simultaneously with the insertion of the temporary time zone time marker 56 , the map is altered to allow sections that do not observe DST or that observe DST in a different manner than most countries to be accurately depicted on the map. In instances where only a territorial fraction of a particular time zone observes Daylight Saving Time, the specific sub-region within such time-zone which does not observe Daylight Saving Time may be recoloured in the display to adopt a colour code corresponding to an adjacent time zone having the same, post-DST change time. In FIGS. 4 and 5 , a section 60 of the map is originally associated with the Halifax time zone time marker 51 , but as this area does not in this case observe DST, when the rest of the geographical areas nearby adjust for DST, section 60 becomes associated with the New York time zone time marker 54 .
[0113] FIG. 5 depicts a further feature in the process of adjusting the map for DST, after another hour has passed and the New York time zone is to adjust for DST. In this case, the clock face 13 , already adjusted for DST as described above in the description of FIGS. 3 and 4 , has the temporary time zone time marker 56 shifted, now being between the New York and Chicago time markers 54 and 57 . FIG. 5 also shows the time zone time marker for the United States mid-west, “Chicago”, shared with the time zone time marker for a further region to the west with the usual equilateral triangles reduced to half size in order to share space and indicate the same time. This can address the case where an adjacent region does not shift to daylight savings.
[0114] As may be seen in FIGS. 1 and 2 , shifting the time indicators 16 in their relative positions around the periphery of the world map 18 allows the presentation to accommodate a change to or from Daylight Saving in a corresponding geographical time zone area 14 without necessarily changing the overall colour or other visual coding of the corresponding territorial region. In regions where the majority of territories shift in response to Daylight Saving Time, this procedure of shifting the time indicators has the advantage of minimizing departures from any traditional or preferred visual coding provided to geographic time zone areas. Correspondingly, the expectations of viewers as to the colours of specific geographical time areas 14 are minimally disrupted. Thus the appearance of the world map presentation in whatever cartographic projection is adopted will be largely undisturbed for the benefit of the perception of persons viewing this presentation. Although some visual coding within certain geographical time areas may change, for the most part the individual sections of the map are able to retain substantially the same coding.
[0115] When a geographical region deviates from the more “standard” time neighboring zones by less than an hour, as for example, Australian Central Standard Time's offset of 30 minutes from Western and Eastern Australian zones, such intermediate zones may be provided with a visual encoding pattern that indicates that it falls between two bordering time zones. In one embodiment, as shown in FIG. 6 , the timezone of Australian Central Standard Time 80 is shown as being striped and hatched. Such marking may either indicate that the time in that time zone corresponds to the time in between the two adjacent time zones, or in the case of colour marking, the visual coding may be such that the colour used to depict the geographical region 80 is the subtractive mixture of the colours that make up the separate, adjacent time zone regions. For example, if a region is in between a blue time zone and a yellow time zone, and the time in that region is offset from the red and yellow time zones by half an hour, it might be displayed as an orange time zone to indicate that is the combination of the two.
[0116] Rather than adopt an additional colour for such a half-hour geographic areas 14 and time zone time markers 16 , the colour of a nearby adjacent time markers may be adopted with the addition of crosshatching or other modification to visually distinguish them both from the adjacent neighbors. Optionally, with such an additional distinctive feature as crosshatching applied to a geographic area, the depiction of an additional intermediate half-hour time zone time marker 16 may be avoided. Instead, the user may simply understand that crosshatching is an indication of a one half hour time shift, as for example a half-hour advancement in time in the case where the intermediate time zone carries the background colour of the next adjacent time zone territory in the counterclockwise direction.
[0117] In an alternative embodiment, the presentation of the clock face 13 may adjust the clock display for regional time changes due to Daylight Saving Time through selectively redistributing the colour coding provided to one or more geographical time regions. The redistribution is effected so that that appropriate geographical time zone regions become associated with new time indicators which bear the same colour and correctly indicate their local time. In this embodiment, no shifting in the position of the individual coloured time indicators 16 occurs.
[0118] In the case of regions 14 which are offset with respect to time on the half hour in comparison to the nearby regions, additional time indicators 16 beyond the normal 24 can be provided. If the normal time indicators 16 are triangular in form, shaped as for example equilateral triangles, then additional triangles or other indicator images may be inserted halfway between adjacent triangles.
[0119] In another alternate embodiment of the current invention, it is possible to combine the clock of the current invention with an organizer/address book system, whereby a user is able to visually coordinate a contact's location or suspected location with the contact's time zone on the world time display 13 .
[0120] In such an embodiment as seen in FIG. 7 , and with again reference to the display controller block diagram of FIG. 10 , the world time display is provided with a user data entry and display area 90 . The user may thereby enter a series of contact records to be registered and indexed for later recall, this contact data may be read from user input interface 40 and stored directly in data memory 34 , be imported or accessed from another co-resident software application, or be remotely accessed from an ancillary off-board data store. These contact data records may comprise specifics such as the contact's address, telephone number, a direct entry of the contact's time zone, and current contact location information, possibly derived from a GPS receiver or other automatic positioning apparatus.
[0121] After the location of a contact is accessible to this embodiment of the software, it then becomes possible to use the contact information in combination with the world map presentation 13 of the current invention to visually display the time zone of a user. As seen in FIG. 7 , if for example, the “TEST, TEST” contact is located in the GMT−5 time zone, the user's selection of this entry in data entry and display area 90 may cause the geographic time area 14 and associated time zone time marker 16 corresponding to the contact's location to have its colour or visual coding changed in order to highlight or otherwise visually discriminate it on the display. This highlighting may be done in any number of ways, such as a redrawing of the relevant area 14 and marker 16 in a specified colour, cyclical re-drawing in alternating colours or visual encodings in order to cause the area and marker to visually pulsate, or by dimming the presentation of other areas and markers of the presentation, to direct the viewer's eye focus. Additionally, the display controller 25 may also prepare and display a customized rotation of the presentation image, as by rotating of translating the map image and markers in order to move the contact's geographic time area 14 and indicator 15 to a position that is easy to locate, such as the topmost position or the rightmost position.
[0122] In one optional embodiment, the display controller 25 may, from the customized image provided above, present or provide a user control which, when activated, will present a list of countries within the time zone and/or cities or other important references within the geographic time area which qualify as significant presentable information, such that a user can confirm that they have selected the correct time zone that includes the target geographic entity. The listed references may include information pertaining to entities providing commercial services, such as hotels or other such facilities, located within the user-selected geographical area.
[0123] According to this optional embodiment, the significant presentable information may be pre-programmed into the data memory 34 of display controller 25 , imported or accessed from another co-resident software application, or remotely accessed from an ancillary off-board electronic data storage system or service. Preferably, this data store is provided in the form of an electronic database composed of searchable and randomly accessible records, which may be indexed according geographic time area and classes of entity. For example, the records may be indexed by telephonic area code or other physical or logical addressing, the types of services provided, the entity's commercial affiliation or ownership, and service particulars and pricing.
[0124] Turning again to FIG. 1 , in yet another embodiment of the current invention, the clock face 13 could be manually adjustable by the user. For example, if a user located in New York (GMT−5) wanted to contact someone in London (GMT+0) at “3 pm” London time, the user could rotate the map presentation 18 with its associated peripheral time zone time markers 16 until the marker for London pointed to the point on annular time scale index 15 corresponding to “3 pm”. When the time marker for London is pointing to the “3 pm” numerical time indicator, a user is easily able to see that the time marker corresponding to New York points to the numerical time indicator corresponding to “10 am”. In a further embodiment of the invention, the clock face 13 might “snap back” to tracking and displaying the current time, either on the press of a button, or automatically after a predetermined amount of time has passed.
[0125] In another optional variant of the invention, the user may be provided an input control which allows for the setting of a temporary hypothetical date and or time, either in the past or future. According to this optional function, the display controller would prepare a world time image in the same manner as the periodically updated instruction sequence for routine timekeeping, and display the time zone circumstances that would have or will be in effect at that instant. Again according to this optional feature, the clock face 13 might “snap back” to tracking and displaying the current time, either on the press of a button, or automatically after a predetermined amount of time has passed.
[0126] Although the foregoing description relates to specific preferred embodiments of the present invention and specific processes for the electronic presentation of a clock with time zones as presently contemplated by the inventor, it will be understood that various changes, modifications and adaptations, may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention.
CONCLUSION
[0127] The foregoing has constituted a description of specific embodiments showing how the invention may be applied and put into use. These embodiments are only exemplary. The invention in its broadest and more specific aspects is further described and defined in the claims which now follow.
[0128] These claims, and the language used therein, are to be understood in terms of the variants of the invention which have been described. They are not to be restricted to such variants, but are to be read as covering the full scope of the invention as is implicit within the invention and the disclosure that has been provided herein.
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An electronically generated simultaneous display of the local time within multiple time zones in the world is adjusted to accommodate local time arising from Daylight Saving Time. A preferred modified south polar projection of the Earth which schematically depicts the Northern Hemisphere is divided into geographical time zones. Each geographic time zone is associated with a time marker that points to an adjacent time scale. Either the geographical time zones or the time markers are adjusted in order to correctly display the ongoing time changes resulting from the continuous observation of Daylight Saving Time in time zones of the world. As further features, a user may adjust the display to present a hypothetical time and the corresponding times experienced in different time zones around the world. A user may have a specific time zone highlighted by invoking data, such as a city name, a telephone area code or an address book contact reference, which is associated with specific time zone. Conversely, highlighting a time zone may invoke a list of data associated with that time zone, e.g. city names, countries.
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This is a continuation-in-part of now abandoned application Ser. No. 08/084,616, filed Jul. 1, 1993.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a polycrystalline infrared transmitting barium fluoride sintered body excellent in transmission to infrared rays, which is suitable for use as an infrared ray transmitting (optical) material or as infrared optical components etc. used in infrared equipment.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In recent years, various types of infrared equipment which detect infrared rays from heat radiated or scattered from a body have developed. For example, infrared sensors for accurately checking the position of an object as anticrime detectors, night vision devices capable of observing an object in the dark and thermometers for measuring the temperature of an object and its temperature distribution and the like instruments have been developed and they are beginning to enjoy great popularity.
Infrared optical components, such as window materials, lenses, prisms etc. which are used in these infrared equipment are required to be made of materials which will transmit infrared rays in the required wave length band. Materials hitherto generally used as such infrared ray transmitting materials are such single crystalline materials as germanium (Ge), silicon (Si), potassium chloride (KCl), calcium fluoride (CaF 2 ) and barium fluoride (BaF 2 ). These single crystalline materials were high-priced, because a long time was required for their manufacture and large-sized products were manufactured only with difficulty. Because of their liability to cleavage, they could hardly be said to have adequate mechanical strengths.
On the other hand, recently the development of infrared transmitting materials by use of the CVD (chemical vapor deposition) process has been advanced, with a result that polycrystalline materials e.g. zinc selenide, zinc sulfide etc. have been made available. Because the rate of growth of these polycrystalline materials by the CVD process is slow, their price rise is unavoidable and most of their uses have been as high priced parts, for example, as optical components of carbon dioxide lasers.
These polycrystalline materials, having high refractive indices and manifesting large loss by surface reflection, give not very high in-line transmissions, approx. 70% for ZnSe in the form of its 3 mm thick test piece and approx. 73% for ZnS, for example, being the maxima. Accordingly, it is a general practice to apply some antireflection coating on them, when they are used as optical components like optical windows etc., only to serve as a factor of cost increase.
Further, as described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,431,326, methods for producing polycrystalline infrared transmitting materials such as magnesium fluoride (MgF 2 ) or barium fluoride (BaF 2 ) or the like by the simple hot press process have been proposed. With such polycrystalline materials obtained by the process above mentioned, large absorption peaks are recognized in the practically useful region of 8-11 μm wave lengths, as shown in FIG. 4 and FIG. 5. Such absorption peaks are deleterious, for they lower the sensitivity of infrared equipment.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In view of the situation hitherto experienced with prior art, the present invention has as its object providing an infrared transmitting barium fluoride, sintered body without an additive component and which has a crystal grain size of not more than 100 μm and a bending strength according to JIS R - 1601 of not less than 30 MPa and a method of manufacturing this material. This barium fluoride sintered body is a polycrystalline infrared ray transmitting material which is not liable to cleavage and can be manufactured in large sizes and at low prices and which has excellent transmission to infrared rays, manifests only small absorption all over the particularly commercially useful infrared region of 8-11 μm wave lengths.
With a view to attain the above-mentioned object, this invention makes it possible to obtain a polycrystalline barium fluoride sintered body excellent in transmission in the infrared region of 8-11 μm wave lengths by combining hot press sintering or normal pressure (in atmospheric pressure) sintering with HIP (Hot Isostatic pressing) treatment or CIP (Cold Isostatic Pressing) molding entirely without addition of any binder and sintering aid which are used in the conventional die molding and sintering process in producing such an infrared transmitting barium fluoride sintered body.
Thus a first production method of this invention is characterized in that a barium fluoride powder having a not lower than 98.5% purity and a not larger than 6 μm mean particle diameter is compacted to a theoretical density ratio of 95% or higher by hot press sintering in vacuo at a temperature of 500°-800° C. and with a pressure of 100-500 kg/cm 2 applied and is then subjected to an HIP treatment at a temperature of 600°-1250° C. and under a pressure not lower than 400 kg/cm 2 . The polycrystalline barium fluoride sintered body produced by this first method in the form of its 3 mm thick test piece gives in-line transmissions of 70-93% in the infrared region of 8-11 μm wave lengths.
A second method of this invention is characterized in that a barium fluoride powder having a purity not lower than 98.5% purity and a not larger than 3 μm mean particle diameter is compacted to a theoretical density ratio of 95% or higher by normal pressure sintering for 1 hr or longer in vacuo at a temperature of 600°-900° C. or in the atmospheric air or in an inert gas at a temperature of 600°-1050° C., after its pressure molding, and is then subjected to an HIP treatment at a temperature of 700°-1000° C. and under a pressure not lower than 400 kg/cm 2 . The polycrystalline barium fluoride sintered body produced by this second method in the form of its 3 mm thick test piece gives in-line transmissions of 60-90% in an infrared ray region of 8-11 μm wave lengths.
A third production method of this invention is characterized in that a barium fluoride powder having a not lower than 98.5% purity and a mean particle diameter of 0.5-1.5 μm is normal-pressure sintered at a temperature of 700°-850° C. for 1 hr or longer in vacuo or in the atmospheric air or in an inert gas after its pressure molding. The polycrystalline barium fluoride sintered body produced by this third method in the form of its 3 mm thick test piece gives in-line transmissions of 55-85% to the infrared region of 8-11 μm wave lengths.
It should be noted that while generally in sintering ceramics, a binder for molding the material powder and a sintering aid for promoting the sinterability are added to the material powder, the method of this invention does not require the addition of such a binder and a sintering aid at all, thus precluding the problem of the infrared transmission of the barium fluoride sintered body being lowered by the deposition of the binder and the sintering aid as a second phase. Further, the barium fluoride sintered body thus obtained has excellent infrared transmission, giving no large absorption peaks in the commercially useful region of 8-11 μm wave lengths, and furthermore has excellent mechanical strengths.
First, the first production method of this invention is described: According to this first production method, a barium fluoride sintered body, being a high purity and high density polycrystal and having the highest infrared transmission, is obtained through a combination of the hot press sintering of the first step and the HIP treatment of the second step, entirely without the addition of any binder or sintering aid.
The BaF 2 powder used as the material should have a purity not less than 98.5% for prevention of lowered transmission due to absorption by impurities. Particularly, the inclusion of transition metal elements such as Fe is undesirable. Such elements as oxygen, hydrogen, nitrogen etc. which give infrared absorption as they react with barium element, if contained in large amounts, are also undesirable. On the other hand, regarding the particle diameter of the BaF 2 powder, its densification is not well advanced at the time of its sintering, if it is coarsely agglomerated. Some pores will be left, causing reduced transmission. But when it is hot-press sintered, even from relatively coarse grains, a dense sintered body, which is subjectable to the subsequent HIP treatment, is obtained. Its mean particle diameter should only be not larger than 6 μm.
In the hot press sintering at the first step of the first production method, the theoretical density ratio of the sintered body obtained needs to be 95% or higher. If its theoretical density ratio is lower than 95%, most of the remaining pores will become the so-called open pore. Then the high pressure gas will penetrate into the interior through these open pores, resulting in inadequate advancement of density increase by the HIP treatment.
The temperature of the aforementioned hot press sintering is set at 500°-800° C. Below 500° C., it is difficult to obtain a sintered body with a high density of not lower than 95% in its theoretical density ratio. However, over 800° C. and particularly in vacuo, evaporation of BaF 2 is vigorous, not only contaminating the furnace body, but resulting in lowered yield. Moreover, its vigorous grain growth makes its grain coarse, thus decreasing the mechanical strengths of the sintered body obtained. The reason why the pressure of the hot press is set at 100-500 kg/cm 2 is that below 100 kg/cm 2 , a high density sintered body having a theoretical density ratio not lower than 95% can not be obtained and that above about a 500 kg/cm 2 pressure, it is hard to use the graphite mold for usual hot pressing from the strength standpoint.
The aforementioned hot press sintering should preferably be performed in vacuo. When the hot press sintering is performed in the atmospheric air, air tends to be left in the pores in the sintered body and the pores containing air are difficult to remove by the subsequent processes like HIP treatment. As a result, if residual pores which could not be removed exist in the sintered body, even if in a very small amount, they greatly scatter the incident light, giving rise to a large decrease in its transmission.
In the second step of the HIP treatment in the first production method, a pressure not lower than 400 kg/cm 2 is isostatically applied on the sintered body by a high pressure gas at a temperature of 600°-1250° C., whereby removal of pores is accelerated and uniformly advanced by a plastic deformation and a diffusion mechanism. As a result, residual pores are eliminated as a whole, achieving a higher density of 99% or higher in its theoretical density ratio, thus making it possible to have spatially uniform and high infrared transmission throughout the sintered body.
The reason why the temperature of the aforementioned HIP treatment should be set at 600°-1250° C. is that under 600° C., satisfactory transmission can not be obtained because of inadequate action of pore removal and that over 1250° C., grain growth is vigorous, yielding coarse grain size and leading to greatly decreased mechanical strength of the sintered body. It should be noted that in order to obtain fine-grained high strength sintered body by inhibiting the crystal grain growth, preferably an HIP treatment performed at 600°-900° C. should be used. If the pressure applied is below 400 kg/cm 2 , removal of pores will be inadequate, resulting in failure to have satisfactory transmission. The high pressure gas used in the HIP treatment should desirably be argon (Ar) or the like inert gas or nitrogen gas, or their mixed gases. This applies also in the case of the HIP treatment in the second production method described hereinbelow.
Next, the second production method of this invention is described: By this second production method, a high purity and high density polycrystalline barium fluoride sintered body which has infrared transmission not inferior to that obtained by the first production method, this method being simple and more economical than the first method notwithstanding, is obtained through a combination of pressure molding of a first step, normal pressure sintering of a second step and HIP treatment of a third step, entirely without addition of any sintering aid or binder.
The BaF 2 powder used as the material should have a purity not lower than 98.5% similarly as in the first production method and should be finer-grained than in the case of the first method, having a mean particle diameter not larger than 3 μm. Using a BaF 2 powder having a purity and a mean particle diameter in the range as above-specified, it is possible, even though by normal pressure sintering, to obtain a sintered body which is adequately compact or which has a theoretical density ratio not lower than 95%, similarly as attained by the first production method.
Prior to the normal pressure sintering, molding of the material powder is of course necessary. According to the second production method of this invention, a pressure molding at a high pressure or preferably a CIP molding under a pressure not lower than 1.5 ton/cm 2 is performed as a first step, thereby making the theoretical density ratio of the mold not lower than 60%. If the molding pressure is lower than this, the mold will have a low density and have pores left, even after undergoing the subsequent normal pressure sintering, these pores serving as a light scattering factor, thus detracting from attainment of high in-line transmissions intended to have. Thus it is only at a molding pressure not lower than 1.5 ton/cm 2 that the secondary grains formed of a fine BaF 2 powder which has been agglomerated are broken up, thereby bringing the mold density to nearly 60% or above in its theoretical density ratio.
The addition of the binder in the general powder molding process, while raising the mold density and the mold strength, will invite lowered in-line transmissions of the sintered body because of about 0.5% impurities remaining as ash content after the debindering process. If the debindering temperature is raised to reduce this ash content, the sintering will begin, causing the binder contrarily to be taken into the sintered body without being removed. Such residues mostly contain carbon, oxygen, hydrogen, nitrogen, etc., which undesirably react with barium element, effecting unnecessary infrared absorption.
In the second production method, the mold which has been molded as hereinabove-described is normal-pressure (atmospheric pressure) sintered at the next second step. The ambient atmosphere in which to perform the normal pressure sintering may be either in vacuo or in the atmospheric air or nitrogen gas or any inert gas such as argon gas and so on. Generally in the normal pressure sintering in the atmospheric air or in an inert gas, the molecules of air or gas are said to be readily taken into the pores in the sintered body, but an experimental result has suggested that air or gas molecules are barely taken in, for assurance of commercially adequate transmission.
The sintering temperature for this normal pressure sintering should be 600°-900° C., preferably 700°-800° C., when the sintering is performed in vacuo, but 600°-1050° C., preferably 700°-800° C., when it is performed in the atmospheric air or in an inert gas. If the sintering temperature is below 600° C., it is difficult to obtain a sintered body having such a high density as 95% or higher in its theoretical density ratio. If it exceeds 900° C. in sintering in vacuo, the evaporation of BaF 2 will become vigorous, making it impossible to hold the mold's form. On the other hand, if the temperature is over 1050° C. when sintering it in the atmospheric air or in an inert gas, the crystal grain growth will become notable, yielding coarse crystal, thus leaving unremoved residual pores which are unremovable even by the following processes. This results in failure to attain the anticipated high in-line transmissions.
The temperature raising rate should preferably be adjusted to 1°-5° C./min from around 500° C. at which the sintering begins. The sintering time in the normal pressure sintering requires one hour or longer at the aforementioned sintering temperatures, but since improvement in its density and its in-line transmissions can no longer be expectable, even if the time exceeds 5 hr, the range of 1-5 hr should be preferred.
In the HIP treatment of the third step in the second production method, a pressure of 400 kg/cm 2 or higher is isostatically applied on the sintered body by a high pressure gas at a temperature of 700°-1000° C. By this HIP treatment, compacting to 99% or higher in its theoretical density ratio is achieved similarly as in the case of the first method, thereby assuring spatially uniform and high transmission throughout the sintered body. The reasons why the temperature for the aforementioned HIP treatment is selected to be 700°-1000° C., and the pressure to be not lower than 400 kg/cm 2 , are because of the similar reasons as in the case of the HIP treatment in the aforementioned first production method. It should be noted further that in order to obtain a sintered body which is fine-grained and has high strengths by suppressing its crystal grain growth, an HIP treatment performed at 700°-900° C. should be preferred.
Finally, the third production method of this invention is described: According to this third production method, a barium fluoride sintered body, being a high purity and high density polycrystal, which manifests infrared transmission at the lower limit of the commercially useful region, but which is obtained at the lowest price by the simplest method comprising a combination of pressure molding of a first step and normal pressure sintering of a second step, entirely without addition of any sintering aid or binder.
The purity of the BaF 2 powder used as the material should be not lower than 98.5% similarly as in the cases of the first and the second production methods, and its mean particle diameter should fall in the range of 0.5-1.5 μm, the powder being still finer-grained than in the cases of the first and the second production methods. Using a BaF 2 powder with a purity and a mean particle diameter falling in such ranges, it is possible to obtain a sintered body which is adequately dense, having a 95% or higher theoretical density ratio, even merely by normal temperature sintering, without addition of any sintering aid, similarly as in the first and the second production methods.
The pressure molding of the first step and the normal pressure sintering of the second step in the third production method are similar as in the case of the second production method, but only the sintering temperature should fall in the range of 700°-850° C. In the third production method which does not employ the HIP treatment later, it is difficult to obtain a sintered body finally having a high density of not lower than 99% in its theoretical density ratio at a sintering temperature lower than 600° C.; on the other hand, the sintering temperature should not be allowed to be above 850° C. at a maximum in order to attain the expected in-line transmissions by avoiding coarse grain growth of its crystal, thereby eliminating residual pores otherwise left in its crystal grains.
Particularly in the second and the third production methods which involve the normal pressure sintering, degassing should preferably be performed at around 400°-500° C. before the mold reaches the sintering temperature, because BaF 2 used as the material, itself being slightly soluble in water, tends to absorb moisture. This degassing process should preferably be performed in vacuo. Accordingly, as the preferable process of the normal pressure sintering in the third production method, the degassing is performed at around 400°-500° C., while heating the mold to higher temperatures in vacuo; then, after introducing the atmospheric air and an inert gas, the mold is heated to the sintering temperature, thereby not only making grain growth by sintering, but completely removing the pores.
By the respective methods of this invention described hereinabove, it is possible to obtain an infrared transmitting barium sintered body having such a high purity as 98.5% or higher, not containing any binder nor sintering aid at all, being densified to a not lower than 99% theoretical density ratio and giving excellent in-line transmissions all over the infrared region of 8-11 μm wave lengths. Particularly, by the first production method, an infrared transmitting barium fluoride sintered body having very high in-line transmissions incomparable to those conventionally available is obtained. The third production method makes it possible to produce at the lowest price an infrared transmitting barium fluoride sintered body having in-line transmissions which are somewhat inferior but which are sufficiently high for commercial use.
By the second production method, it is possible to obtain at a moderate price an infrared transmitting barium fluoride sintered body which is intermediate between those obtained by the first and the third production methods or an infrared transmitting barium fluoride sintered body which has high in-line transmissions and which is highly commercially useful. By respective methods of this invention, an infrared transmission which is spatially uniform may be achieved even with large-sized products. Further any shapes including flat plate, lens, dome or the like shapes may be adaptable. Particularly, the second and the third production methods which employ the normal pressure sintering permit complex shapes to be readily produced, for the great benefit of enhanced design freedom.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a graph giving infrared spectral transmissions of a barium fluoride sintered body, in the form of a 3 mm thick polished test piece, produced by the first production method of this invention in Example 1;
FIG. 2 is a graph giving infrared spectral transmissions of a barium fluoride sintered body, in the form of a 3 mm thick polished test piece, produced by the second production method of this invention in Example 3 (Sample 1);
FIG. 3 is a graph giving infrared spectral transmissions of a barium fluoride sintered body, in the form of a 3 mm thick polished test piece, produced by the third production method of this invention in Example 5 (Sample 15);
FIG. 4 is a graph giving infrared spectral transmissions of a barium fluoride sintered body, in the form of a 2.9 mm thick test piece, obtained by the conventional method comprising the hot press sintering only; and
FIG. 5 is a graph giving infrared spectral transmissions of another barium fluoride sintered body, in the form of a 2.7 mm thick test piece, obtained by the conventional method comprising the hot press sintering only.
FIGS. 6A and 6B are photographs showing the crystalline microstructure of BaF 2 for Example 1 and Example 3 (Sample 1), respectively.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
EXAMPLE 1
A BaF 2 powder having a 99% purity and a 1.5 μm mean particle diameter was hot-press sintered for 2 hr, using a graphite mold with an 80 mm ID in a 5×10 -2 torrs vacuum at a temperature of 600° C. and under a pressure of 300 kg/cm 2 . The sintered body had a density of 4.65 g/cm 2 , having been compacted to 96% theoretical density ratio. Next this sintered body was put in an HIP apparatus, to be subjected to an HIP treatment for 2 hr, using Ar gas at a temperature of 1100° C. and under a pressure of 2000 kg/cm 2 .
The polycrystalline BaF 2 sintered body with an 80 mm diameter thus obtained, when mirror-polished to a 3 mm thickness, gave a somewhat whitish appearance. Next as the transmission of this BaF 2 sintered body was measured, using a spectrophotometer, the 3 mm thick test piece gave in-line transmissions, as shown in FIG. 1, of 70% or higher all over the infrared region of 8-11 μm wave lengths, although some absorption was observed at around a 9 μm wave length, the in-line transmissions to respective infrared rays of 8, 10 and 11 μm wave lengths being found to be 84, 86 and 84%, the aforementioned in-line transmissions nearly invariable throughout the 80 mm dia. test piece. Further, the average crystalline grain size of the sintered body, when examined with a microscope, was 80 μm (FIG. 6A) and uniform without any extraordinary growth grains. Additionally, the sintered body was subjected to the four point bending test according to JIS R - 1601. According to this test, the average value of 10 test pieces was 31.4 MPa.
As a control, a BaF 2 sintered body was produced similarly as in the aforementioned Example 1, except that the hot press sintering was performed in the atmospheric air. The in-line transmissions of a 23 mm thick test piece of this BaF 2 sintered body were found to be 5, 12 and 23% respectively to 8, 10 and 11 μm wave lengths. With regard to another BaF 2 sintered body produced similarly as in the above-mentioned Example 1, except that a BaF 2 powder having a 99% purity and a 6.5 μm mean particle diameter was used, its 3 mm test piece gave only 8, 21 and 29% in-line transmissions respectively to 8, 10 and 11 μm wave lengths, the aforementioned measured in-line transmissions widely varying throughout the test piece.
EXAMPLE 2
A BaF 2 powder having a 99% purity and a 5.0 μm mean particle diameter was hot-press sintered for 2 hr, using a graphite mold with an 80 mm ID, in a 5×10 -2 torrs vacuum, at a temperature of 700° C. and under a pressure of 250 kg/cm 2 . The BaF 2 sintered body thus obtained had a density of 4.71 g/cm 2 , having been densified to 97.5% in its theoretical density ratio. Next, this sintered body was put in an HIP apparatus, to be subjected to an HIP treatment for 2 hr using Ar gas at a temperature of 1000° C. and under a pressure of 1800 kg/cm 2 .
The 80 mm dia. polycrystalline BaF 2 sintered body thus obtained, when mirror-polished to a 3 mm thickness, gave a somewhat whitish appearance. Next, the transmissions of this BaF 2 sintered body in the form of a 3 mm thick test piece, when measured using a spectrophotometer, were found to be not lower than 70% all over the infrared region of 8-11 μm wave lengths. Its in-line transmissions to infrared rays of 8, 10 and 11 μm wave lengths were found to be 77, 73 and 70% respectively and the measured in-line transmissions gave almost no variances throughout the 80 mm dia. test piece. Further, the average crystalline grain size of the sintered body, when examine with a microscope, was 95 μm and uniform without any extraordinary growth grains. Additionally, when the sintered body was subjected to the four point bending test according to JIS R - 1601, the average value of 10 test pieces was 33.2 MPa.
For comparison, a BaF 2 sintered body was produced similarly as in the above-described Example 2, except that the conditions of the HIP treatment were set at 550° C. and under 300 kg/cm 2 . Regarding the BaF 2 sintered body sample thus obtained, the in-line transmissions as measured of its 3 mm thick test piece to infrared rays of 8, 10 and 11 μm wave lengths respectively were found to be 60, 68 and 55%.
EXAMPLE 3
A mold with a 50 mm diameter and 5 mm thickness was obtained by the CIP molding process under a pressure of 2 ton/cm 2 , with a BaF 2 powder having a 99% purity and a 1.3 μm mean particle diameter put in a rubber mold. This mold had a density of 62% in its theoretical density ratio. Then this mold was normal-pressure sintered for 3 hr in nitrogen gas at a temperature of 800° C. The BaF 2 sintered body had a 4.81 g/cm 3 density, having been compacted to a 98% theoretical density ratio. Thereafter, this sintered body was put in an HIP apparatus, to be subjected to an HIP treatment for 2 hr using Ar gas at a temperature of 800° C. and under a pressure of 1500 kg/cm 2 .
The 50 mm dia. polycrystalline BaF 2 sintered body, when mirror-polished to a 3 mm thickness, gave a somewhat whitish appearance. The in-line transmissions of this 3 mm thick test piece, as measured using an infrared spectrophotometer, was 60% or higher all over the infrared region of 8-11 μm wave lengths, as shown in FIG. 2. Its in-line transmissions to 8, 10 and 11 μm were found to be 87, 85 and 76%, respectively, and these in-line transmissions were nearly uniform throughout the 50 mm dia. test piece. Further, the average crystalline grain size of the sintered body, when examine with a microscope, was 100 μm (FIG. 6B) and uniform without any extraordinary growth grains. Additionally, when the sintered body was subjected to the four point bending test according to JIS R - 1601, the average value of 10 test pieces was 30.4 MPa.
EXAMPLE 4
Various BaF 2 sintered bodies were produced by the similar method as that of Example 3 using the same BaF 2 powder as used in Example 3, except that the temperature and the ambient atmosphere for the normal pressure sintering were varied as shown in Table 1. With regard to samples 2-11 of this example, their in-line transmissions the average grain size and bend strength were measured similarly as in Example 3. The results were put up in Table 1. The data from the sintered body obtained in the above-described Example 1 were jointly listed as Sample 1 in Table 1.
Further, produced as comparative examples were Sample 12 obtained using a BaF 2 powder with a 4 μm mean particle diameter, Sample 13 obtained with the time of the normal pressure sintering set at 50 min and Sample 14 obtained with the pressure of the HIP treatment set at 400 kg/cm 2 . Provided that the conditions except for the above-mentioned for these Samples were identical to those in Example 4. With regard to these comparative examples, their in-line transmissions were similarly measured. The results are jointly put up in Table 1:
TABLE 1__________________________________________________________________________ Conditions of normal In-line transmission (%) Four pointSample pressure sintering to each wave length Average grain size bending strengthNo. Temp. (°C.) Atmosphere 8 μm 10 μm 11 μm of sintered body (MPa)__________________________________________________________________________ 1 700 Nitrogen 87 85 76 100 30.4 2 800 Nitrogen 88 85 75 75 35.2 3 900 Nitrogen 80 79 76 95 33.7 4 1000 Nitrogen 65 70 72 100 31.1 5 700 Atmospheric air 75 80 70 70 36.1 6 800 Atmospheric air 85 85 73 80 34.4 7 900 Atmospheric air 75 78 71 85 32.9 8 1000 Atmospheric air 64 70 62 100 30.1 9 700 Vacuum 87 83 75 60 36.110 800 Vacuum 87 78 73 75 34.911 900 Vacuum 70 65 70 90 30.9 12* 700 Nitrogen 41 65 50 80 34.1 13* 700 Nitrogen 55 70 53 50 38.4 14* 700 Nitrogen 55 75 68 80 33.7__________________________________________________________________________ (Note) The samples identified by * in this table are Comparative Examples.
EXAMPLE 5
A BaF 2 powder having a 99% purity and a 1.3 μm mean particle diameter was put in a rubber mold and subjected to a CIP molding process under a pressure of 3 ton/cm 2 , yielding a mold with a 50 mm diameter and a 5 mm thickness. The density of this mold was found to be 62% in its theoretical density ratio. Next this mold was normal-pressure sintered for 2 hr in nitrogen gas at a temperature of 700° C. The BaF 2 sintered body thus obtained gave a somewhat whitish appearance and had a 4.86 g/cm 3 density, having been compacted to a theoretical density ratio of 99%.
This polycrystalline BaF 2 sintered body (Sample 15), when mirror-polished to a 3 mm thickness, gave a somewhat whitish appearance. The in-line transmissions of this sintered body in the form of a 3 mm test piece, as measured using an infrared spectrophotometer, were not lower than 60% all over the infrared region of 8-11 μm wave lengths, as shown in FIG. 3, its in-line transmissions to 8, 10 and 11 μm being 76, 82 and 76%, respectively, the aforementioned in-line transmissions nearly uniform throughout the 50 mm dia. test piece. Further, the average crystalline grain size of the sintered body, when examined with a microscope, was 40 μm and uniform without any extraordinary growth grains. When the sintered body was subjected to the four point bending test according to JIS R - 1601, the average value of 10 test pieces was 38.2 MPa.
Further various BaF 2 sintered bodies were produced by the similar method as of Example 5, except that the mean particle diameter, the pressure of the CIP and the temperature and the ambient atmosphere for the normal pressure sintering were varied as shown in Table 2 below. For the Samples 16-26 of this example, measurements were similarly taken of their in-line transmissions, using a spectrophotometer as well as their average grain size and bending strength, and the results were placed in Table 2 jointly with the results obtained with the aforementioned Sample 15.
The same BaF 2 powder as Sample 15 with 5% of a wax base binder added was subjected to a normal metallic mold press molding under a pressure of 1 ton/cm 2 , yielding a mold with a 50 mm diameter and a 5 mm thickness. Then this mold was normal-pressure sintered under the same conditions as with Sample 15 and the sintered body thus obtained was mirror-polished. The in-line transmissions of this Sample 30 were measured using a spectrophotometer. The results are put up jointly with other data in Table 2:
TABLE 2__________________________________________________________________________ Average FourMean Conditions for normal- grain pointParticle Molding pressure sintering In-line transmission size of bendingSample diameter pressure Temperature to each wave length (%) sintered strengthNo. (μm) (ton/cm.sup.2) (°C.) Atmosphere 8 μm 10 μm 11 μm body (μm) (MPa)__________________________________________________________________________15 1.3 3.0 700 Nitrogen 76 82 76 40 38.216 1.3 3.0 750 Nitrogen 72 80 76 45 37.117 1.3 3.0 800 Nitrogen 74 75 75 50 36.018 1.3 3.0 850 Nitrogen 66 70 65 60 33.019 1.3 3.0 700 Atmospheric air 64 70 65 45 36.920 1.3 3.0 750 Atmospheric air 72 78 70 45 36.021 1.3 3.0 800 Atmospheric air 68 75 68 55 37.222 1.3 3.0 850 Atmospheric air 63 70 65 55 34.023 1.3 3.0 700 Vacuum 73 82 76 30 46.024 1.3 3.0 750 Vacuum 72 80 73 35 43.225 1.3 3.0 800 Vacuum 68 70 68 45 41.026 1.3 3.0 850 Vacuum 65 68 63 50 37.2 27* 1.3 3.0 650 Nitrogen 35 40 38 20 50.0 28* 1.3 3.0 900 Nitrogen 50 65 65 65 34.6 29* 2.0 3.0 700 Nitrogen 48 51 46 40 40.1 30* 1.3 1.0 700 Nitrogen 38 55 44 40 37.4__________________________________________________________________________ (Note) The samples identified by * are Comparative Examples.
EXAMPLE 6
A BaF 2 powder having a 99% purity and a 1.3 μm mean particle diameter was subjected to a CIP molding under a pressure of 3 ton/cm 2 , similarly as in Example 5, yielding a 50 mm dia. and 5 mm thick mold. Next this mold was heated to higher temperatures in vacuo and degassed at about 400° C. Thereafter, it was further heated to still higher temperatures, while introducing nitrogen gas, and then normal-pressure sintered at a temperature of 750° C. for 2 hr. The BaF 2 sintered body thus obtained had a density of 4.86 g/cm 3 and gave a somewhat translucent appearance.
The in-line transmissions of this BaF 2 sintered body mirror finished to a 3 mm thickness, as measured using a spectrophotometer, were found to be not lower than 70% all over the infrared region of 8-11 μm wave lengths, the in-line transmissions to 8, 10 and 11 μm wave lengths being 76, 80 an 76%, respectively, the aforementioned in-line transmissions nearly uniform throughout the 50 mm dia. test piece. Further, the average crystalline grain size of the sintered body, when examined with a microscope, was 50 μm and uniform without any extraordinary growth grains. Additionally, when the sintered body was subjected to the four point bending test according to JIS R - 1601, the average value of 10 test pieces was 38.3 MPa.
EXAMPLE 7
A BaF 2 powder having a 98.8% purity and a 1.0 μm mean particle diameter was put in a rubber mold, to be subjected to a CIP molding under a pressure of 1.2 ton/cm 2 , yielding an 80 mm dia. and an 8 mm thick mold. Next, this mold was normal-pressure sintered in nitrogen gas at a temperature of 700° C. for 1 hour. This sintered body was put in an HIP apparatus, to be subjected to an HIP treatment for 1 hr, using Ar gas at a temperature of 800° C. and under a pressure of 1340 kg/cm 2 .
The in-line transmissions of the thus obtained BaF 2 sintered body, then mirror-polished to a 3 mm thick test piece, were not lower than 70% all over the infrared region of 8-11 μm wave lengths, the in-line transmissions to 8, 10 and 11 wave lengths being 88, 84 and 75%, respectively. Further, the average crystalline grain size of the sintered body, when examined with a microscope, was 60 μm and uniform without any extraordinary growth grains.
Further, this test piece was cut and surface-ground to 3×3×40 mm according to JIS R-1601 and it was then subjected to a four point bending test. The results gave measured values for 12 pieces of 37.9 MPa avg., 45.0 MPa max. and 32.0 MPa min. It turned out that by the method of this invention, an infrared transmitting barium fluoride sintered body excellent in mechanical strength is obtainable.
EXAMPLE 8
A BaF 2 powder having a 98.6% purity and a 1.2 μm mean particle diameter was put in a semi-spherical rubber mold, to be subjected to a CIP molding under a pressure of 1.7 ton/cm 2 , yielding an approx. 65 mm dia. and a 7 mm thick hollow semi-spherical (dome shape) mold. Next, this mold was normal-pressure sintered for 2 hr in nitrogen gas at a temperature of 750° C. and further subjected to an HIP treatment for 1.5 hr using Ar gas at a temperature of 800° C. and under a pressure of 1340 kg/cm 2 .
The BaF 2 sintered body thus obtained was ground to a 3 mm thick semi-sphere and its in-line transmissions were measured in a direction perpendicular to its curvature. The results gave in-line transmissions being not lower than 70% all over the infrared region of 8-11 μm wave lengths, the aforementioned in-line transmissions to 8, 10 and 11 μm being 86, 84 and 74%, respectively. Further, the average crystalline grain size of the sintered body, when examined with a microscope, was 60 μm and uniform without any extraordinary growth grains. Additionally, when the sintered body was subjected to the four point bending test according to JIS R - 1601, the average value of 10 test pieces was determined to be 37.0 MPa.
Where such a semi-spherical sample is concerned, the conventional method relying solely on the hot press sintering tended to create low density and low transmission parts at the ends of the sample, yielding only a product which gave wide variances in transmissions. In contrast, at every measuring point of the semi-spherical sample of the aforementioned BaF 2 sintered body of this invention, the variances in the in-line transmissions to arbitrary wave lengths falling in the region of 8-11 μm are within ±3%. Thus it turned out a semi-spherical infrared transmitting material which poses utterly no problem in commercial uses is obtainable by the method of this invention.
The present invention makes it possible to provide at relatively a low price infrared transmitting barium fluoride sintered body having high purity and high density, being polycrystal, not liable to cleavage and having enough mechanical strength, which gives quite excellent in-line transmissions to the infrared region of 8-11 μm wave lengths and even one that is relatively large-sized or complex-shaped.
This infrared transmitting barium fluoride sintered body is useful particularly as window materials, lenses, prisms and the like infrared optical components which are used in infrared equipment such as infrared ray sensors, night vision devices, thermometers, etc.
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The present invention provides an infrared ray transmitting material, even large-sized one being manufacturable at a low price, consisting of a polycrystal not liable to cleavage, which makes only a slight absorption of infrared rays all over the region of 8-11 μm wave lengths, thus being highly transmissive. The material is a polycrystalline barium fluoride sintered body excellent in transmission to infrared region of 8-11 μm wave lengths, one that is most excellent in the infrared transmission being produced by a method comprising the hot press sintering and the HIP treatment in combination, one that gives somewhat inferior transmission but which is low-priced by a method comprising the CIP molding and the normal pressure sintering in combination, and one that regarded as intermediate between the aforementioned two by a method comprising the CIP molding, normal-pressure sintering and the HIP treatment in combination, in all cases entirely without addition of any binder or sintering aid.
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FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates generally to a semiconductor package device and more particularly to a method of forming and testing a semiconductor package device.
BACKGROUND
In packaging integrated circuits, it has become more necessary to provide packages which allow for multiple die within the package. Testing such multiple die packages has become more difficult as the complexity of the die has increased. Also, for some multi-chip packages, it is important to electrically shield one or more of the die in the multi-chip package from one or more remaining die in the multi-chip package. It is also desirable to allow rework to be performed during the manufacturing process of forming a multi-chip package. It is also desirable to have a lower profile multi-chip package due to the limitations of the current circuit board technology.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The present invention is illustrated by way of example and not limitation in the accompanying figures, in which like references indicate similar elements, and in which:
FIGS. 1-12 include illustrations of sequential cross-sectional views of a package device formed in accordance with a one embodiment of the present invention; and
FIGS. 13-23 include illustrations of sequential cross-sectional views of a package device formed in accordance with an alternate embodiment of the present invention.
Skilled artisans appreciate that elements in the figures are illustrated for simplicity and clarity and have not necessarily been drawn to scale. For example, the dimensions of some of the elements in the figures may be exaggerated relative to other elements to help to improve understanding of various embodiments of the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
The stacking of a plurality of die using a cavity in a substrate to receive at least one of the plurality of die allows a lower profile package device to be used. In addition, pads used for testing purposes may be located on more than one side of the package device. Also, layers between a plurality of die may be used to provide electrical shielding between selected die. The invention is better understood by turning to the figures.
FIG. 1 illustrates a package device 10 having a cavity 20 in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention. Package device 10 includes a package substrate 12 having a surface 50 and a surface 52 . Note that surface 50 constitutes a first plane and that surface 52 constitutes a second plane. At the top, substrate 12 includes one or more bond fingers 14 and one or more pads 16 . In one embodiment of the present invention, pads 16 are conductive and may be used for a variety of purposes. For example, pads 16 may be used to mount discrete devices, may be used to receive test probes for testing purposes, or may be used to receive conductive interconnects (e.g. solder balls). FIG. 1 illustrates a tape layer 18 which is applied to surface 52 of substrate 12 . In one embodiment of the present invention, substrate 12 contains electrical conductors such as traces and vias which may be used to interconnect one or more die to external contacts (not shown).
FIG. 2 illustrates one embodiment of package device 10 wherein a die attach material 24 has been placed overlying tape 18 . A die 22 is then placed on top of die attach material 24 . Alternate embodiments of the present invention may not use die attach material 24 , but may instead directly attach die 22 to tape 18 . Tape 18 is used as a supporting member to support die 22 , and optionally die attach material 24 . Tape 18 may or may not extend over the entire surface 52 of substrate 12 .
FIG. 3 illustrates one embodiment of package device 10 in which die 22 has been electrically connected to bond fingers 14 by way of wire bonds 26 . Alternate embodiments of the present invention may use any number of wire bonds 26 and bond fingers 14 .
FIG. 4 illustrates one embodiment of package device 10 in which an encapsulating material 28 has been deposited over die 22 , wire bonds 26 , and bond fingers 14 . Note that encapsulating material 28 may be any type of appropriate material for integrated circuits, such as, for example, a molded plastic or a liquid deposited glob material.
FIG. 5 illustrates one embodiment of package device 10 in which tape 18 has been removed from the bottom surface 52 of substrate 12 .
FIG. 6 illustrates one embodiment of package device 10 in which die attach material 30 is placed to attach die 32 to package device 10 . In one embodiment, die attach material 30 is placed between die attach material 24 and die 32 . In an alternate embodiment, when die attach material 24 is not used, die attach material 30 is placed between die 22 and die 32 . Note that in one embodiment of the present invention, package device 10 may be flipped at this point in processing so that the bottom surface 52 now becomes the top surface 52 and the top surface 50 now becomes the bottom surface 50 . However, alternate embodiments of the present invention may orient package device 10 in any manner during its formation. For simplicity purposes, package device 10 will be shown in the same orientation throughout the remainder of the figures.
FIG. 7 illustrates one embodiment of package device 10 in which die 32 has been electrically connected to bond fingers 14 by way of wire bonds 34 . Alternate embodiments of the present invention may use any number of wire bonds 34 and bond fingers 14 . For embodiments of the present invention using flip chip technology, die 32 may have no wire bonds 34 , but may instead be electrically connected by way of surface 52 .
FIG. 8 illustrates one embodiment of package device 10 in which die attach material 36 is placed to attach die 38 to die 32 . In one embodiment, die attach material 36 is placed between die 32 and die 38 . In an alternate embodiment which uses flip chip technology, no die attach 36 is used; instead die 38 is directly electrically connected to die 32 using known flip chip techniques.
FIG. 9 illustrates one embodiment of package device 10 in which die 38 has been electrically connected to bond fingers 14 by way of wire bonds 42 , and die 38 has been electrically connected to die 32 by way of wire bond 40 . Alternate embodiments of the present invention may use any number of wire bonds 40 and 42 , and any number of bond fingers 14 . For embodiments of the present invention using flip chip technology, die 38 may have no wire bonds 42 , but may instead be directly electrically connected to die 32 .
FIG. 10 illustrates one embodiment of package device 10 where test probes 44 are illustrated to show one manner in which one or more of die 22 , 32 , and 38 may be electrically tested. Note that in alternate embodiments of the present invention, test probes 44 may use one or more pads 16 located on just the top surface 50 of substrate 12 , just the bottom surface 52 of substrate 12 , or alternately on both the top and bottom surfaces 50 , 52 of substrate 12 . Note that in some embodiments of the present invention, there may be a significant advantage to allowing test probes 44 to access both the top surface 50 and bottom surface 52 of substrate 12 . For example, this may allow more pads 16 to be accessed by test probes 44 , and thus allow more signals to be use during the testing process. Also, allowing test probes 44 access to both the top and bottom surfaces 50 , 52 of substrate 12 may allow easier access to each individual die 22 , 32 , and 38 . Note that when multiple die are used within a package, the number of pads 16 required for test may be significantly higher.
FIG. 11 illustrates one embodiment of package device 10 wherein an encapsulation material 46 has been deposited overlying die 38 , die 32 , and bond fingers 14 . Note that in alternate embodiments of the present invention, encapsulating material 46 may be deposited over a larger portion of substrate 12 . For example, in some embodiments of the present invention, encapsulating material 46 may be deposited overlying pads 16 as well. Regardless of whether pads 16 are encapsulated by encapsulating material 46 , pads 16 may be used to electrically couple discrete devices to one or more of die 22 , 32 , and 38 . Note that encapsulating material 46 may be any type of appropriate material for integrated circuits, such as, for example, a molded plastic or a liquid deposited glob material.
FIG. 12 illustrates one embodiment of package device 10 in which conductive interconnects 48 have been placed overlying pads 16 at surface 50 . In one embodiment of the present invention conductive interconnects 48 may be solder balls. However, in alternative embodiments of the present invention, conductive interconnect 48 may be any type of electrically conductive material formed in any manner. Note that conductive interconnects 48 are optional. In some embodiments of the present invention, if encapsulating material 28 is flush with the top surface 50 of substrate 12 , then conductive interconnects 48 may not be required and electrical connections can be made directly to pads 16 on surface 50 of substrate 12 . Note again that traces and vias (not shown) within substrate 12 are used to selectively interconnect various portions of substrate 12 . Note also that die attach materials 24 , 30 , and 36 may be any type of appropriate material, such as, for example, adhesive tape or non-solid adhesive (e.g. glue, epoxy). Die 22 , 32 , and 38 may be any type of integrated circuit, semiconductor device, or other type of electrically active substrate. Alternate embodiments of the present invention may have any number of die 22 , 32 , or 38 packaged within package device 10 . For example, alternate embodiments may package only two die in package device 10 . Note that the size and aspect ratios of die 22 , 32 , and may vary, and that die spacers (not shown) may be used between die. Note that die 22 is located within cavity 20 and that die 32 and die 38 are located outside of cavity 20 .
FIG. 13 illustrates a package device 100 having a cavity 120 in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention. Package device 100 includes a package substrate 112 having a surface 150 and a surface 152 . Note that surface 150 constitutes a first plane and that surface 152 constitutes a second plane. At the top, substrate 112 includes one or more bond fingers 114 and one or more pads 116 . In one embodiment of the present invention, pads 116 are conductive and may be used for a variety of purposes. For example, pads 116 may be used to mount discrete devices, may be used to receive test probes for testing purposes, or may be used to receive conductive interconnects (e.g. solder balls). FIG. 13 illustrates a layer 101 which is part of substrate 112 with its outer surface being surface 152 . In one embodiment of the present invention, layer 101 includes supporting member 119 , one or more bond fingers 114 , and one or more pads 116 . Alternate embodiments of the present invention may not require bond fingers 114 (e.g. when flip chip technology is used) and may not require pads 116 when an electrical connection to surface 152 is not desired. In one embodiment of the present invention, substrate 112 contains electrical conductors such as traces and vias which may be used to interconnect one or more die to external contacts (not shown).
FIG. 14 illustrates one embodiment of package device 100 wherein a die attach material 124 has been placed overlying supporting member 119 . A die 122 is then placed on top of die attach material 124 .
FIG. 15 illustrates one embodiment of package device 100 in which die 122 has been electrically connected to bond fingers 114 by way of wire bonds 126 . Alternate embodiments of the present invention may use any number of wire bonds 126 and bond fingers 114 . For embodiments of the present invention using flip chip technology, die 122 may have no wire bonds 126 , but may instead be electrically connected by way of layer 101 .
FIG. 16 illustrates one embodiment of package device 100 in which an encapsulating material 128 has been deposited over die 122 , wire bonds 126 , and bond fingers 114 . Note that encapsulating material 128 may be any type of appropriate material for integrated circuits, such as, for example, a molded plastic or a liquid deposited glob material.
FIG. 17 illustrates one embodiment of package device 100 in which die attach material 130 is placed to attach die 132 to package device 100 . In one embodiment, die attach material 130 is placed between layer 101 and die 132 . Note that in one embodiment of the present invention, package device 100 may be flipped at this point in processing so that the bottom surface 152 now becomes the top surface 152 and the top surface 150 now becomes the bottom surface 150 . However, alternate embodiments of the present invention may orient package device 100 in any manner during its formation. For simplicity purposes, package device 100 will be shown in the same orientation throughout the remainder of the figures.
FIG. 18 illustrates one embodiment of package device 100 in which die 132 has been electrically connected to bond fingers 114 by way of wire bonds 134 . Alternate embodiments of the present invention may use any number of wire bonds 134 and bond fingers 114 . For embodiments of the present invention using flip chip technology, die 132 may have no wire bonds 134 , but may instead be electrically connected by way of surface 152 .
FIG. 19 illustrates one embodiment of package device 100 in which die attach material 136 is placed to attach die 138 to die 132 . In one embodiment, die attach material 136 is placed between die 132 and die 138 . In an alternate embodiment which uses flip chip technology, no die attach 136 is used; instead die 138 is directly electrically connected to die 132 using known flip chip techniques.
FIG. 20 illustrates one embodiment of package device 100 in which die 138 has been electrically connected to bond fingers 114 by way of wire bonds 142 , and die 138 has been electrically connected to die 132 by way of wire bond 140 . Alternate embodiments of the present invention may use any number of wire bonds 140 and 142 , and any number of bond fingers 114 . For embodiments of the present invention using flip chip technology, die 138 may have no wire bonds 142 , but may instead be directly electrically connected to die 132 .
FIG. 21 illustrates one embodiment of package device 100 where test probes 144 are illustrated to show one manner in which one or more of die 122 , 132 , and 138 may be electrically tested. Note that in alternate embodiments of the present invention, test probes 144 may use one or more pads 116 located on just the top surface 150 of substrate 112 , just the bottom surface 152 of substrate 112 , or alternately on both the top and bottom surfaces 150 , 152 of substrate 112 . Note that in some embodiments of the present invention, there may be a significant advantage to allowing test probes 144 to access both the top surface 150 and bottom surface 152 of substrate 112 . For example, this may allow more pads 116 to be accessed by test probes 144 , and thus allow more signals to be use during the testing process. Also, allowing test probes 144 access to both the top and bottom surfaces 150 , 152 of substrate 112 may allow easier access to each individual die 122 , 132 , and 138 . Note that when multiple die are used within a package, the number of pads 116 required for test may be significantly higher.
FIG. 22 illustrates one embodiment of package device 100 wherein an encapsulation material 146 has been deposited overlying die 138 , die 132 , and bond fingers 114 . Note that in alternate embodiments of the present invention, encapsulating material 146 may be deposited over a larger portion of substrate 112 . For example, in some embodiments of the present invention, encapsulating material 146 may be deposited overlying pads 116 as well. Regardless of whether pads 116 are encapsulated by encapsulating material 146 , pads 116 may be used to electrically couple discrete devices to one or more of die 122 , 132 , and 138 . Note that encapsulating material 146 may be any type of appropriate material for integrated circuits, such as, for example, a molded plastic or a liquid deposited glob material.
FIG. 23 illustrates one embodiment of package device 100 in which conductive interconnects 148 have been placed overlying pads 116 at surface 150 . In one embodiment of the present invention conductive interconnects 148 may be solder balls. However, in alternative embodiments of the present invention, conductive interconnect 148 may be any type of electrically conductive material formed in any manner. Note that conductive interconnects 148 are optional. In some embodiments of the present invention, if encapsulating material 128 is flush with the top surface 150 of substrate 112 , then conductive interconnects 148 may not be required and electrical connections can be made directly to pads 116 on surface 150 of substrate 112 . Note again that traces and vias (not shown) within substrate 112 are used to selectively interconnect various portions of substrate 112 . Note also that die attach materials 124 , 130 , and 136 may be any type of appropriate material, such as, for example, adhesive tape or non-solid adhesive (e.g. glue, epoxy). Die 122 , 132 , and 138 may be any type of integrated circuit, semiconductor device, or other type of electrically active substrate. Alternate embodiments of the present invention may have any number of die 122 , 132 , or 138 packaged within package device 100 . For example, alternate embodiments may package only two die in package device 100 . Note that the size and aspect ratios of die 122 , 132 , and 138 may vary, and that die spacers (not shown) may be used between die. Note that die 122 is located within cavity 120 and that die 132 and die 138 are located outside of cavity 120 .
In the foregoing specification the invention has been described with reference to specific embodiments. However, one of ordinary skill in the art appreciates that various modifications and changes can be made without departing from the scope of the present invention as set forth in the claims below. For example, any appropriate die attach processes, wire bond processes, and tape processes may be used in the formation of package devices 10 and 100 , of which there are many known in the art. Accordingly, the specification and figures are the be regarded in an illustrative rather than restrictive sense, and all such modifications are intended to be included within the scope of the present invention. Benefits, other advantages, and solutions to problems have been described with regard to specific embodiments. However, the benefits, advantages, solutions to problems, and any element(s) that may cause any benefit, advantage, or solution to occur or become more pronounced are not to be construed as a critical, required, or essential feature or element of any of the claims.
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A package device ( 10, 100 ) has one integrated circuit ( 22, 122 ) in a cavity ( 20, 120 ) in a package substrate ( 12, 122 ) and electrically coupled to one side ( 50, 150 ) of the package substrate. A second integrated circuit ( 32, 132 ) is mounted on another side of the package device and electrically coupled to that side as well. A third integrated circuit ( 38, 138 ) or more may be mounted on the second integrated circuit. Pads ( 16, 116, 116 ) useful for testing are present on both sides of the package substrate. The integrated circuits may be tested before final encapsulation to reduce the risk of providing completed packages with non-functional integrated circuits therein.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] 1. Field of the Invention
[0002] The present invention relates generally to staplers and, more specifically, to user selectable shaped staples and a stapler for dispensing said user selectable staples. The stapler has a replaceable guide housing assembly designed for the particular user selectable staple having components including a punch, die and guide conforming substantially to the shape of the head of the staple for driving the user selectable staple into a designated material, such as sheets of paper, selected for said fastening method.
[0003] The staples are comprised of a head portion and parallel leg portions with the legs extending substantially perpendicular from the planar head portion and wherein the head portion is of a style depicting a form such as a trademark, company logo, a letter or symbol of any kind.
[0004] In addition the present invention provides for an additional element in the form of a kit whereby users having the stapler of the present can purchase a kit comprised of a different staple design of any color or shape having a plurality of said staple along with the mating punch head, top guide and bottom guide for that particular design of staple. The kits would be available through retail outlets such as K-Mart, Apple, Stop & Shop, Macy's, King Kullen, etc. The kits can also be custom made for companies for any logos that they have.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART
[0005] There are other stapler device designed for specialized staples. Typical of these is U.S. Pat. No. 1,554,686 issued to Muth on Sep. 22, 1925.
[0006] Another patent was issued to Havener on Aug. 25, 1931 as U.S. Pat. No. 1,820,224. Yet another U.S. Pat. No. 2,473,253 was issued to Place on Jun. 14, 1949 and still yet another was issued on Jan. 8, 1980 to Sato as U.S. Pat. No. 4,182,474.
[0007] Another patent was issued to Yanagida on May 13, 1980 as U.S. Pat. No. 4,202,481. Yet another U.S. Pat. No. 4,878,608 was issued to Mitsuhashi on Nov. 7, 1989.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,554,686
Inventor: John Muth
Issued: Sep. 22, 1925
[0008] In a strip staple machine, the combination with means for feeding a staple strip and means for severing and driving the individual staples, of means for engaging a leg of the foremost staple on said strip and holding said staple against turning during the severing operation, said machine having means for positively moving said engaging and holding means into and out of a position so to engage said leg.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,820,224
Inventor: Arthur R. Havener
Issued: Aug. 25, 1931
[0009] Disclosed is a holder and carrier for a riveting machine having, in combination, a slide, a pair of oppositely disposed spring arms fast to said slide and spaced apart, and a pair of oppositely disposed plates fast to the lower ends of said arms, the under faces of said plates being provided with grooves, which form a guideway adapted to receive and hold a flat piece of material.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,473,253
Inventor: Desmond R. LaPlace
Issued: Jun. 14, 1949
[0010] The invention is an apparatus of the class described comprising a magazine for holding flat staples in face-to-face relation, the staples having a head portion and two leg portions, means for moving staples horizontally one at a time from the magazine, and means for deflecting the legs of the staple vertically by swinging them about an axis that transverses the head, and means for confining the head in a horizontal position during such operation of moving the staples and bending the legs.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,182,474
Inventor: Hisao Sato
Issued: Jan. 8, 1980
[0011] A stapler including a staple magazine loaded with conventional staples and a tag magazine detachably connected to the bottom of the staple magazine and loaded with a stick of tags which are detachably connected to each other in a predetermined overlapping relationship in series. When a lever is depressed, a staple driver drives the foremost staple of the staple stick in the staple magazine into the foremost one of the stick of tags in the tag magazine, detaching it from the stick, and further into one or more works so as to attach the tag to the work or works. In addition, various tags adapted for use with the stapler are disclosed.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,202,481
Inventor: Jun Yanagida
Issued: May 13, 1980
[0012] A stapling machine adapted for use with a special configuration of a wire staple comprising a base plate having a wire staple receiving mold or recess in one end portion thereof an upright flanged portions at both sides on the opposite ends thereof; a wire staple holding frame in a cylindrical configuration having a cross-sectional shape conforming to the shape of an ornamental wire staple having a broadened center beam section which is wider than the staple points or legs at both sides thereof, and a leaf spring connected at one end thereof with the wire staple holding frame, and the other end being partially bent in a U-shape to provide a repulsive force and partially formed into a hook-shape; a pressure applying member including at one end portion thereof a wire staple extruding member formed in a fork-shape to freely slide into and out of grooves formed in said wire staple holding frame and a pair of upright flanged portions at both sides of the other end thereof forming a bearing for a shaft so as to be pivotally connected with the upright flanged portions provided on the base plate; and a magnet to attract and hold in position the wire staple placed in the staple wire holding frame.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,878,608
Inventor: Yoshio Mitsuhashi
Issued: Nov. 7, 1989
[0013] A stapler for use with sheet metal staples each having an ornament joined to a bridge interconnecting a pair of parallel legs. The staples are bonded together to form a staple bar, with the ornaments placed in overlapping relation to one another so that the bridges of the joined staples form an obtuse angle with each pair of staple legs. The stapler has an elongate staple magazine which is shaped to accommodate the ornamented staple bar and which is pivoted at its rear end on a base so that the front end of the staple magazine is movable into and out of engagement with an anvil or matrix on the base. Pivotally coupled to both the base and the staple magazine, a handle has an ejector for driving the successive ornamented staples out of the front end of the staple magazine against the anvil on the base.
[0014] While these fastening devices may be suitable for the purposes for which they were designed, they would not be as suitable for the purposes of the present invention, as hereinafter described.
SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT INVENTION
[0015] The present invention is a stapler for dispensing user selectable staples. The stapler has a replaceable guide housing assembly designed for a particular user selectable staple having components conforming to the shape of the head of the staple for driving the user selectable staple into a designated material, such as sheets of paper, selected for said fastening method. The staples are comprised of a head portion and parallel leg portions with the legs extending substantially perpendicular from the planar head portion.
[0016] The replaceable guide housing assembly is comprised of a housing having a retaining fastener whereby said replaceable guide housing assembly can be releasably attached to the stapler housing. The replaceable guide housing assembly has a vertical throughbore and a longitudinal throughbore. The longitudinal throughbore provides means for delivery of the user selectable staples to the vertical throughbore from a stapler housing magazine. The vertical throughbore has a guide fixedly positioned therein by means of a fastener and receives the next user selectable staple for application from said longitudinal throughbore having a plurality of said user selectable staples positioned within a magazine having a tensioning member. Each of said staples attached to the next by means well known within the art forming a row of user selectable staples that can be inserted into the stapler magazine.
[0017] Positioned above the guide resident user selectable staple is a die fixedly positioned within said vertical throughbore by means of a fastener. The die also has a throughbore conforming to the shape of the head of the user selectable staple and has a punch traveling therein conforming in shape to the die throughbore and head of the user selectable staple shape.
[0018] The punch is connected to a pressure applying handle by means of a punch rod extending through a plate having a tensioning member positioned between said plate and the drive handle for keeping the drive handle and punch head in the retracted position. The drive handle performs the function of driving the punch through the die engaging the user selectable staple head driving said stapler through the guide with the staple legs engaging and passing through the material to be fastened until said staple legs engage the staple legs diverter causing the legs to close under the staple head binding the fastened material therebetween.
[0019] A primary object of the present invention is to provide novel means for selectively binding sheets of material using a decorative means.
[0020] Another object of the present invention is to provide said decorative means having a predetermined shaped image that may further employ color, print, photoprint, graphic image, engraving or drawing thereupon.
[0021] Yet another object of the present invention is to provide said decorative means with a binding means.
[0022] Still yet another object of the present invention is to provide said decorative means with a first binding element.
[0023] A further object of the present invention is to provide said decorative means with a top surface forming said first binding means whereupon said color, print, photoprint, graphic image, engraving or drawing is displayed thereon.
[0024] A yet further object of the present invention is to provide said decorative means having a top surface with lancing means for penetrating a material selected for application of said novel means.
[0025] A still yet further object of the present invention is to provide said decorative means having a top surface with a second binding means incorporating said lancing means.
[0026] An additional object of the present invention is to provide said decorative means having a first binding element with a second binding element.
[0027] Another object of the present invention is to provide said decorative means with said second binding elements that lance the bound material.
[0028] Yet another object of the present invention is to provide said second binding element with a lancing means.
[0029] Still yet another object of the present invention is to provide said decorative means having a top surface having second binding elements positioned on each distal end.
[0030] A further object of the present invention to provide said decorative means having a top surface with opposing legs positioned on the distal ends.
[0031] A yet further object of the present invention is to provide said opposing legs extending substantially perpendicular to said top surface.
[0032] A still yet further object of the present invention is to provide said opposing perpendicular-like legs having distal ends terminating in prongs.
[0033] An additional object of the present invention is to provide said decorative means having a top surface with said opposing legs forming said second binding means.
[0034] Another object of the present invention is to provide said opposing legs terminating in prongs performing said lancing means.
[0035] Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a diverting means for said second binding element having lancing means.
[0036] Still yet another object of the present invention is to provide a driving means for said decorative means.
[0037] A further object of the present invention is to incorporate said decorative means into a user selectable shaped staple.
[0038] A yet further object of the present invention is to provide a method for using said decorative means of said novel means whereby after selecting the material or materials for application of said novel means said driving means engages said decorative means having a first binding means and a second binding means with a lancing means wherein said lancing means lances the material before engaging said diverting means which diverts the second binding means coparallel with said first binding means thereby clamping the material between said first and second binding means.
[0039] Another primary object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus for the use of said decorative means.
[0040] Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a stapler having a removable guide housing.
[0041] Still yet another object of the present invention is to provide a stapler having a user selectable staple and a removable guide housing for driving said staple into a material selected for fastening.
[0042] A further object of the present invention is to provide a guide housing having a first throughbore providing means for delivering a plurality of staples to the drive mechanism and a second throughbore providing means for housing the drive mechanism.
[0043] A yet further object of the present invention is to provide a guide housing having a bottom guide for receiving staples prior to application with said bottom guide having a throughbore conforming in shape to the stapler head.
[0044] A still yet further object of the present invention is to provide a bottom guide removably fastened to the guide housing by means of a fastener.
[0045] An additional object of the present invention is to provide a bottom guide housing fixedly positioned with the second or vertical throughbore forming an element of the guide housing.
[0046] Another object of the present invention is to provide a top guide removably fastened to the guide housing by means of a fastener.
[0047] Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a top guide fixedly positioned within the second/vertical throughbore forming another element of the guide housing.
[0048] Still yet another object of the present invention is to provide a top guide having a throughbore conforming substantially to the shape of the staple head.
[0049] A further object of the present invention is to provide a punch head positioned within the second/vertical throughbore forming another element of the guide housing.
[0050] A yet further object of the present invention is to provide a punch head having a shape conforming to the shape of the stapler head.
[0051] A still yet further object of the present invention is to provide a punch head that travels through the top guide when pressure is applied to the operative handle.
[0052] A still yet further object of the present invention is to provide a punch head that engages the staple head and causes said staple to travel through the bottom guide engaging the material to be stapled, passing through said material before having the staple legs deformed into a closed position by the stapler leg diverter element.
[0053] An additional object of the present invention is to provide a punch head operatively connected to the pressure apply handle by means of a punch rod.
[0054] Another object of the present invention is to provide means for returning the pressure applying handle and attached punch head to the retracted position after a force has been applied thereto.
[0055] Yet another object of the present invention is to provide means for purchasing additional user selectable staples of varying designs.
[0056] Still yet another object of the present invention is to provide an interchangeable stapler kit having a user selectable staple, punch head, top guide and bottom guide that can be purchased separately.
[0057] A further object of the present invention is to provide a custom stapling system comprising a unique stapler, interchangeable staple kit, and user selectable decorative staples for personal or industry use, available in any color, metal shape, logo or graphic image.
[0058] Additional objects of the present invention will appear as the description proceeds.
[0059] The present invention overcomes the shortcomings of the prior art by providing a stapler for dispensing user selectable staples. The stapler has a replaceable guide housing assembly designed for a particular user selectable staple having components conforming to the shape of the head of the staple for driving the user selectable staple into a designated material, such as sheets of paper, selected for said fastening method. The staples are comprised of a head portion and parallel leg portions with the legs extending substantially perpendicular from the planar head portion and wherein the head portion is of a style depicting a form such as a trademark, company logo, a letter or symbol of any kind.
[0060] 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 specific embodiments in which the invention may be practiced. These embodiments 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. In the accompanying drawing, like reference characters designate the same or similar parts throughout the several views.
[0061] 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.
List of Reference Numerals Utilized in the Drawings
[0062] 10 stapling apparatus
[0063] 12 stapler housing
[0064] 14 stapler housing pivot point
[0065] 15 stapler housing fastener aperture
[0066] 16 stapler magazine
[0067] 18 stapler housing base
[0068] 20 stapler housing diverter
[0069] 22 user selectable staple
[0070] 22 A user selectable shaped staple
[0071] 22 B user selectable shaped staple
[0072] 22 C user selectable shaped staple
[0073] 22 D user selectable shaped staple
[0074] 22 E user selectable shaped staple having indicia
[0075] 24 user selectable staple top surface
[0076] 26 user selectable staple image
[0077] 28 user selectable staple legs
[0078] 30 user selectable staple lancing element
[0079] 32 user selectable staple prongs
[0080] 34 guide housing assembly
[0081] 35 guide housing
[0082] 36 stapler guide housing retaining fastener
[0083] 37 guide housing fastener throughbore
[0084] 38 guide housing guide fastener
[0085] 40 guide housing die fastener
[0086] 42 guide housing vertical throughbore
[0087] 44 guide housing longitudinal throughbore
[0088] 46 guide housing drive threaded bore
[0089] 48 guide housing guide
[0090] 48 A guide housing shaped guide
[0091] 48 B guide housing shaped guide
[0092] 48 C guide housing shaped guide
[0093] 50 guide housing guide bore
[0094] 52 guide housing guide interior wall
[0095] 54 guide housing guide exterior wall
[0096] 56 guide housing die
[0097] 56 A guide housing shaped die
[0098] 56 B guide housing shaped die
[0099] 56 C guide housing shaped die
[0100] 58 guide housing die bore
[0101] 60 guide housing die interior wall
[0102] 62 guide housing die exterior wall
[0103] 64 guide housing punch
[0104] 64 A guide housing selectable shaped punch
[0105] 64 B guide housing selectable shaped punch
[0106] 64 C guide housing selectable shaped punch
[0107] 66 guide housing punch exterior surface
[0108] 68 guide housing punch rod
[0109] 70 guide housing punch rod fastener
[0110] 72 guide housing punch rod drive fastener
[0111] 74 guide housing drive plate fastener
[0112] 76 guide housing drive plate
[0113] 78 guide housing drive return spring
[0114] 80 guide housing drive handle
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIGURES
[0115] 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:
[0116] FIG. 1 is an illustrative view of the present invention in use.
[0117] FIG. 2 is a block diagram of the present invention.
[0118] FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the present
[0119] FIG. 4 is an exploded view of the present invention.
[0120] FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the present invention.
[0121] FIG. 6 is a partial sectional view of the present invention.
[0122] FIG. 7 is a partial sectional view of the present invention.
[0123] FIG. 8 is a partial sectional view of the present invention.
[0124] FIG. 9 is a perspective view of the selectable shaped staple.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
[0125] The following discussion describes in detail one embodiment of the invention. This discussion should not be construed, however, as limiting the invention to those particular embodiments, practitioners skilled in the art will recognize numerous other embodiments as well. For definition of the complete scope of the invention, the reader is directed to appended claims.
[0126] Referring to FIG. 1 , shown is an illustrative view of the present invention in use. The apparatus 10 is comprised of a housing 12 having a base 18 and pivot point 14 wherein the staples contained in magazine 16 are moved by a tensioning member into the guide housing assembly 34 fastened to housing 12 by stapler guide housing retaining fastener 36 . Pressure placed upon handle 80 cause the housing to pivot upon pivot point 14 driving user selectable staple 22 through the material to being bound 21 until the user selectable staple 22 encounter the staple housing diverter 20 thereby binding the selected material 21 .
[0127] The stapling apparatus 10 has a guide housing 34 that includes guide rod 68 , punch 64 , die 56 , and guide 48 . With the exception of the guide rod 68 each of the aforementioned has a shape that is designed to accommodate the user selectable staple 22 .
[0128] For illustrative purposes three different staples 22 are shown with their accompanying components that are uniquely designed to accommodate the user selectable staple 22 . The user selectable staple 22 A has a guide 48 A for receiving the next available stapler from magazine 16 . Positioned above guide 48 A is die 56 A having a throughbore 58 conforming to the user selectable shaped staple 22 A. Positioned within throughbore 58 is guide housing selectable shaped punch 64 A having a punch exterior surface 66 that conforms and substantially engages die interior wall 60 . Once pressure is applied to guide rod 68 punch 64 A advances along throughbore 58 of die 56 A engaging top surface 24 of staple 22 A causing the staple to pass into the guide throughbore and into the material 21 to be bound.
[0129] The user selectable staple 22 B has a guide 48 B for receiving the next available stapler from magazine 16 . Positioned above guide 48 B is die 56 B having a throughbore 58 conforming to the user selectable shaped staple 22 B. Positioned within throughbore 58 is guide housing selectable shaped punch 64 B having a punch exterior surface 66 that conforms and substantially engages die interior wall 60 . Once pressure is applied to guide rod 68 punch 64 B advances along throughbore 58 of die 56 B engaging top surface 24 of staple 22 B causing the staple to pass into the guide throughbore 50 and into the material 21 to be bound whereupon staple legs 28 having lancing element 30 including prong 32 pierces material 21 until engaging the stapler diverter element 20 whereupon material 21 is clamped between top surface 24 of user selectable staple 22 B and staple legs 28 of user selectable staple 22 B.
[0130] Also shown is user selectable staple 22 C having a guide 48 C for receiving the next available stapler from magazine 16 . Positioned above guide 48 C is die 56 C having a throughbore 58 conforming to the top surface 24 of user selectable shaped staple 22 C and having positioned therein selectable shaped punch 64 C having a punch exterior surface 66 that conforms and substantially engages die interior wall 60 of die 56 C. Once pressure is applied to guide rod 68 punch 64 C advances along throughbore 58 of die 56 C engaging top surface 24 of staple 22 C causing the staple to pass into the guide throughbore whereupon continued pressure staple 22 C will pierce one or more sheets of material 21 causing said material 21 to be clamped between top surface 24 of staple 22 C and legs 28 of staple 22 C.
[0131] Referring to FIG. 2 , shown is a block diagram of the guide housing assembly 34 having a user selectable staple 22 therein. The guide housing assembly 34 has a handle 80 for apply pressure to the assembly to drive the user selectable staple 22 having a lancing element into the material to be bound. The handle 80 is connected to the punch 64 by means of punch rod 68 . The punch 64 has a predetermined shape conforming to the top surface of the selectable shaped staple 22 . Each punch 64 has a mating die 62 having a throughbore 58 and walls 60 which substantially conform and engage wall 66 of punch 64 . Positioned below die 62 is guide 48 that is used to receive the next available staple 22 from the stapler magazine. Once pressure is applied to handle 80 punch 64 passes through die 62 and engages the top surface of staple 22 positioned with guide 48 . Continued pressure causes punch 64 to move staple 22 through guide 48 until the staple legs engage the stapler diverter member which channels the legs under the staple top surface binding the material therebetween.
[0132] Referring to FIG. 3 , shown is a perspective view of the present invention The stapling apparatus 10 is comprised of a housing 12 having a base 18 and pivot point 14 and a staple magazine 16 for delivering a stick of user selectable shaped staples to the guide housing assembly. The guide housing assembly 34 is releasably fastened to the stapler housing 12 by means of fastener 36 whereby guide housing assembly 34 can be selectively removed for attachment of an alternate guide housing assembly providing means for using an alternate user selectable shaped staple 22 .
[0133] In addition to replacing guide housing assembly 34 by removal of the stapler guide housing retaining fastener 36 , specific components within the guide housing assembly 34 manufactured having a specific shape conforming to the top surface of the user selectable shaped staple 22 can be replaced by alternate components specifically manufactured for an alternate user selectable shaped staple 22 .
[0134] Referring to FIG. 4 , shown is an exploded view of the present invention for a user selectable shaped staple. The stapling apparatus 10 is comprised of a housing 12 having a base 18 and pivot point 14 having a stapler guide housing retaining fastener 36 for releasably fastening guide housing assembly 34 to said stapler housing. The guide housing 34 includes handle 80 , guide housing drive return spring 78 . Plate 76 , guide rod 68 , punch 64 , die 56 , guide 48 and guide housing 35 . Punch 64 , die 56 , and guide 48 are manufactured with a specific shape for use with a specific user selectable shaped staple.
[0135] The user selectable staple 22 B has a guide 48 B for receiving the next available stapler from the stapler magazine. Positioned above guide 48 B is die 56 B having a throughbore 58 conforming to the user selectable shaped staple 22 B. Positioned within throughbore 58 is guide housing selectable shaped punch 64 B having a punch exterior surface 66 that conforms and substantially engages die interior wall 60 . Once pressure is applied to guide rod 68 punch 64 B advances along throughbore 58 of die 56 B engaging top surface 24 of staple 22 B causing the staple to pass into the guide throughbore 50 and into the material selected for stapling. Staple legs 28 having lancing element 30 including prong 32 pierces the selected material until engaging the stapler diverter element 20 whereupon the selected material is clamped between top surface 24 of user selectable staple 22 B and staple legs 28 of user selectable staple 22 B.
[0136] As previously stated, in addition to replacing guide housing assembly 34 by removal of the stapler guide housing retaining fastener 36 from stapler housing fastener aperture 15 and guide housing fastener throughbore 37 , the specific components guide housing punch 64 , guide housing die 56 and guide housing guide 48 within the guide housing assembly 34 can be replace with alternate components manufactured for an alternate user selectable shaped staple 22 .
[0137] This provides a method whereby the guide housing punch 64 , guide housing die 56 , guide housing guide 48 can be sold as a kit which may include the alternate user selectable shaped staple designed for said components.
[0138] Referring to FIG. 5 , shown is a perspective view of the present invention. The stapling apparatus 10 has a housing 12 with staple magazine 16 contained therein having a tensioning member for moving user selectable shaped staple 22 b into guide housing assembly 34 fastened to housing 12 by stapler guide housing retaining fastener 36 .
[0139] Referring to FIG. 6 , shown is a partial sectional view of the present invention. The stapling apparatus 10 has a housing 12 with staple magazine 16 for moving user selectable shaped staple 22 into guide housing guide 48 The guide housing 34 is comprised of handle 80 , plate 76 with guide housing drive return spring 78 positioned therebetween. Guide rod 68 connects handle 80 to punch 64 that travels in the throughbore of die 56 engaging user selectable staple 22 positioned within guide 48 .
[0140] Referring to FIG. 7 , shown is a partial sectional view of the present invention having pressure applied to handle 80 cause the punch 64 to engage user selectable shaped staple 22 moving said staple into the throughbore 50 of guide housing guide 48 .
[0141] Referring to FIG. 8 , shown is a partial sectional view of the present invention. The stapling apparatus 10 has a housing 12 with staple magazine 16 for moving user selectable shaped staple 22 into guide housing guide 48 The guide housing 34 is comprised of handle 80 , plate 76 with guide housing drive return spring 78 positioned therebetween. Guide rod 68 connects handle 80 to punch 64 that travels in the throughbore of die 56 engaging user selectable staple 22 positioned within guide 48 to travel into throughbore 50 of guide 48 before lancing the material to be stapled whereupon staple legs 28 are channeled by stapler housing diverter 20 causing the material to be clamped between top surface 24 and staple legs 28 of user selectable shaped staple 22 .
[0142] Referring to FIG. 9 , shown is the user selectable shaped stapler of the present invention 22 shown illustrated in alternate embodiments 22 B, 22 D and 22 E. Each has a top surface 24 and stapler image 26 . With user selectable shaped staple 22 E having indicia thereon. User selectable shaped staple 22 has a pair of legs 28 positioned at each distal end of top surface 24 and extending perpendicularly therefrom. The legs 28 having lancing elements 30 terminating in prongs 32 for piercing a predetermined material selected for stapling using the user selectable shaped staple 22 .
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The invention discloses a user selectable shaped staples and a stapler for dispensing said user selectable staples. The stapler has a replaceable guide housing assembly designed for the particular user selectable staple having components including a punch, die and guide conforming substantially to the shape of the head of the staple for driving the user selectable staple into a designated material, such as sheets of paper, selected for said fastening method. The staples are comprised of a head portion and parallel leg portions with the legs extending substantially perpendicular from the planar head portion and wherein the head portion is of a style depicting a form such as a trademark, company logo, a letter or symbol of any kind.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to refrigerant circuits generally, and more particularly, to a refrigerant circuit having a fluid flow control mechanism for an automotive air-conditioning system.
2. Description of the Related Art
Refrigerant circuits for use in air conditioning systems are well known, and may be of the orifice type, which includes a compressor, a condenser, an orifice, an evaporator, and an accumulator or an expansion valve-type, which includes a compressor, a condenser, a receiver dryer, an expansion valve, and an evaporator. In either of these conventional refrigerant circuits, if the compressor is started when the refrigerant pressure at the inlet of the compressor is equal to the gas pressure at the outlet of the compressor, an increase in the drive torque of the compressor results as a refrigerant gas flows from the inlet to outlet, thereby causing a reduction in the rotation frequency of the drive source. This reduction results because a relatively large amount of refrigerant gas is introduced into a compression chamber, and a great deal of power is required to compress this refrigerant gas. For example, in the refrigerant circuit for an automotive air conditioning system, this reduction of the rotational frequency of the automotive engine may cause torque shock.
One attempt to solve the problem described above is disclosed in the U.S. Pat. No. 4,905,477 to Takai, the inventor of the present application. With reference to FIG. 1, the '477 Patent describes a passageway control device 26 disposed within one end of a cylinder head 12. Passage control device 26 comprises a valve 261 which includes a piston 261a and a valve portion 261b, a coil spring 262, and a screw 263 which includes spring seat 263a. A cylinder 125 is formed within cylinder head 12 and extends from an inlet port 123. A passageway 150 is formed in cylinder head 12 to permit communication between cylinder 125 and a discharge chamber 122. Piston 261a is reciprocally fitted within cylinder 125. Valve portion 261a varies the size of the opening of the passageway between a suction chamber 121 and inlet port 123 in accordance with operation of piston 261a. Coil spring 262 is disposed between valve portion 261b and spring seat 263a, and is attached to valve portion 261b at one end and supported on the inner end of spring seat 263a at the other end. Coil spring 262 normally urges valve portion 261b to close the opening against the refrigerant pressure in discharge chamber 122. Screw 263 may be used to adjust the recoil strength of coil spring 262.
When the compressor is started under the condition that the refrigerant pressure in suction chamber 121 is equal to the pressure in discharge chamber 122, piston 261a is urged downward to close the passageway between suction chamber 121 and inlet port 123. Thereafter, when compressor 1 is driven by the rotation of drive shaft 14, the flow volume of refrigerant, which is sucked into suction chamber 121, is limited by the size of the passageway opening, and the refrigerant pressure in cylinder 104 rapidly reduces. The refrigerant level in crank chamber 103, therefore, becomes greater than that in suction chamber 121, thereby increasing the pressure difference between the two chambers. The high fluid pressure in crank chamber 103 acts on the rear surface of piston 22 thereby reducing the angle of inclination of inclined plate 18 with respect to drive shaft 14. The stroke volume of piston 22 correspondingly decreases and, as a result, the volume of refrigerant gas drawn into cylinder 104 decreases.
Therefore, passageway control device 26 reduces the amount of engine power needed to compress the refrigerant gas at the start of compressor operation, as compared with a conventional refrigerant circuit. As a result, the refrigerant circuit having passageway control device 26 prevents the occurrence of "torque shock" when the compressor is started.
However, when the vehicle rapidly accelerates while driving, the flow volume of refrigerant which is drawn into suction chamber 121 increases because the rotational speed of the compressor increases. The volume of refrigerant gas taken into cylinder 104 also rapidly increases.
The compressor may be provided with a variable capacity mechanism. In particular, when the pressure in suction chamber 121 is lower than a predetermined value, communication between suction chamber 121 and crank chamber 103 is obstructed by valve control mechanism 25. Under this condition, the pressure in crank chamber 103 gradually increases between blow-by gas leaks into crank chamber 103 through a gap between the inner wall surface of cylinder 104 and the outer surface of piston 22. Gas pressure in crank chamber 103 acts on the rear surface of piston 22, and changes the balancing moment acting on inclined plate 18. The angle of inclined plate 18 relative to drive shaft 14 is thereby decreased, and the stroke of piston 22 thus is also decreased. As a result, the volume of refrigerant gas drawn into cylinder 104 is decreased. The capacity of the compressor is thus varied.
On the other hand, when the pressure in suction chamber 121 exceeds a predetermined value, the refrigerant gas in crank chamber 103 flows into suction chamber 121 via control valve 25, and the pressure in crank chamber 103 is decreased. Gas pressure, which acts on the rear surface of piston 22, also decreases in correspondence with decreasing gas pressure in crank chamber 103. The balancing moment acting on inclined plate 20 consequently increases, so that the angle of inclined plate 20 relative to drive shaft 14 also changes. The stroke of piston 22 is thereby increased, and the volume of refrigerant gas being compressed also is increased. Nevertheless, the variable capacity mechanism described above cannot quickly cope with the excessive increases of the suction refrigerant gas described above.
Therefore, this configuration also has disadvantages. Although the refrigerant circuit with a passageway control valve device 26 avoids the reduction of the rotational frequency of the automotive engine, i.e., the occurrence of "torque shock," a large amount of engine power is required to compress the refrigerant gas when the vehicle accelerates.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the present invention to provide a refrigerant circuit for a vehicle having a fluid flow control mechanism, which forcibly reduces the load of a compressor when the vehicle accelerates while simultaneously preventing the occurrence of torque shock when the compressor is started.
According to the present invention, a fluid flow control mechanism for use in a refrigerant circuit of a vehicle includes a compressor, a condenser, and an evaporator connected to each other in series. The fluid control mechanism comprises a passageway control device disposed between an outlet side of the evaporator and an inlet side of the compressor. The passageway control device has an actuating chamber therein and adjusts a size of an opening of the inlet of the compressor in response to a pressure difference between the inlet of the compressor and the actuating chamber. Further, the passageway control devices operates to adjust the size of the opening of the inlet of the compressor to a large size responsive to a greater pressure difference and into a smaller size responsive to a lesser pressure difference. The valve control device connects the actuating chamber of the passageway control device with the outlet of the compressor and the inlet of the compressor in order to minimize, e.g., reduce to zero, a pressure difference between the inlet of the compressor and the actuating chamber when the vehicle accelerates.
Further objects, features, and advantages of this invention will be understood from the following detailed description of the invention taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of a swash plate-type refrigerant compressor with a variable displacement mechanism in accordance with the prior art.
FIG. 2 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of a swash plate-type refrigerant compressor with a variable displacement mechanism a piston in accordance with a first embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 3 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a passageway control valve mechanism in accordance with a first embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 4 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of a swash plate-type refrigerant compressor with a variable displacement mechanism a piston in accordance with a second embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 5 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of a swash plate-type refrigerant compressor with a variable displacement mechanism a piston in accordance with a third embodiment of the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
Referring to FIGS. 2 and 3, the construction of a wobble plate-type compressor having a variable displacement mechanism is shown. In FIG. 3, the left side will be referred to as the forward end or the front of the compressor, and the right side will be referred to as the rearward end or rear of the compressor.
Compressor 1 includes a closed housing assembly formed by a cylindrical compressor housing 10, front end plate 11, and rear end plate in the form of cylinder head 12. Cylinder block 101 and crank chamber 103 are located in compressor housing 10. Front end plate 11 is attached to one end surface of compressor housing 10, and cylinder head 12 is disposed on the opposite end surface of compressor housing 10 and is fixedly mounted on one end surface of cylinder block 101 through a valve plate 13. Opening 111 is formed in the central portion of front end plate 11 to receive a drive shaft 14.
Drive shaft 14 is rotatably supported in front end plate 11 through a bearing 15. An inner end portion of drive shaft 14 also extends into central bore 102 formed in the central portion of cylinder block 101, and is rotatably supported therein by a bearing 16. A rotor 17 is disposed in the interior of crank chamber 103 and is connected to drive shaft 14 to be rotatable therewith. Rotor 17 engages an inclined plate 18 through a hinge mechanism 19. Wobble plate 20 is disposed on the opposite side surface of inclined plate 18 and bears against plate 18 through a bearing 21.
Hinge mechanism 19 includes a first tab portion 191, including pin portion 191a formed on the inner end surface of rotor 17, and a second tab portion 192, having longitudinal hole 191b, formed on one end surface of inclined plate 18. The angle of inclination of inclined plate 18 with respect to drive shaft 14 may be adjusted by hinge mechanism 19.
A plurality of equiangularly spaced cylinders 104 are formed in cylinder block 101, and a piston 22 is reciprocatingly disposed within each cylinder 104. Each piston 22 is connected to wobble plate 20 through a connecting rod 23, i.e., one end of each connecting rod 23 is connected to wobble plate 20 with a ball joint, and the other end of each connecting rod 23 is connected to one of pistons 22 by means of a ball joint. A guide bar 24 extends within crank chamber 103 of compressor housing 10. The lower end portion of wobble plate 20 engages guide bar 24 to enable wobble plate 20 to reciprocate along the guide bar while preventing rotational motion.
Thus, pistons 22 are reciprocated in cylinders 104 by a drive mechanism formed of drive shaft 14, rotor 17, inclined plate 18, wobble plate 20, and connecting rods 23. Connecting rods 23 function as a coupling mechanism to convert the rotational motion of rotor 17 into reciprocating motion of the pistons 22.
Cylinder head 12 is provided with a suction chamber 121 and a discharge chamber 122, which communicate with each of cylinders 104 through a suction hole 131 and a discharge hole 132, respectively, formed through valve plate 13. Cylinder head 12 also is provided with an inlet port 123 and an outlet port 124 which place suction chamber 121 and discharge chamber 122 in fluid communication with an external refrigerant circuit.
A bypass hole or passageway 105 is formed in cylinder block 101 to permit communication between suction chamber 121 and crank chamber 103 through central bore 102. Communication between chambers 121 and 103 is controlled by control valve mechanism 25. Control valve mechanism 25 is positioned between cylinder block 101 and cylinder head 12, and includes bellows element 251. Bellows elements 251 is operated to control communication between the chambers and is responsive to pressure differences between suction chamber 121 and crank chamber 103.
In addition, passageway control device 26 is disposed within one end of cylinder head 12 and includes a valve 261, which further includes a piston portion 261a and a valve portion 261b, a coil spring 262, and a screw mechanism 263 having a spring seat 263a. A cylinder portion 125 is formed within cylinder block 12 to permit communication with suction chamber 121. Piston portion 261a of valve 261 is reciprocally disposed within cylinder portion 125. Valve portion 261b varies the size of the opening of the passageway between suction chamber 121 and inlet port 123 in correspondence with operation of piston portion 261a. Coil spring 262 is disposed between valve portion 261b and spring seat 263a and is attached to valve portion 261b at one end and is supported on the inner end of spring seat 263a at the other end. Coil spring 262 normally urges valve portion 261b to reduce the size of the opening of the passageway until the size of the opening is minimized against the refrigerant pressure in cylinder 125. Spring seat 263a adjusts the recoil strength of coil spring 262 by screwing a screw mechanism 263. Thus, the efficiency and objects of this embodiment also may be achieved by disposing passageway control device 26 at other positions between the exterior of an evaporator and an inlet of a compressor or in an evaporator. Further, in this configuration, a cylinder and a valve with a piston portion is used in the drive means of passageway control device 26. However, other drive means responsive to pressure differences, such as a bellows or diaphragm, also may be used. Moreover, electromagnetic forces, external pressure forces, and bimetal forces created by a combination of metals having different coefficients of thermal expansion may be used to replace the spring mechanism.
Further, first and second conduits 126 and 127 are formed within cylinder head 12, such that they communicate between cylinder portion 125 and the exterior of compressor 1. A third conduit 128 is formed within cylinder head 12 to permit communication between discharge chamber 122 and the exterior of compressor 1. Further, a fourth conduit 129 is formed within cylinder head 12 to permit communication between suction chamber 121 and the exterior of compressor 1. A first fluid pipe 84 links second conduit 127 to third conduit 128. A second fluid pipe 85 links first conduit 126 to fourth conduit 129. A first valve 86, such as an electrically or mechanically controlled valve, for closing and opening first fluid pipe 84 is disposed in first fluid pipe 84. A second valve 87, such as an electrically or mechanically controlled valve, for closing and opening second fluid pipe 85 is disposed in a second fluid pipe 85. First and second valves 86 and 87 are connected, e.g., electrically connected, to a control unit 50 which is connected, e.g., electrically connected, to a sensor (not shown), such as an acceleration cut-off switch that operates in response to the movement of the accelerator of a vehicle. Consequently, passageway control device 26, first and second fluid pipes 84 and 85, first and second valves 86 and 87, and control unit 50 collectively form a fluid flow control mechanism.
The operation of the fluid flow control mechanism is described below. When compressor 1 is started by a driving source, such as the engine of a vehicle, by means of an electromagnetic clutch 30, the refrigerant pressure in suction chamber 121 is equal to the pressure in discharge chamber 122. Control unit 50 generates a command signal to first and second valves 85 and 87, such that first valve 85 is opened, and second valve 87 is closed. Piston portion 261a of valve 261 of passageway control device 26 is urged downward to close the passageway opening between suction chamber 121 and inlet port 123, but permitting a predetermined minimum opening size. Thereafter, when drive shaft 14 begins to rotate, the refrigerant pressure in cylinder 104 is rapidly reduced. The refrigerant level in crank chamber 103, therefore, becomes greater than that in suction chamber 121, thereby increasing the pressure difference between those two chambers. The increased fluid pressure in crank chamber 103 acts on the rear surface of piston 22 thereby reducing the angle of inclination of inclined plate 18 with respect to drive shaft 14, and nutational motion of wobble plate also is reduced. This decreases the stroke volume of piston 22, and consequently, the volume of refrigerant gas drawn into cylinder 104 decreases. Therefore, compressor 1 may start without reducing the rotational frequency of the automotive engine, i.e., the occurrence of "torque shock."
Further, when compressor 1 is continuously driven, the amount of refrigerant drawn into suction chamber 121 from inlet port 123 through the opening increases because the valve portion 261a of valve 261 of passageway control device 26 is urged upward as the refrigerant pressure in cylinder portion 125, which is introduced from discharge chamber 122 via first fluid pipe 84 and first valve 86, increases. Therefore, the flow volume of refrigerant which is drawn into suction chamber 121 reaches a predetermined maximum level. Moreover, the differential pressure between crank chamber 103 and suction chamber 121 decreases, thereby increasing the angle of inclination of inclined plate 18 with respect to drive shaft 14, and the nutational motion of wobble plate 20 increases. This increases the stroke volume of piston 22 and, consequently, the volume of refrigerant gas drawn into cylinder 104 increases, and the capacity of the compressor also increases.
When the vehicle needs to accelerate, control unit 50 receives a signal from an acceleration cut-off switch (not shown), which is in response to the movement of the vehicle's accelerator, and generates a command signal to first and second valves 86 and 87, such that first valve 86 is closed, and second valve 87 is opened.
Cylinder portion 125 is then no longer subjected to the discharge pressure from discharge chamber 122, and the pressure in cylinder portion 125 is rapidly reduced to a level equal to that of the pressure in suction chamber 121 because second fluid pipe 85 is opened by second valve 87. As a result, piston portion 261a of valve 261 of passageway control device 26 is urged downward to close the passageway opening between suction chamber 121 and inlet port 123 by the recoil strength of coil spring 262 until the size of the opening is minimized. The flow volume of refrigerant, which is drawn into suction chamber 121, is limited by the size of the passageway opening, and the refrigerant pressure in cylinder 104 is rapidly reduced. The refrigerant level in crank chamber 103, therefore, becomes greater than that in suction chamber 121, thereby increasing the pressure difference between these two chambers. The greater fluid pressure in crank chamber 103 acts on the rear surface of piston 22, thereby reducing the angle of inclination of inclined plate 18 with respect to drive shaft 14 (e.g., approaching 90 degrees), and the nutational motion of wobble plate 20 also is reduced. This decreases the stroke volume of piston 22 and, consequently, the volume of refrigerant gas drawn into cylinder 104 decreases, and the capacity of the compressor also is decreased.
As a result, this configuration instantly reduces consumption of horse power by the compressor when the compressor is supplied with a high rotational frequency by the engine of the vehicle. In particular, this configuration achieves a large reduction in the amount of engine power required to compress the refrigerant gas when the vehicle accelerates, while simultaneously avoiding the reduction of the rotational frequency of the automotive engine, i.e., the occurrence of "torque shock" when the compressor starts. Further, the vehicle with this refrigerant circuit having the compressor may smoothly accelerate.
FIG. 4 illustrates a second embodiment of the present invention, which is substantially similar to the first embodiment, except for the following structures. A first fluid pipe 88 links third conduit 128 to a fifth conduit 130, which is formed in cylinder head 12 and places cylinder 125 in communication with the exterior of compressor 1, to a second open end of three-way valve 91. A third fluid pipe 90 links fourth conduit 129 to a third open end of a three-way valve 91. Three-way valve 91 is connected, e.g., electrically connected, to control unit 50. Therefore, passageway control device 26; fluid pipes 88, 89, and 90; three-way valve 91; and control unit 50 collectively form a fluid flow control mechanism.
When compressor 1 is started by a driving source, such as the engine of a vehicle, by means of electromagnetic clutch 30, control unit 50 generates a command signal to three-way valve 91 to obstruct communication between first fluid pipe 88 and second fluid pipe 89 and to permit communication between second fluid pipe 89 and third fluid pipe 90. Further, when the vehicle accelerates, control unit 50 receives a signal from an acceleration cut-off switch and generates a command signal to three-way valve 91 to permit communication between first fluid pipe 88 and second fluid pipe 89 and third fluid pipe 90.
In such structures, substantially similar operation and advantages to those described with respect to the first embodiment may be obtained.
FIG. 5 illustrates a third embodiment of the present invention, which is substantially similar to the first embodiment, except for the following structures. A first fluid pipe 84 links third conduit 128 to fifth conduit 130. A first valve 85, such as an electrically or mechanically controlled valve, for closing and opening first fluid pipe 84 is disposed in first fluid pipe 84. Therefore, passageway control device 26, first fluid pipe 84, first valve 85, and control unit 50 collectively form a fluid flow control mechanism. Thus, when the vehicle accelerates, control unit 50 generates a command signal to first valve 85, such that first valve 85 is closed. Consequently, cylinder portion 125 is no longer subjected to the discharge pressure of discharge chamber 122. In this embodiment, the pressure in cylinder portion 125 is reduced to the level equal to the pressure in suction chamber 121 because the refrigerant gas in cylinder portion 125 leaks into suction chamber 121 through a gap created between cylinder portion 261a and cylinder 125.
In such structures, substantially similar operation and advantages to those described with respect to the first embodiment may be obtained.
Although the present invention has been described above in connection with preferred embodiments, the invention is not limited thereto. Specifically, while the preferred embodiments illustrate the invention in a swash plate-type refrigerant compressor, this invention is not restricted to a swash plate-type refrigerant compressor with a variable displacement mechanism, but may be employed in other piston-type refrigerant compressors, not provided with a variable displacement mechanism. It will be readily understood by those of ordinary skill in the art that variations and modifications may be made within the scope of this invention as defined by the following claims. Accordingly, the embodiments and features disclosed herein are provided by way of example. It is to be understood that the scope of the present invention is not to be limited thereby, but is to be determined by the claims which follow.
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A fluid flow control mechanism for use in a refrigerant circuit of vehicle has a compressor, a condenser, and an evaporator connected to each other in series. The fluid control mechanism includes a passageway control device having an actuating chamber therein and controlling to change the size of an opening of the inlet of the compressor in response to a pressure difference between the inlet of the compressor and the actuating chamber. A valve control device connects the actuating chamber of the passageway control device with the outlet of the compressor and the inlet of the compressor to minimize a pressure difference between the inlet of the compressor and the actuating chamber when the vehicle accelerates. The fluid flow control mechanism reduces the excessive load on the compressor caused by the vehicle accelerating while simultaneously preventing torque shock when the compressor is started.
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This Appln claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional No. 60/072,408 filed Jan. 23, 1998.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a finishing machine for tubular knit fabrics, and more particularly to a cylindrical ring type compactor and extractor.
2. Related Art
Compactors and extractors are used in the finishing of tubular knit fabrics. Extractors are used to squeeze or pad a sleeve of tubular knit fabric in order to express the liquid retained in the fabric as a result of other finishing processes (e.g. dying, washing). A compactor is used to tighten the knit in the fabric through a process of longitudinally compressing the sleeve of fabric.
Conventional compactors and extractors, as depicted in FIG. 1, use a pair of rollers 100, 102 which define a nip through which an endless sleeve of tubular knit fabric 104 is fed. As a result of the finishing process using these prior art devices, permanent creases 106, 108 are formed in the sleeve tubular fabric 104. The permanent creases 106, 108 limit how the finished fabric 104 can be used because the creases are permanent and cannot be removed from the finished product.
Several prior art devices have been developed using tubular mandrels, but these devices have essentially been limited to the processes of stretching or cutting a tubular knit fabric. None of these devices can be adapted to the extraction or compacting processes required in the finishing of tubular knit fabrics.
Accordingly, there is a need in the art for an apparatus and method for performing extraction and compacting on tubular knit fabrics which does not create permanent edge creases in the finished product.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In order to overcome the disadvantages of the prior art compactors and extractors which employ conventional rollers, the present invention takes an entirely different approach by using a cylindrical shaped mandrel as an opener, spreader, of the knit fabric from rope form and as a support. The mandrel is positioned inside the sleeve of tubular knit fabric and maintains the tubular shape of the fabric during the extraction and compacting processes. Encasing the fabric and the mandrel is a larger diameter tubular ring member which presses the fabric against the mandrel in order to perform the extraction and compaction processes. The structure of the present invention thus allows for finishing of the tubular knit fabric in its tubular form. This structure finishes the tubular fabric without any creases whatsoever. The ring member extends for some distance in the longitudinal direction of travel of the knit fabric and contains a mechanism, such as a detent for retaining the mandrel in place.
A rope of tubular fabric is conveyed into the mandrel/ring assembly by an endless conveyor or belt made from a flexible material such as rubber. As the fabric is fed onto the mandrel, an upper surface of the belt material surrounds the fabric while the lower surface of the belt material comes into contact with the inner surface of the ring member. The mandrel, the lower surface of the belt material and inner surface of the ring member are manufactured with smooth surfaces in order to provide frictionless sliding contact therebetween.
Other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description of the invention which refers to the accompanying drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING(S)
For the purpose of illustrating the invention, there is shown in the drawing a form which is presently preferred, it being understood, however, that the invention is not limited to the precise arrangement and instrumentality shown.
FIG. 1 is a diagram of a prior art compactor/extractor employing two rollers forming a nip;
FIG. 2 is a cross section of FIG. 1 of the finished fabric as it exits in the prior art compactor/extractor;
FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the finishing machine of the present invention;
FIG. 4 is a plan view of the finishing machine of the present invention;
FIG. 5 is an elevation view of the finishing machine of the present invention;
FIG. 6 is an end view of the finishing machine of the present invention;
FIG. 7 illustrates the finishing machine with a length of tubular knit fabric thereon;
FIG. 8 is cross sectional view of FIG. 7; and FIG. 9 is alternative embodiment of the mandrel of the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Referring now to the drawings wherein like numerals indicate like elements, there is shown in FIG. 3 a perspective view of the compactor/extractor 200 of the present invention.
The compactor/extractor 200 includes and is supported by frame 205 which is constructed of rails and legs. Preferably frame 205 is constructed of stainless steel to inhibit rusting of the frame. Supported on structure 205 are two pair of rails 207 for mounting the mandrel 220 and ring 210 assembly. Ring 210 is mounted to rails 207 via hinged flanges 211 and locking flanges (not shown) on the other side of ring 210. As shown in later figures, ring 210 is constructed from two halves, can upper half and a lower half which are combined into the configuration depicted in FIG. 3 only after the mandrel 220 and belt 225 have been inserted thereinto. As depicted below, in operation, the tubular knit fabric to be finished can be manually threaded onto mandrel 220 and self threaded through the assembled ring 210 by the motion of belt 225. The two halves of ring 210 are fastened together, for example, by bolts hinges or other suitable fastening means.
Mounted on the ends of frame 205 are drive rollers 230 and 235. These rollers 230 and 235 are rotatably mounted and are driven by an appropriate motor or motors 270, 272 (FIG. 4). As more fully described below, drive rollers 230 and 235 serve to drive the belt 225 which in turn carries the tubular knit fabric into the mandrel 220 and ring 210 assembly. Rollers 230, 235 can be driven synchronously or asynchronously depending on the particular operation being performed.
Referring now to FIG. 4, a detent 215 is formed in ring 210 in order to retain mandrel 220 in its proper position in ring 210. Mandrel 220 has a detent which corresponds to detent 215 in ring 210. Without detent 215, mandrel 210 would be carried along by belt 225 in its direction of travel indicated by arrow A. Other mechanisms for retaining mandrel 220 in ring 210 can be used such as having distal end 212 of ring 210 have a smaller diameter than that of proximal end 211. In such an embodiment, mandrel 220 is shaped such that its diameter is less than the diameter of proximal end 212 of ring 210. In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the mandrel 220 and the proximal end 211 of ring 210 are substantially circular in cross section. Mandrel 220 and ring 210 are preferably manufactured from stainless steel in order to inhibit rusting.
As also depicted in FIG. 4, belt 225 has two surfaces, an upper surface 227 which comes into contact with the tubular knit fabric as is reaches compactor/extractor, and a lower surface 228 which contacts an inner surface of ring 210 at the point where the tubular knit fabric and belt 225 enter the mandrel 220 and ring 210 assembly. The lower surface 228 of belt 225 is in sliding contact with the inner surface of ring 210 and accordingly has a low coefficient of friction.
FIG. 5 is side view of the compactor/extractor 200 of the present invention with a portion of belt 225 and ring 210 cut away to reveal mandrel 220 in its operating position. Again, detent 215 in ring 210 is shown cooperating with a corresponding detent in mandrel 220 in order to maintain mandrel 220 in it proper position. Although the length of frame 205 can be varied, in a preferred embodiment, frame 205 is approximately 25 feet. In an alternative embodiment of the present invention, two mandrel 220 and ring 210 assemblies are mounted to a single frame. The first mandrel 220 ring 210 assembly performing extraction on the tubular knit fabric while the second mandrel 220 ring 210 assembly performs a compaction operation. In such an embodiment, frame 205 is fifty to one hundred feet long. This alternative embodiment would also include dryer enclosures for drying the fabric after the extraction process and two different belts 225 of differing hardness for the extraction and compaction processes.
In the preferred embodiment, mandrel 220 is approximately ten feet in length with a maximum diameter of forty inches. Ring 210 is approximately four feet in length with a maximum diameter large enough to accommodate mandrel 200, the thickness of belt 225 and the thickness of tubular knit fabric being processed. This diameter is approximately one half inch to one and one half inches greater than the diameter of mandrel 220.
The diameters of mandrel 220 and ring 210 are adjusted to accommodate the diameter of the type of tubular knit fabric to be processed. For example, if the diameter of the fabric is thirty inches, mandrel 220 should be approximately 30 inches in diameter and ring 210 should be only slightly larger. In actual manufacturing operations, adjustable diameter mandrels 220 and rings 210 can be provided to several different size mandrel 220 and rings 210 can be made available for mounting to frame 205. Furthermore, different width belts 225 must be provided to accommodate different diameter fabrics. In one embodiment, frame 205 can have several pairs of rails 207 in order to mount several different diameter mandrel 220 and ring 210 assemblies.
In the alternative embodiment depicted in FIG. 9, the ring 210' is formed with a frustoconical shape. In this embodiment, the front end 300 of ring 210' is large enough to accommodate the incoming belt 225 and tubular knit fabric being processed (see FIG. 8), while the rear end 310 has a diameter such that mandrel 220 (see FIG. 8) will not pulled out of the ring 210' along with the belt 225 and fabric. In this embodiment, as opposed to that depicted in FIG. 8, the mandrel 220 does not require any detents as required with the mandrel used in connection with ring 210 depicted in that Figure. The diameter of ring 210 at the front end 300 is approximately one half inch to one and one half inches greater than the diameter of mandrel 220 and the length is approximately four feet long.
FIG. 6 is a rear view of the compactor/extractor 200 of the present invention. Part of belt 225 has been cut away to reveal roller 230. As shown in this view, distal end of mandrel 220 has a circular cross-section, although this feature is not essential to the operation of compactor/extractor 200, the distal end of mandrel 200 which is outside of ring can essentially be of any shape desired. In the preferred embodiment depicted in FIG. 6, the shape is circular and is approximately the same diameter as the maximum diameter of mandrel 220. This shape is desired in order to maintain the shape of the tubular knit fabric as it exits ring 210. In an alternative embodiment, the proximal end of mandrel 220 can have a larger diameter cross section in order to transversely stretch a tubular knit fabric after it has been extracted. Furthermore, mandrel 220 can be heated in order to aid in the extraction and drying process.
FIGS. 7 and 8 depict the compactor/extractor 200 of the present invention when in actual operation. FIG. 7 is a similar view that of FIG. 4, except that a length of tubular knit fabric has been fed on compactor/extractor 200. FIG. 8 is cross section of FIG. 7 taken in the area of mandrel 220 and ring 210.
As seen in FIG. 7, tubular knit material 300 is initially fed onto belt 225. If the compactor/extractor 200 is being used for an extraction operation, fabric 300 is most likely in rope form and is saturated with liquid. In the initial setting up of compactor/extractor 200, the fabric is fed onto the distal conical end of mandrel 200 and is carried through ring 210 by the movement of belt 225.
As shown in FIG. 8, when in operation, the compactor/extractor 200 of the present invention essentially creates a sandwich configuration consisting of, from top to bottom, ring 210, belt 225, fabric 300, mandrel 220, fabric 300, belt 225 and the bottom half of ring 210. As the rollers 230, 235 (see FIG. 3) are driven, belt 225 will move in the direction of arrow A. Due to friction between fabric 300 and belt 225, fabric 300 will be carried along with belt 225 through the mandrel 220 ring 210 assembly.
In the preferred embodiment, the present invention can be used either as a compactor or an extractor. When used in the extraction mode, the pressure which ring 210 exerts against the belt 225 and fabric 300 will express the liquid cut of fabric 300. The belt 225 in an extractor 200 is constructed from a relatively hard rubber material with a hardness, for example, of 85 to 90 durometers. Mandrel 220 forms the support against which ring 210 exerts this pressure. Since fabric 300 is the element with the greatest degree of compressibility, it will tend to compress and thereby the liquid is squeezed out of the fabric 300. The ring 210 and mandrel 220 at point A in FIG. 8 essentially form a nip for expressing the water out of fabric 300.
By adjusting the distance, the gap, between the inner surface of ring 210 and mandrel 220, the amount of compression and therefore the amount of extraction of fabric 300 can be adjusted. At one extreme of compression, the sandwich of belt 225 and fabric 300 will not be able to move through the mandrel 220 ring 210 assembly. At the other end of compression, little to no force is exerted on the belt 225 or fabric 300 and therefore no liquid is expressed. In between these two extremes is a value of compression which will provide the proper amount of squeezing of the fabric 300. In one embodiment of the extractor of the present invention, the forward end of mandrel 220 is lower than the rear end in order to allow the extracted liquid to drain from the machine.
As stated above, the present invention can be used either as a compactor or an extractor. When used as a compactor, the function of the mandrel 220 and ring 210 assembly is to longitudinally tighten the stitches in the knit fabric. Compaction is accomplished by the present invention by driving roller 235 at a slightly higher speed than that of roller 230. The difference in speeds will tend to bunch, and therefore feed fabric 300 into the mandrel 220 ring 210 assembly. As the fabric 300 is forced into the gap between the mandrel 220 and the ring 210, the stitches in fabric 300 will be forced together and thereby shrink the length of the fabric 300. The ever closer hatched lines in the fabric 300 depicted in FIG. 8 illustrate this compaction of the stitches in fabric 300. When used as a compactor, the belt 225 is preferably made from a material with a greater compressibility than the belt 225 used for the extraction process.
As appreciated by those skilled in the art, steam can be applied to tubular knit fabric 300 prior to its entrance to the ring 210 and mandrel 220 assembly. As in the prior art, the steam provides moisture and heat to the fabric 300 in order to render it more pliable during the compaction process. A knife or other cutting device can be placed downstream from the exit end of the ring 210 in order to cut the tubular fabric 300 and deliver it open width to a desired size.
It is readily appreciated that the cylindrical construction of the apparatus of the present invention allows for finishing of the tubular knit fabric in its tubular form. This solves the greatest single problem with the prior art finishing machines which create creases in the tubular fabric by finishing the fabric in flat form. The present invention finishes the tubular fabric without any creases whatsoever. This advantage of the present invention provides a tremendous flexibility for the use of the tubular knit fabric previously unattainable in the prior art.
Although the application of the cylindrical machine of the present invention has been described with respect to extraction and compaction, the machine is a universal finishing machine and has applicability to all phases of finishing such as bleaching, dying and drying. For example, the cylindrical finishing machine of the present invention can be used in a dying process, either submerged in the dye bath itself or through application of the dye while the tubular knit fabric is in its spread state on the mandrel 220. This has clear advantages over the prior art because the edge creases created by the prior art generate inconsistent dying in the crease region. In a drying process, the ring 210 and mandrel 220 assembly can be encased in a dryer. The spreading of the fabric on the mandrel 200 will decrease the drying time and, as described above, will not impart any edge creases as created by the prior art finishing machines. Belt 225 can also be made of a porous material and a vacuum can be applied to the exterior to aid in the extraction and drying of the fabric.
Although the present invention has been described with respect to particular embodiments thereof, many other variations, modifications and other uses will be apparent to those skilled in the art. Accordingly, the present invention should not be limited by the specific disclosure contained herein.
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A cylindrical shaped mandrel is used as a support inside the sleeve of tubular knit fabric, for maintaining the cylindrical shape of the fabric during extraction and compacting processes. Encasing the fabric and the mandrel is a larger diameter cylindrical ring member which presses the fabric against the mandrel in order to perform the extraction and compaction processes. The ring member extends for some distance in the longitudinal direction of travel of the knit fabric and contains a mechanism, such as a detent, for retaining the mandrel in place. A rope of tubular fabric is conveyed into the mandrel/ring assembly by an endless conveyor or belt made from a flexible material such as rubber. As the fabric is fed onto the mandrel, the belt forms a cylindrical sleeve around the fabric and the mandrel and is compressed by the cylindrical ring.
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This application claims the benefit of Korean Application No. 47183/1999, filed in the Republic of Korea on Aug. 16, 2000, which is hereby incorporated by reference.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method for fabricating a semiconductor device, and more particularly, to a method for fabricating a gate oxide film of a semiconductor device by which semiconductor devices having different electrical characteristics can be implemented in the same chip.
2. Description of the Background Art
Recently, as the degree of integration of a semiconductor, in particular, a DRAM (dynamic random access memory) increases, it is often the case that a transistor of a memory cell unit and a transistor of a peripheral circuit have a different operating voltage with each other. In other words, the transistor of the memory cell unit fabricated with a fine line width operates at a voltage less than 1.8V, and the transistor of the peripheral circuit operates at a voltage of 3.3V or 5V for matching with exterior system equipment.
Accordingly, as devices having different operating voltages are formed in the same chip, there occurs a problem that a gate oxide film of the transistors formed in the same semiconductor chip must have different thicknesses.
Methods conventionally known as a method for forming a gate electrode having different thicknesses in the same chip will now be described.
First, FIGS. 1A through 1D illustrate a method for fabricating a gate oxide film by a dual step oxidation process.
As illustrated in FIG. 1A, a semiconductor substrate 10 is prepared.
Next, as illustrated in FIG. 1B, a first gate oxide film 11 is formed on the top surface of the semiconductor substrate 10 .
Next, as illustrated in FIG. 1C, the first gate oxide film 11 of a portion on which a relatively thin gate oxide film is to be selectively etched and removed to thereby expose parts of the top surface of the semiconductor substrate 10 .
Next, as illustrated in FIG. 1D, a second gate oxide film 12 is formed on the top surface of the first gate oxide film 11 and the top surface of the semiconductor device 10 .
Besides the above-said method using the dual step oxidation process, there is a method for fabricating a gate oxide film using an ion implantation process. This method will now be described with reference to FIGS. 2A through 2D and FIGS. 3A through 3D.
First, FIGS. 2A through 2D illustrates a method for fabricating a gate oxide film using a nitrogen ion implantation process.
As illustrated in FIG. 2A, a semiconductor substrate 20 is prepared.
Next, as illustrated in FIG. 2B, a screen oxide film 21 is formed on the top surface of the semiconductor substrate 20 . Then, an ion implantation mask 22 is formed on the screen oxide film 21 of a portion on which a relatively thick oxide film is to be formed. Then, nitrogen (N 2 ) ions are implanted into the semiconductor substrate 20 of a portion being not covered with the ion implantation mask 22 .
Next, as illustrated in FIG. 2C, the screen oxide film 21 and the ion implantation mask are removed.
Next, when a gate oxide film 23 is formed on the top surface of the semiconductor substrate 20 , as illustrated in FIG. 2D, a thin oxide film 23 a is formed on a portion into which nitrogen ions are implanted, because oxidation is restrained, and a relatively thick oxide film 23 b is formed on a portion into which nitrogen ions are not implanted.
In addition, a method for fabricating a gate oxide film using a fluoride ion implantation process will now be described with reference to FIGS. 3A through 3D.
First, as illustrated in FIG. 3A, a semiconductor substrate 30 is prepared.
Next, as illustrated in FIG. 3B, a screen oxide film 31 is formed on the top surface of the semiconductor substrate 30 . Next, an ion implantation mask 32 is formed on the top surface of the screen oxide film 31 of a portion on which a relatively thin gate oxide film is to be formed. Then, fluoride ions are implanted into the semiconductor substrate 30 using the ion implantation mask 32 .
Next, as illustrated in FIG. 3C, the ion implantation mask 32 and the screen oxide film 31 are removed.
Next as illustrated in FIG. 3D, a gate oxide film 33 having different thicknesses is formed on the top surface of the semiconductor substrate 30 by oxidation of the semiconductor substrate 30 . That is, a thick gate oxide film is formed on the top surface of the semiconductor of a portion into which fluoride ions are implanted, and a thin gate oxide film is formed on a portion into which fluoride ions are not implanted.
However, the above-described conventional methods for fabricating a gate oxide film has the following problems. First, the method for fabricating a gate oxide film by the dual step oxidation process has a complicated procedure, and a peripheral portion of a fabricated, thick gate oxide film becomes thinner and a breakdown is easily occurred on a thinned portion.
Second, in case of the fluoride ion implantation process, since a large amount of fluoride ions must be implanted in order to make the thickness of a gate oxide film different according to its portion, the semiconductor substrate is largely damaged to thus increase the amount of leakage current.
Third, the nitrogen implantation process is disadvantageous in that, in case of forming a gate oxide film on the top surface of the semiconductor substrate into which nitrogen ions are implanted, the gate oxide film is degraded, although it is advantageous in that a smaller amount of ions can be implanted as to compared to the fluoride ion implantation process, which rather decreases the amount of leakage current.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, the present invention provides a method for fabricating a gate oxide film of a semiconductor device having a small leakage current amount and a high reliability by reducing the concentration of nitrogen in the gate oxide film when a gate oxide film having different thicknesses according to its portion is fabricated on the top surface of a semiconductor substrate using a nitrogen ion implantation process.
A method for fabricating a gate oxide film of a semiconductor device according to the present invention includes the steps of: forming a screen oxide film on the top surface of a semiconductor substrate; forming an ion implantation mask on parts of the top surface of the screen oxide film; implanting nitrogen ions into the semiconductor substrate using the ion implantation mask; removing the ion implantation mask and the screen oxide film; forming an oxide film on the top surface of the semiconductor substrate; and annealing the semiconductor substrate.
There is provided a method for fabricating a gate oxide film of a semiconductor device according to the present invention which further includes a pre-annealing step after the ion implantation step.
A method for fabricating a gate oxide film of a semiconductor device according to the present invention includes the pre-annealing step by a process of annealing at 500-900° C. by a furnace annealing method.
In a further aspect of the invention, there is provided a method for fabricating a gate oxide film of a semiconductor device wherein the pre-annealing step is a process of annealing at 850-1200° C. by a rapid thermal annealing method.
In another aspect of the invention, there is provided a method for fabricating a gate oxide film of a semiconductor device wherein the oxide film formation step being a method for thermal oxidation at a furnace of 700-950° C.
A method for fabricating a gate oxide film of a semiconductor device according to the present invention includes the oxide film formation step being a method for thermal oxidation at 850-1200° C. at the rapid thermal annealing method.
A method for fabricating a gate oxide film of a semiconductor device according to the present invention includes the annealing step being performed by means of the rapid thermal annealing method in a N 2 O atmosphere at a temperature of 900-1200° C. for about less than five minutes.
The annealing step can also be performed by means of the thermal annealing method in an O 3 atmosphere at a temperature of 400-1200° C. for about five minutes.
The annealing step can also be performed by means of the furnace annealing method in a N 2 O atmosphere at a temperature of 850-1200° C. for about one hour.
In another aspect of the invention, there is provided a method for fabricating a gate oxide film of a semiconductor device according to the present invention wherein the annealing step is performed by means of the rapid thermal annealing method in a N 2 O atmosphere at a temperature of 900-1200° C. for about less than five minutes.
Additional advantages, aspects and features of the invention will become more apparent from the description which follows.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The present invention will become better understood with reference to the accompanying drawings which are given only by way of illustration and thus are not limitative of the present invention, wherein:
FIGS. 1A through 1D are a process chart illustrating one example of a method for fabricating a gate oxide film according to the conventional art;
FIGS. 2A through 2D are a process chart illustrating another example of a method for fabricating a gate oxide film according to the conventional art;
FIGS. 3A through 3D are a process chart illustrating still another example of a method for fabricating a gate oxide film according to the conventional art;
FIGS. 4A through 4D are a process chart illustrating a method for fabricating a gate oxide film according to the present invention;
FIG. 5 is a graph illustrating the results of the SIMS analysis after annealing;
FIG. 6 is a graph illustrating the changes in leakage current after annealing of a gate oxide film; and
FIG. 7 is a graph illustrating the characteristics of an oxide film, e.g., a graph illustrating the amount of electric charge accumulated in the oxide film to the breakdown of the oxide film.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
A first embodiment of the present invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
First, as illustrated in FIGS. 4A and 4B, a screen oxide film 41 is formed on the top surface of a semiconductor device at a thickness of less than 200 Å.
Next, as illustrated in FIG. 4B, an ion implantation mask 42 is formed on the top surface of the screen oxide film 41 . The ion implantation mask 42 is formed only on the top surface of a portion on which a relatively thick gate oxide film is to be formed. Then, nitrogen ions are implanted into the semiconductor substrate 40 . At this time, the ion implantation process is performed with the implantation amount of nitrogen ions ranging from 5×10 13 cm 2 to 5×10 11 cm 2 and the ion implantation energy of 5-50 KeV.
Next, in order to prevent the damage to the semiconductor substrate occurred due to the ion implantation process and move the distribution of nitrogen (N) atoms in the vicinity of the screen oxide film 41 , a pre-annealing process is performed. At this time, in case of furnace annealing, the pre-annealing process is performed at a furnace temperature of 500-900° C. for less than six hours. Meanwhile, in case of rapid thermal annealing (RTA), the pre-annealing process is performed at 850-1200° C. for less than five minutes.
Next, as illustrated in FIG. 4C, the screen oxide film 41 and the ion implantation mask 42 are removed.
Next, as illustrated in FIG. 4D, a gate oxide film 43 is formed on the top surface of the semiconductor substrate 40 . At this time, a relatively thin gate oxide film 43 a is formed on the top surface of the semiconductor substrate of a portion into which nitrogen ions are implanted, and a relatively thick gate oxide film 43 b is formed on the top surface of the semiconductor substrate of a portion into which nitrogen ions are not implanted. In addition, the oxide film formation process is a process of wet oxidation at a furnace temperature of 700-950° C. by the rapid thermal annealing method, or a process of dry oxidation at a furnace temperature of 850-1200° C. by the same method.
Next, as illustrated in FIG. 4D, the semiconductor substrate 40 on which the gate oxide film 43 is fabricated is annealed. The conditions of the annealing process are as follows. In case of the rapid thermal annealing process, it is performed in a N 2 O gas atmosphere at 850-1200° C. for about less than five minutes. In case of the furnace annealing process, it is performed in a N 2 O gas atmosphere at 800-1200° C. for about less than one hour. During this annealing process, nitrogen atoms (N) in the semiconductor substrate are moved to the interface between the oxide film and the semiconductor substrate to thus increase the nitrogen concentration of the interface portion, and nitrogen atoms (N) in the oxide film go outside to thus decrease the nitrogen concentration of the gate oxide film.
FIG. 5 is a graph illustrating the changes in the number of nitrogen atoms in the gate oxide film in both cases of including the annealing process and not including the annealing process after the formation of the gate oxide film. That is, FIG. 5 shows the results of the SIMS (secondary ion mass spectroscopy) analysis after the annealing process. In FIG. 5, white plots (“□”, “◯”, “Δ”, “∇”) show the number of oxygen atoms, while black plots (“▪”, “”, “▴”, “▾”) show the number of nitrogen atoms. In particular, plots “□” and “▪” show the number of oxygen atoms and the number of nitrogen atoms, respectively, when the annealing is not performed. The plots “◯” and “” show the number of oxygen atoms and the number of nitrogen atoms, respectively, when the annealing is performed in a N 2 atmosphere at 1050° C. for 30 seconds. The plots “Δ” and “▴” show the number of oxygen atoms and the number of nitrogen atoms, respectively, when the annealing is performed in a NO atmosphere. The plots “∇” and “▾” show the number of oxygen atoms and the number of nitrogen atoms, respectively, when the annealing is performed in a N 2 O atmosphere.
FIG. 5 illustrates the changes in the number of nitrogen atoms according to a sputtering time. In addition, the graph of FIG. 5 corresponds to the profile of nitrogen atoms in the oxide film and the semiconductor substrate. In FIG. 5, it is assumed that a region (“A” zone) in which the number of oxygen atoms is large shows the depth profile of the distribution of concentration of oxygen atoms in the oxide film region, a region (“C” zone) in which the number of oxygen atoms is small shows the depth profile of the distribution of concentration of oxygen atoms in the silicon substrate region, and the middle region (“B” zone) shows the profile of oxygen atoms in the interface portion between the oxide film and the semiconductor substrate.
As illustrated in FIG. 5, as the result of performing annealing in a N 2 O atmosphere at 1050° C. for 30 seconds by the rapid thermal annealing method, it is shown that the number of nitrogen atoms in the oxide film (“A” zone) is decreased as compared to the case of not performing annealing. This is because the nitrogen atoms are discharged to the outside during the annealing process. In addition, it is shown that the number of nitrogen atoms is slightly increased in the interface portion (“B” zone) between the oxide film and the silicon substrate. This is because nitrogen ions in the semiconductor substrate move toward the interface portion during the annealing process.
Meanwhile, in case of performing annealing in a NO atmosphere, there is almost no change in the profile of nitrogen atoms in the oxide film as compared to prior to the annealing, and the number of nitrogen atoms in the interface between the semiconductor substrate and the oxide film is increased.
On the contrary, in case of performing annealing in a N 2 atmosphere, there is no change in the profile of nitrogen atoms in the oxide film.
Thus, it is most appropriate that the annealing is performed in a N 2 O atmosphere so as to improve the characteristics of the semiconductor device.
Meanwhile, FIG. 6 is a graph illustrating the increase of the amount of leakage current after forming a gate oxide film and performing annealing. As illustrated therein, in case of performing the annealing in a N 2 O atmosphere, it can be known that the amount of leakage current is decreased as compared to the case of not performing the annealing.
In addition, FIG. 7 is a graph illustrating the characteristics of the oxide film, which shows the amount of electric charge (Qbd) accumulated in the oxide film to the breakdown of the oxide film. In FIG. 7, the plot “▪” shows the case of not performing the annealing, the plot “” shows the case of performing the annealing, and the plot “▴” shows the case of not performing a nitrogen ion implantation.
As illustrated therein, it can be known that the Qbd after the annealing is larger than the Qbd prior to the annealing, after the nitrogen ion implantation.
Therefore, when the annealing is performed in a N 2 O or O 3 atmosphere after the nitrogen ion implantation, the degree of degradation of the oxide film becomes lower, and the reliability of the oxide film become higher, as compared to the case of not performing the annealing.
According to the present invention, the concentration of nitrogen in the gate oxide film is decreased, and the concentration of nitrogen in the interface between the gate oxide film and the semiconductor substrate is increased, by additionally including an annealing process after the formation of the gate oxide film, in fabricating multiple gate oxide films using a nitrogen ion implantation. As the result, there is an effect of decreasing the degradation of the gate oxide film and the amount of leakage current for thereby increasing the reliability of the gate oxide film. In addition, since the concentration of nitrogen in the interface between the gate oxide film and the semiconductor substrate is increased, in case of a P-MOS transistor, boron in a gate electrode is prevented from penetrating into the semiconductor substrate, thus making the change in threshold voltage of the transistor and improving the characteristics of the semiconductor device.
As the present invention may be embodied in several forms without departing from the spirit or essential characteristics thereof, it should also be understood that the above-described embodiments are not limited by any of the details of the foregoing description, unless otherwise specified, but rather should be construed broadly within its spirit and scope as defined in the appended claims, and therefore all changes and modifications that fall within the meets and bounds of the claims, or equivalences of such meets and bounds are therefore intended to be embraced by the appended claims.
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The present invention relates to a method for fabricating a semiconductor device, and more particularly, to a method for fabricating a gate oxide film of a semiconductor device by which semiconductor devices having different electrical characteristics can be implemented in the same chip. The present invention provides a method for fabricating a gate oxide film of a semiconductor device which includes the steps of: forming a screen oxide film on the top surface of a semiconductor substrate; forming an ion implantation mask on parts of the top surface of the screen oxide film; implanting nitrogen ions into the semiconductor substrate using the ion implantation mask; removing the ion implantation mask and the screen oxide film; forming an oxide film on the top surface of the semiconductor substrate; and annealing the semiconductor substrate in a N 2 O or O 3 atmosphere.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention concerns a jack extension tube for use on power seat adjuster mechanisms for vehicles, and in particular, to a jack extension tube having improved strength and fatigue resistance
Jack extension tubes are used in power seat adjuster mechanisms for vehicles to operably connect a vehicle seat to a powering mechanism to move the seat. By varying tube length, jack extension tubes allow a particular seat adjuster mechanism to be used with seats on different vehicle models. Further, the tubular oonstruction allows cost savings and weight savings over solid rod-like parts. However, some prior art jack extension tubes have been known to fail due to stresses that occur as the seat adjuster mechanism is used and/or as people repeatedly sit on the vehicle seat.
Two known prior art jack extension tubes in particular are described in this application in the attached Figures. In both of these jack extension tubes, one end includes a pair of punched or drilled transverse holes, and the other end includes a nut that is press-fit into the tube, after which the tube is clinched to further secure the nut in place. However, the material forming the holes tends to tear or fatigue and prematurely fail. Also, the nut tends to prematurely fail by pulling out and/or by loosening over time.
Thus, an improved jack extension tube with improved strength solving the aforementioned problems is desired.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention includes a jack extension tube for use on power seat adjuster mechanisms for vehicles. In one aspect, the jack extension tube includes a longitudinally extending tube having a first section and a second section spaced from the first section. A threaded member is retained in the first section and includes threads adapted to be engaged longitudinally from one end of the tube by a jack screw The second section includes material defining a pair of aligned opposing apertures adapted to receive a pin-like member or self-tapping screw, the pair of apertures defining a direction transverse to the longitudinal direction of the tube. The material defining the apertures is extruded in the transverse direction so as to form opposing flanges defining enlarged, cylindrically-shaped surfaces that provide an enlarged, work-hardened, bearing surface to support the pin-like member when the pin-like member is received therein. This increases the wear resistance and fatigue resistance of the second section, thus allowing the tube to be operably connected to the seat by the pin-like member and the jack screw to be threaded into the threaded member and rotated by a powering device so as to control the movement of the vehicle seat.
In another aspect, the jack extension tube includes a first section and a second section spaced from the first section, the first section defining a first inner diameter. A threaded member is located in the first section and includes a knurled outer surface defining a second diameter about equal to the first inner diameter. The threaded member is frictionally retained in the first section by the first section being inwardly extruded onto the threaded member such that the first section is forced into close engagement with the knurled outer surface. The second section includes means for securing a pin-like member therein so that the jack extension tube can be operably connected between a vehicle seat and a vehicle seat adjuster mechanism.
The preferred embodiments of the present invention include several advantages over known prior art. The threaded nut-like member is frictionally retained by inwardly extruding the tube onto the nut. This provides a significant increase in tensile pullout strength of the connection over known jack extension tubes, the increase being about double the tensile pullout force of the prior known devices. Also, the transversely extruded holes also provide an improved connection which is much more resistant to fatigue failure from cyclical loading or tensile failure. Also, the extruded hole arrangement provides a thread strip-out torque of about double the previous thread strip-out torque over non-extruded holes where self-tapping screws are used.
These and other features, advantages and objects of the present invention will be further understood and appreciated by those skilled in the art by reference to the following specification, claims and appended drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a broken side view of a jack extension tube embodying the present invention;
FIG. 2 is a fragmentary side view of the jack extension tube in FIG. 1 but taken orthogonally to FIG. 1;
FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along the plane III--III in FIG. 1;
FIG. 4 is a sectional schematic view showing the piercing of opposing apertures in the tube and the extruding of flanges around the apertures;
FIGS. 5-6 are sectional schematic views showing the collapsing of the flattened end of the tube while causing the inwardly extruded flanges to abut and also while forming embossments around the apertures;
FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a threaded nut like member of the type used in the present invention;
FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the jack extension tube including the raw tube, the threaded member and jack screw, the die halves for inwardly extruding the tube onto the threaded member, and the doughnut-shaped extruding-die driver;
FIG. 9 is a fragmentary side view of a modified jack extension, tube;
FIG. 10 is a fragmentary side view of another
tube;
FIGS. 11--12 and FIGS. 13--4 are side and orthogonal views of two known, prior art jack extension tubes;
FIGS. 15-16 are cross sections taken from the prior art tubular hinge arm shown in FIG. 17; and
FIG. 17 is a side view of a prior art tubular hinge arm.
DESCRIPTION OF PRIOR ART
A known jack extension tube 200 (FIGS. 11 and 2) of prior art includes a metallic tubular section having a flattened end 202 with a drilled or punched transverse hole 204 located therein and also includes a second end 206 spaced from flattened end 202. Second end 206 has a predetermined inner diameter, and is configured so that it can press-fittingly receive a cylindrically-shaped nut 208 with knurled outer surface 210. After the press fitting, second end 206 is clinched at opposing locations 214 to force tube material partially into ring-like groove 212 in nut 208 so as to provide additional frictional resistance to movement of nut 208 in tube 200.
A second known jack extension tube 220 (FIGS. 13 and 14) of prior art includes a metallic tubular section having an end 222 with a pair of slits 224 therein for receiving a flat blade-like member (not shown). A pair of aligned holes 226 are drilled or punched in end 222 perpendicular to slits 224 so that a bolt (not shown) can be extended through holes 226 and through the flat member to retain the flat member in slits 224 in end 222. The other end of tube 220 is substantially the same as end 206 in tube 200.
A prior art tubular hinge arm 240 is shown in FIG. 17, and two cross sections of the prior art tubular hinge arm 240 are shown in FIGS. 15 and 16. The first cross section (FIG. 15) is taken through a first end 241 and includes a flat side 242. A pair of opposing aligned holes 244 are pierced and extruded inwardly on the tube before the tube is flattened, after which flat side 242 is formed with one of the holes 244 ending up on the flat side 242. Holes 244 are used to threadably receive a self-tapping screw (not shown) to secure the hinge arm 240 to a vehicle body panel. Tubular hinge arm 240 further includes a second end 246 for which a second cross section is shown in FIG. 16. As shown, two aligned holes 248 are extruded inwardly and a pivot pin 250 with longitudinal serrations is press-fit therein. A bracket 252 is spot welded to the second end. Bracket 252 stiffens tube end 246 but does not support pivot pin 250 directly since it includes enlarged holes 254 that space bracket 252 away from pivot pin 250.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
A jack extension tube 20 (FIGS. 1-3) embodying the present invention includes a first end 22 adapted to be operably connected to a vehicle seat (not shown) and a second end 24 with a threaded nut like member 26 frictionally secured therein. A jack screw 28 is operably received in the threaded member so that by operating a seat adjuster powering mechanism (not shown) connected to the jack screw 28, the jack screw 28 is rotated thus causing the jack extension tube 20 to extend/retract to reposition the vehicle seat as desired. Jack extension tube 20 is constructed so as to exhibit improved tensile strength and fatigue resistance over prior known jack extension tubes such as that shown in FIGS. 11, 12 herein while providing manufacturability for consistent manufacture.
More particularly, first end 22 (FIGS. 1-3) is generally formed by extruding aperture-forming flanges in tube 20 and then deforming or collapsing tube sidewalls 30 and 32 toward each other until the extruded flanges formed in sidewalls 30 and 32 contact each other. Specifically, before the step of collapsing and while tube end 22 is still in the round, apertures 34 and 36 are punched into tube end 22 by opposed punches such as those shown at 37 (FIG. 4). This is accomplished by supporting the outside surface of the sidewalls of tube end 22 during the step of punching, such as by stabilizing the tube end 22 with die halves 39A and 39B. At the same time (or in a separate step), apertures 34 and 36 are extruded inwardly to form inwardly oriented flanges 38 and 40. One or more pilot pins 42 are then placed through apertures 34 and 36 (FIG. 5), and sidewalls 30 and 32 are pressed together with sufficient force such as by dies 44 and 45 to cause sidewalls 30 and 32 to collapse substantially flat and proximate each other but spaced apart slightly (FIG. 6). Deforming dies 44 and 45 include a pair of recesses 48, 50 for forming an embossment 51 on each sidewall 30, 32 around each apertures 34 and 36, embossments 51 assisting in the reverse extrusion process noted below so that wall section 52 is fully formed.
Notably, as sidewalls 30 and 32 are collapsed (FIG. 6) and/or as the punch 42 is withdrawn (FIG. 4), material around apertures 34 and 36 is reverse extruded and forced to form a substantially continuous cylindrical tubular wall section 52 (FIG. 3) Wall section 52 defines an enlarged surface area 54 having a thickness D1 that is about equal to or greater than the total thickness D2 of sidewalls 30 and 32 plus the space 53 therebetween. The extrusion and reverse extrusion also work-hardens wall section 52 providing increased strength. Also, the enlarged surface area 54 defining apertures 34 and 36 provides an increased bearing surface area, which area has increased wear resistance for pivotal attachment of a vehicle seat such as by a pin or shoulder bolt shaft or self-tapping screw or other fastener. Notably, wall section 52 provides an enlarged surface engageable by a self-tapping screw or fastener, the enlarged area serving to increase the thread strip resistance of the assembly as the self-tapping screw is torqued into position. For example, in testing, wall section 52 has provided a strip torque of about 40-50 NM, as compared to the strip torque of the prior art device shown in FIGS. 11, 12 of about 22 NM.
Threaded nut-like member 26 (FIG. 7) includes a cylindrically-shaped outer surface 46 and a threaded inner hole 48, the threads in hole 48 being configured to mateably engage the threaded shaft of jack screw 28. Outer surface 46 includes serrated rings 50 separated by a groove-like ring 52. Notably, member 26 can be several different lengths depending upon design requirements. The diameter D3 of outer surface 46 is such that member 26 can be press-fit into the inner diameter D4 of second end 24 of tube 20.
Jack screw 28 (FIGS 1 and 8), with which the present invention is designed for use, includes a threaded shaft 56 adapted to engage the threads in hole 48 of threaded member 26, and a spiral gear 57 for engaging the seat adjuster powering mechanism. The end 58 opposite spiral gear 57 is peened over or otherwise is configured so that jack screw 28 cannot be fully unscrewed out of threaded member 26. Thus, jack screw 28 is limited in its longitudinal, fore-to-aft movement in threaded member 26.
In the present invention, second end 24 of jack extension tube 20 is inwardly extruded onto threaded nut-like member 26. By this method, the tensile strength of threaded member 26 in tube end 24 (i.e., the frictional resistance of threaded member 26 from being pushed/pulled out of tube end 24) has been found to be 5000 pounds force or more. This compares to about 2200 pounds under the prior art device shown in FIG. 11 and discussed earlier (i.e., wherein the nut was press-fit and clinched).
The process of inwardly extruding second end 24 is illustrated in FIG. 8 and includes press-fittingly positioning nut 26 within tube second end 24 with jack screw extended a distance out of nut 26. A pair of finger-like extruding members 60 and 62 are shaped to mateably close against each other on tuber end 24. Members 60 and 62 include upper portions 64 and 65 which close to define an aperture 66 and lower portions 68 and 69 for manipulating upper portions 64 and 65. When closed together, aperture 66 defines a shape having a diameter less than outer tube diameter D5 of tube end 24. A doughnut-shaped sleeve-like driver die 72 includes an aperture 74 having an inside diameter D6 greater than spiral gear 57 so that it can slip longitudinally over the end of jack screw 26 onto upper portions 64 and 65. The inner diameter D6 of driver die 72 and the thickness of upper portions 64 and 65 are predetermined so that driver die 72 mateably compresses upper portions 64 and 65 against tube end 24 as driver die is moved onto upper portions 64 and 65 over tube end 24. Also, driver die 72 includes a slot 73 therein shaped to receive lower portions 68 and 69 to prevent interference with extruding members 60 and 62 during the extruding operation.
With threaded nut-like member 26 inserted into tube end 24, extruding members 60 and 62 are closed onto tube end 24 and driver 72 is extended over spiral gear 57 onto extruding members 60 and 62. Driver 72 thus forces extruding members 60 and 62 inwardly onto tube end 24 thus inwardly extruding the material of tube end 24 onto threaded nut like member 26. In particular, material of tube end 24 is forced into close engagement with the knurled surface on serrated rings 50 and into groove-like ring 52 on all sides thereof. This close engagement provides uniform and substantially complete contact against the perimeter of threaded nut like member 26, thus assuring increased strength and durability and long life Once driver 72 is removed, extruding members 60 and 62 are separated and readied for the next part to be processed.
In the preferred form, it is contemplated that the jack extension tube 20 will be about 10 inches long and extendable to about 12 1/4 inches, however the invention is contemplated to include various length tubes either shorter or longer and having shorter or longer extension lengths. In the preferred form, it is contemplated that the tube will be made from SAE 1018 HR-RW tube of about 0.875 inch outside diameter and 16 gauge wall thickness, however the invention is contemplated to include tubes of various diameters, wall thicknesses and material composition. For example, the tube could also be made of aluminum
A modified jack extension tube 100 (FIG. 9) embodying the present invention is substantially similar to jack extension tube 20, but jack extension tube 100 includes flattened end 102 wherein a space 108 is left between both sidewalls 104 and 106 and also between extruded flanges 114 and 116 formed in sidewalls 104 and 106. Specifically, inwardly extruded apertures 110 and 112 in flattened sidewalls 104 and 106 are defined by the inwardly extruded flanges 114 and 116, with flanges 114 and 116 being positioned proximate each other but not in abutting contact (FIG. 9) Notably, embossments 118 and 120 are formed on the exterior of sidewalls 104 and 106 by reverse extrusion as punch 37 is withdrawn (i.e., similar to FIG. 4) and/or as the sidewalls 104 and 106 are flattened (i e., similar to FIGS. 5-6). If necessary, an insert (not shown) can be placed in the end of tube end 102 to support flanges 114 and 116 in their spaced condition during the step of collapsing tube end 102.
Another modified jack extension tube 130 embodying the present invention is shown in FIG. 10. Jack extension tube 130 does not include a flattened end, but rather includes a slotted end 132 with a pair of slots 134 aligned across a diameter of the tube for receiving a flat blade-like member (not shown) and a pair of inwardly extruded apertures 136 positioned radially perpendicular to slots 134 The flat blade-like member has a thickness so that it can be positioned in slots 134, and further includes an attachment hole so that a bolt or screw can be extended through apertures 136 to secure the flat member in place. It is contemplated that apertures 136 can be reverse extruded or embossed, as previously described in relation to jack extension tubes 20 and 100, depending upon the functional requirements of the particular part being manufactured.
Thus, there is provided jack extension tubes having improved ends providing a more durable and stable attachment. In one end, the jack extension tubes include inwardly extruded holes, which may be formed against each other for improved structure and strength. In the other end, the jack extension tubes include an inwardly extruded portion that closely engages a threaded nut-like member positioned therein, the inwardly extruded portion exhibiting improved frictional tensile strength for holding the threaded nut-like member in place.
In the foregoing description, it will be readily appreciated by those skilled in the art that modifications may be made to the invention without departing from the concepts disclosed herein. Such modifications are to be considered as included in the following claims, unless these claims by their language expressly state otherwise.
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A jack extension tube for use on power seat adjuster mechanisms for vehicles is provided comprising an elongated tube having a first section and a second section spaced from the first section. A threaded member includes a knurled outer surface and is frictionally retained in the first section by inwardly extruding the tube onto the threaded member, the threaded member being engageable longitudinally from one end of said tube by a jack screw. The second section of the tube includes a pair of transversely oriented opposing apertures formed in the tube sidewalls and adapted to receive a pin-like member or fastener. The material defining the apertures is extruded in the transverse direction followed by collapsing the tube sidewalls so that the opposing flanges abut one another. Thus, the flanges provide a continuous, enlarged, work-hardened bearing surface to support the pin-like member or fastener.
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FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] This invention relates to a test handling apparatus and a test handling method. In particular, it relates to a test handling apparatus in or for a test handler for testing electronic devices and a method of operating a test handling apparatus.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] Test handling apparatus are used for automatically supplying electronic devices, such as semiconductor ICs or other electronic components, to electrical testers for testing. A test handling apparatus typically forms part of an overall test handler which also includes an input section for loading a plurality of test trays on which electronic devices are stored, a testing section electrically connected to a tester, and an output section for unloading the plurality of test trays. Electronic devices are loaded to the testing sections, such as test sites, normally in one group at a time, depending on the test configurations of different devices. Typical test setups may be for one, two or four devices per group for testing at one time, referred to as “single-site”, “dual-site” or “quad-site” tests respectively. A “device ready” signal is then sent to the tester to start the testing. The handler at the same time stops loading the electronic devices and waits for the testing to be completed. Upon completion of the testing, the tester pauses, and sends back a “testing completed” signal to the handler. The handler then retrieves the tested group of electronic devices from the testing section and subsequently supplies the next group of electronic devices to the testing section to continue the testing. The above cycle is repeated until all of the electronic devices have been tested.
[0003] To increase the test efficiency and to lower the costs, tester manufacturers have been making faster and faster testers for performing testing. While the test efficiency greatly depends on the overall test time, including the operation time of both the tester and the handler, the handler manufacturers are also seeking faster operating speeds for supplying and retrieving devices to and from the tester, so that the overall testing performance can be improved.
[0004] However, the operating speeds of handlers are limited by, for example, the constraints of the mechanical structures, in particular the loading/unloading and the interfacing mechanisms. While faster moving of the loading/unloading mechanism enables faster loading and unloading of the devices, it may also result in certain problems such as devices becoming jammed or stuck in the handler, especially under higher operating speeds. When this happens, the testing operation has to be interrupted to solve the problem, and therefore the testing efficiency is reduced. Further, a faster moving loading/unloading mechanism also requires high quality driving motors and precise parts. Therefore, increasing operating speed also increases the costs of handlers.
[0005] [0005]FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing the test time calculation of one typical working cycle for a tester and a test handling apparatus according to a conventional test handler. A typical test cycle includes a loading phase, a testing phase and an unloading phase. In the loading phase, the loading/unloading assembly picks-up the ICs to be tested from the input tray, moves them to the test sites, and places the ICs into the test sockets. In the testing phase, the tester activates to test the ICs and at the same time, the loading/unloading assembly stops. In the unloading phase upon completion of the test, the tester stops and the loading/unloading assembly operates again to retrieve the tested ICs and delivers these to the output tray, and returns to the input tray for picking-up subsequent ICs for testing. The above test cycle is repeated until all of the ICs have been tested.
[0006] In this example, the IC device is configured as a quad-site test, i.e. four ICs are tested at the same time with a 0.7 second test time. The handler has the capability of loading/unloading one group of ICs in one test cycle. It takes 1.2 seconds in the loading phase, and 0.8 seconds in the unloading phase.
[0007] The term “test time” refers to the time period the tester takes to test one group of ICs; the term “loading time” refers to the time period the loading/unloading assembly takes to pick-up one group of ICs from the input tray, and deliver the ICs to the test sites; and “unloading time” refers to the time the loading/unloading assembly takes to retrieve the ICs from the test sites upon completion of the testing, deliver the tested ICs to the output tray, and move back to the input tray for picking up the next group of ICs for testing. Apparently, the conventional test handler works in such a way that when the handler is moving, either while supplying the ICs to the testing sites or retrieving ICs from the testing sites, the tester is idle. The tester is testing only when the ICs are in the testing sites ready for testing. Under this configuration, the overall test capability represented by Units Per Hour (UPH) can be calculated as:
UPH 0 = ( number of ICs tested at same time ) × 3600 sec . / ( loading time + test time + unloading time ) = 4 × 3600 / ( 1.2 + 0.7 + 0.8 ) ≅ 5333
Tester use rate K 0 =(test time)/(cycle time)=0.7/(1.2+0.7+0.8)≅25.9%
[0008] Attempts have been made to improve the overall efficiency of test handling apparatus. U.S. Pat. No. 5,805,472 to Fukasawa entitled “Test handler For Semiconductor Devices” discloses a test handler for semiconductor devices which comprises test trays provided with respective identification codes for discriminating from other test trays, the identification codes being read by a reading device arranged respectively at given control sites in the test handler and stored in a control table, and controlled by a control device along with data on the control sites for reading the identification codes. In a test handler according to U.S. Pat. No. 5,805,472, the test trays can be located easily within the test handler to discriminate different lots of ICs. Different lots of ICs can be tested on a continuous basis so that the tester does not have to pause for the change-over of different product lots, therefore the suspension time of the tester can be reduced and the operation efficiency can be improved. While the overall testing efficiency may be improved by reducing the job change-over time, the test time within individual lots of devices remains unimproved.
[0009] It is therefore an aim of at least a preferred embodiment of the present invention to provide a test handling apparatus and/or a method for operating a test handler, which is capable of increasing the overall testing efficiency without substantially increasing the manufacturing costs of the handler.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0010] In accordance with a first aspect of the invention, there is provided a test handling apparatus for electronic device testing, the apparatus comprises a tester interface for communicating with a tester; at least two device interfaces each of which is connectable to the tester interface through a first connection, and each of which is connectable to a corresponding group of electronic devices through a second connection, wherein one of the first and the second connections is alternately connectable.
[0011] The term “tester interface” refers to the mechanism of a test handling apparatus for connecting with a tester for establishing electronic communications. The term “device interface” refers to the mechanism of a test handling apparatus for electrically connecting with electronic devices to be tested. The term “alternately connectable” refers to the situation where the at least two device interfaces are connectable to the tester interface one at a time and the electrical connection is interchangeable therebetween. The term “alternately connectable” also refers to the situation where the at least two device interfaces are connectable to the corresponding electronic devices one group at a time.
[0012] In a first embodiment, the first connection is alternately connectable and the second connection is simultaneously connectable.
[0013] The term “simultaneously connectable” refers to the situation where the at least two device interfaces are connected to the tester interface at the same time. It also refers to the situation where the at least two device interfaces are able to connect to their corresponding groups of electronic devices at the same time.
[0014] Preferably, the test handling apparatus further comprises a switch for alternately connecting the at least two device interfaces to the tester interface.
[0015] Preferably, the test handling apparatus further comprises a loading/unloading assembly for simultaneously supplying electronic devices to the at least two device interfaces for testing, and retrieving the electronic devices from the at least two device interfaces upon completion of testing.
[0016] Alternatively, the loading/unloading assembly comprises one test arm for simultaneously supplying electronic devices to the at least two device interfaces for testing, and simultaneously retrieving the electronic devices from the at least two device interfaces upon completion of testing.
[0017] Alternatively, the loading/unloading assembly comprises at least two independently-operable test arms for alternately supplying electronic devices to the at least two device interfaces for testing, and alternately retrieving electronic devices from the at least two device interfaces upon completion of the testing.
[0018] Preferably, the test handling apparatus further comprises a controller associated with the switch for controlling the loading/unloading assembly.
[0019] In another embodiment, first connection is simultaneously connectable and the second connection is alternately connectable.
[0020] Preferably, the test handling apparatus further comprises a loading/unloading assembly for alternately supplying electronic devices to the at least two device interfaces for testing, and retrieving the electronic devices from the at least two device interfaces upon completion of the testing.
[0021] Alternatively, the loading/unloading assembly is movable between an input section for picking up electronic devices and a pre-connecting position adjacent to the at least two device interfaces, and the loading/unloading assembly further includes a test arm for simultaneously carrying electronic devices to the pre-connecting position; and an actuator for alternately supplying electronic devices to the at least two device interfaces for testing.
[0022] Alternatively, the loading/unloading assembly comprises at least two independently-operable test arms each for simultaneously carrying electronic devices to the corresponding pre-connecting position, each test arm being movable between an input section for picking up electronic devices and a respective pre-connecting position adjacent to a respective device interface, wherein each of the at least two independently operable test arms has at least one actuator for alternately supplying electronic devices to the at least two device interfaces for testing.
[0023] In accordance with a second aspect of the invention, there is provided a test handling apparatus for testing electronic devices, the test handling apparatus comprising an interface for external communications; a first test socket for receiving a first group of electronic devices for testing; a second test socket for receiving a second group of electronic devices for testing; and a switch for alternately connecting the first test socket and the second test socket to the interface.
[0024] In accordance with a third aspect of the invention, there is provided a test handling apparatus for testing electronic devices, the test handling apparatus comprises an interface for external communications; a first test socket for receiving a first group of electronic devices for testing and a second test socket for receiving a second group of electronic devices for testing; the first test socket and the second test socket being connected in parallel to the interface; and the first and second test sockets being adapted for alternately receiving the respective first and second groups of electronic devices for testing.
[0025] In accordance with a fourth aspect of the invention, there is provided a method for operating a test handling apparatus, the method comprises the steps of, in a primary test cycle, (a) connecting the first group of electronic devices to a tester interface for testing; (b) disconnecting the first group of electronic devices from the tester interface upon completion of the testing; (c) connecting a second group of electronic devices to the tester interface for testing; and (d) disconnecting the second group of electronic devices from the tester interface upon completion of the testing.
[0026] Preferably, the method further comprises a step of, before the step (a), loading a first group and a second group of electronic devices to a test site.
[0027] Preferably, the method further comprises a step of, after the completion of step (d), unloading the first group and a second group of electronic devices from the test site.
[0028] Preferably, the steps (b) and (c) are simultaneously operable.
[0029] Preferably, the method further comprises a step of, before the step (a), loading a first group of electronic devices to the test site, and after the completion of step (b), unloading the first group of electronic devices from the test site.
[0030] Preferably, the method further comprises a step of, during unloading the first group of electronic devices from the test site, loading a second group of electronic devices to a test site.
[0031] Preferably, the method further comprises a plurality of subsequent test cycles repeating the steps of the primary test cycle.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0032] [0032]FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing the test time calculation of one typical working cycle for a conventional test handling apparatus;
[0033] [0033]FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing the test handling apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention;
[0034] [0034]FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing the test time calculation of one typical working cycle for a test handling apparatus according to FIG. 2;
[0035] [0035]FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing the test handling apparatus according to a second embodiment of the present invention;
[0036] [0036]FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram showing the test time calculation of one typical working cycle for a test handling apparatus according to FIG. 4;
[0037] [0037]FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram showing the test handling apparatus according to a third embodiment of the present invention;
[0038] [0038]FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram showing the test time calculation of one typical working cycle for a test handling apparatus according to FIG. 6; and
[0039] [0039]FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram showing the test handling apparatus according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0040] With reference to FIG. 2, a test handling apparatus 100 according to a first embodiment of the present invention comprises a tester interface 110 , a first connection which is a switch 120 , a first device interface in the form of a first test socket 130 and a second device interface in the form of a second test socket 230 . The interface 110 may comprise a docking plate or receptacle 112 , depending on the test set up condition for external communications with a tester 80 by either direct docking or cable connection. The interface 110 is electrically connected to the switch 120 by a connector 122 . The switch 120 is a 1×2 change-over switch which is operable to alternate the electrical connection 128 from connectors 122 - 124 (position A), to connectors 122 - 126 (position B). Connectors 124 and 126 are electrically connected to the first test socket 130 and the second test socket 230 respectively. The test handling apparatus 100 further comprises a loading/unloading assembly 150 , which is movable between the input sections 160 and 260 (position P 11 ), the test sockets 130 and 230 (position P 12 ), and the output sections 170 and 270 (position P 13 ).
[0041] In this embodiment, the electronic devices such as semiconductor ICs are configured under “quad-site” testing, i.e. a group of four ICs are configured for parallel testing. A person skilled in the art would appreciate the usage of the present invention under other test configurations, such as “single-site” testing (one IC tested at a time) or “dual-site” testing (two ICs tested simultaneously), as well as other test configurations.
[0042] In operation, the loading/unloading assembly 150 picks-up a first batch of two groups of ICs 180 and 280 (4×2=8 ICs) at one time from the input sections 160 and 260 , and supplies the eight ICs 180 and 280 to the respective first and second test sockets 130 and 230 , simultaneously. Concurrently, the switch 120 turns to position A, i.e. electrically connects the interface 110 to the first test socket 130 .
[0043] When the eight ICs 180 and 280 are connected with their respective test sockets 130 and 230 , the tester activates to test the first group of ICs 180 in the first test socket 130 . Upon completion of the testing of the first group of ICs 180 , the tester 80 pauses, and the switch 120 switches over the connection 128 from position A to position B. The tester 80 then re-activates to test the second group of ICs 280 in the second test socket 230 . The loading/unloading assembly 150 stops during the testing of the first group of ICs 180 , the switch connections change over from position A to Position B, and the testing of the second group of ICs 280 occurs.
[0044] Upon completion of the testing of the second group of ICs 280 , the loading/unloading assembly 150 operates again to retrieve the ICs 180 and 280 from the first and second test sockets 130 and 230 and delivers them to the respective output sections 170 and 270 . The loading/unloading assembly then moves back to the input section 160 and 260 to pick up the subsequent batch of ICs 182 , 282 for testing. The whole test cycle of testing the first batch of 8 devices 180 and 280 is now completed.
[0045] The above test cycle may be repeated continuously until all of the ICs have been tested.
[0046] As shown in FIG. 3, charts 151 , 121 and 81 represent the operation of the loading/unloading assembly 150 , the switch 120 and the tester 80 , respectively. Based on the same test set up condition of the conventional test handler as described previously, i.e. the IC devices are configured under quad-test testing with a 0.7 second test time, the loading time is 1.2 seconds, and the unloading time is 0.8 seconds, the UPH can therefore be calculated as:
UPH 1 = ( number of devices tested at same time ) × 3600 sec . / ( loading time + test time + switch time + test time + unloading time ) = 4 × 2 × 3600 / ( 1.2 + 0.7 + 0.1 + 0.7 + 0.8 ) ≅ 8229
Tester use rate K1 = ( test time ) / ( loading time + test time + switch time + test time + unloading time ) = 0.7 × 2 / ( 1.2 + 0.7 + 0.1 + 0.7 + 0.8 ) = 40 %
[0047] Reference is now made to FIG. 4. The test handling apparatus 100 according to a second embodiment of the present invention includes a tester interface 110 , a switch 120 , a first device interface in the form of a first test socket 130 and a second device interface in the form of a second test socket test socket 230 . The interface 110 is electrically connected to a switch 120 at connector 122 . The switch 120 is a 1×2 change-over switch which is operable to alternate the electrical connection 128 from connectors 122 - 124 (position A), to connectors 122 - 126 (position B). Connectors 124 and 126 are electrically connected to the first test socket 130 and the second test socket 230 respectively.
[0048] In this embodiment, the test handling apparatus 100 further comprises a first loading/unloading assembly 150 and a second loading/unloading assembly 250 . The first loading/unloading assembly 150 is movable between a first input section 160 (position P 21 ), the first test socket 130 (position P 22 ), and a first output section 170 (position P 23 ). The second loading/unloading assembly 250 is movable between a second input section 260 (position Q 21 ), the second test socket 230 (position Q 22 ), and a second output section 270 (position Q 23 ). The second loading/unloading assembly 250 is movable independently of the first loading/unloading assembly 150 .
[0049] Upon starting of the test, the first and second loading/unloading assemblies 150 , 250 move to their respective input sections 160 , 260 to pick-up the respective groups of ICs 180 , 280 , and deliver these to the respective test sockets 130 , 230 . The switch 120 first connects the interface 110 to the first test socket 130 (position A). The tester is then activated to start the test for ICs 180 . Upon completion of the test, the tester 80 pauses, and the switch 120 switches over the connection 128 from position A to position B. The tester is then re-activated to test the ICs 280 in the second test socket 230 . Since the first and the second loading/unloading assemblies 150 , 250 are independently movable, during the testing of the second group of ICs 280 , the first loading/unloading assembly 150 retrieves the ICs 180 from the first test socket 130 and delivers the ICs 180 to the first output section 170 . The first loading/unloading assembly 150 then moves back to the first input section 160 to pick-up the subsequent ICs 182 and delivers them to the first test socket 130 for the next testing cycle. Similarly, upon completion of the testing for ICs 280 in the second test socket 230 , the tester pauses, the switch 120 changes the connection 128 back to position A, and the second loading/unloading assembly 250 retrieves the ICs 280 from the second test sockets 230 and delivers the ICs 280 to the second output section 270 . The second loading/unloading assembly 250 then moves back to the second input section 260 to pick-up the subsequent ICs 282 and delivers them to the second test socket 230 for the next test cycle.
[0050] The above process may be repeated until all of the ICs have been tested.
[0051] As shown in FIG. 5, based on the same test set up condition of the conventional test handler described previously, i.e. the IC devices are configured under quad-test testing with a 0.7 second test time and the test arm cycle time is 2.0 seconds, the UPH can be calculated as follows:
UPH 2 = ( number of devices tested at same time ) × 3600 sec . / ( cycle time + test time ) = 4 × 2 × 3600 / ( 1.2 + 0.7 + 0.8 ) ≅ 10667
Tester use rate K2 = ( test time × 2 ) / ( cycle time + test time ) = 0.7 × 2 / ( 1.2 + 0.7 + 0.8 ) ≅ 51.8 %
[0052] A third embodiment of the present invention is shown in FIG. 6. A test handling apparatus according to a third embodiment of the present invention comprises four test sockets 130 , 230 , 330 and 430 , and a corresponding 1×4 change-over switch 320 adapted for alternating electrical connections from the interface 110 to any one of the four test sockets 130 , 230 , 330 and 430 (positions A, B, C and D, respectively). The test handling apparatus further comprises first and second loading/unloading assemblies 350 , 450 , each of which is capable of carrying two groups of ICs 180 , 380 and 280 , 480 (4×2=8 ICs per group) at a time, respectively. The first loading/unloading assembly 350 is movable between a first input section 160 (position P 31 ), the test sockets 130 , 330 (position P 32 ), and a first output section 170 (position P 33 ). The second loading/unloading assembly 450 is independently movable between a second input section 260 (position Q 31 ), the test sockets 230 , 430 (position Q 32 ), and a second output section 270 (position Q 33 ).
[0053] Upon starting of the test, the first and the second loading/unloading assemblies 350 , 450 move to their respective input section 160 , 260 and pick-up the respective groups of ICs 180 , 380 and 280 , 480 and deliver these to the respective test sockets 130 , 330 and 230 , 430 . The switch 320 is first operated to connect the interface 110 to the first test socket 130 (position A). The tester 80 is then activated to start the test for ICs 180 . Upon completion of the test, the tester pauses and the switch 120 is actuated to change the connection to the third test socket 330 (position C) and the tester reactivates to test the corresponding ICs 380 . Upon completion of the testing of ICs 380 , the tester pauses and the switch 320 is actuated to change the connection to the second test socket 230 (position B) and the tester reactivates to test the corresponding ICs 280 . Upon completion of the testing of ICs 280 , the tester pauses and the switch 320 is activated to change the connection to the fourth test socket 430 . The tester reactivates to test the corresponding ICs 480 . Concurrently, the first loading/unloading assembly 350 is re-activated to retrieve the tested ICs 180 and 380 together from the first and the third test sockets 130 and 330 , and delivers them to the first output section 170 . The first loading/assembly 350 then moves back to the first input section 160 to pick-up the next two groups of ICs 182 , 382 for testing. Upon completion of the testing of ICs 280 and 480 , the second loading/unloading assembly 250 works in a similar manner as the first loading/unloading assembly 150 to deliver the ICs 280 and 480 to the second output section 270 and moves back to the second input section 260 to pick-up the next two groups of ICs 282 , 482 for the next cycle of operation. The above cycle may be repeated until all of the ICs have been tested.
[0054] The third embodiment may be suitable to minimize tester idle time which is encountered with the second embodiment. By introducing more test sockets and a corresponding multi-way change-over-switch, the test handling apparatus is capable of meeting requirements for testing of different types of IC or other electronic devices. For example, to maximize the usage of the tester without subsequently increasing the carrying speed (i.e. shortening the cycle time) of the loading/unloading assembly, depending on the various test set up conditions, the test handling apparatus may have 6, 8 or more test sockets and a corresponding 6-way, 8-way or multi-way change-over switch for alternating the electrical connections from the interface to any of the 6, 8 or more test sockets. Within one cycle of movement of the loading/unloading assembly, the tester is able to test more groups of ICs using the above configuration of the switch and test sockets. As such, the overall test efficiency can be maximized.
[0055] As shown in FIG. 7, based on the same test set up condition of the conventional test handler as described previously, i.e. the IC devices are configured under quad-test testing with a 0.7 second test time and the test arm cycle time is 2.0 seconds, the UPH can be calculated as follows:
UPH 3 = ( number of devices tested at same time ) × 3600 sec . / ( cycle time + t 61 + switch time + t62 ) = 4 × 4 × 3600 / ( 2.0 + 0.7 + 0.1 + 0.7 ) ≅ 16457 Tester use rate K3 = ( test time ) / ( test time + cycle time + switch time ) = 0.7 × 4 / ( 2.0 + 0.7 × 2 + 0.1 ) = 80 %
[0056] Reference is now made to FIG. 8. A test handling apparatus according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention comprises an interface 110 , a first connection 420 , a first test socket 130 and a second test socket 230 . Rather than utilizing a change-over switch like that used in the first, second and the third embodiments, the first connection 420 in this fourth embodiment is a direct connection cable which connects the first and second test sockets 130 and 230 in parallel with the interface 110 , i.e. the interface 110 is connected to the first and second test sockets 130 and 230 simultaneously.
[0057] In this embodiment, the test handling apparatus further includes a loading/unloading assembly 450 having thereon a first actuator 452 and a second actuator 454 . The first actuator 452 is capable of moving relative to the loading/unloading apparatus 450 . Similarly, the second actuator 454 is also movable relative to the loading/unloading assembly 450 , and is independently movable relative to the first actuator 452 .
[0058] Upon starting of the test cycle, the loading assembly 450 carrying the first and the second actuators 452 , 454 picks-up a first batch of two groups of ICs 180 and 280 (4×2=8 ICs) simultaneously from the input sections 160 and 260 (position P 41 ), and moves to a pre-loading position P 42 adjacent to the first and the second test sockets 130 and 230 . The loading/unloading assembly 450 stops at position P 42 , and the first actuator 452 activates to bring the first group of ICs 180 into contact with the first test socket 130 for testing. Upon completion of the testing of the ICs 180 at the first test socket 130 , the tester pauses and the first actuator 452 retrieves the first group of ICs 180 from the first test socket 130 , and concurrently, the second actuator 454 activates to bring the second group of ICs 280 into contact with the second test socket 230 for testing. Upon completion of the testing of the second group of ICs 280 , the tester pauses and the second actuator 454 retrieves the second group of ICs 280 from the second test socket 230 and the loading/unloading assembly moves with the first and the second groups of ICs 180 , 280 and delivers these ICs into the output section 170 , 270 (position P 43 ). Following this, the loading/unloading assembly moves back to the input sections 160 , 260 to pick-up the next groups of ICs 182 , 282 . The whole test cycle of testing the first batch of 8 devices 180 and 280 is now completed.
[0059] The above test cycle may be repeated continuously until all of the ICs have been tested.
[0060] It can be seen that in this embodiment, the ICs are alternately connected through the respective test sockets to the interface for testing. Instead of utilizing a change-over switch for alternately connecting the different groups of ICs to the interface, this embodiment uses independently movable actuators for effecting alternate connections between the ICs and the interface. Calculation of the UPH can be derived from the disclosures of the first embodiment as referred to FIG. 3. A person skilled in the art would also appreciate the apparent variations of this embodiment to achieve the similar result of the present invention. For example, there might be two or more independently movable loading/unloading assemblies each carrying two or more actuators for alternately connecting the corresponding group of ICs for testing. Each actuator may also be configured for simultaneously carrying more than one group of ICs and alternately connecting these ICs to the test sockets for testing, as referred to in the alternative derivations for the second and the third embodiments from the first embodiment.
[0061] The above describes preferred embodiments of the present invention, and modifications may be made thereto without departing from the scope of the following claims.
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A test handling apparatus for supplying electronic devices to a tester for testing comprises a tester interface for communicating with the tester; at least two device interfaces each of which is connectable to the tester interface through a first connection, and each of which is connectable to a corresponding group of electronic devices through a second connection, one of the first and the second connections is alternately connectable. A corresponding method comprises connecting a first group of electronic devices to a tester interface for testing; disconnecting the first group of electronic devices from the tester interface upon completion of the testing; connecting a second group of electronic devices to the tester interface for testing and disconnecting the second group of electronic devices from the tester interface upon completion of the testing. Higher operation throughput can be obtained without substantially increasing the speed of a handler.
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[0001] The present invention claims the benefit of Korean Patent Application No. 2000-58149 filed in Korea on Oct. 4, 2000, which is hereby incorporated by reference.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] 1. Field of the Invention
[0003] The present invention relates to a liquid crystal display device (LCD), and more particularly to a liquid crystal display device in which an additive is added to a photo-alignment material for forming a photo-alignment film of an LCD so that photo-stability can be enhanced and image sticking can be improved.
[0004] 2. Discussion of the Related Art
[0005] Referring to FIG. 1, for example, an LCD generally includes transparent substrates 11 and 12 that are opposed to each other by a spacer (not shown) for maintaining a cell gap with a distance that allows injection of a liquid crystal 13 which is sealed by a sealant 14 .
[0006] The transparent substrate 11 is provided with a plurality of pixel electrodes 15 covered with an alignment film at the inner surface. Each of the pixel electrodes 15 is provided with a thin film transistor (TFT) 16 which functions as a switching device. Here, a drain electrode of a TFT 16 is connected with each pixel electrode 15 .
[0007] Meanwhile, the other transparent substrate 12 is provided at the inner surface with a transparent common electrode 17 opposed to the plurality of pixel electrodes 15 and covered with another alignment film.
[0008] [0008]FIG. 2 shows the above-described LCD together with a driving circuit thereof.
[0009] The LCD comprises a liquid crystal panel 20 , a scanning line driving circuit 21 for driving the liquid crystal panel 20 and a signal line driving circuit 22 .
[0010] A plurality of scanning lines 23 and a plurality of signal lines 24 are placed on a substrate of the liquid crystal panel 20 such that they intersect each other in the pattern of a matrix, and the thin film transistor 16 and the pixel electrode are installed at one of the intersecting portions thereof.
[0011] The scanning line driving circuit 21 transmits scanning signals, which transmit ON signals to the gate of the thin film transistor 16 and to the scanning lines 23 in sequence. The signal line driving circuit 22 transmits image signals to the signal lines 24 so that the image signals can be transferred to the pixel through the thin film transistor 16 driven by the scanning signals.
[0012] When the scanning line driving circuit 21 transmits the scanning signals in sequence to the scanning lines 23 of the liquid crystal panel 20 so that all of the thin film transistors 16 connected to the scanning lines 23 are powered on or energized, the signals applied to the signal lines 24 of the liquid crystal panel 20 are transferred to the pixels through sources and drains of the thin film transistors 16 .
[0013] According to the aforementioned operation principle, the pulse is transferred to all gate electrodes in sequence and a signal voltage is applied to a corresponding source electrode so that all the pixels of the liquid crystal panel can be driven. After an image of one frame is displayed in this manner, the next frames are continuously displayed to achieve a dynamic image display.
[0014] In such image display, a vast amount of information such as a color display cannot be expressed by driving only white and black pixels. Therefore, a gradation (gray) display is implemented, in which several intermediate states further exist between white and black states. Referring to a black-and-white LCD, when an intermediate voltage is applied, an intermediate state such as a gray color exists to display information.
[0015] In order to obtain an intermediate value of voltage, the voltage intensity is adjusted, or the width of voltage pulse is adjusted.
[0016] In a color LCD, a color display is determined based on the degree of the gradation display.
[0017] A driving IC of 6 bits can produce 64 gradations, and a monitor or audio/video (AV) product that requires a full color spectrum has 16,000,000 colors in 256 gradations.
[0018] As in the foregoing description, since an LCD is an apparatus that adjusts the magnitude of the voltage applied to the liquid crystal to display information on a screen, the gradation of an LCD is adjusted based the degree of light transmission varying according to voltage.
[0019] The LCD is generally comprised of two substrates oppositely arranged with a predetermined distance from each other and the liquid crystal is injected between the two substrates.
[0020] In the case of a TFT color LCD, the first substrate is provided with pixel electrodes, transistors for driving pixels and an alignment film. The second substrate is provided with another alignment film, RGB color filters and a common electrode, and the liquid crystal is injected between the two substrates to complete the construction of the LCD.
[0021] However, as is well known in the art, since the liquid crystal has refractive anisotropy about the short and long axes, the LCD requires that the arrangement of liquid crystal molecules be uniformly controlled in order to obtain uniform brightness and high contrast ratio. For this purpose, the substrate surface defining a liquid crystal cell is coated with the alignment film, and an orientation treatment such as rubbing is performed to impart an orientation to the liquid crystal.
[0022] An LCD using the photo-alignment film of the related art has several drawbacks. For example, the easy axis is rotated upon exposure to external light to lower luminance, light-leakage takes place and, in particular, the contrast ratio is lowered.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0023] Accordingly, the present invention is directed to an LCD device that substantially obviates one or more of the problems due to limitations and disadvantages of the related art.
[0024] An object of the present invention is to provide an LCD with enhanced photo-stability and reduced image-sticking.
[0025] Another object of the present invention is to provide an LCD that produces reliability information such as display characteristics and image-sticking.
[0026] Additional features and advantages 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 the invention. The objectives and other advantages 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.
[0027] To achieve these and other advantages and in accordance with the purpose of the present invention, as embodied and broadly described, the LCD device includes: a first substrate; a second substrate; a first alignment layer on the first substrate, the first alignment layer including a first additive; a second alignment layer on the second substrate; and a liquid crystal layer between the first substrate and the second substrate.
[0028] In another aspect, a method of manufacturing the LCD device includes the steps of: forming a photo-alignment layer having an additive on a first substrate; baking the photo-alignment layer; and irradiating the photo-alignment layer by a light.
[0029] In yet another aspect, the LCD device includes: a first substrate; a second substrate; a first alignment layer on the first substrate, the first alignment layer including a first additive, a first photo-initiator and a photo-alignment layer; a second alignment layer on the second substrate, the second alignment layer including a second additive and a second photo-initiator; and a liquid crystal layer between the first substrate and the second substrate.
[0030] It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory and are intended to provide further explanation of the invention as claimed.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0031] The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide a further understanding of the invention and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate embodiments of the invention and together with the description serve to explain the principles of the invention. In the drawings:
[0032] [0032]FIG. 1 depicts a schematic plan view showing a structure of a related art LCD;
[0033] [0033]FIG. 2 depicts a schematic plan view showing a driving circuit of a related art LCD;
[0034] [0034]FIG. 3 depicts graphs showing an example of voltage versus transmittance (VT) curve in a related art LCD.
[0035] [0035]FIG. 4 depicts a schematic plan view showing the structure of an LCD according to the present invention;
[0036] [0036]FIG. 5 depicts a schematic plan view showing the structure of an exposure apparatus according to the present invention;
[0037] [0037]FIG. 6 depicts a graph showing a first example of the present invention; and
[0038] [0038]FIG. 7 depicts graphs showing a second example of the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[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.
[0040] In general, an LCD is comprised of two substrates that are oppositely arranged with a predetermined distance from each other and a liquid crystal is injected between the substrates. In addition, an alignment film for the orientation of the liquid crystal is provided on the opposing surface of the two substrates.
[0041] The product specification of such an LCD may include viewing angle, luminance and color characteristics and product reliability information such as display characteristics and image-sticking information. Viewing angle, luminance and color characteristics may be related to cell design, and display characteristics and image-sticking may be related to the alignment material used.
[0042] During the manufacturing of the LCD devices that employ the photo-alignment technology of the present invention, image-sticking is created due to a weak surface anchoring energy of the alignment film, high flexibility (i.e., low packing density) or low surface hardness. Since the image-sticking resulting because of the above reasons is severe and lasts for a long time, a cross linking agent is added to the alignment material to increase the cross linking index flexibility of the alignment film, thereby easing the image-sticking.
[0043] The image-sticking in the LCD takes place due to the luminance difference between a portion where an image exists and a portion where the image does not exist. The optical transmittance characteristic of the liquid crystal can be considered to have been changed. This is caused by the effect of impurities (or the effect of DC voltage) when the optical transmission characteristic of the liquid crystal is changed, or by the variation of a pretilt angle (or the effect of AC and DC voltage or generally AC voltage) when the VT curve of the liquid crystal is changed.
[0044] [0044]FIG. 3 shows the variation of VT characteristics observed when a predetermined magnitude of voltage and a square wave are applied to a liquid crystal cell for a predetermined time period. The dotted line designates a VT characteristic after applying the voltage and the solid line designates a VT feature before applying the voltage in percentage(%), so as to show that the generation of the image-sticking due to the applied voltage can be displayed.
[0045] Here, T=T 1 /(T 1 −T 2 )×100 (%), where T 1 represents the transmittance before applying an AC stress, and T 2 represents the transmittance after applying the AC stress.
[0046] The LCD, which is formed by injecting the liquid crystal between a pair of substrates in accordance with the present invention, further comprises an additive added to the photo-alignment film for the orientation of the liquid crystal so as to increase the cross linking index of the photo-alignment material.
[0047] The liquid crystal can have either a positive dielectric anisotropy or a negative dielectric anisotropy, and a chiral dopant may also be added.
[0048] Moreover, the LCD of the present invention may further include additives, such as benzotriazols, acrylates, UV epoxies and silanes, for increasing the cross linking index of the alignment film.
[0049] [0049]FIG. 4 shows an example in which an additive and a photo-initiator are added to photo-alignment films 403 a and 403 b between upper and lower substrates 401 and 402 in the LCD of the present invention.
[0050] Here, the additive added to the photo-alignment films 403 a and 403 b may be one of the following elements: benzotriazols, silanes, acrylates such as monomer or oligomer, or UV epoxies such as monomer and oligomer.
[0051] The additive concentration should be less than 8%, and preferably 1 to 5%, of the solid concentration in the alignment film.
[0052] Also, the photo-initiator concentration should not be greater than 4% of the solid concentration in the alignment film.
[0053] For example, 5% of the additive and 2% of the photo-initiator may be added to the 5% of the photo-alignment solution. The additive and the photo-initiator are used after stirring for at least 24 hours at room temperature in a dark room. Here, when the photo-initiator is used to increase the cross linking of each cross linking agent, the photo-initiator is adapted to have a concentration of less than or equal to 50% of the solid concentration of the additive.
[0054] After the photo-alignment solution, including the additive prepared as described above, is coated on the Indium-tin-oxide (ITO) substrate, the ITO substrate coated with the photo-alignment solution may be irradiated by light, and thereafter undergo the process steps of baking, photo-alignment and cell preparation to complete the LCD. Alternatively, the ITO substrate coated with the photo-alignment solution can also undergo the process steps of baking, photo-alignment and cell preparation to complete the LCD without being irradiated by light.
[0055] After the cell is exposed to light, the relative variation of an easy axis about the initial orientation direction is measured to obtain the photo-stability.
[0056] [0056]FIG. 5 schematically shows the structure of an exposure apparatus applied to an embodiment of the present invention.
[0057] Light from a UV lamp 31 is irradiated to a sample 34 through a lens 32 and a collimator 33 . Here, the cell is set to have angles θ and ρ which are 45° and 35°, respectively. After the exposure to the external light, the variation of the easy axis is measured to determine the photo-stability.
[0058] Referring to the relative variation of the easy axis measured after exposing the cell to external light 20 mJ as a result of the experiment, for example, when the additive used is one of the acrylates (available with the brand name SR499 from SARTOMER), the variation of the easy axis is 3.15 in the exposure. Here, a comparative sample (a liquid crystal cell having a photo-alignment film structure without additive) shows less stable characteristics when compared to the results shown in FIG. 6.
[0059] Consequently, it has been determined that the photo-stability increases when the additive is added to the photo-alignment material.
[0060] According to the foregoing description of the invention, it can be observed that the addition of a photo-sensitive material increases the decrement of a UV absorption spectrum.
[0061] In this experiment, the alignment film including the additive is spin coated and cured at 200° C. for one hour, and afterwards the UV spectrum measurement is conducted. The alignment film is irradiated by light for 30 seconds followed by the UV spectrum measurement. Furthermore, a heat treatment is performed for three hours at 150° C. and then the UV spectrum is measured to compare photo-reactivities (wherein the intensity of the UV lamp is 7 mW/cm2 in 350 nm).
[0062] After the spin coating, a decrease of the UV absorption spectrum is calculated based upon the intensity of the absorption peak of the initial spectrum. FIG. 6 shows results of the experiment. As shown in FIG. 6, the decrease of the UV absorption spectrum is larger when the photo-sensitive material is added (designated by circles) than when the photo-sensitive material is not added (designated by triangles). The additive used in FIG. 6 is acrylates.
[0063] As shown in the above results, it is observed that the additive added to the photo-alignment material increases the photo-stability.
[0064] [0064]FIG. 7 shows an example of the variation of VT curves before the addition of the additive (FIG. 7A) and after the addition of the additive (FIGS. 7B and 7C), and the residual DC image-sticking thereof. This shows the extent of the variation of the initial VT curves on the ITO test cell after the application of AC voltage or DC and AC voltage, and it is directly related to the image-sticking.
[0065] Again, as can be seen in FIG. 7, the reduction of the image-sticking can be observed when the additive is added to the photo-alignment material. The additives used in FIG. 7B are the UV epoxies (HI- 5 ), and the additives used in FIG. 7C are the silanes (Y 1 - 2 ).
[0066] The photo-alignment film of the present invention can also be applied to In-Plane Switching (IPS), Homeotropic Twisted Nematic (HAN), Vertical Alignment (VA) and the like in addition to a general TN mode.
[0067] Also, the photo-alignment film containing the additive can be formed on only one substrate while the polyimides as a typical alignment film can be formed on the other substrate for rubbing thereof. In this application, image-sticking can be decreased more effectively. In addition to the polyimides, polyamides, polyamic acids and the like are also available for the alignment film.
[0068] Light is irradiated to the photo-alignment film at least one time to permit the determination of the pretilt angle and the orientation direction.
[0069] The irradiation of light can be performed in the vertical direction and/or an inclined direction, in which non-polarized light, un-polarized light, linearly polarized light, partially polarized light and the like can be utilized.
[0070] According to the present invention, additives such as benzotriazols, acrylates, UV epoxies, silanes and the like are added to the photo-alignment material when forming the alignment film to improve the photo-stability while increasing the cross linking reactivity of the photo-alignment film to decrease the image-sticking.
[0071] It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made in the LCD of the present invention without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention. Thus, it is intended that the present 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 liquid crystal display device includes a first substrate; a second substrate; a first alignment layer on the first substrate, the first alignment layer including a first additive; a second alignment layer on the second substrate; and a liquid crystal layer between the first substrate and the second substrate.
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RELATED APPLICATIONS
This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/599,817 filed on Nov. 14, 2006, now U.S. Pat. No. 7,367,176, which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/903,130 filed on Jul. 30, 2004, now U.S. Pat. No. 7,134,267, which claims benefit of U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 60/530,132 filed on Dec. 16, 2003. The contents of all related applications listed above are incorporated herein by reference.
TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention relates to rope systems and methods and, in particular, to wrapped yarns that are combined to form strands for making ropes having predetermined surface characteristics.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The characteristics of a given type of rope determine whether that type of rope is suitable for a specific intended use. Rope characteristics include breaking strength, elongation, flexibility, weight, and surface characteristics such as abrasion resistance and coefficient of friction. The intended use of a rope will determine the acceptable range for each characteristic of the rope. The term “failure” as applied to rope will be used herein to refer to a rope being subjected to conditions beyond the acceptable range associated with at least one rope characteristic.
The present invention relates to ropes with improved surface characteristics, such as the ability to withstand abrasion or to provide a predetermined coefficient of friction. Typically, a length of rope is connected at first and second end locations to first and second structural members. Often, the rope is supported at one or more intermediate locations by intermediate structural surfaces between the first and second structural members. In the context of a ship, the intermediate surface may be formed by deck equipment such as a closed chock, roller chock, bollard to or bit, staple, bullnose, or cleat.
When loads are applied to the rope, the rope is subjected to abrasion where connected to the first and second structural members and at any intermediate location in contact with an intermediate structural member. Abrasion and heat generated by the abrasion can create wear on the rope that can affect the performance of the rope and possibly lead to failure of the rope. In other situations, a rope designed primarily for strength may have a coefficient of friction that is too high or low for a given use.
The need thus exists for improved ropes having improved surface characteristics, such as abrasion resistance or coefficient of friction; the need also exists for systems and methods for producing such ropes.
RELATED ART
U.S. Pat. No. 3,367,095 to Field, Jr, discloses a process and apparatus for making wrapped yarns. The wrapped yarn of the '095 patent comprises a core formed of continuous fibers and a wrapping formed of discontinuous fibers. The '095 patent generally teaches that all synthetic and natural fibers including metal, glass, and asbestos may be used to form the core and wrapping but does not specify particular combinations of such materials for particular purposes.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention may be embodied as a rope adapted to engage a structural member. The rope comprises a plurality of yarns, where at least one of the yarns comprises first and second sets of fibers. The first fibers extend the length of the rope such that the first fibers directly bear tension loads applied to the rope. The first and second sets to of fibers are combined using a false twisting process. The second fibers do not extend the length of the rope. The second fibers indirectly bear tension loads on the rope. When the rope contacts the structural member, the second set of fibers is primarily in contact with the structural member. The first fibers substantially determine load bearing properties of the rope. The second fibers substantially determine abrasion resistance properties of the rope, where abrasion resistance properties of the second fibers are greater than abrasion resistance properties of the first fibers. The second fibers substantially determine a coefficient of friction between the rope and the structural member, where a coefficient of friction of the second fibers is less than a coefficient of friction of the first fibers.
The present invention may also be embodied as a method of forming a rope adapted to engage a structural member comprising the following steps. First and second sets of fibers are combined using a false twisting process to form a rope. The first fibers extend the length of the rope. The second fibers do not extend the length of the rope. The second fibers at least partly surround the first fibers. The first fibers directly bear tension loads applied to the rope and substantially determine load bearing properties of the rope. When the rope contacts the structural member, the second set of fibers is primarily in contact with the structural member. The second fibers thus substantially determine abrasion resistance properties of the rope, and abrasion resistance properties of the second fibers are greater than abrasion resistance properties of the first fibers. The second fibers also substantially determine a coefficient of friction between the rope and the structural member, where a coefficient of friction of the second fibers is less than a coefficient of friction of the first fibers.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1A is a side elevation view of a wrapped yarn that may be used to construct a rope of the present invention;
FIG. 1B is an end elevation cutaway view depicting the yarn of FIG. 1A ;
FIG. 2 is a side elevation view of a first example of a rope of the present invention;
FIG. 3 is a radial cross-section of the rope depicted in FIG. 2 ;
FIG. 4 is a close-up view of a portion of FIG. 3 ;
FIG. 5 is a side elevation view of a second example of a rope of the present invention;
FIG. 6 is a radial cross-section of the rope depicted in FIG. 5 ;
FIG. 7 is a close-up view of a portion of FIG. 6 ;
FIG. 8 is a side elevation view of a first example of a rope of the present invention;
FIG. 9 is a radial cross-section of the rope depicted in FIG. 8 ;
FIG. 10 is a close-up view of a portion of FIG. 9 ; and
FIG. 11 is a side elevation view of a first example of a rope of the present invention;
FIG. 12 is a radial cross-section of the rope depicted in FIG. 8 ;
FIG. 13 is a close-up view of a portion of FIG. 9 ; and
FIG. 14 is a schematic diagram representing an example process of fabricating the yarn depicted in FIGS. 1A and 1B .
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
Referring initially to FIGS. 1A and 1B of the drawing, depicted therein is a blended yarn 20 constructed in accordance with, and embodying, the principles of the present invention. The blended yarn 20 comprises at least a first set 22 of fibers 24 and a second set 26 of fibers 28 .
The first and second fibers 24 and 28 are formed of first and second materials having first and second sets of operating characteristics, respectively. The first material is selected primarily to provide desirable tension load bearing characteristics, while the second material is selected primarily to provide desirable abrasion resistance characteristics.
In addition to abrasion resistance, the first and second sets of operating characteristics can be designed to improve other characteristics of the resulting rope structure. As another example, certain materials, such as HMPE, are very slick (low coefficient of friction). In a yarn consisting primarily of HMPE as the first set 22 for strength, adding polyester as the second set 26 provides the resulting yarn 20 with enhanced gripping ability (increased coefficient of friction) without significantly adversely affecting the strength of the yarn 20 .
The first and second sets 22 and 26 of fibers 24 and 28 are physically combined such the first set 22 of fibers 24 is at least partly surrounded by the second set 26 of fibers 28 . The first fibers 24 thus form a central portion or core that is primarily responsible for bearing tension loads. The second fibers 28 form a wrapping that at least partly surrounds the first fibers 24 to provide the rope yarn 20 with improved abrasion resistance.
The example first fibers 24 are continuous fibers that form what may be referred to as a yarn core. The example second fibers 28 are discontinuous fibers that may be referred to as slivers. The term “continuous” indicates that individual fibers extend along substantially the entire length of the rope, while the term “discontinuous” indicates that individual fibers do not extend along the entire length of the rope.
As will be described below, the first and second fibers 24 and 28 may be combined to form the example yarn using a wrapping process. The example yarn 20 may, however, be produced using process for combining fibers into yarns other than the wrapping process described below.
With the foregoing understanding of the basic construction and characteristics of the blended yarn 20 of the present invention in mind, the details of construction and composition of the blended yarn 20 will now be described.
The first material used to form the first fibers 24 may be any one or more materials selected from the following group of materials: HMPE, LCP, or PBO fibers. The second material used to form the second fibers 28 may be any one or more materials selected from the following group of materials: polyester, nylon, Aramid, LCP, and HMPE fibers.
The first and second fibers 24 and 28 may be the same size or either of the fibers 24 and 28 may be larger than the other. The first fibers 24 are depicted with a round cross-section and the second fibers 28 are depicted with a flattened cross-section in FIG. 1B for clarity. However, the cross-sectional shapes of the fibers 24 and 28 can take forms other than those depicted in FIG. 1B . The first fibers 24 are preferably generally circular. The second fibers 28 are preferably also generally circular.
The following discussion will describe several particular example ropes constructed in accordance with the principles of the present invention as generally discussed above.
First Rope Example
Referring now to FIGS. 2 , 3 , and 4 , those figures depict a first example of a rope 30 constructed in accordance with the principles of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 2 , the rope 30 comprises a rope core 32 and a rope jacket 34 . FIG. 2 also shows that the rope core 32 and rope jacket 34 comprise a plurality of strands 36 and 38 , respectively. FIG. 4 shows that the strands 36 and 38 comprise a plurality of yarns 40 and 42 and that the yarns 40 and 42 in turn each comprise a plurality of fibers 44 and 46 , respectively.
One or both of the example yarns 40 and 42 may be formed by a yarn such as the abrasion resistant yarn 20 described above. However, because the rope jacket 34 will be exposed to abrasion more than the rope core 32 , at least the yarn 42 used to form the strands 38 should be fabricated at least partly from the abrasion resistant yarn 20 described above.
The exemplary rope core 32 and rope jacket 34 are formed from the strands 36 and 38 using a braiding process. The example rope 30 is thus the type of rope referred to in the industry as a double-braided rope.
The strands 36 and 38 may be substantially identical in size and composition. Similarly, the yarns 40 and 42 may also be substantially identical in size and composition. However, strands and yarns of different sizes and compositions may be combined to form the rope core 32 and rope jacket 34 .
As described above, fibers 44 and 46 forming at least one of the yarns 40 and 42 are of two different types. In the yarn 40 of the example rope 30 , the fibers 44 are of a first type corresponding to the first fibers 24 and a second type corresponding to the second fibers 28 . Similarly, in the yarn 42 of the example rope 30 , the fibers 46 are of a first type corresponding to the first fibers 24 and a second type corresponding to the second fibers 28 .
Second Rope Example
Referring now to FIGS. 5 , 6 , and 7 , those figures depict a second example of a rope 50 constructed in accordance with the principles of the present invention. As perhaps best shown in FIG. 6 , the rope 50 comprises a plurality of strands 52 . FIG. 7 further illustrates that each of the strands 52 comprises a plurality of yarns 54 and that the yarns 54 in turn comprise a plurality of fibers 56 .
The example yarn 54 may be formed by a yarn such as the abrasion resistant yarn 20 described above. In the yarn 54 of the example rope 50 , the fibers 56 are of a first type corresponding to the first fibers 24 and a second type corresponding to the second fibers 28 .
The strands 52 are formed by combining the yarns 54 using any one of a number of processes. The exemplary rope 50 is formed from the strands 52 using a braiding process. The example rope 50 is thus the type of rope referred to in the industry as a braided rope.
The strands 52 and yarns 54 forming the rope 50 may be substantially identical in size and composition. However, strands and yarns of different sizes and compositions may be combined to form the rope 50 . The first and second types of fibers combined to form the yarns 54 are different as described above with reference to the fibers 24 and 28 .
Third Rope Example
Referring now to FIGS. 8 , 9 , and 10 , those figures depict a third example of a rope 60 constructed in accordance with the principles of the present invention. As perhaps best shown in FIG. 9 , the rope 60 comprises a plurality of strands 62 . FIG. 10 further illustrates that each of the strands 62 in turn comprises a plurality of yarns 64 , respectively. The yarns 64 are in turn comprised of a plurality of fibers 66 .
The example yarn 64 may be formed by a yarn such as the abrasion resistant yarn 20 described above. The fibers 66 of at least some of the yarns 64 are of a first type and a second type, where the first and second types and correspond to the first and second fibers 24 and 28 , respectively.
The strands 62 are formed by combining the yarns 64 using any one of a number of processes. The exemplary rope 60 is formed from the strands 62 using a twisting process. The example rope 60 is thus the type of rope referred to in the industry as a twisted rope.
The strands 62 and yarns 64 forming the rope 60 may be substantially identical in size and composition. However, strands and yarns of different sizes and compositions may be combined to form the rope 60 . The first and second types of fibers are combined to form at least some of the yarns 64 are different as described above with reference to the fibers 24 and 28 .
Fourth Rope Example
Referring now to FIGS. 11 , 12 , and 13 , those figures depict a fourth example of a rope 70 constructed in accordance with the principles of the present invention. As perhaps best shown in FIG. 12 , the rope 70 comprises a plurality of strands 72 . FIG. 13 further illustrates that each of the strands 72 comprise a plurality of yarns 74 and that the yarns 74 in turn comprise a plurality of fibers 76 , respectively.
One or both of the example yarns 74 may be formed by a yarn such as the abrasion resistant yarn 20 described above. In particular, in the example yarns 74 of the example rope 70 , the fibers 76 are each of a first type corresponding to the first fibers 24 and a second type corresponding to the second fibers 28 .
The strands 72 are formed by combining the yarns 74 using any one of a number of processes. The exemplary rope 70 is formed from the strands 72 using a braiding process. The example rope 70 is thus the type of rope commonly referred to in the industry as a braided rope.
The strands 72 and yarns 74 forming the rope 70 may be substantially identical in size and composition. However, strands and yarns of different sizes and compositions may be combined to form the rope 70 . The first and second types of fibers are combined to form at least to some of the yarns 74 are different as described above with reference to the fibers 24 and 28 .
Yarn Fabrication
Turning now to FIG. 14 of the drawing, depicted at 120 therein is an example system 120 for combining the first and second fibers 24 and 28 to form the example yarn 20 . The system 120 basically comprises a transfer duct 122 , a convergence duct 124 , a suction duct 126 , and a false-twisting device 128 . The first fiber 24 is passed between a pair of feed rolls 130 and into the convergence duct 124 . The second fiber 28 is initially passed through a pair of back rolls 142 , a pair of drafting aprons 144 , a pair of drafting rolls 146 , and into the transfer duct 122 .
The example first fibers 24 are continuous fibers that extend substantially the entire length of the example yarn 20 formed by the system 120 . The example second fibers 28 are slivers, or discontinuous fibers that do not extend the entire length of the example yarn 20 .
The second fibers 28 become airborne and are drawn into convergence duct 124 by the low pressure region within the suction duct 126 . The first fibers 24 converge with each other and the airborne second fibers 28 within the convergence duct 124 . The first fibers 24 thus pick up the second fibers 28 . The first and second fibers 24 and 28 are then subsequently twisted by the false-twisting device 128 to form the yarn 20 . The twist is removed from the first fibers 24 of the yarn 20 as the yarn travels away from the false-twisting device 128 .
After the yarn 20 exits the false-twisting device 128 and the twist is removed, the yarn passes through let down rolls 150 and is taken up by a windup spool 152 . A windup roll 154 maintains tension of the yarn 20 on the windup spool 152 .
First Yarn Example
A first example of yarn 20 a that may be fabricated using the system 120 as described above comprises the following materials. The first fibers 24 are formed of HMPE fibers and the second fibers are formed of polyester fibers. The yarn 20 a of the first example comprises between about sixty to eighty percent by weight of the first fibers 24 and between about twenty to forty percent by weight of the second fibers 28 .
Second Yarn Example
A second example of yarn 20 b that may be fabricated using the system 120 as described above comprises the following materials. The first fibers 24 are formed of LCP fibers and the second fibers are formed of a combination of LCP fibers and Aramid fibers. The yarn 20 a of the first example comprises between about fifteen and thirty-five percent by weight of the first fibers 24 and between about sixty-five and eighty-five percent by weight of the second fibers 28 . More specifically, the second fibers 28 comprise between about forty and sixty percent by weight of LCP and between about forty and sixty percent by weight of Aramid.
Given the foregoing, it should be clear to one of ordinary skill in the art that the present invention may be embodied in other forms that fall within the scope of the present invention.
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A blended yarn and method of making the same. The blended yarn is formed into a rope adapted to engage structural member and comprises a plurality of first fibers and a plurality of second fibers. The abrasion resistance properties of the second fibers are greater than abrasion resistance properties of the first fibers. A coefficient of friction of the second fibers is less than a coefficient of friction of the first fibers. The first fibers extend along the length of the blended yarn and the second fibers do not extend along the length of the blended yarn. A plurality of blended yarns are combined to form the rope such that, when the rope contacts the structural member, the second fibers of the blended yarn are primarily in contact with the structural member and the first set of fibers substantially bear tension loads on the rope.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a method for producing a package, in which a yarn carrier spun in a ring spinning frame is rewound in a following rewinding machine to make packages and to an apparatus for performing this method.
The production of packages takes place by means of cone winding frames or machines, on which yarn carriers, called cops, are wound off and rewound to packages, whilst during winding off, a simultaneous check is made on the thread for defects and for removing the latter. The yarn carriers are produced in the spinning mill and transported to the rewinding machines. Ring spinning frames are almost exclusively used for producing the yarn carriers.
It is known to reduce the transportation path between the ring spinning frame and the rewinding machine in that said two means are juxtaposed as a so-called compound or composite system and are interlinked by a conveyor, e.g. a conveyor belt. The conveyor belt is used for conveying the full yarn carriers from the ring spinning frame to the cone winding frame. On the latter the yarn carriers are taken from a magazine, from which they are supplied to the individual winding positions.
Such a composite system already has a relatively high degree of automation. Following onto the ring spinning frame, spinning of the yarn carriers takes place, preparation occurs for the doffing thereof, after which spinning is stopped and the yarn carriers are raised from the spinning spindles and placed onto the conveyor belt. The gripping of the empty yarn carriers from the conveyor belt and the placing thereof on the spinning spindles and then the start of spinning also takes place on the ring spinning frame. Following the spinning of the yarn carriers, they are discharged on the conveyor belt to the cone winding frame and simultaneously the empty yarn carriers are placed onto the conveyor belt. This leads to automatic conveying of the full yarn carriers from the ring spinning frame to the cone winding machine and the automatic conveying of the empty tubes or carriers from the cone winding machine back to the spinning frame.
In the cone winding machine the yarn carriers are removed from the conveyor belt of the ring spinning frame and transferred to the conveyor system of the cone winding machine. In a preparatory station the thread is sought on the yarn carrier and held and then the yarn carrier is conveyed to the winding station, where the thread is gripped and connected to the package thread, after which the thread is unwound from the yarn carrier. This is followed by the inspection of the empty yarn carrier with respect to yarn residue and subsequently the conveying of the empty yarn carrier back to the conveyor belt of the ring spinning frame, where the empty yarn carrier is transferred to the conveyor belt.
In connection with ring spinning machines use is also made of attachment means, which can fulfil several functions. The attachment means travel along the spinning frame. When a thread break is noted, the attachment means is stopped, the spindle is stopped and raised from the spinning frame. This is followed by the search for the thread end on the yarn carrier, then the latter is again placed on the spinning spindle, the ring traveler is threaded and the thread is attached on the supply cylinder of the drawing frame, after which the attachment means again starts its displacement.
Despite this relatively high degree of automation in the known compound system, on the ring spinning frame, the starting spinning in the case of a batch change, the thread break removal during doffing and the removal of rolls, as well as on the winding machine the removal of faults occurring thereon and the processing of ejected yarn carriers must be carried out manually by the spinner or winder.
Finally, in the case of the compound system it is also possible to use cleaning means on the ring spinning frame, as well as production data acquisition means. Despite the fact that the known compound system constitutes an advance compared with the separate arrangement of the ring spinning frame and cone winding machine, a large number of manipulations are still required thereon.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to develop a method of the aforementioned type for making packages such that the yarn can be rewound from the ring spinning spindle with less manipulations onto the package and wherein the degree of utilization of the ring spinning frame is increased and due to the possibility of using different rovings, it will be possible to increase the flexibility of the ring spinning frame.
According to the invention this and other objects of the invention are attained in that the rewinding of the yarn carrier to packages takes place on the ring spinning frame.
The present invention also covers an apparatus, whose function is to permit an optimum performance of the method.
According to the invention objects of the invention are attained by an apparatus, in which for each group of spinning stations on the ring spinning frame there is provided a rewinding device, which carries a winding station for rewinding the yarn carrier spun on the spinning stations to packages and comprising gripping means for removing and supplying the yarn carrier from and to a spinning station and for conveying the yarn carrier from and to the winding station.
The invention is described in greater detail hereinafter relative to non-limitative embodiments and the attached drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a partially sectional elevation view of a ring spinning frame with a rewinding device, the winding station of which is fixed and the gripping device of which is movable;
FIG. 2 is a sectional view similar to that of FIG. 1, but with a movable rewinding device;
FIG. 3 is a partially sectional elevation view similar to that of FIG. 2 with a movable rewinding device and in which individual drives are provided for each spindle and for the ring movement;
FIG. 4 is a partially sectional elevation view similar to that of FIG. 2 on which rewinding of the yarn carrier takes place directly from the spinning station;
FIG. 5 is a partially sectional elevation view similar to that of FIG. 2 for the illustration of the starting spinning process;
FIGS. 6a to 6d illustrate different winding types on yarn carriers for ring spinning frames; and
FIGS. 6 and 7 show diagrams of the ring rail movement as a function of time.
In the drawings, similar elements are designed at like reference numerals.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
The present invention is based on the idea that a reduction of the expenditure for producing a package by unwinding the yarn carrier spun in the ring spinning machine can be achieved, if the winding off of the yarn carrier arriving from the ring spinning frame takes place directly on the latter or at the particular spinning station. It is important that no constructional changes have to be made on the ring spinning frame. Only the operation differs, in that it is no longer necessary to remove simultaneously the full yarn carriers from the spinning stations and to simultaneously engage empty yarn carriers and instead each spinning station spins the yarn carrier until it is full, whereby it is then removed and an empty tube is engaged. Thus, the yarn carriers become full in a random sequence and, after establishing the end of the spinning process, they are successively removed from the spinning station and replaced by an empty tube. The rewinding of the full yarn carriers to packages also takes place successively in the same way. For carrying out all the manipulations on the ring spinning frame use is made of a rewinding device, which is arranged on the longitudinal side of the ring spinning frame. It is important that a rewinding device has a fixed association with one group of spinning stations, which means that there is no need for a conveyor belt, such as is used in the known compound systems. It is appropriate for the areas of the individual groups to overlap.
A rewinding device 12 shown in FIG. 1 is arranged on the longitudinal side of a ring spinning frame 1. The latter can be a random, known model, whereof only those parts are diagrammatically shown, which have a link with the present invention. The construction of the ring spinning frame 1 is assumed as known. A drawing frame 3 for each spinning station is provided on a machine column 4 below a not shown creel with rovings 2. Each spinning station 5 includes a rotating spindle 6, on which is placed a yarn carrier 7 in the form of a tube. Spindle 6 of spinning station 5 is driven via a belt drive 8 by a common driving shaft 9 or by a single spindle drive. The thread running up onto the yarn carrier 7 is threaded into a rotating ring traveller which, as a result of its rotation, brings about the winding of the spun yarn.
The left-hand side of the drawing is homologously constructed, so that it has been omitted. In the known compound system handling means are arranged on either side of the ring spinning frame, which are used for removing the full yarn carriers and for inserting empty tubes.
FIG. 1 shows the rewinding device 12, such as is necessary for performing the inventive method. Rewinding device 12 essentially comprises a winding station 14 and a gripping device 15. Rewinding device 12 is used for a group of spinning stations 5. The rewinding device 12 is allocated to each group. The winding station 14 has a holder 16 for receiving full yarn carrier 7. Holder 16 is arranged at the base of the winding station 14. At this point, as seen in FIG. 3, due to the rotation of the yarn carrier, a yarn carrier nozzle 19 seeks and grasps the end of the yarn to be wound off, supplies it to a yarn joining device 17 and connects it to the yarn of the package. Yarn carrier nozzle 19 can be pivoted into the position shown by broken line. The yarn joining device 17 can be a yarn knotter or yarn splicer of any suitable conventional design.
Above the yarn joining device 17 are arranged control or inspection devices 18 for inspecting the yarn during its passage for defects. Above the control or inspection devices 18, is arranged a cross-wound package 20 driven by a rotary driving roller 21 arranged on the circumference thereof, whereby the yarn to be wound on is passed through a grooved drum of cross-wound package 20 and is placed thereon. The grooved drum can be replaced by any different yarn laying system.
Joining device 17, control or inspection devices 18 and yarn carrier nozzle 19 are of any suitable conventional type and a detailed description thereof appears to be unnecessary.
The function of the gripping device 15 of rewinding device 12 is to perform all the necessary manipulations to maintain the spinning process with empty yarn carriers 7'. The gripping device 15 has a column 22 on which a gripper arm 23 is rotatable and movable up and down. The gripper arm 23 grips the full yarn carrier 7, removes it from the spinning station 5, swings it to the side and sets it down in a waiting station. The latter can be located on a rotary table 24, where there can be further stations for receiving empty and full yarn carriers. The gripper arm 23 now grips an empty yarn carrier 7' positioned on rotary table 24, raises it and engages it on the spindle 6 of spinning station 5. The gripper arm 23 can then bring the full yarn carrier 7 placed on rotary table 24 into the holder 16 of winding station 14, where the thread is wound off and removed to cross-wound package 20. It is also possible to use two gripper arms, one of which is used for changing the yarn carrier 7 on the ring spinning frame 1 and the other for the interchange to and from the winding off station. If a thread break occurs, the only partly spun yarn carrier 7 is removed by the gripper arm 23 from the spinning station 5 in the same way as a full yarn carrier is brought into the waiting station on rotary table 24, where the partly full yarn carrier 7 is wound off in the same way as a full yarn carrier.
Thus, changing a yarn carrier 7 at spinning station 5 comprises the detection of the end of the spinning process, stopping the spindle and removing the yarn carrier 7 by gripper arm 23.
There can be two different constructions of the rewinding device 12. Either both the winding station 14 and the gripping device 15 are movable, cf. FIG. 2, or the winding station 14 is fixed and the gripping device 15 moves along the group of spinning stations 5 associated therewith, cf. FIG. 1. In both cases the gripping device 15 moves along, optionally together with the winding station 14, within the range of the associated spinning stations 5 of the group, transfers the yarn carrier 7 from spinning spindle 6 directly into the winding off position of winding station 14, or into a waiting position upstream of the winding-off position, e.g. on rotary table 24.
The conveying of the full, partly full and empty yarn carriers 7 now takes place within the rewinding device 12. The replacement of the full yarn carriers 7 at the spinning stations 5 can take place at any time, because the full yarn carrier is produced individually. Nevertheless it is possible to have a time check for each spinning station 5 for establishing the operating time. In the same way rewinding can take place during the displacement of the gripping device 15 or the complete winding device 12, or when the winding station 14 is stationary. The individual spinning of the individual yarn carriers 7 at the spinning stations 5 makes it possible for spinning to be continued at the other spinning stations 5 when changing a full yarn carrier.
FIGS. 2 and 3 show the rewinding device 12, in which both the winding station 14 and the gripping device 15 are movable. The rewinding device 12 is constructed as a carriage or trolley, provided with rollers 25, which run on rails 26, which are fixed to the machine column 4 for the ring spinning frame 1.
In FIG. 3 the ring spinning frame 1 is equipped with individual drives for spindles 6. Each spinning station 5 is equipped with a motor drive 27. The ring carrier 10, with the traveller 10 for each spinning station 5 is also moved up and down via a spindle drive 29 by an individual motor drive 28.
FIG. 4 shows the ring spinning frame 1 with the rewinding device 12 which is movable. The spindles 6 are driven by individual motor drives 27, whilst the ring rail 10" with the ring traveller 10 is moved up and down by the main drive of ring spinning frame 1. It is also possible to use an individual ring carrier drive.
The difference of the construction of FIG. 4 as compared with FIG. 3 is that the winding off of the yarn carrier 7 takes place in the spinning station 5. Yarn guidance and feeding shown in simplified diagrammatic form is performed by using a guide pulley 40. Here again the yarn end is caught by the thread seeking nozzle and transferred to the thread joining device 17.
The arrangement shown in FIG. 4 will probably only be used in special cases, because during the winding off of the yarn carrier 7 the spinning station 5 cannot be put into operation. However, it is advantageous that the motor drive 27 can be used for speeding up the running off of the yarn.
Independently on whether a full or a partly full yarn carrier 7 is removed from the spinning station 5, this is followed by the initial spinning of the thread by applying the yarn carrier 7, as shown in FIG. 5.
As seen from FIG. 5, a starter yarn 31 is removed from a reserve or store bobbin 30 and placed on an empty yarn carrier 7', e.g. by clamping or winding. In this case the empty yarn carrier 7' has a yarn clamp 33. The starter yarn 31 is threaded on ring traveller 10' by a traveller threader 32 and an air nozzle 32'. A yarn laying or application arm 36 is then swung out and the starter yarn 31 is taken along with it. Then a cutter 37 cuts the starter yarn 31 and the latter is raised to a run-out cylinder of the drawing frame 3, where initial spinning takes place. The reserve spool or bobbin 30 is appropriately located on the movable winding device 14. If the rewinding device 14 is fixed, then the reserve bobbin 30 is to be constructed to be movable with the gripping device 15.
The individual spinning at each spinning station 5 with the known ring rails, cf. FIG. 6 results in that in place of the conventional cop winding, it is possible to use a winding referred to as random winding, cf. FIGS. 6a and (b). For reasons of completeness a parallel winding (FIG. 6c) and a combination winding (FIG. 6d) are also shown. There are two variants of the random winding (FIG. 6b), which only differ in the movement of the ring rail. The movement sequence over the time is shown in the two diagrams illustrated in FIGS. 7 and 8, respectively showing variants 1 and 2. Spinning can start and be broken off at a random point. The ring rail periodically always performs the same lifting movement.
By fitting the rewinding device 12 on the ring spinning frame 1 package production is greatly simplified. The gripping device 15 can also be used for the independent starting of the spinning spindles 6 during a batch change, i.e. on changing the roving or changing the machine setting.
Due to the fact that each spinning station 5 is individually changed, whilst the other spinning stations 5 continue to run, the production capacity is increased. The rewinding device 12 is required for each group of spinning stations 5. Spinning on the ring spinning frame 1 can take place without production loss, if the number of yarn carriers 7 for each group is greater by one or more yarn carriers than the number of spinning stations in a group.
If the spinning station 5 is provided with an individual ring carrier movement, in the case of a full yarn carrier there can be a backwinding and an underwinding, as in the known doffing process, so that with the rewinding device 12, the known yarn carrier change (doffing process) and spinning start can take place without initial spinning. If the automatic initial spinning and automatic thread break removal are not required, these processes can also be performed manually and the automatic initial spinning device shown in FIG. 5 can be obviated.
If, as is now conventional with cop winding, the yarn carriers of a group are to be simultaneously completely spun, they are successively replaced by empty yarn carriers. The full yarn carriers are kept ready for rewinding in an intermediate store or reservoir, e.g. in a rotary table.
The yarn carrier nozzle can also be used to remove yarn residues from the yarn carrier after winding off and for this purpose the yarn carrier must be rotated. This can take place in the rewinding station or in an adjacent station.
During the winding of yarn, a different starter yarn must be separated from the yarn being wound. This takes place on detecting the starter yarn in the thread cleaner and subsequent cutting of this yarn. The yarn residue remaining on the yarn carrier is sucked off, in the manner described hereinbefore. It is always necessary to bring the completely empty yarn carrier to the initial spinning means.
The device means 12 can also fulfill additional functions, e.g. roving stop, blowing off and cleaning the ring spinning frame, monitoring the ring spinning frame by means of sensors and changing the ring traveller 10.
The finished packages 20 are appropriately placed on a conveyor belt and conveyed away at the end of the ring spinning frame.
There has been disclosed heretofore the best embodiment of the invention presently contemplated. However, it is to be understood that various changes and modifications may be made thereto without departing from the spirit of the invention.
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Packages, particularly cross-wound packages are produced directly at a ring spinning frame. In a method and apparatus for making packages a rewinding device is provided for a group of spinning stations. The rewinding device comprises a fixed winding station and a gripping device movable along the group of spinning stations. The rewinding device is able to perform all the manipulations for starting up a spinning process with empty yarn carriers. It is also possible to change the full yarn carriers and mount the empty yarn carriers on a spinning frame, remove thread breaks and carry out spinning following a batch change. Spinning of the individual yarn carriers takes place individually, so that when replacing one yarn carrier, the other spinning stations continue to operate. This leads to a high production rate of the ring spinning frame and simultaneously reduces costs for rewinding compared with known systems.
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CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application is filed under the provisions of 35 U. S.C. §371 and claims the priority of International Patent Application No. PCT/PL01/00069 filed Aug. 13, 2001, which in turn claims priority of Polish Patent Application No. P342525 filed Sep. 13, 2000.
FIELD OF INVENTION
[0002] The subject of the invention is a process for producing fibres, film, casings and other products from modified soluble cellulose.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0003] U.S. Pat. No. 4,634,470, corresponding to Japanese Patent No. 58-244337 as well as publications in “Polymer Journal”, Vol. 20, pp.447-457, 1988, and in “Cellulose Chemistry and Technology”, Vol. 24, pp. 23-31, 237-249, 1990, disclose a process of manufacturing cellulose fibres from cellulose pulp by means of the steam explosion method. In this process cellulose is initially treated in an alkaline or acid medium to obtain a polymer with an average degree of polymerization of 200-700, and then this polymer is subjected to a steam explosion treatment at temperature in the range from 100 to 350° C. under pressure of 1 to 25 MPa. The treated cellulose dissolves in an aqueous alkaline solution from which fibres can be made by coagulation in an acid coagulation bath. This process does not allow one to obtain modified cellulose with sufficiently high solubility in alkaline solutions. Moreover, the process is technologically and mechanically complicated and energy-consuming.
[0004] Polish Patents No. 167776 and 167519 specify a method of producing fibres, film and other products from soluble cellulose obtained on the way of enzymatic treatment by means of cellulolytic enzymes of the cellulase type originated from fungi Aspergillus Niger IBT. The enzymatic treatment of cellulose pulp is carried out at temperatures not lower than 10° C. in a time not shorter than 1 minute at pH as high as 4-7. The modified cellulose pulp is dissolved in aqueous alkaline solutions at a temperature in the −10° C. to 10° C. range during 15-2880 minutes and the obtained cellulose solution is filtered, deaerated and coagulated in an acidic bath.
[0005] Obtaining of a good solubility of the modified cellulose pulp in the enzymatic method is rather difficult and, besides, the use of expensive enzymes is necessary. Producing of a spinnable cellulose solution requires a long mixing time and a low temperature during storage. The obtained solution demonstrates a low stability.
[0006] Polish Patent Applications P.323281 and P.324910 disclose a process of manufacturing cellulose fibres, film and other products like casings or beads from alkaline solutions of cellulose. In this process cellulose is initially hydrothermally treated at 100-200° C. under pressures of 0.1-1.5 MPa during 60-600 minutes while the water to cellulose weight ratio is kept at not less than 1:1. The obtained hydrothermally treated cellulose pulp is dissolved in aqueous hydroxides of alkali metals at a temperature not lower than 0° C. during 1-300 minutes to achieve a homogeneous alkaline solution with the cellulose concentration 5-10% wt and the hydroxide concentration not exceeding 10% by weight a filterability coefficient not exceeding 1000 and stability at least 48 hours at 20° C. The alkaline solution is next filtered and deaerated, and products are formed from the solution in a coagulation bath, consisting of an aqueous solution of sulphuric acid in the concentration range 1-30% wt. The obtained products are washed with water to a neutral reaction and possibly dried.
[0007] The known manufacturing processes of cellulose products like fibres, film, casings from alkaline solutions of hydrothermally treated cellulose do not provide for obtaining of a cellulose pulp with a controlled, assumed structure. The molecular characteristics i.e., average polymerization degree, polydispersity and the super molecular characteristics like crystallinity structure, energy of hydrogen bonds and the morphologic characteristics like the adequately developed capillary system do not warrant a complete dissolution in aqueous alkali and sufficiently good properties of the spinning solutions expressed as filterability, viscosity and stability of the solution. The fibres, film, casings and other products obtained according to the known methods do not manifest optimal mechanical and useful properties.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0008] The process for producing fibres, film, casings and other products from modified soluble cellulose according to the present invention consists in that the initial cellulose pulp is first hydrothermally treated at 100-200° C. under a pressure of 0.1-1.5 MPa with the water/cellulose weight ratio not lower than 1:1 in the presence of a complex activator which is composed of Lewis acids like ascorbic acid, acetic acid, citric acid, formic acid, carbonic acid and/or Lewis bases like ammonia hydroxide, diethanolamine and/or their salts like guanidine carbonate, ammonia chloride, sodium citrate, whereby the activator/cellulose weight ratio is at least 0.001% by weight preferably 0.01-0.5% by weight. The obtained modified cellulose is characterized by a controlled structure with average polymerization degree not lower than 200, polydispersity not lower than 1.5, water retention value not lower than 50%, hydrogen bonds energy in the 10-20 kJ/mol range and content of insoluble particles not exceeding 2%. Such cellulose, dried or never dried is dissolved in aqueous solution of alkali metal hydroxides preferably sodium hydroxide at temperatures not lower than 0° C. preferably 3-8° C. during 1-120 minutes to obtain a homogenous cellulose solution with following properties:
[0009] cellulose concentration not lower than 1%, preferably 6-8%, hydroxide content below 10% wt, filterability coefficient not exceeding 1000, solution stability at least 48 hours at temperature not lower than 15° C. and ball viscosity not lower than 10 seconds preferably 30-100 seconds. The obtained cellulose solution is filtered, deaerated and coagulated in water or an aqueous solution of an acid preferably sulphuric acid in the 0.1-30% wt concentration range at a temperature 10-30° C. The manufactured fibres, foils, casings or other products are washed with water to a neutral reaction and finished in a standard way.
[0010] The obtained products like fibres foils or casings according to the invention are preferably plasticized at a temperature in the range 20-95° C. preferably 60-95° C. in water or a water solution of an acid like hydrochloric or sulphuric and/or a plastifying agent like glycol, glycerol with simultaneous drawing by at least 10%, preferably 40-100%. According to the invention, it is advantageous before the hydrothermal treatment, to defibrate and swell the cellulose pulp in water at a temperature not lower than 10° C. possibly with the addition of a wetting agent during 1 minute to 24 hours preferably with agitation.
[0011] The aqueous solution of alkali metals hydroxides used for the dissolving of cellulose pulp may additionally contain zinc compounds preferably zinc oxide in the concentration of at least 0.1% by weight and/or urea in the concentration of at least 1% by weight.
DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0012] An advantage of the invention is the controlled hydrothermal treatment of the cellulose aimed at obtaining a modified product entirely soluble in aqueous alkali able to produce stable spinning solutions suitable for the manufacture of cellulose products like fibres, film, casings and fibrides. The controlled modification of the cellulose pulp is only possible as result of the application in this invention of the complex activators combined from Lewis acids and bases as well as their salts. The activators provide for a controlled lowering of the average polymerization degree to an assumed level with simultaneous weakening of both inter- and intramolecular bonds. The activators, applied according to the invention, enable to obtain a modified cellulose pulp with a low, assumed polydispersity particularly in the 1.5-3.0 range which has a fundamental impact on the properties of both the spinning solutions and the products made thereof During the hydrothermal modification of cellulose the primarily proceeding process is the statistic degradation of the polymer with only insignificant depolimerization producing soluble oligosacharides, which occur in as little as 0.1-2% by weight of the cellulose.
[0013] The process according to the invention is environmentally friendly as the fibres, film, casings and other products are manufactured without the use of toxic chemicals using machinery and equipment typical for the wet spinning process like viscose method. Owing to the application of the complex activators a cellulose pulp is obtained with modified molecular-supermolecular and morphological characteristics, including the lowered energy of hydrogen bonds and the unique ability to direct dissolution in aqueous alkali solutions. The obtained alkaline solutions of cellulose are characterized by low Kw* filterability coefficient values, suitable viscosity and spinnability enabling the forming procedure of fibres, film, casings and fibrides. The addition of zinc compounds and urea to the alkaline solutions of cellulose provides for better stability and spinnability of the solutions.
[0014] The defibration and swelling of the initial cellulose, according to the invention, particularly in the presence of wetting agents improves the access and diffusion to the cellulose capillary system for the highly energetic hydrolyzing agent i.e. water. This facilitates remarkably the weakening and/or breaking of the hydrogen bonds in cellulose.
[0015] For the determination of the properties of cellulose and the products made of it following methods were used:
[0016] Average degree of polymerization {overscore (D)}P v was determined according to the method described in the periodical Das Papier No.12, page 187, 1958.
[0017] Water retention value WRV was determined according to the method described in the periodical Cellulose Chemistry and Technology, Vol. 14, page 893, 1980,
[0018] Crystallinity index CrI was determined according to the X-ray method specified in the monograph Mikrostruktura Wlôkna, Wydawnictwo Naukowo-Techniczne, Warszawa, page 68, 1988,
[0019] Filterability coefficient Kw*—was determined according to the standard BN-70/7516-03,
[0020] Mechanical properties of the fibres and film were determined according to the standards PN-83/P-04653 and PN-84/D-04654,
[0021] Content of the insoluble part of cellulose was determined in the following way: the alkaline solution of cellulose is diluted with a solvent in the weight proportion 1:1, such solution is centrifuged at 8000 rpm at a temperature 1-2° C. during 30 minutes. The obtained sediment is washed with the solvent and again centrifuged under the same conditions and then four-fold washed and neutralized with acid. After neutralization the sediment is washed with distilled water and dried at 105° C. to constant weight.
[0022] The quantity of insoluble part is calculated from the equation:
S % = w · 100 a
[0023] where:
[0024] w—weight of the sediment after drying,
[0025] a—content of polymer in 100 grams of the diluted cellulose solution before centrifuging.
[0026] The subject of the invention is illustrated by the following examples, which are intended not to restrict the scope of the invention.
EXAMPLE 1
[0027] 404 parts by weight of a cellulose pulp, originated from spruce wood, in form of sheets characterized by an average degree of polymerization {overscore (D)}P v =619, a polydispersity degree P d =3.37, a crystallinity index Cr1=71.1%, a water retention value WRV=66.8, a hydrogen bond energy E H =11.8-20.6 kJ/mol and a moisture content of 7.4% were put into a vessel with agitator and wetted with a solution composed of 5100 parts by weight of water, 2 parts by weight of ascorbic acid and 0.9377 part by weight of ammonia water with 25% concentration having a pH of 4.95. The mixture was left for 20 hours at 20° C. for complete wetting and was next agitated at 1100 rpm during 3 minutes. The obtained suspension was put into an autoclave with agitator. The hydrothermal treatment was carried out during 165 minutes at 165° C. and under the pressure of 0.6 MPa with the agitator on at 60 rpm. The obtained suspension of modified cellulose was filtered and washed with water to a complete removal of by-products. 1072 parts by weight of modified cellulose having a water content of 65.5% by weight, {overscore (D)}P v =348, Pd=2.30, CrI=65.7%, WRV=74.5% and E H =16.9-20.6 kJ/mol were obtained. Next 105 parts by weight of the modified cellulose with the same water content were introduced into a mixer containing 42 parts by weight of water and the content was cooled down to 1° C. after which, under continuous stirring 453 parts by weight of aqueous sodium hydroxide solution were introduced. The solution had a concentration of 10.2 by weight NaOH, and a temperature of 0° C. and contained 25 parts by weight of urea and 4.2 parts by weight of zinc oxide. The process of dissolution was carried out for 60 minutes. An alkaline solution of the modified cellulose was obtained at temperature of 8° C., characterized by an α-cellulose content of 6.23% by weight and a sodium hydroxide content of 7.91% by weight, a ball viscosity at 8° C. of 141 seconds, a reduced value of the filterability coefficient Kw* equal to 232 and stability of 54 hours at 15° C. The solution was filtered, 10 hours deaerated at 15° C. and then in lab conditions a film was formed from the solution at 20° C. As coagulating bath a 12% by weight sulphuric acid was applied. The obtained film was stretched by 40% in an aqueous plasticizing bath containing 5% by weight of glycerol. The film was afterwards washed and dried.
[0028] 39.1 parts by weight of a cellulosic film with a moisture content of 10%, a thickness of 0.035 mm, a strength of 56.8 MPa and an elongation of 6.8% was obtained.
EXAMPLE 2
[0029] 404 parts by weight of cellulose pulp having the properties as disclosed in Example 1 were wetted and defibrated as in Example 1 with an aqueous solution with pH=4.34, composed of 5100 parts by weight of water, 0.1 part by weight of ascorbic acid and 0.0656 parts by weight of acetic acid at a temperature of 25° C. The obtained cellulose suspension was introduced into an autoclave and subjected to hydrothermal treatment at 165° C. under the pressure of 0.60 MPa during 165 minutes. The modified cellulose pulp was purified as in Example 1. 1029 parts by weight of a modified cellulose characterized by; a 64.2% water content, {overscore (D)}Pv=321, Pd 2.25, CrI=63.5%, WRV=74.6% and E H =18.3 kJ/mol was obtained. To 99 parts by weight of the modified cellulose pulp 48 parts by weight of water were introduced, the mixture was cooled down to 1° C. and then with continuous stirring 453 parts by weight were introduced of an aqueous solution of sodium hydroxide with NaOH concentration of 10.2% by weight and a temperature of 0° C. containing 25 parts by weight of urea and 4.2 parts by weight of zinc oxide. The dissolution was carried out during 60 minutes; at the end the temperature was 8° C. An alkaline solution of the modified cellulose characterized by an α-cellulose content of 6.16% by weight, NaOH content of 7.61% by weight, a ball viscosity at 8° C. of 121 seconds, a Kw*=431 and stability of 52 hours at 15° C. was obtained. The solution, after filtration and deaeration was used for film forming as in Example 1.
[0030] 40.2 parts by weight of cellulosic film were obtained with a 12% moisture content, a thickness of 0.037 mm, a strength of 54.6 MPa and an elongation of 7.1%.
EXAMPLE 3
[0031] 404 parts by weight of a cellulose pulp having the same properties as in Example 1 were wetted and defibrated as in Example 1 with an aqueous solution with pH=4.30 containing 4900 parts by weight of water, 1 part by weight of formic acid and 1.63 parts by weight of ammonia water with 25% concentration. The obtained suspension of cellulose was introduced into an autoclave and subjected to hydrothermal treatment at 170° C. and a pressure of 0.74 MPa for 90 minutes. The obtained modified cellulose was purified as in Example 1 and dried at 40° C.
[0032] 479.2 parts by weight of a modified cellulose were obtained having following properties: a moisture content of 23% {overscore (D)}Pv=350, Pd=2.29, CrI=65.8, WRV=74.5 and E H =16.1 kJ/mol. 103 parts by weight of the modified cellulose pulp were introduced into a mixer containing 44 parts by weight of water and the content of the mixer was cooled down to 1° C. as in Example I, and then 453 parts by weight of an aqueous solution of natrium hydroxide with the NaOH concentration 10.2 % by weight containing 25 parts by weight of urea and 4.2 parts by weight of zinc oxide at 0° C. were introduced to the mixer. The dissolving process was carried out during 60 minutes to obtain an alkaline solution with 8° C. characterized by an α-cellulose content of 6.22% by weight, NaOH concentration of 7.68% by weight, a ball viscosity of 81 seconds and Kw*=220. Such solution after filtration and deaeration was used for the forming of a cellulosic film as in Example I.
[0033] 83.7 parts by weight of a cellulosic film were obtained with moisture content of 8% by weight, a thickness of 0.0 18 mm, a strength of 58.8 MPa and an elongation of 5.3%.
EXAMPLE 4
[0034] From 100 parts by weight of an alkaline solution of the modified cellulose obtained as in Example 3, cellulosic casings were formed. The casings were formed with a speed of 10 m/min in a coagulating bath at 20° C. containing 14% by weight of sulphuric acid and 4.4% of natrium sulphate. Simultaneously a coagulation bath at 20° C. containing 14% by weight of sulphuric acid was introduced to the interior of the formed casings. The obtained casings were washed in two consecutive water baths at 60° C. and next plastified in a 15% aqueous solution of glycerol at 60 with a simultaneous stretching by 3-5%. The casings were continuously dried at 95° under a tension enabling a 15% shrinkage to achieve. 6.22 parts by weight of cellulosic casings were fabricated with following properties: a moisture content of 7%, a diameter of 22 mm, a wall thickness of 0.036 mm, a longitudinal strength of 58 MPa a transversal strength of 43.5 MPa and an elongation of 33%.
EXAMPLE 5
[0035] 800 parts by weight of cellulosic pulp having the properties as in Example 1 were wetted and defibrated like in Example 1 with a solution having pH=4.39 composed of 9979 parts by weight of water 2.57 parts by weight of ascorbic acid, 1.11 parts by weight of a 25% ammonia water and 1.98 parts by weight of ammonia chloride. The prepared cellulose suspension was introduced into an autoclave, where the hydrothermal treatment was performed at 180° C. and under the pressure of 0.92 MPa for 65 minutes. The obtained product was purified as in Example 1. 1986 parts by weight of modified cellulose were obtained with following properties: moisture content—63.6%, {overscore (D)}Pv=262, Pd=2.20, CrI=67.1%, WRV=74.8, E H =18 kJ/mol and a 0.5% content of insoluble part. 194 parts by weight of such cellulose were mixed with 97 parts by weight of water and cooled down to 1° C. in a mixer, to which 870 parts by weight of a 10.2% by weight sodium hydroxide solution at 0° C. containing 49.5 parts by weight of urea and 8.3 parts by weight of zinc oxide were next introduced. The dissolution was conducted during 60 minutes and an alkaline solution of cellulose was obtained characterized by a 6.04% wt content of α-cellulose, a 7.78% wt content of NaOH, a bail viscosity of 53 seconds, Kw*=128 and a stability of 72 hours at 15° C. This solution after filtration and deaeration was used for making cellulosic film as in Example 1.
[0036] 76.6 parts by weight of a cellulosic film were obtained with 10% moisture content, a thickness of 0.027 mm, a strength of 65.0 MPa and an elongation of 15.8%.
EXAMPLE 6
[0037] 1000 parts by weight of cellulose pulp having the properties as in Example 1 were wetted and defibrated as in Example 1 with an aqueous solution having pH=4.40, composed of 12622 parts by weight of water 5.94 parts by weight of citric acid, 5.27 parts by weight of 25% ammonia water and 0.1 part by weight of a natrium salt of dodecylsulphonic acid. The suspension was put into an autoclave and subjected to hydrothermal treatment for 120 minutes at 175° C. and a pressure of 0.83 MPa. The product of the treatment was purified as in Example 1. 2425.5 parts by weight of cellulose pulp were obtained having the following properties:
[0038] a moisture content of 62.5% wt, {overscore (D)}Pv=322, Pd=2.13, Cr1=64.7, WRV=76.1%, E H =16.6 kJ/mol. 242.5 parts by weight of such pulp were next put into a mixer, containing 128.7 parts by weight of water. The mixer's content was cooled down to 1° C. and next with continuous stirring 1121 parts by weight of an aqueous 10.2% wt NaOH solution containing 61.8 parts by weight of urea and 10.4 parts by weight of zinc oxide at 0° C. were added to the mixer. The dissolving was carried out for 60 minutes to obtain an alkaline cellulose solution at 8° C. characterized by a cellulose content of 6.13% wt, a NaOH content of 7.83% wt, a ball viscosity of 98 seconds, Kw*=136, and a stability of 65 hours at 15° C. After filtration and deaeration the solution was used for forming of film as in Example I.
[0039] There were obtained 101 parts by weight of cellulose film with 11% moisture content having following properties: thickness 0.025, strength 64.7 MPa, and an elongation of 16.1 % by weight.
EXAMPLE 7
[0040] 1000 parts by weight of the alkaline solution of the modified cellulose, prepared as in Example 6 were used for the spinning of cellulosic fibres in a coagulation bath containing 12% wt of sulphuric acid and 4.4% wt of sodium sulphate. A spinneret was applied with 1000 holes each and a 0.065 mm diameter of the holes. The spinning speed was 50 m/min and the draw ratio 50%. The continuous fibres were washed in a water bath, a spin finish was applied and the fibres were next dried at 95° C.
[0041] There were obtained 66.4 parts by weight of cellulosic fibres with a moisture content of 10%, a linear density of 1.72 dtex, a tenacity of 15.7 cN/tex and elongation of 14.5%.
EXAMPLE 8
[0042] 100 parts by weight of an alkaline solution of cellulose as in Example 6 after dilution in the 1:5 proportion were used for manufacturing of cellulosic beads, applying a 100 hole spinneret with 1 mm capillars. The beads were formed at 20° C. to a coagulation bath containing 12% wt of sulphuric acid and eventually washed. There were obtained 86 parts by weight of wet beads with 4-5 mm diameter a 7% cellulose content and WRV=523%.
EXAMPLE 9
[0043] 404 parts by weight of cellulose pulp having the properties as in Example 1 were wetted and defibrated as in Example 1 with 5048 parts by weight of water at 20° C. The obtained cellulose suspension was put into an autoclave and 1.1 part by weight of formic acid and 1.12 part of guanidine carbonate were added to attain pH=4.12 of the mixture. Next the hydrothermal treatment was carried out for 165 minutes at 165° C. and a pressure of 0.65 MPa. The product was purified as in Example 1. 1010 parts by weight of modified cellulose were obtained having following properties: a water content of 63.7%, {overscore (D)}Pv=328, Pd=2.27, Cr1=68.6, WRV=76.9%, E H 18.2 kJ/mol and a content of insoluble part of 0.9% by weight. 95 parts by weight of such modified cellulose were mixed with 52 parts by weight of water and cooled down to 1° C. and then 453 parts by weight of an aqueous 10.2 % sodium hydroxide solution containing 25 parts by weight of urea and 4.2 parts by weight of zinc oxide at 0° C. were added. The dissolving was carried out for 60 minutes to obtain an alkaline cellulose solution at 8° C. characterized by an α-cellulose content of 6.24% by weight, a NaOH content of 7.73% by weight, a ball viscosity of 153 seconds, Kw*=211 and a stability of 60 hours at 15° C. From such solution after filtration and deareation, a cellulosic film was formed as in Example 1.
[0044] There were obtained 37.2 parts by weight of cellulose film with 10% moisture content, a thickness of 0.027 mm, a strength of 59.099 MPa and an elongation of 14.6%.
EXAMPLE 10
[0045] 500 parts by weight of an alkaline cellulose solution as in Example 9 were used for the manufacture of cellulose casings as in Example 4.
[0046] There were obtained 31.9 parts by weight cellulose casings with a moisture content of 7%, a diameter of 22 mm, a wall thickness of 0.05 mm, a longitudinal strength of 62 MPa, a transversal strength of 49.5 MPa and an average elongation of 31.1%.
EXAMPLE 11
[0047] 1000 parts by weight of an alkaline cellulose solution as in Example 9 were used for producing continuous filaments as in Example 7 applying a 55 m/min. spinning speed and a 45% draw ratio.
[0048] There were obtained 61.8 parts by weight of continuous cellulosic fibres with 12% moisture content, a titre of 1.80 dtex, a tenacity of 15.2 cN/tex and an elongation of 16.3%.
EXAMPLE 12
[0049] 404 parts by weight of the cellulose pulp as in Example 1 were wetted and defibrated as in Example 1 with a solution composed of 5000 parts by weight of water, 2 parts by weight of ascorbic acid and 0.52 part by weight of diethanolamine having pH=4.20. The hydrothermal treatment was carried out for 180 minutes in an autoclave at 160° C. and a pressure of 0.58 MPa. The product was purified as in Example 1. 1033 parts by weight of a modified cellulose pulp were obtained having following properties: water content of 64.4% wt, a {overscore (D)}Pv=276, a Pd=2.12, a CrI=66.7%, a WRV=72.2 % and an E H =16.9 kJ/mol. 97 parts by weight of such modified cellulose were dissolved in an aqueous solution of sodium hydroxide as in Example 6 to obtain an alkaline cellulose solution containing 5.95% by weight of α-cellulose, 8.04% wt by weight of NaOH and having a ball viscosity of 33 seconds, a Kw*=112, and a stability of 72 hours at 15°. From such solution after filtration and deaeration a cellulosic film was formed as in Example 1.
[0050] There were obtained 36.8 parts by weight of a cellulosic film with 10% moisture content, a thickness of 0.036 mm, a strength of 52.7 MPa and an elongation of 16%.
EXAMPLE 13
[0051] 404 parts by weight of a cellulose pulp as in Example 1 were wetted and defibrated as in Example 1 with a solution at pH=4.46 composed of 5100 parts by weight of water, 2.45 parts by weight of citric acid and 2.153 parts by weight of a 25% ammonia water. The hydrothermal treatment was carried out for 165 minutes at 165° C. and under a pressure of 0.62 MPa. The product was purified as in Example 1. 1050 parts by weight of the modified cellulose pulp were obtained with 65.5% moisture content, a {overscore (D)}Pv=390, a Pd=2.46, a CrI=65.2%, a WRV=70.6% and an E H =16-19.2 kJ/mol. 109 parts by weight of such modified cellulose were mixed with 38 parts by weight of water, cooled down to 1° C. and then 453 parts by weight of a 12% solution of sodium hydroxide, containing 25 parts by weight of urea and 4.2 parts by weight of zinc oxide were added. The dissolving was carried out for 60 minutes to obtain an alkaline cellulose solution at 8° C. containing 6.17% by weight of α-cellulose and 7.98% by weight of NaOH having a ball viscosity of 140 seconds, a Kw* of 215, a stability of 50 hours at 15° C. From the solution, after filtration and deaeration, a cellulosic film was formed as in Example 1.
[0052] There were obtained 38.8 parts by weight of cellulosic film with a 8% moisture content, a thickness of 0.037 mm, a strength of 62.6 MPa and an elongation of 17.1%.
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Process for producing fibres, film, casings and other products from modified soluble cellulose wherein the initial cellulose is hydrothermally treated at a temperature in the 100-200° C. range, under a pressure in the range from about 0.1 to 1.5 Mpa in a water/cellulose ration on a weight basis of at least 1:1 in the presence of a complex activator composed of Lewis acids and/or bases and/or their salts in an amount of at least 0.0001% by weight calculated on cellulose. The obtained modified cellulose pulp after, a possible purification, is in a dry or never dried condition, dissolved in an aqueous solution of alkali metal hydroxides. The dissolving is carried out at a temperature not lower than 0° C. for 1-120 minutes to obtain a homogenous spinning solution with the cellulose concentration at least 1% by weight. The alkaline cellulose solution is filtered, deaerated and coagulated by contacting it with water or aqueous acidic solutions. The produced fibres, film, casings and other products are washed with water to a neutral reaction and finished in a standard way.
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BACKGROUND
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to electrical cable connectors. More particularly, the invention relates to a coaxial cable connector interconnectable via laser welding.
2. Description of Related Art
Coaxial cable connectors are used, for example, in communication systems requiring a high level of precision and reliability.
To create a secure mechanical and optimized electrical interconnection between the cable and the connector, it is desirable to have generally uniform, circumferential contact between a leading edge of the coaxial cable outer conductor and the connector body. A flared end of the outer conductor may be clamped against an annular wedge surface of the connector body via a coupling body. Representative of this technology is commonly owned U.S. Pat. No. 6,793,529 issued Sep. 21, 2004 to Buenz. Although this type of connector is typically removable/re-useable, manufacturing and installation is complicated by the multiple separate internal elements required, interconnecting threads and related environmental seals.
Connectors configured for permanent interconnection via solder and/or adhesive interconnection are also well known in the art. Representative of this technology is commonly owned U.S. Pat. No. 5,802,710 issued Sep. 8, 1998 to Bufanda et al.
However, solder and/or adhesive interconnections may be difficult to apply with high levels of quality control, resulting in interconnections that may be less than satisfactory, for example when exposed to vibration and/or corrosion over time.
Competition in the coaxial cable connector market has focused attention on improving electrical performance and long term reliability of the cable to connector interconnection. Further, reduction of overall costs, including materials, training and installation costs, is a significant factor for commercial success.
Therefore, it is an object of the invention to provide a coaxial connector and method of interconnection that overcomes deficiencies in the prior art.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate embodiments of the invention, where like reference numbers in the drawing figures refer to the same feature or element and may not be described in detail for every drawing figure in which they appear and, together with a general description of the invention given above, and the detailed description of the embodiments given below, serve to explain the principles of the invention.
FIG. 1 is a schematic external isometric view of an exemplary embodiment of a coaxial connector installed upon a coaxial cable with a coupling nut spaced away from the connector along the cable for connector-to-cable interconnection.
FIG. 2 is a schematic isometric view of the coaxial connector of FIG. 1 installed upon a coaxial cable, with the coupling nut seated upon the coaxial connector.
FIG. 3 is a schematic isometric view of the coaxial connector of FIG. 1 .
FIG. 4 is a schematic cross section side view of FIG. 2 .
FIG. 5 is an enlarged view of area A of FIG. 4 .
FIG. 6 is a schematic exploded isometric partial cut-away view of the connector and cable of FIG. 1 .
FIG. 7 is a schematic isometric partial cut-away view of the connector body of FIG. 5 .
FIG. 8 is a schematic isometric view of an alternative connector body with notches on a flange of the connector body.
FIG. 9 is a schematic isometric view of an alternative connector body with longitudinal knurls on the connector body outer diameter.
FIG. 10 is a schematic isometric cut-away view of the overbody of FIG. 5 .
FIG. 11 is an enlarged view of area B of FIG. 4 .
FIG. 12 is a schematic cross section side view of an alternative overbody with corrugation on an inner diameter of the cable end.
FIG. 13 is a schematic cross section side view of an alternative overbody with a stepped surface on an inner diameter of the cable end.
FIG. 14 is a schematic cross section side view of a coaxial connector embodiment with an inner conductor end cap.
FIG. 15 is a schematic cross section side view of the coaxial connector of FIG. 4 demonstrating a laser beam path during laser welding.
FIG. 16 is an enlarged view of area E of FIG. 15 .
FIG. 17 is a schematic cross section side view of an alternative embodiment of a coaxial connector for laser welding interconnection.
FIG. 18 is an enlarged view of area C of FIG. 17 .
FIG. 19 is a schematic cross section side view of the coaxial connector of FIG. 17 demonstrating a laser beam path during laser welding.
FIG. 20 is an enlarged view of area D of FIG. 19 .
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
Aluminum has been applied as a cost-effective alternative to copper for the conductors in coaxial cables. However, aluminum oxide surface coatings quickly form upon air-exposed aluminum surfaces. These aluminum oxide surface coatings may degrade traditional mechanical, solder and/or conductive adhesive interconnections.
The inventors have recognized that increasing acceptance of coaxial cable with solid outer conductors of aluminum and/or aluminum alloy enables connectors configured for interconnection via laser welding between the outer conductor and a connector body which may also be cost effectively provided, for example, formed from aluminum and/or aluminum alloy.
An exemplary embodiment of a laser weldable coaxial connector 2 is demonstrated in FIGS. 1-4 . As best shown in FIG. 4 , a unitary connector body 4 is provided with a bore 6 dimensioned to receive the leading edge of the outer conductor 8 of a coaxial cable 9 therethrough. Positioned for interconnection by laser welding, the leading edge of the outer conductor 8 extends through the bore 6 to a longitudinal position generally flush with the edge of a shoulder 10 of the connection interface 14 at the connector end 18 , presenting a common end face to the connector end 18 , as best shown in FIG. 5 . The connection interface 14 may be any desired standard or proprietary connection interface 14 which includes access to a circumferential contact seam 16 between the bore 6 and the outer conductor 8 , the seam 16 generally parallel to a longitudinal axis of the coaxial connector 2 .
One skilled in the art will appreciate that connector end 18 and cable end 12 are applied herein as identifiers for respective ends of both the coaxial connector 2 and also of discrete elements of the coaxial connector 2 described herein, to identify the same and their respective interconnecting surfaces according to their alignment along a longitudinal axis of the coaxial connector 2 between a connector end 18 and a cable end 12 .
Where the diameter of the bore 6 is selected with respect to the diameter of the outer conductor 8 to be a close tolerance fit, laser welding interconnection of the outer conductor 8 and the connector body 2 may be performed without the addition of further material, such as welding rod or wire. The high level of localized heating from the laser, applied to the seam 16 between the outer conductor 8 and the connector body 2 , may be applied as a pulse directed to a target spot, with successive pulses applied to an overlapping spot portion to form a continuous weld between adjacent portions of the outer conductor 8 and the connector body 2 .
Prior to interconnection via laser welding, the end of the cable 9 may be prepared, as best shown in FIG. 6 , by cutting the cable 9 so that the inner conductor 24 extends from the outer conductor 8 . Also, dielectric material 26 between the inner conductor 24 and outer conductor 8 may be stripped back and a length of the outer jacket 28 removed to expose desired lengths of each. A portion of the dielectric material 26 may be provided extending forward of the leading edge of the outer conductor 8 , for example as an interconnection impedance discontinuity reduction feature.
Where applicable, the cable end preparation may also include the step of straightening the cable end portion, for example to eliminate any bending in the cable resulting from bulk cable delivery of the cable wound in spools, so that when inserted into the bore 6 , the cable end is coaxial with the bore 6 along its length and the inner conductor 24 projects from the connector end 18 parallel to the longitudinal axis of the bore 6 . Thereby, the seam between the bore sidewall 20 and the outer diameter of the outer conductor 8 will be uniform around the circumference of the outer conductor 8 , increasing the uniformity of the resulting laser weld.
Because the localized heat of the laser welding process can disrupt aluminum oxide surface coatings in the immediate weld area, no additional care may be required with respect to removing or otherwise managing the presence of aluminum oxide on the interconnection surfaces.
An overbody 30 , as shown for example in FIG. 10 , may be applied to the connector body 4 as an overmolding of polymeric material. The overbody 30 increases cable to connector torsion and pull resistance. The overbody 30 may also provide connection interface structure at the connector end 18 and further reinforcing support at the cable end 12 , enabling significant reductions in the size of the connector body 4 , thereby reducing overall material costs.
Depending upon the applied connection interface 14 , demonstrated in the exemplary embodiments herein as a standard 7/16 DIN interface, the overbody 30 may be provided with an overbody flange 32 and longitudinal support ridges 34 for a coupling nut 36 . The coupling nut 36 is retained upon the support ridges 34 at the connector end 18 by an overbody flange 32 and at the cable end 12 by a retention spur 38 provided on at least one of the support ridges 34 . The retention spur 38 may be angled toward the connector end 18 , allowing the coupling nut 36 to be placed over the cable 9 initially spaced away from the coaxial connector 2 during interconnection (see FIG. 1 ), but then allowing the coupling nut 36 to be passed over the retention spur 38 and onto the support ridges 34 from the cable end 12 , to be thereafter retained upon the support ridges 34 by the retention spur(s) 38 (see FIG. 2 ) in close proximity to the connector interface 14 for connector to connector mating. The support ridges 34 reduce polymeric material requirements of the overbody 30 while providing lateral strength to the connector/interconnection 2 as well as alignment and retention of the coupling nut 36 .
The overbody 30 may also extend from the connector end 18 of the connector body 4 to provide portions of the selected connection interface 14 , such as an alignment cylinder 39 of the 7/16 DIN interface, further reducing metal material requirements of the connector body 4 .
The overbody flange 32 may be securely keyed to a connector body flange 40 of the connector body 4 and thereby with the connector body 4 via one or more interlock apertures 42 such as holes, longitudinal knurls 43 , grooves, notches 45 or the like provided in the connector body flange 40 and/or outer diameter of the connector body 4 , as demonstrated in FIGS. 7-9 . Thereby, as the polymeric material of the overbody 30 flows into the interlock apertures 42 during overmolding, upon curing the overbody 30 , for example as shown in FIG. 10 , is permanently coupled to and rotationally interlocked with the connector body 4 .
As best shown in FIG. 11 , the cable end 12 of the overbody 30 may be dimensioned with an inner diameter friction surface 44 proximate that of the coaxial cable outer jacket 28 , enabling polymeric friction welding between the overbody 30 and the outer jacket 28 prior to laser welding of the connector body 4 and outer conductor, thereby eliminating the need for environmental seals at the cable end 12 of the connector/cable interconnection. During friction welding, the coaxial connector 2 is rotated with respect to the cable 9 . Friction between the friction surface 44 and the outer diameter of the outer jacket 28 heats the respective surfaces to a point where they begin to soften and intermingle, sealing them against one another. To provide enhanced friction and allow voids for excess flow due to friction displacement and add key locking for additional strength, the outer jacket 28 and/or the inner diameter of the overbody 30 may be provided as a series of spaced apart annular peaks of a contour pattern such as a corrugation 46 , as shown for example in FIG. 12 , or a stepped surface 48 , as shown for example in FIG. 13 . Alternatively, the overbody 30 may be sealed against the outer jacket 28 with an adhesive/sealant or may be overmolded upon the connector body 4 after interconnection with the outer conductor 8 , the heat of the injected polymeric material bonding the overbody 30 with and/or sealing against the outer jacket 28 .
The inner conductor 24 extending from the prepared end of the coaxial cable 9 may be selected to pass through to the connector end 18 as a portion of the selected connection interface 14 , for example as shown in FIG. 8 . If the selected coaxial cable 9 has an inner conductor 24 that has a larger diameter than the inner conductor portion of the selected connection interface 14 , the inner conductor 24 may be ground at the connector end 18 to the required diameter.
Although a direct pass through inner conductor 24 advantageously eliminates interconnections, for example with the spring basket of a traditional coaxial connector inner contact, such may introduce electrical performance degradation such as PIM. Where the inner conductor 24 is also aluminum material some applications may require a non-aluminum material connection point at the inner contact/inner conductor of the connection interface 14 . As shown for example in FIG. 14 , a center cap 50 , for example formed from a metal such as brass or other desired metal, may be applied to the end of the inner conductor 24 , also by laser or friction welding. To apply the center cap 50 , the end of the inner conductor 24 is ground to provide a pin corresponding to the selected socket geometry of the center cap 50 . To allow material inter-flow during welding attachment, the socket geometry of the center cap 50 and or the end of the inner conductor 24 may be formed to provide annular material gaps 22 .
Laser welding apparatus may be provided with a fiber optic laser head extension which may be adjusted to aim the laser beam B at each target location along the seam 16 . Alternatively, the coaxial connector 2 , upon which the target location resides, may be maneuvered to align the target location with respect to the laser head 54 . A laser head 54 typically includes a collimator 56 and a focus lens 58 which focuses the laser beam B upon a focal point F at the target location. As shown in FIG. 15 , the laser beam B extent has clearance requirements prior to reaching the focal point F which are satisfied by the connector end 18 facing orientation of the seam 16 in the exemplary embodiment.
Prior to and once beyond the focal point F, the laser beam B has an increasing diameter, progressively diminishing the effective power of the beam at longitudinal locations other than the focal point F. To maximize heat generation for welding, the laser head 54 may be positioned with respect to the seam 16 , such that the focal point F is below the seam 16 outer face, for example as shown in FIG. 16 . Thereby, the highest power level is obtained as a molten area of the bore sidewall 20 and the outer diameter of the outer conductor 8 is formed within the seam 16 , rather than only along the outermost surface of the seam 16 , resulting in a weld with greater depth and strength.
In further embodiments, for example as shown in FIGS. 17 and 18 , the bore 6 may be provided with an inward projecting stop shoulder 52 proximate the connector end 18 against which the outer conductor 8 abuts to form an inward facing circumferential seam 16 between the outer conductor 8 and the stop shoulder 52 . The seam 16 is provided generally normal to a longitudinal axis of the coaxial connector 2 . As shown in FIGS. 19 and 20 , the ability of the laser beam B to reach the seam 16 without interference from the inner conductor 24 is a function of the coaxial cable dimensions and the distance from the connection interface 14 within the bore 6 at which the seam 16 is located.
In addition to increased adjustment requirements for the laser beam to follow the inner circumference of the seam 16 , the present embodiment also requires removal of additional dielectric material 26 , which may generate impedance discontinuity issues addressable by the addition of further impedance tuning features, such as dielectric spacers or the like.
One skilled in the art will appreciate that the connector and interconnection method disclosed has significant material cost efficiencies and provides a permanently sealed interconnection with reduced size and/or weight requirements.
Table of Parts
2
coaxial connector
4
connector body
6
bore
8
outer conductor
9
cable
10
shoulder
12
cable end
14
connection interface
16
seam
18
connector end
20
bore sidewall
22
material gap
24
inner conductor
26
dielectric material
28
outer jacket
30
overbody
32
overbody flange
34
support ridge
36
coupling nut
38
retention spur
39
alignment cylinder
40
connector body flange
42
interlock aperture
43
longitudinal knurl
44
friction surface
45
notch
46
corrugation
48
stepped surface
50
center cap
52
stop shoulder
54
laser head
56
collimator
58
focus lens
Where in the foregoing description reference has been made to materials, ratios, integers or components having known equivalents then such equivalents are herein incorporated as if individually set forth.
While the present invention has been illustrated by the description of the embodiments thereof, and while the embodiments have been described in considerable detail, it is not the intention of the applicant to restrict or in any way limit the scope of the appended claims to such detail. Additional advantages and modifications will readily appear to those skilled in the art. Therefore, the invention in its broader aspects is not limited to the specific details, representative apparatus, methods, and illustrative examples shown and described. Accordingly, departures may be made from such details without departure from the spirit or scope of applicant's general inventive concept. Further, it is to be appreciated that improvements and/or modifications may be made thereto without departing from the scope or spirit of the present invention as defined by the following claims.
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A coaxial connector for interconnection with a coaxial cable with a solid outer conductor by laser welding is provided with a monolithic connector body with a bore. A sidewall of the bore is provided with an inward annular projection angled toward a cable end of the bore. A sidewall of the inward annular projection and the sidewall of the bore form an annular laser groove open to a cable end of the bore. The annular laser groove is dimensioned with a taper at a connector end of the laser groove less than a thickness of a leading end of the outer conductor. The taper provides an annular material chamber between the leading end of the outer conductor, when seated in the laser groove, and the connector end of the laser groove.
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FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The invention relates to testing of geostructural constructions incorporating geosynthetic materials such as geotextiles and geogrids placed between lifts of compacted earth, and more particularly, to a system/device and method for testing geostructural constructions, including a load frame device that simulates a full scale construction using geosynthetic materials.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] Geosynthetic material is used in a number of earthen supported constructions. Geosynthetic material generally refers to synthetic engineered products used in civil engineering projects including soil stabilization structures, corrosion barriers, retaining walls, abutments, and other earthworks requiring reinforcement. It has been found that geosynthetic material can offer a cost-effective and structurally sound alternative to many traditional concrete and block construction methods.
[0003] General types of geosynthetic materials include geotextiles or geotextile fabrics, geogrids, geomembranes, geosynthetic liners, geosynthetic erosion control products, and other specially designed geosynthetics. There are number of applications where geosynthetic materials may be employed, and the use of geosynthetic material applications is not limited to any particular field within civil engineering construction. Some of the more common functions that can be achieved with the use of geosynthetic material include erosion control, moisture control, drainage control, soil filtration and separation, soil reinforcement, and soil stabilization. One particular advantage provided by geosynthetic materials is that the materials provide substantial benefits in increasing both the tensile and shear strength of earthen supported structures. While concrete and block constructions may provide significant compressive strength, it is well known that these constructions can be woefully inadequate in terms of tensile and shear strength requirements.
[0004] Geosynthetic materials are commonly made from polymeric formulations, and another advantage of geosynthetic materials is that formulations can be adapted to achieve required strength specifications, and to otherwise be formulated for specific uses. With the wide range of polymeric materials available, geosynthetic uses continue to increase across many different types of construction applications.
[0005] One example of a reference that discloses a fiber-based geosynthetic material includes the U.S. Pat. No. 6,171,984. The reference also generally discloses geosynthetic composites with combinations of geosynthetic material including geotextiles fabrics and geomembranes.
[0006] U.S. Pat. No. 8,215,869 discloses a reinforced soil arch including alternating and interacting layers of compacted mineral soil and geosynthetic reinforcement material placed over and adjacent to the archway.
[0007] U.S. Pat. No. 6,890,127 discloses subsurface supports that may be used to support bridges and culverts, and more particularly, subsurface supports in the form of platforms that prevent scour type erosion that may develop from a body of moving water, such as a river or stream. The construction of the platforms includes the use of stabilizing sheet material, such as wire mesh, geosynthetic sheets, or combinations thereof.
[0008] U.S. Pat. No. 7,384,217 discloses a system and method for promoting vegetation growth on a steeply sloping surface. The system includes anchors secured to the sloping surface, an inner mesh layer in contact with the slope, a geosynthetic layer placed over the inner mesh layer, and seeded compost material placed in a gap or space between the geosynthetic layer and the inner mesh layer. And outer mesh layer is placed over the geosynthetic layer to stabilize the geosynthetic layer. Vegetation grows in the compost material, and roots of the vegetation penetrate the inner mesh layer into the slope for long term stabilization of the sloping surface to prevent erosion.
[0009] U.S. Pat. No. 6,808,339 discloses a modular retaining wall having tiers of headers which extend into compacted backfill material, and tiers of stretchers that extend between headers to form a front face of the wall. Layers of geosynthetic mesh reinforcement reinforce the load bearing capability of the backfill. Load forces in the backfill are sustained by forward ends of the layers of geosynthetic mesh reinforcement that extend upward in front of the backfill and then backward into the backfill instead of being sustained by the stretchers.
[0010] It is apparent from the wide variation in use of geosynthetic material disclosed in these references that geosynthetics can be used in multiple different types of constructions. Despite the increasing expansion in the use of geosynthetic material, there are still limitations in use of these materials. In the case of using geosynthetic material for larger scale construction projects, there is still a need to conduct on-site testing to confirm that the geosynthetic material in combination with the compacted earth formations achieve the necessary strength requirements for the particular project. Unlike concrete that may be tested in predictable and accurate small scale testing, such as slump testing, there is yet to be developed a uniform set of standards for determining how to employ geotextiles materials across various loading conditions.
[0011] Some efforts have been made to provide uniform guidance regarding employment of geotextile material. One example is the Geosynthetic Reinforced Soil Integrated Bridge System Interim Implementation Guide, published by the US Department of Transportation, Federal Highway Administration (June 2012). This reference generally discloses construction examples and preferred specifications for different types of constructions. This reference also discloses quality control and quality assurance measures, to include field testing and laboratory testing, and some guidance regarding stability analyses that may be conducted to confirm design specifications. However, this reference fails to disclose a testing method or procedure that can be used across many different types of construction projects to confirm actual performance of geosynthetically confined soils.
[0012] Because of the inherent number of variables with respect to use of geosynthetically confined soils, it has been difficult to develop a reliable and defensible mathematical equation that represents or predicts the behavior of soil and geosynthetic materials used in various constructions. For example, it is well known that the optimal compaction for soil greatly varies depending upon the type of soils encountered at a particular job site and therefore, designing and confirming a successful design using geosynthetics often requires trial and error testing at the jobsite in which soil and aggregate compaction is continually measured, and each lift of soil/aggregate must be tested multiple times to confirm optimal compaction. Further, the spacing of geotextile layers and a determination as to the number of layers used in a particular cross-section is not an established design sequence. Therefore, intense quality control is required at jobsite to ensure each lift of soil/aggregate material is properly compacted. Further, efforts have to be made to ensure that the soil/aggregate used at the jobsite is tested for optimal moisture content to ensure the type of soil and aggregate present can achieve its maximum dry density while the project is being constructed. Proctor compaction testing is yet another aspect of the construction process that can result with introduction of further variables for complicating design and implementation of a particular geostructural construction.
[0013] Therefore, it is apparent that a testing protocol or testing method is needed to enhance predictability of geostructural constructions, to not only reduce the potential for non-complying constructions, but also to reduce overall jobsite effort required for testing and quality control. There is also a need to provide a testing protocol and/or method that is easily transportable, and that can be quickly and efficiently conducted. There is yet a further need for a testing protocol/method in which deficiencies encountered regarding tested parameters can be retested and verified, thus preventing project delays and additional costs.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0014] According to the present invention, a system and method are provided for determining optimal design conditions for structures incorporating geosynthetically confined soils. In one aspect of the invention, it includes a testing apparatus or assembly that simulates a particular geostructural construction without having to construct a full-scale or near full-scale model. The testing apparatus or assembly can be referred to as a demonstration load frame that replicates a portion or section of the geostructural construction. The load frame includes an enclosure made from materials such as concrete block or rigid panels that enclose a plurality of layers of geosynthetic materials and lifts of representative soil and aggregate from the jobsite for the geostructural construction site at issue. The size of the load frame is such that the layers of geosynthetic material and soil/aggregate are not overly confined or limited by walls of the enclosure, which might otherwise serve to falsely compact the layers as compared to the actual construction design in which lateral containment may not be present. In this respect, the load frame can be constructed with walls of the enclosure forming a square or rectangular shape, with a minimum distance between opposing walls of the enclosure preferably greater than approximately three feet which enables soil/aggregate to more naturally compact as compared to a smaller testing cylinder that may overly constrain the soil/aggregate and geosynthetic material.
[0015] In order to adequately simulate compaction efforts at a jobsite, the method of the present invention has the capability to provide not only compressive forces to optimally compact the strata or layers of soil/aggregate and geosynthetic material, but also vibratory energy to provide a preferred method for compaction to achieve optimal simulation of compaction employed in a construction project. As used hereinafter, the term “fill” is intended to mean the combination of soil and aggregate used to simulate the soil and aggregate for the jobsite of the actual construction project for which testing is conducted. Preferably, the fill used in the load frame is the same as the soil/aggregate to be used in the project. In one preferred embodiment of the load frame, it is constructed in successive layers in which a layer of geosynthetic material and a corresponding layer or lift of fill is laid down within an enclosure of concrete blocks or rigid panels. The fill is compacted, and then another layer of geosynthetic material and another lift of fill is added and compacted within the enclosure. One row of blocks can be added for each layer of geosynthetic material and lift of fill so that the peripheral edges of the geosynthetic material can be held between the rows of blocks. An adequate number of layers of geosynthetic material and lifts of fill are constructed to simulate the particular construction project.
[0016] Compaction of the layers of fill in the load frame can be completed in different methods to best simulate optimal compaction specifications for the project. According to one method of compaction of the invention as mentioned, the fill can be compacted within the load frame upon construction of each successive layer of geosynthetic material and corresponding lift of fill. According to another method of compaction, compaction can be conducted after the load frame has been constructed with multiple layers of geosynthetic material and fill resulting in a compaction effort conducted to simultaneously compact multiple layers.
[0017] The type of energy supplied to the load frame in order to achieve compaction includes static compaction forces and vibratory compaction forces. In one embodiment, compaction is achieved by use of hydraulic jacks that apply force to connected upper and lower load plates. The controlled and gradual application of compressive force is used to compact the layers of geosynthetic material and corresponding lifts of fill. In addition to this static application of force, a mechanical vibrator can be used in conjunction with the hydraulic jacks in order to vibrate contents within the load frame. One advantage of also providing vibratory compaction is that it more closely simulates actual compaction efforts at the jobsite. As an alternative to use of hydraulic jacks, static compression force can be supplied by other means, such as by an inflatable airbag.
[0018] According to another embodiment of the load frame, instead of using stacked rows of blocks, the load frame may be constructed with removable panels. According to one method of construction of the load frame with removable panels, three sides of a four sided load frame can be assembled with one side remaining open to allow placement of layers of geosynthetic material and fill. Having one open side eases compaction efforts if the method of compaction employs a separate compaction steps for each layer/lift since the open side provides easier access to the layers of fill. The fourth side of the load frame can be installed, and final compaction can then be completed with compressive and/or vibratory force applied to the upper and lower load plates.
[0019] Once compaction is completed, the walls of the load frame may be removed in order to inspect the layers of geosynthetic material and corresponding lifts. Compaction and density testing can then be conducted, or other test protocols can be conducted in order to confirm design specifications for the project. Having the capability to view the geosynthetic material and lifts of fill in cross-section also provides an excellent manner in which to inspect the compaction results, and to modify design parameters as necessary.
[0020] In another aspect of the method of the present invention, additional compaction could be performed after the walls of the load frame are removed in order to further stimulate loading conditions, and to confirm design parameters. For example, if a project had specific loading conditions that needed to be replicated, such as continual impact loading conditions, additional compaction efforts could be conducted with the walls of the load frame removed in order to further study the performance of the simulated construction achieved with the geosynthetic layers and lifts of fill.
[0021] Considering the above aspects and features of the invention, it can be considered a device for testing design specifications for a construction project incorporating geosynthetically confined soils, comprising: (i) a load frame having a plurality of walls; (ii) a plurality of layers of geosynthetic material placed within an open space between said plurality of walls; (iii) a plurality of layers of fill material located between said plurality of layers of geosynthetic material; (iv) an upper load plate covering the open space; (v) at least one force applying member communicating with said upper load plate for applying a force to compact the fill material; and wherein force is applied by said force applying member to compact the fill material.
[0022] In another aspect of the invention, it can be considered a device for testing design specifications for a construction project incorporating geosynthetically confined soils comprising: (i) a load frame having a plurality of walls; (ii) a plurality of layers of geosynthetic material placed within an open space between said plurality of walls; (iii) a plurality of layers of fill material located between said plurality of layers of geosynthetic material; (iv) an upper load plate covering the open space; (v) at least one force applying member communicating with said upper load plate for applying a force to compact the fill material; (vi) a lower load plate placed beneath a most lower layer of said plurality of layers of fill material; (vii) at least one retention bar interconnecting said upper load plate and said lower load plate; and wherein force is applied by said force applying member to compact the fill material, and said upper and lower load plates secure said layers of fill material and geosynthetic materials enabling the force applied to compact the fill material.
[0023] In yet another aspect of the invention, it can be considered a method to test design specifications for constructions incorporating geosynthetically confined soils, comprising: (i) constructing a load frame having a plurality of walls to enclose a quantity of fill material and geosynthetic material; (ii) installing at least one layer of geosynthetic material within an open space between said plurality of walls; (iii) loading at least one layer of fill material within the open space between said plurality of walls and in contact with said layer of geosynthetic material (iv) covering the layer of geosynthetic material and layer of fill material; (v) applying force to compact said layer of fill material; and (vi) conducting a compaction test to determine whether the layer of fill material is compacted to design specifications for the project.
[0024] Other features and advantages of the invention will become apparent from review the following detailed description, taken in conjunction with the drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0025] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a load frame according to a first embodiment of the system and method of the invention;
[0026] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the load frame of FIG. 1 ;
[0027] FIG. 2A provides two enlarged partial cross-sectional views of portions of FIG. 2 , namely, one view showing non-compacted fill and the other showing compacted fill;
[0028] FIG. 3 is another cross-sectional view of the load frame of FIG. 1 and further showing a vibratory element for compaction purposes;
[0029] FIG. 4 illustrates the walls of the load frame of FIG. 1 removed;
[0030] FIG. 5 illustrates a cross-sectional view of another method for compacting fill within the load frame, namely, use of an inflatable member;
[0031] FIG. 6 is a perspective view of another embodiment of a load frame incorporating removable panels; and
[0032] FIG. 7 is an example graph showing optimal moisture content for achieving maximum dry density of soil with respect to compaction according to the system and method of the invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0033] Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2 , a load frame device 10 is illustrated in a first embodiment. The purpose of the device is to provide simulation for layers of geosynthetic material and fill, such as used within a geostructural construction, so that testing can be conducted to validate design specifications. The testing conducted may include compaction testing or other industry specific testing associated with geostructural projects. The device 10 has frame walls 12 that enclose a quantity of fill and vertically spaced layers of geosynthetic material, such as geosynthetic layers or sheets 18 . As shown, the device 10 may be a square or rectangular shaped enclosure with the frame walls 12 made from stacked blocks or bricks 14 . Successive layers or sheets of the geosynthetic material 18 extend substantially horizontally across the interior of the device, and peripheral edges of the geosynthetic material 18 are trapped between rows of the blocks 14 . As shown, the peripheral edges of the geosynthetic material may extend beyond the exterior surfaces of the walls 12 . Fill material 16 is placed between the layers of geosynthetic sheets 18 .
[0034] Referring specifically to FIG. 2 , a compressive load may be applied to the geosynthetic layers and fill by use of a pair of opposing compression load plates that trap the geosynthetic layers and fill. As shown, an upper load plate 20 is placed over the most upper layer of fill 16 , and a lower load plate 22 is placed beneath and supports the most lower layer of fill 16 . A loading apparatus is used to supply compressive force to compact the layers of fill, and the first embodiment employs a plurality of jacks 36 as shown. Each of the jacks 36 are mounted over one or more upper force distributing plates 24 . Specifically, each of the jacks 36 are illustrated as having a base 37 that is aligned and mounted over two stacked force distributing plates 24 . Threaded retention bars 26 extend through the jacks 36 , through the upper load plate 20 , through the layers of geosynthetic material and fill, and finally through the lower load plate 22 thereby interconnecting the upper and lower load plates.
[0035] Lower force distributing plates 24 are mounted over the respective lower ends of the retention bars 26 , and the retention bars are locked in place against the lower surface of the lower load plate 22 by respective lower securing nuts 28 . As shown in FIG. 2 , a hole H may be dug in the ground G to accommodate space for the lower load plate 22 , lower force distributing plates 24 and lower nuts 28 . This hole allows the first row of blocks 14 to rest on the ground. The hole H may be filled with earth E as needed to help stabilize the lower load plate 22 and the lower force distributing plates 24 .
[0036] The upper ends of the retention bars 26 extending through the jacks 36 and are locked in place by respective upper securing nuts 28 threaded over the upper ends and tightened against the jacks 36 as shown. Each of the jacks 36 includes a moveable cylinder 41 that is selectively raised or lowered by hydraulic fluid, and the upper edge of each of the cylinders 41 contacts a blocking bushing or washer 39 that is locked in place by the corresponding upper securing nut 28 .
[0037] Hydraulic lines 38 provide fluid to the hydraulic jacks 36 by a hydraulic fluid source and hydraulic pump, shown schematically as a combined element 50 . The pump is activated to force fluid through the lines 38 and into the jacks 36 , resulting in a compressive force applied to the interior of the load frame by downward displacement of the upper load plate 20 . FIG. 1 illustrates the jacks 36 prior to activation in which the moveable cylinders 41 of the jacks are fully retracted within the casings or bodies of the jacks 36 . Referring to FIG. 2 , as the hydraulic jacks 36 are activated, the cylinders 41 project incrementally upward causing the upper load plate 20 to be forced downward into the interior of the device 10 . An operator may manually tighten or loosen the upper nuts 28 against the blocking bushings 39 to adjust the distance between the upper and lower compression plates, it being understood that the limit of downward travel of the upper load plate 20 is defined by the maximum extended length of the cylinders 41 when activated. Continued operation of the jacks 36 results in progressive lowering of the plate 20 within the load frame until the cylinders 41 are fully extended.
[0038] FIG. 2A is provided to illustrate a compaction effort in which loose granular fill material 42 has yet to be compacted within the load frame, and the results achieved after compaction in which the fill material becomes compacted fill 44 . More specifically, the upper cross section shows the loose granular fill material 42 with non-compacted granules and air voids between the granules. The lower cross section shows the same cross-section after compaction in which the granules are compacted, and the air voids are significantly reduced.
[0039] Referring also to FIG. 3 , in addition to providing a static compressive force by use of the jacks 36 , vibratory energy can be introduced for compaction of the fill 16 by a mechanical vibrator 34 to better simulate actual compaction efforts at the jobsite. As shown in FIG. 3 , a vibratory plate 32 is mounted over the upper ends of the retention bars 26 , and a mechanical vibrator 34 is mounted on the vibratory plate 32 . The vibratory plate 32 extends between adjacent jacks 36 for convenient mounting of the mechanical vibrator 34 . The vibratory plate 32 is positioned between spacers or bushings 30 and the upper securing nuts 28 . During activation of the hydraulic jacks 36 , the mechanical vibrator 34 can be activated to assist in the compaction effort.
[0040] In the construction of the load frame 10 , each individual lift of fill 16 can be initially and partially compacted, such as by hand tools and/or handheld equipment such as a vibratory tamper. Final compaction is then achieved by activation of the hydraulic jacks 36 in which compaction very closely replicates the actual compaction effort to be conducted at the project. Additional compaction effort can be supplemented with the mechanical vibrator 34 . In some cases, it may not be necessary to provide any initial manual compaction, and all of the compaction is therefore achieved by compressive force of the jacks 36 , and supplemented as needed with the mechanical vibrator 34 . The device 10 therefore achieves full-scale replication of project compaction without having to construct a much larger and labor-intensive model or prototype of the geostructural construction.
[0041] Referring to FIG. 4 , the blocks 14 have been removed therefore exposing the lifts of fill 16 and the geosynthetic sheets 18 . A visual inspection can be made to determine performance parameters for the simulated construction, such as observing the disposition of the geosynthetic layers and uniformity of compaction of the fill 16 to achieve maximum dry density. As discussed below, it is desirable to conduct density/compaction testing when the fill 16 has an allowable range of water content in order to achieve acceptable dry density specifications.
[0042] Upon completion of compaction, desired soil density tests can be conducted to determine density characteristics and whether the selected combination of fill and geosynthetic material used within the load frame achieved project specifications. As understood by those skilled in the art, soil density testing can be conducted by a nuclear densometer, by other types of soil density gauges, or by a manual drive cylinder method in accordance with ASTM D2937-10.
[0043] After the blocks 14 have been removed, it is also possible to conduct further loading in order to stimulate both static and live loading conditions for the project. For example, after the desired compaction has been achieved, it may be desirable to provide cyclical loading over time to replicate loading conditions at the project, and to further determine whether the selected combination of fill and geosynthetic material performs as expected. The cyclical loading can be conducted by selected cycles of activation and deactivation of the hydraulic cylinders 36 and selected activation and deactivation of the mechanical vibrator 34 . Cyclical test loading sequences allow an inspector to view the performance of the fill and geosynthetic material, and to look for potential problems such as non-uniform shifting or displacement of fill or deformation of the geosynthetic layers which may indicate potential sheer stress failures or other types of potential failures.
[0044] In another aspect of the invention, use of the load frame allows engineers to quickly and efficiently experiment with different types of soil, aggregate, and geosynthetic materials that may optimize construction of each project. For example, there may be a need to provide a layer of coarser aggregate for drainage purposes along a particular section of the sub grade of a project, but with a goal of also avoiding unacceptable compaction at that area. The load frame of the present invention is ideal for testing various combinations of fill and geosynthetic materials, and in this example, compaction can be quickly evaluated for the area employing the coarser aggregate. In the event introduction of the coarser aggregate did not meet specifications, another test could be performed by assembling another test sample of fill and geosynthetics in the load frame.
[0045] Referring to FIG. 5 in another embodiment of the load frame 10 , in lieu of the hydraulic jacks 36 , compression is provided by an inflatable airbag 28 . The airbag 28 is placed below the upper load plate 20 in order to provide a compressive force for compaction. The airbag 28 is selectively inflated by a source of compressed air (not shown). The airbag 28 can also be inflated and deflated to simulate various static and live loading conditions. Therefore, the airbag 28 can serve to simulate both compaction and loading conditions. In this way, the fill and geosynthetic material may be evaluated to confirm project specifications. Further compressive forces and cyclical loading can be conducted by removing the blocks 14 , in the same manner as discussed with respect to FIG. 4 .
[0046] Referring to FIG. 6 , yet another embodiment for the load frame 10 ′ is illustrated in which the load frame is constructed from a plurality of panels and interconnecting brackets. More specifically, the load frame 10 ′ includes brackets 60 located at each corner of the load frame, and panels 62 extending between the brackets 60 . The ends of the panels 62 may be inserted within corresponding grooves or channels 64 formed in the brackets 60 . For the load frame 10 ′ of FIG. 6 , the geosynthetic layers or sheets 18 must therefore be cut to fit within the enclosed area within the load frame. Compaction force can be provided for the load frame 10 ′ utilizing either the hydraulic jacks 36 or the inflatable airbag 28 , and supplemented as necessary with vibratory energy supplied by the vibrator 34 .
[0047] In yet another aspect of the invention, it is also contemplated that compaction force can be provided in combination by a plurality of hydraulic jacks 36 and by an inflatable airbag 28 . In this combination, it is contemplated that the jacks 36 could be used to provide the primary compaction force and the airbag 28 could be used to supplement required compressive force, as well as to provide simulation of cyclical live loading conditions. Inflation and deflation of the airbag can be achieved relatively quickly which makes it ideal for simulating some live loading conditions. The mechanical vibrator 34 can also be used to further supplement required compaction.
[0048] Referring to FIG. 7 , a sample graph is illustrated showing the relationship between the density of soil and water content, known as a Proctor curve. The example of FIG. 7 shows a 90% compaction curve. As understood by those skilled in the art, it is desirable to construct earthen supported structures in which soil is compacted at or within an allowable range of its maximum dry density. Fill material to be used in the testing system and method of the invention is preferably analyzed to determine moisture content, and then a Proctor curve can be created like FIG. 7 to determine a value for the optimum moisture content of the sample, and thus the maximum unit weight or density. The fill material 16 used in the system and testing method of the invention is analyzed prior to compaction in the load frame 10 , and a corresponding Proctor curve is created that provides a value for the optimum moisture content of the fill sample. The Proctor curve provides an indication of the greatest amount of compaction that can be achieved based upon moisture content of the sample. Often times, back fill material is too wet or too dry, and therefore compaction cannot meet certain standards. The 95% maximum dry density standard is one industry acceptable standard for controlling out of range moisture contents.
[0049] As also shown in FIGS. 1-5 , dial indicators 40 are provided to measure deflection of the upper load plate 20 . The dial indicators provide an indication of the distance that the upper load plate 20 moves in response to pressure applied from the hydraulic jacks 36 . A pressure gauge (not shown) at the hydraulic pump 50 provides a loading value in pounds per square inch (PSI). The deflections can be recorded along with the loading value(s). The loading values in PSI can be converted to loads in pounds applied to the upper load plate. Compaction testing is conducted to determine fill density for the fill 16 in the load frame, and assuming desired compaction has been achieved, a relationship can then be established between compaction and deflection and/or loading values. For example, a curve could be plotted that relates the load supplied from the hydraulic jacks and/or the deflection measured at the dial indicators to the compaction achieved for the sample of fill within the load frame. Baseline data can be developed to determine the amount of deflection required to properly compact a fill sample within the load frame, along with the required load to be applied for achieving the deflection. In this way, the testing method of the present invention can be repeated for each project and optimum compaction can be more quickly determined with the pre-established baseline data that provides the amount of loading required and the expected measured deflections to achieve desired compaction.
[0050] In the construction of the load frame with the desired number of layers or lifts of fill material and layers of geosynthetic material, one method is to construct each separate layer or lift of fill material and corresponding layer(s) of geosynthetic material, and to then apply the loading apparatus for each lift to compact the lift. Another method is to construct multiple lifts and corresponding layer(s) of geosynthetic material, and then apply the loading apparatus. Depending upon the type of soil and aggregate and the depths of the lifts of fill material, sequential construction or multiple lift construction can be adopted to best replicate field practices to be used at the jobsite, and to best test and validate design parameters.
[0051] Although the load frame of the invention is described for use with evaluating geosynthetically confined soils, the load frame is also useful for conducting compaction evaluation and testing for granular fill material by itself. Therefore, for those projects in which it is only necessary to evaluate fill material, the load frame provides a solution for quickly and efficiently evaluating soil and aggregate characteristics to test and confirm design specification parameters.
[0052] The invention has been described with respect to various preferred embodiments. However, it shall be understood that modifications can be made to the invention within the scope of the claims appended hereto.
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A system and method are provided for determining optimal design conditions for structures incorporating geosynthetically confined soils. A testing apparatus referred to as a load frame simulates a particular geostructural construction without having to construct a full-scale or near full-scale model. The load frame includes an enclosure made from materials such as concrete block or rigid panels that enclose a plurality of layers of geosynthetic materials and lifts of representative soil and aggregate obtained from the jobsite of the geostructural construction. An upper load plate and lower load plate confine the lifts and geosynthetic materials. A load is applied to the upper load plate in order to compact the contents within the load frame. Both static and vibratory energy can be applied for the loading, thereby closely replicating actual compaction efforts at the job site. Once the contents have been compacted, compaction testing can be conducted to confirm design parameters.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention generally relates to fabrication of semiconductor devices, and more particularly to an improved method for fabricating a semiconductor device having a multi-level interconnection structure.
In modern semiconductor integrated circuits having a high integration density, the multi-level interconnection structure is used commonly for interconnection of various devices within the integrated circuit.
In such semiconductor integrated circuits having the multi-level interconnection structure, it is essential that the device has a planarized top surface so that the conductor pattern provided thereon for forming the interconnection is provided with high precision and with excellent contact to the top surface. When the top surface is not sufficiently planarized, defective interconnection tends to occur and the yield as well as the reliability of the integrated circuit is decreased.
In order to planarize the top surface of semiconductor integrated circuits, a so-called spin-on-glass (SOG) technique is used commonly, wherein the top surface of the integrated circuit on which various interconnections are to be provided, is coated by a solution of organic silicon oxide dissolved into an organic solvent. Such a solution has an extremely low viscosity, and upon evaporation of the solvents, provides an insulating silicon oxide layer called an SOG layer which has a substantially flat top surface suitable for providing the multi-level interconnection structure thereon. However, such a SOG layer has a problem in that, because of the continuous release of organic gases and water even after solidification, defective contacts tend to occur particularly in the contact holes which are provided through the SOG layer in order to achieve an interconnection between metal electrodes such as aluminum deposited thereon and the semiconductor devices buried thereunder.
FIGS. 1A-1G show a conventional process of planarizing the top surface of an integrated circuit by an SOG process. In this example, the integrated circuit includes a MOSFET device as an active device.
Referring to FIG. 1A, a field oxide region 53 for the device isolation is formed on a silicon substrate 51 by the usual selective oxidization of the silicon substrate 51 such that the field oxide region 53 defines a device region 52 in which the MOSFET device is to be formed.
Next, in a step of FIG. 1B, a gate oxide film 54 is provided on the device region 52, and the formation of the polysilicon gate electrode 55 as well as the formation of the source and drain regions 56 and 57, are performed according to the usual MOS process.
In a step of FIG. 1C, the gate oxide film 54 is removed except for the region under the polysilicon gate electrode 55, and the entire structure is covered by a thin oxide film 58 for preventing contamination by impurities. A first insulator layer 59 of phosphosilicate glass (PSG) and the like is provided on the entire top surface, and contact holes 60 are provided through the first insulator layer 59. A first conductor layer (not shown) of aluminum and the like is provided on the first insulator layer 59 so as to make a contact to the underlying semiconductor device through the contact holes 60. The first conductor layer is patterned to form: a source electrode 61 connected to the source region 56; a drain electrode 62 connected to the drain region 57; a first aluminum pattern 63 remaining on the first insulator layer 59 in correspondence to the source region 56; a second aluminum pattern 64 remaining on the first insulator layer 59 in correspondence to the field oxide region 53, and the like.
In a step of FIG. 1D, a thin silicon oxide film 65 is provided so as to cover the aluminum electrodes and patterns 61-64 as well as the first insulator layer 59, by a chemical vapor deposition (CVD) process, and on this silicon oxide film 65, an SOG layer 66 is provided in a form of organic solution. This SOG layer 66 is solidified by curing performed at 400°-450° C.
In a step of FIG. 1E, the SOG layer 66 is subjected to a plasma etching process using a methyl trifluoride (CHF3) gas, whereby the top surface of the SOG layer 66 is planarized as a result of selective removal of the projections from the layer 66 while leaving the depressions unetched.
Next, in a step of FIG. 1F, a second PSG layer 67 is provided by the CVD process, and a contact hole 68 for inter-layer connection is provided through the PSG layer 67 and the SOG layer 66, and further through the silicon oxide layer 65 so as to expose the aluminum conductor 63 on the first PSG layer 59. Note that, at the side wall of the contact hole 68 thus provided, the SOG layer 66 is exposed.
Finally, in a step of FIG. 1G, an aluminum layer is provided on the second PSG layer 67 including the contact hole 68, and after suitable patterning, an aluminum electrode 69 contacting to the aluminum conductor 63 is obtained. The structure thus obtained may be covered further by an insulator layer not illustrated.
In the foregoing multi-level interconnection structure, it should be noted that the SOG layer 66 is exposed at the side wall of the interlayer contact hole 68. This means that the aluminum electrode 69 makes a direct contact to the SOG layer 66 at the side wall of the contact hole 68. The deposition of the aluminum layer forming the electrode 69 is made by sputtering performed under a vacuum environment. A pressure of 10 -3 Torr is used commonly for this purpose. Under such a high vacuum environment, there is a tendency that small amounts of water vapor or gases of organic molecules are continuously released from the SOG layer 66, even after the curing of the SOG layer 66. When water or organic molecules are released, the particle of aluminum deposited in the contact hole 68 becomes excessively coarse as schematically illustrated in FIG. 1G by a numeral 69G, and there is a substantial risk that the contact resistance is increased or the electric contact fails at such a region.
A same problem occurs also when the contact hole 68 is provided at a region of the device where the top surface of the layer underlying the SOG layer 66 is depressed as shown in FIG. 2. In this example, the aluminum conductor 66 is depressed between a pair of gate electrodes 55a and 55b. The existence of such a depressed region on the surface inevitably invites collection of the SOG layer and thus, the SOG layer 66 is exposed at the side wall of the contact hole 68 when the contact hole is provided in correspondence to such a depressed region. As already noted, such an exposure of the SOG layer 66 causes release of gases when the electrode 69 is sputtered, and the problem of unreliable electric contact similarly occurs.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, it is a general object of the present invention to provide a novel and useful semiconductor device wherein the foregoing problems are eliminated.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a semiconductor device having a planarized surface, wherein a region of the semiconductor device in which a contact hole is to be provided, is formed to have an increased level with respect to the rest of the regions such that, when an SOG layer is provided on the semiconductor device for surface planarization, the region of the device where the contact hole is to be provided becomes substantially flush to or projected above the level of the SOG layer. According to the present invention, an excellent surface planarization of the semiconductor device is achieved and at the same time, the problems such as the SOG layer exposed at the side wall of the contact holes are eliminated. Thus, the release of gases at the time of filling the contact hole by the metal electrode is avoided, and a reliable semiconductor integrated circuit having a reliable contact at the inter-layer contact holes is obtained.
Other objects and further feature of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description when read in conjunction with the attached drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIGS. 1A-1G are cross-sectional views showing various steps for providing a conventional multi-level interconnection structure on a semiconductor device;
FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing another conventional multi-level interconnection structure;
FIGS. 3A-3G are cross-sectional views showing various steps for providing a multi-level interconnection structure on a semiconductor device according to a first embodiment of the present invention;
FIGS. 4A-4F are cross-sectional views showing various steps for providing a multi-level interconnection structure on a semiconductor device according to a second embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 5 is a diagram showing the multi-level interconnection structure of the second embodiment in a plan view; and
FIGS. 6A-6H are cross-sectional views showing various steps for providing a multi-level interconnection structure on a semiconductor device according to a third embodiment of the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
Hereinafter, the present invention will be described.
FIGS. 3A-3G show various steps of providing the multi-level interconnection structure according to a first embodiment of the present invention.
Referring to FIG. 3A, a silicon substrate 1 is subjected to a local oxidation (LOCOS) using a oxidation resistant mask not illustrated. As a result of the oxidation, a field oxide region 3 defining a device region 2 is formed for a thickness of about 6000-8000 Å. The field oxide region 3 thus formed projects upwards from the surface of the silicon substrate 1 for a height h 1 which is typically 3000-4000 Å. At the same time to the formation of the field oxide region 3, an isolated region or island-like region 3s is formed in the device region 2 in correspondence to a region Ac where a contact hole for inter-layer connection is to be formed, with a same height as the height h 1 .
In a step of FIG. 3B, a gate oxide film 4 is formed on the exposed surface of the silicon substrate 1 in correspondence to the device region 2 for a thickness of about 200 Å. Further, a polysilicon layer not illustrated is deposited on the gate oxide film 4 for a thickness of about 4000 Å by the CVD process. Next, the polysilicon layer is patterned to form a polysilicon gate electrode 5, and ion implantation of arsenic (As + ) into the substrate 1 is performed through the gate oxide film 4, using the field oxide region 3, 1 island-like region 3s, and the gate electrode 5 as the mask As a result of the ion implantation, a source region 6a and 6b as well as a drain region 7, all of the n + -type, are formed in the substrate 1 as illustrated. It should be noted that the source region 6a and the source region 6b are continued each other at the level different from the level of the sheet of the drawing.
In a step of FIG. 3C, the gate oxide film 4 is removed except for the part underlying the polysilicon gate electrode 5 by etching, and an oxide film 8 for eliminating contaminations by impurities is provided on the entire surface of the structure thus obtained by thermal oxidation. Further, an insulator layer 9 of PSG is provided on the oxide film 8 for a thickness of about 5000-6000 Å by the CVD process, and contact holes SC and DC are formed so as to penetrate through the insulator layer 9 and further through the oxide film 8 respectively in correspondence to the source region 6b and the drain region 7. Next, a first conductor layer (not illustrated) comprising pure aluminum or aluminum alloy containing silicon is deposited by sputtering on and DC for a thickness of about 6000-8000 Å, and after suitable patterning, a source electrode 11 connected to the source region 6b and a drain electrode 12 connected to the drain region 7 are formed as the part of the foregoing first conductor layer remaining after the patterning. It should be noted that the first conductor layer fills the contact holes SC and DC completely at the time of deposition and thus, the source electrode 11 and the drain electrode 12 make a reliable contact to the underlying source region 6b and the drain region 7 through these contact holes SC and DC. The drain electrode 12 extends on the PSG layer 9 in correspondence to the field oxide region 3 as illustrated. Further, as a result of the patterning of the first conductor layer, a first layer conductor pattern 13 is formed on the PSG layer 9 so as to extend from the source region 6a to the island-like region 3s. Furthermore, and another first layer pattern 14 is formed on the PSG layer 9 in correspondence to the field oxide region 3 as a result of the patterning.
In a step of FIG. 3D, a silicon oxide film 15 is deposited on the entire surface of the device thus obtained for a thickness of about 1000-2000 Å by the CVD process. Further, a solution of SOG is applied on the silicon oxide film 15 by the spin-coating using a revolution of about 3000 r.p.m. The SOG thus coated is then solidified by evaporating the solvent at a temperature of 400°-500° C. As a result, an SOG layer 16 is formed. FIG. 3D shows the SOG layer 16 as formed.
Next, in a step of FIG. 3E, the SOG layer 16 is uniformly etched by applying a dry etching process using CHF 3 as the reactive species, until the silicon oxide film 15 is exposed in correspondence to the projected parts such as the part covering the drain electrode 12 on the field oxide region 3 or the part covering the first layer pattern 13 on the island-like oxide region 3s. As a result of this etching process, the top surface of the SOG layer 16 is substantially planarized.
In a step of FIG. 3F, a second PSG layer 17 is provided on the planarized SOG layer 16 for a thickness of 6000-8000 Å by the CVD process, and a contact hole 18 is formed in correspondence to a region A where the contact hole is to be formed such that the contact hole 18 penetrates through the PSG layer 17 and further through the silicon oxide film 15 underneath, until the first layer conductor pattern 13 is exposed. It should be noted that the SOG layer 16 provided on the silicon oxide film 15 is completely removed from the region Ac by the previous dry etching process, and therefore, the SOG layer 16 is no longer exposed at the side wall of the contact hole 18.
Next, a second conductor layer of pure aluminum or aluminum alloy containing silicon, is deposited on the PSG layer 17 including the contact hole 18 by sputtering for a thickness of about 1 μm. Thereby, the second conductor layer fills the contact hole 18 completely. After the deposition, the second conductor layer is patterned and a second layer conductor pattern 19 is formed.
In the contact hole 18 thus formed, the SOG layer 17 is no longer exposed at the side wall, and the problem such as the water vapor or organic gases released when filling the contact hole 18 by sputtering of aluminum, is avoided. Thus, the second layer conductor pattern 19 has a uniform texture of fine aluminum grains and a reliable electric contact is achieved between the second layer conductor pattern 19 and the first layer conductor pattern 13.
After the formation of the first layer conductor pattern 13, an insulator layer (not shown) is provided on the entire surface of the device thus formed, and thereby the fabrication of the MOS device is completed.
Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 4A-4F. In this embodiment, a projecting region is provided so as to surround the region where the contact hole is to be provided, prior to the spin-coating of the SOG layer.
Referring to the step of FIG. 4A, a silicon substrate 21 is subjected to a thermal oxidation process to form a gate oxide film 22. Further, gate electrodes 23a, 23b of polysilicon are provided on the gate oxide film 22 such that the gate electrodes extend parallel to each other. Further, ion implantation is performed using these gate electrodes 23a and 23b, and thereby the substrate 21 as usual. Further, an insulator layer 24 is provided such that the gate electrodes 23a and 23b are embedded therein, and a first conductor layer 125 comprising aluminum or aluminum alloy is provided on the layer 24 by sputtering such that the first conductor layer 125 covers the region of the layer 24 located above the gate electrodes 23a and 23b. It should be noted that the first conductor layer 125 has a surface which is undulated in accordance to the surface profile of the insulator layer 24, and thus, there is formed a depressed region 125C in correspondence to the depression formed in the layer 24 between the gate electrode 23a and the gate electrode 23b.
In a step of FIG. 4B, a silicon oxide layer (not shown) is provided uniformly to cover the first conductor layer 125 by the CVD process, and after provision of a photoresist 26 and the patterning thereof, which leaves the photoresist 26 in correspondence to the depressed region 125c, the silicon oxide layer is patterned using the patterned photoresist 26 as the mask and thereby a silicon oxide region 27 is 20 formed in correspondence to the depressed region 125c as illustrated.
Next, in a step of FIG. 4C, another photoresist 28 is provided uniformly on the structure of FIG. 4B and patterned subsequently to form a mask used for patterning of the underlying first conductor layer 125. Further, by performing the patterning of the first conductor layer 125 using the patterned photoresist 28 as the mask, a first layer conductor pattern 25 is formed as illustrated in FIG. 4C.
Next, in a step of FIG. 4D, the photoresist 28 is removed, and a silicon oxide film 29 is deposited uniformly over the entire surface of the structure thus formed, by the CVD process. This silicon oxide film 29 acts to smooth the projections formed on the surface of the first layer conductor pattern 25. Next, an SOG process is applied on the entire surface of the device thus obtained such that an SOG layer 30 is formed by the spin-coating. Thereby, the SOG layer 30 is formed such that the layer 30 fills every depressions on the surface of the device thus formed. Note that the silicon oxide region 27 provided on the depressed region 125c is projected and thus, the silicon oxide region 27 is substantially free from coverage by the SOG layer 30. After the spin-coating, the SOG layer 30 is solidified by annealing for evaporating the solvents. An etching process may be further applied to the entire surface of the structure thus obtained so as to make sure that no SOG layer 30 is remained on the silicon oxide region 27.
Next, in a step of FIG. 4E, a PSG layer 31 is provided on the entire surface of the device obtained by the foregoing process, and a photoresist 32 is provided on the PSG layer 31. After patterning the photoresist 32, a contact hole 33 is provided, penetrating through the PSG layer 31 and further through the silicon oxide layers 29 and 27 underneath, until the top surface of the first layer conductor pattern 25 is exposed.
Next, in a step of FIG. 4F, a second conductor layer not illustrated is deposited on the entire surface of the structure thus obtained by sputtering including the contact hole 33, and a second layer conductor pattern 34 is formed after patterning of the second conductor layer such that the second layer conductor pattern 34 is connected to the first layer conductor pattern 25 through the contact hole 33. As the SOG layer 30 is not existing in the region where the contact hole 33 is provided, no SOG layer 30 is exposed at the side wall of the contact hole 33, and as a result, the problem of unreliable electric contact at the contact hole 33 because of the enlarged grain size of aluminum forming the second layer conductor pattern 34, is avoided.
FIG. 5 shows a plan view of the semiconductor device fabricated according to the second embodiment. It will be seen that the first layer conductor pattern 25 is connected to the second layer conductor pattern crossing thereto at the contact hole 33 provided in the silicon oxide pattern 27 in correspondence to the depressed region 125c.
Next, a third embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 6A-6H for a case where deposition of polysilicon is made in correspondence to a depressed region in which a contact hole is to be formed. This embodiment is useful when a polysilicon layer is used extensively in the semiconductor device for interconnections and resistances. In the drawing, the parts corresponding to those already described are given identical reference numerals and the description thereof will be omitted.
Referring to FIG. 6A, a structure is formed similarly to the foregoing second embodiment wherein the polysilicon gate electrodes 23a and 23b are provided on the gate oxide film 22 which in turn is provided on the silicon substrate 21. Further, the source and drain regions (not illustrated) are formed in the substrate 21 as usual. Further, the entire structure is covered by the insulator layer 24.
In a step of FIG. 6B, polysilicon is deposited on the insulator layer 24, and after patterning using a photoresist 35, a polysilicon pattern 36 which is used for resistances and interconnection patterns is formed. Further, another isolated polysilicon region 37 is formed on the insulator layer 24 in correspondence to a depression between the gate electrodes 23a and 23b where a contact hole is to be provided. It should be noted that the polysilicon region 37 does not extend extensively on the insulator layer 24 but the extension of the polysilicon region 37 is limited to such a depressed region in which the contact hole is to be provided. Note that the formation of the polysilicon region 37 is made simultaneously to the formation of polysilicon pattern 36 used for resistances or interconnection conductors, and thus the provision of the polysilicon region 37 does not increase the number of steps needed to fabricate the semiconductor device.
In a step of FIG. 6C, an inter-layer insulation layer 38 is provided on the entire structure after removing the photoresist 35, and the first conductor layer 125 of aluminum is provided on the entire surface of the insulation layer 38.
In a step of FIG. 6D, the first conductor layer 125 is patterned using a patterned photoresist not illustrated, and whereby the first layer conductor pattern 25 is formed. Further, the silicon oxide layer 29 is formed so as to cover the entire surface of the device thus formed as illustrated in FIG. 6D.
In a step of FIG. 6E, the SOG layer 30 is spin-coated on the entire surface of the structure of FIG. 6D, and whereby the planarization of the device surface is achieved. As the region where the contact hole is to be provided has an increased height because of the provision of the polysilicon region 37, the surface of the silicon oxide layer 29 is substantially exposed at a level substantially flush to the planarized surface of the SOG layer 30. After applying an annealing process, the SOG layer 30 is solidified and the entire surface is slightly etched so as to make sure that no SOG layer 30 remains on the region where the contact hole is to be provided.
Next, in a step of FIG. 6F, the PSG layer 31 is provided, and in a step of FIG. 6G, the contact hole 33 is provided through the PSG layer 31 and further through the silicon oxide layer 29 in correspondence to the region where the polysilicon region 37 is embedded by using the patterned photoresist 32, until the surface of the first conductor layer 25 is exposed. It should be noted that no SOG layer 30 is exposed at the side wall of the contact hole 33 because of the absence of the SOG layer 30 in this region.
Further, in a step of FIG. 6H, the photoresist 32 is removed and the second layer conductor pattern 34 is provided in correspondence to the contact hole 33 such that the second layer conductor pattern 34 fills the contact hole 33 and makes a contact to the exposed first conductor layer 25. As the second layer conductor pattern 34 does not make a contact to the SOG layer at all in the contact hole 33, the problem of excessive growth of aluminum grains in the contact hole and resultant deterioration of the reliability of electric contact between the first layer conductor pattern 25 and the second layer conductor pattern 34, is completely eliminated.
As described with reference to the first through third embodiments, the present invention provides elimination of the SOG layer from the region of the contact hole by increasing the level of the region where the contact hole is to be formed. Such an increase of the level is achieved by providing an isolated or island-like region such as the oxide region 3s formed simultaneously to the formation of the field oxide structure, or the silicon oxide region 27 formed on the first layer conductor pattern 25, or the polysilicon region 37 formed simultaneously to the formation of the resistances and other first layer interconnections, in correspondence to the region where the contact hole is to be provided. Further, by applying an etching process after formation and solidification of the SOG layer, the elimination of the SOG layer from the region of the contact hole can be made perfect.
By constructing the semiconductor device as such, the problem of unreliable contact of the second layer conductor pattern, conventionally caused by the release of gases from the SOG layer upon deposition of the second layer conductor pattern on the contact hole which exposes the SOG layer at the side wall, is eliminated and a reliable inter-layer interconnection is achieved. AS a result, failure of the contact is eliminated and the reliability and operational characteristic of the semiconductor device is improved.
It should be noted that the isolated region used for increasing the level of the device surface in correspondence to where the contact hole is to be provided, is not limited to the foregoing silicon oxide or polysilicon, but other materials such as sputtered silicon oxide layer, silicon nitride layer, silicon oxynitride layer may also be used. Further, various polycide structures wherein various silicides such as tungsten silicide (WSi 2 ), molybdenum silicide (MoSi 2 ), titanium silicide (TiSi 2 ) are provided on the polysilicon layer can also be used for this purpose.
The first and second layer conductor patterns used in the device of the present invention is not limited to pure aluminum or aluminum alloy containing silicon as disclosed, but other materials such as aluminum alloy containing silicon and copper, aluminum-copper alloy, copper, or other refractory metals may also be employed.
Further, the present invention is not only applicable to the MOS integrated circuits having the MOS devices as the active devices as disclosed, but can be applicable to any other integrated circuits wherein the planarization is achieved using the SOG layer for multi-level interconnection.
Further, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described heretofore but various variations and modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the invention.
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A semiconductor device having a multi-level interconnection structure includes an active device, a substrate supporting the active device thereon, and a first insulator layer provided so as to cover the substrate including the active device. A first conductor pattern is provided on the first insulator layer. A planarizing layer has a planarized top surface provided on the first insulator layer so as to bury the first conductor pattern underneath. A second insulator layer is provided on the planarized top surface of the planarizing layer. A contact hole is provided on the second insulator layer so as to expose a desired part of the first conductor pattern. A second conductor pattern is provided on the second insulator layer in correspondence to the contact hole so as to fill the contact hole and so as to make a contact to the exposed part of the first conductor pattern. An isolated region is provided on the substrate in correspondence to a part of the substrate underneath the contact hole such that the isolated region is projected from the first top surface of the substrate in correspondence to the contact hole. The isolated region causes a projection of the top surface of the first insulator layer in correspondence to a part which covers the isolated region such that the planarizing layer provided on the first insulator layer is eliminated from the part of the first insulator having the projecting top surface.
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CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
This application claims priority based on European patent application EP 11 170 544.8, filed Jun. 20, 2011.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a fleece layer for producing a fleece from a card web.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Fleece layers are used to lay multiple layers of a card web, produced by a carding machine, as uniformly as possible on an output conveyor belt. The card web is usually guided first through an upper carriage and proceeds from there to a laying carriage, through the laying gap of which the card web is deposited onto the output conveyor belt. At least two card web conveyor belts are used to guide the card web through the fleece layer. The movements of the card web conveyor belts, of the upper carriage, and possibly of the laying carriage are controlled so as to coordinate with each other.
Fleece layers are often preceded by mechanisms for changing the web line speed. Such mechanisms are used primarily to regulate the density of the card web as a way of profiling the laid fleece or to compensate for a thickness variation at the edges of the laid fleece. Mechanisms of this type for changing the line speed include, for example, take-off rolls, driven at different speeds, on the carding machine located upstream of the fleece layer, as known from U.S. Pat. No. 6,195,844, for example, or a separate web drafter, which can be installed between the carding machine and the fleece layer (see, for example, EP 1 532 302 B1).
In both of the patent documents cited above, fluctuations in the line speeds of the incoming web are compensated for in the fleece layer by an integrated buffer, which is obtained by increasing the distance traveled by the upper carriage. This results in turn in an increase in the length of the loop in the first web conveyor belt. Because of the greater distance traveled by the upper carriage, the rear part of the fleece layer becomes longer, which is often undesirable and can exceed the amount of setup space available.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the present invention to provide a fleece layer which makes it easy to compensate for fluctuating card web infeed speeds and which simultaneously minimizes the amount of space which the fleece layer requires at the rear.
According to an aspect of the invention, the method for operating a fleece layer for producing a fleece from a card web includes the steps of providing a fleece layer comprising an upper carriage, which moves in the transverse direction and through which a card web produced by a fiber web-forming device is conducted, and further including a laying carriage, which moves in the transverse direction, through which the card web coming from the upper carriage is conducted. The laying carriage serves to deposit the card web onto an output conveyor belt. The fleece layer also includes at least two card web conveyor belts to guide the card web to the laying carriage.
According to a further aspect of the invention, the method includes providing a speed changing device installed upstream of the fleece layer or integrated into its infeed area for temporarily changing the speed of the card web, as a result of which the card web is supplied to the fleece layer at a variable card web infeed speed.
The upper carriage and the laying carriage may be moved back and forth substantially in the same direction during a laying cycle by means of forward and return movements, wherein the laying carriage, during each laying cycle, moves back and forth between two permanently defined reversal points.
The average of the absolute values of the laying-carriage speed during the forward movement of the laying carriage in each laying cycle or at least in some laying cycles differs from the average of the absolute values of the laying-carriage speed during the return movement of the laying carriage. The average of the absolute values of the laying-carriage speed during the forward movement of the laying carriage in each laying cycle or at least in some laying cycles differs from twice the average of the absolute values of the upper-carriage speed during the forward movement of the laying carriage.
It is thus possible to compensate for variable card web infeed speeds in a simple manner and at the same time, thanks to the limited distance which the upper carriage must travel, to limit the amount of space required at the rear of the fleece layer.
The average of the absolute values of the laying-carriage speed during the forward movement of the laying carriage in each laying cycle or at least in some laying cycles is preferably greater than twice the average of the absolute values of the upper-carriage speed during the forward movement of the laying carriage. The average value of the laying-carriage speed during the forward movement of the laying carriage in each laying cycle or at least during some laying cycles is greater than the average value of the laying-carriage speed during the return movement of the laying carriage. Thus the laying carriage catches up with the upper carriage more quickly during the forward movement, which has the effect of taking-up the loop which the belt forms around the upper carriage. Nevertheless, even though the card web infeed speed can be higher at times during the forward movement, the distance traveled by the upper carriage can still be limited to a certain value. Simultaneously, the higher card web infeed speed is compensated for by the higher asynchronous speed of the laying carriage during its forward movement.
To maintain a constant mass flow, it is advantageous for the average of the absolute values of the laying-carriage speed after several laying cycles to be the same as the average of the absolute values of the variable card web infeed speed.
It is especially preferable for the average of the absolute values of the laying-carriage speed to be the same after each laying cycle as the average of the absolute values of the variable card web infeed speed. This makes it possible to establish a constant mass flow during every laying cycle, and the compensation during following laying cycles can be carried out with greater flexibility.
To limit the amount of space which the fleece layer requires in the rear area more effectively (i.e., to reduce it to a minimum), it is advantageous to define physically two predetermined reversal points for the upper carriage and to set up the speed profile of the laying carriage in such a way that the upper carriage does not travel beyond these predetermined reversal points no matter what the variable card web infeed speed of the incoming card web might be.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
In order that the features and advantages of the invention will be readily understood, a more detailed description of the invention briefly described above will be rendered by reference to specific embodiments and examples that are illustrated in the appended drawings. Understanding that these drawings depict only typical embodiments of the invention and are not therefore to be considered to be limiting of its scope, the invention will be described and explained with additional specificity, features, advantages and detail through the use of the accompanying drawings, in which:
FIG. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional diagram of one embodiment of a fleece layer in which the invention can be applied;
FIG. 2 shows a graph of one example of speed profiles of the card web conveyor belt, of the upper carriage, and of the laying carriage of the fleece layer of FIG. 1 at a constant card web infeed speed;
FIG. 3 a shows a graph of one possibility for the speed profiles of the card web conveyor belt, of the upper carriage, and of the laying carriage of the fleece layer of FIG. 1 at a variable card web infeed speed and with a buffer formation according to the invention;
FIG. 3 b shows a graph of the distance traveled by the upper carriage in the case of the speed distribution according to FIG. 3 a;
FIG. 4 a shows a graph of an additional possibility for the speed profiles of the card web conveyor belt, of the upper carriage, and of the laying carriage of the fleece layer of FIG. 1 at variable card web infeed speed and with inventive buffer formation according to the invention;
FIG. 4 b shows a graph of the distance traveled by the upper carriage in the case of the speed distribution according to FIG. 4 a;
FIG. 5 a shows a graph of an additional possibility for the speed profiles of the card web conveyor belt, of the upper carriage, and of the laying carriage of the fleece layer of FIG. 1 at a variable card web infeed speed and with a buffer formation according to the invention;
FIG. 5 b shows a graph of the distance traveled by the upper carriage in the case of the speed distribution according to FIG. 5 a ; and
FIG. 6 is a schematic cross-sectional diagram of an additional embodiment of a fleece layer in which the invention can be applied.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
FIG. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional diagram of a fleece layer 2 in which the present invention can be applied. Fleece layer 2 has an endless output conveyor belt 4 , which is intended to carry away the fleece produced from a card web 6 in a transport direction perpendicular to the plane of the drawing. An upper deflecting roll 8 , which represents one of the guide devices of output conveyor belt 4 , is shown.
A laying carriage 10 can be moved back and forth on rails or pipes (not shown) above output conveyor belt 4 . Two freely rotatable deflecting rolls 12 and 14 are supported in laying carriage 10 . A web conveyor belt 16 , also called the “second web conveyor belt 16 ” below, wraps part of the way around first deflecting roll 12 . At its first end 18 , the second web conveyor belt 16 is permanently connected to the machine stand (not shown) of fleece layer 2 and extends from there above and only a short distance away from output conveyor belt 4 until it reaches laying carriage 10 , where it reverses direction by 180° and is then guided back over four stationary deflecting rolls 20 , 22 , 24 , 26 before arriving back at second deflecting roll 14 in the laying carriage. The second web conveyor belt 16 wraps part of the way around deflecting roll 14 , which is also supported in freely rotatable fashion in laying carriage 10 . Web conveyor belt 16 thus reverses its direction here by 180° and then proceeds from the lower outlet area of laying carriage 10 , passing only a short distance above output conveyor belt 4 , to the machine stand of fleece layer 2 , to which its second end 28 is also permanently attached.
On laying carriage 10 , a chain or a toothed belt is mounted, which passes, for example, over a drive gear wheel connected to a motor and a deflecting roll (none of these elements is shown). By means of these drive devices, laying carriage 10 can be moved back and forth above output conveyor belt 4 crosswise to the transport direction of the belt.
At about the same height as laying carriage 10 , an upper carriage 30 is supported on rails or pipes (not shown) in the machine stand of fleece layer 2 so that it can move crosswise to the transport direction of output conveyor belt 4 . The rails or pipes can be the same rails or pipes as those on which laying carriage 10 is also movably supported. Upper carriage 30 has an upper deflecting roll 32 and a lower deflecting roll 34 , which are offset laterally from each other. Another web conveyor belt 36 , called the “first web conveyor belt 36 ”, passes over these two deflecting rolls 32 , 34 . In the area bounded by two deflecting rolls 32 , 34 in upper carriage 30 , the first web conveyor belt 36 passes downwards at a slant.
Proceeding from lower deflecting roll 34 in upper carriage 30 , first web conveyor belt 36 extends parallel to the right upper run of second web conveyor belt 16 . First web conveyor belt 36 extends in a straight line through laying carriage 10 , and, after leaving laying carriage 10 , it passes over a stationary, motor-driven deflecting roll 38 . From there, it is guided around a deflecting roll 42 supported in a tension carriage 40 and then proceeds over several stationary deflecting rolls 44 , 46 , 48 , 50 supported in the machine stand of fleece layer 2 before reaching upper carriage 30 again. Upper carriage 30 and tension carriage 40 can be connected to each other by a chain or a toothed belt (not shown), which passes over a drive gear wheel connected to a motor and a deflecting pulley, which are mounted in the machine stand (not shown). Tension carriage 40 is also supported on rails or pipes (not shown), so that it can move back and forth. It can also be advantageous for the movements of upper carriage 30 and those of tension carriage 40 to be isolated from each other.
In the area between lower deflecting roll 34 of upper carriage 30 and second deflecting roll 14 of laying carriage 10 , sections of first web conveyor belt 36 and of second web conveyor belt 16 are guided parallel to, and only a short distance away from, each other, so that card web 6 supplied by first web conveyor belt 36 is sandwiched between first web conveyor belt 36 and second web conveyor belt 16 in the just-mentioned area between upper carriage 30 and laying carriage 10 . Card web 6 is supported on second web conveyor belt 16 . In addition, the two sections of second web conveyor belt 16 extending between laying carriage 10 and the machine stand of fleece layer 2 simultaneously serve as a cover belt for the deposited fleece.
It can be seen in FIG. 1 that upper carriage 30 and its associated tension carriage 40 move in opposite directions during operation. Tension carriage 40 serves to keep the length of the loop of first web conveyor belt 36 constant.
The movements of laying carriage 10 and of upper carriage 30 are usually coordinated with each other in such a way that, as card web 6 is being supplied at uniform speed to fleece layer 2 , card web 6 can be deposited in a controlled manner on output conveyor belt 4 without any stretching or squeezing within fleece layer 2 . Upper carriage 30 travels substantially in the same direction as laying carriage 10 but on average only half as fast. Account is also taken of the fact that laying carriage 10 is braked to a stop in the area where it reverses direction and then must be accelerated again. In the area of the reversal points, upper carriage 30 is usually moved for a brief period of time in such a way that it is not traveling in the same direction as laying carriage 10 . This, however, is to be considered covered by the phrase “substantially in the same direction”. Fleece layers 2 in which upper carriage 30 and laying carriage 10 move substantially in the same direction are also called “co-directional” machines.
A gap, called the laying gap, is formed between two deflecting rolls 12 and 14 in laying carriage 10 . During the operation of fleece layer 2 , two web conveyor belts 16 , 36 are driven in such a way that they travel at the same relative speed in the sandwich area so that they can transport card web 6 without distorting it.
According to the invention, card web 6 is supplied to fleece layer 2 at fluctuating card web infeed speed in web travel direction A, because a speed changing device 52 for changing the card web speed is installed upstream of fleece layer 2 or in the infeed area of fleece layer 2 (see FIG. 6 ). This speed changing device 52 can be a web drafter working in cycles, as shown in FIG. 6 , which operates with pairs of clamping rolls to produce areas of alternating thickness in card web 6 for the purpose of achieving a transverse profiling of the laid fleece. A web drafter of this type is described in, for example, EP 1 381 721 B1, the entire content of which is incorporated herein by reference. Other known devices 52 for changing the card web infeed speed can also be used; for example, the card can be equipped with take-off rolls driven at variable speed as described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,195,844.
FIGS. 2 , 3 a , 4 a , and 5 a show graphs of speed profiles in the fleece layer, where V is the card web infeed speed as the card web enters fleece layer 2 , W is the speed of the laying carriage, and U is the speed of the upper carriage. In all of the graphs mentioned, the speed (in meters per minute) is plotted versus the time (in seconds). The zero point on the time axis establishes the front reversal point U 0 of laying carriage 10 , i.e., the reversal point of laying carriage 10 on the left in FIGS. 1 and 6 . All of the figures show the exact course of a laying cycle, during which laying carriage 10 travels above the output conveyor belt 4 first from the front reversal point U 0 toward the rear reversal point U 1 (the reversal point located on the right in FIGS. 1 and 6 ), where it reverses its direction and then proceeds back toward the front reversal point U 0 , which it reaches at the end of the laying cycle. The forward movement of laying carriage 10 between the reversal points U 0 and U 1 takes place during the time interval t 1 -t 0 , whereas the return movement of the laying carriage between the reversal points U 1 and U 0 takes place during the time interval t 2 -t 1 . The reversal points U 0 and U 1 of laying carriage 10 are defined in physical space and determine the laying width of fleece layer 2 . The laying width of fleece layer 2 may not be changed during operation. Many successive laying cycles are required to form a fleece.
Under the assumption that no additional distortion of card web 6 occurs inside fleece layer 2 between upper carriage 30 and laying carriage 10 , the following equations apply to the speed U of the upper carriage at any point in time: forward movement:
U = 1 2 V
return movement:
U
=
1
2
V
+
W
FIG. 2 shows by way of example the speed profiles in a fleece layer at a constant card web infeed speed V. Because upper carriage 30 is always moving toward the rear at half the card web infeed speed V during the forward movement of laying carriage 10 , the speed U of upper carriage 30 is also constant during the forward movement of laying carriage 10 . The speed W of laying carriage 10 , however, first undergoes a linear increase during its forward movement until it reaches a speed plateau, after which laying carriage 10 is braked and finally changes its direction at the rear reversal point U 1 (in the example here at t 1 =2.10 s). During the normal operation of a conventional fleece layer 2 , the two parts of the speed profile of the laying-carriage speed W are identical, except for their sign, during the forward and return movements. In other words, the average of the absolute values of the speed of laying carriage 10 during its forward movement (interval t 1 -t 0 ) is the same as the average of the absolute values of the speed of laying carriage 10 during its return movement (interval t 2 -t 1 ). The movement of laying carriage 10 on its forward and return journeys is synchronous. Expressed as a formula, this relationship looks as follows:
∫
t
0
t
1
W
(
t
)
ⅆ
t
t
1
-
t
0
=
∫
t
1
t
2
W
(
t
)
ⅆ
t
t
2
-
t
1
Upper carriage 30 continues to travel a short distance after laying carriage 10 has reached its reversal point U 1 , but then it, too, is braked, and arrives at its own rear reversal point U 3 shortly after laying carriage 10 reaches its own reversal point, whereupon the upper carriage is accelerated in linear fashion in the opposite direction until it reaches a speed with an absolute value greater than the constant speed during the forward movement. This speed plateau continues until a braking phase begins, which concludes at the front reversal point U 2 . Upper carriage 30 then proceeds to accelerate in the opposite direction. In terms of elapsed time, upper carriage 30 thus reaches its front reversal point U 2 before laying carriage 10 reaches its front reversal point U 0 . Then a new laying cycle begins.
There are many different ways in which the speed profiles can be varied, especially with respect to the degree of acceleration, the length of the plateau phases, etc. Nevertheless, it is common to all conventional speed profiles that the average of the absolute values of the upper-carriage speed U during the forward movement of the laying carriage 10 (i.e., while laying carriage 10 is moving from the front reversal point U 0 to the rear reversal point U 1 ) is always half of the average of the absolute values of the card web infeed speed V. Expressed as a formula, this means:
∫
t
0
t
1
U
(
t
)
ⅆ
t
t
1
-
t
0
=
1
2
∫
t
0
t
1
V
(
t
)
ⅆ
t
t
1
-
t
0
During the forward movement of laying carriage 10 , furthermore, the average of the absolute values of the speed of laying carriage 10 is twice as high as the average of the absolute values of the speed of upper carriage 30 during the same time period. Expressed as a formula, this means:
∫
t
0
t
1
W
(
t
)
ⅆ
t
t
1
-
t
0
=
2
∫
t
0
t
1
U
(
t
)
ⅆ
t
t
1
-
t
0
Expressed in concrete numbers, the speed U of upper carriage 30 in the example of FIG. 2 is constant at 50 m/min during the forward movement of the laying carriage, whereas the average of the absolute values of the speed W of laying carriage 10 during its forward movement is 100 m/min, thus corresponding to the average card web infeed speed V. During the return movement of laying carriage 10 , the average of the absolute values of the laying-carriage speed W is also 100 m/min. It can be seen that the laying width, which is 3.5 m in the present case, is traversed once in each direction by the laying carriage in a time of 4.20 s.
All of the relationships expressed above as formulas also apply to the conventional operation of fleece layer 2 under conditions of fluctuating card web infeed speeds V.
FIG. 3 a now shows an example of the operation of fleece layer 2 according to the invention. The first essential point here is that, because of the upstream installation of speed changing device 52 for changing the card web speed, the card web infeed speed V is variable, thus showing a peak-and-valley type of profile. The speed U of the upper carriage 30 during the forward movement of laying carriage 10 , i.e., during the time that the laying carriage 10 is moving from the front reversal point U 0 to the rear reversal point U 1 , is again half as great as the card web infeed speed V and thus, in terms of its absolute value, the speed of the upper carriage is equal to half the card web infeed speed V but has the identical speed profile as V. Laying carriage 10 is initially accelerated more quickly during its forward movement and then reaches a speed plateau, which is higher than the continuous card web infeed speed V. The braking process extending up as far as the rear reversal point U 1 also proceeds more quickly, whereupon laying carriage 10 is then accelerated in the opposite direction, leading again to a speed plateau. Laying carriage 10 is then braked as it approaches the front reversal point U 0 . What is conspicuous and especially relevant here is that the increase in the average of the absolute values of the laying-carriage speed W during the forward movement of laying carriage 10 is greater than that during its return movement. This asynchronous increase in the laying-carriage speed W is an essential feature and ensures that the distance traveled by upper carriage 30 is limited. Expressed as a formula, we have:
∫
t
0
t
1
W
(
t
)
ⅆ
t
t
1
-
t
0
>
∫
t
1
t
2
W
(
t
)
ⅆ
t
t
2
-
t
1
This also means that the average of the absolute values of the laying-carriage speed W during the forward movement of laying carriage 10 is greater than twice the average of the absolute values of the upper-carriage speed U during the forward movement of laying carriage 10 . Laying carriage 10 therefore travels, on average, more than twice as fast during its forward movement than upper carriage 30 does and catches up with it earlier than is the case with synchronous operation. Expressed as a formula, this means:
∫
t
0
t
1
W
(
t
)
ⅆ
t
t
1
-
t
0
>
2
∫
t
0
t
1
U
(
t
)
ⅆ
t
t
1
-
t
0
As can be clearly seen from the graph, a laying cycle now lasts only about 3.80s, which is logical when we consider that the mass flow must remain constant. Constancy of mass flow means in this context that, on average, the average card web infeed speed V of the incoming card web should be the same as the average laying-carriage speed W. Because of the permanently defined laying width of 3.5 m, the laying cycle must necessarily be shorter. It should be noted however, that the laying carriage reaches the rear reversal point U 1 after only about 1.80 s and thus considerably before half of the duration of a laying cycle has been completed.
In the example of FIG. 3 a , the following values may be obtained: average of the absolute values of the speed of laying carriage 10 during its forward movement: 116 m/min; average of the absolute values of the speed of laying carriage 10 during its return movement: 107 m/min; and average of the absolute values of the speed of the upper carriage 30 during the forward movement of laying carriage 10 : 55 m/min.
FIG. 3 b shows a graph of the resulting distance/traveled by upper carriage 30 (in meters). Between its front reversal point U 2 and the rear reversal point U 3 , this carriage travels a distance of exactly 1.90 m.
FIG. 4 a shows another example of an inventive speed distribution during the operation of fleece layer 2 . The example is similar to that shown in FIG. 3 a with the difference that the acceleration and braking phases of laying carriage 10 are even steeper, and the speed plateaus are accordingly longer, although on a slightly lower level than in the case of the example of FIG. 3 a . In the example of FIG. 4 a , the following values may be obtained: average of the absolute values of the speed of laying carriage 10 during its forward movement: 114/min; average of the absolute values of the speed of laying carriage 10 during its return movement: 108 m/min; and average of the absolute values of the speed of upper carriage 30 during the forward movement of laying carriage 10 : 55 m/min.
The associated graph of the distance traveled by the upper carriage 30 in FIG. 4 b shows that the upper carriage 30 again travels a distance/of 1.90 m.
Finally, FIG. 5 a shows yet another example of inventive speed profiles in fleece layer 2 . Here the average of the absolute values of the laying-carriage speed W during the return movement of laying carriage 10 is greater than that during its forward movement. The following formula therefore applies:
∫
t
0
t
1
W
(
t
)
ⅆ
t
t
1
-
t
0
<
∫
t
1
t
2
W
(
t
)
ⅆ
t
t
2
-
t
1
The average of the absolute values of the speed of laying carriage 10 during its forward movement is smaller than twice the average of the absolute values of the speed of the upper carriage 30 during the forward movement of laying carriage 10 . Expressed mathematically, it reads:
∫
t
0
t
1
W
(
t
)
ⅆ
t
t
1
-
t
0
<
2
∫
t
0
t
1
U
(
t
)
ⅆ
t
t
1
-
t
0
Specifically the following values for the example shown in FIG. 5 a may be obtained: average of the absolute values of the speed of the laying carriage 10 during its forward movement: 106 m/min; average of the absolute values of the speed of laying carriage 10 during its return movement: 117 m/min; and average of the absolute values of the speed of the upper carriage 30 during the forward movement of laying carriage 10 : 56 m/min.
The associated graph of the distance traveled by upper carriage 30 is shown in FIG. 5 b . It can be seen from this graph that the distance/traveled by upper carriage 30 has increased slightly to 1.96 m. Nevertheless, there is no shift in the rear reversal point U 3 ; instead, it is the front reversal point U 2 which is shifted (toward the left in FIGS. 1 and 6 ,), which has no effect on the physical dimensions of fleece layer 2 , because upper carriage 30 reaches a point only about in the middle of fleece layer 2 as it travels toward the front. Care must be taken, however, to ensure that upper carriage 30 does not collide with other components such as tension carriage 40 .
Overall, however, embodiments are preferred in which, on average, laying carriage 10 travels faster during its forward movement than during its return movement. When this is realized, it is possible to eliminate completely any increase in the distance traveled by the upper carriage.
It is especially preferable to define physically in space two predetermined reversal points U 2 , U 3 for upper carriage 30 and to adjust the profile of the speed W of laying carriage 10 in such a way that upper carriage 30 does not travel beyond the predetermined reversal points U 2 , U 3 no matter what the variable card web infeed speed V is at which the card web enters fleece layer 2 .
Considered overall, there are many different ways in which the speed profiles can be configured. They can also include more stages than in the examples discussed herein. They can, for example, include brief elevations within the plateau area of the laying-carriage speed. In all of the examples discussed herein, furthermore, the speed profiles have been set up so that the starting state is already present again at the end of each laying cycle, which means that the process of compensating for the variable card web infeed speed V has already been completed after one laying cycle. It is also possible, however, to reach this goal only after several laying cycles. For example, the average speed of laying carriage 10 during its forward movement can be set very high during the first laying cycle, and this difference would then be compensated over the course of several return movements during subsequent laying cycles. It is also conceivable that several normal laying cycles with a synchronous laying-carriage speed profile could follow the asynchronous laying cycle as disclosed herein.
According to the embodiments discussed above, a total of two card web conveyor belts 16 , 36 are installed in fleece layer 2 . The invention can also be applied in other types of fleece layers with two card web conveyor belts and also to any other type of fleece layer designed as a co-directional machine, including those with three belts. An example of a fleece layer of this type with three card web conveyor belts is shown in FIG. 6 . In the case of the fleece layer shown in FIG. 6 , second card web conveyor belt 16 of the embodiment according to FIG. 1 is replaced by a second card web conveyor belt 70 and third card web conveyor belt 72 , which are deflected in a common tensioning carriage 74 .
Reference throughout this specification to “the embodiment,” “this embodiment,” “the previous embodiment,” “one embodiment,” “an embodiment,” “a preferred embodiment” “another preferred embodiment” “the example,” “this example,” “the previous example,” “one example,” “an example,” “a preferred example t” “another preferred example” or similar language means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment or example is included in at least one embodiment or example of the present invention. Thus, appearances of the phrases “in the embodiment,” “in this embodiment,” “in the previous embodiment,” “in one embodiment,” “in an embodiment,” “in a preferred embodiment,” “in another preferred embodiment,” “in the example,” “in this example,” “in the previous example,” “in one example,” “in an example,” “in a preferred example,” “in another preferred example, and similar language throughout this specification may, but do not necessarily, all refer to the same embodiment.
Furthermore, the described features, advantages, and characteristics of the invention may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments or examples. One skilled in the relevant art will recognize that the invention may be practiced without one or more of the specific features or advantages of a particular embodiment or example. In other instances, additional features and advantages may be recognized in certain embodiments or examples that may not be present in all embodiments of the invention.
While the present invention has been described in connection with certain exemplary or specific embodiments or examples, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiments or examples, but, on the contrary, is intended to cover various modifications, alternatives, modifications and equivalent arrangements as will be apparent to those skilled in the art. Any such changes, modifications, alternatives, modifications, equivalents and the like may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.
|
The method for operating a fleece layer requires a fleece layer, to which the card web is supplied at variable card web infeed speed. To limit the amount of space required for the upper carriage at the rear of the machine, the average of the absolute values of the laying-carriage speed during the forward movement of the laying carriage in at least some laying cycles differs from the average of the absolute values of the laying-carriage speed during the return movement of the laying carriage, and the average of the absolute values of the laying-carriage speed in at least some laying cycles during the forward movement of the laying carriage differs from twice the average of the absolute values of the upper-carriage speed during the forward movement of the laying carriage.
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CLAIM OF PRIORITY
[0001] This continuation patent application claims priority from U.S. patent application No. 11/618,939 filed Jan. 2, 2007, which claims the benefit from U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/755,536 filed Jan. 3, 2006. The contents of each of these applications are incorporated by reference herein in their entirety.
FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE
[0002] The present invention relates generally to the field of card customization.
BACKGROUND
[0003] Memory cards having a digital circuit and a read-write memory are well known in the art of digital storage devices, and are used for many applications such as driver licenses, credit cards, employee badges, membership cards etc.
[0004] Some of these cards, such as smart cards, are used as a bearer of identification or financial transactions providing their bearer security services, such as access to information or to money. These cards have to be secured against fraud, theft and loss. Therefore, organizations that issue these cards take several measures of security to prevent cards from reaching wrong hands.
[0005] Automatic vending machines for automatically vending different types of products that were once retailed only over the counter are very well known in the art of commerce. Typical examples are vending machines that deliver cash money, plane tickets, cellular phones, telephone cards, personal photographs etc.
[0006] Vending machines that require access to secure content of a user for completing the operation, such as automatic teller machines (ATM) machines, must be secure, fortified and monitored, making such vending machines very heavy and expensive.
[0007] Because of the alienation, competition and suspicion between the different issuers of secure memory cards of all sorts, issuers of different digital storage cards are reluctant to cooperate when it comes to sharing a common vending machine for digital storage cards. A Secure memory card, such as a SIM (Subscriber Identification Mobile) card is a smart-card-type device storing secured data (e.g. private key for identification of a user). ATM machines are an exception as different banks share the same vending machine, but this is a case where the delivered product is a uniform and non-customized product, such as bills of money, and where there is no competition between the vendors, as each user consumes cash from his/her own bank account.
[0008] There is thus a widely recognized need for, and it would be highly advantageous to have a solution by which several card issuers could serve their customers with enhanced and more economic services, which are not provided by solutions known in the art.
SUMMARY
[0009] Accordingly, it is a principal object of the present invention to introduce a card vending machine that issues digital memory cards of several types in compliance with the specific requirements of each of a plurality of different and unrelated issuers.
[0010] By “issuers” it refers herein in the broad sense to any human agent authorized to represent a specific commercial organization.
[0011] A card vending machine is defined here as a machine operative to customize and retail digital memory cards. Accordingly, “vending” refers to the retail sale and/or customization of digital memory cards, as performed, for example, by the card vending machine of the present invention.
[0012] The term “customize” is referred herein to mean at least one of programming at least 200 bytes of user-dependent data and/or changing (e.g. printing, shaping) the visual appearance of the digital memory card, operations of which are applied by the card vending machine of the present invention, to modify the visual appearance and data storage of a digital memory card in accordance with the user's preferences and the issuer's policy.
[0013] In accordance with a preferred embodiment, there is provided a card vending machine that includes: (a) a storage area, wherein each of a plurality of memory cards to be issued by a respective one of at least two different issuers are stored.
[0014] Preferably, the card vending machine also includes a security mechanism that conditions access of each of the different issuers to only a respective portion of the storage area upon authorization of the issuers. More preferably, the security mechanism includes compartments, within the storage area, each compartment having a corresponding locking mechanism that provides access to only an authorized issuer.
[0015] Preferably, the plurality of memory cards includes secure memory cards.
[0016] Preferably, the card vending machine also includes an interface mechanism that is operated by a user to define a purchasing transaction and a controller that is operative, in accordance with the interface mechanism, to customize a memory card at least in part according to the purchasing transaction.
[0017] Optionally, the memory card is one of a plurality of memory cards. Alternatively, the memory card is a personal memory card that is fed to the card vending machine by the user. More alternatively, the card vending machine also includes a card slot for inputting the personal memory card.
[0018] More preferably, the controller is operative to customize the memory card in accordance with a value of at least one feature, such as digital content, physical contour, graphical decoration, means of payment, etc. Also more preferably, the card vending machine includes an authentication mechanism for authentication of the user in accordance with requirements of a respective issuer of the memory card. Most preferably, the controller is operative to customize the memory card conditional on the authentication of the user.
[0019] The authentication mechanism may include a biometric identifier reader, a voice recognition unit (such as a microphone), a facial recognition unit (such as a camera), a wireless communication mechanism, and/or any other authorization means known in the art.
[0020] The interface mechanism may include a keypad, a touch screen, a USB connector, a scanner, etc.
[0021] Also more preferably, the card vending machine may include a contour shape editor unit that is responsive to the controller to customize the memory card, and/or a graphical editor unit that is responsive to the controller to customize the memory card, and/or a programming unit that is responsive to the controller to program the memory card with digital content. Most preferably, the programming unit is operative to store at least 200 bytes of data (including user-dependent data) in the memory card. Also more preferably, the card vending machine includes a display for displaying a pre-view of the customized memory card.
[0022] In accordance with a preferred embodiment, there is further provided a vending method that includes the steps of: (a) storing, in a common storage area, a plurality of memory cards; and (b) issuing each of the plurality of memory cards by a respective one of at least two different issuers.
[0023] Preferably, the plurality of memory cards includes at least one secure memory card.
[0024] Preferably, the vending method also include the steps of receiving a respective value of each of at least one parameter that defines a purchasing transaction of a user; and customizing one of the memory cards, at least in part, according to at least one of these values. More preferably, the customizing step is effected in accordance with a value of at least one feature, such as digital content, physical contour, graphical decoration, means of payment, etc. Also more preferably, the customizing includes storing at least 200 bytes of data (including data-dependent data) in the memory card.
[0025] More preferably, the vending method also includes the step of previously to the customizing, authenticating a user in accordance with requirements of the respective one issuer. Most preferably, the customization of this memory card is conditional on the authentication of the user. The authentication may be effected by any authentication means known in the art, such as by reading biometric identification, by voice recognition, by facial recognition, by wireless communication, etc.
[0026] More preferably, the vending method also includes downloading digital content from a remote device in accordance with at least one of these values. Also more preferably, the vending method includes displaying a pre-view of the customized memory card. Also more preferably, the vending method includes allowing access of each the different issuers to only a respective portion of the common storage area conditional on authorization of this issuer. Most preferably, the step of allowing access includes separately storing memory cards of each issuer in compartments, each compartment having a corresponding locking mechanism that provides access to only an authorized issuer.
[0027] More preferably, the memory card is a personal memory card that is fed by the user. Most preferably, the vending method also includes updating the personal memory card.
[0028] In accordance with a preferred embodiment, there is further provided a card vending machine that includes: (a) an interface mechanism that is operated by a user to define a purchasing transaction; and (b) a controller that is operative, in accordance with the interface mechanism, to customize a memory card at least in part according to the purchasing transaction.
[0029] In accordance with a preferred embodiment, there is further provided a method of vending of memory cards by a card vending machine that includes the steps of: (a) receiving, by the card vending machine, a respective value of each of at least one parameter that defines a purchasing transaction of a user; and (b) customizing, by the card vending machine, one of the memory cards, at least in part, according to at least one of these values.
[0030] In accordance with a preferred embodiment, there is further provided a card vending machine that includes: (a) an interface mechanism that is operated by a user to define a purchasing transaction; and (b) a controller that is operative, in accordance with the interface mechanism, to customize a memory card at least in part according to the purchasing transaction by modifying at least 200 bytes of user-dependant data.
[0031] In accordance with a preferred embodiment, there is further provided a method of vending of memory cards by a card vending machine that includes the steps of: (a) receiving, by the card vending machine, a respective value of each of at least one parameter that defines a purchasing transaction of a user; and (b) customizing, by the card vending machine, one of the memory cards, at least in part, according to at least one of these values by modifying at least 200 bytes of user-dependant data.
[0032] In accordance with a preferred embodiment, there is further provided a card vending machine that includes: (a) an interface mechanism that is operated by a user to define a purchasing transaction; and (b) a controller that is operative, in accordance with the interface mechanism, to customize a visual appearance of a memory card at least in part according to the purchasing transaction.
[0033] In accordance with a preferred embodiment, there is further provided a method of vending of memory cards by a card vending machine that includes the steps of: (a) receiving, by the card vending machine, a respective value of each of at least one parameter that defines a purchasing transaction of a user; and (b) customizing, by the card vending machine, a visual appearance of one of the memory cards, at least in part, according to at least one of these values.
[0034] In accordance with a preferred embodiment, there is further provided a card vending machine that includes: (a) a connecting mechanism for receiving digital content from an external storage unit; and (b) a controller that is operative to store, in a memory card, at least a portion of the digital content.
[0035] Preferably, the controller is further operative to modify the digital content.
[0036] Preferably, the connecting mechanism includes a USB connector.
[0037] In accordance with a preferred embodiment, there is further provided a method of vending of memory cards by a card vending machine that includes the steps of: (a) receiving, by the card vending machine, digital content from an external storage unit; and (b) storing, in a memory card, at least a portion of the digital content. Preferably, the method also includes modifying, by the card vending machine, the digital content.
[0038] Additional features and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following drawings and description.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0039] For a better understanding of the invention with regard to the embodiments thereof reference is made to the accompanying drawing, in which like numerals designate corresponding sections or elements throughout, and in which:
[0040] Referring to FIG. 1 , there is shown an exemplifying, not limiting, high level schematic block diagram of a card vending device of the present invention; and
[0041] Referring to FIG. 2 , there is shown a simplified flow chart example of a method of the present invention for operating the card vending machine.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0042] The present invention is a card vending machine that issues digital memory cards of several types in compliance with the specific requirements of each of a plurality of different and unrelated issuers.
[0043] The digital memory cards are printed, shaped and programmed by the card vending machine, in accordance with the user's preferences and the issuer's policy. By way of example, the user's preferences may determine the way of which the digital memory card is to be produced in accordance with a plurality of aspects, such as the digital content to be downloaded (e.g. digital book, video films, audio songs, and software applications), the physical contour, the graphical decoration, the means of payment, etc.
[0044] Typically, the digital memory cards provided by the card vending machine of the present invention include non-secure digital memory cards (such as a digital book) and secure digital memory cards (such as pre-paid cards, membership cards, etc.). Secure cards will be provided to a user upon authentication of the user, in accordance with the requirements defined by the issuer of such cards.
[0045] The digital memory cards stored in the card vending machine of the present invention can also be empty digital memory cards (that bear no content) or digital memory cards having DRM protected content.
[0046] In accordance with one embodiment, a user can use the card vending machine to purchase a new digital memory card. As an example, the user can request to purchase a new digital memory card that includes specific songs stored in a digital format and that is illustrated with a personal graphical dedication.
[0047] In accordance with one embodiment, a user can use the card vending machine to update his/her old digital memory card, for example for storing new digital content, for loading more money, etc.
[0048] Typically, the digital memory cards stored in the card vending machine are of a standard size, such as the ISO 7810 standard or the ISO 7816 standard The cards can include a flat USB connector, such as the Double sided USB connector of Wallet Flash.™., available from Walletex Ltd., Rishon-Lezion, Israel, for connecting the digital memory card to a host computer.
[0049] Referring now to FIG. 1 , there is shown a block diagram of a card vending machine 10 of the present invention The digital memory cards are stored in special decks, one deck per issuer, in a card storage area 12 . The digital memory cards can be fed into the machine either by the owner of the card vending machine, or alternatively by an authorized agent of each issuer.
[0050] As the card vending machine of the present invention is designed to serve several issuers, digital memory cards of one issuer are preferably stacked separately from digital memory cards of another issuer (e.g., in separate compartments 13 ) and access of issuers (or authorized agents thereof) to different parts of card storage area 12 is conditional upon authorization of the corresponding issuer. Preventing unauthorized people physical access to the storage area where memory cards of other issuers are stored can be achieved, for example, by stacking the memory cards in separate compartments 13 . Each compartment has a respective lock to assure that only the authorized issuer can access the storage area of where his digital memory cards are stored to replace or extract the digital memory cards.
[0051] Optionally, a personal memory card can be fed (via a card slot 36 ) by its user to be customized by the card vending machine 10 . This allows a user to insert his/her old digital memory card and load the digital memory card with more money, download new digital content, etc.
[0052] The digital memory card delivered by the machine to a user can be either a non-secure digital memory card or a secure digital memory card.
[0053] A secure card is provided to a user upon authentication of the user (using remote communication unit 28 ) by a remote source such as a human operator, in accordance with the specific requirements made by the different organizations for issuing their digital memory cards. Authentication of a user can be achieved, for example, by providing voice recognition means, such as a microphone 34 , and/or providing facial recognition means, such as a camera 30 , and/or implementing a scanner 31 to enable documentation presentation. The scanner further enables a user to scan his/her own graphical illustration (e.g., photo) and request that this graphical illustration be printed on the digital memory card that is to-be purchased from the card vending machine. Authentication can be further achieved using a biometric identifier reader 32 implemented in accordance with the biometric identification techniques (such as fingerprint recognition) well known in the art of information security. See, for example, the biometric system techniques and products, such as the 3dMDface™ System, available from 3dMD Ltd., Atlanta, Ga., that provides face recognition, descriptions of which are available on request from the American Biometric Consortium, all of which are incorporated by reference for all purposes as if fully set forth herein.
[0054] Card vending machine 10 also includes a Clipart library 20 storing graphical illustrations that are available to the user for incorporation upon the printed face of the digital memory cards, and a digital content storage unit 22 storing digital content, such as digital books, video films, audio songs, software applications, and other content, that is available for the user to download into the digital memory card. Note that the digital content is preferably stored in the digital content storage unit 22 , in accordance with DRM (Digital Rights Management) methods providing copyright protection of the digital content and other information security methods known in the art
[0055] A Controller 18 is operative to mange the overall customization and vending process of the card vending machine 10 in accordance with the requirements of the issuers and the preferences of the user that are received as input via a keypad 14 or a touch screen 16 for example. By way of example, the user's preferences may determine the way of which the digital memory card is to be produced in accordance with a plurality of aspects, such as the digital content to be downloaded (e.g., digital book, video films, audio songs, and software applications), the physical contour of the digital memory card, the graphical decoration (such as a personal printed decoration) of the digital memory card, the means of payment, etc.
[0056] The operational units include a Contour Shaper unit 24 for shaping the digital memory card, a Card Graphical Editor 26 for printing graphical decorations upon the digital memory card, and a Card Programming unit 25 for programming the digital memory card with requested digital content, all of which are applied in accordance with the preferences defined or selected by the user. Card Programming unit 25 is operative to store at least 200 bytes of user-dependent data in the digital memory card.
[0057] A display 39 is optionally provided for displaying the user a pre-view of the digital memory card before it is issued to the user.
[0058] A memory 20 storing graphical illustrations and digital content is also provided A user may choose to program and design his/her digital memory card according to digital content and graphical illustrations stored in memory 20 , Alternatively, the digital content and graphical illustrations, which are required to be loaded into the digital memory card, may be downloaded (using USB connector 27 ) from the user's portable storage device, such as a Disk-On-Key.™., available from msystems Ltd., Kefar Sava, Israel. A remote communication unit 28 is optionally provided for downloading the digital content and graphical illustrations from a remote storage device using wireless communication.
[0059] A payment unit 22 , as found in many vending machines and parking machines known in the art, is operative to perform a purchasing transaction, typically by billing the user for the digital memory card/s and for the digital content that he/she purchased. A printer 38 is optionally implemented to provide the user with a receipt and other printed information that is related to the purchasing transaction. The payment unit 22 and printer 38 both operate in response to instructions received from Controller 18 .
[0060] Referring to FIG. 2 , there is shown a flowchart of a method of the present invention for operating the card vending machine.
[0061] At the initial step 40 , the user is requested to select if he/she wishes to purchase a new digital memory card or to update an existing digital memory card.
[0062] If the user wishes to update his/her existing digital memory card, the user inserts his/her old digital memory card in card slot 36 (step 42 ). At the next step 44 , it is determined whether the user is identified and authenticated by the card vending machine in accordance with the different authentication means known in the art, as presented above. If a unique issuer can not be identified as a valid issuer to serve this user, then operation is aborted (step 46 ). However, in case the user is identified and authorized by the card vending machine, step 48 , then the user may select the type of transaction he/she wishes to perform (for example, downloading of new digital content, loading more money) for this digital memory card. The method then proceeds to step 60 .
[0063] If the user wishes to purchase a new digital memory card, an issuer is selected by the user (step 50 ). A menu of operations specified by the selected issuer is then presented. At the next step 52 , the user selects from the menu of operations the operations he wants to perform and the type of digital memory card he/she wishes to purchase.
[0064] At the next step 54 , it is determined whether the selected operation involves a secure memory card. In the negative case, the method proceeds directly to step 60 . However in the affirmative case, step 56 , an authentication process is applied in accordance with the requirements defined by this issuer to authenticate the user. If the user is verified as authentic, the method then proceeds to step 60 . If the user is not verified as authentic, the operation is aborted (step 58 ). The authentication process is applied in accordance with the different authentication means known in the art, as presented above.
[0065] At step 60 , a set of parameters (such as physical shape, digital content, graphical illustrations) are defined by the user to determine the way in which the digital memory card is to be produced and the type and amount of digital content to be programmed into the digital memory card by the card vending machine. The digital content and graphical illustrations selected by the user can be downloaded either from a local memory of the card vending machine or from a remote storage device (such as a remote library of digital content owned by a publisher) physically separated and in remote communication with the card vending machine. Optionally, the user can select to design and program his/her digital memory card with digital content and graphical illustrations downloaded from his/her personal portable storage device.
[0066] At step 62 , the purchasing transaction is applied by the user. At this step the issuer's database is updated with this purchasing transaction.
[0067] At step 64 , the digital memory card is printed, shaped and programmed (using Contour Shape unit 24 and Card Graphical Editor 26 ) according to the set of parameters previously selected by the user at step 48 or at step 60 .
[0068] At the final step 66 , the digital memory card is provided to the user. This step may optionally include a process of quality control, by which the content of the digital memory card is being read or sampled and evaluated by the card vending machine.
[0069] Having described the system of the present invention with regard to certain specific embodiments thereof, it is to be understood that the description is not meant as a limitation, since further modifications will now suggest themselves to those skilled in the art, and it is intended to cover such modifications as fall within the scope of the appended claims.
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A memory card includes a non-volatile memory, a connector configured to enable the memory card to be operatively coupled to a host computer, and a housing enclosing the non-volatile memory. The housing has a customized physical contour that is determined according to a user-selected value.
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CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Appl. Nos. 61/774,727, filed 8 Mar. 2013, and 61/776,561, filed 11 Mar. 2013, which are incorporated herein by reference.
BACKGROUND
[0002] In connection with the completion of oil and gas wells, it is frequently necessary to utilize packers in both open and cased boreholes. The walls of the well or casing are plugged or packed from time to time for a number of reasons. As shown in FIG. 1 , for example, sections of a well 10 may be packed off with packers 16 on a tubing string 12 in the well. The packers 16 isolate sections of the well 10 so pressure can be applied to a particular section of the well 10 , such as when fracturing a hydrocarbon bearing formation, through a sliding sleeve 14 while protecting the remainder of the well 10 from the applied pressure.
[0003] In some situations, operators may prefer to utilize a comparatively long sealing element on the packer's 16 . In these instances, as the sealing element is compressed longitudinally by a piston, friction and other forces combine to cause the sealing element to bunch up or otherwise bind near the piston. As a result, the longer sealing element does not uniformly compress in the longitudinal direction and by extension does not expand uniformly in the radial direction. The lack of uniform expansion tends to prevent the packer 16 from forming a seal that meets the operator's expectations, thereby defeating the purpose of utilizing a longer sealing element
[0004] Therefore, a significant need exists for a packer that is able to utilize an extended length sealing element.
SUMMARY
[0005] A packer, plug, or other downhole tool has an extended-length, compressible sealing element. The sealing element is reinforced with a rigid member that causes the sealing element to deform in a controlled manner when the sealing element is longitudinally compressed. The rigid member reinforces certain portions of the sealing element. Yet, the rigid member has one or more areas of decreased rigidity that decreases the reinforcement for certain portions of the sealing element.
[0006] By controlling the deformation of the sealing element with the rigid member, unwanted deformation is prevented. Such unwanted deformation is usually caused by friction between the sealing element, the tool's mandrel, and the casing or wellbore. In the past, the unwanted deformation has typically caused longer sealing elements to bunch up on the end of the element closest to the mechanism causing the sealing element to be longitudinally compressed. Additionally, such unwanted deformation has also tended to limit the effectiveness of the seal created between the tool's mandrel and the casing or wellbore by the sealing element. Thus, previous sealing elements on tools, such as packers, have been limited in length in order to retain an effective seal.
[0007] In an embodiment of the present disclosure, a rigid member is bonded to the elastomeric sealing element. The rigid member can be a cylinder or can be a plurality of slats. The rigid sealing member has thinner and thicker portions that control the deformation of both the rigid member and the adjacent sealing element with respect to the rest of the sealing element during longitudinal compression of the sealing element. As the rigid member and the elastomer deform, the longitudinal compression causes a first portion of the sealing element to bend outward while the adjacent portion may bend inwards. The first portion bending outwards may tend to seal more against the wellbore wall or the casing while the adjacent portion may tend to seal more against the mandrel. The reverse may also be true depending on the circumstances.
[0008] The rigid member can be metallic, non-metallic, or a combination of metallic and non-metallic. In some embodiments, the rigid member can be configured to bend at certain locations, or if desired the rigid member can be configured to break at certain points. In other embodiments, the rigid member can have an accordion-like, corrugated, or spring structure. In this case, this type of rigid member can bend over its length in a single direction, such as longitudinally, while resisting radial deformation.
[0009] In another embodiment, an accordion-like, corrugated, or spring-like rigid member may be used to control the expansion of the elastomeric sealing element. By utilizing a structure, such as a spring, the deformation of the sealing element may be locally limited until the entire sealing element has at least partially deformed. The circumferential hoops in the structure, such as a spring, would tend to limit the initial radial expansion of the bonded elastomeric sealing element while allowing the sealing element to be longitudinally compressed.
[0010] In another embodiment, a sealing element for use in a wellbore may have an inner elastomeric element, an outer elastomeric element, and a rigid member disposed between them. The rigid member has at least one area of decreased rigidity, such as from a notch of reduced thickness, from a difference in corrugated structure, from a difference in spring strength, and from other differences of the rigid member as disclosed herein.
[0011] Although the rigid member may be located between the inner elastomeric element and the outer elastomeric element, the inner elastomeric element and the outer elastomeric element may actually be attached, bonded, molded, or formed to one another. The rigid member may be affixed to the inner elastomeric element and the outer elastomeric element by an adhesive or by bonding, such as during an extrusion process. In some instances, the rigid member may be at least two rigid members, and typically the two rigid members may run parallel to one another along the longitudinal length of the sealing element.
[0012] In another embodiment, a sealing element for use in a wellbore may have an elastomeric element and a rigid member having at least one area of decreased rigidity. The rigid member may be attached to the elastomeric element by an adhesive or by bonding such as during an extrusion or molding process. Typically, the rigid member is embedded in the elastomeric element. In some instances, the rigid member may have at least two rigid members, and the rigid members may be linked by a band, such as a circumferential band.
[0013] In another embodiment, a sealing element for use in a wellbore may have an elastomeric element and at least one spring. The spring may be embedded in the element or may be attached to the elastomeric element by an adhesive or by bonding, such as during an extrusion or molding process. Typically, the spring limits the initial radial expansion of the elastomeric element when the spring and the elastomeric element are longitudinally compressed. The spring can vary in strength or rigidity along its length. In some instances, more than one spring, such as a first spring and a second spring, may be used end-to-end in a single sealing element. In some instances, the first spring has a first spring strength and the second spring has a second spring strength.
[0014] In another embodiment, an apparatus, such as a plug or a packer for use in a wellbore, may have a sealing element having a first elastomeric portion and a second elastomeric portion. The first portion has a first compressive strength and the second portion has a second compressive strength. In some instances the first elastomeric portion and the second elastomeric portions may be connected. In other instances the first elastomeric portion and the second elastomeric portions may be separate.
[0015] To seal a downhole tool in a wellbore, the downhole tool is deployed in the wellbore. The compressible element is then sealed in the wellbore by radially expanding the compressible element in response longitudinal compression of the compressible element. This deforms the rigid member. Ultimately, sealing of at least a portion of the compressible element is controlled with the rigid member by deforming at least one area of reduced rigidity on the rigid member adjacent the portion the compressible element different from other portions of the compressible element.
[0016] As used herein, the terms such as lower, downhole, downward, upper, uphole, and upward are merely provided for understanding. Additionally, the terms packer and plug may be used interchangeably.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0017] FIG. 1 depicts a wellbore having a tubular with a plurality of sealing element tools disposed thereon.
[0018] FIG. 2 depicts a downhole tool in partial cross-section having an extended-length sealing element according to the present disclosure.
[0019] FIG. 3A depicts a side view of the disclosed sealing element in an uncased wellbore with an embedded rigid member.
[0020] FIG. 3B depicts a detailed cutaway of the disclosed sealing element in FIG. 3A .
[0021] FIG. 4 depicts a perspective view of a sealing element with an embedded rigid member.
[0022] FIG. 5 depicts a side view of a sealing element with an embedded rigid member having circumferential bands.
[0023] FIG. 6 depicts a side view of a sealing element with an embedded spring.
[0024] FIG. 7 depicts a side view of a sealing element with multiple embedded springs.
[0025] FIG. 8 depicts a side view of another sealing element having a corrugated rigid member.
[0026] FIG. 9 depicts a side view of a sealing element having portions of varying compressive strength along its longitudinal length.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0027] The description that follows includes exemplary apparatus, methods, techniques, and instruction sequences that embody techniques of the inventive subject matter. However, it is understood that the described embodiments may be practiced without these specific details.
[0028] FIG. 2 depicts a downhole tool 50 having a compressible sealing element 100 according to the present disclosure. As depicted herein, the tool 50 can be a packer having a mandrel 60 with a through-bore 62 . A fixed end ring 66 is disposed on the mandrel 60 at one end of the sealing element 100 . On the opposite end of the sealing element 100 , the packer 50 has a setting mechanism 68 . Although not shown, the packer 50 can include a slip assembly to lock the packer longitudinally in place in the well and can include other common features. Although shown used on the packer 50 , the disclosed sealing element 100 can be used on any type of downhole tool used for sealing in a borehole, including, but not limited to, a packer, a liner hanger, a bridge plug, a fracture plug, and the like.
[0029] The sealing element 100 has an initial diameter to allow the packer 50 to be run into a well and has a second, radially-larger size when compressed to seal against the wellbore. When the packer 50 is set downhole, the mandrel 60 is held in place and force is applied longitudinally to the sealing element 100 by the setting mechanism 68 , which in this example is a hydraulic piston mechanism.
[0030] For example, the mechanism 68 is activated by a build-up of hydraulic pressure in a chamber of the mechanism 68 through a port 64 in the mandrel 60 . In turn, the piston mechanism 68 pushes against the end of the sealing element 100 to compress the sealing element 100 longitudinally. As it is compressed, the sealing element 100 expands radially outward to engage the surrounding surface, which can be an open or cased hole. Although the tool 50 is shown as being hydraulically actuated, other types of mechanisms 68 known in the art can be used on the tool 50 including, mechanical, hydro-mechanical, and electrical mechanisms for compressing the sealing element 100 .
[0031] As briefly depicted in FIG. 2 , the sealing element 100 has an elastomeric member 110 disposed adjacent the mandrel 60 of the tool 50 . The sealing element 100 also has a rigid member 150 disposed in or associated with the elastomeric member 110 . The rigid member 150 has at least one area of decreased rigidity or reduced thickness. The rigid member 150 can be metallic, non-metallic, or a combination of metallic and non-metallic. For example, the rigid member 150 can be composed of metal, plastic, elastomer, or the like. In some embodiments, the rigid member 150 can be configured to bend at certain locations, or if desired the rigid member 150 can be configured to break at certain points.
[0032] The element's elastomeric member 110 can be attached, bonded, molded, or formed on the mandrel 60 and the rigid member 150 in any suitable fashion. For instance, the element's elastomeric member 110 can be comprised of separate layers 120 and 122 of the same or different elastomeric material. The rigid member 150 may be affixed between the inner elastomeric layer 120 and the outer elastomeric layer 122 by an adhesive or by bonding, such as during an extrusion or molding process. Alternatively, the rigid member 150 may be molded or embedded directly into the elastomeric material of the member 110 .
[0033] In any event, the member 110 has an outer elastomeric portion or layer 120 disposed external to an inner elastomeric layer 122 . Each of the layers 120 and 122 may be separate elements or sleeves disposed, molded, or formed on the rigid member 150 . Alternatively, the inner and outer elastomeric layers 120 and 122 may be integrally molded or formed portions of the same underlying element on the rigid member 150 .
[0034] In one embodiment, the rigid member 150 is a cylindrical sleeve disposed about the mandrel 60 . In another embodiment, the rigid member 150 is comprised of several longitudinal strips disposed parallel to one another along the axis of the sealing element 100 and the mandrel 60 . In yet another embodiment, the rigid member 150 is a cage structure having a combination of cylindrical bands disposed around the mandrel 60 and having a number of longitudinal members spaced around the mandrel 60 .
[0035] FIG. 3A depicts an embodiment of a compressible sealing element 100 in more detail relative to an uncased wellbore 10 and a mandrel 60 . While the uncased wellbore 10 is depicted, any of the embodiments can be used in open holes or in casing. Again, as noted above, the sealing element 100 circumferentially surrounds the mandrel 60 and includes the elastomeric member 110 and the rigid member 150 . The elastomeric member 110 has its radially inward layer 120 , which can be of a first elastomer, and has its radially outward layer 122 , which can be of a second elastomer. The first and second elastomers may be of the same elastomer, or they may be different elastomers depending upon the sealing characteristics desired.
[0036] The rigid member 150 is disposed as an intermediate layer in the elastomeric member 110 . The rigid member 150 may be affixed to one or both of the push rings (not shown), or the ends of the members 150 may simply abut adjacent the rings. As shown, the rigid member 150 has areas of different rigidity or thicknesses along its length. In the embodiment depicted, thinned regions or notches 160 a - c are alternatingly facing opposing sides of the rigid member 150 . For instance, first notches 160 a, 106 c face inward toward the mandrel 60 , while second notches 160 b face outward towards the wellbore 10 . The layers 120 and 122 can fill in the various notches 160 a - c with material, depending on how the layers 120 and 122 are formed on the rigid member 150 and mandrel 60 .
[0037] As shown in the detail of FIG. 3B , each notch 160 may have a bottom wall 162 and angled sidewalls 164 a - b , although curved or other rectilinear profiles can be used. In any event, each notch 160 defines a particular depth (d) and width (w) in the rigid member 150 . Additionally, the various notches 160 a - c are defined at various spacings (s) from one another along the length of the rigid member 150 .
[0038] In general, the depths (d), widths (w), and spacings (s) of the notches 160 a - c can be the same or different, but the characteristics of the notches 160 a - c can be configured to govern how the rigid member 150 will bend and the sealing element 100 will deform when compressed. In particular, the depths (d), widths (w), and spacings (s) of the notches 160 a - c determine what direction and when the rigid member 150 will deform at particular locations.
[0039] Moving the notch sidewalls 164 a - b in towards one another as well as increasing the angle of the notch sidewalls 164 a - b can determine how far the rigid member 150 will initially deform. The depth (d) of each notch 160 a - b can determine the order in which the various notches 160 a - c will deflect. For instance, shallower notches 160 a leave a thicker bridge of material on the rigid member 150 . Such a thicker bridge will allow this portion of the rigid member 150 around the shallower notch 160 a to deform later than a deeper notch 160 c having a thinner bridge of material. Additionally, the location of a given notch 160 a - c in either side of the rigid member 150 determines in which direction the rigid member 150 will deform. A notch 160 b that faces the wellbore 10 tends to cause the rigid member 150 to deform away from the wellbore 10 , while a notch 160 a, 160 c facing the mandrel 60 tends to cause the rigid member 150 to deform away from the mandrel 60 .
[0040] The notches 160 may be reversed. Furthermore, thinner notches 160 can be positioned in the middle, on the outer portion, or to one side of the rigid member 150 depending of the desired outcome of the element's compression. Additionally, deeper notches 160 can be positioned on the top end of the rigid member 150 and shallower on the bottom end, or vice versa.
[0041] Because the sealing element 100 has an extended length, the timing of how it deforms as it is longitudinally compressed on the mandrel 60 can be controlled by the rigid member 150 so the element 100 does not prematurely buckle, crease, fold, or otherwise expand improperly against the surrounding wall. In this particular example having five notches 160 a - c along the length of the element 100 , the notches 160 a - c are symmetrically arranged with a center notch 160 c, two intermediate notches 160 b, and two end notches 160 a. The depth (d), width (w), angles, etc. of the center notch 160 c are configured to force the center portion of the element 100 to deform and set first. This is not strictly necessary because there may be implementations in which the center portion sets after one or both of the ends.
[0042] In this implementation, however, the intermediate notches 160 b spaced outside of the center notch 160 c are configured with widths (w) and depths (d) to set later at a delayed timing from the center notch 160 c. By first setting the center of the element 100 followed and then setting outward along the length of the element 100 , fluid can escape from the annulus between the element 100 and the wellbore 10 during setting procedures. Finally, the end notches 160 a spaced toward the ends of the element 100 are configured to set even later during the overall setting process.
[0043] The arrangement here is symmetrical and includes five notches 160 a - c . Other configurations can be used with more or less notches 160 , and such an alternating arrangement can be repeated along the length of the sealing element 100 . Accordingly, the number of notches 160 may vary depending on the length of the element 100 and the desired number of timed seal points.
[0044] FIG. 4 depicts a side view of a sealing element 200 mounted on a mandrel 202 with a first push ring 204 and a second push ring 206 . As will be appreciated, the mandrel 202 and push rings 204 and 206 can be components of a downhole tool, such as a packer or a plug. The sealing element 200 has an elastomeric member 210 with a plurality of spaced apart rigid members 250 embedded therein. The rigid members 250 run parallel to one another along the length of the elastomeric member 210 . As noted above, the elastomeric member 210 has a radially inward elastomeric layer 220 and a radially outward elastomeric layer 222 , which is shown in dashed line to reveal details of the rigid members 250 .
[0045] Each rigid member 250 has notches 260 . As noted previously, each notch 260 may have a width, depth, notch bridge thickness, distance between the notch sidewalls, and notch sidewall angles that are configured different or similar to one another depending upon the desired deformation characteristics. Additionally, the notches 260 can be arranged to face inward and/or outward as desired. Each notch 260 tends to cause the rigid members 250 to deflect radially inward or outward in an organized way configured for a particular implementation, as disclosed herein.
[0046] Here, the rigid members 250 are a plurality of longitudinal strips or slats disposed parallel to one another along the longitudinal axis and around the circumference of the elastomeric element 210 . The members 250 may be affixed to one or both of the push rings 204 and 206 , or the ends of the members 250 may simply abut adjacent the rings 204 and 206 . Again, the rigid members 250 can be composed of any suitable material, including metal, plastic, or an elastomer more rigid than the overall sealing element 200 .
[0047] FIG. 5 depicts a side view of a compressible sealing element 300 mounted on a mandrel 302 with a first push ring 304 and a second push ring 306 . As will be appreciated, the mandrel 302 and push rings 304 and 306 can be components of a downhole tool, such as a packer or a plug. The sealing element 300 has an elastomeric member 310 with a rigid member in the form of a cage 330 embedded therein. As noted above, the elastomeric member 310 has a radially inward elastomeric layer 320 and a radially outward elastomeric layer 322 , which is shown in dashed line to reveal details of the rigid cage 330 .
[0048] For its part, the rigid cage 330 has rings or bands 332 with a plurality of rigid strips or slats 350 running parallel to one another along the length of the cage 330 . The rings 332 and the rigid slats 350 are attached to one another and are embedded in the radially inward and outward elastomeric layers 320 and 322 (depicted in dashed lines). The bands 332 can be affixed to or abut against the push rings 304 and 306 . Although the bands 332 are shown at the ends of the cage 330 one or more bands can also be used at intermediate locations of the cage 330 between the ends.
[0049] Each rigid slat 350 has notches 360 . As before, each notch 360 may have a different notch bridge thickness, a different distance between the notch sidewalls, different notch sidewall angles, face inward or outward, and other features depending upon the desired deformation characteristics.
[0050] FIG. 6 depicts a side view of a compressible sealing element 400 mounted on a mandrel 402 with a first push ring 404 and a second push ring 406 . As will be appreciated, the mandrel 402 and push rings 404 and 406 can be components of a downhole tool, such as a packer or a plug. The sealing element 400 has an accordion-like structure, which in this case is a spring 450 . The spring 450 is embedded in the elastomeric member 410 . For example, the spring 450 can be attached to a radially inward elastomeric layer 420 and to a radially outward elastomeric layer 422 .
[0051] The spring 450 varies in rigidity by varying in pitch from the push rings 404 and 406 as it progresses longitudinally along the elastomeric sealing element 410 . In some instances, the spring 450 can vary in pitch from the first push ring 404 towards the second push ring 406 in any combination that meets the operator's requirements. The spring's 450 variation in pitch can be seen as a different in the distance between the spring's hoops, such as the different distances (w 1 ) and (w 2 ) depicted in FIG. 6 .
[0052] The circumferential hoops formed by the spring 450 as it circumferentially surrounds the mandrel 402 can tend to limit the initial radial expansion of the sealing element 400 while allowing the sealing element 400 to be longitudinally compressed. The differences in distances between the hoops tend to allow the sealing element 400 to radially expand at certain location to an extent greater than where the spring's 450 hoops are closer together. In certain instances, it may be desirable to utilize an accordion-like structure that does not vary in pitch but tends to limit the initial radial expansion of the elastomeric sealing element 400 to a uniform amount.
[0053] FIG. 7 depicts a side view of a compressible sealing element 500 mounted on a mandrel 502 with a first push ring 504 and a second push ring 506 , which can be components of a downhole tool, such as a packer or a plug. The sealing element 510 has at least two accordion-like structures 550 a - c , in this case a first spring 550 a, a second spring 550 b, and a third spring 550 c.
[0054] The springs 550 a - c are embedded in the elastomeric member 510 . For example, the springs 550 a - c can be attached to a radially inward elastomeric layer 520 and to a radially outward elastomeric layer 522 . In FIG. 7 , the radially outward elastomeric layer 522 is shown in dashed line overlaying the springs 550 a - c and attached to the inward elastomeric layer 520 .
[0055] Each spring 550 a - c varies in strength or the force exerted as the spring 550 a - c compresses. In FIG. 7 , the strength of each spring 550 a - c decreases as the springs 550 a - c are longitudinally positioned along the mandrel 502 from one push ring 504 to the other. Other configurations could be used. For example, opposing sets of springs could decrease in strength from the two push rings 504 and 506 towards the center of the element 500 . In fact, any combination of varying strength of each spring 550 could be used to meet the operator's requirements.
[0056] When the sealing element 500 is set, the weakest spring (e.g., 550 c ) will tend to longitudinally compress first, thereby causing the sealing element 510 adjacent to the spring 550 c to longitudinally compress and thereby radially expand. By varying the strength of each spring 550 a - c , the timing of the radial expansion of each portion of the sealing element 500 may be controlled by the operator.
[0057] FIG. 8 depicts a side view of a compressible sealing element 600 having a corrugated rigid member 650 . The sealing element 600 is mounted on a mandrel 602 between first and second push rings 604 and 606 , which can be components of a downhole tool, such as a packer or a plug. The sealing element 600 consists of inward and outward elastomeric sealing elements 610 and 620 with the corrugated or crumpled rigid member 650 disposed therebetween. Spacing between corrugations can vary along the length of the mandrel 602 , thereby altering the flexibility and stiffness of the various sections of the member 650 . In FIG. 8 , for example, the corrugations near the push rings 604 and 606 have widths (e.g., c 1 ) that is greater than the widths (e.g., c 2 ) of the corrugations near the center of the element 600 . Thus, the flexibility of the rigid member 650 increases longitudinally from the push rings 604 and 606 toward the center of the element 600 . Other configurations could be used. For example, the flexibility can increase along the length of the element 600 from one push ring 604 to the other 606 . In fact, any combination of flexibility could be used to meet the operator's requirements.
[0058] When the packer and thus the sealing element 600 is set, the more flexible sections of the rigid member 650 tend to longitudinally compress first, thereby causing the elastomeric sealing element 600 to radially expand. By varying the flexibility, the timing of the radial expansion of the sealing element 600 may be controlled by the operator.
[0059] Finally, FIG. 9 depicts a side view of a compressible sealing element 700 mounted on a mandrel 702 with a first push ring 704 and a second push ring 706 , which can be components of a downhole tool, such as a packer or a plug. The sealing element 700 consists of longitudinally separate elastomeric sealing members or sections 750 a - n disposed along the mandrel 702 between the push rings 704 and 706 . As shown here, each of the sections 750 a - n can be a separate washer, ring, wrapping, or sleeve portion disposed on the mandrel 702 .
[0060] Each section 750 a - n of the sealing element 700 varies in compressive strength or the force required to compress each section 750 a - n . In a variation of this embodiment, the longitudinally separate sections 750 a - n of elastomer could be a single elastomeric member, in which the elastomeric compounds differ over the element's length, thereby providing variations in the compressive strength of the sealing element 700 over its length.
[0061] In FIG. 9 , the strength of each elastomeric sealing sections 750 a - n increases as the section 750 a - n are longitudinally positioned along the mandrel 702 from one of the push ring 704 . Other configurations could be used. For example, opposing sets of sections 750 could decrease in strength from the two push rings 704 and 706 towards the center of the element 700 . In fact, any combination of varying strength of each section 750 could be used to meet the operator's requirements.
[0062] When the packer and thus the sealing element 700 is set, the weakest elastomeric sealing section (e.g., 750 n ) tends to longitudinally compress first, thereby causing the elastomeric sealing element 700 to radially expand. By varying the compressive strength of each elastomeric sealing section 750 a - n , the timing of the radial expansion of each portion of the sealing element 700 may be controlled by the operator.
[0063] The foregoing description of preferred and other embodiments is not intended to limit or restrict the scope or applicability of the inventive concepts conceived of by the Applicants. It will be appreciated with the benefit of the present disclosure that features described above in accordance with any embodiment or aspect of the disclosed subject matter can be utilized, either alone or in combination, with any other described feature, in any other embodiment or aspect of the disclosed subject matter.
[0064] In exchange for disclosing the inventive concepts contained herein, the Applicants desire all patent rights afforded by the appended claims. Therefore, it is intended that the appended claims include all modifications and alterations to the full extent that they come within the scope of the following claims or the equivalents thereof.
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A device and method to control the rate of radial expansion of a compressible sealing element on a packer over the longitudinal length of the sealing element. By varying the rate of compression of the element, the rate of radial expansion of the corresponding portions of the element may also be controlled. Additionally, the rate of radial expansion may also be controlled by controlling the direction and amount of radial expansion along the length of the sealing by reinforcing certain portions of the sealing element while decreasing the rigidity of the reinforcement for other portions.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a femoral implant used as a hip-joint prosthesis. In particular, the invention relates to implants made of composite laminates of continuous fiber in a matrix. For example, the fibers may be carbon, boron, ceramic, metal, aramid fibers (e.g. Kevlar), or fiberglass, and the matrix may be biocompatible a polymer, metal, ceramic, or carbon.
2. Discussion of Background Information
A femoral implant, as the name implies, replaces the end of a femur in a hip-joint prosthetic device. The femoral implant basically includes a longitudinal stem or shaft that is connected to bone. In present practice, the stem sits in a cavity formed in the proximal region of the femur. A neck extends from the shaft terminating in a ball, which cooperates with the acetabulum, or socket, of the hip joint in the pelvis. To insert the implant, the head of the femur is removed and a cavity formed in the bone just below the cut. The shaft of the implant is then anchored into the cavity using, e.g., a press-fit or bone cement.
Implants made of fiber embedded in a polymeric matrix have been used in place of earlier metal implant designs. Fiber-matrix composite implants can be engineered to exhibit structural properties more closely resembling that of natural bone, which has less of an adverse effect than implants much stiffer than natural bone.
One method of making an implant of continuous unidirectional fiber involved stacking layers having parallel conditions unidirectional fibers in a matrix, in which the orientation of the fiber in each layer was arranged in a parallel manner. The orientation of the fiber in the final implant could then be varied by stacking the individual layers in such a way that the fibers were aligned in the desired direction. The final product was produced by heating the matrix in which the fibers were embedded in order to cause the matrix to flow. Upon cooling, the matrix hardened into a composite block in which the various layers of fiber were aligned as desired.
Fibers were aligned in these composite blocks in directions wherein increased strength was considered to provide optimum results. For example, reinforcement was provided along the shaft, i.e., the longitudinal axis, by orienting a majority of the fibers in that direction. Reinforcement was also provided by orienting fibers at an acute angle to the longitudinal direction, balanced by fibers oriented in the negative acute angle direction, producing a mirror image about a sagittal plane of the device. However, it was believed that the shaft region should be more strongly reinforced than the neck region. For example, see U.S. Pat. No. 4,892,552 and "Carbon Materials For Endoprosthetic Joints", K.J. Huttinger and W. Huettner, Extended Abstracts of the International Symposium on Carbon, 1982, pages 138-149, the disclosures of which are incorporated by reference in their entireties.
Also, U.S. Pat. No. 5,064,439, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety, discloses a load-bearing prosthetic device, such as a hip stem with a longitudinally curved body. The prosthetic device is made from continuous filament fiber plies with parallel oriented fibers in each ply. The plies are curved longitudinally to correspond to the shape of the body. In one embodiment, the plies at or near the surfaces have longitudinally oriented fibers and the plies between the surface layers have fibers offset at 5°-40° from the longitudinal axis. The fiber orientation is balanced by providing a ply of negatively angled offset fibers for each positively angled offset ply. Table III of U.S. Pat. No. 5,064,439 shows examples of unbalanced fiber orientations. None of the examples, however, teach a fiber orientation wherein at least 50% of the layers have fibers oriented in the θ direction and the remainder of the layers have fibers oriented in directions other than the θ angle, where θ is the acute angle formed between the longitudinal direction of the shaft and the neck extending therefrom.
A femoral implant made from layers of fiber in a polymeric matrix is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,163,962, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. The femoral implant has a longitudinal shaft having a neck extending therefrom at an acute angle θ to the longitudinal direction. The layers of fibers are arranged such that they are balanced with at least 50% of the layers in the ±θ directions.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The invention is a femoral implant for a hip prosthesis comprising a shaft oriented in a longitudinal direction; a neck extending from said shaft at an acute angle θ to the longitudinal direction. The implant comprises a plurality of layers of fibers in a matrix, wherein said fibers are substantially unidirectional in each respective layer. At least 50% of said fibers are oriented in the θ direction and the remainder of said fibers are oriented in directions other than the θ angle.
According to another embodiment, the invention is a femoral implant for a hip prosthesis comprising: a shaft oriented in a longitudinal direction; a neck extending from said shaft at an acute angle θ to the longitudinal direction; said implant comprises a plurality of layers of fibers in a matrix, wherein said fibers are substantially unidirectional in each respective layer; wherein more of said fibers are oriented in the θ direction than are fibers oriented in directions other than the angle.
According to yet another embodiment, the invention is a femoral implant for a hip prosthesis comprising a shaft; oriented in a longitudinal direction and a neck extending from said shaft at an acute angle θ to the longitudinal direction. The implant comprises a plurality of layers of fibers in a mat, wherein said fibers are substantially unidirectional in each respective layer. At least as many of said fibers are oriented in the θ direction as are fibers oriented in the shaft direction, the number of fibers oriented in the θ direction being different than the number of fibers oriented in the shaft direction.
The invention is also directed to a method of making a femoral implant for hip prosthesis having a shaft oriented in a longitudinal direction and a neck extending from said shaft at an acute angle θ to said longitudinal direction. The method comprises the steps of forming a plurality of individual layers of substantially unidirectional fibers in a matrix; stacking said layers such that at least 50% of said fibers are oriented at said angle θ and the remainder are oriented in directions other than the θ angle; heating the stacked layers under pressure to melt said matrix; cooling said matrix to form a composite block; and machining said stacked layers into the form of the implant.
The invention is further directed to a method of performing lip-joint replacement surgery comprising implanting a femoral implant. The implant comprises a shaft oriented in a longitudinal direction and a neck extending from said shaft at an acute angle θ to the longitudinal direction. The implant comprises a plurality of layers of fibers in a matrix wherein said fibers are unidirectional in each respective layer. At least 50% of said layers have fibers oriented in the θ direction and the remainder of said layers have fibers oriented in directions other than the θ angle.
The present invention is also directed to a femoral implant for a hip prosthesis including a shaft oriented in a longitudinal direction and a neck extending from said shaft at an acute angle θ to the longitudinal direction. The implant may be made from layers of fiber in a matrix wherein the fibers are unidirectional in each layer. The implant is made from a stack of layers of fibers and matrix so that the direction of the fibers is unbalanced. At least 50% of the layers have fibers oriented in the θ direction and the remainder of the layers have fibers oriented in directions other than the θ angle. For example, the remainder of the fibers can be oriented within ±10° from the longitudinal direction. Also, more of the fibers may be oriented in the θ direction than are fibers oriented in directions other than the θ angle, or at least as much of the fibers are oriented in the θ direction as are fibers oriented in the shaft direction, the number of fibers oriented in the θ direction being different than the number of fibers oriented in the shaft direction. The claimed invention is useful in humans, mammals and other animals.
A further embodiment of the invention provides a method of making a femoral implant for a hip prosthesis having a shaft oriented in a longitudinal direction and a neck extending from the shaft at an acute angle θ to the longitudinal direction. The method includes forming individual layers of substantially unidirectional fibers in a matrix, stacking the layers such that at least 50% of the layers have fibers oriented in the θ direction and the remainder of the layers have fibers oriented in directions other than the θ angle; heating the stacked layers under pressure to consolidate the matrix; cooling the matrix to form a composite block; and machining the block into the form of the implant. Alternatively, the stacked layers may be machined into the form of the implant and then heated to consolidate the matrix.
A still further embodiment of the invention provides a method of performing hip-joint replacement surgery comprising implanting a femoral implant including a shaft oriented in a longitudinal direction and a neck extending from the shaft at an acute angle θ to the longitudinal direction. The implant is made from layers of fiber in a matrix wherein the fibers are unidirectional in each layer. At least 50% of the layers have fibers oriented in the θ direction and the remainder of the layers have fibers oriented in directions other than the θ angle.
In accordance with the present invention, it was discovered that a femoral implant composite device does not require primary reinforcement in the shaft because that part of the device is firmly supported by the femur. In fact, flexibility in the stem is important in order to permit stress transmission to the bone to forestall bone resorption. On the other hand, the neck of the device protrudes above, and at an angle to, the femur. Since the neck is not surrounded by bone, it will not benefit from bone support, and flexibility in the neck is not as important as it is in the stem.
Accordingly, it has been discovered that the claimed invention, an implant made from layers of fibers wherein the direction of the fibers is unbalanced, provides a composite design that maximizes strength in the neck region while maintaining sufficient flexibility and strength in the shaft region.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a schematic view showing the orientation of a preferred embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of a stage in the production of a preferred embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 3 is a schematic view showing the use of a preferred embodiment of the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
Various types of fiber are useful in accordance with the presently claimed invention. For example, the fiber may be made from carbon. Such fibers are well known and commonly used in the manufacture of fiber composite hip prostheses as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,512,038, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. The manufacture of composite materials containing layers of fiber embedded in a matrix and prosthetic devices from blocks of composite material containing fiber at differing angles of orientation is well known as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,892,552 and Proc. 234d Nat. Symp. Exhib. Adv. Mat. Process Eng., p. 250 (1978), the disclosures of which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entireties. For example, a continuous carbon fiber tow is drawn through a solvent solution of a polymeric matrix. The coated fiber is then wound on a drum to form a layer. Upon drying, the material on the drum is slit along the length of the drum and a coherent layer of material is unwound into a sheet. Rectangular pieces are then cut from the sheet in such a way that the fibers are oriented in the rectangle at the desired angle. A stack of the rectangles is prepared containing the desired fiber orientation, which is then heated under pressure to form a single block of the composite material.
In arranging the composite layers in accordance with the present invention, it is preferable that the completed stack have at least 50% of the layers with fibers oriented in the θ direction and the remainder oriented in the longitudinal direction or at angles other than the θ angle; that is, the remainder of the fibers may be oriented in directions other than the shaft and θ directions. Preferably, each block contains about 100-300 layers.
With reference to FIG. 1, a preferred embodiment of the presently claimed invention is machined from a composite block of material so that implant 1 has a shaft 3 disposed in the 0° or longitudinal direction. Neck 5 projects at angle θ to the longitudinal direction from shaft 3. Preferably, angle θ is about 25°-55°, and may include tolerances of ±5°. Angle θ may be in the following ranges: 30°-55°, 35°-55°, 40°-55°, 45°-55°, 25°-50°, 25°-45°, and 35°-45°. Preferably, angle θ is about 40°. Accordingly, at least 50% of the layers have fibers oriented in the θ direction and the remainder are oriented in directions other than the θ angle. Preferably about 50 to 60% of the layers have fibers oriented in the θ direction and about 40 to 50% of the remainder are oriented in the longitudinal direction. It is noted that each layer may have a different number of fibers. Alternately, the remaining plies may be oriented at two or more angles between the θ and longitudinal directions. This may modulate the stem stiffness and the neck and stem strength. Also, the fibers are preferably substantially continuous. Composites made of long discontinuous fibers, greater than 1/8 inch in length have been developed. These fibers may be oriented in individual plies and may be useful in the present invention.
For example, with reference to FIG. 2, an arrangement of layers is shown with 50% of the layers having fibers oriented in the angle of the neck and the remainder oriented in the longitudinal direction. The outline of the femoral implant appears on the foremost layer. The stack is then placed in a mold and heated under pressure in order to form a composite block of the matrix in which the individual layers of fiber are contained. The composite block is then machined according to well known procedures in order to fashion the desired femoral implant, such as disclosed in the aforesaid U.S. Pat. No. 4,512,038. Alternatively, the composite block may be machined into the form of the implant and then heated to consolidate the matrix.
The amount of matrix in the implant is sufficient to provide cohesiveness among the carbon fibers. Preferably matrix content varies from 20-80% by volume, more preferably 38-44%, of the implant, with carbon fiber making up the remainder. Useful materials for the matrix are ceramic, metal, carbon, or polymer. Polymers may be thermosets, such as epoxies or acrylics, or engineering thermoplastics as disclosed in the aforesaid U.S. Pat. No. 4,892,552, such as polysulfone, polyethersulphone, polyarylsulfone, polyphenylene sulfide, polycarbonates, aromatic polyamides, aromatic polyamideimides; thermoplastic polyimides, polyaryletherketones, polyetheretherketones, polyarylethernitriles, aromatic polyhydroxyethers, and the like. Preferably, the matrix is biocompatible and a medical grade polysulfone resin.
The size of the individual layers used to make the composite block varies depending on the size of fiber used, the amount of fiber in the individual layer, and how much material coats the fiber. Preferably, the layers are 0.1-0.5 mm thick, more preferably 0.15-0.35 mm. Sufficient layers are used to form a composite block having dimensions large enough for the femoral implant. Preferably, the block is about 20-50 mm thick.
With reference to FIG. 3, use of a preferred embodiment of the present invention is described. Shaft 3 of implant 1 is anchored in cavity 7 of femur 9. Neck 5 of implant 1 is fixed to ball 11, which is designed to cooperate with the acetabulum of the pelvis (not shown). The ball is made of known surgical alloys comprised, e.g., of titanium-aluminum-vanadium or cobalt-chromium-molybdenum, or of a ceramic material, according to known methods. A cobalt 13 in ball 11 and the neck 5 of the implant are machined tapered (i.e., Morse taper) to mate as is well known in the art. During surgery a ball is correctly selected by the surgeon for size and press-fit onto the neck. Surgical procedures for attaching femoral implants are well known.
Preferably, the femoral implant of the present invention further contains an encapsulating layer of the matrix. This is accomplished, e.g., by vacuum thermoforming two sheets of neat polymer for placement around the composite. Vacuum thermoforming is a well known technique that will be readily applicable by the skilled artisan. Typically, this is accomplished by heating two sheets of the polymer to a sufficient temperature to make the sheets moldable. Vacuum is then used to draw the sheets: into a cavity having he dimensions of either the front or back surface of the composite implant core plus the film thickness. When cooled, the sheets are trimmed to create preforms. A pair of preforms is then placed on either side of the composite and compressed between a mold to encapsulate the composite, each preform comprising, in effect, one-half of the encapsulating layer. Advantageously, the mold conveys a textured relief to each side of the encapsulating layer, which aids in anchoring the implant in the femur. Optionally, a physiologically acceptable radiopaque material, such as barium sulfate at about 2-10% by weight of the sheet, is contained in the encapsulating sheets. This enables positioning of the device to be more readily determined radiographically. Alternatively, radio-dense markers may be inserted into the device for this purpose.
The benefit of the present invention can be shown by computer modeling of the compressive strength of the composite material. Computer modeling based on laminate plate theory is disclosed by "CMAP--Composite Material Analysis of Plates", CCM Report 87-45, J.W. Gillespie, Jr., L.J. Shuda, B. Walbel, J.J. Garrett, and J. Snowden, Center For Composite Materials, University of Delaware, 1987, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. Three polysulfone/carbon fiber laminates were compared: [0°,+40°], [0°, +40°, 0°, -40°], and [0°, +40°, 0°, -40°, 0°] where 40° is the neck angle. The first laminate [0°, 40°] is within the scope of the present invention. The results of the analysis are shown in the following table:
______________________________________ COMPRESSIVE STRENGTHPLY ORIENTATION (NECK DIRECTION, KSI)______________________________________[0°, 40°] 80[0°, +40°, 0°, -40°] 52[0°, +40°, 0°, -40°, 0°] 45______________________________________
In order to more clearly describe the present invention, the following non-limiting example is provided.
EXAMPLE
Carbon fiber tow containing about 12,000 fibers, each about 7 μm in diameter (available from Hercules Incorporated under the designation AS4) is drawn over rollers submerged in a solution of polysulfone resin. (UDEL MG11 available from Amoco Performance Products) in methylene chloride to coat the fibers with resin. The resin-impregnated tow is taken up on a revolving polytetrafluoroethylene-coated drum (10.0-12.5" in diameter and 3' long) to form a continuous cylindrical sheet in which adjacent tow strands, 0.5" wide, overlap each other about 0.25". The sheet is removed from the drum when the solvent has evaporated by slitting the dried material on the drum along the drum axis to form a flat rectangular sheet about 0.25 mm thick. Rectangular coupons are cut from the sheet so as to obtain coupons having fibers oriented with respect to the length of the rectangle at 0° and +40°.
A stack of the coupons is formed such that the length of the rectangle represents the axis of the shaft of the femoral implant, i.e., the 0° direction. Starting from the bottom of the block, the first coupon contains fibers oriented +0° relative to the longitudinal axis and is followed by a layer containing fibers oriented +40°. The foregoing stacking sequence is represented according to code as follows: [0°,+40°]n. The sequence, [0°,+40°], is repeated "n" times to create the block. The total number of coupons in the stack varies from 100-300, depending on the desired size of the implant.
The stack of coupons is placed in a 10"×10" mold and compression molded at about 100 psi and 293° C. to form a block of the composite material. The longitudinal modulus of the composite is about 8 msi. A core femoral implant is machined from the block using well known techniques to a shape approximating that in FIG. 1. Supporting the neck of the device, at least 50% of the lamina are the +40° plies. The core is then encapsulated in the same polysulfone resin used to impregnate the fibers by vacuum-thermoforming matched pairs of preforms and compression molding them to the core at 195°-200° C. for about 11 minutes.
Although the invention has been described with reference to particular materials and embodiments, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the particulars disclosed and extends to all equivalents within the scope of the claims.
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A femoral implant for a hip prosthesis includes a shaft oriented in a longitudinal direction and a neck extending from said shaft at an acute angle θ to the longitudinal direction. The implant includes a plurality of layers of fibers in a matrix, wherein the fibers are substantially unidirectional in each respective layer. The implant is made from a stack of layers of the matrix so that the direction of fibers is unbalanced. At least 50% of the fibers are oriented in the θ direction and the remainder of said fibers are oriented in directions other than the θ angle.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates generally to a cable reliability indicator and, more particularly, but not by way of limitation, it relates to a monitor device for installation on an oil well drilling mast raising line.
2. Description of the Prior Art
While the basic principle of indicating wear and condition or wire rope by measure of stretch has been known in the prior art, no prior art was discovered which relates to a permanently installed device which could be reliably carried by a cable assembly to indicate the need for retirement of the cable prior to breakage and possible severe damage to associated equipment.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a novel form of indicator for permanent installation on an oil well mast raising line that enables continuous monitoring of the mast raising line strength and condition by total elongation to enable timely retirement of the mast raising line prior to breakage and damaging result. The device consists of a pair of monitor sleeves firmly swaged at a preselected spacing on the mast raising line at a non-interfering position, and an associated measuring bar utilized therewith will provide indication of the condition of the mast raising line upon each usage.
Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to provide a mast raising line indicator that enables avoidance of accidental line failure and subsequent destruction to the associated drilling mast and derrick structure.
It is also an object of the invention to provide a line condition indicator of relatively low cost and high reliability.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a unitarily formed mast raising line with indicator having standardized performance characteristics.
Finally, it is an object of the invention to provide a safety indicator enabling avoidance of breakage of mast raising lines when the derrick mast is coming off of or laying down onto the derrick stand.
Other objects and advantages will be evident from the following detailed description when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings which illustrate the invention.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a view in side elevation of oil well drilling derrick structure in the layed down position;
FIG. 2 is a top view schematic of derrick structure rigging of FIG. 1;
FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of a portion of the mast raising line with monitor sleeves affixed;
FIG. 4 is a view in section taken through a monitor sleeve; and
FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a preferred form of measuring bar.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Referring to FIG. 1, an oil drilling rig 10 is shown in its layed down position in readiness for mast raising into the operational position. The rig 10 consists of the substructure 12 supporting a pair of A legs 14 on each side thereof and having the draw works 16 centrally mounted as between A legs 14. The drilling mast 18, in this case shown as a centilever-type mast, has its lower frame ends 20 pin mounted at the forward base of each of A legs 14. A derrick stand 22 supports the layed down upper end of mast 18 adjacent the mast crown structure 24 to support the rig 10 in readiness for raising.
The various portions of rig 10 are portable and mobilly delivered to a drilling site for subsequent assembly into the mast raising position. Depending upon the height of mast 18, the length of the mast 18 is made up of serially connected sections which are initially secured by such as mast pins 26, and the drilling line rigging is initially assembled in the layed down position. Thus, a drilling line 28 from draw works 16 is rigged through the crown structure 24 and its plurality of blocks in interconnection with a travelling block 30 and associated hook 32. Using the power of the rig draw works 16, the drilling line 28 in association with traveling block and hook 32 are utilized to erect the derrick mast 18 into its upright or operational position whereupon it is pin secured with necessary safety precaution and support structure to enable function in the upright position. A bridle line or mast raising line 34 is utilized in coaction with the powered traveling block 30 to effect raising of mast 18.
Referring also to FIG. 2, a top view schematic diagram of the rigging, the mast raising line 34 consists of a first wire rope open socket 36 as secured to cable or wire rope 34 having a generally mid-point screw connector assembly 38 and terminating in an open socket 40. As an example, a standard mast raising line for a 131 foot derrick consists of an A section 42 of 108 feet and a B section 44 of 112 feet, the sections being secured together by a pin connector 38. However, it should be understood that mast raising lines in general will range in diameter from 11/8 inches to 31/2 inches and they can be assembled from either 1 part, 2 parts, 3 parts or 4 parts, this usually depending upon the size and the particular mast design.
Referring also to FIG. 1, the respective end open sockets 36 and 40 are securely affixed to respective mast anchor point brackets 46 located on each side of mast 18 and the respective ends of mast line 34 are then led over the respective sheaves 48 and 50 as rotatably supported on top of each A leg 14 with return of the mid portion of mast raising line 34 over a hook thimble 51 as secured over the traveling block hook 32.
Also included on the mast raising line 34 are a pair of monitor sleeves 52 and 54 swaged onto the mast raising line and having their opposed faces separated by a predetermined measure as shown by arrow 60. FIGS. 3 and 4 illustrate the monitor section of mast raising line 34 in greater detail. Thus, the monitor sleeves 52 and 54 are sleeves formed of high carbon steel and having their opposed faces 56 and 58 precisely machined so that sleeves 52 and 54 may be swaged onto the mast raising line 34 with faces 56 and 58 spaced exactly at a predetermined X measure 60. The sleeves 52-54 are placed on the mast raising line 34, preferably, about six feet from an open socket 36 or 40 so that wire rope travel will not bring the sleeves into contact with A-leg sheaves 48 or 50 during the arc of the mast excursion. Thereafter, a measuring bar 62 of calculated length X+E, longer than dimension 60, serves as the elongation indicator, i.e. when measuring bar 62 can be inserted between the opposed monitor sleeve faces 56 and 58, the mast raising line 34 is ready for retirement, as will be further described.
FIG. 5 illustrates a preferred form of measuring bar 62 which includes a unique shape of rectangular cross-section with a semicircular longitudinal groove for receiving the wire rope therein during measurement. The novel shape is preferred to avoid the possibility that rig workers might confuse the measuring bar with other nearby scrap and deface or mar the measuring bar 62, i.e. use it as a pry bar or the like. The measuring bar 62 is preferably formed from direct hardening plate steel having 0.40/0.50 carbon, a high carbon steel of alloy quality. In like manner, the monitor sleeves 52 and 54 are formed from high carbon steel which will maintain accurate swaged positioning on wire rope line 34 and a precise machined measuring face 56 and/or 58.
As shown in FIG. 3, the monitor sleeves 52 and 54 are swaged onto the raising line 34 with gauge faces separated by distance X, designated arrow 60, and it can be pre-calculated as to what amount of permanent elongation E within cable section X will signify an approach to the breakage danger point for the particular mast raising line 34. Thus, when the measuring bar 62 of length X+E is slidable between the machine end faces 56 and 58 when the cable is unstressed, the cable should be retired from a mast raising service.
Mast raising lines today are formed from EIP steel cable, i.e. Extra Improved Plow steel as standardized by the National Bureau of Standards and A.I.S.I., and the manufacturer or supplier of the wire rope utilized in forming the mast raising lines supplies specifications relating to the elastic limit or permanent elongation E of the cable that indicates approach to its breaking strength. These specifications can be employed in forming the measuring bar 62 to the proper permanent elongation limit dimension. The present invention has adopted a standard new cable spacing X of 36 inches, i.e. as between machine faces 56 and 58 of monitor sleeves 52 and 54; however, the distance is arbitrary so long as proper elongation proportion E can be measured.
In operation, in either picking up or laying down the derrick mast 18, the mast raising line 34 is utilized. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the line 34 (section 44) is secured at open-end socket 36 to a mast couple or anchor bracket 46 whereupon it is led over A-leg sheave 48 and back around hook thimble 51. The remaining portion or section 42 of mast raising line 34 is anchored to the mast 18 by open socket 40 at its respective anchor bracket 46 and then led around the opposite A-leg sheave 50 for securing to line section 44 at connector assembly 38.
When the mast raising line 34 is hooked up, and made taut by draw works 16, the measuring bar 62 can be placed at measuring sleeves 52-54 to assure that the permanent elongation limit (X+E) has not been reached. If not, the draw works 16 then continues to reel in drilling line 28 thereby to raise the derrick mast 18 into upright, operative position. The opposite is performed in laying down the derrick mast 18 as draw works 16 pays out drilling line 28 to lower the mast for support on the derrick stand 22. After laying down, and with the line relaxed, the measuring bar 62 should again test for insertion between faces of monitor sleeves 52-54. If, in fact, bar 62 inserts, then retirement of the mast raising line 34 is indicated and failure to replace the line might result in an operational failure causing great damage to the derrick structure and possible physical harm to the operators.
The foregoing teaches a novel form of permanently installed safety indicator for derrick mast raising lines which enables distribution of tested, new mast raising lines already equipped with the standardized safety indicator. Use of the present invention should contribute to greater safety margins in the oil field as sudden breaks of the mast raising lines during the extremely high stress operations will be avoided due to the effective forecasting of the elastic limit and a possible overload. The elastic limit is calculable as: ##EQU1##
Changes may be made in the combination and arrangement of elements as heretofore set forth in the specification and shown in the drawings; it being understood that changes may be made in the embodiments disclosed without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the following claims.
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Apparatus for permanent affixure to a drilling mast raising line for indicating the condition of the mast raising line at selected intervals. Monitor sleeves are swaged to the mast raising line at a specified separation distance X when the line is new, and thereafter repeated measurements of the separation distance can be made to determine an approach to the elastic limits of the line whereupon the mast raising line should be retired from service.
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This application is a Continuation of, and claims priority under 35 U.S.C. §120 to, International application no. PCT/EP2008/058939, filed 9 Jul. 2008, and claims priority therethrough under 35 U.S.C. §§119, 365 to Swiss application no. 01176/07, filed 24 Jul. 2007, the entireties of which are incorporated by reference herein.
BACKGROUND
Field of Endeavor
The present invention relates to the field of combustion technology, especially for gas turbines. It refers to a method for operating a combustion device and also to a combustion device for carrying out the method.
Brief Description of the Related Art
In combustion chambers with a plurality of burners operating in parallel, as occur in gas turbines, piston engines, and boilers, the flame temperatures of the individual burners are balanced or homogenized for maximizing service life and for minimizing pollutant emission. This homogenization is customarily constructionally achieved by a construction of the individual combustion chambers and their fuel supply which is as identical as possible. However, in the realized system, temperature differences between the burners, which lie above the tolerated value, partially ensue as a result of the interaction of topological differences and a number of tolerance-related deviations.
These production-related differences between the individual burners can be corrected by a non-recurring homogenization. For this, the flame temperatures of the individual burners are measured and balanced by a passive throttling of the fuel supplies (see, for example, WO-A1-2005/010437). As measuring methods for flame temperature determination, the following known methods are currently available:
(1) Calculation of the adiabatic flame temperature on the basis of spectroscopic measurements (see, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,318,891).
(2) By indirect measuring via
(a) the wall temperature of the burner (b) the NO x emission of the burner (c) the CO 2 content or O 2 content of the fuel gas (lambda probe).
(3) Measuring the temperature via the chemiluminescence intensity of the flame, for example the chemiluminescence of the NO x molecules (see, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,670,784).
The optimization process often fails in practice because of the large number of burners which are to be optimized and currently also accommodated in a plurality of combustion chambers, of which burners the flame temperature can only be very slowly determined at the same time. The aforementioned methods for determining the flame temperature, except for the chemiluminescence intensity methods, require a typical measuring duration from about ten seconds to one minute. This time must be compared with the effort for a homogenization of a multi-burner system. A homogenization of N burners, during a mutual influencing of the burners, corresponds to an optimization of a system with N parameters. The measuring effort for such an optimization, even with efficient methods, shifts in the order of magnitude of N 2 . This leads to more than one day being required for a complete balancing of a system with 50 burners.
Temperature determination on the basis of the intensity of the chemiluminescence was proposed at a very early stage. The intensity of the chemiluminescence I, which is collected by the lens, depends upon the flame temperature T, via a modified Arrhenius law:
I
(
T
)
=
A
·
Φ
0
(
T
-
T
0
)
τ
(
1
)
In this, Φ 0 refers to the radiation density for a flame at the temperature T 0 . This intensity, as the characteristic value τ, depends upon the composition of the fuel and upon the pressure. The measured intensity I, however, is also determined by the transmissivity and the aperture of the lens, which are summed in the surface parameter A. If all parameters are known, then the temperature determination can be carried out very quickly on the basis of the intensity of the chemiluminescence. Even in the case of burners under pressure (30 bar) and at temperatures of 1200° C., the chemiluminescence intensity is sufficient to be measured with a frequency of up to 10 kHz.
In practice, the temperature determination via the intensity of the chemiluminescence is impractical since the chemiluminescence is very sensitively dependent upon the composition of the air (moisture) of the fuel, and also upon the pressure in the combustion chamber. Even the restriction to individual wave length ranges such as OH*, CH* or NO* brings no improvement at all in this case since the dependency upon the fuel composition occurs in the case of any radical. Moreover, an intensity determination always suffers from a transmission loss of the lens as a result of moisture which can enter quickly at some time during combustion processes.
SUMMARY
One of numerous aspects of the present invention includes a method for operating a combustion device with a multiplicity of burners which quickly leads to a balancing of the differences in the individual burners and, as a result, quickly leads to an optimized operation of the device, and also a combustion device which is suitable for it.
Principles of the present invention start in this case from a system with the following components, as is reproduced in the single FIGURE:
A combustion device 10 with one (or more) combustion chambers 11 , which are to be regulated or to be non-recurrently balanced, with a plurality of burners B 1 , . . . , Bn which are supplied with fuel via a fuel distribution system 18 and which produce corresponding flames F 1 , . . . , Fn. For each burner B 1 , . . . , Bn, a device for direct or indirect determination of its flame temperature. In the FIGURE, for one of the burners (Fn) an intensity-independent temperature measuring device 12 and a temperature measuring device 13 , which is based on the chemiluminescence intensity, are exemplarily drawn in. Control elements such as adjustable nozzles, orifices, restrictors, valves, or flow regulators for the manual or controlled regulating of the fuel supply or fuel composition of individual burners or groups of burners, which control elements are symbolized in the FIGURE by means of the valves V 1 , . . . , Vm, which are arranged between the fuel supply 16 and the burners B 1 , . . . , Bn and responsible for individual burners or burner groups, and by the control unit 17 (the number of control elements in this case can be different from the number of burners). Possible measured value detectors such as sensors, devices and items of equipment for determining temperature, pressure, density, throughflow, viscosity, thermal conductivity or even composition of the fuel, for which the measuring device M 1 and M 2 for the fuel are exemplarily drawn in the FIGURE. A further measuring device M 3 , in the form of a lambda probe, is arranged in an exhaust gas outlet 14 of the combustion chamber 11 . Possible autonomous control units such as flow controllers, pressure controllers, temperature controllers, or controllers for determining the fuel composition, which are exemplarily represented in the FIGURE by a fuel control unit 15 . A simplified system analysis of the piping system of the fuel supply, which characterizes the dependency of the fuel throughflows as a function of the position of the control elements and of the autonomous control units. For improving the calculation of the fuel throughflows, the system analysis also takes into consideration the measured values of possible measured value detectors. This system analysis can be carried out, for example, by a pressure loss calculation, in the case of which the throughflow of a valve is characterized from the valve position and the pressure drop across the valve. The position-dependent resistance coefficient which is required for this must be known as a characteristic of the valve. An algorithm for minimizing the pollutant emission or for homogenizing the flame temperatures.
The simplified system analysis, in which for quick optimization or homogenization of the combustion device a function of the flame temperatures of the burners is provided in dependence upon the positions of the control elements of the fuel distribution system, which function has been calibrated by measurements of the flame temperatures at a plurality of predetermined positions of the control elements of the fuel distribution system, and by which, with the aid of the calibrated function, the positions of the control elements of the fuel distribution system which are optimum for a predetermined distribution of the flame temperatures of the burners are determined and adjusted, is important for embodiments of the invention.
A development of the method according to principles of the invention is characterized in that the combustion device has a measuring device for determining the properties of the fuel, such as temperature, pressure, density, throughflow, viscosity, thermal conductivity, and composition, and in that the measured values of the measuring device are integrated as variables into the function of the flame temperatures.
One development of the method is characterized in that the combustion device has a fuel control device for autonomous controlling of the properties of the fuel, such as throughflow, pressure, temperature, or composition, and in that the function is established in dependence upon the control values of the fuel control device.
Another development of the method according to principles of the invention is characterized in that a valve with a fixed characteristic is connected upstream of each burner in the fuel distribution system, and in that, for determining the function, the anticipated flame temperature of the respective burner is assumed as being proportional to the fuel inflow through the valve which is connected upstream of it.
A further development of the method according to principles of the invention is characterized in that the flame temperatures of the flames of the individual burners are first measured, and in that the combustion device is homogenized in accordance with the measured flame temperatures.
Another development of the method according to principles of the invention is characterized in that the flame temperatures of the flames of the individual burners are first measured, and in that the combustion device is optimized in accordance with the measured flame temperatures.
A further development of the method according to principles of the invention is characterized in that the flame temperatures of the flames of the individual burners are first measured, and in that the combustion device is controlled with regard to the ongoing optimization in accordance with the measured flame temperatures.
In this case, the flame temperatures of the flames of the individual burners can especially be determined via a measuring of the chemiluminescence intensity.
It is especially advantageous if the measuring of the chemiluminescence intensity is recalibrated at periodic intervals of time by an intensity-independent method for measuring the flame temperature, wherein a method for measuring the flame temperature, which is based on a throughflow characteristic of the control elements which are responsible for the fuel throughflow, is used as the intensity-independent recalibration method.
An advantageous development of the combustion device according to principles of the invention is characterized in that the fuel distribution system has a fuel measuring device for determining the properties of the fuel, such as temperature, pressure, density, throughflow, viscosity, thermal conductivity, and composition, and a fuel control device for autonomously controlling the properties of the fuel, such as throughflow, pressure, temperature, or composition, which components are connected to the control unit.
In particular, a valve for adjusting the fuel throughflow to the associated burner is associated with each of the burners as a control element, wherein the valves are connected to the control unit.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The invention shall subsequently be explained in more detail based on exemplary embodiments in conjunction with the drawing. The single FIGURE shows a greatly simplified system schematic of a combustion device according to an exemplary embodiment of the invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS
Since flame temperatures react very sensitively to the smallest deviations of fuel and air throughflows, even time-consuming calculations are not sufficient for being able to accurately precalculate enough the flame temperature of an individual burner. The deviations can be determined and corrected by an additional measurement of the flame temperature. Since such measurements, however, demand a lot of time, a complete optimization of a system with a plurality of burners often requires too long to be economical.
Principles of the present invention start here, since it significantly accelerates this adjustment process by two strategies:
The first strategy shortens the determination of the flame temperature to below one second and the second strategy shortens the optimization process to a determination of a few parameters for calculating the flame temperature, the number of which is proportional to the number of burners. By combining these two strategies, the homogenization process becomes quick so that the balancing of the flame temperatures can be carried out in a controlled manner not only periodically but even constantly.
The new idea for accelerating the flame temperature determination is a permanently recalibrated measuring of the chemiluminescence intensity. With this, the advantages of two established measuring methods are combined. The disadvantages of the intensity measuring method can be counteracted by combination with an intensity-independent temperature measurement, by which the intensity measurement is regularly recalibrated, for example in a ten-minute cycle.
For practical reasons, the intensity of turbulent flames and flame temperature fluctuations of short duration differs between oscillations. Changes of the intensity of the chemiluminescence, which take place quicker than a determined limiting frequency (in the case of the gas turbine about 8 Hz), are considered as oscillations, while slower changes are interpreted as a change of the flame temperatures. The limiting frequency in this case is determined by the time delay across the control system between the control element of the fuel supply and the flame. Frequencies with periods below this time delay are interpreted as oscillations.
The new idea for accelerating the optimization exists in restoring the system, by a complete analysis, to an analytical function F of the type
T=F ( s,x,y ) (2)
In this case, T refers to an N-dimensional vector which includes the flame temperatures of the individual burners. The M-dimensional vector s includes the positions of the control elements. Ideally, there is only one control element for each burner, as a result of which N is equal to M. In practice, however, M>N is selected in most cases. The K-dimensional vector x includes the measured values of the possible measured value detectors and also the control values of the possible autonomous control units. Since these measured variables are possibly not raised at all, the dimension K can therefore also be 0. Furthermore, the system analysis L includes estimated deviations which are gathered in the L-dimensional vector y. These can be, for example, the deviations of the pressure differences which influence the throughflow. These unknown deviations lead to the function F, in the case of N=M, not being able to be directly resolved according to s. The system must therefore first be calibrated. The calibration is achieved by the system being checked during n different adjustments s i . In this case, the M-dimensional vector of all the M control elements is again understood by s i . For each control vector, the resulting temperature vector T i , together with the measured values of the measured value detectors and the control values of the autonomous control units x i , must now be determined. By the measurement results, the deviations y can then be determined by a weighted X 2 -adaptation test. For this, the variable
X 2 ( y )=Σ i=1 n ( F ( s i ,x i ,y )− T i ) T V T −1 ( F ( s i ,x i ,y )− T i ) (3)
is minimized by a a variation of y. In this case, V T stands for the N×N-dimensional weighting matrix which results from the static precision of the temperature measurement. Minimizing can be quickly carried out since F is an analytical function, the derivation of which can be calculated. For this purpose, by an iterative numeric method and a sufficiently large number of measurements n·N>L, an optimum y min can be found. With a known y min , the system is calibrated.
With the calibrated system, for any control value x, the optimum positions s min (x) of the control elements can be determined for the desired temperatures T h . For this, by an X 2 -adaptation test, the variable
X 2 ( y )=Σ i=1 n ( F ( s,x,y min )− T h ) T V T −1 ( F ( s,x,y min )− T h ) (4)
is minimized by a variation of s. The numerically resulting value s min (x,T h ) then provides the sought-after positions.
Summarized, the measuring task which is to be overcome is reduced to n·N>L calibration measurements. The actual optimization is then carried out by a purely numeric method without further measurements.
This method shall subsequently be explained based on a simplified example:
A simplified system without possible sensors or autonomous control units with K=0 is to be tested. The system is to include N burners B 1 , . . . , Bn. A valve V 1 , . . . , V 3 ; Vn−2, . . . , Vn with a fixed characteristic ζ(s) is located upstream of each burner B 1 , . . . , Bn in its fuel supply.
Δρ
=
ζ
(
s
)
ρ
2
v
2
(
5
)
The fuel in this case is to be reduced to the pressure p 1 via a pressure regulator, from where the fuel is fed by a distribution system to the valves V 1 , . . . , V 3 ; Vn−2, . . . , Vn. The pressure drops in this distributor are ignored. The pressure differences in the common combustion chamber 11 with pressure p 2 are also ignored so that the pressure drops p 1 -p 2 are identical for all burners of the combustion chamber. From this, for constructionally identical valves with the pipe cross section A, the throughflow q is calculated as
q
(
s
)
=
A
·
2
ρ
(
p
1
-
p
2
)
ζ
(
s
)
(
6
)
For simplicity it is now assumed that the anticipated flame temperature is proportional to this fuel inflow, or that higher terms can be ignored:
T k =T r +a ·( q ( s k )− q ( s r ))= F k ( s k ). (7)
In this, a sums the gross calorific value of the fuel, its specific heat, the specific heat of the inlet air, and also the air ratio of the combustion. Equation (7) is the sought-after system function F for y=0 with the dimension N. As deviations, the unknown transmissivities of the optical sensors are used.
From equation (1), the flame temperature of the k th burner (Bk) on the basis of its intensity I k of chemiluminescence is calculated as:
T k =T 0 +τln ( I k )−τ ln ( A k ·Φ 0 ). (8)
As the measured temperature,
T′ k =T 0 +τln ( I k ) (9)
is used, so the last term on the right in equation (8) can be added to the system function F of equation (7):
T′ k =T r +a ·( q ( s k )− q ( s r ))+τ· y k =F′ k ( s k ), with y k =ln ( A k Φ 0 ) (10)
The calibration function for F which is to be resolved now results as the sum across the different measurements i and sum across each burner k of the intensities I k i which were determined in the case of the manipulated variables s k i :
X 2 ( y )=Σ i=1 n Σ k=1 N ( y N+1 +y N+2 ·q ( s k i )+ y k −ln ( I k i )) 2 (11)
wherein y N+1 aggregates the following terms which are not linearly independent of each other
y N + 1 = T r - a · q ( s r ) - T 0 τ ( 12 )
and y N+2 characterizes the two unknowns a and τ which can only be optimized together:
y
N
+
2
=
a
τ
(
13
)
In the case of the calibration equation (11), it is a linear (L=N+2)-dimensional X 2 -adaptation test which can be resolved by known linear algebraic methods according to the calibration values y min .
As soon as the system is calibrated, or the y k min are known, the valve positions can be determined. For this, the homogenization condition of identical flame temperatures T h must be defined in the N-dimensional X 2 -adaptation test for s:
X 2 ( s ) = ∑ k = 1 N ( F k ( s ) - T h ) 2 τ = ∑ k = 1 N ( T r + a · ( q ( s k ) - q ( s r ) ) - T h ) 2 τ ( 14 )
with equations (12) and (13) follows:
X
2
(
s
)
=
∑
k
=
1
N
(
y
N
+
1
min
+
T
0
-
T
h
τ
+
y
N
+
2
min
·
q
(
s
k
)
)
2
(
15
)
This X 2 -adaptation test has the solution:
q
(
s
k
)
=
T
h
-
T
0
a
-
y
N
+
1
min
y
N
+
2
min
.
(
16
)
These are the throughflow values which are to be selected for the valves V 1 , . . . , V 3 , . . . , Vm−2, . . . , Vm, which homogenize in the best possible way the flame temperatures of the burners B 1 , . . . , Bn to the temperature T h . From the known characteristic of the valve (equation (6)), the sought-after manipulated variable s k can finally be calculated.
Reference should be made to the fact that, in the case of this example, the anticipated solution actually emerges. According to the assumptions made, the flame temperatures result directly from the throughflow of the valves V 1 , . . . , V 3 , . . . , Vm−2, . . . , Vm. A mutual dependency or correlation between the burners B 1 , . . . , Bn is lacking, which is why the above solution can also be derived for each burner separately from the system function (7). The calibration of this simple system therefore corresponds rather to a gauging of the intensity measuring on the basis of the valve positions, which indeed clearly determines the flame temperature of an individual burner.
In general, this is not the case since the burners one below the other are correlated with each other via the airflow or the fuel distribution system. Therefore, with correlated burners the calibration of the flame temperature can also be carried out via the variation of the control units. As a result of this simplified example, the basis for the idea of an intensity-independent recalibration method on the basis of the throughflow characteristic of the control elements is created, which allows the intensity measuring of the chemiluminescence to be calibrated by a generic valve characteristic. Furthermore, this idea can be combined with the optimization, forming a flame homogenization, which in the case of known characteristics of the control elements can be carried out by pure intensity measurements of the chemiluminescence. This simplification is apparent from the equation (11).
Overall, the following solutions for a multiburner system are described:
(1) A quick flame temperature determination based on a calculation of the temperature on the basis of the chemiluminescence intensity which is quick to measure and a periodic recalibration by an intensity-independent method.
(2) An accelerated flame homogenization based on a system analysis and a numeric optimization method which is derived therefrom.
(3) The combination of the quick flame temperature measurement with the accelerated optimization method for the harmonization of systems with a plurality of burners.
(4) The combination of the quick flame temperature measurement with the accelerated optimization method for the controlling of systems with a multiplicity of burners.
(5) An intensity-independent recalibration method based on the throughflow characteristic of the control elements.
(6) A method for the flame homogenization of systems with a plurality of burners on the basis of measuring the intensity of the chemiluminescence, based on the throughflow characteristic of the control elements.
List Of Designations
10 Combustion device
11 Combustion chamber
12 Temperature measuring device (intensity-independent)
13 Temperature measuring device (chemiluminescence intensity)
14 Exhaust gas outlet
15 Fuel control device (autonomous)
16 Fuel supply
17 Control unit
18 Fuel distribution system
V 1 , . . . , Vm Control element (for throughflow control)
B 1 , . . . , Bn Burner
F 1 , . . . , Fn Flame
M 1 , . . . , M 3 Measuring device
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. The foregoing description of the preferred embodiments of the invention has been presented for purposes of illustration and description. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise form disclosed, and modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teachings or may be acquired from practice of the invention. The embodiments were chosen and described in order to explain the principles of the invention and its practical application to enable one skilled in the art to utilize the invention in various embodiments as are suited to the particular use contemplated. It is intended that the scope of the invention be defined by the claims appended hereto, and their equivalents. The entirety of each of the aforementioned documents is incorporated by reference herein.
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A combustion device ( 10 ) includes at least one combustion chamber ( 11 ) with a plurality of burners (B 1 , . . . , Bn) operating in parallel which produce in each case a flame (F 1 , . . . , Fn) which reaches into the combustion chamber ( 11 ), wherein each of the burners (B 1 , . . . , Bn), via a fuel distribution system ( 18 ), is supplied with a fuel from a fuel supply ( 16 ), which fuel distribution system ( 18 ) includes control elements (V 1 , . . . , Vm) for manual or controlled regulating of the fuel supply and/or fuel composition of individual burners (B 1 , . . . , Bn) and/or groups of burners (B 1 , . . . , B 3 ; Bn−2, . . . , Bn). In a method of using the combustion device, a quick optimization or homogenization is achieved by a function (F) of the flame temperatures of the burners (B 1 , . . . , Bn) being provided in dependence upon the positions of the control elements (V 1 , . . . , Vm) of the fuel distribution system ( 18 ), which function has been calibrated by measurements of the flame temperatures at a plurality of predetermined positions of the control elements (V 1 , . . . , Vm) of the fuel distribution system ( 18 ), and in that by the calibrated function (F) the positions of the control elements (V 1 , . . . , Vm) of the fuel distribution system ( 18 ), which are optimum for a predetermined distribution of the flame temperatures of the burners (B 1 , . . . , Bn), are determined and adjusted.
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This application is a continuation-in-part of Ser. No. 463,173, filed Apr. 22, 1974, now abandoned.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to improvements in laminated packing materials in the form of a hollow molded article, film or sheet, and more particularly to a laminated packing material wherein one layer of the lamination consists essentially of an acrylonitrile-rich resinous material or comprises an acrylonitrile-rich resinous material, and the other layer consists essentially of a polyolefin or an ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer, or contains a resinous material comprising a polyolefin or an ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer.
Although a polyolefin and an ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer, especially those containing a small quantity of vinyl acetate, have excellent water and moisture proof properties, due to their high permeability to gas such as oxygen, they are not suitable for use as packing materials for foodstuffs, medicines and cosmetics, which are required to have high resistance to gas permeance.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of this invention to provide an improved laminated packing material having high resistance to gas permeance.
Another object of this invention is to provide an improved laminated packing material having improved mechanical strength wherein the layers of such material are firmly bonded together without using any bonding agent therebetween.
Still another object of this invention is to provide an improved laminated packing material that can be manufactured with a minimum number of extruders and with a laminating die of simple construction.
According to this invention, these and other objects can be accomplished by providing a packing material made from a lamination of a plurality of plastic layers which are bonded together while hot, characterized in that one layer is made of an acrylonitrile-rich resinous material, i.e. containing more than 50 mole % of acrylonitrile, and the other layer is made of a polyolefin or an ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer.
According to a modification of this invention at least one layer contains, as additive, an ionomer, or an ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer having more than 5 mole % of vinyl acetate units, in an amount of 2 to 30 parts by weight based on 100 parts of the plastic material comprising said one layer, for the purpose of improving the mechanical strength and the water and moisture resistant properties of the lamination.
To manufacture the packing material of this invention, two or more extruders are used to extrude two or more thermoplastic resins. Extruded sheets are laminated while hot in a laminating die at the extrusion ends of the extruders, thus causing the sheets to fuse together. To manufacture hollow articles, laminated multilayer parisons are blow-molded into final articles. To manufacture the flat packing sheets, the laminated sheets are cooled to solidify. Thus, the laminated sheets are formed into an integral structure while they are hot. These laminated sheets are different from ordinary laminations which are prepared by laminating independently manufactured cold sheets.
In this manner, the laminated packing material of this invention can be prepared without using any bonding agent or a layer of bonding agent between the layers of different materials, but the layers can be readily fused together by suitably selecting the materials.
The invention is further characterized in that a suitable polymer is incorporated into the materials for one or two layers for improving the bonding between the layers.
The compositions of the respective layers of the novel laminated packing material of this invention will now be described. One layer contains an acrylonitrile-rich resinous material (such as those sold under the trade name Barex) characterized by its high resistance to gas permeance (for example, low oxygen permeability). However, such acrylonitrile-rich resinous material has a relatively high water permeability and is relatively brittle. In accordance with this invention, these defects are compensated for by the layer of a polyolefin, or an ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer containing not greater than 8 mole percent of vinyl acetate units. Especially, as an ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer has an excellent bonding property, the layer thereof can be readily heat-bonded to the film of the acrylonitrile-rich resinous material. The acrylonitrile-rich resinous materials utilized in this invention may be made from polyacrylonitriles, or from acrylonitrile, an acrylic ester and butadiene. Polyethylene and polypropylene etc. can be used as the polyolefin.
For the purpose of improving the bonding of the layers, in accordance with this invention, 2 to 30 parts by weight of an ionomer, for example Surlyn A (Trade Mark) or an ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer is incorporated into 100 parts of the acrylonitrile-rich resinous composition comprising one of the layers. Although where a larger part of ionomer or ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer is incorporated into this layer, the bonding force between the layers can be improved, the advantage of using the acrylonitrile-rich resinous material for the purpose of improving the resistance to gas permeance will be decreased.
Where the other layer consists of a polyolefin, from 2 to 15 parts by weight of said ionomer of ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer is incorporated into 100 parts of the polyolefin, and where the other layer consists of an ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer, from 2 to 15 parts by weight of said ionomer is incorporated into 100 parts of the ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer for the purpose of improving the bonding strength between the layers. Where the ionomer is used in excess of said specified quantity, while the bonding strength can be improved, the resistance to water and moisture of the lamination decreases. On the other hand, when the quantity of the additives incorporated into the respective layers is less than 2 parts, the desired effect cannot be attained.
When the lamination comprises three layers, the intermediate layer may consist of an acrylonitrile-rich resinous material and the two outer layers may consist of a polyolefin, or an ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer. Although it is not always necessary to make two outer layers of the same resinous material, if the two outer layers consist of the same material it is possible to produce a three-layer lamination having a sandwich construction by using two extruders, one for extruding the intermediate layer and the other for extruding the two outer layers. This arrangement not only decreases the number of the extruders but also simplifies the construction of the laminating die. By sandwiching the intermediate layer of the acrylonitrile-rich resinous material between two outer layers of polyolefin or ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer, it is possible to compensate for the gas permeability and the humidity-dependency of the intermediate layer, by the outer layers, thus improving the resistance of the laminated packing material against water and moisture. Furthermore, the deficiency in mechanical strength, that is the brittleness of the lamination, which arises when the acrylonitrile-rich resinous material is used to form the inner or outer layers, can be eliminated by forming the intermediate layer with the acrylonitrile-rich resinous material, and the outer or inner layers with polyolefin or ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer.
The term "ionomer" utilized herein means a polymer in which organic and inorganic components are bonded together by a covalent bond and an ionic bond, such ionomer being available on the market under the Trade Mark Surlyn A, for example Surlyn A 1652 which has a melt index of 6.0, a density of 0.936 and a melting point of 99° C. Such ionomer can be prepared by adding a metal hydroxide, a lower alcoholate or a metal salt of a lower aliphatic acid (the metal portion of the hydroxide, lower alcoholate or salt of a lower aliphatic acid being sodium, potassium, magnesium or zinc) to an ethylene type polymer copolymerized with a small quantity of a monomer (for example, acrylic or methacrylic acid) containing a carboxyl group in its side chain. The metal hydroxide neutralizes the major portion of the acid groups. Thus, the carboxyl anions distributed along the chain of the molecule electrostatically bond with the metal cations present between the molecules to form a type of bridge.
More particularly, the ionomer utilized in this invention is a metal ion-containing polymer of a major proportion of an olefin monomer and a minor proportion of an ethylencially unsaturated monomer containing a carboxyl radical, and such a polymer containing metal ions is characterized in that a portion of the carboxyl radical is neutralized by metal ions, such as sodium ions.
For example, a copolymer of a major proportion of ethylene, a minor proportion of acrylic acid and acrylic acid neutralized by sodium ions, or a copolymer of a major proportion of ethylene, a minor proportion of methacrylic acid and methacrylic acid neutralized by sodium ions is used.
The olefin monomer and unsaturated acid monomer are copolymerized by the action of an ordinary free radical catalyst. A composition consisting of about 96 mole percent of olefin and 4 percent of acid monomer is preferred.
If desired, pigments or other additives may be incorporated into the polyolefin or ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer utilized in this invention.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING
In the accompanying drawing, the single figure shows a side view, partly in section, of a hollow article embodying the invention.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
Referring now to the accompanying drawing, there is shown a hollow article made of a lamination embodying the invention. The lamination comprises a sandwich construction of an intermediate layer 1, and inner and outer layers 2 and 3 of the same material, the layers being extruded simultaneously and bonded together while hot.
EXAMPLE 1
The intermediate layer 1 was made of an acrylonitrile-rich resinous material sold under the Trade Mark Barex 210 (produced by graft copolymerization of 73-77 parts by weight of acrylonitrile and 23-27 parts by weight of methyl acrylate in the presence of 8-10 parts by weight of a butadiene-acrylonitrile copolymer containing approximately 70% by weight of polymer units derived from butadiene) whereas the inner and outer layers 2 and 3 were made of an ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer containing 8 mole % of vinyl acetate. Parisons were formed on a lamination of the layers 1, 2 and 3 which were extruded simultaneously by two extruders and bonded together while hot in a manner described above. The parisons were blow-molded into hollow articles like incandescent lamps by means of a conventional blow-molding machine. The resulting hollow article had a weight of 28g, and an inner volume of approximately 450cc. The minimum wall thickness of the outer layer was 0.28mm, that of the intermediate layer was 0.07mm and that of the inner layer was 0.32mm. The oxygen permeability of the hollow container was 38 cc/m 2 /day under the conditions of one atmosphere of pressure, a temperature of 37° C, and an inside relative humidity of 20%. The average bonding strength between the layers was 0.3kg/2cm. The hollow article was filled with brine at a temperature of from -2° C to 0° C and the filled article was dropped under gravity 10 times on a concrete floor from a height of 120cm. After dropping 10 times, no crack or peeling off of the layers was noted.
EXAMPLE 2
The intermediate layer was made of a mixture of 100 parts of an acrylonitrile-rich resinous material (Barex 210) and 10 parts of Surlyn A 1652, whereas the inner and outer layers were made of a low density polyethylene sold under the trade name Sumikasen and having a melt index of 0.5. The hollow article prepared in the same manner as Example 1 had a weight of about 27g, and an inner volume of about 450cc. The minimum wall thickness of the outer layer was 0.25mm, that of the intermediate layer was 0.08mm and that of the inner layer was 0.36mm. The oxygen permeability of this hollow article was 32 cc/m 2 /day under the same conditions as in Example 1, which is comparable to the oxygen permeability of 38 cc/m 2 /day of a PVC hollow article having an inner volume of 500cc. The average bonding strength between the layers was 0.45 kg/2cm and no crack or peeling off of the layers was noted after the same dropping test as in Example 1.
Thus, the invention provides a laminated packing material in which two or more layers are bonded together while hot, without using any bonding agent between the layers. The packing material has high resistances to water, moisture and gas permeance, so that it is suitable for packing and preserving foodstuffs or the like over a long period of time.
When an ionomer or an ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer as described above is incorporated into one or more of the layers, not only the bonding strength between the layers can be improved, but also the mechanical strength of the lamination can be improved. Furthermore, as a plurality of layers are simultaneously extruded and bonded together while hot, it is possible not only to decrease the number of extruders, but also to simplify the laminating die.
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In a laminated packing material comprising a plurality of layers of plastics which are laminated while hot, one layer is made of an acrylonitrile-rich resinous material and the other layer is made of a polyolefin or an ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer, at least one of the layers preferably containing an ionomer or an ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer.
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[0001] This application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. 119 to Japanese Patent Application No. 2010-246023, filed on Nov. 2, 2010, which application is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] 1. Field of the Invention
[0003] The present invention relates to a fusing unit for an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine, a facsimile machine, or a printer, for example, and more particularly to an improvement of a structure of a separating pawl that forcedly separates a sheet from a circumferential surface of a heat roller.
[0004] 2. Description of the Related Art
[0005] In a fusing unit of an image forming apparatus of the related art, the separating pawls are disposed at six points in a circumferential surface of a heat roller. The six separating pawls are constructed by three groups of pairs of separating pawls. In the first group, the separating pawls are disposed at two points on the right and left in the center of the heat roller. In the second group, the separating pawls are disposed outside the separating pawls of the first group. In the third group, the separating pawls are disposed on both side ends of the heat roller. The separating pawls of the third group are pressed against the circumferential surface of the heat roller by a spring having an elastic force larger than that of the separating pawls of the first and second groups. An image forming area of the sheet is separated from the heat roller by the separating pawls of the first and second groups, which are biased by a force that is smaller than that of the separating pawls of the third group, so that the fused image can be prevented from being damaged by the separating pawls.
[0006] In another fusing unit of the related art, the separating pawls are disposed at five points along the circumferential surface of the heat roller. The five separating pawls are constructed by central separating pawls that are disposed at three points in the center of the heat roller and two side separating pawls that are disposed on both side ends of the heat roller. Although the central separating pawls are substantially identical to the separating pawls in a basic configuration, the central separating pawls differs from the separating pawls in a structure of a rear end portion of a guide surface that is continuously provided adjacent to a tip end of the separating pawl. The rear end portion of the guide surface of the central separating pawl is drawn from the rear end portion of the guide surface of the side separating pawl with respect to the sheet. Therefore, the central separating pawl is prevented from providing a large frictional force, and generation of a streak flaw can be prevented in the central portion in a width direction of the sheet.
[0007] In still another fusing unit of the related art, the sheet is guided toward a sheet discharge guide by a rotatable guide provided in the separating pawl. The rotatable guide is constructed by a sprocket.
[0008] Generally, five or six separating pawls are provided in the fusing unit of the image forming apparatus of the related art, and the post-fusing sheet can stably be fed toward the sheet discharge guide near an exit roller because the sheet can be guided by more separating pawls as a sheet size is enlarged. There is no problem in a finishing state of the post-fusing sheet. However, in the case of a small-size sheet such as a postcard, because the sheet is guided by one or two separating pawls provided in the center in the circumferential surface of the heat roller, a large pressure is applied to the sheet, and sometimes a problem is generated in the finishing of the post-fusing sheet.
[0009] Particularly, in the case that a feed path is largely flexed between a nip portion of the fusing unit and the sheet discharge guide, a portion of a length in a feed direction of the small-size sheet such as the postcard is flexed, and thus, a sheet plane is not free from application of a large amount of pressure. In the case that the sheet is guided while an orientation of the sheet is changed by the sprocket provided in the separating pawl, because the pressure applied to the sheet plane is concentrated, a broken-line pattern matched with a pitch of the teeth of the sprocket is formed in a rear surface of the sheet, thereby degrading the finishing state of the sheet.
[0010] For example, when the central separating pawl that separates the small-size sheet is eliminated, the pressure applied to the sheet plane can be reduced to relax a sheet feeding condition, and the same finishing state as the large-size sheet is obtained. However, in fusing a thin and weak sheet, it is difficult to stably feed the sheet, and there is generated a new problem in that a corner portion at a start end edge in the feed direction of the sheet is folded or a wrinkle.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0011] In order to overcome the problems described above, preferred embodiments of the present invention provide a fusing unit for an image forming apparatus, which can relax a small-size sheet feeding condition to improve a finishing state of the small-size sheet to the same degree as a large-size sheet and stably feed a thin and weak sheet.
[0012] A fusing unit for an image forming apparatus according to a preferred embodiment includes a heat roller and a press roller, which fuse a toner image to a recording sheet. The fusing unit also includes a plurality of separating pawls that are disposed to come into contact with a circumferential surface of the heat roller in order to separate the recording sheet from the heat roller. The separating pawls are disposed at predetermined points in a front and rear direction that corresponds to an axial direction of the heat roller. Rotatable guides that guide the recording sheet passing through a nip portion of the fusing unit to a sheet discharge guide of an exit feed path while an orientation of the recording sheet is changed is provided in each of the separating pawls. In a fusing feed path from the nip portion of the fusing unit to the sheet discharge guide through the rotatable guides, a flexion angle of a central feed path that passes by the rotatable guide of the first separating pawl disposed in the axial direction of the heat roller is larger than a flexion angle of a lateral feed path that passes by the second rotatable guide of the second separating pawl disposed in the axial direction of the heat roller.
[0013] Specifically, assuming that a triangle is defined by the lateral feed path and a straight line connecting the nip portion of the fusing unit and an introduction start end of the sheet discharge guide, a position in which the recording sheet is in contact with the first rotatable guide of the first separating pawl disposed in the axial direction of the heat roller is located inside a vertex of the triangle.
[0014] The sheet discharge guide includes a central sheet discharge guide that is provided opposite a central area in a width direction of the exit feed path and a lateral sheet discharge guide that is provided opposite an area near the central area. Assuming that a triangle is defined by the lateral feed path and a straight line connecting the nip portion of the fusing unit and an introduction start end of the lateral sheet discharge guide, an introduction start end of the central sheet discharge guide is located outside an oblique-side portion on a side of the lateral sheet discharge guide of the triangle.
[0015] In the present preferred embodiment, the flexion angle of the central feed path through which the minimum-size sheet is fed is preferably larger than the flexion angle of the lateral feed path through which the larger-size sheet is fed, so that the degree of the curvature of the minimum-size sheet can be reduced during feeding the minimum-size sheet. Therefore, the minimum-size sheet feeding condition can be relaxed to reduce the pressure applied to the sheet plane, and the same finishing state as the large-size sheet is obtained. Particularly, in a case in which the minimum-size sheet is guided while deflected by the first sprocket provided with teeth, a flexion reactive force of the teeth acting on the sheet plane of the small-size sheet can be significantly reduced and minimized to eliminate the formation of the broken-line pattern matched with the pitch of the teeth in the rear surface of the sheet. Even in fusing the thin and weak sheet, a feed surface of the sheet can stably be guided toward the sheet discharge guide while being deflected by the rotatable guides of the plural separating pawls. Accordingly, the deformations of the sheet plane such as the folding of the corner portion at the start end edge in the feed direction of the sheet and the generation of the wrinkle in the sheet plane, which are caused by the feeding failure, are not generated.
[0016] When the position in which the recording sheet is in contact with the first rotatable guide of the first separating pawl is located inside the vertex of the triangle that is defined by the nip portion, the introduction start end, and the lateral feed path, the flexion angles can be separated from each other only by partially changing a structure of the fusing unit. Specifically, the flexion angles of the feed paths can be separated from each other only by changing a position of the central rotatable guide. Accordingly, the structure change that reduces the small-size sheet feeding condition is minimized, and a cost increase associated with the structural change can be reduced. Because the flexion angles of the feed paths can be separated from each other only by changing the position of the central rotatable guide, advantageously the present preferred embodiment can be applied to existing image forming apparatus.
[0017] When the introduction start end of the central sheet discharge guide is located outside the oblique-side portion on the side of the lateral sheet discharge guide of the triangle that is defined by the nip portion, the introduction start end, and the lateral feed path, the feed paths from the nip portion to the rotatable guides can be matched with each other. The same position in the feed direction of the sheet can be guided while deflected by the rotatable guides. Accordingly, the sheet can stably be fed from the nip portion to the rotatable guides, and particularly the thin and weak sheet can properly be fed. Therefore, deformations of the sheet plane such as folding of the corner portion at the start end edge in the feed direction of the sheet and the generation of the wrinkle in the sheet plane, which are caused by the feeding failure, can more securely be eliminated.
[0018] The above and other elements, features, steps, characteristics and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments with reference to the attached drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0019] FIG. 1 is a view illustrating a principle of a fusing feed path in a fusing unit according to a first preferred embodiment of the present invention.
[0020] FIG. 2 is a schematic front view of an image forming apparatus.
[0021] FIG. 3 is a vertical sectional view illustrating the fusing unit and a peripheral structure thereof.
[0022] FIG. 4 is a plan view illustrating alignments of the fusing unit and a separating pawl.
[0023] FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken on a line A-A of FIG. 4 .
[0024] FIG. 6 is a view illustrating a principle of a fusing feed path according to a second preferred embodiment of the present invention.
[0025] FIG. 7 is a vertical sectional view illustrating the fusing unit of the second preferred embodiment of the present invention and a peripheral structure thereof.
[0026] FIG. 8 is a sectional view taken on a line B-B of FIG. 7 .
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0027] FIGS. 1 to 5 illustrate a fusing unit according to a first preferred embodiment of the present invention that is preferably applied to a multi-function peripheral (image forming apparatus) having a copy function and a facsimile function. In the drawings, front and rear, right and left, and up and down are subject to cross arrows illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 4 and signs of front and rear, right and left, and up and down expressed near the arrows.
[0028] Referring to FIG. 2 , a multi-function peripheral 1 includes an image forming unit 2 , a main body unit 4 in which a fusing unit 3 is disposed, and an image reader 5 that is located in an upper portion of the main body unit 4 . In the multi-function peripheral 1 , a sheet feed path 8 is provided between a paper cassette 6 disposed in a lower portion of the main body unit 4 and an exit unit 7 disposed in the upper portion of the main body unit 4 . The image forming unit 2 is disposed below the feed path 8 while the fusing unit 3 is disposed above the feed path 8 . Openings and covers that open and close the openings are provided in surrounding walls of the main body unit 4 , which faces the fusing unit 3 . Maintenance of the fusing unit 3 can be performed by opening the covers, and a paper jam can be released in the fusing unit 3 and the feed path 8 around the fusing unit 3 .
[0029] The image forming unit 2 includes a developing unit 10 , a photosensitive drum 11 , and a toner cartridge 12 , and forms an image by transferring a toner image to a sheet fed from the paper cassette 6 . An operational panel 13 including various buttons is provided in a front surface of the image reader 5 , and an Auto-Document Feeder (ADF) 14 is provided on an upper surface of the image reader 5 . The images of a bundled document such as a book can be read while the bundled document is placed on a platen glass of the upper surface of the image reader 5 , and a sheet-like document can be read by passing through the ADF 14 .
[0030] Referring to FIG. 3 , the fusing unit 3 includes a heat roller 15 , a press roller 16 that is in contact with a circumferential surface of the heat roller 15 , and a plurality of separating pawls 17 and 18 that circumscribe the circumferential surface of the heat roller 15 . The heat roller 15 is preferably an aluminum-alloy tube, and a heater 20 is provided in the heat roller 15 . Front and rear ends of the heat roller 15 are supported on bearings, and the heat roller 15 is rotated in a counterclockwise direction of FIG. 3 by a motor (not illustrated).
[0031] The press roller 16 includes a roll layer 21 that constitutes a majority of the press roller 16 and a roll axis 22 on which the roll layer 21 is supported. The roll layer 21 is preferably made of rubber or synthetic-resin foam. Vicinities of ends of the roll axis 22 are rotatably supported in a guide frame (not illustrated), the guide frame is guided while being able to reciprocate with respect to the heat roller 15 , and the guide frame is pressed against the heat roller 15 by a press spring (not illustrated) constructed by a coil spring. The press roller 16 is brought into close contact with the heat roller 15 to define a sheet passing nip portion 23 between the rollers 15 and 16 . The sheet on which the toner image is formed by the image forming unit 2 is caused to pass through the nip portion 23 to heat and pressurize the toner image, which allows the toner image to be fused on the sheet.
[0032] The sheet that passes through the nip portion 23 is fed to a fusing feed path 25 that is provided downstream from the fusing unit 3 and the exit unit 7 through an exit feed path 26 . Sheet discharge guides 27 and 28 that include rib walls are provided above and below an introduction start end of the exit feed path 26 , and a feed roller 29 is provided adjacent to an end portion on an upstream side of the upper sheet discharge guide 27 . A pair of exit rollers 30 and 31 is disposed above and below the exit feed path 26 . The feed roller 29 and exit roller 31 rotate to feed the sheet in a direction in which the sheet exits.
[0033] As illustrated in FIG. 4 , the first separating pawl 17 and the second separating pawls 18 are disposed preferably at five points along the circumferential surface of the heat roller 15 in a front and rear direction. Particularly, one first separating pawl 17 is disposed in the center of the heat roller 15 in the front and rear direction (center axis direction), and each two of four second separating pawls 18 are provided on the front side and the rear side of the heat roller 15 , respectively. As to the sheet that can be used in the multi-function peripheral 1 of the first preferred embodiment, the multi-function peripheral 1 can accommodate anything from a minimum postcard (100×148 mm) to an A3-sheet, a postcard-size sheet S 1 is guided while separated by the central first separating pawl 17 . A B5-size or A4-size sheet S 2 is guided while being separated by the total of three separating pawls of the first separating pawl 17 and the second separating pawls 18 on the first separating pawl 17 and the front side and the rear side of the first separating pawl 17 , and a B4-size or an A3-size sheet S 3 are guided while being separated by the five separating pawls 17 and 18 . FIG. 4 illustrates the state in which a short edge side of each of the sheets S 1 to S 3 is located above the first separating pawl 17 and the second separating pawl 18 .
[0034] As illustrated in FIG. 3 , the first separating pawl 17 and the second separating pawl 18 are constructed by plastic moldings each of which integrally includes a boss 34 , a separating arm 35 , and a spring receiver arm 36 . Specifically, each of the separating pawls 17 and 18 includes the boss 34 that includes a rocking shaft 37 in the center in the right and left direction, the wedge-shaped separating arm 35 is obliquely arranged to extend from the boss 34 toward the circumferential surface of the heat roller 15 , and the spring receiver arm 36 is provided on the other side of the boss 34 . The rocking shaft 37 of each of the separating pawls 17 and 18 is supported in a pawl support frame 38 while being able to rock. At this point, a lower surface of the spring receiver arm 36 of each of the separating pawls 17 and 18 is biased upward by a coil spring 41 , whereby pawl tips 42 and 43 of the separating arms 35 are brought into contact with the circumferential surface of the heat roller 15 as illustrated in FIG. 3 . The center positions of the rocking shafts 37 of the separating pawls 17 and 18 are aligned with each other. The group of the sheet discharge guides 28 is provided in an outer surface of the pawl support frame 38 (see FIG. 4 ). Similarly the group of the upper sheet discharge guides 27 is provided in a guide wall 53 while facing the lower sheet discharge guides 28 (see FIG. 3 ).
[0035] A first sprocket (rotatable guide) 45 and second sprockets 46 are provided on the front surface side in an upper corner of the separating arm 35 in order that the sheet separated from the circumferential surface of the heat roller 15 is deflected and guided toward the sheet discharge guide 27 of the exit feed path 26 . Each of the first sprocket 45 and the second sprockets 46 preferably includes a spur structure in which a group of teeth 47 is circumferentially arranged, and each of the first sprocket 45 and the second sprockets 46 is rotatably supported by a shaft 48 provided in the separating arm 35 .
[0036] The fusing feed path 25 includes a feed path that reaches an introduction start end 49 of the upper sheet discharge guide 27 from the nip portion 23 through the first sprocket 45 and the second sprockets 46 . In the first preferred embodiment, each of the separating pawls 17 and 18 is disposed such that the circumferential surface of each of the sprockets 45 and 46 projects toward the side of the feed roller 29 from a straight line connecting the nip portion 23 and the introduction start end 49 , whereby the fusing feed path 25 is flexed into a reverse L-shape. A guide surface 50 that guides the sheet toward the introduction start end 49 is arranged to extend obliquely upward between the introduction start end 49 and the feed roller 29 .
[0037] As described above, in the flexed fusing feed path 25 , the small-size sheet is fed while largely curved along the surrounding of the first sprocket 45 , and a large pressure is applied to a sheet plane. In order to reduce the pressure associated with the curvature, the central separating pawl 17 and the first sprocket 45 provided in the central separating pawl 17 are provided as follows. The separating arm 35 of the central separating pawl 17 is preferably smaller than that of the second separating pawl 18 , and the pawl tip of the first separating pawl 17 is circumscribed on the circumferential surface of the heat roller 15 downstream from the pawl tip 43 of the second separating pawl 18 in the rotating direction of the heat roller 15 . A rotation center P 1 of the first sprocket 45 of the first separating pawl 17 is located closer to the rocking shaft 37 than a rotation center P 2 of the second sprocket 46 of the second separating pawl 18 .
[0038] As described above, the sprockets 45 and 46 differ from each other in the positions of the rotation centers P 1 and P 2 , whereby the center and the front and rear ends of the heat roller 15 differ from each other in the flexion angle of the fusing feed path 25 as illustrated in FIG. 1 . Particularly, a flexion angle θ 2 of a lateral feed path 252 passing by the second sprockets 46 of the four second separating pawls 18 , which are disposed in front and rear of the central first separating pawl 17 , is preferably set to about 142 degrees, for example, when a flexion angle θ 1 of a central feed path 251 passing by the first sprocket 45 of the central first separating pawl 17 is set to about 152 degrees, for example.
[0039] When the flexion angle θ 1 of the central feed path 251 is smaller than the flexion angle θ 2 of the lateral feed path 252 , the large pressure applied to the sheet plane of postcard-size sheet fed along the central feed path 251 can be eliminated while the postcard-size sheet is prevented from being largely curved. That is, the small-size recording sheet feeding condition can be relaxed to reduce the strong action of the flexion reactive force, generated by the teeth 47 of the first sprocket 45 , on the sheet plane of the small-size recording sheet. Accordingly, the formation of the broken-line pattern matched with the pitch of the teeth 47 can be eliminated on the rear surface of the sheet to obtain the same finishing state as the large-size sheet. In a case in which the thin and weak sheet is fused, the surface of the sheet can securely and stably be guided toward the sheet discharge guide 27 by the sprockets 45 and 46 of the five separating pawls 17 and 18 . Therefore, the deformations of the sheet plane such as the folding of the corner portion at the start end edge in the feed direction of the sheet and the generation of the wrinkle in the sheet plane, which are caused by the feeding failure, are not generated.
[0040] In this preferred embodiment, there is the following positional relationship between the first separating pawl 17 and the first sprocket 45 , which are disposed in the center, and the lateral feed path 252 . Assuming that a triangle is defined by the lateral feed path 252 and a straight line connecting the nip portion 23 of the fusing unit 3 and the introduction start end 49 of the sheet discharge guide 27 , a partial arc position in which the sheet comes into contact with the sprocket 45 of the separating pawl 17 disposed in the central portion is located inside a vertex of the triangle. As used herein, the vertex of the triangle is a partial arc position in which the sheet comes into contact with the sprockets 46 of the separating pawls 18 disposed in the front and rear of the heat roller 15 .
[0041] In the above-described preferred embodiment, the rotation center P 1 of the first sprocket 45 of the first separating pawl 17 located in the center of the heat roller 15 is shifted toward the side of the rocking shaft 37 , whereby the flexion angles θ 1 and θ 2 of the central feed path 251 and the lateral feed path 252 differ from each other. However, this is not necessary. As illustrated in FIGS. 6 to 8 , the central feed path 251 differs from the lateral feed path 252 in the position of the sheet discharge guide 27 , the flexion angles θ 1 and θ 2 of the feed paths 251 and 252 may differ from each other by separating the position of the sheet discharge guide 27 of the central feed path 251 from the position of the sheet discharge guide 27 of the lateral feed path 252 .
[0042] Particularly, as illustrated in FIG. 6 , the rib-shaped sheet discharge guide 27 provided in the guide wall 53 includes four central sheet discharge guides 271 provided opposite a central area in the width direction of the exit feed path 26 and a group of lateral sheet discharge guides 272 provided in areas in the front and rear of the central area. Additionally, as illustrated in FIG. 8 , a projection length H 1 from the guide wall 53 of the central sheet discharge guide 271 is preferably smaller than a projection length H 2 from the guide wall 53 of the lateral sheet discharge guide 272 . Therefore, a position of an introduction start end 492 of the central sheet discharge guide 271 is brought closer onto the side of the guide wall 53 than a position of an introduction start end 492 of the lateral sheet discharge guide 272 , and the flexion angle θ 1 of the central feed path 251 can be increased larger than the flexion angle θ 1 of the lateral feed path 252 . In this preferred embodiment, the flexion angle θ 1 preferably is about 148 degrees, and the flexion angle θ 2 preferably is about 142 degrees, for example.
[0043] In this preferred embodiment, the central separating pawl 17 is identical to the front and rear separating pawls 18 except the central separating pawl 17 in a shape and a size, the sprockets 45 and 46 provided in the separating pawls 17 and 18 are identical to each other in a center position. The postcard-size sheet can pass through the areas where the central sheet discharge guides 271 are provided, and the sheet having the size larger than the postcard-size sheet can pass through the areas where the lateral sheet discharge guides 272 are provided (see FIG. 8 ). Because other configurations of the second preferred embodiment are preferably identical to those of the first preferred embodiment, the same component is designated by the same numeral, and the description thereof is omitted.
[0044] In the preferred embodiment of FIGS. 6 to 8 , a relationship between the central sheet discharge guide 271 and the lateral sheet discharge guide 272 is as follows. Assuming that a triangle is defined by the lateral feed path 252 and a straight line connecting the nip portion 23 of the fusing unit 3 and the introduction start end 492 of the sheet discharge guide 272 , the introduction start end 491 of the central sheet discharge guide 271 is located outside an oblique-side portion on the side of the lateral sheet discharge guide 272 of the triangle.
[0045] In the preferred embodiments, the sprockets 45 and 46 are preferably used as the rotatable guide by way of example. Alternatively, the rotatable guide may be constructed by a roller in which a knurling is located in a circumferential surface thereof or a fan-wheel-shaped rotating body of a centrifugal fan. It is not necessary that one central separating pawl 17 and one sprocket 45 be disposed opposite the central feed path 251 , but two or three central separating pawls 17 and two or three sprockets 45 may be disposed.
[0046] Alternatively, the rotation center P 1 and P 2 of the sprockets 45 and 46 are separated from each other, and the positions of the sheet discharge guide 271 and 272 of the central feed path 251 and the lateral feed path 252 are separated from each other, whereby the flexion angles θ 1 and θ 2 of the feed paths 251 and 252 may be separated from each other. Alternatively, a diameter of the sprocket 45 provided in the central separating pawl 17 is preferably set larger than diameters of the sprockets 46 provided in the front and rear separating pawls 18 , and the whereby the flexion angles θ 1 and θ 2 of the feed paths 251 and 252 may be separated from each other. The rotation centers P 1 and P 2 of the sprockets 45 and 46 may be located on an arc that is coaxial with the heat roller 15 .
[0047] While the present invention has been described with respect to preferred embodiments thereof, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the disclosed invention may be modified in numerous ways and may assume many embodiments other than those specifically set out and described above. Accordingly, the appended claims are intended to cover all modifications of the present invention that fall within the true spirit and scope of the present invention.
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A fusing unit includes a heat roller and a press roller, which fuse a toner image fused to a recording sheet; a first separating pawl contacting a circumferential surface of the heat roller and separating the recording sheet from the heat roller; second separating pawls that are spaced from the first separating pawl in an axial direction to contact the circumferential surface of the heat roller and separate the recording sheet from the heat roller; a first rotatable guide in the first separating pawl that guides the recording sheet to a sheet discharge guide of an exit feed path while changing its orientation; a second rotatable guide provided in each of the second separating pawls which guides the recording sheet to a sheet discharge guide of an exit feed path while changing an orientation of the recording sheet; and a fusing feed path that reaches the sheet discharge guide.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Optical fibers have been recently utilized for reliable transmission of band-width controlled lightwaves for transmitting telecommunication signals over long distances without significant loss or decay of the original signal. Other uses for optical fibers, primarily as an off-shoot of the basic telecommunications usages, were for the purposes of aesthetic displays of colored light. However, organized displays of colored light produced through the transmission of such light through optical fibers in a patterned array are extremely rare and not commonly accepted or used for display purposes to promote the sale of goods or services, or for entertaining illustrations.
Virtually non-existent are such displays which are capable of imparting organized motion to the display so that the illuminated optical fiber illustration creates the illusion of continuing, sequential motion across one or more display panels. Each display panel supplies a semi-rigid base or planar surface for supporting the fiber optic display in the desired patterned array so that the ends of each optical fiber, arranged individually or in organized bundles, create the pre-determined and desired illuminated effect of the fiber optic display.
However, the single or bundled optical fibers must be implanted by hand into the displays and as yet there is no machine available to do the required operation effectively. The reliable implanting of single or bundled optical fibers in a panel of material, either through manual or automatic manipulation of an inserting apparatus, to accomplish the manufacture of sequential motion illustrations is now required.
It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide an apparatus for the implanting of a plurality of optical fibers in a pre-determined pattern in a fabric panel or panel of similar material having a substantially uniform planar surface for creating and illuminating a sequential motion pattern. It is also an object of the present invention to provide an apparatus for the implanting of a plurality of optical fibers in the fabric panel either manually or automatically and to combine individual optical fibers in ordered bundles as desired.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a manual sighting device for positioning the insertion tool to implant the optical fibers at a pre-determined position in the fabric panel. It is another object of the present invention to provide an automated control for positioning the insertion tool to implant the optical fibers at one or more pre-determined positions in the panel.
It is yet still another object of the present invention to secure the optical fiber, once inserted through the panel, to the surface of the panel by means of applying an adhesive to the outer surfaces of the optical fiber, drawing the fiber against the surface of the panel, and curing the adhesive by exposure to ultraviolet light to affix the optical fiber in the pre-determined position at the surface of the fabric panel.
Other objects will appear hereinafter.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An apparatus is described for implanting one or more optical fibers in a panel having a uniform planar surface. The apparatus is comprised of a frame means for supporting a fiber insertion means above a fiber insertion table above a means for adhering the optical fiber to the panel. The means for adhering the optical fiber to the panel includes a bath containing ultra-violet light activated liquid adhesive and a source of ultra-violet light. The panel is interposed between the fiber insertion means and the fiber insertion table. The fiber insertion means includes a means for feeding optical fiber to an implant head means which carries the optical fiber downward to the fiber insertion table. The implant head means pierces the panel at a desired point of insertion carrying the optical fiber to the underside of the panel through an opening in the insertion table for immersion into and removal from the liquid adhesive in the bath and subsequent irradiation by ultra-violet light from the source of ultra-violet light. The exposure to ultra-violet light causes a change of state of the adhesive from liquid to solid resulting in the permanent adherence of the optical fiber to the panel at the point of insertion.
The implant head means of the fiber insertion means also includes a fiber gripping means carried within the implant head for gripping and releasing said optical fiber and an insertion tool having a central hollow through which the optical fiber passes. The insertion tool has a beveled distal end to facilitate piercing and insertion of the optical fiber into the panel. The means for feeding optical fiber is comprised of a fiber feed motor for playing out and taking up optical fiber contained on a fiber feed reel.
The bath portion of the means for adhering the optical fiber to the panel also includes an upwardly facing frusto-conical portion having a centrally disposed opening coaxially aligned with the implant head means of the fiber insertion means for receiving the tip of the optical fiber for immersion in the liquid adhesive contained therein. The bath also includes a means for recirculating the liquid adhesive from a reservoir into and upwardly through a chamber to exit through the upwardly facing frusto-conical portion to provide a constant level of liquid adhesive in the centrally disposed opening for immersion of the optical fiber to a depth measured from the tip along the optical fiber a pre-determined distance. The depth to which the optical fiber is immersed in said liquid adhesive ranges between 1/8 to 3/8 inches.
The means for adhering the optical fiber to the panel also includes a shutter means for shielding the ultra-violet light activated liquid adhesive in the bath from exposure to the source of ultra-violet light to prevent causing a change of state of the adhesive from liquid to solid. The source of ultra-violet light is activated to cause the change of state of the adhesive from liquid to solid with a nominal exposure in the range of 5 to 15 μsecs. and a light intensity in the range of 7,500 to 15,000 milliwatts. The source of ultra-violet light is positioned below the fiber insertion table with the emanating beam of ultra-violet light focused upward at the tip of the optical fiber extending through to the underside of the panel and into the opening in the fiber insertion table. The irradiation of the tip of the optical fiber subsequent to immersion in the liquid adhesive by ultra-violet light from the source of ultra-violet light causing a change of state of said adhesive from liquid to solid results in the formation of a bead of solid adhesive at the tip of the optical fiber extending onto the panel at the point of insertion, the bead being substantially transparent to light.
The fiber insertion means also includes a means for illuminating the point of insertion of the optical fiber into the panel to align the panel and the point of insertion with the implant head means. The means for illuminating the point of insertion is positioned above the fiber insertion table and aligned to illuminate a point directly beneath the implant head means.
The frame means of the optical fiber insertion apparatus is moveable in a horizontal plane to align the fiber insertion means directly over the point of insertion in the panel, the panel being supported in a carrier and remaining stationary. Alternatively, the carrier supporting the panel is moveable in a horizontal plane to align the fiber insertion means directly over the point of insertion in the panel, the frame means of the optical fiber insertion apparatus remaining stationary.
The method for implanting one or more optical fibers in a panel having a uniform planar surface is comprised of the steps of providing a frame means for supporting a fiber insertion means above a fiber insertion table, interposing a panel between the fiber insertion means and the fiber insertion table, positioning a means for adhering the optical fiber to said panel below the fiber insertion table, the means for adhering including a bath containing ultra-violet light activated liquid adhesive, a shutter means and a source of ultra-violet light, feeding optical fiber to the fiber insertion means which carries said optical fiber to the fiber insertion table, piercing the panel at a desired point of insertion and carrying the optical fiber to the underside of the panel through an opening in the insertion table for immersion into the liquid adhesive in the bath, removing the optical fiber from immersion in the bath of liquid adhesive and carrying the optical fiber to the underside of the panel so that only the tip of the optical fiber extends through the panel, closing the shutter means and irradiating the tip of the optical fiber with ultra-violet light from the source of ultra-violet light, exposure to the ultra-violet light causing a change of state of the adhesive from liquid to solid resulting in the formation of a bead of solid adhesive at the tip of the optical fiber and extending onto the panel permanently adhering the optical fiber to the panel at the point of insertion.
The method is further comprised of the step of illuminating the point of insertion of the optical fiber into the panel to align the panel and the point of insertion with the fiber insertion means. The method also is comprised of the step of moving the frame means in a horizontal plane to align the fiber insertion means directly over the point of insertion of the optical fiber into the panel, the panel being supported in a carrier and remaining stationary. Alternatively, the method may include the step of supporting the panel in a carrier and moving the carrier in a horizontal plane to align the fiber insertion means directly over the point of insertion of the optical fiber into the panel with the frame means remaining stationary.
A description of the method for implanting one or more optical fibers in a panel having a uniform planar surface with greater particularity includes the steps of providing a frame means for supporting a fiber insertion means above a fiber insertion table, interposing a panel between the fiber insertion means and the fiber insertion table, positioning a means for adhering the optical fiber to the panel below the fiber insertion table, the means for adhering including a bath containing ultra-violet light activated liquid adhesive, a shutter means and a source of ultra-violet light, feeding a first measured length of optical fiber to the fiber insertion means which grips and carries the optical fiber to a position immediately above the fiber insertion table, piercing the panel at a desired point of insertion and carrying the optical fiber to the underside of the panel through an opening in the insertion table, feeding a second measured length of optical fiber through the fiber insertion means and immersing the tip of the optical fiber into the liquid adhesive in said bath, removing the optical fiber from immersion in the bath of the liquid adhesive and carrying the optical fiber to the underside of the panel so that only the tip of the optical fiber extends through the panel, closing the shutter means over the bath of the liquid adhesive to prevent solidification from exposure to ultra-violet light, irradiating the tip of the optical fiber extending through the panel with ultra-violet light from the source of ultra-violet light, exposure to the ultra-violet light causing a change of state of the adhesive from liquid to solid resulting in the formation of a bead of solid adhesive at the tip of the optical fiber and extending onto the panel permanently adhering the optical fiber to the panel at the point of insertion, releasing the optical fiber now adhered to the panel and retracting the fiber insertion means, and severing the optical fiber at a point immediate the tip of the retracted fiber insertion means resulting in a desired length of optical fiber adhered to the panel at the point of insertion.
The method is further comprised of the step of illuminating the point of insertion of the optical fiber into the panel to align the panel and the point of insertion with the fiber insertion means. The method is also comprised of the step of moving the frame means in a horizontal plane to align the fiber insertion means directly over the point of insertion of the optical fiber into the panel, the panel being supported in a carrier and remaining stationary. Alternatively, the method includes the step of supporting the panel in a carrier and moving the carrier in a horizontal plane to align the fiber insertion means directly over the point of insertion of the optical fiber into the panel with the frame means remaining stationary.
The described method, in the steps of feeding first and second lengths of the optical fiber, also includes controlling a fiber feed motor for playing out and taking up optical fiber contained on a fiber feed reel. In the step of immersing the tip of the optical fiber into the liquid adhesive in the bath, the method includes coaxially aligning a centrally disposed opening in the bath with the fiber insertion means for receiving the tip of the optical fiber and providing the centrally disposed opening with a constant level of liquid adhesive for immersion of the optical fiber to a depth measured from the tip along the optical fiber a pre-determined distance. The method also includes, in the step of irradiating the tip of said optical fiber, exposing the tip of the optical fiber after immersion in the liquid adhesive in the range of 5 to 15 μsecs. and a light intensity in the range of 7,500 to 15,000 milliwatts.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
For the purpose of illustrating the invention, there is shown in the drawings forms which are presently preferred; it being understood, however, that the invention is not limited to the precise arrangements and instrumentalities shown.
FIG. 1 is a front plan view of the optical fiber insertion apparatus of the present invention with the insertion head in the raised position.
FIG. 2 is a front plan view of the optical fiber insertion apparatus of the present invention with the insertion head in the lowered position against the fabric panel supporting platform.
FIG. 3 is a side view of the optical fiber insertion apparatus of the present invention with the insertion head lowered against the supporting platform showing an illuminated aiming device for positioning the insertion tool at a pre-determined mapped location on the fabric panel.
FIG. 4 is an enlarged view of the insertion head and insertion table showing an optical fiber extending downward through the insertion tool toward a partially broken away front view of a reservoir of liquid adhesive, a shutter means, and an ultra-violet curing lamp for attaching the optical fiber to a fabric panel.
FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken along Line 5--5 of FIG. 3 which exemplifies the X-Y planar motion, which may be manually or automatically controlled, to the optical fiber insertion apparatus of the present invention.
FIG. 6 is a block diagram of a computer assisted controller for automatically positioning the insertion head and insertion table of the optical fiber insertion apparatus in a plurality of pre-determined positions for inserting and adhering optical fibers to the fabric panel in a pre-determined patterned array.
FIG. 7 is an enlarged view of an optical fiber affixed to a fabric panel showing the adhesive joining the optical fiber to the panel after exposure to the ultra-violet curing lamp.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
The following detailed description is of the best presently contemplated mode of carrying out the invention. The description is not intended in a limiting sense, and is made solely for the purpose of illustrating the general principles of the invention. The various features and advantages of the present invention may be more readily understood with reference to the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
Referring now to the drawings in detail, where like numerals refer to like parts or elements, there is shown an optical fiber implanting apparatus 10. The optical fiber implanting apparatus 10 is comprised of a bearing block and head mount assembly 12, an implant head 14, a fiber insertion table 16, a table support 18, a base 20 and a frame 22. The frame 22 supports a vertically extending guide arm 24 which arm supports the bearing block and head assembly 12 and the fiber reel 26 and fiber feed motor 28. The guide arm 24 extends vertically upward from the base 20 and frame 22 supporting the bearing block and head mount assembly 12 at a fixed distance above the fiber insertion table 16. At the uppermost extent of the guide arm 24, the fiber feed reel 26 and fiber feed motor 28 are mounted so that the optical fiber 30 can be played out from the reel 26 through a fiber feed system 32 including feed and take-up pulleys 34, 36 which provide sufficient tension to play out and hold taut the fiber 30 between the fiber feed reel 26 and the bearing block and head mount assembly 12 upon appropriate command from manual or automatic controls.
Extending downward from the bearing block and head mount assembly 12 are parallel motion control arms 38, 40, which may also be referred to as elongated cylindrical bearing shafts, for supporting the implant head 14 and controlling the positioning of the implant head 14 as it extends downward from the head mount assembly 12. The fiber 30 is maintained in position within the implant head 14 by a fiber gripping cam 42 which is eccentric in shape and rotated into and out of contact with the fiber 30 within the implant head 14 in an operational manner known in the art to clamp or retain an object in a desired position. Also contained within the head mount assembly 12 is a knife or cutting head 44 which is used to sever the optical fiber 30 as explained more fully below.
When manual operation of the optical fiber implant apparatus 10 is utilized, a handle 46 is used to move the implant head 14 up and down through the bearing block and head mount assembly 12 on the control arms 38, 40. Associated with the handle 46, is a trigger 48 which controls the knife 44 and the gripping cam 42 as will be described more fully below.
Contained within the frame 22 is a head positioning means 50 which includes a source of illumination (not shown) which creates a focused light beam 52 which illuminates a pre-marked position on the fabric panel 54 by creating a shaped illumination point which correlates with the point of insertion of the implant head 14 through the fabric panel 54 at the pre-marked point.
The operation of the fiber implanting apparatus 10 from its rest position, as shown in FIG. 1, is for the fiber gripping cam 42 to be engaged by depression of the trigger 48 in handle 46 of the implant head 14. The depression of the trigger 48 actuates the knife or cutting head 44 and severs, by cutting away, excess optical fiber 30 beyond a pre-measured length of said fiber extending beyond the insertion tool 56 of the implant head 14.
The insertion tool 56 is a needle-like rigid tool with a hollowed-out central core for the fiber 30 to pass through and a sharpened (beveled) distal end to penetrate the panel 54 contained within a carrier or frame 55.
The sequenced action of the fiber implanting apparatus 10, once the gripping and cutting of the optical fiber 30 is completed, is to feed additional optical fiber 30 from the feed reel 26 through the fiber feed system 32 which length of fiber permits the implant 14 to be moved downward through the head mount assembly 12 in vertical alignment as permitted by the control arms 38, 40 until the insertion tool 56 comes into contact with the fabric panel 54. The pre-measured length of the optical fiber 30 which is permitted to be unwound from the feed reel 26 by the feed motor 28 permits the implant head 14 to travel downward on the control arms 38, 40 the exact length which is desired for use of the optical fiber to illuminate a patterned array when the insertion and adhesion to the material of panel 54 is completed.
For manual operation, the handle 46 is utilized to push the insertion tool 56 through the fabric panel 54 at the point indicated by the light beam 52 of the head positioning means 50. The fiber gripping cam 42 is disengaged permitting the feed motor 28 to play out an additional or second measured length of optical fiber 30 from the feed reel 26 before the gripping cam 42 re-engages so that the second measured length of optical fiber 30 extends downward from the insertion tool 56 which has penetrated the fabric panel 54. The insertion tool 56 and optical fiber 30 extend downward through an opening 58 in the table 16 as shown in FIG. 4. The implant head 14, in this position, physically contacts the material of panel 54 to retain the panel in position during the following actions.
Once the insertion tool 56 and optical fiber 30 are extended through the fabric panel 54 the pre-measured distance, the optical fiber 30 comes into contact with and its tip is immersed in a liquid adhesive bath 60. The bath 60 includes a reservoir 62 for containing the liquid adhesive 64 which is used to affix the optical fiber 30 to the downward facing side of the fabric panel 54 in a manner to be explained.
The optical fiber 30 is inserted into a frusto-conical portion of a centrally positioned fountain-like extension 66 of the reservoir 62 having an opening 68 axially aligned with the insertion tool 56. The liquid adhesive 64 cascades upward, outward and down the external sides of the extension 66 and continues in this motion by means of an auger-like shaft 70 having helical vanes 72 powered by a motive force (not shown) which causes the rotation of the shaft 70. As shaft 70 rotates the liquid adhesive 64 is recirculated throughout the reservoir by causing the liquid adhesive 64 to exit the axially aligned opening 68 at the top of the extension 66, cascade down the outer sides of the extension 66 and into the reservoir 62 continuing through a series of apertures 74 where the helical vanes 72 of the shaft 70 cause the adhesive liquid to rise within the extension 66 and again exit the opening 68. In this manner the liquid adhesive continues to be maintained at a constant liquid depth within the opening 68 so the tip of the optical fiber 30 can be immersed into the liquid adhesive 64 to a pre-determined depth in the range of 1/8 to 3/8 inches.
Liquid adhesive 64 is presently preferred to be an acrylic resin which hardens (changes state from liquid to solid) upon exposure to ultra-violet light. One such optical adhesive is manufactured by Norland Products of New Brunswick, N.J. and may be identified as NOA 1060(70). Nominal exposure for hardening is approximately 10 μsecs. with a light intensity in the range of 12,000 milliwatts. Other optical adhesives having the properties described above can be used with light exposure times within the range of 5 to 15 μsecs. and light intensities in the range of 7,500 to 15,000 milliwatts.
Once the tip of the optical fiber 30 is immersed in the liquid adhesive 64 for a sufficient time so that the tip and a pre-determined length of the fiber 30 are coated with the adhesive 64, the fiber 30 is extracted vertically a third measured distance so that its bottom-most end (the tip) extends to a point just below the underside of the fabric panel 54. At this point in the insertion process, a shutter 76 (which may be a rotating panel or constricting "eye") is interposed between the reservoir 62 and the area to be irradiated, the bottom-most end (the tip) of the fiber 30. The shutter 76 may be mounted to the support 18 by mounting arm 77. The shutter 76 blocks both direct and reflected light from entering the reservoir 60 from a source of ultra-violet light 78. The ultra-violet lamp 78 is held in an appropriate upward angled position ranging between 45° and 60° to the path of travel of the insertion tool 56 by clamp 82 to reduce direct or reflective spill of the ultraviolet light into the reservoir 62.
The ultra-violet lamp 78 is angled upwards towards the conical opening 58 in the bottom of the insertion table 16 in which the bottom-most end of the optical fiber 30, covered with the adhesive liquid 64, is positioned against the underside of the material of panel 54. The exposure of the adhesive liquid 64 to the ultra-violet illumination (beam 80) substantially and instantaneously cures the adhesive liquid 64 coating the fiber 30 turning the liquid into a solid and fixedly securing the optical fiber 30 to the fabric panel 54 at the insertion point.
With reference to FIG. 7, the retracted optical fiber 30 is shown affixed to the fabric panel 54 by the cured adhesive 64. The adhesive 64 remains against the outer surface of the fiber 30 and is wiped partially away from the immersed surface of the fiber 30 and towards the tip as the fiber is pulled upward through the panel 54. As the fiber 30 is pulled through the panel 54 the adhesive 64 forms an attached bead 65 along the underside of the fabric panel 54 adjacent the tip of fiber 30. The bead 65 of adhesive 64 is formed in a generally hemispherical shape and exhibits a substantial transparency to all wavelengths of light.
Returning to an explanation of the sequenced action of the fiber insertion apparatus 10, the material of panel 54 is released as the implant head 14 is raised to its rest point after the gripping cam 42 is also released permitting the optical fiber 30, which is now attached to the panel 54 by adhesive 64, to extend downward from the implant head 14 and insertion tool 56 a fourth measured length, the length being the distance to the insertion table 16 from the position of the knife 44 in the head mount assembly 12. When fully extended, the fiber 30 will be cut by the knife 44 at the distal end of the insertion tool 56 as the implant head 14 returns to its rest position. The now free optical fiber 30 can be gathered into a bundle or be kept segregated as may be desired to complete the connection to one or more sources of illumination for the desired display of the completed patterned array on the fabric panel.
It is desirable to be able to move in both X and Y directions in a single plane in order to position the implant head 14 over the pre-determined and marked insertion point in the panel 54. Thus, as shown in FIG. 5, base 20 and frame 22 are indicated as having the capability of moving in an X direction (forward over the fabric panel 54) or in the Y direction (laterally parallel to the nearest edge of the fabric panel 54) in order for the insertion tool 56 to directly overlie the desired insertion point as marked on the panel 54. Such motion can be accomplished manually by grasping the frame 22 and handle 46 to position the implant head 14 in the desired position indicated by the light beam 52 of the positioning means 50 so that the implant head 14 (as well as insertion tool 56) directly overlies the insertion point for the optical fiber 30 in the fabric panel 54 within carrier 55 which remains stationary, although the insertion table 16 moves with the frame 22. Alternatively, it is possible to move the fabric panel 54 within carrier 55 over top of the insertion table 16 in a similar X-Y plane, again utilizing the light beam 52 to properly position the implant head 14 over the desired insertion point.
The just described manual positioning of the base 20 and frame 22 or the fabric panel 54 in carrier 55 may be utilized with a controller 84 which controls the sequence of operation of the optical fiber implant apparatus 10 using bi-directional data and signal lines as shown in FIG. 6. The controller 84 provides signal and data information for operational sequence to the optical fiber implant apparatus 10 over communication lines 88, 90. Communication line 88 may be utilized to control the operations within the upper segment of the optical fiber implant apparatus 10 by controlling operations within the bearing block and head mount assembly 12 and in the fiber feed system 32. Communication line 90 may be utilized to provide control of the sequence of operations of the elements below the fiber insertion table 16, the reservoir 62, shutter 76 and ultra-violet lamp 78.
Of course, overall operational control remains within the controller 84 to properly sequence all of the actions of the optical fiber implant apparatus 10. Each of the communication lines 88, 90 are bi-directional and, as such, will accept status signals from operational elements of the implant apparatus 10 so that the controller 84 can effectively ascertain the instantaneous status of each operation of each element, and the sequence of such operation, as the operations actually occur. Further, communication lines 88, 90 can transmit data for operating individual elements of the implant apparatus 10.
If it is desired to have fully automatic operation, in the sense of program control of the optical fiber implant apparatus 10, additional communication lines may be utilized to control the X-Y directional motion of the base 20 and frame 22 by communication line 92, or the X-Y directional motion of the carrier 55 by the communication line 94. As in the case of the other communication lines 88, 90, communication lines 92, 94 are bi-directional and provide control signals for motion from the controller 84 to the optical fiber implant apparatus and receive signals indicating to the controller 84 the exact response by the movable elements of the implant apparatus 10 as well as transmit data for specific operations to be accomplished.
In the fully automatic operation, the controller 84 may be a special purpose computer having appropriate application software program control for sequentially operating the optical fiber implant apparatus 10. The controller 84 is capable of providing commands to the X-Y motion control 86 which is translated into linear distances for moving either the base 20 and frame 22 or the carrier 55 by any appropriate means, such as stepper motors or hydraulic or pneumatic pistons which have extendable arms for controlling the lateral motion of the base 20 and frame 22 or the carrier 55. Appropriate sensors (not shown) can be utilized to monitor the X and Y directional movement for aligning the implant head 14 at the illuminated insertion point on the panel 54. Commands for similar X-Y directional motion can also be imparted directly to the carrier 55 in like fashion using a similar X-Y motion controller as that motion controller 86. Thus, the optical fiber implant apparatus 10 is susceptible to either manual, semi-automatic or fully automatic operation.
The sequential operation of the optical fiber implant apparatus 10, whether manual, semi-automatic or fully automatic, can be described as follows. The implant apparatus 10 has an optical fiber 30 fed from the fiber feed reel 26 through the fiber feed system 32 and into the implant head 14. The fiber 30 is fed through the central hollow of the insertion tool 56 so that it extends just slightly beyond the tip of the insertion tool 56. This initial threading of the implant apparatus 10 is concluded by the activation of the fiber gripping cam 42 which clamps the fiber 30 in position for the knife 44 to cut off any excess fiber 30 beyond the tip of the insertion tool 56. The operational sequence of steps is as follows.
With the optical fiber 30 clamped in position within the implant head 14 by the fiber gripping cam 42, the implant head 14 is permitted to begin its downward motion by either releasing a brake (not shown) on the motion control arms 38, 40 or commanding the fiber feed motor 28 to play out a first measured length of optical fiber 30 from the fiber feed reel 26 through the fiber feed system 32. This first measured length of optical fiber 30 permits the implant head 14 to move downward on the motion control arms 38, 40 through the bearing block and head mount assembly 12 so that the insertion tool 56 is positioned directly above the pre-determined and marked point of insertion, as indicated by the light beam 52 from the head positioning means 50 located within the frame 22.
If the implant apparatus is being manually controlled, either the panel 54 in carrier 55 or the frame 22 (along with base 20 and insertion table 16) can be moved in the desired X-Y directions to align the lightbeam 52 with the insertion point markings on the material of panel 54. If the panel 54 is to be moved to position marked insertion points below the insertion tool 56 of the implant head 14, the carrier 55 upon which the panel 54 rests may be moved in an X-Y direction and the insertion apparatus 10 would remain stationary. If the base 20 and frame 22 are to be moved, which will, in turn, cause the identical movement of the vertical guide arm 24 and all elements mounted to it including the bearing block and head assembly 12 and the insertion table 16 and bath 60 to retain the alignment of these elements, then the panel 54 and carrier 55 remain stationary.
Once properly positioned with the marked insertion point directly underlying the insertion tool 56 of the implant head 14, insertion through the material of the panel 54 is accomplished by manually pushing the insertion tool 56 through the material of the panel 54 utilizing the handle 46 so that the beveled tip of the implant head 14 contacts and penetrates the material of panel 54. The insertion tool 56 having penetrated the material of panel 54 at the marked insertion point now extends through the insertion table 16 and through the conical opening 58.
When this sequence of operations is completed, a command is given to the fiber feed motor 28 to play out a second measured length of optical fiber 30, this length substantially being the distance between the tip of the insertion tool 56 and the liquid adhesive bath 60 so that the tip of the optical fiber 30 can be immersed a pre-measured distance into the opening 68 at the top of the fountain-like extension 66 of the bath 60. The gripping can 42 is moved out of contact with the fiber 30 to permit the measured length to play out through the insertion tool 56. The tip of the optical fiber 30 extends out of the tip of the insertion tool 56 and into the recirculated liquid adhesive 64 of the bath 60. The tip of the fiber 30 is immersed in the liquid adhesive 64 a sufficient time for the adhesive 64 to coat the exterior of the tip of the fiber 30, as well as a short distance along the fiber 30 approximately 0.25 to 0.375 inches.
When the measured time period has elapsed, and if the implant apparatus is being manually operated, the insertion tool is withdrawn from the material of the panel 54 a third measured distance (without release of the gripping can 42) so that the tip of the optical fiber 30 coated with the liquid adhesive 64 remains extending through the material of the panel 54, physically positioned just below the underside of the material and within the conical opening 58. The shutter 76, which was previously open to accommodate passage of the tip of the optical fiber 30, is now closed tightly over the liquid adhesive bath 60 and the ultraviolet lamp 78 is energized creating the ultraviolet lightbeam 80 which impinges upon the liquid adhesive 64 coating the tip of the optical fiber 30. Exposure of the liquid adhesive 64 adhered to the tip and adjacent outer surface of the fiber 30 causes a change of state of the adhesive 64 from liquid to solid permanently affixing the tip of the optical fiber 30 to the material of panel 54 at the point of insertion. The ultraviolet lightbeam illuminates the tip and adjacent outer surfaces of the optical fiber 30 for a pre-determined time period and then is turned off after causing the change in state of the adhesive 64.
In the event that either semi-automatic or fully automatic operation is desired, in order to achieve the pre-determined upward movement of the implant head 14, and the insertion tool 56 and optical fiber 30 so that the tip of the optical fiber 30 is just below the underside of the material of panel 54, the fiber feed motor 28 can be energized to reverse its direction and take up the third measured length of optical fiber 30 onto the fiber feed reel 26 to achieve the desired position of the tip of the optical fiber 30 (coated with liquid adhesive 64) just below the material of panel 54. In this manner, the implant head 14 can be moved simultaneously with any feed or take-up of the optical fiber 30 from the fiber feed reel 26 by operation of the fiber feed motor 28, with the fiber feed system 32 taking up any possible slack in the fiber 30.
Alternatively, the motion of the implant head 14 can be accomplished by providing toothed gearing within the bearing block 12 so that the cooperation of a stepper motor and the toothed gear engaging a cooperating series of teeth on each of the control arms 38, 40 will permit an upward or downward motion of the implant head 14 corresponding to the step commands provided to a stepper motor (not shown) controlling the gears. In this manner, the implant head 14 can be raised a short distance in a similar fashion to reversing the fiber feed system 32 to take up a pre-measured length of optical fiber to lift the implant head 14 the desired distance to disengage the penetration of the insertion tool 56 and position the tip of optical fiber 30 at the desired position against the underside of the material of panel 54 as described above.
The fiber gripping cam 42 is released and the implant head 14 is raised on the control arms 38, 40 to resume its rest position in the bearing block and head mount assembly 12. Once the implant head 14 returns to its rest position, the knife 44 is energized to cut the implanted optical fiber 30 at the beveled tip of the insertion tool 56 permitting the implanted optical fiber 30 to be gathered together with other implanted fibers to be organized into groups or bundles to be illuminated and provide the patterned array exhibiting sequenced motion across the panel 54.
It is not contemplated by the described apparatus and method of operation of the apparatus to include steps sufficient for assembly line manipulation of the apparatus. The foregoing description is sufficient only for implanting optical fibers in a marked, pre-determined, patterned array to be later utilized for sequenced motion in one or more frames across the display panel. Thus, the apparatus and method of operation of the optical fiber implant apparatus 10 of the present invention, in describing the manual, semi-automatic and automatic implanting of optical fibers in a display frame 54, is in accordance with the description of the apparatus and the operational steps set forth above.
The present invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essential attributes thereof and, accordingly, the described embodiments are to be considered in all respects as being illustrative and not restrictive, with the appended claims, rather than the foregoing detailed description, as indicating the scope of the invention as well as all modifications which may fall within a range of equivalency which is also intended to be embraced therein.
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An apparatus for implanting one or more optical fibers in a panel having a uniform planar surface is comprised of a frame for supporting a fiber inserter above a fiber insertion table above a bath containing ultra-violet light activated liquid adhesive for adhering the optical fiber to the panel and a source of ultra-violet light, the fiber inserter carries the optical fiber downward to the fiber insertion table piercing the interposed panel at a desired point of insertion and carrying the optical fiber to the underside of the panel through an opening in the fiber insertion table for immersion into and removal from the liquid adhesive in the bath and subsequent irradiation by ultra-violet light, exposure to the ultra-violet light causing a change of state of the adhesive from liquid to solid resulting in the permanent adherence of the optical fiber to the panel at the point of insertion.
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CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 10/647,950 filed on Aug. 26, 2003 now U.S. Pat. No. 7,294,104 which is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 09/779,021 filed on Feb. 7, 2001 now U.S. Pat. No. 6,610,009 which is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 09/235,593 filed on Jan. 22, 1999 now U.S. Pat. No. 6,200,263 which claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 60/072,406 filed on Jan. 23, 1998, the contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety.
BACKGROUND
1. Technical Field
The subject disclosure relates to minimally invasive surgical procedures and apparatus, and more particularly to apparatus for holding surgical instrumentation during surgery associated with the thoracic cavity.
2. Background of Related Art
It is well established that the performance of various types of surgical procedures using less invasive techniques and instrumentation has provided numerous physical benefits to the patient while reducing the overall cost of such procedures. One area, for example, which has experienced a great increase in the performance of less invasive procedures is in the area of heart surgery. In particular, coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) procedures have been performed using less invasive techniques with much success.
Access to the patient's thoracic cavity for such procedures in the past was typically achieved by a large longitudinal incision in the chest. This procedure, referred to as a median sternotomy, requires a saw or other cutting instrument to cut the sternum and allow two opposing halves of the rib cages to be spread apart. U.S. Pat. No. 5,025,779 to Bugge discloses a retractor which is designed to grip opposite sternum halves and spread the thoracic cavity apart. The large opening which is created by this technique enables the surgeon to directly visualize the surgical site and perform procedures on the affected organs. However, such procedures that involve large incisions and substantial displacement of the rib cage are often traumatic to the patient with significant attendant risks. The recovery period may be extended and is often painful. Furthermore, patients for whom coronary surgery is indicated may need to forego such surgery due to the risks involved with gaining access to the heart.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,503,617 to Jako discloses a retractor configured to be held by the surgeon for use in vascular or cardiac surgery to retract and hold ribs apart to allow access to the heart or a lung through an operating window. The retractor includes a rigid frame and a translation frame slidably connected to the rigid frame. Lower and upper blades are rotatably mounted to the rigid frame and the translation frame respectively. Such a “window” approach requires instrumentation that can be inserted into and manipulated within the limited space available in and around the surgical site.
Therefore, a continuing need exists for more versatile and varied surgical instrumentation which facilitates performing surgical procedures in limited access cavities of a patient during less invasive surgical procedures. A need also exists for instrument holding apparatus to retain surgical instruments in place during surgical procedures and free the surgeons hands.
SUMMARY
The present disclosure addresses the above-noted needs while providing various embodiments of an apparatus for holding surgical instruments that have many unique features and advantages over the prior instrumentation. The presently disclosed apparatus for holding surgical instruments provides greater versatility during surgical procedures which are less invasive than traditional procedures.
For example, in one embodiment, the present disclosure provides an apparatus for holding a surgical instrument relative to a base, which includes a mounting portion configured and dimensioned to engage a portion of a base, a jaw assembly including first and second jaw members which define a retaining area therebetween configured and dimensioned to retain the shaft of a surgical instrument therein and thereby fix the length of the instrument shaft relative to the base and an operative site, and an instrument position adjustment mechanism which includes an adjustment member rotatably disposed in relative to the mounting portion to facilitate selective position adjustment of the jaw assembly with respect to the mounting portion.
The instrument position adjustment mechanism may include a lock member such that when positioned in a locked position, the adjustment member is prevented from moving relative to the mounting portion and when the lock member is positioned in an unlocked position, the adjustment member is permitted to move relative to the mounting portion. The jaw assembly preferably includes a jaw approximation control member which controls movement of one of the first and second jaw members relative to the other of the first and second jaw members.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Various preferred embodiments are described herein with reference to the drawings, wherein:
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a surgical retraction system incorporating a variety of retractors, a heart manipulator and a heart stabilizer, all positioned on a base;
FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the instrument holder of the present disclosure showing an instrument shaft retained in the horizontal position and the jaws in the open position;
FIG. 3 is a side view of the instrument holder in the position of FIG. 2 ;
FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a first section of a base mounting assembly of the present disclosure;
FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a second section of the base mounting assembly;
FIG. 6 illustrates the ball for enabling maneuverability of the jaw assembly;
FIG. 7 illustrates a side view of the shaft which is connected at one end to the ball and at the opposite end to the jaw assembly;
FIG. 8 is a side view of the locking screw which retains the ball in a fixed position;
FIG. 9 illustrates the handle which attaches to the locking screw for rotating the screw;
FIG. 10 is a side view showing the handle attached to the locking screw to form a ball locking assembly;
FIG. 11 is a perspective view illustrating the instrument holder with the jaws in the closed position and maneuvered to hold the instrument shaft at an angle;
FIG. 12 is a side view illustrating the instrument holder maneuvered to position the instrument shaft perpendicular to the base of the retraction system;
FIGS. 13A and 13B are perspective and side views, respectively, of the stationary jaw for holding the instrument shaft;
FIG. 14 is a perspective view of the movable jaw;
FIG. 15 is a perspective view of an alternative embodiment of an instrument holder constructed in accordance with the present disclosure; and
FIG. 16 is a side view of the instrument holder embodiment of FIG. 15 .
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
The instrument mounting holder of the present disclosure is designed to mount various accessory instruments to the ring base disclosed in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/718,283, filed Sep. 20, 1996, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. FIG. 1 is a drawing from the '283 patent application and shows a base 50 , retractors 60 , 70 and 80 , a heart stabilizer 90 and a heart manipulator 100 . A detailed description of these instruments, how they are mounted to the base 50 , and their surgical function is disclosed in the '283 application.
The present disclosure is directed to an instrument holding apparatus, which is removably positionable on base 50 , and can mount a variety of instruments such as an illumination instrument, a grasper, a retractor, a heart stabilizer or any other instrument that would be useful in performing the surgical procedure. Only the shaft of the accessory instrument is shown in the drawings and is represented generically by reference letter “S”.
Referring to FIGS. 1-5 , instrument holder 1 includes a mounting portion, such as a base mounting assembly 10 composed of a first section 12 and a second section 14 , an instrument position adjustment mechanism 30 , and a jaw assembly 51 for supporting the instrument shaft S. As best shown in FIG. 4 , first section 12 includes a neck 19 having a socket 15 formed therein for receiving a ball 32 , described below. A lip 18 is formed to hook around a front edge 45 , FIG. 1 , of base 50 . An extension 16 extends through a groove 22 formed in second section 14 , shown in FIG. 5 . A lip 20 of second section 14 is configured to mount to an outer edge 46 of base 50 . A biasing spring, not shown, is attached at one end to first section 12 and at the opposite end to second section 14 to help retain the sections 12 and 14 together while allowing first section 12 and second section 14 to be pulled slightly away from each other, against the force of the spring, to facilitate mounting to and release from base 50 .
Referring to FIGS. 6-12 , position adjustment mechanism 30 includes a ball 32 , FIG. 6 , a ball shaft 34 , FIG. 7 , a lock member such as locking screw 36 , FIGS. 8 and 10 , and a locking screw handle 38 , FIGS. 9 and 10 . Ball 32 is attached to end 35 of ball shaft 34 . Alternatively, ball 32 and shaft 34 could be integral. End 37 of ball shaft 34 is attached to jaw assembly 51 . Ball 32 is maneuverable by rotational and pivotal movement through a multitude of positions within neck 19 in order to maneuver the jaws to position the shaft S (and associated instrument) in a variety of orientations. Such maneuverability is shown for example by comparing FIGS. 3 , 11 and 12 . Once the jaw assembly 51 is maneuvered to the desired position, handle 38 , which is attached to locking screw 36 via arm 39 extending through aperture 41 , is rotated to advance locking screw 36 so that abutment end 33 tightly presses against ball 32 . This locks ball 32 in position and prevents movement thereof.
Referring to FIGS. 13A , 13 B and 14 , jaw assembly 51 includes a movable jaw 64 having an internally threaded opening 71 to receive mounting screw 58 of a stationary jaw 52 . Arm 66 of movable jaw 64 is mounted within a groove 56 formed on stationary jaw 52 . Ball shaft 34 is adhesively mounted within a recess (not shown) of stationary jaw 52 , although other means of connection are also contemplated. A jaw approximation control member, such as locking knob 72 , as best shown in FIGS. 3 and 10 , is attached to a mounting screw 58 such that rotation of locking knob 72 rotates threaded mounting screw 58 to advance movable jaw 64 towards a stationary jaw 52 . Spring 59 biases movable jaw 64 to the open position, away from stationary jaw 52 . Approximation of jaws 52 and 64 grasps and retains instrument shaft S therebetween. Referring back to FIG. 2 , in conjunction with FIGS. 13A , 13 B and 14 , a pair of friction enhancing members such as rubber pads 54 and 69 are mounted within grooves 61 and 68 formed on stationary jaw 52 and movable jaw 64 , respectively, to facilitate atraumatic grasping of instrument shaft S.
In use, instrument shaft S is placed between movable jaw 64 and stationary jaw 52 with the jaws in the open position as shown in FIG. 2 . Knob 72 is rotated to close the jaws 64 , 52 to clamp and securely hold instrument shaft S. Jaw assembly 51 is manually movable to position the instrument shaft S at the desired angle relative to base 50 as ball 32 pivots within socket 15 of neck 19 . Once pivoted to a desired position, for example, the position shown in FIG. 11 or FIG. 12 (other positions are clearly contemplated), locking screw handle 38 is rotated to advance locking screw 36 against ball 32 to lock ball 32 in place. This prevents further movement of the jaw assembly 51 .
Referring to FIGS. 15 and 16 , an alternative embodiment of the presently disclosed apparatus for holding instruments is designated as instrument holder 100 . Instrument holder 100 is similar to instrument holder 1 . Therefore, the following description will only focus on those aspects of instrument holder 100 which differ from instrument holder 1 . In contrast to base mounting assembly 10 of instrument holder 1 , instrument holder 100 includes a mounting portion, such as a base mounting assembly 110 which is in the form of a clip having first and second lips 118 , 120 which extend from a bottom surface of mounting assembly 110 . Mounting assembly 110 is preferably fabricated from flexible material and includes a cantilevered extended portion 111 which deflects upon the application of a generally vertically directed force. Thus, in order to mount instrument holder 110 to base 50 , lip 118 is fitted over the inner rim of base 50 and instrument holder 100 is moved into closer approximation with base 50 so that lip 120 cams outwardly and flexes extended portion 111 upwardly until lip 120 passes over the outer edge of base 50 and snaps back to its normal configuration as shown in FIG. 16 . Once positioned on base 50 , instrument holder 100 functions in the same way as instrument holder 1 described above to retain surgical instruments therein.
Another difference between instrument holder 100 and instrument holder 1 is the configuration of the locking knob. In particular, screw handle 38 of instrument holder 1 is in the form of a rotatable lever whereas screw handle 138 of instrument holder is in the form of a wing having extended portions 138 a and 138 b extending radially outwardly from the center along a plane.
It will be understood that various modifications may be made to the embodiments of the apparatus for holding surgical instruments shown and described herein. Therefore, the above description should not be construed as limiting, but merely as examples of preferred embodiments. Those skilled in the art will envision other modifications within the scope and spirit of the present disclosure.
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An apparatus for holding a surgical instrument relative to a base is provided having a mounting portion configured and dimensioned to engage a portion of a base, a jaw assembly including first and second jaw members which define a retaining area therebetween configured and dimensioned to retain the shaft of a surgical instrument therein and thereby fix the length of the instrument shaft relative to the base and an operative site, and an instrument position adjustment mechanism which includes an adjustment member rotatably disposed in relative to the mounting portion to facilitate selective position adjustment of the jaw assembly with respect to the mounting portion.
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The present invention relates to the field of rechargeable batteries and more particularly to batteries capable of being recharged in the energy-using device in which they reside.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
May of todays battery-operated consumer products drain energy from the batteries at high rates. These high drain rates make the device particularly suitable for rechargeable batteries and, for user convenience, many products sold today contain internal circuiting for charging the rechargeable batteries while they are installed in the energy using device.
Because rechargeable batteries, such as nickel cadmium batteries, are sold in the same AA, C and D sizes as are primary (non-rechargeable) batteries, either primary or rechargeable batteries may be inserted into the energy using device. However, since most primary batteries may not be safely recharged, extreme care must be taken to insure that the charging circuit will provide recharging current only when a rechargeable battery is inserted in the energy-using device and will not provide recharging current when a primary battery is inserted in the energy-using device.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,147,838 issued to Edward A. Leffingwell discloses a concept for recharging only a rechargeable battery in an energy-using device which will accept either a rechargeable battery or a primary battery. This patent teaches a separate charging terminal contact on the rechargeable battery which engages a corresponding charging terminal in the energy-using device. The charging terminal contact is spaced from the power terminal contacts on the battery and engages the corresponding charging terminal of the energy-using device in a location remote from the power terminal contacts. Since a primary battery does not have a charging terminal contact in the same location, the structure disclosed in the above-referenced patent insures that a primary battery will not be recharged when inserted in the energy-using device. The present invention is an improvement upon the structure disclosed in the above-referenced patent.
Typical AA, C and D size batteries are generally cylindrical in shape; that is to say, they extend circumferentially about and axially along a central axis and have one power terminal contact at one end of the cylinder and another power terminal contact at the other end of the cylinder. Because of this cylindrical shape the battery may be inserted in the energy-using device in a number of different rotational positions. More specifically, while the battery must be inserted so as to be axially aligned with the axially extending cavity in which the battery resides in the energy-using device, the battery may be rotated about its axis and installed in the cavity in the energy-using device in one of any number of rotational positions. Accordingly, use of a terminal contact of the type taught in the aforementioned patent on the circumferentially extending outer surface of the battery makes it possible that engagement between the charging terminal contact on the battery and the corresponding charging contact in the energy-using device may not be effected. The present invention addresses this problem and provides a solution which insures that engagement is always effected.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a rechargeable battery suitable for charging while installed in an energy-using device.
It is another object of the present invention to provide means for recharging only a rechargeable battery and for precluding recharging of a primary battery.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide means for recharging a rechargeable battery in all rotational positions in which the battery may be installed in an energy-using device.
Briefly stated, these and other objects, which will become apparent from the following specifications and appended drawings, are accomplished by the present invention which, in one form, comprises a rechargeable battery having a housing at least partially defined by a periphery and containing at least one cell. The battery has first and second power terminal contacts associated therewith and a charging terminal contact spaced from the power terminal contacts of the battery. The charging terminal contact is electrically connected to one of the cells and extends substantially about the periphery of the battery so as to provide contact between the charging terminal contact on the battery and a corresponding charging terminal contact in the energy-using device for all rotational positions of the battery.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of the rechargeable battery comprising the present invention.
FIG. 2 is an end view of the rechargeable battery comprising the present invention.
FIG. 3 is a view of the end of the rechargeable battery opposite to the end depicted in FIG. 2.
FIG. 4 is a view of the side of the rechargeable battery positioned in the energy using device.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
While this invention is susceptible of embodiment in many different forms, there is shown in the drawings and described herein in detail a preferred embodiment of the invention, and modifications thereto, with the understanding that the present disclosure is to be considered exemplary of the principles of the invention and not as limiting the invention to the embodiments illustrated and described.
Referring now to FIG. 1, there is depicted in cross-section generally at 10 a rechargeable battery comprising the present invention. Battery 10 is generally cylindrical in shape, extending both circumferentially about and axially along longitudinal axis X--X. Battery 10 is comprised of a hollow cylindrical housing 12 formed by a hollow cylindrical base portion 14 and a hollow cylindrical cap portion 16 joined to base portion 14 by conventional means such as by threaded engagement, interference fit or adhesive attachment. Joined thusly together, base portion 14 and cap portion 16 cooperate to form a cavity 18 extending along the entire axial length of housing 12. Within the cavity 18 of housing 12, a plurality of generally cylindrical rechargeable cells 20 reside in series relationship; that is to say the negative terminal 22 of one of the cells 20 is electrically connected to the positive terminal 24 of the next adjacent cell 20. The cell 20 at one end 26 of housing 12, is electrically connected to a first power terminal contact 28 of battery 10. Power terminal contact 28 is generally comprised of a disc-like configuration and has a central protuberance 30 which protrudes through an aperture 32 disposed in end 26 of battery housing 12. Power terminal 28 is retained entrapped within cavity 18 of housing 12 by reduced-diameter ring portion 34 which is disposed at end 26 of battery housing 12 and which has an inner diameter less than the outer diameter of power terminal contact 28. Protuberance 30 of power terminal contact 28 is adapted to engage a corresponding power terminal contact (not shown) contained in the energy-using device.
Also residing within cavity 18 of battery housing 12 is conductive strap member 36 disposed at end 38 of housing 12. Strap member 36 is comprised of a conductive material and electrically connects a cell 20 disposed proximate end 38 with a second power contact terminal 40 of battery 10. Power terminal contact 40 is generally comprised of a rivet-like configuration having one end 42 protruding from aperture 44 disposed in end wall 38 of housing 12. Power terminal contact 40 further is comprised of a shank portion 46, extending through aperture 44 and disposed intermediate protruding end portion 42, and expanded end portion 48. Expanded end portion 48 is disposed in recess 18 and is flared in a conventional manner so as to retain strap member 36 firmly in engagement and affixed to cylindrical cap portion 16 of battery housing 12.
Strap member 36 is comprised of a first leg portion 50 and a second leg portion 54 electrically connected to portion 50 by intermediate portion 52. Leg portion 50 is entrapped between expanded end portion 48 of power contact 40 and end wall 38 of housing 12 and is electrically connected to power contact 40. Leg portion 54 is disposed in abutting contact with the positive terminal of cell 20 to provide electrical connection between cells 20 and power terminal contact 40.
In order to provide for charging of rechargeable battery 10, a separate charging terminal contact 58 is disposed spaced apart from each power contact terminal 28 and 40. Charging terminal contact 58 is generally comprised of a ring or annular construction with its axis generally coincident with axis X--X. Charging terminal contact 58 resides in circumferencially and axially extending recess 60 provided in the external surface of battery housing 12 between power terminal contacts 28 and 40. Recess 60 extends circumferentially 360 degrees about and exterior to housing 12. Axially extending window 62 in end cap portion 16 of housing 12 provides an opening adjacent to charging terminal contact 58 through which intermediate portion 52 of strap member 36 may project and thereby engage and be electrically connected to charging terminal contact 58 in any conventional manner such as by welding. Since contact 58 extends substantially about the circumferential periphery of battery 10, means are provided which establish a charging terminal contact which engages a corresponding charging terminal 59 in the energy-using device 61 for all rotational positions of battery 10 about axis X--X.
It is readily observed from the foregoing description that power terminal contacts 28 and 40 form the power circuit terminals for delivering battery energy to the energy-using device and that charging terminal contact 58 and power terminal contact 28 form the charging circuit terminals for charging the battery. Since, in the battery of the present invention, the charging terminal contact 58 is spaced from the power terminal contacts 28 and 40, and since the corresponding charging terminal in the energy-using device are similarly spaced from power terminal contacts 28 and 40, the charging of a primary battery having power terminal contacts in the same location as power terminal contacts 28 and 40, will be precluded.
While the preferred embodiment of the present invention has been depicted and described, it should be appreciated that modifications and alterations may be made in the embodiment without departing from the scope of the invention. By way of example and without limitation, the charging ring of the present invention may comprise the charging terminal in the energy-using device.
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A generally cylindrical rechargeable battery is provided leaving a pair of power terminals for delivering energy to an energy-using device. The battery further includes a charging terminal contact spaced apart from the power terminals and extending substantially around the circumference of the battery whereby charging contact on the battery may engage a corresponding charging contact in the energy-using device to charge the battery in all rotational positions of the battery.
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CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] Under 35 U.S.C. § 119(e), this application claims priority of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Serial No. 60/665,940 filed 29 Mar. 2005, entitled Garment Hanger with Central Support Rib (attorney Docket P18241), the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety for all purposes.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] 1. Field of the Invention
[0003] The invention generally relates to garment hangers. More specifically, the invention relates to molded plastic garment hangers having a rib support structure at an interface of shoulder, arm and central hook regions of the hanger.
[0004] 2. Related Art
[0005] Garment hangers have been known and used for years. Historically, as shown in FIG. 1 , the basic garment hanger 1 was wire or wooden having opposed shoulders 2 joined at a central hook region 3 . A suspension hook 4 projects from the central hook region 3 permitting the hanger 1 to be placed on a rod or other structure for storage in a closet, for example. From the central hook region 3 , the opposed shoulders 2 each extend outwardly as arms 5 terminating at opposed ends 6 thereof. The opposed ends 6 of the arms 5 are often joined by a cross-member 7 extending between the opposed ends 6 to increase the strength and stability of the hanger.
[0006] Though the strength and durability of the wooden hangers, in particular, were appealing, the increased costs and additional weight of the wooden hangers resulted in the development of less expensive and lighter weight plastic hangers, such as those disclosed in Australian Patent No. 544211 (AU-B-21403/83) or U.S. Pat. No. 5,071,045 that are commonly-owned herewith.
[0007] The arms of such molded plastic hangers tend to bend at transition regions, such as between the central hook and shoulder regions, the shoulder and arm regions, or other transition regions when heavier garments are placed on the hanger. Moreover, where less flexible material, such as general purpose polystyrene, has been used to comprise the molded plastic hangers, the transition regions may even break under heavy garment loads.
[0008] To overcome the tendency to bend or break at transition regions, arms of molded plastic hangers have been reinforced with channel inserts or I-sections placed throughout, or at various intervals over or within, the arms as described in the above-mentioned commonly-owned patents. The channel inserts or I-sections may be co-molded with, or separately inserted on or into, the arms of the hangers. In any event, incorporation of such channel inserts or I-sections throughout, or at various intervals of, the arms of the hanger increase the time and costs to manufacture such hangers.
[0009] Additionally, the co-molding or other provision of the channels or I-sections to the arms of the hangers often cause rippling or other undesirable marring of exposed surfaces of the arms of the hangers, particularly where the channels or I-sections are located only at various intervals of the arms of the hangers. Collapsing or pinching of all or portions of sidewalls of the arms of the hangers have also been found to occur in some, particularly where the channels or I-sections are provided on an external surface of the arms or are provided at various intervals on or within the arms of the hangers. Moreover, experiments have shown that the use of such channel inserts or I-sections tend still to create regions of weakness in the hanger. The weak regions render the hangers susceptible to bending or breaking as before, particularly at the transition region between the central hook and shoulder regions, when the hanger experiences heavy loads.
[0010] Further efforts to overcome the tendency to bend or break at transition regions include co-molding U-shaped channels or depressions in an external surface of the central hook region of the hanger, whereat the shoulders converge as shown in the commonly-owned U.S. Pat. No. 5,071,045 discussed above, for example. The external channels or depressions are intentionally isolated from the channels of the arms, however, which renders the hangers susceptible to twisting. Such twisting can result in bending or breaking of the hanger as well.
[0011] In view of the above, a need exists for an easily and inexpensively manufactured molded plastic garment hanger having increased strength and durability at the interface of the central hook, shoulder and arm regions of the hanger.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0012] The garment hanger according to the invention provides a molded plastic garment hanger incorporating a single support rib in the hanger where a central hook region interfaces with shoulder and arm regions of the hanger.
[0013] In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the support rib is co-molded into the central hook region between panels comprising shoulders and arms of the hanger. Alternatively, the support rib may be separably inserted and glued, or otherwise secured, in the central hook region of the hanger between the panels comprising the shoulders and arms of the hanger. In either case, the support rib is provided between an underside surface of the panels comprising the arm, shoulder and central hook regions of the hanger.
[0014] Positioning the support rib between the underside of the various panels at a single location minimizes rippling, waving or other undesirable distortions or marring of the exposed surfaces of the hanger. Further, the use of a single support rib minimizes the time and costs associated with making the hanger according to the invention. Moreover, because the support rib of the invention extends between panels comprising the arm, shoulder and central hook regions, increased stability is provided to the hanger notwithstanding the absence of additional reinforcing channels or I-sections on or in the hanger arms as in prior art hangers.
[0015] According to the invention, the support rib is comprised of a receiving end and a closed end opposite thereof, the receiving end and the closed end being connected by a balance of the support rib. A portion of the receiving end is exposed as it projects from the hanger slightly above the central hook region of the hanger. The support rib thus extends from its exposed receiving end above the central hook region of the hanger through the shoulder region and into the arm region of the hanger. In a preferred embodiment, the receiving end of the support rib is threaded in order to receive a correspondingly threaded portion of a suspension hook provided with the hanger. The balance of the support rib generally extends from the receiving end thereof at the central hook region through the shoulder region and into, or through, the arms of the hanger.
[0016] By extending through the hanger in this manner at the interface of the arm, shoulder and central hook regions, the support rib resists twisting even under heavy garment loads. Wings are provided to connect the exposed portion of the receiving end of the support rib to the hanger to increase the resistance to twisting and to provide even greater strength and stability therefore. Incorporating the support rib into a garment hanger according to the invention thus provides a garment hanger of increased strength and stability that is easy and inexpensive to manufacture.
[0017] The artisan will appreciate that the support rib may be configured of various shapes, wherein a particularly preferred shape is an I-shaped support rib except for the receiving end, which is round in order to receive the threaded portion of the suspension hook. Of course, the artisan will also readily appreciate that the support rib may be provided with a non-threaded receiving end for receiving a non-threaded portion of the suspension hook. In this latter case, the entire support rib may be comprised of a common shape, wherein the receiving end is configured to receive a portion of the suspension hook. Where the receiving end and suspension hook are not threaded, the suspension hook is friction-fitted, glued, or otherwise secured in the receiving end of the support rib in accordance with the invention.
[0018] The above and other features of the invention, including various novel details of construction and combinations of parts, will now be more particularly described with reference to the accompanying drawings and claims. It will be understood that the various exemplary embodiments of the invention described herein are shown by way of illustration only and not as a limitation thereof. The principles and features of this invention may be employed in various alternative embodiments without departing from the scope of the invention.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0019] These and other features, aspects, and advantages of the apparatus and methods of the present invention will become better understood with regard to the following description, appended claims, and accompanying drawings where:
[0020] FIG. 1 illustrates a representation of a prior art hanger.
[0021] FIGS. 2 illustrates a perspective view of a garment hanger according to the invention.
[0022] FIG. 3 illustrates a partial perspective view of the central hook region and support rib of the garment hanger according to the invention.
[0023] FIG. 4 illustrates a cross sectional top view of the support rib of the garment hanger according to the invention.
[0024] FIG. 5 illustrates a cross-sectional bottom view of the support rib of the garment hanger according to the invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0025] FIG. 2 illustrates a perspective view of a generally open-channeled garment hanger 10 according to the invention. The garment hanger 10 comprises a shoulder region 20 , an arm region 30 , and a central hook region 40 . The shoulder, arm and central hook regions are formed generally as an inverted unshaped channel from a first panel 11 and a second panel 12 joined by a third panel 13 .
[0026] The first panel 11 has an upper edge 11 a and a lower edge 11 b . The second panel has an upper edge ( 12 a not shown) and a lower edge 12 b that generally correspond to the upper edge 11 a and the lower edge 11 b of the first panel, respectively. The second panel 12 is positioned substantially parallel to and spaced apart from the first panel 11 , wherein the third panel 13 joins the first panel 11 and the second panel 12 along the respective upper edges 11 a and 12 a thereof. Joining the first panel 11 and the second panel 12 with the third panel 13 in this manner helps to maintain the first panel 11 and the second panel 12 in spaced relation relative to one another and generally provides the intended inverted u-shaped channel throughout the shoulder, arm and central hook regions as discussed above.
[0027] Referring still to FIG. 2 , the shoulder regions 20 of the joined first, second and third panels 11 , 12 and 13 converge at the central hook region 40 of the hanger 10 , whereat a centrally oriented support member comprising a support rib 60 is located. The joined panels 11 , 12 and 13 extend outwardly from the central hook region 40 to form the shoulder regions 20 and downwardly sloping arms 30 of the hanger. Each arm 30 terminates at a respective end 70 .
[0028] Referring still to FIG. 2 , the centrally oriented support rib 60 is provided with a receiving end 61 and a closed end 62 opposite thereof. The receiving end 61 and the closed end 62 are joined by the balance of the support rib 60 that extends generally vertically downwardly between the receiving and closed ends 61 , 62 of the rib 60 . An exposed portion of the receiving end 61 of the support rib 60 extends slightly above the third panel 13 of the hanger at the central hook region 30 . The balance of the support rib 60 , including the closed end 62 thereof, extends downwardly between the first, second and third panels 11 , 12 and 13 at the central hook region 40 of the hanger.
[0029] In a preferred embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2 , the receiving end 61 of the support rib 60 is threaded. Where provided, the threaded receiving end 61 receives a corresponding threaded portion of the suspension hook 80 . Of course, the artisan will appreciate that the receiving end 61 could instead be non-threaded, for receiving a correspondingly non-threaded portion of the suspension hook. In this latter case, the suspension hook may be friction fitted, glued, or otherwise secured within the receiving end 61 of the support rib 60 .
[0030] In the preferred embodiment of the garment hanger 10 according to the invention, the support rib 60 is co-molded with the garment hanger. The artisan should appreciate, however, that the support rib 60 may instead be separately provided and secured to the hanger between the first, second and third panels 11 , 12 , 13 , respectively, through the central hook region 40 as well. In either case, providing the support rib 60 between the first, second and third panels 11 , 12 , 13 of the hanger at the central hook region 40 improves the stability and strength of the hanger and minimizes the tendency of the hanger to twist when subject to heavy garment loads. Distortions or other marring of exposed hanger panels is minimized as well.
[0031] FIG. 3 illustrates in more detail the preferred embodiment of the support rib 60 according to the invention. In particular, FIG. 3 shows, in dashed lines, the support rib 60 as it extends along an underside surface between each of the first, second and third panels 11 , 12 and 13 of the hanger. As shown also in FIG. 3 , wings 63 project from the exposed portion of the receiving end 61 of the support rib 60 to connect the receiving end 61 to the third panel 13 . In the preferred embodiment, the wings 63 are co-molded with the hanger 10 and support rib 60 . Whether by co-molding or otherwise, however, connecting the exposed portion of the support rib 60 to the central hook region 40 using the wings 63 minimizes twisting of the hanger 10 and increases the strength and stability of the hanger 10 , even when subjected to heavier garment loads. The artisan will readily appreciate that the wings 63 may be comprised of shapes other than as shown and described herein in order to connect the receiving end of the support rib with the hanger.
[0032] Referring still to FIG. 3 , the support rib 60 extends downwardly from the receiving end 61 to the closed end 62 of the support rib between the first, second and third panels 11 , 12 , and 13 of the hanger. The closed end 62 of the support rib 60 is shown in FIG. 3 as extending towards, but not to, the lower edges 11 b , 12 b of the first and second panels 11 , 12 respectively. Of course, as the artisan should readily appreciate, other configurations of the support rib 60 are well within the scope of the invention including those wherein the closed end 62 of the support rib extends to the lower edges 11 b , 12 b of the first and second panels 11 , 12 , or to some other position between the upper edges 11 a , 12 a and the lower edges 11 b , 12 b of the first and second panels 11 , 12 , respectively.
[0033] FIG. 4 illustrates a cross-sectional top view of the support rib 60 according to the preferred embodiment of the invention. As shown in FIG. 4 , the support rib 60 is comprised generally of an I-shaped section, except at its receiving end 61 , which is round in order to receive the correspondingly threaded, or other, portion of the suspension hook 80 as discussed above. The support rib 60 is shown between the first, second and third panels 11 , 12 and 13 , wherein the panels join to form the substantially closed upper portion of the hanger other than the opening provided by the receiving end 61 of the support rib 60 . The wings 63 are also shown in FIG. 4 . Of course, cross-sectional configurations other than the exclusively I-shaped configuration shown in FIG. 4 may comprise some or all of the support rib, as long as the receiving end 61 is provided to receive the suspension hook as otherwise herein described.
[0034] FIG. 5 illustrates a cross-sectional bottom view of the support rib 60 according to the preferred embodiment of the invention. As shown in FIG. 5 , the generally I-shaped support rib 60 is at or near the lower edges 11 b , 12 b of the first and second panels 11 , 12 . Otherwise, the lower portion of the hanger 10 is open, as evident in FIG. 5 and FIG. 2 .
[0035] The artisan will appreciate, with respect to the support rib 60 , that shapes and configuration other than as shown in the Figures or described herein may also be used provided the support rib generally extends between the first, second and third panels at the interface between the shoulder, arm and central hook regions of the hanger as described herein. For example, the support rib 60 need not have a round threaded receiving end 61 with the balance of the support rib I-shaped. Instead, the receiving end 61 could be non-threaded of a shape for receiving a corresponding non-threaded compliantly shaped portion of the suspension hook 80 , in which case the suspension hook 80 could be friction-fitted, glued, or otherwise secured within the receiving end 61 of the support rib 60 . Likewise, the artisan should appreciate that the support rib 60 may vary so as to have cross-sections of two or more shapes therein. The artisan will also appreciate that the various panels and components comprising the hanger 10 may be molded from any suitable known or later developed plastic material, including general purpose polystyrene, K-resin, high impact polystyrene, or PETG.
[0036] The various exemplary embodiments of the invention as described hereinabove do not limit different embodiments of the present invention. The material described herein is not limited to the materials, designs, or shapes referenced herein for illustrative purposes only, and may comprise various other materials, designs or shapes suitable for the systems and procedures described herein as should be appreciated by one of ordinary skill in the art.
[0037] While there has been shown and described what is considered to be preferred embodiments of the invention, it will, of course, be understood that various modifications and changes in form or detail could readily be made without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention. It is, therefore, intended that the invention be not limited to the exact forms described and illustrated herein, but should be construed to cover all modifications that may fall within the scope of the appended claims.
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An easily and inexpensively manufactured garment hanger of increased strength and durability. The garment hanger comprises a suspension hook secured to a support rib provided at a central hook region of the hanger. Incorporating the support rib through the central hook region of the hanger minimizes twist and other distortions of the hanger, even when under heavy garment loads.
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CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] The present application claims benefit under 35 U.S.C. § 120 as a continuation of copending U.S. application Ser. No. 10/205,965, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.
STATEMENT RE: FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH/DEVELOPMENT
[0002] (Not Applicable)
COMPACT DISC APPENDIX
[0003] (Not Applicable)
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0004] The present invention relates generally to medical infusion pumps and more particularly to a system and method for remotely controlling a peristaltic pump.
[0005] Traditionally infusion pumps have been used to deliver medications and fluids to patients, intravenously subcutaneously or Epidural, according to a controlled rate and dose schedule. Such infusion or peristaltic pumps are known in the art. Peristaltic pumps may be linear, such as those described in U.S. Pat. No. 2,877,714 (Sorg, et. al.), U.S. Pat. No. 4,671,792 (Borsannyi), U.S. Pat. No. 4,893,991 (Canon), rotary, such as those described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,886,431 (Soderquist et al.) and U.S. Pat. No. 3,172,367 (Kling) or curvilinear, such as is described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,164,921 (Moubayed et al.).
[0006] The pump is normally programmed by a clinician based on a specific patient prescription. The pump is traditionally programmed through a user interface keypad on the pump.
[0007] There have been some efforts in the past to establish capabilities of remotely programming the pump through a modem and transferring data through telephone lines. For example, Mediview, which is currently owned by Baxter, provides remote programming capabilities of the Homerun 6060 pump through a modem and telephone line, It allows the clinician to view, at a remote location, the 6060 pump simulated on a computer monitor with its display and keypad. The clinician can view the display of the remote pump on a computer monitor and can interact with the pump using a mouse and keyboard. Remote programming systems, such as those described above may be difficult to program and do not reduce infusion errors.
[0008] Thus, there is a need for a system and method for programming a peristaltic pump which reduces infusion errors. The system should also be easy to program, i.e., should not require significant training by the clinician.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0009] An aspect of the present invention may be regarded as a method of storing on a remote storage device protocol information for a drug for administration via a peristaltic pump. The method provides a communications path between the peristaltic pump and the remote storage device. The protocol information for the drug is entered into the peristaltic pump. The protocol information is transferred from the peristaltic pump to the remote storage device. The protocol information for the drug is stored on the remote storage device.
[0010] The protocol information may be stored in a drug library on the remote storage device. The protocol information may be selected from the drug library and sent to the peristaltic pump for administration to a patient. The protocol information may be copied from the drug library to a patient library. The protocol information may be exported from the drug library. The exported protocol information may be sent to another user, for example, via e-mail. The protocol information in the drug library may be edited.
[0011] The protocol information may be stored in a patient library on the remote storage device. The protocol information may be selected from the patient library and sent to the peristaltic pump for administration to a patient. The protocol information may be exported from the patient library. The protocol information in the patient library may be edited.
[0012] The protocol information for the drug may include associated warnings and precautions.
[0013] The remote storage device is a personal computer, such as a laptop computer. The remote storage device may be a handbeld storage device, such as a Personal Digital Assistant (PDA).
[0014] A current date/time and/or maintenance date may be entered.
[0015] Calibration functions may be invoked.
[0016] Another aspect of the present invention may be regarded as a method for receiving history information from a peristaltic pump. A user request is received requesting retrieval of history information from the peristaltic pump. A pump request is formatted to retrieve history information. The pump request to receive history information is transmitted to the peristaltic pump. The history information is received from the peristaltic pump. The history information is displayed.
[0017] The history information may be all of the history information stored in the peristaltic pump. The history information may be the latest prescription. The history information may be a predefined amount of history information, e.g., four kilobytes. The history information may be printed or exported for e-mail to others.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0018] These as well as other features of the present invention will become more apparent upon reference to the drawings wherein:
[0019] FIG. 1A illustrates a first embodiment of the present invention wherein a peristaltic pump is in communication with a laptop computer;
[0020] FIG. 1B illustrates a second embodiment of the present invention wherein the peristaltic pump of FIG. 1A is in communication with a handheld computing device;
[0021] FIG. 2 illustrates an example screen display showing the major functions of one embodiment of the present invention; and
[0022] FIGS. 3-9 illustrate exemplary screen displays for performing the various functions available from the display shown in FIG. 2 .
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0023] Referring now to the drawings wherein the showings are for purposes of illustrating preferred embodiments of the present invention only, and not for purposes of limiting the same, FIGS. 1A and 1B illustrate a persistaltic pump in communication with a computer capable of programming the pump. The particular pump shown in the Figures is marketed by Curlin Medical of Huntington Beach, Calif. and is described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,164,921, the disclosure of which is expressly incorporated herein by reference. However, use of other ambulatory pumps is contemplated herein. Pumps, such as the one shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B are typically standalone devices used to administer medication to a patient. The pump 10 shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B can be used as a stand-alone pump. Additionally, the pump shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B can communicate with a computer, such as a laptop computer 20 (shown in FIG. 1A ) or a handheld computer, such as a personal digital assistant (PDA) 30 (shown in FIG. 1B ).
[0024] The present invention helps reduce the risk of medication errors, reduces staff costs by enabling point-and-click, time-efficient programming of the pump, facilitates remote monitoring of the infusion process, provides an audit trail for billing, validation and archival purposes, and easily integrates into existing systems. The data management functions allow the clinician the ability to create, select, and use protocols and prescriptions, select and transfer personalized prescriptions to a PDA/Palm™ device, provide a “Drug Precautions” page for warnings, indications and instructions, compile data for further analysis, retrieve patient-history files, and generate customized reports from a PC or Palm device.
[0025] Preferably, the computing device 20 is a personal computer (PC) with at least a 486 Intel® processor with a system speed of at least 90 MHz (megahertz). In preferred embodiments, the computing device 20 uses a Windows® operating system, such as Windows® 95, 98, ME, 2000 or NT. The computing device 20 should have at least thirty-two (32) MB (megabytes) of random access memory (RAM) and at least eight (8) MB of available storage space. The computing device 20 preferably includes a compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM) drive. Preferably, the computing device 20 includes a graphics card that is capable of a pixel resolution of 800.times.600 or better (e.g., super video graphics array (SVGA) or better). In addition to a keyboard, the computing device 20 preferably includes a pointing device, such as a mouse.
[0026] The pump shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B , like prior art pumps includes logic (software) for managing the pump.
[0027] In exemplary embodiments of the present invention, the computer 20 stores a drug library and a patient library. The drug library stores protocols classified by drug name, programmer name (person who stored the protocol), and creation date. A prescription or protocol can be selected from those stored in the drug library. The prescription can then be sent to the pump attached to the computer. The protocol is then uploaded to the pump.
[0028] FIG. 2 illustrates an example screen display showing the major functions of one embodiment of the present invention. Preferably, upon starting the program, the user is asked to enter a password. Details in setting up passwords and entering and validating password is not explained in further detail herein as techniques known in the art can be used for security aspects of the present invention including a user login function.
[0029] The exemplary screen display 100 shown in FIG. 2 includes controls to access the major functions of the present invention. In the illustrated example, graphical depictions of the function are selected to invoke the various functions. It will be appreciated that other user interface controls, such as menus, could be used to access the functions. The selections available from the main menu shown in FIG. 2 include: Drug Library 102 , Patient Library 104 , Create Prescription 106 , Manage History 108 , Peace of Mind 10 and Single Therapy 112 . Each of theses functions is briefly summarized next and described in more detail later.
[0030] Pressing the Drug Library button 102 invokes the drug library function which allows the user to store and access protocols. Pressing the Patient Library button 102 invokes the patient library function which allows the user to store and access (e.g., copy and export) patient specific prescriptions. Pressing the Create Rx button 104 invokes the create prescription function which allows the user to enter and store information in the drug library or the patient library. Pressing the Manage History button 106 invokes the manage history function which allows the user to download the pump history for archiving, documentation, review or analysis. Pressing the Peace of Mind button 108 invokes the peace of mind function which downloads a recently programmed therapy for documentation, validation or verification. Pressing the Single Therapy button 110 invokes the single therapy function which converts the pump into a PCA, TPN, continuous, intermittent, or variable therapy pump for manual programming.
[0031] If the user presses the Drug Library button 102 , an exemplary Drug Library Display 120 such as the one shown in FIG. 3 is displayed so that the user can view or edit information for the prescription that was entered during create Rx. In the example shown, there is a list of stored protocols 122 which are identified by a drug name, programmer and creation date. One of the stored protocols can be selected. Detailed information is then shown for the selected protocol. The detailed information includes comments 124 and drug precautions 126 . The display includes controls, such as buttons, that allow the user to manipulate the data in the drug library.
[0032] In the exemplary embodiment, the user can press a Copy button 130 which allows the user to copy a protocol from the drug library to the patient library. When the copy button 130 is pressed, a window is displayed prompting for a patient's name. Entry and acceptance of a valid patient name causes the selected protocol to be copied to the patient library and stored under the entered patient's name.
[0033] Pressing an Import button 132 allows the user to import a protocol. This allows the user to store appropriately formatted files into the drug library. The files may be sent by another user.
[0034] Pressing an Export button 134 allows the user to export a selected protocol. The user can export the protocol to another user. In exemplary embodiments, the protocol is exported by sending it to the desired user via e-mail.
[0035] Pressing an Edit button 136 allows the user to edit an existing protocol. In exemplary embodiments, selection of the edit function causes two additional controls, e.g., buttons, to be displayed, namely, Delete and Save. The user can then edit the comments and/or precautions fields and save them by pressing the save button, if desired. In exemplary embodiments, the drug name, programmed by and creation date fields cannot be edited. The user may delete a protocol, if desired, by pressing the Delete button.
[0036] The user may also send the prescription to the pump by pressing a Send Rx to Pump button 140 . Sending a prescription to the pump programs the pump with the prescription. Pressing the Send Rx to Pump button 140 causes the precaution window to display the precaution information for the protocol. The administrator of the prescription must review the precautions and indicate that the precautions have been reviewed by pressing the “Noted” button.
[0037] The user can also opt to Send a Prescription to the Palm™ by pressing the Select Rx for Palm button 150 . In exemplary embodiments, selection of this function saves selected protocols into a directory for transfer to a Palm™ device. A cable is connected from the computer to the Palm™ device. In exemplary embodiments, the user selects the prescription to be sent to a HotSync folder. The files in the HotSync folder can then be selected for transfer to the Palm™ device. In exemplary embodiments, all of the protocols being transferred to the Palm™ device are stored in one file, for example, a file named Patient.pdb. This file is then transferred to the Palm™ device. In exemplary embodiments, if there is an existing Patient.pdb file, it will be written over by the new file. Thus, the user must transfer all of desired protocols to the Palm™ device as the current ones will be overwritten.
[0038] If the user presses the Patient Library button 104 , a patient library display 160 is displayed. In exemplary embodiments, such as the one shown in FIG. 4 , the patient library display 160 and functions (invoked by controls, such as buttons) are similar to those for the drug library. As with the drug library, the user can import, export or edit entries in the patient library. The user can send a prescription to the pump or transfer prescriptions to the Palm™ device.
[0039] Creating a prescription allows the user to store prescription information in the drug library or the patient library. This information is uploaded from the pump. The user presses the Create Prescription button 106 from the main display window 100 . A create prescription window 180 such as the one shown in FIG. 5 is displayed. The exemplary screen display shown in FIG. 5 provides the user with an instruction window 182 which tells the user to: (1) connect and turn on the pump; (2) select library and fill in fields; and (3) program the pump.
[0040] A cable is used to connect the pump, for example, Curlin Medical 4000 CMS pump 10 is connected to the PC 20 , by inserting the cable in the serial port of the PC. The user selects the desired library 184 , i.e., the drug library or the patient library, for storing the protocol to be uploaded from the pump. The user also enters a drug name 186 , a patient ID 188 , comments 190 and precautions 192 .
[0041] The user then presses a Begin Programming button 194 to begin programming the pump. The pump is programmed the same as during stand-alone operation of the pump. For example, if the pump is a Curlin Medical 4000 Plus pump, the pump is programmed according to the directions for that particular pump. The user's manual for the Curlin Medical 4000 Plus pump is included as a compact disc appendix and is incorporated herein by reference.
[0042] In exemplary embodiments, such as the one shown in FIG. 6 , protocol information, including keystrokes that are used when programming the pump, is stored. For example, when a menu is displayed and the user scrolls down, “DOWN” is stored in the protocol file. Thus, when the information is uploaded to the pump, it is as if a user were using the keypad to enter the information directly into the pump except that the information is actually transmitted from the computer via the cable that connects the pump to the computer.
[0043] The computer stores history files. Peace of mind files include the latest programmed prescription.
[0044] If the user presses the Manage History button 108 , the manage history function is invoked and all of the information stored in the pump 10 is downloaded to the computer 20 . A manage patient history display 220 such as the one shown in FIG. 7 is displayed. The user can either choose to retrieve the patient history 222 or to retrieve and then clear the patient history 224 . If clear the patient history is selected, the history file will be deleted from the pump 10 after it is downloaded to the computer 20 . After selecting one of these options, the user presses a Retrieve Now button 226 to retrieve the data from the pump. The names and creation dates of the downloaded history files are displayed in an existing history files window 228 . The user can select a history file from the existing history file window 228 . The data in the selected file is then displayed in a view history window 230 . There are also controls (e.g., buttons) that allow the user to rename 232 , export 234 , delete 236 or print 238 a selected history file.
[0045] If the user presses the Peace of Mind button 112 , a peace of mind function is invoked. The peace of mind function downloads and displays the most recently programmed therapy. This provides the clinician with proof (or peace of mind) that the therapy was uploaded into the pump. In exemplary embodiments, this features downloads the most recent four (4) kilobytes of data from the pump. An exemplary screen display 240 showing peace of mind data is shown in FIG. 8 .
[0046] The present invention also allows the pump to be utilized as a single therapy device. When the user presses the Single Therapy button 112 , all but one therapeutic mode on the pump are disabled. For example, some hospitals only need a single mode, such as PCA. This feature can be used when the pump is being manually programmed. In exemplary embodiments, the user can select any available therapeutic mode as the single mode therapy, for example, Continuous, Intermittent, Multi Therapy, PCA, TPN, or Variable. The pump can be removed from single therapy mode manually or by selecting multi therapy.
[0047] Various maintenance activities may be performed on the pump using the present invention. For example, a current date/time may be entered and/or a maintenance date may be entered. The present invention may also be used to invoke calibration functions on the pump.
[0048] In exemplary embodiments, a palm computing device 30 may be used to perform a subset of the operations that can be performed by larger computing devices, such as a laptop computer 20 . The Palm system can be used to program a pump 10 or to retrieve information from the pump. Protocols or prescriptions can be transferred to the PDA 30 from the PC 20 for bedside pump programming. Infusion information gathered by the pump 10 can be downloaded for later analysis.
[0049] While an illustrative and presently preferred embodiment of the invention has been described in detail herein, it is to be understood that the inventive concepts may be otherwise variously embodied and employed and that the appended claims are intended to be construed to include such variations except insofar as limited by the prior art.
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A method of storing on a remote storage device protocol information for a drug for administration via a peristaltic pump is disclosed. A communications path between the peristaltic pump and the remote storage device is provided. The protocol information for the drug is entered into the peristaltic pump. The protocol information is transferred from the peristaltic pump to the remote storage device. The protocol information for the drug is stored on the remote storage device. History information may be retrieved from the peristaltic pump. A user request is received requesting retrieval of history information from the peristaltic pump. A pump request is formatted to retrieve history information. The pump request to receive history information is transmitted to the peristaltic pump. The history information is received from the peristaltic pump. The history information is displayed and stored.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention is directed to a control arrangement for the displacement of guide bars in warp knitting machines having a schedule transmitter that generates a position target value for a displacement pattern in dependence on the angular position of the machine main shaft, for the purpose of controlling a setting motor for axially displacing the guide bars.
2. Description of Related Art
In an arrangement of this type known to the art (DE OS 225 72 24), the appropriate displacement steps to be taken are read from a schedule carrier, for example, a punched or magnetic tape. A synchronizing transmitter generates a signal at predetermined angular positions of the main shaft. This ensures that with the assistance of a position control circuit, the last read displacement step is carried out by means of another schedule carrier. The pattern of the knitted fabric which is formed by the displacement movement may be altered by means of another schedule carrier. The progress of the displacement movement cannot be regulated. It depends entirely on the design of the control circuit. Thus, considerable accelerations and decelerations occur and so the working speed of the warp knitting machine is limited. A further disadvantage of this uncontrolled movement lies in the fact that collisions of the guides with other operating parts can occur, for example, with slider needles during the overlap.
Accordingly there is a need for a control arrangement of the aforementioned type for providing different displacement patterns and which is very flexible and may operate at high speeds.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In accordance with the illustrative embodiments demonstrating features and advantages of the present invention, there is provided a control arrangement for the displacement of a guide bar of a warp knitting machine having a main shaft. The control arrangement has a setting motor for axially displacing the guide bar. Also, a schedule transmitter is coupled to the main shaft for generating target lapping values for a displacement schedule, in response to angular displacement of the main shaft. This schedule transmitter is coupled to and operable to control the setting motor in accordance with the target lapping values. The schedule transmitter includes: (a) an input arrangement, (b) a storage means, (c) a computer means, and (d) an output arrangement. The input arrangement can provide a characteristic signal signifying characteristic data for a selected lapping pattern. The storage means has a first storage section for storing data signifying a selectable plurality of transition curves for regulating overlap and underlap displacements. The computer means is coupled to the first storage section and is responsive to the characteristic signal for processing sequentially data of at least two of the transition curves to form a displacement function providing displacement values related to revolution of the main shaft. The output arrangement is coupled to the main shaft and the computer means for selecting the displacement values of the displacement function in response to angular rotation of the main shaft to provide the target lapping values.
In a preferred embodiment, an operator can use a computer terminal to set up the input arrangement of the schedule transmitter, which then determines the characteristic data of a desired lapping pattern. The preferred first storage section can store a plurality of transition curves serving as prototypes for the overlap and underlap displacement. The preferred computer means can assemble a continuous displacement function by sequentially generating, for each main shaft rotation, at least two transition curves in dependence upon the operator-selected characteristic data. The preferred output means can issue values from this displacement function in dependence on the angular rotation of the main shaft, which values serve as position target values for the guide bar.
In such an arrangement, the guide bar is controlled continuously. For every instant of the working cycle, a particular position of the guide bar is prescribed according to the particular rotational angle of the main shaft. By utilizing the prototype transition curves, minimal accelerations and decelerations can be ensured during the displacement movement, with the consequence that high working speeds may be obtained. The use of various combinations from a plurality of prototype transition curves allows a selection for optimizing the displacement movement for the desired pattern. Such optimization, in turn, allows consideration of properties other than the displacement pattern, such as pile formation, weft thread provision, pile sinker influence and the like.
Since the transition curves can be used in different combinations, one may operate with a relatively small number of transition curves. The first storage section can thus be relatively small. The selected characteristic data fixes the transition curves to be utilized. Thus the service technician can quite simply institute a pattern change, by merely supplying certain characteristic data to the input arrangement.
The use of a computer enables not only digital processing of the stored data, but also facilitates use of one and the same transition curves with different sign prefixes for opposing displacement movements.
It is particularly desirable that a second storage arrangement stores at least one compensation curve for determining the compensation for the specific mechanical link to the guide bar. For example, the arrangement can compensate for the displacement errors when a jointed push rod is used between the setting motor and the guide bar. The uncompensated use of such a push rod can lead to an unwanted axial displacement of the guide bar when the bar swings, throughout the underlap and the overlap positions. This unwanted axial displacement can lead to collisions with the needles. These collisions can be prevented by utilizing the compensation curve. The computer creates a displacement function by adding or subtracting this compensation curve.
It is advantageous to have a third storage section which stores correction values corresponding to the needle or guide deflection due to thread forces. The computer utilizes these deflection correction values in conjunction with characteristic data (set by the operator's computer terminal, for example) to form the bar displacement function. Since in a given pattern, the thread forces are known, when characteristic data is supplied the computer can take into account the needle/guide defection.
It is advantageous to provide that at least one of the storage arrangements are interchangeable read only storage means, for example EPROMS. By exchange of such storage means, the control arrangement can be readily adapted to another warp knitting machine or to another guide bar that is constructed or organized differently.
In a simple case, the displacement function is provided as a two part curve for which the computer sequentially utilizes an overlap transition curve and an underlap transition curve.
A further simple alternative is provided where the displacement function is a three part curve for which. the computer utilizes one overlap transition curve and two underlap transition curves. By segmenting the underlap displacement into two transition curves, large displacement movement of the knock-over sinker required by the pattern may be avoided, or one can ensure that the threads are securely grasped by the sinker nose.
It is often useful for the computer to generate differently assembled displacement functions for each subsequent revolution of the main shaft: For example, for each even warp line, one can use one combination and for each odd warp line, the other combination, which can advantageously provide interesting patternings.
It is advantageous for the input arrangement to have a keyboard for the input of pattern data together with a conversion means which determines the appropriate characteristic data for each warp line from the pattern data. This simplifies the task of the service technician even further. It is for example, merely necessary to input a particular pattern type and the size of the thus selected patterned surface into the keyboard. The converter then transmits all of the characteristic data for the guide bar displacement.
In a further embodiment of the invention, the main shaft is provided with an absolute angular value transmitter, which for each rotational angle, transmits a different rotational angle signal to the output means. By utilizing this absolute value transmitter, the position target value is clearly and securely provided for a given angular position of the main shaft.
It is further advantageous that the angular signal of two successive revolutions of the main shaft are differentiable. In this further development, the position target values of the angular signals are clearly designated for not one but for two or more revolutions of the main shaft. It is possible to provide different displacement functions for successive main shaft revolutions and nevertheless be sure that the arrangement corresponds to the correct work cycle.
It is further to be desired that an absolute position transmitter is provided which generates a different actual position value for each position of the setting motor or guide bar, as well as a position control arrangement which generates a control signal for the deviation of the actual position value from the position target value. In this case, the absolute value transmitter ensures that on the output side, a clear indication of the position of the guide bar relative to the turning angle of the main shaft, is generated.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The invention may be illustrated by the following drawings, which illustrate the preferred embodiments:
FIG. 1 is a schematic representation of the control arrangement of the present invention.
FIG. 2 shows the displacement error caused by a push rod driven guide bar.
FIG. 3 shows a displacement error different from that shown in FIG. 2.
FIG. 4 shows the progress of a transition curve during two revolutions of the main shaft.
FIG. 5 is the displacement function generated from these transition curves.
FIG. 6 shows the progress of three transition curves which are the same for successive main shaft rotations.
FIG. 7 shows the progress of three transition curves which are different in successive main shaft rotations.
FIG. 8 is a compensatory function (substantially magnified) which takes account of a displacement error.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
In the arrangement illustrated in FIG. 1, the setting motor 2 for the displacement of guide bar 1 is an electrical linear motor which operates via connecting push rod 3. An absolute position transmitter 4 provides the actual position value Xi which can be transmitted via line 5 to a position controller 6. Transmitter 4 may be a digital shaft encoder having a resolution appropriate for the desired accuracy.
The main shaft 7 of the warp knitting machine is driven by an electrical motor 8. An rotational angle transmitter 9 reports the appropriate rotational angle over line 10 to an output arrangement 11 which, in dependence upon the rotational angle signal transmits the position target value Xs to the position controller 6. In dependence upon the deviation between Xs and Xi, setting motor 2 is provided with the appropriate control signal S via line 12.
The other portions of the control arrangement serve to generate the position target value Xs. An input arrangement comprises a keyboard 14 connected to a monitor 15 and a converter 16 in the form of a pattern control computer. The characteristic data of a plurality of patterns are stored there. In a storage space of 1 megabyte, it is possible to store up to 200 patterns having up to 30,000 warp lines. By calling up a pattern number, the converter 16 provides the characteristic data K1 and K2 for the appropriate pattern to its output lines which are then further processed in the central operating unit 17, another computer.
This central unit 17 comprises a first storage section 18 which contains data corresponding to a plurality of prototype transition curves F for the overlap and underlap displacements of a guide bar. For example, section 18 may have data pairs (or tables) each containing a displacement value paired with a main shaft position value.
A second control section 19 contains data corresponding to compensation curves which take account of the displacement errors when a push rod (e.g., rod 3) is located between the setting motor 2 and the guide bar 1. For example, section 19 can have data pairs each containing a error value paired with either a guide bar position or a main shaft position.
A third storage section 20 contains the correction values which correspond to the expected deflection of the needles/guides caused by the thread forces. For example, section 20 can have data pairs each containing a correction value paired with either a guide bar position or a main shaft position. Alternatively, formulas may be contained in sections 18-20 to determine the functional relation between data. The three storage sections 18-20 may be formed by EPROMs and are easily interchangeable.
Based upon the characteristic data K1, the predetermined transition curves F that were chosen are transmitted to computer 21, here, the processor of a CPU (central processing unit). Computer 21 based upon the characteristic data K2 provided to it, calculates the displacement curve V, so that the size and direction of the displacement excursions are taken into account.
Where a push rod is present, second storage arrangement 19 provides a compensation curve A which is then combined with the transition curve F by addition or subtraction. Finally, from third storage section 20, correction values B can be introduced in the calculation of the displacement function.
From this combined displacement function, the corresponding position target value X. can be calculated in output arrangement 11 in dependence upon the angular position signal of line 10 from shaft encoder 9.
In actual practice, blocks 6, 11 and 21 need not be separate segments. Generally speaking, they can be combined into a single digital processor for commercial embodiments. This processor can be programmed with interrupt handlers that respond to increments in signals on lines 5 and 10. When signal Xi changes, signal Xs is adjusted based on the feedback function in arrangement 6 (e.g., a linear or integral function of (Xi-Xs)). When the signal on line 10 changes signal Xs is adjusted (e.g. by a look-up table formed in accordance with function F).
FIG. 2 shows that a guide bar 1 when driven by a push rod 22 is subject to an axial displacement, solely via the influence of the swing through of bar 1 in direction Y. In the illustrated example, this displacement error has a value "a" in the lower reversal point and a value "b" in the other extreme, which must be taken into account.
FIG. 3 illustrates a guide bar 1 driven by a push rod 22 operating with a double bedded warp knitting machine whose needle beds 23 and 24 are separated from each other. In even numbered main shaft rotations bed 23 and in uneven shaft rotations bed 24 are lapped about by stitches. Here, there is a displacement error which, because of the symmetrical arrangement, has the same value "c" in both reversal points, but this error occurs in the same direction. Where there are a plurality of guide bars for double bedded warp knitting machine, these unsymmetrical conditions lead to different displacement errors at the upper and lower reversal points, which must be taken into account.
FIG. 4 illustrates an overlap transition curve F1 and an underlap transition curve F2, issuing from section 18. Curves F1 and F2 may be both stored by computer 16 in section 18 in the form of a combined look-up table correlating guide displacement to main shaft rotation. Curves Fl and F2 are combined to repeat with each revolution of the main shaft.
From the curves of FIG. 4, it is possible to obtain the displacement function V of FIG. 5 wherein the computer 21 first directly uses the transition curve F1, multiplies the transition curve F2 by a factor of 2 and provides it with a negative sign and in the next knitting cycle scales up transition curve F1 by a factor of 2 and attaches the negative sign to transition curve F2 without rescaling.
While the previous curves of FIG. 5 can be designated as two part curves, FIG. 6 illustrates three part curves. An overlap transition curve F3 (provided in a similar manner to curves F1 and F2) precedes a first underlap transition curve F4 and a second underlap transition curve F5. This three part pattern is repeated in the next knitting cycle. The three parts can be combined in a manner similar to that described for FIG. 5 to produce a displacement function. The different shapes of the two underlap transition curves F4 and F5 enable special effects to occur during the underlap, for example the penetration of a sinker through the thread sheet or the avoidance of collision with other operating components.
In FIG. 7 the three transition curves in the first knitting cycle correspond to those in FIG. 6. In the second knitting cycle however, the first two transition curves are changed, namely overlap transition F6 and first underlap transition curve F7. These changes permit the development of a displacement function V in a manner similar to that illustrated in FIG. 5.
FIG. 8 shows a compensation curve A which operates to compensate for the push rod displacement error. It is derived from the transition curves F to produce a function that will correct the displacement function.
The correction values from the storage arrangement 20 can he handled in a manner similar to the values from arrangement 19.
The transition curves are here shown as straight lines. In practice however, we are dealing with very special curves which may be assembled from sinusoidal, parabolic, or hyperbolic segments, or a plurality of combinations thereof. The aim is to reduce acceleration or deceleration as much as possible.
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A control arrangement for displacing the guide bar in a warp knitting machines comprises an input arrangement for the setting certain characteristic data defining the desired shogging pattern. There is also provided a first storage section for storing data for various transition curves also relating to shogging patterns. A computer can generate a continuous displacement function based on the characteristic data and the transition curves. An output arrangement can reads out the values of the displacement function in dependence upon the rotation angle position of the main shaft 7 of the knitting machine. The values this read out are used as position target values for the guide bar. This enables flexible adaptation to produce very different patterns in high machine speed.
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